I'm Very Strong

The sheep bleated incessantly, rushing down in a panic.

This mountain goat herd numbered several hundred. Their wool was mostly grayish-blue, and their white bone goat horns were like two pale, sharp swords with a slight curve.

This mountain goat herd had been leisurely grazing on the green grass when suddenly two members of the exploration team appeared and began to drive them.

The two men held curved blades but did not use them. They simply shouted loudly and easily drove the panicked mountain goat herd.

Zhen Jin, Zi Di, Cang Xu, and others stood on a hill not far away, looking down at the scene.

The mountain goat herd tried to change direction along the way, but personnel had already been properly positioned in ambush. At the critical moment, they suddenly appeared, blocking the herd's path. The mountain goat herd was repeatedly corrected in direction and finally poured into a depression.

The exploration team began to close the net, with more members emerging from all directions.

There were people in every direction, and the goats found themselves with nowhere to escape. They couldn't help but turn sharply in place.

The exploration team members raised their swords and blades, swinging them down repeatedly, beginning to harvest the lives of the mountain goats.

Just as Cang Xu had said, the mountain goats were incredibly timid. Facing the butcher's knife, they offered no resistance at all. They let out extremely frightened cries, then squeezed desperately, all wanting to crowd into the very center.

But there were always unlucky goats left on the periphery, easily slaughtered one by one by the humans.

Cang Xu watched this scene and spoke calmly, "In the Central Empire, many nobles have begun to enclose land on a large scale to raise sheep. They raise domestic sheep."

"I was once fortunate enough to visit several famous sheep farms in the Empire. Their scale was astonishing."

"In my opinion, the species of domestic sheep itself does not have the ability to make a living on its own. The reason they can survive is entirely due to the care and protection of others."

"Domestic sheep have no ability to protect themselves at all. Rams are more shy and timid than ewes. Even the slightest strange sound is enough to make them feel timid, so their gregariousness is merely for the sake of dispelling fear."

"They are not only cowardly but also foolish. They don't know what danger is and don't sense its arrival. It seems that no matter what happens, they stubbornly stay in place. Even if it's windy or rainy, to make them migrate, there must be a head goat to lead the way. And in fact, the head goat also remains still in place unless driven by a shepherd or sheepdog."

"Domestic sheep are very fragile. They cannot walk for long periods, which easily makes them exhausted. When they run, their hearts beat too fast, easily making them breathless. High temperatures or severe cold can kill batches of domestic sheep. They are very prone to illness, and sometimes simply being obese can be fatal to them."

"Compared to domestic sheep, mountain goats are more active, stronger, and a bit more courageous. But generally speaking, they are still quite similar."

"The habits of these two types of sheep are not very different."

"Mountain goats are attached to humans and like to be stroked. It's easy for people to get along well with mountain goats. They are also easy to raise, and various types of fodder can become a delicacy for mountain goats."

"However, domestic sheep are still more popular. This is because their body hair is dense and can be used to make yarn and other textile materials. Especially in recent years, the Empire's textile machinery seems to have undergone significant technological innovation."

"The Shata Family is also very interested in the domestic sheep business and sent me to the Central Empire for investigation. Unfortunately, the great nobles of the Empire have intentionally monopolized the latest textile machinery. At the same time, land in the desert is scarce, the environment is harsh, and the temperature difference between day and night is extremely large, making it impossible to raise domestic sheep on a large scale."

As he spoke, more than half of the herd had already been slaughtered.

Among the team members who were taking action, Huang Zao was the most eye-catching.

He held a long spear, and each time the long spear struck, it could pierce through three or four mountain goats.

He possessed Bronze-level strength. Although he couldn't use Battle Qi, his physical quality, far exceeding that of ordinary people, was clearly displayed at this moment.

Zhen Jin had assigned him the task of the first encirclement of the mountain goat herd. With the goal of atoning for his mistakes and knowing that his every move was being watched by his master, Huang Zao worked particularly hard.

But the next moment, his always successful long spear was blocked for the first time.

It turned out that the head goat in this herd was finally pushed to the limit and began to resist.

The head goat's physique was twice as large as the surrounding mountain goats, almost as big as a small horse, and a Bronze-level aura emanated from its body.

The head goat spread its four hooves, aimed in Huang Zao's direction, lowered its head, revealed its sword-like white bone goat horns, and began to charge.

Thump thump thump thump!

The goat hooves struck the mountain rocks, making a series of rapid, crisp sounds.

It was still before, but once it moved, it was astonishing. The head goat, which was always slow, actually burst out with a speed that changed people's expressions in that instant!

Huang Zao gritted his teeth, held the long spear horizontally across his chest, and stood still.

Lan Zao, who was standing behind Zhen Jin serving him, saw his younger brother's intention and immediately roared, "Idiot, get out of the way quickly! You can't use Battle Qi!"

Huang Zao's ears twitched slightly, and he heard his older brother's warning immediately, but he gritted his teeth and didn't move.

If I flee the battle again, what impression will I leave on the master? Brother, you're the idiot!

This time, I will wash away the shame—!

Shouting in his heart, Huang Zao widened his eyes and thrust out the long spear in his hand.

The tip of the long spear collided with the white bone goat horns.

Subsequently, under Huang Zao's drastic change in expression, the spear tip cracked, and the entire shaft of the long spear was knocked aside.

The head goat charged to Huang Zao's side. At the critical moment of collision, Huang Zao barely managed to hold the spear shaft across his chest.

Bang.

With a muffled sound, Huang Zao was knocked flying on the spot.

He drew an arc in mid-air and then fell onto the grassy mountain rock ground. His eyes went black, and he almost fainted on the spot.

"This guy..." Seeing his younger brother not listen to his advice and almost get disemboweled by the goat horns, Lan Zao clenched his fists and eagerly requested to fight, "Master, please allow me to exert my strength for you and deal with this head goat!"

Zhen Jin, however, only looked at the scene with an indifferent expression, "Pass down the order, tell Huang Zao to restrain himself a bit. I want to capture this head goat alive."

Lan Zao's expression immediately changed, and he wanted to say something, but Cang Xu reached out and stopped him.

Cang Xu smiled and said, "To be able to receive such trust from Lord Zhen Jin, Huang Zao finally has a chance to redeem himself. He clearly knows that without being able to activate Battle Qi, his strength is no match for the head goat, but he still chose a dangerous head-on confrontation. Now that he has been knocked flying and fallen, he should know that he needs to adjust his mindset."

Upon hearing this, Lan Zao shivered and half-knelt on the ground, "Master is benevolent and magnanimous. He saw Huang Zao's unbalanced mindset long ago and repeatedly gave him opportunities to adjust his mindset and atone for his mistakes! This humble one was foolish. Please punish me, Master."

Only then did Zhen Jin smile and glance at Lan Zao, "What sin is there in your deep brotherly affection? Go and watch from the side. Huang Zao is still weak after all. If he fails to capture it alive, you can take action for him."

Lan Zao was immediately moved to tears, knelt on both knees, and knocked his forehead against the ground, making a muffled sound. Then he scrambled down the hillside.

In the depression, Huang Zao had already picked up a brand new long spear and was preparing to take action again.

Seeing Lan Zao approach, he immediately became anxious, "Brother, why are you here? Did the master ask you to take action for me?"

Lan Zao snorted coldly and said, "The master told you to restrain yourself and capture this mountain goat alive. He is giving you another chance to perform. Only when you fail will I take action."

Huang Zao was overjoyed, "That's good!"

Upon hearing this, Lan Zao was so angry that he almost slapped Huang Zao on the head on the spot. But there was nothing he could do, he could only stand by and watch.

The ordinary mountain goats were quickly slaughtered, leaving only the confrontation between Huang Zao and the head goat in the arena.

Under the head goat's continuous charges, Huang Zao was in a sorry state.

Originally, Huang Zao was quite confident he could take care of this head goat with the long spear in his hand. However, Zhen Jin's order to capture the head goat alive tied Huang Zao's hands.

Both Huang Zao and the head goat were Bronze-level creatures, but Huang Zao couldn't use Battle Qi and was cautious and hesitant when using his long spear, so the head goat naturally gained the upper hand.

But Huang Zao was determined to perform well and showed no signs of backing down.

After a brief stalemate, both the man and the goat were covered in blood.

The head goat's body was covered in wounds caused by the tip of the spear. Huang Zao, on the other hand, already had burns and was wrapped in bandages; most of the blood on him was from the intense exertion.

Lan Zao was secretly anxious and repeatedly wanted to step in, but seeing that his brother hadn't completely failed yet, he could only suppress the urge.

The head goat charged over. Huang Zao's stamina had severely declined. Although he barely managed to dodge this time, he was unable to pursue.

This time, the head goat didn't turn around to continue fighting Huang Zao. Instead, it charged straight out of the encirclement.

The surrounding exploration team members were all ordinary fighters. Gasps of surprise rose one after another as they retreated, not daring to use their flesh and blood to block the head goat that was desperately fleeing for its life.

Just as Lan Zao was about to make a move, he suddenly heard Zhen Jin's voice: "Enough, everyone step back, let me do it."

"Master, I... I can still fight," Huang Zao whispered, his face full of unwillingness.

"You idiot, why aren't you getting out of here quickly! Don't spoil the master's mood," Lan Zao cursed.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Zhen Jin.

Ever since Zhen Jin became the leader of this exploration team, most people had been privately speculating about the level of Lord Zhen Jin's strength.

Was it Silver, or Gold?

This sea island strictly prohibited low-level Magic and Battle Qi. Could Lord Zhen Jin still use his Battle Qi? (Cang Xu's conjecture was too terrifying and was only limited to the high-level members of the exploration team; it hadn't been revealed to everyone.)

The mountain goat charged over, and Zhen Jin's face was calm and composed.

Just as the goat's horns were about to pierce Zhen Jin, the young man suddenly reached out and, in the nick of time, accurately grabbed the two horns.

Then, Zhen Jin pressed down forcefully.

The head goat's charge came to an abrupt halt, its entire head pressed to the ground by Zhen Jin. Its strong and powerful goat legs kicked wildly, sending turf and soil flying, but from beginning to end, Zhen Jin's hands were as steady as mountains, and his entire body seemed to be cast from iron, not budging an inch.

It felt as if, in front of Zhen Jin, the head goat suddenly became as weak as a little chick!

Gasps of surprise came from everyone's mouths, which then turned into shouts and cheers.

Huang Zao couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Zhen Jin hadn't used Battle Qi; he had suppressed the head goat solely with his own strength.

Such strength made Huang Zao completely convinced.

Cang Xu was also quietly moved by this scene.

He knew deeply that the physical structures of humans and animals were different. When a person didn't use Battle Qi and relied solely on their own physical qualities, it was actually very difficult to compare with creatures of the same level.

Humans were not born to run as fast as horses, climb trees as flexibly as monkeys, fly in the sky like birds, or breathe and swim underwater like fish.

Compared to many wild beasts, the most prominent advantage of humans was their intelligence. A person's own strength, speed, physique, etc., were not impressive among wild beasts.

Therefore, a strong person with Silver Battle Qi, if they didn't use Battle Qi and relied solely on their own strength, could very likely lose to a Bronze-level magic beast.

Such physical quality...

This scene before him made a conjecture rise in Cang Xu's heart: Could it be that Lord Zhen Jin truly possesses Gold-level cultivation?