Liu Yang kept flying deeper into the Yuezhi Forest, spreading his Spiritual Sense to search for Rank-2 slimes. He had been flying for hours and had already ventured quite far when suddenly...

"Oh? Could it be?" Liu Yang detected several slimes through his Spiritual Sense, but one in particular stood out, slightly different from the others.

"Nice, finally found one!" he exclaimed, and after getting closer, he confirmed through his Spiritual Sense that it was indeed a Rank-2 slime Spirit Beast.

Without hesitation, he flew swiftly toward the direction of the slime.

Pyon.

Pyon.

Pyon.

A slime bounced through the forest, its round body springing up and down. Unlike the many semi-transparent Rank-1 slimes abundant in the forest, this one was slightly larger and had a faint green hue—a Green Slime, a Rank-2 slime Spirit Beast. Suddenly, a figure descended from above and quickly snatched the still-jumping slime. The creature couldn't react in time and struggled to break free, but it was held firmly.

"Hahaha, got you!" Liu Yang said as he inspected the slime in his hand.

He then pulled out a large leather bag from his storage ring, stuffed the slime inside, and slung the bag over his shoulder.

"A good start! Already caught one on the first day," Liu Yang grinned.

"I hope I can find plenty more. Maybe Mr. Orion will reward me later... It'd be great if he gave me some MSG!" He chuckled to himself, imagining the rewards as he continued his search for more Rank-2 slimes.

Liu Yang continued his search through the forest, now flying slowly and scanning more thoroughly with his Spiritual Sense. Not long after, Liu Yang found another Rank-2 slime, a Green Slime.

"Hahaha, very good, another one!" he exclaimed.

After finding two Rank-2 slimes in quick succession, Liu Yang decided to search the surrounding area more methodically. Sure enough, about half an hour later, he found another Rank-2 slime by a small creek, resting at the bottom of the clear water. This time, it had a slight blue hue—a Blue Slime.

Liu Yang captured the Blue Slime and continued searching until sunset. As night approached, he decided to stop, knowing that slimes would go into hiding. They were weak creatures; even the Rank-2 slimes, though slightly stronger than Rank-1 slimes, were still relatively weak compared to other Spirit Beasts.

Liu Yang found a small cave and decided to rest for the night. As darkness settled in, many ferocious Spirit Beasts became more active, filling the forest with the sounds of their hunting.

Over the next several days, Liu Yang managed to gather seven Rank-2 slimes: four Green Slimes, two Blue Slimes, and one Red Slime.

"Sigh, are there no more Rank-2 slimes?" Liu Yang muttered after collecting seven slimes but failing to find any more. Even after all his efforts, he had yet to find any more Rank-2 slimes or higher.

While searching, Liu Yang occasionally stumbled upon Spiritual Herbs, but he only took the most valuable ones, leaving the rest behind. His focus remained on finding Rank-2 slimes or higher. Sometimes, he also encountered Rank-1 and Rank-2 Spirit Beasts, some of which were quite ferocious and attacked him the moment they sensed his presence. He casually slapped them to death, unfazed by their attacks.

"How dare you barge into my territory and cause trouble!" a loud voice boomed, rumbling through the air.

"Hmm?" Liu Yang raised an eyebrow, noticing a figure quickly flying toward him. "A buffalo Spirit Beast?" he muttered as he sensed the figure's power fluctuations, recognizing it as a Rank-3 buffalo Spirit Beast—Nightmare Buffalo.

Spirit Beasts that reach Rank-3 are able to transform into human-like figures, though they retain some of their unique Spirit Beast characteristics.

The Nightmare Buffalo had the appearance of a large, muscular man with a bare chest and pants made from some sort of Spirit Beast skin. His skin was slightly dark, with long black hair swept back. He had a human face with a pair of sharp horns, dark as night, that gleamed in the light, and a large buffalo nose that released mist with each breath.

Veins pulsed on his forehead, and his red, glowing eyes added to his fearsome presence. He carried a massive axe on his back, its handle made of wood and the axe head crafted from Spirit Beast bones.

"Human, return everything you took, or you'll pay with your life!" the buffalo Spirit Beast bellowed, hovering a few dozen meters away from Liu Yang.

"Pfft... and why should I?" Liu Yang sneered, his tone smug.

"Because this place belongs to me—the great Tigang! And you dare steal from my territory. If you don't return what you took, I'll kill you!" Tigang roared, his anger growing.

"Kill me? Are you even capable of that?" Liu Yang mocked.

"Good, very good. You've angered me! I'm going to kill you!" Tigang, now enraged, grabbed the massive axe from his back and pointed it toward Liu Yang.

"I've been looking for a sparring partner to test out my strength. You've come just in time," Liu Yang smirked, raising a hand to gesture for Tigang to come. He showed no fear of the enraged buffalo Spirit Beast.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Recently, Liu Yang's cultivation had improved, and he had broken through a bottleneck, advancing from the 2nd stage of the Golden Core Realm to the 3rd stage. Not only had his cultivation advanced, but his meridians had also improved and strengthened, making him feel the surge of new power coursing through him—all thanks to the MSG.

He had been itching to test his newfound strength, and now, this buffalo Spirit Beast named Tigang had come at the perfect time. Tigang was a Rank-3 Spirit Beast, equivalent to a Golden Core Realm cultivator.

Probing Tigang's strength with his Spiritual Sense, Liu Yang concluded that their strength wasn't much different. Confidently facing Tigang, Liu Yang believed that even if he couldn't defeat him, he could easily escape unharmed.

"You are courting death!" Tigang roared as he charged, swinging his massive axe.

Liu Yang quickly retrieved a sword from his storage ring. Tigang's attack came fast, the sheer force and momentum of the axe devastating. Liu Yang dodged to the side, slashing back at Tigang.

The two clashed in close combat for a while, the clang of metal ringing out as sparks flew. Their fierce battle wreaked havoc on the surroundings—massive trees were sliced apart, boulders shattered into dust, and deep craters and ravines were carved into the ground.

Dust billowed into the air as the force of their strikes sent shockwaves in every direction, tearing through the landscape with violent intensity.

"[Fire Python Sword Slash!]" Liu Yang unleashed his combat technique, slashing multiple times. Fiery, snake-like sword strikes darted towards Tigang at high speed, twisting unpredictably.

"[Iron Hide!]" Tigang bellowed, his muscles bulging as his skin darkened. He charged forward, ignoring the incoming strikes and facing them head-on.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Liu Yang's attacks met Tigang's hardened skin with loud, metallic sounds, and even sparks flew, as if striking iron. The strikes left faint cut marks, and Tigang suffered minor burns from the fiery slashes.

After ignoring Liu Yang's attacks, Tigang closed in, swinging his axe with wicked force. He noticed Liu Yang's expression shift to surprise, and Tigang grinned maliciously.

"Now die!" Tigang roared, putting all his strength into the swing. The wind howled as his massive axe slashed down at incredible speed.

Liu Yang's body split in two, but before Tigang could revel in his victory, a sharp sense of danger came to him from behind. Instinctively, he ducked.

A sword slashed through the space where his head had been moments before, severing a portion of his long black hair. Tigang quickly dashed forward to gain some distance, then turned to face the attacker. To his shock, Liu Yang stood there, smiling while holding his sword. The "Liu Yang" he had struck had dissolved into flames.

"Hmph! A petty trick!" Tigang snarled, raising his axe and charging again.

"My combat and movement techniques have improved significantly, and my meridians are now far more efficient at channeling Qi," Liu Yang murmured to himself, watching as Tigang charged furiously. "Heh, I'll play with him for a bit."

Though Liu Yang wanted to test his newfound strength, he remained focused, remembering the main reason he had come to Yuezhi Forest, there was no need to get entangled in a life-or-death battle with Tigang.

Liu Yang and Tigang locked in fierce close combat once again. Each of Tigang's attacks carried tremendous force, making it impossible for Liu Yang to meet them head-on. Parrying with his sword was useless due to the great momentum behind the massive axe, so Liu Yang focused on dodging and occasionally launching sneak attacks when Tigang left an opening.

In the early stages of the battle, Tigang held control, forcing Liu Yang to retreat as each of his strikes could deal serious damage. Liu Yang, however, evaded nimbly, avoiding fatal blows and occasionally launching sneak attacks, though his own attacks barely left a mark on Tigang due to his [Iron Hide] technique, which made his body tough and resistant.

But as the battle dragged on, the tide began to turn. Liu Yang's combat techniques allowed him to inflict small amounts of damage, which gradually accumulated. He also used various talismans and pills throughout the fight to aid him.

Tigang, on the other hand, didn't use any such items, and as his injuries accumulated, he began to feel the effects. Liu Yang gained control of the battle, dictating the pace, choosing when to attack and when to defend, sometimes even taking the opportunity to taunt and mock Tigang.

Angered, Tigang charged madly, his body covered in numerous injuries, though none were fatal. Enraged and humiliated by Liu Yang's tactics, he roared, ignoring any sense of defense as he rushed forward recklessly.

"Take this! [Hill Cleaving Axe]!" Tigang raised his massive axe, its blade shrouded in a black aura as he prepared to unleash a devastating attack.

Seeing this, Liu Yang descended to the ground and immediately pulled out a defense talisman from his storage ring. Activating it, an energy barrier enveloped him.

Without stopping, he slammed both palms to the ground, shouting, "[Stone Palms Fortress]!" The ground rumbled, and massive palms made of stone rose up on either side of Liu Yang, clasping together around the energy barrier to form an additional protective layer.

"Die!" Tigang bellowed as he flew at Liu Yang with his axe raised high. The black aura surrounding the weapon expanded, creating a massive phantom axe.

KABOOM!

The axe crashed into the stone palms with explosive force, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. The impact created a massive crater, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading across the ground. The force of the attack even carved out a deep gully, about a meter wide and dozens of meters deep, stretching for more than 50 meters.

"Hahaha! Serves you right, human scum!" Tigang laughed, satisfied with the devastating aftermath of his strike. His attack had shattered Liu Yang's stone palms and energy barrier, carving a deep gully in the ground where Liu Yang had stood.

With no trace of Liu Yang's figure in sight, Tigang assumed the human had been destroyed.

Suddenly, several talismans shot out from the ground and flew up toward Tigang, glowing brightly.

"Crap!" Tigang cursed, caught off guard. The talismans surrounded him, their light intensifying as they drew closer.

Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!

A series of explosions erupted, blanketing the area in thick dust. After a while, coughing echoed from within as Tigang's figure emerged, the dust slowly dissipating. He stood on the ground, then spat a mouthful of blood.

"Damn it! You human scoundrel! Stop hiding like a rat and face me directly like a true man!" Tigang wiped the blood from his mouth.

The exploding talismans had seriously injured him; if not for his [Iron Hide], he would have died.

"Hmph. Do you think I'm as stupid as you? All brawn and no brain?" Liu Yang's voice came from the ground as his figure emerged about fifty meters away.

"You just act like a coward!" Tigang shouted.

"It's called strategy," Liu Yang replied.

When Liu Yang witnessed Tigang's [Hill Cleaving Axe], his scalp went numb. Realizing it was an attack he couldn't withstand head-on, he quickly descended to the ground, activated a defensive talisman, and used his [Stone Palms Fortress] technique for cover.

As the stone palms shielded him, Liu Yang discreetly placed several exploding talismans underground before burrowing away to distance himself from the battlefield.

Unaware of Liu Yang's escape, Tigang unleashed his full power. After the attack, Tigang let his guard down, giving Liu Yang the chance to activate his trap, inflicting serious injuries on the buffalo Spirit Beast.