The Powerful

Lu Yuan's vision went dark for a brief instant, his mind wavering.

When it cleared, he was back in the Gray Rock Forest, tall stone pillars stretching in every direction. The same spot he'd left last time.

Near the base of a stone pillar not far from where he stood, three Gray Rock Beetles were happily gnawing on rock, oblivious to his arrival.

His sudden appearance brought them to a dead stop. They turned their heads slowly in his direction.

Then, with shrill squeals, they charged.

Lu Yuan's black sword materialized in his grip. He charged straight at them.

His footwork wove between the three beetles in quick, crossing steps, black sword light sweeping through their bodies in rapid succession.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Dark green blood sprayed. Three Gray Rock Beetles crumpled to the ground and went still.

He walked over and picked up the three Spirit Crystals, then cut away three Gray Stone Carapaces. A small smile touched his lips.

"First steps in and already picking up loot. Not bad at all."

As he continued through the forest, every Gray Rock Beetle he came across was cut down — however many showed up, not one of them was any match for him.

At his current strength, he could be hunting beasts far stronger than Gray Rock Beetles. Better Spirit Crystal yield, and faster growth to go with it.

Before long, he stepped into a wide, open clearing roughly a hundred meters across.

To the right side of the plaza, a Black-stripe Gray Rock Beetle and four ordinary Gray Rock Beetles lay in a row, contentedly gnawing at the stone.

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up.

Before today, running into a Black-stripe Gray Rock Beetle would have meant one thing: turn around and slip away without a word. But things were different now. He didn't think he was any weaker than one.

He watched the distant Black-stripe, pressing his lips together, feeling a growing itch to try his luck. This would also be the perfect chance to test his own strength.

Just as he was about to move in, another passage nearby opened — and out walked a group of five gnolls.

They pulled up short when they spotted Lu Yuan. Then their gaze shifted, and they found the Black-stripe on the far side of the plaza.

"A Black-stripe Gray Rock Beetle! What luck!"

All five gnolls' eyes lit up at once, grins spreading across their faces. The leader — a powerfully built gnoll standing well over two meters tall with a long-handled battle axe in hand — bared his teeth:

"There's a human too. Take care of him first so he doesn't get in the way. Barry — stay sharp. If the Black-stripe gets disturbed, hold it back."

The one who held his ground was Barry — a powerfully built gnoll in gray armor, great metal shield in one hand, long saber in the other.

"Got it!"

"No problem."

As they spoke, the gnolls turned their cold eyes toward Lu Yuan, expressions gradually shifting to something uglier.

Seeing the five draw weapons and close in, Lu Yuan's expression went flat. He tightened his grip on the Beetle Claw sword.

*He groaned inwardly. Why does it always have to be gnolls?*

The two sides locked eyes. The air went still for a moment.

At the back of the group, a female gnoll who'd been holding her bow the entire time drew, nocked, and fired — sounding the signal to attack.

*Fwip!!*

Lu Yuan's pupils snapped tight. He tracked the arrow, raising his sword. It struck the blade and glanced off.

Then the muscular gnoll roared and charged like a tank.

Flanking him on either side: a longsword-wielding gnoll and Mixi, carrying a short sword in each hand. All three launched their assault at once.

The gnoll on the left slashed at his waist. Mixi stabbed one blade toward his eye, the other toward his heart.

Lu Yuan sensed the danger — Spirit Power surged through his body.

Black Iron Body. Darkness flooded the surface of his skin; two black lines appeared along his cheekbones.

He reached out with his left hand and caught the blade aimed at his eye. The remaining two swords struck his body — they sliced through his clothes, pressed into his skin... and stopped. Not another inch. They couldn't so much as scratch him.

The muscular gnoll had closed in. He roared, gripped his axe with both hands, and drove it downward with full force.

*Gene Battle Technique — Heavy Strike.*

White light blazed along the axe head as it tore through the air, howling with Spirit Power.

Lu Yuan felt the sheer weight of it bearing down. He tightened both hands on his heavy sword and raised it to block.

The impact hit like a battering ram. His chest clenched, his body staggered back several steps, both hands going slightly numb — and every hair on him stood on end. *That axe held real power.*

As he retreated, both sword gnolls on the flanks lunged forward again simultaneously.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Three rapid rings of steel — and the grins on the gnolls' faces froze solid.

The two who'd struck him looked down at their hands in disbelief. It was as if they'd swung into solid iron. The rebound had sent shocks up both their arms, leaving them half-numb.

"Didn't break through?! That's impossible!"

Mixi, blades still raised, seemed to grasp what was coming. A flash of fear crossed his eyes as he tried to step back.

"Mixi! Watch out!!"

Too late.

The reason Lu Yuan had never once used the Beetle Claw to block the longsword was precisely for this moment.

The Beetle Claw sword flashed — a streak of light sweeping across Mixi's throat.

Blood sprayed.

Mixi's pupils went hollow. Terror was still frozen in his stare.

His body swayed, then dropped.

The other sword-wielding gnoll's fur bristled. He scrambled backward and pressed himself to the muscular gnoll's side, eyes fixed on Lu Yuan in alarm.

"Damn it — he was playing dumb! A real expert!"

"Watch yourselves — this one's dangerous!"

At the moment the fight had erupted, the Black-stripe Gray Rock Beetle in the distance — along with its four companions — had been roused. They turned toward the commotion. The Black-stripe let out a shriek and lunged.

Barry raised his great shield and stepped into its path.

*Clang!!*

Seeing Barry charge, the Black-stripe roared and activated its own Petrified Skin.

Barry let out a low grunt. Gray stone armor plates materialized across the surface of his body.

The Petrified Skin Combat Technique.

He was driven back several paces but quickly planted his feet and steadied himself. Without so much as glancing at the shrieking Black-stripe, he turned his saber on the four ordinary Gray Rock Beetles instead.

Shield and saber working in perfect sync, not a gap to be found.

In moments, Barry had the Black-stripe and all four Gray Rock Beetles pinned down on his own.

*He hadn't expected to run into two Gene Warriors with encoded Transcendent Genes here in the Gray Rock Forest.*

Lu Yuan's pupils tightened. A weight settled in his chest.

Aside from Barry — locked in his own fight — the other three gnolls stared wide-eyed at the fallen Mixi, disbelief plain across every face.

The muscular gnoll turned his ugly expression on Lu Yuan:

"Bastard! With power like that — what the hell are you doing in a place like the Gray Rock Forest?!"

Lu Yuan rubbed his chest and waist. The spots where those two had struck him were still aching. His Black Iron Body was tough as iron, but neither of those gnolls had any Combat Techniques encoded, which meant their raw striking power just wasn't enough. Pain — and nothing more.

He looked at the gnoll's sour face and smiled:

"You're all plenty strong yourselves. If you can be here, why can't I?"

The gnolls had no answer for that.

Lu Yuan: "..."

He rolled his neck and gave them a bright, easy grin:

"Done talking? I'll be sending you along to keep your friend company."

He casually absorbed three Spirit Crystals, glanced at the sun to get his bearings, and turned toward the exit of the Gray Rock Forest.