CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44 TARGET, FOUR-ARM GIANT APE_1

After breaking through to the rank of a level 4 Martial Artist, Wang Zhan’s body began to inflate like a balloon. Within a few minutes, it returned to the robust condition it was in during his Martial Student period, before he had begun body refining.

Seeing this, both Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming were somewhat envious.

"Your degree of body refining is too extreme," Huang Pufeng said. "We are also breaking our limits in body refining, but we have never experienced anything like this."

Song Dongming also nodded. "At most, we can only break the limit by 10-20%, which is already considered top-tier. Can you tell us what your physical limit is?"

Wang Zhan smiled. "Not much, approximately 50%."

"Damn!" Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming exclaimed in unison.

There was nothing Wang Zhan could do about this. Each level of a Martial Artist typically granted 100 attribute points, but he gained 150 points, which was exactly half more.

It might not seem like much now, but by the time I reach the rank of a level 9 Martial Artist, I’ll have an additional 450 attribute points. That’s a difference of four to five entire ranks!

Moreover, according to Wang Zhan’s estimation, once he advanced further to the Warrior rank, his extreme attributes would likely be calculated based on the total attribute points accumulated during the Martial Artist Stage, which amounted to 450 points.

That would be an even more outrageous figure.

"Alright, if you two have nothing else to do, how about some sparring? I want to adapt to my new strength today," Wang Zhan proposed.

The wilderness is no place for complacency. If I can’t quickly master my body after a breakthrough, who knows what kind of accident might happen in a fight.

Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming understood this well, so they naturally agreed to spar with Wang Zhan without hesitation.

What the two of them didn’t know was that, aside from sparring, Wang Zhan also intended to use them to farm attribute points.

One is a level 4 at his limit, the other a level 5. If these aren’t the best whetstones, then what is?

「...」

By noon, Wang Zhan had already maxed out his attribute points for a level 4 Martial Artist.

During lunch, Wang Zhan casually opened his attribute panel:

Strength: 800

Agility: 800

Physique: 800

Charm: 30

Wisdom: 17

Great, the basic 100 attribute points limit for a level 4 Martial Artist has been reached. Now it’s just the 50 extreme attribute points left.

The high-intensity attribute farming this morning didn’t go to waste.

Wang Zhan pondered. This must have been his fastest increase in attribute points since he awakened the System. Therefore, the look he gave Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming was full of a certain ambiguity.

"What are you looking at? No sparring this afternoon," Huang Pufeng glared at Wang Zhan. During the morning spar, initially, the two of them could trade blows relying solely on their physical strength, but they were soon suppressed. Song Dongming had experienced the same. At first, he felt he was on par with Wang Zhan, but after a few hours, he was just getting thrashed. Afterwards, the two of them concluded that Wang Zhan’s physical body was at least equivalent to that of a level 6 Martial Artist, and one with extreme attributes at that. This was quite outrageous.

"Your talent is terrifying. This is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone like you," Song Dongming said with a bitter smile, clearly understanding Huang Pufeng’s feelings.

"Alright, no more sparring this afternoon. Let’s go out and hunt some beasts," Wang Zhan laughed and nodded.

Extreme attributes could only be obtained through painstaking cultivation or by killing beasts at least three levels higher. These two ’tools’ have no further use for me now.

After lunch and a short rest, the three of them left the cave and began their hunt for beasts.

In the afternoon, they swept a three-kilometer radius area around their cave. Their harvest was quite satisfactory; they managed to kill two level 6 beasts.

Both of these beasts were killed by Wang Zhan, providing him with 7 points in Strength and 6 points in Agility, which was quite good.

In addition, they killed a few level 5 beasts. However, since these didn’t increase his attributes, Wang Zhan didn’t deliver the killing blows, allowing Song Dongming and Huang Pufeng to do so instead.

Dragging a large wild boar, Wang Zhan thought to himself while planning his future hunts, To improve my extreme attributes now, I have to hunt level 7 Human Martial Artists or kill level 6 beasts.

Originally, the trio had only planned on bringing back the beast cores to the cave. However, Huang Pufeng had mentioned that pork was more delicious than Lion Meat, so this level 6 beast, a wild boar, became their reserve food supply.

However, on their way back to the cave, they unexpectedly bumped into a senior from the Martial Arts Academy.

"Senior Brother Zhou?" Wang Zhan exclaimed in surprise.

The man before them was indeed Zhou Bingquan, a third-year senior and another of Teacher Duan Kun’s direct disciples.

"Junior Brothers? Huh, the three of you can kill level 6 beasts now?" Zhou Bingquan was also a tad surprised. His gaze shifted to the wild boar behind Wang Zhan as he added, "Impressive. It’s only been a few days, and you, kid... you’re level 4 now?"

"Yes," Wang Zhan replied.

"He’s more than just level 4. This guy only broke through yesterday and is already starting to break his limits," Huang Pufeng added with a sour tone.

Zhou Bingquan looked at Wang Zhan in amazement.

"I had a solid foundation from previous accumulation," Wang Zhan explained, then asked, "Senior Brother Zhou, are you operating solo?"

"Ah, yes. I’m a student the Martial Arts Academy is focusing on cultivating, so I usually operate independently. But that’s nothing special; you three will likely receive the same treatment in the future," Zhou Bingquan laughed.

This was how the Martial Arts Academy always trained its students: some were suited for group activities, while the exceptionally talented naturally had more emphasis placed on developing their individual combat prowess. Even among Martial Artists, there were different roles.

After a bit more small talk, Wang Zhan invited him, "Senior Brother Zhou, if you’re not busy, why don’t you come back with us? We won’t be able to finish such a big wild boar by ourselves. Huang Fu’s cooking skills are pretty good."

Zhou Bingquan didn’t hesitate for long before agreeing. "Sure. The people I’m waiting for seem to have stood me up, and I have nothing else to do in the meantime anyway."

The three of them, along with Zhou Bingquan, returned to the cave, and the pork was soon on the roasting spit.

Only then did Wang Zhan ask, "Senior Brother Zhou, who are you waiting for?"

"A few classmates. I’ve spotted a big guy that I can’t handle alone, so I asked for their help," Zhou Bingquan said. "However, the ones I invited are a team, and they seem to have run into some trouble. I’ve waited all day, and whenever I message them, they just say they’re busy."

"A big guy?"

"A level 7 beast, equivalent to a level 8 Human Martial Artist. I can’t handle it alone," Zhou Bingquan stated.

Hearing this, Wang Zhan recalled the level 7 beast, the Four-arm Giant Ape, he had encountered previously.

That big guy was reigning supreme in the Valley not far from their cave.

"Senior Brother, you’re not talking about the Four-arm Giant Ape in the Valley, are you?" Wang Zhan asked.

"How do you know? Have you seen it?" Zhou Bingquan was somewhat surprised.

Wang Zhan nodded, recounted his previous encounter, and then also explained about the Four-arm Giant Ape to Song Dongming and Huang Pufeng.

After finishing, Wang Zhan then said, "Senior Brother, why don’t the four of us take on that big guy? I think we’re strong enough."

Zhou Bingquan hesitated. However, considering the Team of Wang Zhan and two others could effortlessly handle a level 6 beast, he figured they could at least provide some assistance against a level 7 one. Adding himself to the mix, the four of them working together might just have a chance.

More importantly, Zhou Bingquan had coveted this Four-arm Giant Ape for a long time. He didn’t want to delay any further and let someone else snatch the prize.

"We can give it a try," Zhou Bingquan nodded in agreement.

The Team of Wang Zhan and two others, however, were pleasantly surprised, not expecting to face a level 7 beast so soon.

「A silent night passed.」

Early the next morning, the four of them left the cave and headed towards the Valley.

Upon entering the Valley, Wang Zhan found that not much had changed. Just as before, there were no other beasts in the Valley.

"The Four-arm Giant Apes have a strong sense of territory. Because they are prone to lethargy, they often clear their territory upon waking to avoid being disturbed or awakened during their sleep," Zhou Bingquan explained.

Wang Zhan nodded. He recalled that during his last trip to the wilderness, the Four-arm Giant Ape had indeed slept for many days at a time.

After walking for another hour, Wang Zhan reached the place where the Four-arm Giant Ape had slept previously, but strangely, it was nowhere to be seen.

Wang Zhan wondered, puzzled, We’re at the edge of the Valley Plain now. Where did that big guy go?

Zhou Bingquan also frowned. The information he had indicated only that the big guy resided in this Valley, with no specifics on its current whereabouts.

Just as the four of them were wondering, the sky suddenly darkened.

Immediately afterward, they all felt a wind stir around them, rapidly intensifying.

Zhou Bingquan sharply looked up, his expression changing drastically.

"Dodge!"

As his warning rang out, the Team of Wang Zhan and two others were already retreating in different directions.

The next second, the Four-arm Giant Ape fell from the sky, its massive body slammed into the ground, causing the earth to shake so violently that the Team of Wang Zhan and two others nearly lost their footing.

Wang Zhan’s heart turned cold. When did it spot us?

If we hadn’t dodged in time, we’d probably be meat paste by now.

Meanwhile, the Four-arm Giant Ape was not about to give them any time to recover.

It charged at Zhou Bingquan, who was nearest, swinging all four of its arms down with immense force!

Zhou Bingquan’s expression tightened; he didn’t dare to meet the attack head-on and swiftly dodged.

BOOM! Another thunderous crash echoed as four incredibly thick arms slammed into the ground, sending dust and debris flying, obscuring the area in smoke.

At this moment, Zhou Bingquan had already donned a pair of gloves.

"Killing Fist!"

With a technique identical to Wang Zhan’s Killing Fist, the Essence Energy in Zhou Bingquan’s body erupted instantly, even stirring the surrounding ambient energy. A visible aura rippled out from him.

Zhou Bingquan leaped high, his toes lightly tapping the Four-arm Giant Ape’s shoulder. His body arched in mid-air as his fist struck the ape squarely on its nose!

A painful howl erupted. Blood spurted from the Four-arm Giant Ape’s nose as it stumbled backward, clutching its snout in a very human-like gesture.

Zhou Bingquan then withdrew to stand beside the Team of Wang Zhan and two others, his face serious.

"This big guy is very strong, much stronger than I imagined."

"Indeed. Even a full-powered Military Way Killing Fist only lightly injured it," Wang Zhan nodded, his expression grave.

However, despite this, none of the four had any intention of retreating.