Chapter 113: The Wolf's Pact
The deeper forest lands stretched wild and untamed,
a labyrinth of towering trees and shadowed hollows,
the air thick with the pungent scent of moss and the low rumble of distant beasts,
sunlight filtering through in faint, dappled patches.
Lin Xuan pressed onward, his cultivation sealed,
his black-and-white eyes scanning the terrain with a predator's focus,
the Celestial Unity Crest dormant on his back,
relying solely on raw strength honed by two years of survival.
He encountered a hulking beast at the 8th Layer of Qi Transformation,
a boar with tusks like gleaming steel, its hide scarred from countless battles,
its charge a thunderous rumble as it barreled toward him,
hooves tearing the earth with a crunch.
The fight was brutal, a dance of survival and skill—
Lin Xuan dodged with Muay Boran's fluid footwork,
striking with a Kyokushin Karate reverse punch, his arm trembling but firm,
the thud of impact echoing as he drove the boar back.
He shifted to Heaven-Pressing Stance,
arms pressing the world beneath his palms,
sticking the boar into the ground with a slam,
its tusks snapping under the pressure as he grunted with effort.
A Muay Thai knee strike followed,
cracking against the boar's skull with a crack,
but the beast retaliated, goring his side, blood soaking his tunic,
forcing him to collapse with a thud, exhaustion overwhelming him.
By a hair's breadth, he won, the boar's lifeless form beside him,
his breath ragged, body trembling as he lay in the dirt,
yet undeterred, he rose each day, training with relentless drive—
Muay Boran kicks refining his legs, Karate katas building his core.
One afternoon, a massive wolf emerged,
its golden eyes intelligent and piercing at the 7th Layer Profound Heavenly Realm,
its growl a deep rumble halting the air,
its silver fur rippling as it studied Lin Xuan with curiosity.
In beast tongue, its voice rumbled,
"It seems like he's training himself—
a human with such grit is rare."
Lin Xuan, surprising the wolf, replied fluently,
his voice steady despite his fatigue.
"Yes, I am. Strength comes from struggle."
The wolf recoiled, its ears flattening,
its voice laced with shock.
"How… how can a human speak our tongue?
This is unheard of!"
Lin Xuan smiled faintly, wiping blood from his lip.
"Language is just sound. Meaning is will—
I've learned to listen with my heart."
The wolf's eyes narrowed, then softened,
its tone shifting to respect.
"I'm impressed, human.
Stop killing our kin. My pack and I will help you—
if you humble our emperor, who's grown arrogant beyond reason."
Lin Xuan nodded, his resolve firm.
"Agreed. Let's face him together."
The shadowed glade grew quiet,
the air lightening with the scent of pine and a new alliance.