Little Wine, Big Damage!

"D-Dead!?"

Wu Yingying had just hidden herself in a safe spot when she turned around and saw the Mountain Bear being beheaded. She froze completely.

That was a Mountain Bear on the verge of breaking through to become a Level 3 Spirit Beast. It was vastly stronger than a Low-Level Spirit Beast like the Blood Pig Tiger.

How had it been slain with a single sword strike before Zhao Chen?

Wu Yingying rubbed her eyes hard and looked again. The massive Mountain Bear corpse was sprawled carelessly across the ground.

It was no illusion. It had truly been killed!

"So weak?"

Zhao Chen was also stunned for a moment when he saw the Mountain Bear fall to a single strike.

Naturally, he knew how sharp the Asura Sword was. The Mountain Bear's defenses simply could not withstand it.

Besides, he himself was already a Second-Level Spirit Body.

It was only natural for him to kill the Mountain Bear.

Of course, he would not openly reveal the Asura Sword's special qualities.

That was his trump card!

Zhao Chen shamelessly praised himself. "Looks like I'm just too strong."

"..."

Wu Yingying, who had walked over, was speechless when she heard that.

There was nothing wrong with him being strong.

But shouldn't praise like that come from other people?

He had even stolen her lines!

"Has anyone ever told you that you're really thick-skinned?"

Wu Yingying hesitated briefly, but she still could not help snapping at him.

She had thought that her own willful and difficult nature was already torturous enough.

Who would have thought that someone without shame was truly invincible?

"You mean you want to say it?"

The corners of Zhao Chen's lips lifted slightly as he gave Wu Yingying a deliberately sinister look.

"I can give you that chance."

Wu Yingying felt a chill run down her back at those words.

Especially when she saw him wiping the Asura Sword, she began to regret it.

Why had she let her mouth run off and said that?

Wu Yingying's eyes darted around before she hurriedly praised him.

"I knew no one had ever said that. You're such a good person—who would say something like that?"

Zhao Chen merely gave her a smiling look before walking over to the Mountain Bear's head and easily cutting it open with the Asura Sword.

A gray orb of light slowly emerged, with a miniature Mountain Bear inside.

Using the Crimson Token to absorb the Mountain Bear's essence, he raised his Second-Level Spirit Body a little further.

"As expected of a Mountain Bear about to become a Level 3 Spirit Beast. Its essence contains as much energy as three Blood Pig Tigers."

Sensing the growth in his Second-Level Spirit Body, Zhao Chen was quite satisfied as he murmured, "If I kill another Level 2 Spirit Beast at the Mountain Bear's level, along with two First-Level Spirit Beasts like the Blood Pig Tiger, I should be able to unlock a Third-Level Spirit Body."

Once he reached the Third-Level Spirit Body, he would have gained an initial foothold in this Spirit Road Trial Space.

There probably were not many people who had raised their Spirit Body to the Third Level so quickly after arriving here.

If Zhao Chen did not have the Asura Sword, how could he have raised his Spirit Body so fast?

Forget the Mountain Bear—even the Blood Pig Tiger from earlier would have taken him ages to deal with.

The Blood Pig Tiger's berserk state was no joke.

"So fast!?"

Wu Yingying was dumbfounded. She had only just unlocked a First-Level Spirit Body, while he was already about to unlock a Third-Level Spirit Body!

The gap between them was simply too great.

Although he had only reached the Second-Level Spirit Body with the help of two spirit herbs, Wu Yingying did not dare take too much credit.

With his ability to kill a Blood Pig Tiger, he would not have needed much time to reach the Second-Level Spirit Body anyway.

"Fast?"

Zhao Chen smiled. "Let's look further ahead. This is nothing yet. Spirit Bodies can reach Level Nine at most!"

To be invincible on this Spirit Road and attain a Ninth-Grade Spirit Body, this was necessary.

"Alright, alright!"

Wu Yingying patted her forehead, looked ahead, and said:

"This should be where the Gilded Ape tribe lives."

The so-called Gilded Apes were a group of entirely golden-furred apes. They were Low-Level Spirit Beasts and did not attack people without reason. Their attack power was not particularly outstanding; their main advantages lay in speed and agility.

Of course, the most important thing was that they liked collecting fruits, flower petals, and the like to brew wine. It was probably a traditional craft of theirs.

"If they attack us, kill them."

Zhao Chen's eyes lit up when he heard that. He immediately said, "If they don't attack us and even offer us good wine, then we'll spare them."

If they had been other spirit beasts, he would have slaughtered them without hesitation.

But these things could brew wine.

He wondered whether he should capture some of them.

He could put them in the Mustard Seed Bracelet and have them come out to brew wine whenever he needed it.

This Monkey Wine was no ordinary drink. It could quickly restore stamina and even possessed medicinal effects comparable to spirit medicine, thereby enhancing one's Spirit Body.

"Chitter chitter!"

As if sensing that Zhao Chen and Wu Yingying were setting their sights on the Monkey Wine and the Gilded Ape tribe, the spirit beasts in the trees immediately grew nervous.

The Mountain Bear had run rampant through this region for a long time.

From time to time, it bullied and devoured Gilded Apes, then took away the Monkey Wine they had spent so long brewing.

It could be said that the Gilded Apes had suffered miserably.

"Chitter chitter chitter chitter!"

A First-Level Spirit Beast Gilded Ape whose legs were trembling—one that had personally witnessed the Mountain Bear being slain with a single sword strike—carried over two large gourds and placed them on the ground before darting away in a hurry.

Zhao Chen and Wu Yingying could not help looking at each other as they said in unison, "You must be too scary!"

Zhao Chen glared at Wu Yingying and urged, "Hurry up and bring over the Monkey Wine. We should be looking for our next target to kill."

Did he really need to remind her about something like this?

It seemed he needed to train her properly.

"..."

Wu Yingying wanted to speak but stopped herself. She could only quickly bring over the two large gourds.

"Oh, right. Girls like you probably don't drink, do you?"

Zhao Chen took the two large gourds for himself. Under Wu Yingying's shocked gaze, he put them all into the Mustard Seed Bracelet, not leaving behind a single drop of Monkey Wine.

"No, I..."

Wu Yingying tried to fight for a little share of the spoils, but she was dreaming.

Once the Monkey Wine had reached Zhao Chen's hands, how could he possibly take it out again? What a joke.

"Drinking interferes with important matters, especially for girls like you who can't handle alcohol."

Zhao Chen lightly tapped Wu Yingying on the head and said, "Remember that? I've taught you such an important rule for survival."

Then he walked forward, leaving Wu Yingying standing there and stamping her feet repeatedly.

"So infuriating!"

Wu Yingying gritted her teeth. Noticing the gazes of the Gilded Apes and other spirit beasts, seemingly mixed with a trace of schadenfreude, she could not help roaring:

"What are you looking at? Believe it or not, I'll take you down one slash at a time! Hurry up and give me some Monkey Wine!"

Plop.

A small gourd was tossed in front of her by a Gilded Ape.

Seeing this, Wu Yingying felt like crying but had no tears.

Since when had humans become worse off than spirit beasts?

"Why, thank you all so much..."

Although she had gotten the Monkey Wine she wanted, her mood only worsened.

This tiny gourd was barely half a palm tall and as thin as two fingers.

There was little wine, but the humiliation was immense.

She really had to thank the entire Gilded Ape tribe!