The Red-Scaled Lizard had clearly been enraged beyond all reason.
It roared, drove all four limbs against the ground, and hurled its massive body straight at Chu Yun.
It was not particularly fast, but its sheer size made the charge intimidating enough.
Chu Yun did not hesitate either. With a low growl, he met it head-on and drove a fist toward its head.
Thud!
A dull impact rang out, and a sharp pain shot through Chu Yun's knuckles.
The Red-Scaled Lizard merely tilted its head slightly, its momentum completely undiminished.
It swung its head, knocking Chu Yun off balance, then swept its thick tail toward him.
Chu Yun had no time to dodge. The tail slammed squarely into his waist.
Thud!
He flew sideways and crashed back-first into a section of ruined wall, which instantly collapsed.
"Cough..."
Chu Yun grunted and glanced down. The scales on the lizard's tail had torn a long gash through his clothes. Blood seeped from his skin, and the wound burned fiercely.
Jiang Lan stood a dozen meters away, watching Chu Yun intently.
Against a martial artist at the body tempering peak, a second-tier ferocious beast held an overwhelming advantage in strength, speed, and defense alike.
Chu Yun had already done well to last this long.
If he could not hold out, Jiang Lan could step in at any moment.
But Chu Yun clearly had no intention of giving up yet.
He gritted his teeth, climbed out of the rubble, and spat.
"That's all you've got?"
The Red-Scaled Lizard had never been taunted like this. Shaking its head, it immediately charged him again.
This time, Chu Yun did not meet it head-on. He sidestepped, avoiding its frontal charge.
The Red-Scaled Lizard's bulk made it slow to turn.
Seizing the opening, Chu Yun stepped forward and slammed a fist into its belly armor.
Thud!
The scales on its belly were not as hard as those on its back. The punch made the Red-Scaled Lizard visibly stagger, and it let out a low roar of pain.
But that was all.
Far from suffering any real injury, the Red-Scaled Lizard only grew more furious. It twisted sharply and snapped its jaws at Chu Yun.
Chu Yun leaned backward. The lizard's sharp teeth scraped past his chest, ripping a gash through his clothes.
That had been close.
Cold sweat beaded on Chu Yun's forehead.
Getting bitten by this thing would be no joke.
He might end up saying goodbye to his precious arm forever.
But his reactions were quick, too.
While the lizard recovered from its missed bite, he darted to its side again and punched the exact spot he had struck before.
Thud!
Hiss!
Struck twice in the same spot, the Red-Scaled Lizard roared in pain.
Several cracks appeared in its belly armor, with thin traces of blood seeping through.
Chu Yun's eyes lit up.
This could work.
If I can't break through those tough scales, I'll just keep hammering the same spot.
Pain drove the Red-Scaled Lizard into an even wilder frenzy. Its body thrashed violently, and its tail lashed in every direction.
Chu Yun had to retreat. He circled the lizard twice, waited for a gap between its lunging bites, then rushed in to land another punch.
After four or five rounds of this, the Red-Scaled Lizard's armor finally shattered completely, exposing a mangled patch of soft tissue beneath.
The Red-Scaled Lizard's movements slowed considerably, and its body began to sway.
Chu Yun panted heavily, his face smeared with sweat and dust. His clothes were covered in tears and bloodstains.
Yet his eyes shone with excitement.
"Take a punch from your granddaddy!"
With a roar, he charged in recklessly and drove his fist hard into the open wound on the lizard's flank.
Squelch!
His fist sank into its flesh. The Red-Scaled Lizard's entire body convulsed violently, and it let out a low, mournful cry.
Then its massive body toppled to the ground. Its limbs twitched a few times before it went completely still.
"Huff... huff..."
Chu Yun stood there, gulping down air.
His whole body hurt like hell, but he could not hide the grin on his face.
A second-tier ferocious beast.
I, Chu Yun, killed a second-tier ferocious beast all by myself.
Meanwhile, Mo Han was not faring much better.
His approach differed from Chu Yun's. From the outset, he had never intended to trade blows head-on.
But a second-tier Red-Scaled Lizard was no training dummy. It would not stand there and let him hit it at will.
Mo Han circled the Red-Scaled Lizard, patiently searching for an opening.
The Red-Scaled Lizard had little patience, however. After missing two lunging bites, it swept its huge tail straight at Mo Han.
Mo Han ducked, and the tail skimmed just above his head, whipping up a fierce gust.
He seized the chance to raise his saber and slash diagonally downward, aiming just above the lizard's eye socket.
That was where the Red-Scaled Lizard's scales were thinnest.
But the lizard reacted faster than he had expected.
It tilted its head, and the blade merely scraped across the scales, leaving a faint white mark.
He had failed to pierce its defenses.
Mo Han frowned and swiftly retreated.
The Red-Scaled Lizard chased after him, its jaws gaping. It came within a hair of biting his arm.
Mo Han instinctively twisted aside, but the lizard's foreclaw still raked his shoulder.
Rip-
His combat uniform tore open instantly, and blood seeped from the scratches.
Mo Han's expression remained unchanged, his gaze still calm as he rapidly backed away.
Once he had put some distance between them, he began steadying his breathing again.
The Red-Scaled Lizard crouched where it was, its slit pupils fixed on him as a low, threatening rumble rose from its throat.
Man and lizard remained locked in a standoff for a long while. Finally, the Red-Scaled Lizard lost patience and charged Mo Han with another low roar.
Mo Han's gaze sharpened, and his saber shot forward.
The next instant, its tip plunged precisely into the Red-Scaled Lizard's eye socket.
Squelch!
"Aaargh-!"
Blood spurted out. The Red-Scaled Lizard shrieked in agony, shaking its head wildly as it tried to fling the saber out.
Mo Han gripped the hilt with both hands, braced against the force of its thrashing head, and gave the blade a savage twist.
The Red-Scaled Lizard's scream cut off abruptly.
Its massive body swayed twice, then crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
Nearby, Jiang Lan raised an eyebrow slightly.
They really are Rocket Class students.
Impressive.
With nothing but their strength at the body tempering peak, they had slain second-tier ferocious beasts.
Their progress had truly exceeded Jiang Lan's expectations by a wide margin.
The last time they had been out here, even the two of them together with Lu Qingshan had been no match for a second-tier ferocious beast.
Less than two months later, they could already hold their own.
Jiang Lan walked over to the two of them and asked,
"Can you still fight?"
"Yes!" Chu Yun bared his teeth. "My waist just hurts a little."
Mo Han nodded as well.
Jiang Lan looked them over before saying,
"If we run into any more second-tier ferocious beasts, leave them to me. If you still want to fight, go after the first-tier ones."
Both nodded at his words.
They knew perfectly well that the beasts they had just fought had already taken everything they had.
If they had to do it again, the outcome probably would not be so favorable.
"Hehe..." Chu Yun gave another easygoing grin. "Thanks for handling the hard work, godfather."
At that, Jiang Lan looked at Chu Yun and said,
"As your dad, I don't mind putting in a little extra effort."
Chu Yun: "..."
"Godfather, you've changed!"