The Strong

Lu Yuan's vision went black, and his mind went blank for an instant.

When he came to again, Lu Yuan was already in Graystone Forest, surrounded by towering stone pillars.

It was exactly where he had left last time.

At the base of a stone pillar near Lu Yuan, three Graystone Beetles were happily gnawing on rocks.

Lu Yuan's sudden appearance made all three Graystone Beetles freeze at once.

They slowly turned their heads to look at Lu Yuan.

The two sides faced each other, and the air fell silent for a moment.

Then, the three Graystone Beetles let out sharp screeches and charged at Lu Yuan.

A black longsword appeared in Lu Yuan's hand, and he charged at the three Graystone Beetles as well.

Although Black Iron Body did not grant a huge boost to speed, that was only compared to others of the same level. Lu Yuan was still quite fast compared to Graystone Beetles.

His feet shifted as his body flashed between the three Graystone Beetles, black sword light streaking across their bodies.

Dark Green blood spurted out, and the three Graystone Beetles collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Lu Yuan walked over and picked up the three spirit crystals on the ground, then cut off three pieces of Gray Stone Armor, revealing a smile.

"Getting something the moment I come in—not bad, not bad."

He casually absorbed the three spirit crystals, checked the sun to get his bearings, and headed toward the edge of Graystone Forest.

With his current strength, he could hunt ferocious beasts stronger than Graystone Beetles. That would earn him more spirit crystals and let him improve faster.

Along the way, Lu Yuan killed every Graystone Beetle he saw. No matter how many there were, none of them were his match.

Before long, he entered a broad, open plaza roughly a hundred meters wide.

The moment he entered, he saw a Black-Striped Graystone Beetle and four Graystone Beetles lined up on the right side of the plaza, happily gnawing on rocks.

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up.

A Black-Striped Graystone Beetle?

If it had been before, he would have slipped away without hesitation upon encountering one.

But things were different now. He felt that he was no weaker than a Black-Striped Graystone Beetle.

Perfect. He could use it to test his strength.

Lu Yuan looked at the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle in the distance, pursing his lips as eagerness stirred within him.

Just as Lu Yuan was about to step forward, a team of five gnollmen emerged from another passage nearby.

They froze when they saw Lu Yuan, then noticed the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle off to one side.

The five gnollmen's eyes immediately lit up, and smiles appeared on their faces.

"A Black-Striped Graystone Beetle! What luck!"

"We can kill it!"

"There's also a human. Let's deal with him first so he doesn't get in the way. Barry, keep an eye out. If we alert the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle, hold it off."

"No problem."

As they spoke, they looked at Lu Yuan with cold eyes, their expressions gradually turning ferocious.

Lu Yuan: "..."

He found it rather speechless. Why did he run into gnollmen every single time?

Watching the five gnollmen draw their weapons and slowly approach, Lu Yuan's expression turned cold as well. He gripped the Beetle Claw sword tightly.

"Kill!"

A female gnollman standing at the very back raised the longbow in her hands, nocked an arrow, and sounded the opening call of the attack.

Whoosh!

The arrow tore through the air toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted. Watching the arrow, he raised his sword.

Clang!

The arrow struck Lu Yuan's sword and was knocked aside.

The gnollmen's eyes all flashed at the sight.

The leader, a brawny gnollman over two meters tall wielding a massive long-handled battle axe, bared his teeth.

"Be careful. He's an expert!"

"Got it!"

The brawny gnollman roared and charged at Lu Yuan like a tank.

A gnollman wielding a longsword and another holding two daggers followed at the brawny gnollman's sides, charging Lu Yuan at the same time.

The instant the two sides clashed, the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle and the four Graystone Beetles in the distance were alarmed.

They turned toward Lu Yuan and the others. Then the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle shrieked and pounced at them.

Left behind was Barry, a brawny gnollman clad in gray armor and holding a metal tower shield over half a person tall along with a long saber.

Seeing the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle charging over with four Graystone Beetles, he revealed a ferocious grin.

"I can't let you disrupt them."

He gave a low shout, and layers of gray stone armor appeared across his body.

It was the Petrification Skin combat technique.

He alone charged to meet the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle and the four Graystone Beetles.

Seeing Barry rush at it, the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle immediately roared and activated its own Petrification Skin.

It extended its claws and slashed down at Barry.

Barry raised his shield and blocked the claws.

Clang!

Barry staggered back several steps but quickly steadied himself.

A ferocious grin appeared on his face.

"My defense isn't something you can break."

Ignoring the roaring Black-Striped Graystone Beetle, he swung his saber at the other four Graystone Beetles.

For a time, Barry easily held off the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle and the four Graystone Beetles.

The brawny gnollman had already charged in front of Lu Yuan. He roared, gripped his long-handled battle axe with both hands, raised it, and fiercely cleaved down at Lu Yuan.

Strands of white light glimmered around his battle axe.

Gene combat technique: Heavy Strike.

The battle axe howled toward Lu Yuan, carrying violent spiritual energy.

Lu Yuan's pupils shrank, and his heart grew solemn.

He had not expected to encounter two Gene Warriors with Extraordinary Genes engraved in them in a place like Graystone Forest?!

The savage axe strike made his hair stand on end, filling him with a sense of danger.

He gripped his greatsword with both hands and raised it before the battle axe.

Clang!

Lu Yuan felt an immense force crash into him.

His chest tightened, and he staggered back several steps, his hands slightly numb.

Just as Lu Yuan retreated, the two sword-wielding gnollmen at the brawny gnollman's sides burst forward and closed in on him.

The gnollman on the left slashed his longsword at Lu Yuan's waist, while the one on the right gripped his twin daggers, thrusting one at Lu Yuan's eye and the other at his heart.

Their coordination was smooth and seamless.

Lu Yuan sensed danger, and spiritual energy surged through his entire body.

Black Iron Body activated. A pitch-black sheen appeared over his body, and two black markings formed on his cheeks.

With Black Iron Body activated, his strength surged sharply. A fierce glint flashed through Lu Yuan's eyes as he reached out with his left hand and grabbed the dagger aimed at his eye.

As for the other two swords, Lu Yuan allowed them to slash at his body.

Seeing this, all three gnollmen revealed ferocious grins.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three consecutive metallic clashes froze the grins on the three gnollmen's faces.

Lu Yuan firmly caught the dagger with his left hand. The other two swords struck his body, only cutting through his clothes before lodging against his skin, unable to advance another inch.

The two attacking gnollmen felt it most clearly. It was as though they had struck steel, and the recoil left both their hands numb.

The two gnollmen's pupils shrank violently.

"What?!"

"It didn't break his defense?! Impossible!"

The brawny gnollman, who was a step behind, widened his eyes and shouted:

"Misi! Watch out!!"

Misi, who wielded the twin daggers, seemed to realize something.

Terror flashed through his eyes as he tried to retreat.

But it was already too late. The reason Lu Yuan had not used Beetle Claw to block the longsword was for this very moment.

The Beetle Claw sword became a streak of sword light and swept across the gnollman Misi's neck, blood spraying out.

Misi's pupils went unfocused, terror still lingering in his eyes.

His body swayed before collapsing to the ground.

Other than Barry, who was still entangled with the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle, the remaining three gnollmen stared wide-eyed at Misi's fallen body, disbelief flashing in their eyes.

"Damn it! He's a powerful expert pretending to be weak!"

The other sword-wielding gnollman's fur stood on end. He hurriedly retreated to the brawny gnollman's side and stared at Lu Yuan warily.

It was as if Lu Yuan would cut him down the very next moment.

The brawny gnollman looked at Lu Yuan with an ugly expression.

"Damn it! With strength like yours, why are you in a place like Graystone Forest?!"

Lu Yuan rubbed his chest and waist.

The spots where the two had attacked still hurt a little.

But Black Iron Body was absurdly tough, and those two gnollmen had not engraved any combat techniques. Their attacks were still lacking, only enough to cause him pain.

They could not even inflict the slightest injury on him.

He looked at the brawny gnollman's ugly expression and smiled.

"Aren't you people pretty strong too? If you can stay here, why can't I?"

The gnollmen had no answer.

Lu Yuan rubbed his neck and revealed a bright smile.

"Enough nonsense. I'll send you on your way to join your little companion."