As everyone knew, beasts did not hunt along a predictable three-point route like workhorses clocking in and out. Their movements were impossible to predict.
So Wang Chuan and the others wandered around for quite a while before finally spotting a cave at the foot of a small hill.
Zhao Wuji's eyes immediately lit up, and all the impatience caused by their earlier detours vanished.
Golden Scale gave a few smug chirps, seemingly asking Wang Chuan for credit.
Wang Chuan affectionately stroked Golden Scale's back, silently praising its contribution. He then took out a large plate from his storage Soul Tool, placed the provisions from their earlier hunt onto it, and let Golden Scale feast to its heart's content.
But not long afterward.
Perhaps because the smell of blood was too obvious, it alerted the owner of this place. A powerful fluctuation of Soul Power suddenly erupted from the nearby cave.
Roar!
With an enraged roar, an earth-yellow figure leaped out of the cave and lunged high into the air in an extraordinarily exaggerated arc.
Then, at an eerie angle and speed, it plunged straight down toward Wang Chuan and Zhao Wuji, its trajectory completely defying the laws of physics.
Both of them had sharp eyesight and immediately recognized the attacker as a bear-type Spirit Beast.
Wang Chuan clicked his tongue in annoyance, then used Shave and vanished from where he stood. But rather than dodging forward, he used the recoil to shoot straight upward.
"Interrupting someone while they're eating is very rude!"
Along with Wang Chuan's complaint.
The giant bear descending from the sky was sent flying by Wang Chuan's fist, coated in Armament Haki. It crashed back down near the cave entrance, kicking up dust that filled the sky.
The three-meter-tall bear struggled to its feet, utterly bewildered. Its normally infallible move had somehow failed today!?
Only then did Wang Chuan and Zhao Wuji finally get a clear look at what kind of Spirit Beast this giant bear was.
It was covered in brownish-yellow fur, with a white crescent moon on its chest. Its limbs and head were each adorned with crystal-like yellow formations, making it look rather magnificent.
Wang Chuan realized, "So it's a top-tier bear-type Spirit Beast, an Earth Crystal Bear. No wonder it didn't pass out even after taking that punch head-on."
Zhao Wuji's eyes, meanwhile, burned with excitement as he growled.
"Finally, I found a Spirit Beast that suits me!
The reason this big fellow could fly into the air just now was its innate Soul Skill, Gravity Control, right?
If I can obtain that Soul Skill, not only will my combat power increase greatly, but I'll also be able to help the captain more in the future!"
At this moment, Wang Chuan naturally descended from midair, but he frowned.
Before Wang Chuan could say anything.
The Earth Crystal Bear had already recovered from its brief daze. Ferocity surged in its eyes, and with a bear roar, even the ground trembled.
Seeing this, Wang Chuan directly gave Zhao Wuji their tactical signal: "Watch out," telling him to stay alert and defend himself.
At that very moment, numerous yellow crystal-like objects suddenly thrust out of the ground within a three-meter radius around the Earth Crystal Bear. They then exploded with a bang, turning into sharp spikes that shot toward the two of them.
Naturally, Wang Chuan was not about to use Iron Body to take that head-on. He was not one of those brainless tough guys from the Pirate World.
Using Paper Art, Wang Chuan easily dodged the crystal barrage.
Zhao Wuji, behind him, did not possess such impressive agility.
But Zhao Wuji, who would one day fight sixteen Soul Emperors from Spirit Hall alone, was no ordinary man.
Two Spirit Rings appeared. His first Soul Skill, Immovable Wisdom King Body, activated. An invisible golden repulsion of Soul Power directly slowed the yellow crystals, after which Zhao Wuji unleashed his second Soul Skill, Vajra Palm, completely neutralizing the Earth Crystal Bear's attack.
As for Golden Scale, the instant it saw the battle begin, it swallowed the remaining chunks of meat and then hid in a tree to watch the show.
After evading the first wave of attacks, Wang Chuan did not waste any time. He activated Shave again and arrived before the Earth Crystal Bear in the blink of an eye.
This time, however, Wang Chuan did not use Armament Haki.
He had used Haki earlier because he did not know the enemy's situation and had chosen to be cautious, employing Haki's strongest defense. He had not put much power into that strike, or else the Earth Crystal Bear would not have merely been confused.
Now that he had confirmed the opponent's condition, he naturally could not use such excessive force, or all this effort would be wasted.
Wang Chuan then threw an uppercut, adjusting the bear's posture and sending its entire body flying into the air, exposing its soft belly and limbs.
Then, Black Arm Style: Shotgun Barrage!!!
Yora Yora Yora!!!
Combo! Super Combo!
Wang Chuan's fists pelted the Earth Crystal Bear like raindrops.
Yet beneath the seemingly savage assault, every punch contained exquisite control. They shattered its bones without damaging a shred of flesh.
The final punch Wang Chuan landed on the Earth Crystal Bear's abdomen even employed the advanced Armament Haki technique, internal destruction.
It directly destroyed the core regulating the flow of Soul Power within its body.
At this point, this top-tier bear-type Spirit Beast no longer had the strength to even lift an arm in resistance. Its prideful innate Soul Skill had also been completely crippled after its sea of qi was destroyed, reducing it to nothing more than a useless bear.
Wang Chuan slowly let out a breath of stale air.
Trying to step on an ant without killing it really was quite difficult.
Seeing that Wang Chuan had made no further move, Zhao Wuji immediately realized that the battle was over and eagerly jogged over.
But the moment he approached, Wang Chuan gave him some bad news.
"Old Zhao, this Earth Crystal Bear is a little too old."
Zhao Wuji's face immediately fell, but he still unwillingly stepped forward to take a look.
Although he looked like a crude, uneducated brute and could even write the wrong characters.
In the future, he would be able to identify the age of a Man Faced Demon Spider that even Dragon Duke Meng Shu could not discern. His foundational knowledge as a Spirit Master was quite solid, otherwise he would not have considered hunting Spirit Beasts on his own earlier.
With just one glance, Zhao Wuji determined the Earth Crystal Bear's age.
"Two thousand two hundred years? That's way too old!"
Zhao Wuji muttered dejectedly.
Clearly, even though Yu Xiaogang had yet to put forward his so-called limit Spirit Ring theory, Zhao Wuji, a commoner Spirit Master, still knew that a third Spirit Ring could not exceed two thousand years.
Because that was common sense.
But Zhao Wuji suddenly noticed something unusual.
Though he was crude, after spending the past half month together, he had come to understand Wang Chuan's habits. Any Spirit Beast that could not be sold was usually killed immediately for meat or kept as provisions.
Yet the Earth Crystal Bear before him was clearly still breathing.
This could not help but make Zhao Wuji curious. He pointed at the Earth Crystal Bear and asked.
"Boss, since I can't absorb its Spirit Ring, why didn't you kill it? Do you want to head out and rest, then take it out to sell for money while we're at it?
But you beat it into this state. Even though it's a Spirit Beast, it'll probably die before we can take it out, right?"
Before you continue