C4 The Limit of Martial Skills, Two Kills.!
"Unbelievable!"
"Can you believe we have such a beast at our school?!"
"To slay eight beast soldier-level Vicious Beasts with nothing but his bare hands—this is a feat that will go down in Huthwaite history!"
"Man, the Five Bird Body Forging Technique I've been practicing feels like a sham."
"Training is one thing; real combat is a whole different beast."
"The Five Bird Body Forging Technique, while basic, is meant to temper the body. Who knew he'd be able to apply it so effectively in real combat? Impressive."
"Such a shame, though. With his exceptional martial arts aptitude, it's unfortunate he hasn't awakened any special talents."
The spectators fell silent for a moment before erupting into a chorus of awe.
It's no wonder he had the guts to take on the abyss-level secret realm without any awakened talents.
Bai Le's mastery of martial arts far exceeds that of most rudimental Awakened!
"That's all there is to it."
"Heh, what good does that do? In the end, he's still worthless."
"Without an awakened talent, there's no way his martial arts could advance to a high order."
"Exactly, it's just a fluke. He won't last through the next round!"
Applause mingled with dissenting voices.
Some people just can't stand to see others outperform them.
Their comments may be harsh to the ear,
but they're not entirely without merit.
Without an awakened talent,
Bai Le's combat ceiling might indeed be capped at the level he's currently showing.
No room for further growth.
On the screen,
Bai Le caught his breath in a half-crouch before sprinting forward again.
He'd face two or three more waves of combat before the boss fight.
And this was only the first!
"Whoosh."
Suddenly, something seemed to ensnare Bai Le's ankle as he ran.
A powerful tug followed.
A vine stretched taut from beneath a thick layer of fallen leaves, attempting to drag Bai Le away.
"What the—!"
With a roar, Bai Le channeled the Aerodrake force into his legs.
He rooted himself firmly in place, unmovable as a mountain.
A rustling came from the maple forest to his right.
Bai Le glanced over.
A beast soldier-level parasitic Vicious Beast, the Giant Tree Beast!
This creature lived within the trees, using its bark as armor and its vines as weapons.
Known for its exceptional vine manipulation and camouflage skills, it stood over three meters tall and ranked high in combat prowess among its peers.
The two were locked in a tug-of-war.
Then, in a flash, Bai Le propelled himself off the ground.
No longer resisting, he launched a counterattack!
Leveraging both his strength and the vine's pull,
he rocketed toward the Giant Tree Beast like a missile.
The Giant Tree Beast bristled with sharp spines, reminiscent of a porcupine.
A direct hit would leave anyone riddled with holes.
Bai Le's gaze burned bright, anticipating the Giant Tree Beast's next move.
Just as the spines were about to strike, he stomped down hard, coming to an abrupt halt.
Wind Breaking and Flame Separating!
The maple leaves scattered, cleaved apart as if by a speedboat's wake.
Bai Le charged up to the Giant Tree Beast,
his fists clenched and swinging with the ferocity of the Bear Form from the Five Bird Body Forging Technique.
He shattered the thorns on the Giant Tree Beast's bark and embraced the massive creature in a crushing grip.
"Shock!"
Bai Le's pectoral muscles acted as a pump, channeling the force from his arms to violently shake the Giant Tree Beast.
The shock was so intense that the creature wailed in agony.
At that moment, Bai Le resembled a massive bear, clinging to the Giant Tree Beast with unyielding grip.
The relentless power of the Aerodrake surged through him, bombarding the beast.
Soon, the Giant Tree Beast succumbed to Bai Le's relentless assault.
Foul-smelling blood spurted from the tree cavity, drenching Bai Le.
The scalding sensation stirred within him a primal urge to let out a roar—a raw desire born from the thrill of the hunt.
Exhilarating!
Once more, the familiar rustling sound echoed.
Another vine attack.
Could this be happening again?
The abyss-level difficulty was proving to be a nightmare!
One after another, the top-tier beast soldiers, the Giant Tree Beasts, were being slaughtered!
Bai Le's stamina was severely depleted, his right palm burning with heat.
The Intent Blade was primed and ready.
He wasn't born into nobility or privilege, lacking access to elite resources.
His past was marked by silent, solitary training.
Daily ten-kilometer runs, self-taught Five Bird Body Forging Technique, and 24 Skysplitter Strikes—each move, each technique, perfected through relentless repetition.
His progress was slow, but his skills were battle-tested and true.
Despite high-intensity training, the lack of nutritional support left Bai Le with explosive power but dwindling endurance, his physique lean and wiry.
Coupled with energy-draining martial arts like the Hannya Technique and Wind Breaking and Flame Separating, Bai Le's stamina was pushed to the brink.
"No rush."
"Let's take down another one!"
Bai Le bit down on his resolve, holding back the eager Intent Blade.
He still had fight left in him!
Blood-soaked and frail, he stood upon a bed of fallen leaves.
The vines struck swiftly, aiming for Bai Le's face.
Yet he stood firm, adopting his bear-like stance.
With a clap, his hands came together, trapping the vine between them.
"Come to me!!!"
The combined might of dragon and elephant whirled within him.
Incredibly, he dragged the towering Giant Tree Beast closer!
The spectacle was horrifying.
Or perhaps it was the Hannya Technique that was truly fearsome!
Roles reversed—prey turned hunter, hunter turned prey.
The colossal Giant Tree Beast, too, sought to use momentum against Bai Le, charging at him in a short run.
The entire maple forest quaked, leaves cascading down like snowflakes.
Bai Le darted with the speed of wind and fire, evading the thorns on the beast's trunk.
He circled the Giant Tree Beast, delivering punch after punch.
It was akin to Wing Chun against a wooden dummy.
His fists, iron-hard and swift, soon splintered the trunk.
The Giant Tree Beast flailed its heavy vines, attempting to lash at Bai Le, but it couldn't lay a single hit on him, his onslaught relentless.
After a barrage of punches, Bai Le obliterated the Giant Tree Beast's bark armor.
Exposed was a wriggling white mass—the Giant Tree Beast's true form.
Stripped of its wooden shell, it was nothing more than a sticky rice dumpling.
Bai Le grabbed a wooden spike and effortlessly skewered it.
The Giant Tree Beast fell twice to his might!
