Chapter Ten: The Beast Within Man
Night had fallen over the mountains, and the forest was bathed in silver moonlight. Xu Lan moved cautiously along the ridge, senses heightened, golden beast essence pulsating faintly beneath his skin. The earlier encounter with the hunters had left its mark—not just on his body, but on his mind. Survival now required constant vigilance.
A sudden ripple of energy shot through the trees, sharper and more deliberate than any natural movement. Xu Lan's chest tightened. He knew immediately: this was no ordinary hunter.
From the shadows, a figure emerged. Unlike the previous attackers, this one radiated a power eerily similar to his own—a fusion of human will and beast essence. The figure's eyes glowed a deep amber, muscles rippling under a dark, fitted tunic, and an aura of lethal calm surrounded him.
"You've grown quickly," the man said, voice smooth and dangerous. "But growth alone won't save you. You need control… discipline… understanding of the essence within you. Or it will destroy you."
Xu Lan felt a shiver run down his spine. This was no ordinary opponent—this was someone who had mastered the same energy he had only begun to comprehend.
The man moved first, faster than the eye could track. A golden pulse radiated from his fists, mirroring Xu Lan's own power. Xu Lan's instincts kicked in. He dodged, countered, and tried to absorb a fraction of the man's energy—but the process was unstable. Unlike beasts, this human fought **with cunning, directing his essence not just outward, but inward, manipulating his own body to generate bursts of overwhelming force.
Xu Lan realized immediately: he was not fighting a brute, but a master strategist.
The clash shook the ridge. Xu Lan's spinning strike met the man's red-gold aura, sparks flying with each collision. Trees splintered, rocks shattered, and the forest trembled under the force of their battle.
Xu Lan's mind raced, analyzing patterns, predicting movements, testing limits. Every instinct he had honed through beast battles and human fights now collided with something entirely new: a human who treated beast essence as a weapon, a shield, and a tool for precision strikes.
The man smirked, landing a strike that sent Xu Lan skidding back. "Not bad," he said, voice calm, "but you rely too much on absorption. True mastery… comes from balance."
Xu Lan gritted his teeth. He couldn't simply react—he needed innovation. Drawing upon every ounce of beast essence he had absorbed, he channeled it into a new, fluid form, combining offense and defense, strike and counter, motion and stillness.
The golden aura around him flared brilliantly as he executed a refined version of his spinning strike, now integrated with rapid, flowing defensive maneuvers and energy redirection. The attack met the man's assault, and for a moment, the two forces collided in perfect equilibrium—light and energy spiraling outward, illuminating the ridge like a sunburst.
The man's expression shifted slightly—interest, surprise, and respect flickering across his face. "Impressive… you've learned quickly," he admitted.
Xu Lan felt his body hum with energy, senses sharper than ever. He had not only survived this encounter but had pushed his beast essence mastery to a new level, discovering the balance between raw absorption and controlled application.
The man retreated into the shadows, voice echoing like a ghostly warning:
"Remember this lesson, Xu Lan. Power without control is destruction. And there are those who will exploit it… or hunt you for it."*
As silence fell over the ridge, Xu Lan sank to one knee, exhausted but exhilarated. The battle had left marks—not just on his body, but on his understanding of himself and the beast essence within.
He whispered, almost reverently, "I see now… survival is just the beginning. True mastery… is control."
Above him, the moon shone brightly, casting long shadows over the forest. And in those shadows, the first whispers of a coming storm—of hunters, masters, and beasts alike—stirred. Xu Lan's journey was far from over.