Wei Ran looked at his sister, his expression thoughtful. They were inside a specialized training hall, its walls reinforced with ancient formations. Outside, the rain had begun to subside, but the air inside remained heavy with anticipation.
"Finding a Hundred Beast King is easy," Wei Ran said calmly. "But encountering one in isolation is nearly impossible. They are always surrounded by their packs. Therefore, every movement we make must be calculated down to the second."
They sat opposite each other on the manicured grass of the hall. Wei Ran began to outline the battle plan, leaving out not even the smallest detail. He spoke for hours about angles of attack, essence conservation, and the exact timing for a tactical retreat.
Feng Jin Huang listened intently, unable to hide her growing amazement.
'My brother... he is terrifyingly brilliant. He is calculating everything down to the wind direction and the height of the grass. We are only Rank 1, yet hearing his plan makes it feel as though victory is already in our grasp,' she thought, though she kept her face composed.
A few days later, after finalizing their deep-layered strategy, they departed the clan territories for the hunt.
During the journey, Wei Ran unexpectedly began to act like the child his body suggested he was. Perhaps it was the sheer boredom of the long trek.
"Damn it... how much longer?" he grumbled, kicking a loose stone on the path. "Does this forest even have an end?"
Jin Huang rarely saw such "human" and genuine behavior from her brother. It amused her, and she replied with a smirk.
"Be patient, little brother. We still have a long way to go. You know, I've always wanted to tell you something..."
Before she could finish, Wei Ran cut her off.
"What? An admission of how foolish you are?"
Jin Huang's face flushed with indignation, and she shot back immediately.
"Idiot! Not that at all! I was going to tell you about my new silk robes... What kind of ridiculous thoughts do you have?"
"We can discuss robes later. Save your energy for the hunt," Wei Ran said, cutting the conversation short.
As the sun began to set, its blood-red rays fell upon Wei Ran's face. Against his pale skin, the light made him look less like a living boy and more like a corpse risen from a grave.
"We can't move at night. We need to find a place," Wei Ran said, scanning the surroundings with suspicion.
Jin Huang pointed toward a distant cliffside. "There's a cave over there."
They made their way cautiously toward the cave. After ensuring there were no immediate threats, they began to prepare a spot to rest. However, Wei Ran's eyes were drawn to the infinite darkness at the far end of the cavern. There was something unsettling lurking there.
As Wei Ran slowly approached the shadows, a strange figure suddenly flickered before his eyes. It was a silhouette holding a long staff. In a split second, the staff extended, tearing through the air.
"Dammit—" Wei Ran couldn't even finish his sentence. The powerful strike sent him flying across the cave, slamming him into the stone wall.
Moments later, the shadow stepped into the light. It was a monkey, but no ordinary beast. It wore strange, ancient-looking clothes and gripped a mysterious staff. Its aura radiated the raw power of a Hundred Beast King.
Wei Ran stood up, brushing the dust from his clothes, his eyes wide with shock.
'Damn it... I never thought I'd find Sun Wukong in this world,' he thought. Even in such a perilous situation, the thought felt absurdly dark and humorous to him.
But the humor didn't last.
"Jin Huang, now!" he barked.
Both young geniuses activated their Gu worms simultaneously. Wei Ran summoned his Ice Sword, closing the distance with the Monkey King in a blur of motion, unleashing a flurry of strikes. Jin Huang stood her ground at the back, activating her Bright Light Gu.
"Wei Ran, close your eyes!" she screamed.
Wei Ran shut his eyes instantly. The entire cave was flooded with a blinding, incandescent white light. The Monkey King let out a horrific shriek from the sudden flash.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
However, its body hadn't suffered any serious physical damage. Enraged, it hurled its staff toward Wei Ran. Wei Ran retreated skillfully, and the staff—as if possessed by a soul—swung through the air and returned to its master's hand.
"That staff is undoubtedly a Gu..." Wei Ran muttered, catching his breath. He had never read about a Gu of such a form in the clan library.
The Monkey King ignored Jin Huang entirely; its hatred was fixed solely on Wei Ran. As it stepped forward, strange, ancient, and incomprehensible words escaped its throat:
"Zheishdaoqp..."
It wasn't just a beast's cry; it was the haunting echo of an ancient language.