Chapter 1 - Lin Mo and Wu Di

BAM!

A pale-looking youth slammed against a tree, blood splattering from his mouth and staining his blue robes red.

"This monkey is persistence," he muttered.

"It's an ape, Brother Lin," a mysterious voice echoed from the shadows.

"Same thing." The pale youth, Lin Mo, wiped the blood from his lips and stood. "When will you make a move, Brother Wu?"

To his question, the forest remained silent.

Suddenly, the ground trembled.

Heavy footsteps approached from the dense woods.

"It's here again," Lin Mo cursed under his breath.

The forest ahead parted, revealing a giant ape. Its dark body exuded a powerful, oppressive aura. In comparison, Lin Mo looked like a child, but he held his ground, ready for the clash.

He had been running for a while, but each time, the ape caught up and slammed him down. He couldn't outrun it.

The ape thumped its chest and charged. Lin Mo dashed toward it, and they collided with a thunderous crash.

BAM!

Lin Mo flew back, landing under a tree.

Frustration etched on his face, he muttered, "This ape is bullying me with its weight."

He stood and charged again.

In the forest, the youth and the ape clashed repeatedly. The sounds of their collisions echoed through the trees, more often the sound of Lin Mo being thrown back.

After numerous clashes, Lin Mo's body finally hit the tree with a thud, and he couldn't stand up anymore.

The giant ape approached his bloodied, limp form, roaring in victory.

However, its triumph was short-lived. As it roared, a silhouette appeared behind it. Cold steel pierced its body, and the ape fell, squirming in agony until it died.

Near the ape's corpse, Lin Mo remained motionless on the ground.

"Stop acting. It's over," an arrogant-looking youth appeared beside him.

Lin Mo opened his eyes and stirred.

A youth of similar age, with golden hair and an air of superiority, stood before him.

Lin Mo noticed a large sack of meatballs near the ape's body.

"Brother Wu, you're ruthless. You even took its jewels," Lin Mo shuddered at the sight. Those were the ape's prized possessions.

"Hmmph, isn't this all because of you?" Wu Di retorted, wiping blood from his short dagger.

"How can you blame this on me?" Lin Mo looked pitiful.

"You stole the fruits," Wu Di replied, clearly annoyed.

"Come on, don't be angry, Brother Wu. I'll share some with you."

"I want half," Wu Di demanded.

"Half it is," Lin Mo agreed, grinning.

Despite being thrown around by the ape, Lin Mo showed no signs of broken bones or internal damage.

He dusted off his clothes. "What should we do about this giant ape, Brother Wu?"

"Let me check something." Wu Di pulled out a different dagger and sliced open the ape's abdomen.

A radiant light emerged from the opening.

"As expected, it's a spiritual-ranked beast core," Wu Di said, holding the glowing core.

"This was a late-stage spiritual beast. No wonder it was so strong," Lin Mo commented.

In the beast hierarchy, it ranked second to last.

At their current stage, a stronger beast would have trampled them. Fortunately, this ape was just within their capability. Their elders had warned them not to dwell deep in the forest, as strong beasts inhabited the deeper part of the forest.

Wu Di put the circular beast core in his pouch and scanned the surroundings. "Let's move. We still have our task to complete."

Originally, they were here on a sect's mission to hunt down a few wild beasts. However, on the way, they stumbled upon a peculiar aroma. Lin Mo insisted on following this aroma to see what it was.

Following the aroma, they found a garden with dozens of trees bearing small berries. Lin Mo, with no hesitation, began to pluck all of the berries on the tree. Unbeknownst to them, this garden already had an owner. His fellow apprentice brother had disappeared without telling him. The ape found him alone in the garden, thus, their chase began.

Leaving the ape's corpse, the two youths departed.

The forest regained its tranquility. On one of the tree branches, a small bird stayed motionless, staring ahead. Its charcoal-dark eyes watched the whole play, observing from the beginning to the end without making a single sound.

"FOUND YOU!" The small bird fell from the tree, lifeless.