New Sparring Partner

"Are the unmarked places in the mountain range areas you haven't explored yet?" Tang Yan asked.

"Mm. With our strength, we can't enter the depths of the mountain range. But one thing is certain-there are higher-rank spirit beasts inside." Chang Ying had already gone to fetch the wolf pelt, so Wan Fei could only answer in his place.

"Not bad." Tang Yan tucked the map into his robes and said to Wan Fei, "Auntie, since your assignment is finished, you should head back as soon as you can.

"Mountains and rivers shall meet again. If fate allows, we shall meet another day. Farewell!"

With that, he used Phantom Step. His figure turned into a streaking shadow as he rushed into the distance.

Tang Yan had been out training for nearly a month. He had originally been rather satisfied with the speed of his progress, but after seeing Wan Fei and the others today, warning bells rang in his heart.

Wan Fei was only twenty-two, yet she was already at Black Rank second grade. In Yun City, someone like her would absolutely be treated as an honored guest by every great family. Yet in Fang City, she was merely a Mercenary?

Then just how terrifying were the true young experts of the Eastern Region?

Time waited for no one!

Feeling that urgency, Tang Yan naturally would not remain there and waste time.

Seeing Tang Yan leave the moment he said he would, Wan Fei suddenly felt a faint emptiness in her heart.

"Sis, he just left?" Chang Ying ran back at that moment and asked in surprise.

"He left! What, do you miss him?" Wan Fei snapped.

"No, no. It just feels too sudden. If I want to thank him later, I won't even know where to find him. But Young Master Tang's strength really is strange. I dare say that from beginning to end, the strength he showed never reached Black Rank, yet his fighting ability was so fierce.

"Anyone within Yellow Rank was knocked down by him in a single exchange.

"With that strength, even in Fang City, he should be able to rank among the top thirty of the younger generation, right?" Chang Ying sighed. "But Young Master Tang probably isn't from Fang City."

"At the very least, he would make the top fifteen!" Thinking of the two moves Tang Yan had guided her through earlier, Wan Fei gave her judgment seriously.

"That strong?" Chang Ying's eyes filled with astonishment.

"His transitions between moves and martial skills are incredibly practiced, and his insight into an enemy's weak points is also extremely precise.

"Judging from his age, we may very well see him at the Eastern Region Grand Competition." Wan Fei had a feeling that this strange young man she had met today would surely appear before her again.

A woman's intuition had always been accurate!

......

Tang Yan sped along the way and soon returned to the waterfall.

He had stayed here for a month, and his strength had risen day by day. Now that he had decided to leave this treasured cultivation ground, he actually felt somewhat reluctant.

Taking out the map of Cangyun Mountain, Tang Yan studied it carefully. Soon, his gaze landed on a mountain peak eighty Li away.

[Halfway up the mountain: Fire Ape King, Third-Rank Spirit Beast, lives in a group.]

After seeing this note, Tang Yan decided to head there.

Ape-type spirit beasts were not only agile, but also possessed great strength. They were even more suited to his current needs.

He trained madly beneath the waterfall for another three days. Once Tang Yan had nearly adapted to fighting under crushing pressure, he followed the destination he had chosen and made his way deeper into Cangyun Mountain.

His feet flew over the mountain stones. These days of cultivation beneath the waterfall had brought great growth in every part of him, and Phantom Step had risen another step as well.

After traveling for nearly an hour, cries of apes came from the distance. Tang Yan's heart stirred. He knew he was almost there.

He looked over the surrounding terrain. This place was halfway up the mountain, and the ground around him was relatively gentle. A few hundred meters farther ahead, a peak rose sharply from the earth.

More than ten Fire Apes lounged among the ancient trees. Some swung from the branches, while others ate wild fruit, looking utterly at ease.

Looking at the Fire Apes' two-meter-tall, burly bodies, Tang Yan felt a faint chill in his heart. These fellows were far sturdier than he had imagined.

Moreover, these ordinary Fire Apes were all Second-Rank Spirit Beasts. Tang Yan could not help but feel a little troubled.

Even so, Tang Yan had no intention of retreating. Instead, a trace of fervor flashed through his eyes.

The wolf pack had trained his speed. The waterfall had tempered his strength.

These Fire Apes excelled in both strength and speed. Weren't they the perfect sparring partners for him now?

Since he had come, Tang Yan naturally had to test them. He no longer concealed himself and swaggered straight over.

With him acting so openly, the Fire Apes quickly discovered Tang Yan. One after another, they began to howl, as if warning him not to take another step forward.

Tang Yan paid no mind to the Fire Apes' warning. Hadn't he come here precisely to fight this group of Fire Apes to his heart's content?

Tang Yan had clearly underestimated the Fire Apes' temper. The word "Fire" in their name did, to some extent, reflect their violent nature.

"Ao!" After baring its fangs at Tang Yan for a long while and seeing that this weak human was still walking into their territory, one Fire Ape was immediately enraged.

It raised its fist and charged at Tang Yan with a roar.

Seeing that enormous fist whistling toward him, Tang Yan did not panic at all. He laughed aloud. "Let me see how strong you are!"

The Vortex Dantian spun rapidly, and True Qi gathered toward his right fist.

Like the Fire Ape, Tang Yan's punch was pure strength, without the slightest flourish.

"Bang!"

The man's fist and the ape's fist collided, sending out a violent tremor.

Thud, thud!

The Fire Ape's huge body retreated two heavy steps, making the mountain ground nearby tremble.

Tang Yan, however, stood where he was without moving an inch.

Although he had gained the upper hand in this clash, Tang Yan was not happy at all. The Fire Ape's strength was several degrees greater than he had imagined. If it had been a Second-Rank giant wolf, under Tang Yan's full-powered strike, it definitely would not have ended with merely two steps of retreat.

If even an ordinary Second-Rank Fire Ape was this fierce, then just how monstrous was the strength of the Third-Rank Spirit Beast Fire Ape King?

The Fire Ape had not expected such a small human like Tang Yan to be able to force it back two steps. This was completely different from what it had imagined.

It had thought one punch would send this skinny brat tumbling down the mountain. In the end, it had lost face instead. How was it supposed to hold its head up before the female apes of the tribe after this?

"Ao, ao-"

After failing with one strike, the Fire Ape beat its chest in fury and pounced at Tang Yan again.

When it was almost in front of Tang Yan, the Fire Ape leapt up. Its body was like a small mountain pressing down, and it swung its fist toward Tang Yan with the force of Mount Tai descending.

Tang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. No wonder people often said apes and monkeys were similar to humans. This Fire Ape's attack already vaguely carried the rudiments of a move.

He drew in a breath. His body swiftly twisted twice in midair, and Thousand Mountains Fist struck out with two resounding bursts.

"Bang, bang!"

"Bang!"

The second punch, carrying layered force, collided with the Fire Ape once more.

Thud, thud, thud!

This time, the Fire Ape still gained no advantage. Tang Yan forced it back three steps again.

When the Fire Ape looked at Tang Yan now, its eyes were filled with wariness.

Although it did not understand why this skinny little fellow before it could erupt with such powerful strength, it knew one thing clearly: in single combat, it could not defeat this human.

"Ao, ao-"

The Fire Ape threw back its neck and let out a long howl.

The ape group that had originally been standing aside to watch the commotion roared and rushed toward Tang Yan.

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