C3 Battle!

Whoosh!

Out of nowhere, a flying dagger hurtled towards Han Yi's forehead from a distance.

Bang!

Han Yi nimbly dodged, and the dagger embedded itself in the tree behind him. It was a close call; a fraction of a second slower and he would have been dead.

"Who's there!"

Han Yi bellowed, taken aback by the unexpected ambush.

"Eh?"

The young man lurking in the shadows was taken aback by his missed strike. It was a minor setback, though. As a late-stage Spirit Apprentice, he was confident in his superiority over someone just in the early stages like Han Yi.

He had noticed the white lotus in Han Yi's possession earlier. Known as the Nine Petals White Lotus, it was a rarity, virtually extinct in the outside world. The specimen Han Yi held was not only genuine but judging by its size, it was likely a millennium old.

How could he resist such a prize?

"It's your own fault, kid. You should have known better than to flaunt your riches. Now I've seen it."

With that, the young man, sword in hand, charged at Han Yi. Reacting swiftly, Han Yi activated his Wheel-eye.

His eyes blazed red as he transformed into a streak of golden light, reappearing behind his assailant.

Bang!

A kick at the speed of light landed viciously on the back of the man's head.

Han Yi's actions were lightning-fast, catching the young man off guard. Before he could recover, Han Yi had already delivered several more kicks to his back.

"You're asking for it!"

Enraged, the young man fought through the searing pain and swung his sword in retaliation, but hit nothing but air.

Han Yi, now three meters away, unleashed the power of the Sparkling Fruit, producing a blinding beam of light.

Bang!

The beam struck the young man, sending him flying. Unlike the Regular Punch with its anime-inspired strength, the Sparkling Fruit's power was entirely dependent on Han Yi himself. His flashy move might not have inflicted serious damage, but it was effective.

"Die!"

As a disciple of the Moon Shadow Sect and the son of one of its elders, he was not without his own ace in the hole.

A spectral figure wielding a sword materialized behind the young man, swinging its blade and unleashing a powerful, expansive wave of sword energy.

Despite depleting all of his Spirit Aura and even part of his blood essence for the strike, the young man was convinced Han Yi couldn't possibly evade it. Such a secret technique could even strike fear into cultivators at the Spirit Master Stage. With Han Yi merely in the Early Period of the Spirit Apprentice, resistance seemed futile.

However, as the young man brimmed with confidence that Han Yi would fall to his attack, the tables turned unexpectedly.

Transforming into a streak of golden light, Han Yi not only sidestepped the sword energy but also mirrored the move. A sword-wielding phantom appeared behind him, launching a similar assault of sword energy at the young man.

"This can't be! How could you possibly know the Moon Shadow Sect's Secret Technique!"

Amidst the youth's cries of disbelief, he met his end. Meanwhile, Han Yi nonchalantly began to rummage through the fallen man's belongings as if it were just another day.

"Huh?"

Staring at the two Storage Rings now in his possession, Han Yi was stunned.

One bore the intricate pattern of the Moon Shadow Sect, while the other was a plain Storage Ring, lacking both the sect's emblem and any trace of enchantment.

Hadn't it been said that unprocessed Storage Rings were forbidden here? How had this man managed to bring it in?

Though filled with questions, Han Yi shrugged it off. Delving deeper wouldn't change anything, and it conveniently meant he could pocket some of the medicinal herbs for himself instead of surrendering everything to the sect.

...

Over the past several days, Han Yi had amassed quite the collection of medicinal herbs and Demonic Beast carcasses. His Regular Punch technique proved to be exceptionally formidable; the beasts that seemed daunting were reduced to mere one-punch affairs under his might. The thrill of dominance was intoxicating for Han Yi.

On the twentieth day within the Spirit Apprentice's Secret Realm, Han Yi stumbled upon a cave. His instincts whispered of treasures within.

Beyond the cave lay a lengthy tunnel, seemingly carved by the stroke of a sword. Surrounded by the dense, iron-like black profound stones, Han Yi couldn't help but be curious about the level of cultivation required to penetrate such material and forge this passage.

"Eh?!"

Crossing through the tunnel, Han Yi found himself utterly dumbfounded.

Beyond the tunnel lay a vast cavern. Directly ahead, an ancient stone door was set into the cavern's wall, and before it stood a woman clad in a green robe. From just her silhouette, one could discern her extraordinary beauty.

Her delicate hand rested on the stone door, tracing golden patterns that emerged upon its surface. She was clearly attempting to break the seal etched into the door.

With treasure undoubtedly beyond that door, Han Yi wasn't about to walk away empty-handed.

Utilizing his Seventy-Two Transformations, he morphed into a pebble and settled in the tunnel. The woman, engrossed in her task, remained oblivious to Han Yi's presence.

...

Boom!

Time passed, and Han Yi, deep in slumber, was jolted awake by the sound of heavy movement. Blinking open his eyes, he saw the stone door swing open, and the woman in the green robe stepped through.

Seizing the moment, Han Yi reverted to his true form. With a flicker, he transformed into a streak of golden light and positioned himself at the entrance of the stone door.

A grand hall unfolded behind the door, with a stone throne at its far end. A skeleton, draped in a black cloak, sat upon it.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The clash of swords echoed in Han Yi's ears. Turning, he saw the green-robed woman locked in combat with a puppet that, while resembling an ordinary human, was a genuine, fully operational automaton.

Each exchange between the woman and the puppet unleashed a formidable presence that sent chills down Han Yi's spine.

Unsure of their exact strength but certain of his own limitations, Han Yi knew he was no match for them.

"Hehe."

With the puppet preoccupied, the Storage Ring on the skeletal figure seemed ripe for the taking.

A golden glow sparked to life, and in an instant, Han Yi was before the corpse on the throne.

The Sparkling Fruit's ten-minute ability was meant for total use. Typically, unless engaged in prolonged combat, Han Yi would only need it for short bursts of movement, rarely exhausting the full duration. After all, moving at the speed of light was no trivial feat.

As Han Yi extended his hand to retrieve the Storage Ring from the skeletal fingers on the stone chair, a massive python burst forth from behind the chair, lunging at him with open jaws.

To his surprise, a concealed spatial formation was nestled behind the stone chair!

Whoosh!

Han Yi transformed into a streak of golden light, narrowly evading the python's strike.

"How dare a lowly Spirit Apprentice attempt to meddle with my master's possessions. You're seeking your own demise!"

The python astonishingly articulated human speech, and in the blink of an eye, its colossal form vanished, leaving behind a human figure in its stead.