In the forest, a tall figure rose up and stood atop the Innate Giant Crocodile, holding a bone-white Long Spear. Beneath his feet lay the formidable Innate Giant Crocodile, now felled.
This was a youth who appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, with a tender face that still bore traces of childishness. However, his strength was overwhelming; such a terrifying Innate Giant Crocodile was brought down by a single spear thrust, unable to rise again.
This person was Ye Chen.
Earlier, he had launched his Bone Spear, catching the Innate Giant Crocodile unawares as it lay in the marsh, the weapon penetrating its abdomen and leaving a deep wound, grievously injuring the creature.
A brief battle ensued, fierce enough to flatten a swath of forest. But, because the Innate Giant Crocodile was already injured and Ye Chen was extraordinarily powerful, the beast was defeated and began to flee, with Ye Chen in relentless pursuit.
With a whoosh, Ye Chen pulled out the bone-white Long Spear that had pierced through the body of the Innate Giant Crocodile. Copious blood gushed forth, shooting into the air without staining even a single thread of the youth’s clothes.
At this moment, he was the center of attention.
From somewhere came the sound of someone swallowing their saliva, though it was unclear who made the sound. No one paid it any mind, as they were all consumed by the young man’s formidable power. When had such an extraordinary prodigy appeared in Xiafeng Country, so incredibly strong at such a young age?
That was an Innate Realm Giant Crocodile, not just any crocodile. It was four zhang long, with black, hard Scale Armor and possessed immense strength. Both the leader of the Snow Wolf Mercenary Corps Group and Vivian, two Innate Experts, had trouble contending with it; they even considered withdrawing. Yet now, the creature had been run through by a spear, lying defeated—an incredibly surprising show of strength.
"Is... is this for real?" A pure and beautiful girl with an attractive figure opened her cherry lips slightly, staring blankly at the scene before her.
"It’s real, though hard to believe," another handsome young man replied with a wry smile.
This youth before their eyes was even younger than they were, yet his strength was already outrageously formidable. How could this be fair?
To accept this fact was difficult for these elite scions from Xiafeng Academy, who were geniuses in their own right, all around eighteen or nineteen years old, and already at the eighth or ninth realms of the Acquired Realm. Vivian was even an Innate Expert, definitely a young genius. But compared to the youthful figure in front of them, who seemed to be merely sixteen or seventeen, they were clearly inferior.
Such a blow made it hard for these self-proclaimed geniuses to accept, filling them with bitterness.
Even the unmatched prodigies of the Heavenly Level Academy had not made them feel such despair and bitterness.
Nevertheless, the reality was just as they saw it; the young man’s strength was so great they could only look up to him.
Vivian widened her beautiful eyes, her red lips slightly parted as she gazed intently at the mysterious youth standing above. She was filled with astonishment.
The leader of the Snow Wolf Mercenary Corps Group took in a sharp breath before quickly regaining his composure, hastily walking up to Ye Chen and saluting with a fist, "I am Li Wei, leader of Snow Wolf Mercenary Corps Group. I’ve seen the young master’s strength; thank you for your assistance."
Although the leader of the Snow Wolf Mercenary Corps Group was a middle-aged Innate Expert, much older than Ye Chen, and his age doubled that of the youth’s, his salutation did not provoke derision or disagreement from anyone. It seemed appropriate, because in this world, strength is revered, and the capable are the teachers.
Ye Chen’s strength warranted such a salute from Li Wei.
In response, Ye Chen merely nodded indifferently without saying a word. Leader Li Wei didn’t feel discontented, considering it natural since experts often bear a sense of pride.
Vivian stood up, her gaze fixed on Ye Chen, and with a graceful salute, her red lips parted to produce a melodious voice: "I am Vivian. I’ve seen the young master and hope to request a favor, I wonder if the young master—"
But Ye Chen waved his hand to interrupt Vivian, his gaze shifting toward the depths of the forest as he murmured to himself, "Finally caught up? A bit slow."
Everyone was baffled, unable to understand the meaning behind the youth’s words.
However, before they could come to any realization, suddenly a huge roar thundered throughout the forest, startling everyone.
In the thicket of the densely packed Miasma Forest, vines creeped out as a Fierce Mountain Bear, standing two zhang tall with blood-red eyes, furiously roared, the shockwaves rippling through the forest so that nearby Demon Beasts dared not encroach.
"It’s a Fierce Mountain Bear, another Innate Demonic Beast!?"
Almost everyone present paled, except for Ye Chen.
The Fierce Mountain Bear, as its name suggested, was a famously ferocious Demon Beast known for its extraordinary intrinsic strength that far surpassed that of humans. An Acquired Ninth Rank bear alone could possess nearly ten thousand jin of brute force, comparable to a human stepping into the Innate Realm for the first time.
In the world of Demon Beasts, the Fierce Mountain Bear was certainly classified as a creature that humans would not want to provoke. Once faced with it, there was usually only one outcome—death.
Generally speaking, Acquired Realm Fierce Mountain Bears, no matter how massive, would not stand taller than one and a half zhang. Once they surpassed this size, it meant entering the Innate Realm.
Thus, the Fierce Mountain Bear standing at two zhang tall before them was unmistakably an Innate Realm bear, many times more terrifying than its Acquired Realm counterparts, currently in a state of enraged roaring, intimidating the entire forest.