The forest was alive with danger. Mist curled through the trees, carrying the scent of blood and spirit qi. Roars echoed from every direction as disciples fought desperately to claim the scattered tokens.
Li Ming strolled along, humming. "Left, right, left, right… hm, should I grab a token first, or eat a bun first?"
He reached into his robe and pulled out a steaming bun. Just as he took a bite—
RUMBLE!
The ground shook. A massive shadow burst through the trees, shattering trunks as if they were twigs.
Li Ming blinked. "Oh. Guess I'll fight first."
---
The spirit ape
The beast was a towering Ironfur Spirit Ape, its black hair bristling like steel needles. Spirit qi rolled off its body like waves, its aura as strong as a Qi Refining 7th Stage cultivator.
Clutched in its claw was a glowing jade token—the first of the three required.
Disciples nearby gasped.
"That's one of the guardian beasts!"
"Even in groups, it's hard to take down!"
"Li Ming's done for if it targets him."
The ape pounded its chest, roared, and charged at Li Ming like a storm.
Li Ming calmly swallowed his bite of bun. "So rude. Don't you see I'm eating?"
---
The fight
The ape's claw swept down, its force splitting the ground like an earthquake.
Li Ming hopped back, qi surging through his legs. His body blurred as he used the Nine Heavens Cloudstep, leaving afterimages as he darted around the ape.
The disciples watching froze.
"Wait… isn't that a movement art most people can't even comprehend at Qi Refining?"
"How is he using it so smoothly?!"
The ape roared in frustration, slamming fists and tearing through trees, but Li Ming danced around like a shadow, every step infused with qi.
"Left, right, spin… man, this is better than morning exercise."
---
Finally, the ape gathered all its qi into one devastating strike, its entire body glowing. Its claw came down like a mountain, enough to crush several disciples at once.
Li Ming's eyes narrowed. He popped a Qi Condensing Pill into his mouth. Instantly, the jade slip in his robe devoured the pill's energy, refining it ten times faster than normal. His qi pool surged, his aura exploding outward.
"Time to end this."
He vanished, his steps carrying him high above the ape's head.
The crowd barely saw it—just a blur of black hair and swirling qi.
Li Ming's fist glowed with compressed power. "Meteor Bun Fist!"
BOOM!
His strike crashed down on the ape's skull. The beast let out a strangled cry before collapsing, the earth trembling as its massive body hit the ground.
Silence followed.
Then—
"…Did he just… one-punch it?!"
"A Qi Refining 7th Stage beast?! At Qi Refining 3rd Stage?!"
"This is insane!"
Li Ming landed lightly, brushing dust off his robe. He picked up the glowing token from the ape's claws, holding it up with a grin.
"First one down. Two more to go. Easy."
---
From deeper in the forest, Bai Chen—the cold and ruthless senior disciple—opened his eyes mid-meditation, sensing the ripple of qi.
"…That wasn't Guo Wei. Who has that kind of power?"
Lin Xue, fighting with her twin swords elsewhere, frowned as she caught the distant echo of the clash. "That direction… could it be him?"
Wu Jian, meanwhile, nearly foamed at the mouth when he heard the other disciples gossiping.
"Li Ming killed the Ironfur Ape in one punch!"
"He's terrifying!"
Wu Jian smashed his fist into a tree. No! He's supposed to be trash! I won't let him outshine me!
And on a quiet hill overlooking the forest, Lan Yue stood with arms folded, her long hair fluttering in the breeze. She whispered softly, almost to herself:
"Qi Refining 3rd Stage… yet you defeated a 7th Stage beast. Junior Brother Li Ming, how many more secrets will you reveal?"
---
Li ming being Li ming
Meanwhile, Li Ming sat cross-legged on the fallen ape's belly, casually eating the rest of his bun.
"Mmm. Not bad. Fighting while eating makes the bun taste better."
He patted the jade slip hidden in his robe. "You're really something, huh? With you, even mountains don't look so tall."
The slip pulsed faintly, as if in agreement.
---
Li Ming hopped up, twirling the token in his hand. "Alright then… let's hunt down the next one. Maybe I'll even find a dragon guarding it. That'd make for a cooler story."
And with that, he strolled deeper into the forest, whistling happily while disciples watched from the shadows, too stunned to speak.
Comment your thoughts about continuing this book.