The Suffering of All

Far away in the Endless Forest, the group had no idea that Jiang Yun was thinking of them. They were only just beginning to truly understand the agony of this trial.

...In a lush, verdant forest, Bu Fan lay on a rock with a look of utter despair on his face.

Indeed, he was Bu Chen's younger brother. Ever since the incident three years ago, he had spent those three years witnessing Jiang Yun's growth, and his initial admiration had gradually transformed into fanaticism. He believed that Jiang Yun was the only hope for the martial path; as long as one followed him, one would see the glory of martial arts.

Yet, at this moment, he stared listlessly at the jungle that caused him so much suffering, recalling how relaxed and carefree they had felt when they first arrived, thinking it would be nothing more than a breeze.

It was true that with his current combat power of sixty points, Bu Fan was indeed an expert among ordinary people. However, what gave him a headache were the pervasive insects in this forest. When they first arrived, they knew nothing and rested wherever they pleased, only to wake up the next day covered in itchy welts. He had even encountered colorful bugs the size of fists, which had scared him into a frantic retreat.

Bu Fan not only had to face dense swarms of various insects but also had to stay vigilant against the wolves, tigers, and leopards of the forest, and even the attacks of eagles from the sky. Through this period of tempering, Bu Fan felt he had become a wilderness expert; by now, he could barely manage everything that happened in the forest.

Elsewhere, another disciple had quietly fallen into a crisis.

"You damn wolves, I'm going to roast you next time!"

The speaker was a disciple of the Martial Alliance. Looking ahead, a dozen wild wolves stood nearby, their eyes fierce and glinting with a cold light that sent a chill through one's heart, evoking primal fear.

Several wolf carcasses lay on the ground, clearly killed by this Martial Alliance disciple.

Blood was splattered across the earth—it was hard to tell if it belonged to the disciple or the wolves—and the scene was incredibly tense. Both sides stared fiercely at each other. The wolves shifted along the perimeter of their encirclement, but neither side moved. It was clear they had already suffered enough at each other's hands and were waiting for an opening; whoever showed a flaw would surely be met with a storm of attacks.

After a long wait, the wolves' hunger finally overcame their fear, and one or two of them launched an attack on the disciple.

Facing the incoming wolves, the disciple tilted his body slightly, then drove an elbow into a wolf's temple, killing it instantly with a clean, decisive strike.

Another wolf attacked from his blind spot, its claws seemingly gleaming with a cold light. After finishing the first wolf, he suddenly braced one hand on the ground, kicked his legs out toward the wolf behind him, and sent it flying into the sky.

"Go to hell, you damn beast!"

He instantly appeared above the wolf, clasped his hands together, and hammered it downward.

Boom!

A small crater was smashed into the ground, and the wolf lay inside, twitching and coughing up blood.

"Awoo!"

The wolf let out two mournful howls before dying.

The death of their companion did not deter them; instead, it fueled their ferocity.

The wolves exchanged a glance and then swarmed forward.

"Damn it, I have no choice but to use my ultimate move!"

Awoo!

"All of you, go to hell! Half-Step Crushing Fist: First Layer!"

This disciple had unleashed Jiang Yun's Half-Step Crushing Fist. After Jiang Yun's improvements, it could now be taught to others, though it was currently limited to core disciples.

Bolstered by the Half-Step Crushing Fist, he seemed like a god among gods, unstoppable. Before long, he had slaughtered all the surrounding wolves.

At this point, he could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. However, he understood that he could not stay down here; the scent of blood would attract more beasts, and if that happened, he would surely die.

So, he dragged his heavy body toward a location he knew—a temporary shelter that was relatively safe.

The sunset cast its glow upon him, stretching his shadow long until his figure disappeared from view.

On the other side, Bu Fan was experiencing a painful chase.

He was trapped by a Rubber Ring that bound him, and following behind him was a massive humanoid creature.

No!

As its figure gradually became clear, he realized it was a dinosaur—yes, a literal dinosaur.

Recalling what had happened earlier, Bu Fan couldn't help but feel a headache. It had started like this:

Bu Fan was performing his daily cultivation as usual when a tiger ran out. Bu Fan was delighted.

"Tonight's dinner is sorted!"

He killed the tiger, but just as he was about to process the carcass, a voice rang out.

"Damn little bug, you killed my prey!"

Bu Fan was startled, but upon seeing it was a dinosaur, he calmed down instantly, remembering his own strength.

Bu Fan was eager for a fight and said, "I killed it. What are you going to do about it? Want to spar?"

He struck a starting pose and beckoned with his finger in a provocative gesture.

"Damn little bug, I'm going to eat you!"

It charged at Bu Fan, its tail whipping out with a whistling sound.

Boom, boom, boom!

Bu Fan tried to block it with his hands, but the tail wrapped around his arm, and the dinosaur flung him away, causing him to crash heavily into a rock.

Dust swirled, but Bu Fan wasn't injured; he simply stretched his limbs.

"Not bad!"

"Come on, keep entertaining me!"

Bu Fan couldn't help but feel excited!

"Damn little bug, I, Jilang, will definitely make you pay the price!" With an angry roar, he charged forward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In no time at all, they had exchanged dozens of blows, both sides appearing evenly matched.

"Not bad, guy. The warm-up is over!"

Bu Fan felt that Dinosaur Jilang's strength was slightly inferior to his own, likely reaching around fifty points of combat power, but that was still far from his level. However, his physical strength was greater than Bu Fan's, and his endurance was far superior as well.

Still, I have my ultimate move! Bu Fan thought to himself.

Once Bu Fan unleashed his true abilities, Jilang felt himself falling into a disadvantage and immediately leaped backward.

"Tiny fellow, take this!"

"Binding Rubber Ring!"

Jilang tilted his head back and spat out something that looked like a rubber ring from his mouth.

"What is this thing!" Bu Fan didn't dare to be careless.

But he was still caught by the rubber ring as it closed in on him. Bu Fan tried to stretch it open, only to find that the rubber ring was incredibly sturdy.

Damn it, I was careless!

He watched as Jilang walked toward him.

"Brother, let's talk this out. Peace is the most important thing!"

Bu Fan said to the Jilang before him. Jilang simply spat a mouthful of Dragon Flame at him. Seeing this, Bu Fan had no choice but to duck to avoid it.

He stood up and said, "I was careless just now, I didn't dodge. If you've got the guts, let's go again!" He was met with another large mouthful of Dragon Flame.

"If you keep doing that, I'm going to use my ultimate move!"

Another mouthful of Dragon Flame came straight at him, aimed at his lower body. Bu Fan's scalp went numb as he leaped upward; if he hadn't, he would have been left childless!

Bu Fan struck a pose. Jilang, thinking Bu Fan was about to attack, was immediately provoked. But in the blink of an eye, Bu Fan turned and ran away.

Jilang realized he had been played again and immediately gave chase.

The two of them chased each other, but Bu Fan's body was small and agile, and the gap slowly began to widen. After two hours of pursuit, Jilang gradually gave up.

"Damn little bug, don't let me run into you again!" Jilang roared, turned around, and left.

Seeing this, Bu Fan couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. It was hard to perform with this thing stuck on his body, so he began to fiddle with the rubber ring, trying to get it off.

Finally, after a great deal of effort, Bu Fan managed to remove the rubber ring.

"It seems one cannot underestimate the heroes of this world!"

Bu Fan recalled the words Jiang Yun had once said, telling them that there was always someone better, that there was always a sky beyond the sky, and that one must maintain a spirit of humility in the martial path.