NOVEL WEB Chapter 1: "Fighting the Spiritual Beast."
Chapter 1:
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"Big brother, why are we suddenly leaving? Aren't you going to register as a disciple?" Ye Lin asked, confused by their abrupt departure.
"Lin'er, you don’t understand how dangerous our situation was, do you? If your brother Tian hadn’t possessed the luck of the main character, our heads would be rolling by now," Ye Min replied, his expression serious.
"Main character? I really don’t get your logic, big brother. You are so cautious. Didn’t brother Tian already solve the problem?" Ye Lin said, perplexed.
"Haaaah..." Ye Min sighed, choosing to remain silent as he continued walking, ignoring Ye Lin's complaints.
Seeing this, Ye Lin didn’t press further and continued walking through the bustling town.
"Step... step..."
Minutes later...
Ye Min approached the nearest group of caravaners, as they typically traveled together for safety and support along trade routes.
"Please let us ride in the carriage, and I will pay when we reach our destination," Ye Min said politely.
"Hm, where do you want to go, young sir?" the driver asked, smiling at them.
"You can stop at Green Shadow Mountain."
"Green Shadow Mountain?" The driver pondered for a moment. "Ah, those mountains owned by the Feng sect," he added, looking at Ye Min.
"What do you mean 'owned'? We are just trading crops and vegetables," Ye Min muttered to himself.
"Hahaha, yes, you’re right! Please take us to Green Shadow Mountain. Do you think you can reach it?" Ye Min asked, masking her irritation.
"Of course, I can reach it without a problem! Sir and young lady, please come in," the driver replied.
Ye Min nodded and silently held her younger sister's hand. "Lin'er, are you ready?"
"Yes, big brother," Ye Lin smiled.
"Haha, great! Then let's depart." After a minute of preparation, they set off.
"Clop-clop, clop-clop..."
............
Half a day had passed, and they were already halfway to their destination. While they remained relaxed, Ye Min and Ye Lin were startled by the sudden voice of the rider.
"Sir, young sir, please pay attention! There’s a spiritual beast heading our way!" the rider exclaimed, trembling in fear.
"Huh, that’s..." Ye Min said, turning to look at the approaching monster. "An Emberbear? Damn What an unlucky day," he cursed under his breath.
The Emberbear resembled a bear, with a glowing, fiery coat and piercing amber eyes. Standing six feet tall, it could manipulate fire, unleashing fiery breath and creating protective barriers.
"Big brother, what should we do?" Ye Lin asked, her voice trembling as she looked at him.
"Hm, don’t worry, Lin'er. I can handle this," Ye Min chuckled softly, glancing at his terrified sister.
"But big brother, you're just a farmer! You're not a true cultivator. What can you do against that huge monster?" she protested.
Ye Min sighed. "Haaaah, Lin'er, you really underestimate your brother's capabilities."
He grabbed a rusty sword and moved toward the Emberbear, which was charging in their direction.
"GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" the massive Emberbear roared.
"Tch, what a loudmouth. I’ll rip that arrogant mouth of yours off," Ye Min muttered, keeping his composure.
With a ferocious growl, the Emberbear swung its massive claw through the air, aiming directly at its unsuspecting prey.
"SWOOSH!"
"Big brother!" Ye Lin shouted, worried.
Ye Min reacted quickly and jumped aside. "THUMP!"
After dodging the bear's claw, Ye Min counterattacked, clenching his fist and punching the Emberbear hard. "**THWACK!** BAM!"
The impact sent the Emberbear flying a few inches away, but it remained unscathed. Dust settled around them. It was a surprising display of strength, but then the Emberbear unleashed a torrent of fire in Ye Min's direction.
"Fwoosh!"
"Tch, I thought my Muay Thai technique would work, but it didn’t do a thing. Argh, I’m so frustrated," Ye Min said, effortlessly dodging the flames.
"GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAHH!" The bear's anger peaked as it swung its claws repeatedly. SWISH!
"THUD! SWISH! THUD!"The bear lunged, massive claws swiping through the air, aiming directly for him.
"SWOOSH!"
"Big brother!" Ye Lin screamed, eyes wide with horror.
Ye Min dove to the side, narrowly escaping the lethal swipe. "THUMP!" He quickly regained his footing and swung the rusty sword with all his might. "THWACK! BAM!"
The blade struck the bear, but the impact barely fazed it, leaving only a scratch on its fiery hide.
"GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAHH!" The Emberbear's fury peaked, and it rained down a flurry of swipes, its claws cutting through the air with deadly precision.
"THUD! SWISH! THUD!"
Despite the creature's strength, Ye Min skillfully dodged each attack, weaving like a dancer. Drawing on his Muay Thai training, he moved in closer as the Emberbear swung again.
He sidestepped and executed a powerful teep kick to the bear’s knee, causing it to stumble back. Seizing the moment, he followed up with a quick elbow strike to its jaw.
"THWACK!" The bear staggered, eyes narrowing in anger. Ye Min then transitioned into a knee strike, driving his knee into the bear's chest, feeling the heat radiate off its body.
"HAH!" he grunted, but the Emberbear barely flinched. It retaliated with a blast of flames that singed the air around him.
Ye Min ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding the flames. "This is tougher than I thought," he muttered, frustration mounting.
As the Emberbear charged again, Ye Min focused. He executed a rapid combination of punches, targeting the bear’s snout and eyes, then slipped to the side to avoid a swipe.
With a sudden burst of strength, he performed a roundhouse kick to its side, aiming to unbalance it.
"WHAM!" His foot connected, the impact resonating through him, and the bear reeled back, dazed.
Not wasting the opportunity, Ye Min moved in again, transitioning seamlessly into a spinning back elbow, catching the Emberbear off guard and driving it back.
"Now!" Ye Min shouted, determination igniting in his eyes.
With a final surge of energy, he lunged forward, driving the rusty sword deep into the bear's side while executing a knee strike simultaneously, forcing the blade deeper.
"THUNK!" The sword sank in, and the creature collapsed, its fiery form extinguished, leaving only smoke and embers in its wake.
"Huff! Gasp! Huff! I finally took it down!" Ye Min exclaimed, collapsing to one knee, utterly spent.
Ye Lin and the rider, who had watched the entire fight, were in awe.
"Woah, that’s amazing! I didn’t expect a human with no cultivation base could take down a bear without proper technique," the rider exclaimed.
"Big brother!" Ye Lin called out.
"Are you okay? Why did you rush at that monster without cultivation?" she asked, concern etched on her face.
"It’s okay, Lin'er. I can still stand and walk. I’m uninjured, so I'm fine. Just take the core of the monster and give it to me while I rest," Ye Min said, gesturing for her to hurry.
Ye Lin nodded, still worried about her brother who had bravely protected them.
Minutes later, she retrieved the monster's core and approached him.
"Big brother, here, take it."
Ye Min nodded and took the small core stone, placing it in his pouch.
After a moment, Ye Min stood up and began to walk back to the carriage.
Seeing her brother moving without issue, Ye Lin smiled and followed him.
"Haha, that’s amazing, young sir! I didn’t expect you to take it down without a cultivation base," the rider said in admiration.
"It’s just a low-level spiritual beast. Anyone with proper technique and enough strength could rival the Emberbear without a cultivation base," Ye Min replied, pretending to remain calm.
"Hahaha, you’re really humble, young sir." The rider fell silent, preparing to continue their journey.
...........
An hour later, after regaining their composure and getting ready, they resumed their journey.
"Clop-clop, clop-clop," the sounds of the carriage filled the air.
"By the way, big brother, where did you learn those techniques? I didn’t recognize any cultivator using those weird elbow strikes," Ye Lin asked curiously.
"Nah, they’re just random moves. I used my elbows because they seemed effective," Ye Min said shamelessly, keeping a calm expression.
"That’s amazing, big brother! You created your own techniques and weren’t scared by the Emberbear. I didn’t expect my usually quiet and kind brother to be so formidable."
Ye Min didn’t respond, but Lin Min spoke the truth: he wasn’t afraid of the monster; rather, he was a coward who wouldn’t fight unless he was certain he could win.
His decision to confront the Emberbear was driven by three key motivations.
First, he had extensively researched of many creature, spending a fortune on books that detailed strategies for defeating it, which gave him confidence.
Second, he wanted to test the martial arts skills he had mastered in his previous life. Finally, he aimed to collect the valuable core stone, which could be sold for a significant profit.
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