The hulking beast roared, towering over Wang Yun. Its sheer size intimidated him, and for a moment, he regretted not carrying a weapon. The goril charged, and Wang Yun jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding its powerful swing.

  With surprising agility, the beast turned and lunged again. Wang Yun backhanded its fist away, eliciting a roar of pain and anger. The goril's other fist came flying toward him. While an ordinary human would have been helpless, Wang Yun wasn't.

  Time seemed to slow as he stepped aside, jumped, and punched the goril's face. Even with his enhanced perception, the beast managed to shift its shoulders, deflecting the blow. The goril was sent flying several meters before regaining its footing and charging again.

  This time, a silver aura seemed to emanate from its body. Wang Yun's enhanced perception couldn't keep up as the beast appeared before him in an instant.

  He crossed his arms to protect his chest as the beast rammed into him, knocking the wind out of him. He was sent flying, crashing through several trees and creating a small crater upon impact.

  "Cough!" Wang Yun gasped, struggling to catch his breath. "Powerful!" he thought. But it was precisely this attack that brought a smile to his face.

  The beast reappeared, roaring and unching a wave of qi toward him. Wang Yun jumped to dodge, then lunged at the beast with a roundhouse kick. The beast blocked the attack with its qi-infused arm, but the force pushed it back. The beast's free arm grabbed Wang Yun's leg and hurled him toward a rge stone.

  His back collided with the stone, cracking it. He saw qi gathering in the beast's mouth and dodged just in time. The bst destroyed the boulder, and the beast charged at him again.

  Wang Yun met its charge head-on! A fierce smile on his face.

  A shockwave erupted. Their csh echoed through the forest, and it was the huge beast that was pushed back!

  "Hahaha!" A young voice ughed heartily, echoing through the forest. Wang Yun felt exhirated by the battle.

  The beast, seemingly stunned in losing in the contest of strength, was dazed for a moment. Wang Yun seized the opportunity, nding a powerful punch on its jaw. The force sent the beast flying, and Wang Yun nded on the ground, panting heavily. He wasn't tired, but the adrenaline coursing through him kept him energized.

  Just as he was about to give chase, he noticed something was missing. "Huh?" he muttered, looking down to see that his clothing had been ripped apart. He had been so focused on the battle that he hadn't even realized.

  With a curse, Wang Yun held his clothes together to prevent them from falling further. He looked around for the beast but found it had disappeared.

  'Did it run away?' Wang Yun wondered. He decided to let it go, realizing he couldn't chase it without risking being naked. After the exhirating battle, he began his return.

  Curious and amused eyes nded on him as he returned, despite his attempts to be discreet. It was daylight, and people were busy, but some still noticed him.

  "By the gods, what happened?"

  As he expected, his mother was aghast at his appearance, but he assured her he was fine. He felt some aches in his bones, but that was all; there weren't even any bruises.

  The goril was powerful. With a rough estimate, Wang Yun calcuted that it was equivalent to a rank 4 martial artist! After all, he himself had strength twice that of a rank 3 martial artist, yet he had barely gained an edge over the beast.

  He wondered how such a creature could be found so close to their vilge. Although this vilge was called Green River vilge, he had heard what others call this area and forest.

  Desote Jade forest.

  Meaning an area cking in qi, which makes it avoided by cultivators and powerful beasts, and also makes it that no powerful beast is born here because of it.

  So where did this white beast come from? He pondered the question before shaking his head, he put the beast out of his mind for now. After lying about falling from a tree and being reprimanded, Wang Yun got off easily.

  "Can you help get the barrels from Xun Jian? Your father won't be back until this afternoon," his mother said as she served food to a customer.

  "Yes, mother," Wang Yun nodded, in new clothes.

  "Use the cart in the back."

  When Wang Yun headed to the back, he saw the backyard was empty and knew his siblings had already gone out to py after practicing. He didn't really need the cart to carry those barrels, but he didn't want to stand out.

  As he pushed the cart toward Xun Jian's house, he wondered if he should reveal his strength. It took only a moment for him to decide.

  When it came to his family, Wang Yun would hide his strength, but he won't try too hard. If they asked or if he was discovered, he would reveal his power. After all, he knew his parents thought he wasn't exactly ordinary, since they highly likely just picked him up, and if he couldn't trust his family, who could he trust?

  It would also be convenient, as he would definitely help his family in the future. Hiding his strength from them wasn't significant.

  But showing his strength to others? That was another story. Who had heard of someone like him who went from ordinary mortal to having the strength of a rank 3 martial artist in just a few days?

  He could already be called a monster! He didn't know how people would react, but he knew they would react greatly, and maybe some extreme people might want to dissect him!

  He doubted it, though, not because he believed in the goodness of the people, but because he believed there were more sinister ways for a cultivator than just dissecting him.

  From the tales he had heard and novels he had read, maybe they’ll try to turn him into a pill? Or extract his blood for a potion? Or even destroy his soul and occupy his body?

  The sinister methods were probably endless so unless it was absolutely necessary, he vowed to hide his strength as much as possible. Of course, only until he had sufficient strength to at least dominate the surrounding area.

  There was also a downside to his situation. All his life, based on Wang Yun's memories, he couldn't feel or control qi. He could see them, after a person circuted qi and let it out from their bodies but that was all.

  What was qi? It was the essence that allowed cultivators to defy the heavens!

  The fact that he couldn't feel it meant he probably couldn't control it either!

  Wang Yun smiled bitterly. From the tales he had heard of cultivators, it was like, in exchange for his ability to increase his physique every day without effort, he couldn't manipute qi now.

  Wang Yun pondered which of the two he would truly prefer if given the chance. He knew and had seen videos of what a Kryptonian could do, and while he hadn't seen a cultivator move, he also knew that what he had heard of them held some truth.

  Being able to wield mystical abilities versus being able to reach physical strength that's probably enough to shake a pnet?

  After pondering for a moment, if he had a choice, he'd probably choose to wield qi, BUT! Only if he had great talent. Otherwise, he was well satisfied with his physique.

  It was better than nothing; in some ways, it was much better than a cultivator. At the very least, he didn't need to find fortuitous encounters and put himself in too much danger just to increase his realm or acquire herbs or qi stones. He could do nothing and just sunbathe for a year and probably reach the physical strength of a rank 12 martial artist.

  Of course, he still wanted to figure out if he could control the energy that was absorbed by his body and see if, aside from nourishing his physique, he could do something different with it.

  For now, though, he was determined to enjoy his youth.

  A smile formed on his face. He had only accepted this life for a few days, and he already knew he had a bright future.

  Ahead, to the side of the building he was heading toward, he saw a familiar man, seemingly speaking haughtily with Mr. Xun.

  As he got closer, he heard what they were saying.

  "You better watch out, Xun Jian. My word alone is enough to make the vilge turn against you."

  "I told you, we don't have enough money to give you."

  "Then so be it. I, Yang Tai, decre my grudge against you will never disappear!"