Battle of the Monkey Horde

Within the valley, a fierce battle erupted. Everyone chose a direction and charged toward the monkey horde. The monkeys' eyes reddened as they let out savage cries and rushed to meet them.

Murong Xue alone intercepted five monkeys. One Swift Monkey charged at her first, screeching strangely as it slashed viciously at her with its claws. Murong Xue flashed aside, evading the attack. Spiritual Energy rippled from her right foot as she kicked the monkey hard in the abdomen. The struck monkey let out a miserable shriek and was hurled far away. The remaining monkeys slowed involuntarily, their eyes showing a distinctly human-like wariness.

Though the Swift Monkeys' claws were highly lethal, their bodies were only as tough as those who had just entered the Body Tempering Skin realm. As long as she avoided their claws, they were easy enough for Murong Xue to deal with. The remaining monkeys slowly circled her, but Murong Xue acted decisively, charging straight at them, intending to finish them in one go.

Three monkeys came at Zeng Fan. Looking at the sharp claws glinting coldly in their hands, he thought, I absolutely can't let those claws touch me. If I'm lucky, I'll only end up with torn flesh; if I'm unlucky, I'll be seriously injured and forced out on the spot. Judging by Murong Xue's fight just now, these monkeys' bodies are relatively fragile. I need to dodge their attacks, then find an opening to take them down.

Spiritual Energy circulated swiftly through his entire body. A Swift Monkey had already arrived before Zeng Fan, cold light flickering in its red eyes as both claws struck at him at once. Zeng Fan retreated slightly, dodging the monkey's twin claws. He clenched both fists, Spiritual Energy rapidly gathering along the meridians in his hands.

Fish Dragon Fist!

His two fists, carrying howling gusts that tore through the air, hammered into the monkey's upper arms. With a crack, amid the monkey's scream, the joints connecting its claws to its palms were smashed apart. Those claws clearly looked extremely hard, and Zeng Fan had no intention of meeting them head-on. The claws might be tough, but their connecting joints could never be as hard as the claws themselves. Thus, Zeng Fan directly attacked that weak point and succeeded in one strike.

The monkey rapidly retreated amid its screams. Zeng Fan's momentum weakened somewhat after throwing that punch, but weeds had to be pulled up by the roots! He pushed off hard, dust spraying from the ground as he arrived before the monkey. Under its terrified gaze, he smashed a fist into its chest. The sound of bones shattering rang out. After rolling several times across the ground, the Swift Monkey lay motionless.

The remaining two monkeys rushed at him together with shrill cries, actually encircling Zeng Fan from the left and right. These demonic beasts even understood a bit of tactics. Facing the two monkeys charging at him, Zeng Fan swiftly crouched down, grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground, and flung it at one of them. Unable to dodge in time, the monkey could only shut its eyes and wildly wave its claws. Their formation was already in chaos.

How could Zeng Fan let such an opportunity slip by? He twisted aside to evade the other monkey's claws, then smashed a fist brutally into its forehead. The violent blow left the monkey dazed. Zeng Fan grabbed its arm and threw it over his shoulder. With a bang, the monkey had already been knocked unconscious.

The remaining monkey recovered as well. Seeing this, it actually fled on all fours. After such an intense battle, Zeng Fan panted heavily and slowly looked in the other directions. His pupils suddenly contracted. Murong Xue had long since finished her fight as well, standing with her arms folded as she watched the others. Five monkey corpses lay quietly around her, their faces seemingly frozen in terror.

Was this girl really that violent? Zeng Fan cursed inwardly, then looked toward Yuan Jin. Yuan Jin had faced four Swift Monkeys, second only to Murong Xue. At that moment, he kicked the last monkey flying. Seeing Zeng Fan look over, he gave him a thumbs-up. However, his rapidly heaving chest showed that the battle had not been as easy as it appeared.

The others also finished their battles one after another, though some were already covered in blood. Judging by their injuries, they could no longer participate in the coming competition. Those injured people realized this as well. They exchanged bitter smiles, then sat down on the ground and began meditating, no longer taking part in what followed.

Zeng Fan swept his gaze around. There were five people still capable of fighting. Three would be selected from the five? Aside from Yuan Jin and Murong Xue, the fluctuations around the other two were similar to Zeng Fan's. They were likely both at the peak of the Body Tempering Skin realm. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for them to emerge unscathed from the hands of those demonic beasts.

Murong Xue looked at those remaining and said, "I want half of the Spiritual Fruits. You can decide among yourselves how to divide the rest. If anyone is dissatisfied, they can fight me."

Everyone's expressions changed. Murong Xue opened her mouth and demanded five Spiritual Fruits, leaving the remaining five for the four of them to fight over. A clenched fist was the only hard truth. Yuan Jin walked over to Zeng Fan's side. "The two of us are together. You two can decide whether to fight us or withdraw on your own." Yuan Jin smiled as he spoke to the remaining two.

The two exchanged a glance. How were they supposed to fight? If their realms had been the same, they might have given it a try. But Yuan Jin had clearly already entered the Body Tempering Muscle realm. They had seen his battle just now, and he was no mere flashy fighter. How could they possibly defeat him? "Forget it, forget it. We won't compete for the top three." The two spoke in unison.

"Thank you, you two. We'll be fellow disciples in the future, so if you need anything, just say the word." Yuan Jin cupped his fists toward them. After all, they would be entering the sect together in the future. There was no need to create too great a conflict over this matter. Seeing Yuan Jin be so polite, the two men's expressions improved considerably, and they smiled at Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin.

Murong Xue found this somewhat strange and gave the two of them a look. She shook her head without saying anything more and walked toward the fruit tree.

"Miss Murong, wait. I'd like to ask you for some guidance." Yuan Jin spoke to Murong Xue.

Hearing this, Murong Xue slowly halted. She turned back and narrowed her eyes, Spiritual Energy already beginning to rise from her body.

"You want to have a match with me?"