Xiang Ning saw the attack coming and covered his waist with Heaven’s Key. The beast struck hard as Xiang Ning flew like a cannonball and crashed into a tree. The beast’s physical strength was stronger than he had anticipated, but it was still within his limits. Thanks to Keen Observation and his armor, he hadn’t suffered too much from that attack, but it still felt like he had been hit by a truck on the highway. He had a feeling that some of his organs had rearranged themselves.

“I’m fine. Don’t come near me.” Xiang Ning stood up. He looked disheveled, but otherwise unharmed. Everyone sighed in relief when they saw the armor on his waist.

They were also impressed by Xiang Ning’s unnatural sense of battle. It was terrifying! If it were them, they wouldn’t have managed to defend against the beast’s lightning-fast attacks in time. They would at most be able to shout out a warning. But Xiang Ning was fighting as if he was capable of seeing the future as he made preparations to block the attacks before they were even launched.

Still, only he knew how heavy the tail swipe was.

Experience Points +9,632

Tier five, four-star martial artist (52,835/600,000) 

Even though he had used Heaven’s Key to defend against the attack, the Experience Points he obtained approached five digits! He wasn’t as relaxed as everyone thought he was, but at least he wasn’t coughing up blood.

Xiang Ning was about to train and temper his body against the beast, but it turned around and ignored him. It was looking down on him! It slowly turned its head toward Qi Longxiang and the rest as its pupils widened and grew sharper.

“Xiang Ning, I think it's targeting us now.”

It was truly befitting of an alpha to be able to stay calm even after sensing their vitality. But how could Xiang Ning miss such a perfect chance to train his body? He even had a great excuse, too!

He silently activated Taunt and the beast turned to look at him.

Fury Points +111

Xiang Ning saw how little the Fury Points were and felt insulted. What the fuck? Are you looking down on me?! I’m here offering myself as a sandbag and you dare look down on me? Fuck you! “Where do you think you’re looking at? Shitty beast!” Xiang Ning simultaneously used Triple Slash and Mountain-Splitting Slash to launch a deadly attack. The tremendous force behind his swing left a deep sword mark on the ground.

The beast was still looking down on him! Xiang Ning, however, saw an opportunity and smiled. “Silent Burial!”

Silent Burial was a tier six martial technique that he had raised to Peak Mastery. The moment he used it, the beast’s pupil widened in alarm, but it was too late.

“Wait. Is that a Peak Mastery technique?” Qi Longxiang gasped as he observed their battle. He had originally thought that Xiang Ning would just be a sandbag to temper his physical body. He would probably be hurt a bit, but there shouldn’t be any danger to his life. That was why he wasn’t interfering with their battle. And to think that he would witness a battle of this caliber here! Xiang Ning’s techniques were all top-notch!

The speed of the Triple Slash, the destructive power of the Mountain-Splitting Slash, and the eerie calm of Silent Burial. Qi Longxiang, a man approaching his thirties, was completely shocked to the core. Peak Mastery was the level of mastery that all martial artists sought after. Martial artists were called ‘masters’ if they even had a single technique on the Peak Mastery level, to the point where they could even establish a clan or sect. They only needed to rely on that single technique and they could survive anywhere.

If two martial artists of the same strength were to clash, one would have to use a tier four martial technique on the Awakened level at the very least to evenly fight against someone that had a tier three martial technique at Peak Mastery. To completely suppress the attack, it would at least require a tier six martial technique on the Assimilation level. Peak Mastery martial techniques were anything but simple.

“This is crazy! Did he entirely change his face?! How does he have three Peak Mastery martial techniques?!” A battle of this caliber was insanely beneficial for martial artists on their level.

They expected the Silent Burial to deal a substantial amount of damage, and it didn’t disappoint. The sword fell and blood sprayed everywhere. The alpha beast was slashed on its neck and a five-centimeter-deep wound was left!

“GRAAWR!”

Fury Points +999

The beast was instantly infuriated and Xiang Ning earned the maximum amount of Fury Points. Its attacks were now faster and stronger, so much so that Xiang Ning didn’t even have the time to use Dancing Peacock. It was like they said—a wounded beast would be much more ferocious. And this one was an alpha, too!

Xiang Ning was hit and flew five meters into the air as he felt a dull pain in his chest. The attack was too strong!

Before he even landed, the beast had appeared behind him. Combat Instinct was warning him of the danger, but he disregarded it since it wasn’t fatal. He had achieved his objective to taunt the beast and subject it to pure rage. All he needed to do now was accept as many blows as possible and avoid the fatal ones.

As such, he started taking hits left and right, but he hit back a few times too. After all, he didn’t want the beast to shift its attention to his team.

Experience Points +12,153

Experience Points +13,358

Experience Points +14,535

After three minutes or so, the beast had more or less displayed most of its attack patterns. Qi Longxiang hollered, “Xiang Ning, this should be enough. We’ve recorded most of its attack patterns, let Zhou Yuanyuan and Li Qimu step in now. We need to record how it reacts after subjecting it to a hopeless situation.”

“Understood!” Xiang Ning shouted. While he was still being beaten left and right, he was extremely happy at the number of Experience Points he was gaining.

Tier five, four-star martial artist (198,501/600,000)

“Searing Fist!” Zhou Yuanyuan’s attack was incredibly fast and hit hard. The beast was still focused on Xiang Ning, so it didn’t manage to dodge her attack. Her fist landed on the beast’s waist and it crumpled to the ground. It tried standing back up, but its legs were wobbly.

Then, before it could even react, Li Qimu had appeared behind it and stabbed one of its eyes.

“GRAAAAAWR!” It lashed out with its paws and hit Li Qimu squarely in the chest. Li Qimu flew back, but was caught by Zhou Yuanyuan. He had also equipped his armor, so he was unharmed.

“Gruuuwuuu…” A soft but menacing growl was heard as the beast’s fur stood up on its body. Its body grew larger as its veins bulged.

“Careful! Alpha beasts usually have some kind of tactic to either run away or fight to their last breath! Looks like this one is willing to die as long as it takes us down with it!”

I pity the beast for becoming his training partner. Imagine chasing and fighting a chicken only to realize that it was stronger than you.