An Unexpected Intimacy

"Others might not be able to, but you still have a chance. I reckon that once you become a Dou Zhe, your physical strength will already rival that of a first-tier magical beast. You should know that magical beasts are much stronger than humans of the same level because of their superior physical strength. An ordinary human Dou Zhe would need to reach at least level six before they could possibly defeat a first-tier magical beast alone. But once you become a Dou Zhe, dealing with low-level first-tier magical beasts won't be a problem at all. You might even be able to trade blows with high-level first-tier magical beasts." Seeing Xiao Yan's disbelief, Medicine Elder explained with a smile.

The thought of killing magical beasts with his bare hands made Xiao Yan excited. Thinking of the scene in the movie where King Kong tore apart a Tyrannosaurus rex, wouldn't he be able to tear magical beasts apart too someday...

"Teacher, train me hard! I won't stop until I can tear magical beasts apart with my bare hands!" With that thought, a strange smile appeared on Xiao Yan's lips as he eagerly spoke to Medicine Elder.

The sky was a flawless blue, the clouds white as cotton, and the sunlight scorching and brilliant. On the mountaintop, the summer breeze brushed past, carrying the rich scent of life.

A young man stood atop the mountain, his hands crossed into claw shapes as immense suction force surged from his palms. Huge boulders were pulled toward him one after another. When they reached him, he either punched or struck them with his palm, sending them flying back.

Perhaps the young man felt a little sorry for the trees around him, so he took it out on the rocks instead. The surrounding trees swayed in the wind as though expressing their gratitude, while the stones on the ground went "bang, bang," as if protesting.

After knocking down the last stone around him, the young man stopped, took a deep breath, and looked down the mountain. A beautiful girl was walking toward him with light steps. Today was once again the day for their sparring match. Xiao Yan was unusually free from training, so he had been practicing Dou Techniques while waiting for Xun'er's arrival.

As Xiao Yan watched Xun'er advance like a butterfly, her figure becoming clearer and clearer, a strange curve rose on his lips. At last, he could use the newest move he had developed.

As Xun'er drew closer to Xiao Yan, a faint smile also appeared on her lips, and she quickened her pace again. But just as she was about to reach him, she saw that peculiar smile on his face. Xiao Yan suddenly crossed his hands, and after shouting, "Dragon-Grasping Hand!", a fierce suction force came rushing toward her.

Xun'er instantly felt her body grow light. Completely unprepared, she was pulled right in front of Xiao Yan. Then she suddenly sensed that something was wrong, an unusual sensation spreading through her body. She lowered her head and looked.

"Ah..." Xun'er screamed at once, her little face turning crimson red.

Xiao Yan felt something soft in his hand. Looking down, his body instantly tensed, and his wicked claw unconsciously tightened a little more.

"Mmm..." Xun'er felt a stab of pain, but she immediately came to her senses and said shyly, "Why haven't you let go yet?!"

"Oh! Oh!" Xiao Yan hurriedly answered. Yet his usually nimble hands were incomparably stiff at that moment, and it took him quite a while before he finally released her gently.

Breaking free, Xun'er immediately turned around and covered her flushed face. After a moment of silence, she said bashfully, "I'm going back first!"

With that, she hurriedly ran away as though a vicious wolf were chasing her from behind. But was there really a vicious wolf behind her? There really was!

Xiao Yan stared blankly at his claw. Heaven knew he truly had not meant to be so shameless. Ever since learning that the Cloud-Discharging Palm could blow off someone's clothes, he had never used it on Xun'er. This time, he had only wanted to test the Dragon-Grasping Hand's power. Yet he had somehow turned a perfectly good Dragon-Grasping Hand into a breast-grabbing dragon claw technique.

Well, this Dou Technique could not be used on girls either. He raised his hand to his nose and sniffed it, and a smile appeared on his lips again.

"Smells pretty nice!"

"Hehe! Felt good, didn't it?" Medicine Elder drifted out of the ring and teased him.

Xiao Yan merely rolled his eyes without saying anything. He increasingly felt that Medicine Elder had no dignity befitting his age.

"Since there won't be any sparring today, let's start training!" Medicine Elder said with a smile.

"Ugh! A perfectly good rest day, ruined just like that!" Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. What he did not know was that it was not just today's rest day that was gone—there would be no more rest days in the future either.

Before long, the young man's miserable howls rang out through the forest. Molesting a girl came with punishment, and this punishment continued for half a year without interruption, aside from a trip to the auction house to buy medicinal ingredients.

The young man hung bare-chested from a tree, baked by the scorching summer sun and battered by the cold autumn winds. Even during the frigid winter, he was still hung from the tree, his body freezing into an icicle every day as he used Dou Qi to ward off the cold. Even then, Medicine Elder struck him with Dou Qi whips imbued with Heavenly Flame. Whenever that happened, the young man experienced the torment of ice and fire at once.

Is this the price I have to pay for molesting a girl? Xun'er! Big brother was wrong—come save big brother! Xiao Yan could no longer speak at this point and could only convey his thoughts through his mind.

Yet Xun'er did not appear. Ever since being teased by a certain vicious wolf, she had rarely shown herself.

Not until spring began to tint the earth and the weather gradually warmed did the ice and snow start to melt, bringing a new scene to nature. Some trees began to sprout, tender leaves emerging from their branches. Under the sunlight, those young leaves glittered beautifully.

A huge wooden barrel sat atop a massive boulder, filled with red liquid. The young man sat cross-legged in the center of the barrel, his entire body wrapped in red currents of air. His hands formed seals, and as his chest rose and fell, the pale red vapor around him entered his body through his nose and mouth, continuously strengthening his bones and meridians.

As the red liquid in the barrel gradually faded, the red currents around him also slowly disappeared. When the final wisp of pale red vapor was absorbed into his body, the young man opened his eyes. A flash of red light flickered through his pupils, and he leaped out of the barrel with a powerful push of his legs.

Bang! The barrel instantly exploded into splinters from the aura bursting out around his body.

As for why he had destroyed the barrel, it was naturally because he no longer needed it. Today was the final day of his body-tempering.

The instant his feet touched the ground, the young man fiercely crossed his hands. A powerful suction force erupted from his palms, dragging a massive boulder more than half a person tall toward him. When the boulder reached him, he swiftly threw a punch.

Bang! Another thunderous crash rang out as the boulder instantly shattered, fragments scattering everywhere.

He lightly moved his body, and the bones throughout him crackled. After taking a deep breath, the young man slowly asked, "Teacher, is my physical strength really comparable to that of a first-tier magical beast now?"

An old man floated out of the black ring on Xiao Yan's finger. Stroking his beard, he said with a faint smile, "Of course. Your physical strength is now sufficient to rival that of a mid-level first-tier magical beast. I truly never expected you, little fellow, to persist until the end. Even I did not see that coming!"

The youthful immaturity on Xiao Yan's face had already vanished, replaced by resolve. His facial features were sharply defined, his lines smooth, giving him an air of determination and confidence. His muscles were firm and powerful, their contours distinct, and his entire body radiated masculine vigor.