Stench

A single night-born boar was enough to make a week's worth of pork jerky. Since he couldn't process them for now, Feng Chao threw the intact head and bones far away from his camp. When he finished making a serrated knife, he could start crafting tools with those bones.

Come to think of it, he also wasted three stone knives just to process the boar. They would need to be sharpened again later.

With a better form of sustenance, Feng Chao continued his training with renewed vigor. When he was about to run out of jerky, he set out to find another boar using the same method of hunting. Armed with better knowledge of the boar's anatomy, his second kill was cleaner than his first attempt. This time he also took the heart and liver.

Three weeks passed in this manner. Feng Chao steadily entered the second layer of Body Tempering stage.

Truth be told, there was no official division of levels within the Body Tempering stage. The classification of layers was all Feng Chao's arbitrary decision.

In the old world, different realms had different systems based on their cultures and understanding of cultivation. Some divided each stage into three levels, some nine, few realms even divided them further into eighteen or thirty-six. The most used was the nine-layer system, the one Feng Chao was most familiar with.

Based on Feng Chao's understanding, for the first layer of Body Tempering stage, the practitioner had attained a fit and healthy body of a normal human. At the second layer, the practitioner was slightly stronger than the average person, a state achievable only by hardworking athletes who had constantly trained their bodies.

A mortal would need at least a year to get this far. A cultivator, supported by elixirs, would take a month or two. Feng Chao had accelerated the schedule by training beyond the limit of what a standard elixir could restore.

He took a break from the training to explore a bit farther from his camp. His goal was to find some form of edible plants, anything to add variety to his meal. Sustaining on meat alone wouldn't be good for his growth.

While hopping over the branches, careful enough not to make a loud noise, Feng Chao spotted a big silhouette crawling on the forest ground. At that moment, the branch he had landed on creaked ever so slightly, causing the silhouette to stop and rose up in height, seemingly standing on two feet.

Feng Chao held his breath and tried his best to meld with his surroundings. He focused his eyes at the silhouette, slowly making out its form under the dim lighting.

Round ears, short snout, two flailing arms with sharp claws at each end, this thing actually resembled a bear. Its fur was long and seemingly more bristly, having dark purple coloration similar to the night-born boar's. As Feng Chao observed it further, he noticed that the fur covering its arms were actually rising up, each strand shaking as if caressed by the wind.

He carefully pulled out a small pebble from his pocket, and then flung it at a nearby tree. The bear's rising furs became stiff in that instant, spurring the beast to charge toward the tree. It stopped close to a patch of glowing moss, sniffing around until it got confused by the lack of result.

That was when Feng Chao saw that the bear only had a single black eye at the center of its face.

"Uwah, that was really strange."

Then again, the bear reacted really fast when the pebble hit the tree, even though it barely made any sound. Neither sensitivity to sight nor sound seemed plausible to explain it.

"Could it be, those furs…?"

The bristly fur reacted strangely whenever there were changes in the vicinity. Was it possible that the bear used it like an insect's antennae, to feel vibrations in the air?

…Too weird.

Feng Chao had no intention to test his might against it just yet. Bears were notoriously dangerous to fight in the old world. He would assume the same thing should apply here. Just to be on the safe side, he sat still as a statue until the creature finally left.

Phew.

As the silhouette receded into the darkness, Feng Chao burned the beast's form into his memory.

"Since it only had one eye, I'll call it Cyclopean Bear for now."

Perhaps one day he could take it down? He remembered seeing a cuisine made of bear's paw during his travel in the empire. That was quite tasty.

Continuing his travel a bit longer, Feng Chao gathered various leaves and seeds that he hadn't tried out yet. He would then test taste them back at the cave.

Most of them were disasters. The leaves either smelled like almonds or tasted really bitter, and the seeds were too hard to bite. However, there was a grass-like plant with a thin, juicy stalk that was rather acceptable. In fact, the leaves were just bland, but the stalk had a slight sweetness in them.

"Oh? This is not bad."

He mentally noted the plant's location to get a few bundles more.

Another month slowly passed before Feng Chao advanced to the third layer.

Staying in complete darkness most of the time, coupled with his intense training, had honed his senses to a higher level. He didn't need to use divine sense to enhance his hearing anymore. His sight, however, was in danger of deteriorating, which he tried to counter by taking his time to stare at the light produced by the bonfire.

This time he had a different problem.

He only noticed this recently, but it seemed that his body stank. A lot.

He came upon this realization when his prey, a night-born boar, suddenly raised its nose near his vicinity and bolted off in a different direction. He didn't even manage to move a single muscle yet. For such a creature that relied more on its hearing than its sense of smell, to be able to perceive his presence just from a single sniff…

"That's bad, isn't it? Fortunately, it's not the bear…"

Who was it that said keeping noise and smell to a minimum was a priority? Oh, right, himself. Only talking the talk but not walking the walk… what a failure.

He did neglect the issue of bathing for the past two months. He was a slob when he was a mortal, while an immortal's spiritual body would never get dirty. After hundreds of years without the need to ever take a bath, he had simply forgotten about it.

There were only two more days of jerky in stock. He should wash up as soon as possible so he could resume hunting.

"It's not like I want to get reincarnated again. Booo... "

He leaped back to the cave while grumbling on and on for the entire journey.

The moment he landed right before the cave's entrance, his instinct suddenly flared up without a moment's notice. A faint sound of rustling leaves could be heard soon after, and they were getting closer.

Feng Chao made a quick decision. With a single stroke of his flint, the fire blazed up, basking the area in warm light. To his surprise, he was no longer alone.

From the shadow beyond the light's reach emerged a horde of creatures, each at the size of a Doberman. They had a lean, canine-shaped body, their skin clinging close to their bones as if emaciated. Their eyes were mere small dots on their faces, similar to the night-born boar. Their most distinctive feature was the pair of antenna jutting out at the top of their head where ears should have been-

"Wait, what…?"

His eyes were still working properly, right? Those were… those really were antennas, right?

Could a warm-blooded animal have antennas? Was that even possible?

The dog-like creatures twirled the tip of their antennas, swinging it around with by lightly shaking their heads. They seemed to react when pointed at the direction of the open fire, upon which the beasts would circle around it, swaying the tips again until they locked on to Feng Chao's position.

"Interesting… they're capable of sensing heat? I think insects can smell using those probes as well. Are they multi-functional-"

Eh, wrong. It wasn't the time to do analysis!

Feng Chao promptly drew out his dagger. The slicing sound caused the beasts to shudder. In response, they opened their jaws. The lower jaw split open in the middle, parting out like a blooming flower to reveal saliva-dripping mouth lined with rows of small, jagged teeth.

"Darn it, there's not a single normal beast here, is there?"

He only had a brief moment to curse before one of the beasts lunged at him from the side. Thankfully, he had already reached the third layer. While he couldn't entirely keep up with the beast's nature-forged speed, he could still react fast enough to dodge the attack, the saw-like teeth missing his skin by a hair's breadth.

The second beast continued the attack without waiting for him to recover. Feng Chao stretched his body as much as he could, avoiding the lunge with a spin on his heel. At that moment, the first beast had already turned around and prepared to strike.

This was simply ganging up on him! Since they weren't planning to keep the fight fair and square, then Feng Chao had no reason to be polite either.

He pulled a fallen branch off the ground. When the beast showed its hideous mouth, Feng Chao quickly shoved the stick inside, piercing the soft flesh of the roof of its mouth. He then pushed the other end to the side, preventing two parts of the jaws from closing down.

The beast clamored in pain, retreating away from Feng Chao while shaking its head in a mad attempt to dislodge the stuck branch. Meanwhile, Feng Chao rushed toward the second beast with his dagger, using the moment of confusion to stab it at the side of its stomach.

He stabbed its gut multiple times without mercy until the shrill cry finally died out.

"Well? Who still want to continue?!"

He glared at the gathering of the dog-like beast in front of him. Usually, when facing these kinds of pack animals, it should be enough to scare them after killing one or two. He actually hoped that they would just scatter away. There were at least ten of them still standing, and perhaps even more in the shadow. If they decided to attack him en-masse, at the very least he wouldn't walk off without sustaining heavy injuries. He wanted to avoid it at all costs.

Nevermind. Judging from their stance, they weren't planning to back down.

The beasts let out a series of rage-filled barking noise. They circled around the fire, splitting into two groups in an attempt to launch a pincer attack from both sides. Feng Chao could tell that they were angered for their fallen comrade, and only one party could walk out from here alive at the very end.

"…Fine, bring it on!"

If they think a heavenly immortal like him could be downed so easily by random mutts, then they were gravely mistaken! He would kill them all and feast on barbequed dog meat tonight!

Right when Feng Chao was about to make his first move, the dog-like beasts suddenly froze up. Their antennas were more sensitive than Feng Chao's senses, and he only managed to realize it a second later.

There was a sound of branches breaking in the distance, followed by the sound of something heavy breaking the barrier of wind. And, that something was aimed their way.

Fast.

Boom!

In his mortal days, Feng Chao had lent a hand to the kingdom he lived in during their blackest time. He had once helped to defend a key fortress from an invading army. He remembered the moment when huge boulders rained down from the sky, launched by the enemy's catapults.

The same thing had happened just now.

It struck right at the center of the beast's formation, knocking a couple back into the darkness. Dust cloud rose from the ground, obstructing Feng Chao's line of sight for a moment before it finally thinned out.

On the slightly leveled ground was a gory pile of flattened flesh. Blood and entrails splattered underneath. Standing on top of the pile with its back facing Feng Chaos was a figure around his height, with a pair of rounded mounds decorating the top of its head. The bonfire's light illuminated the dark purple coloration belonging to the bristly fur that covered the entire figure's body.

Hold on, wasn't that… the cyclopean bear?! No, it looked smaller compared to the one he had previously encountered. Maybe it was a young cub.

The little bear didn't wait until the dog-like beasts recovered from their surprise. It leaped at one of the beasts, catching it by the stomach, and then swung the beast's head into the ground. The first swing made a crunching noise, the second swing let out a squish as if something soft had been squeezed out, while the third swing couldn't be completed because the beast's head was turned to mush.

"…"

What… the hell was happening…? Were these bastards seriously having a brawl right in front of his home?

The beasts, which Feng Chao decided to call as 'Antenna Jackals', seemingly lost their courage after that display of brutality. They didn't know whether they should stand their ground or flee. The bear, however, wouldn't bother asking for their opinion. It already jumped to its second prey, grabbing it by the tail and then swinging it around to hit the other jackals as if it was a club.

Feng Chao gulped, tightening the hold on his dagger. Fighting a single bear was many times harder than a pack of wild dogs. You can overpower dogs with your strength alone. A bear would just slap you silly and send you to your next reincarnation. He had to strike at its vital points without letting it hit him even once.

"I don't think it'll stop just at the jackals. Should I flee? But… perhaps I could use this situation to my advantage?"

There was still another group of jackals behind him. If he combined force with them, with the jackals diverting the bear's attention while he delivers the killing blow… it might work. It might just work!

"Right, I'll stand back a bit and let these dogs-"

Unfortunately, when he looked back over his shoulder, the jackals had disappeared, having long since fled and abandoned their comrades.

"…"

Guys, where are the courage that you'd shown earlier? Where's the camaraderie? Why do you turn into cowards all of a sudden?

With the last jackal dying out, its neck crushed by the bear's paws, Feng Chao was the only potential prey left standing. As expected, the bear slowly turned around. Feng Chao, however, wasn't interested in having an all-out brawl and quickly legged it out toward the entrance of the cave.

"Groaaaar!"

A strange roar resounded behind him. He was halfway through the distance when a heavy object suddenly slammed him from above, knocking the air out of his lungs as he crashed straight down the ground.

Damn it, not good!

Feng Chao exerted the last bit of his strength to shake off his pursuer, using his elbow to strike at the thing weighing him down. When he felt that he'd gotten a good hit, he promptly got up to his feet, only to saw the bear launching itself back at him.

The two continuously rolled on the ground, with Feng Chao punching the bear at its face and sides in a desperate attempt to get free from its clutch. The bear in retaliation smacked him on the head, causing his vision to blur for a split second.

In the end, they stopped near the bonfire with the bear straddling Feng Chao on top of his chest, its weight preventing him from getting up.

"...Wait, what?"

With the bonfire at their side, Feng Chao could finally get a clear look at the intruder. The rounded mounds were indeed ears, while the lone black eye was a distinctive characteristic of the cyclopean bear.

However, the bear's face ended abruptly at the halfway point, replaced by the face of a human.

It took him a few more seconds before he realized that it wasn't actually a bear, but a human wearing a cyclopean bear's skin over their body!

What he saw was a young, childish face with a strange pair of bright blue eyes that reflected the dancing flame nearby. Long strands of hair fell from the gap between the person's head and the bear's skin, glimmering with golden hue.

"Err… hello. Nice to meet you-"

"Grrrr!"

"…"

It was the first human that he had ever met in this world, and his first greeting was returned with a growl…

The person narrowed his eyes at Feng Chao, as if weighing over something in his mind. Finally, he made an expression of reaching an important decision, and proceeded to open his mouth, revealing a fine set of white, sharp teeth.

"Wha-!"

Cannibalism?!

He swung his head down, aiming at Feng Chao's neck. However, he abruptly stopped at the last second. His eyes twitched for a moment as he started to realize something about the young cultivator.

Sniff. Sniff.

"…GAAAH!"

He somersaulted away from Feng Chao, desperately keeping his distance while covering his nose.

"…"

Feng Chao took a quick sniff of his own. Sweat, dried blood, entrails juice… not only that his robe was drenched in all this mess, but the stench had also seeped into his skin. He smelled as disgusting as a piece of rotting carcass.

Eh, why did those jackals chase him down then? Could it be that they like to eat rotten flesh?

"Grrrh…"

Feng Chao blanked for a moment. That bear- no, that person- no, wait, could he still be called a person if he didn't understand human speech…? Ah, not good, the sudden barrage of surprises had rendered him imbecile… he had to gather his thoughts.

Still giving Feng Chao a death glare, the… bear… gathered the dead jackals that he had personally killed, and then slithered back into the darkness. The sound of his reckless charge through the bushes grew fainter with each passing seconds.

In the end, Feng Chao was once again left alone with only the glimmering of the bonfire to keep him company. Oh, and a messed up front yard to clean up later…

However, one matter still took precedence in his mind.

Sniff. Sniff.

"…Do I really smell that bad…?"

It seemed that he really had to wash up as soon as possible…