I Accept

Chapter Eight: I Accept

"Awwooo!" A wolf-shaped ferocious beast let out a miserable howl as a tiny fist sent it flying.

Seeing this scene, many people would certainly be astonished beyond words. The two were completely disproportionate in size, yet such a jaw-dropping sight had appeared before them.

The camera pulled back to reveal the owner of that fist—it was none other than Chen Yun, with his delicate, childish face.

At this moment, he showed no trace of dishevelment, and even his breathing had only quickened slightly. One had to know that this wolf-shaped ferocious beast was a second-tier beast. Although it was the weakest among second-tier beasts, it still was not something a first-tier warrior who had only just entered the rank could deal with, much less so effortlessly.

But Chen Yun was different. He had reached the first tier through dedicated body cultivation, making him far stronger than warriors of the same rank to begin with. On top of that, his constitution was unlike an ordinary person's. The mysterious energy hidden deep within his body flickered in and out, giving off a dangerous feeling—as though if that energy erupted all at once, it could produce an effect capable of destroying everything.

Chen Yun had fully recovered two days ago. This secretly astonished Old Ent at the strength of Chen Yun's constitution, while also making him extremely happy. After all, any grandfather would be delighted to have such an outstanding grandson.

After Chen Yun recovered, Old Ent asked him what had happened that day and what that dragon's roar had been about. But Chen Yun knew nothing about it. In truth, he had been in unbearable pain at the time—how could he possibly have remained conscious enough to know what had happened? In the end, the matter could only be dropped.

Old Ent could only shake his head helplessly, wondering if he had hallucinated because he had been overly nervous. But... although his heart was filled with countless questions, Chen Yun had been the only person there. If even he did not know, who else could?

Perhaps the ferocious beasts nearby had known, but Old Ent did not understand beast speech. His imagination ran wild for a moment before he finally thought, Forget it, forget it. As long as Little Chen is all right, that's enough. The rest can be set aside for now.

As for the dream that had appeared in his mind at the time, Chen Yun had not told Old Ent about it. His subconscious told him that it was a heaven-shaking secret, and revealing it might bring unimaginable trouble. Although Old Ent was his grandfather, he had still chosen to keep it hidden.

Over the past two days, Old Ent had taught Chen Yun all kinds of fighting skills and had him practice against the ferocious beasts nearby.

At first, he had only let Chen Yun spar with first-tier ferocious beasts. But Chen Yun's combat talent had left Old Ent unable to keep from marveling. In just two days, Chen Yun had not only thoroughly mastered everything Old Ent taught him, he had also drawn inferences from it. His ability to adapt flexibly even made Old Ent, a former genius himself, sigh in admiration.

Combined with Chen Yun's special constitution, he could now easily deal with ordinary second-tier ferocious beasts. He even had the strength to fight some of the more powerful second-tier beasts.

Yesterday, Chen Yun had fought a peak second-tier tiger-shaped ferocious beast. Although he had ultimately lost, he had inflicted tremendous injuries on the beast. In the end, Old Ent had been forced to intervene and frighten it away.

It could be said that Chen Yun's results had left Old Ent completely satisfied—flawless in every respect. Old Ent could even foresee that Chen Yun would inevitably become a mighty expert in the future. Although body cultivation was exceedingly difficult, he now had immense confidence in Chen Yun.

But could everything really be as simple as Old Ent imagined?

"Little Chen, go tidy yourself up. We should head back to the village!" Old Ent had appeared behind Chen Yun at some point. He glanced indifferently at the wolf-shaped ferocious beast lying on the ground, barely alive, then pointed at the bloodstains on Chen Yun's body and smiled faintly.

"Back to the village?" Chen Yun did not come to his senses for a moment, but then a burst of excitement surged through him.

"All right! I'll go right now." As he spoke, he shot toward the thunderous sound of water deeper in the forest.

Thinking about it, he had already been staying in the forest for more than a month. Although the improvement in his strength had brought him boundless exhilaration, returning to the village was still something to be happy about. After all, that was where humans lived.

Before long, a streak of light shot back. It came to a halt before Old Ent, the transition from extreme motion to absolute stillness delivering a tremendous visual impact. Such a movement placed enormous demands on the body's strength. Fortunately, this streak of light did not need to worry about that.

The person who had returned after washing himself was none other than Chen Yun. His little face was flushed, and water droplets still clung to his hair. His features were delicate yet full of childishness, and he looked at Old Ent with an urgent expression.

Seeing the expression on Chen Yun's face, Old Ent waved his large hand. "Let's go! Hahaha..." Amid a burst of rough laughter, the two figures shot toward the edge of the forest...

Morning in the little village seemed forever so peaceful, refreshing, and beautiful.

Yet this beautiful little village had no name. Everyone in the village was accustomed to it, because the ancestral rules clearly stated that the village had never had a name and that later generations were not allowed to name it.

Although many people were filled with puzzlement over such a strange rule, no one dared ask about it. The village's ancestral rules had always been solemn and sacred in the hearts of its people, inviolable and beyond question!

The newborn sun gently scattered its radiance over the little village, as tenderly as the Goddess of Nature sprinkling the dew of life over all things. The morning sunlight was slightly cool as it passed through the thin mist, and the early risers bathed in it with great enjoyment.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed since they returned to the village. Chen Yun had not gone out during those two days, staying at home the entire time. He had not cultivated either. He knew that the path of cultivation required both tension and relaxation—that was the proper way. Old Ent had said the same.

Chen Yun merely helped his grandfather with odd jobs. When he had nothing to do, he sat in the courtyard and stared blankly at the distant sky. Thinking back on his cultivation in the forest felt almost like a dream. He, who had originally been unable to cultivate, had actually reached the first tier in such a short time—and had even become a warrior capable of contending with second-tier opponents. This filled him with confidence in his future.

What he had thought about most over the past two days was that mysterious dream. That tragic and stirring scene constantly circled through his mind, along with the final cold snort. Even now, recalling it made his entire body grow cold. It had truly been terrifying!

"Tap, tap..." Chen Nan walked quietly along the village path, admiring the scenery in the fields. The breeze gently brushed past, and the crops rolled like wave after wave of the sea, a sight that was truly pleasing to the eye.

"Well, well! Isn't this our village's famous Chen the Useless? We haven't seen you for more than a month. We thought you'd killed yourself!" A mocking, insidiously sarcastic voice interrupted Chen Yun as he continued admiring the fields.

Following the voice, he saw that it was Wright, with the same few lackeys behind him.

When he saw Wright, a cold glint flashed through Chen Yun's eyes. Then, as though sensing something, he examined Wright in surprise. A faint, unfamiliar energy fluctuation came from him. Is this battle aura?

Who would have thought that although Wright was arrogant and domineering, his cultivation talent was no sham? In just over a month, he had actually reached the warrior rank. Even so, Chen Yun was not afraid of him. After all, Chen Yun was no longer the same person he had been.

"What are you looking at? Gone mute? Didn't you hear me when I spoke?" As he spoke, he deliberately released his energy and pressed it toward Chen Yun.

Watching Wright's actions, a trace of mockery flashed across Chen Yun's face. He simply stood there...

Wright stared at Chen Yun, who had shown no reaction for quite some time, and froze. Why isn't this kid reacting? His battle aura had sent the lackeys behind him flying seven or eight meters away, yet why had this naturally useless brat shown no reaction?

But he immediately self-righteously decided that Chen Yun's body was merely stronger than those lackeys', giving him greater endurance. Once Wright made his move, wouldn't he still beat Chen Yun flat?

At that thought, he recalled the time Chen Yun had punched him. That incident had made him lose all face, and after returning home, he had even been viciously scolded by his father.

Wright practically wanted to tear Chen Yun limb from limb. Now that he had reached the warrior rank, dealing with him would be effortless. He was just about to attack, but then seemed to think of something. A vicious glint flashed through his eyes, and an insidious smile spread across his face.

"Brat! I challenge you to a life-and-death duel. Do you dare accept?" Wright asked maliciously.

When the villagers who had just rushed over after hearing the commotion heard Wright's words, an uproar erupted around them. They all knew that Wright had reached the warrior rank, while Chen Yun, this naturally cultivation-incapable waste, would certainly be walking to his death if he faced him. The villagers despised Wright and cursed him for being despicable, but Wright could not spare any thought for that now. He merely fixed Chen Yun with a sinister gaze.

The War God Continent was a world that revered martial strength, and a life-and-death duel was a special and sacred form of combat. It was conducted when two sides harbored deep hatred for each other but did not want the conflict to spread, nor did they want to widen the grudge and implicate their respective relatives.

The rules of a life-and-death duel stated that once on the Death Arena, each side was responsible for their own life and death. The relatives and friends of both parties were forbidden from seeking revenge. Otherwise, they would receive severe punishment—at worst, their entire lineage would be exterminated!

When two people were involved, if one issued a challenge and the other refused, the refusing party would be looked down upon by everyone. Even his lineage would be despised. Thus, once a life-and-death duel was proposed, there was usually no way to refuse. It was either your death or mine.

Chen Yun knew all of this. He had never expected Wright to be so ruthless. Fortunately, he was no longer the same person he had been. At that thought, he fixed Wright with eyes gleaming coldly and said, one word at a time, "I—ac—cept!"