Ji An watched as the golden light pierced through the ape demon's cheek, exiting cleanly from the crown of its head.
He immediately activated the Stone Tortoise Shield, maneuvering it to intercept the incoming body of the ape. At the same time, a Water Curtain Talisman appeared in his hand, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.
"Bang!"
The ape's body was knocked askew, crashing heavily to the ground beside him, still twitching with reflexive spasms.
Ji An let out a long breath of relief. Good thing the perfected Golden Metal Finger lived up to its name; otherwise, I'd be in real trouble.
Normally, Qi Refinement–stage beasts had only a single innate spell. This ape could manifest wood-element spiritual light as a protective barrier, much like a cultivator's Golden Armor Spell. Ji An had assumed that was its sole gift.
He never imagined it had a second ability. When the vines erupted from the ground, his powerful divine sense had already detected the spell forming, and his mind immediately ordered his body to dodge.
But his body's reaction was half a beat too slow. He was bound before he could move.
My reflexes are too slow! He thought bitterly. If he had been mentally prepared, he could have evaded it.
Ji An shook his head. In his past life, he had been an ordinary man. In this life, he was still, at the core, ordinary. The Stone Tortoise he carried across worlds had given him a higher starting point and more possibilities, but imagining he could slaughter enemies unscathed without real tempering had been too naive.
The only thing he did right in this battle was managing, at the instant his body was immobilized, to release a spell that struck the ape's head squarely.
That single moment taught him much. On the path of cultivation, he still had many weaknesses to overcome.
...
Back at the moment the battle broke out:
When Chen Moxuan saw the ape readying its signature bear-hug grapple, and Ji An not dodging, he nearly exploded.
Dodge, you idiot! Are you a pig?!
He had explained the apes' fighting style during their planning session the night before. Grappling was their killer move against smaller opponents.
For Qi Refinement cultivators, splitting their divine sense to control two magic tools at once was already extremely difficult. At such close range, even if Ji An summoned his Mountain River Seal, he wouldn't repel the beast in time. Without dodging, there was no avoiding the ape's crushing embrace.
Unable to contain himself, Chen Moxuan leapt from hiding, shouting furiously:
"Stop!"
He was trying to draw the ape's attention, desperately hoping to save the rookie.
Damn it, if you survive this, go back to the sect and farm like you're supposed to!
At that same moment, Chu He also burst out, yelling:
"Run!"
Inside, his heart sank. Brother, no! You looked clever enough. Why are you freezing up in battle? Did the ape's roar scare the wits out of you?
Regret gnawed at him. I should have let him practice against weaker beasts first. Like this, he's more likely to get himself killed than to kill a monster.
But before their eyes, as the two dashed the short dozen yards toward Ji An, they saw the ape sprawled on the ground, twitching lifelessly.
Both men froze, stunned.
Chu He stepped forward, hefting his great hammer, and brought it crashing down on the ape's arm.
Boom! The heavy thud was followed by the sharp crack of bones shattering. The ape still didn't respond.
Grabbing its head, Chu He examined the wound on its cheek and sucked in a cold breath.
Since when is Golden Metal Finger this powerful?!
It had pierced through the beast's protective aura, bored through two layers of bone. Even many low-grade magical weapons would have been shattered by that strike.
By then, the other teammates had rushed over, all of them seeing the wounds on the ape's face and skull.
The same thought flashed across their minds: Since when is Golden Metal Finger this strong?
Chen Moxuan, still reeling from shock, finally spoke slowly:
"That was far too dangerous. Junior Brother, you should have dodged while counterattacking."
Ji An gave a helpless smile.
"I wanted to dodge, but I truly didn't expect this ape to have two innate spells."
At last, Ji An felt the cold sweat trickling down his back. He pointed at the vines still coiled around his legs.
They were as thick as a man's thumb and incredibly tough. A body cultivator might have been able to tear free, but there was no way he could have broken out in such a short time.
Only now did everyone notice his predicament, and they immediately understood why he hadn't dodged.
Tian Yulei felt a chill run down his spine. Normally, it was his job to lure beasts out. If he had been the one caught off guard today, his situation would have been dire.
He didn't have a flawless, all-encompassing defensive tool. If the ape had managed to grapple him, the outcome would have been shattered bones and ruptured organs.
"Senior Brother's spell was truly exquisite. I'm impressed," Tian Yulei said sincerely. He no longer dared to act superior; in a sense, Ji An had just taken the fall in his place.
Chen Moxuan used his sword to hack through the vines and spoke gently:
"Junior Brother, rest for a while. We'll handle the beast."
Before long, the ape's body was hacked apart, leaving nothing but a pile of mangled meat.
Free once more, Ji An lifted his trouser leg and saw the ugly bruises mottling his calf.
He forced himself to watch as the others skillfully peeled the beast's hide and extracted its heart's essence and blood. The scene was bloody and nauseating, but he endured. These were tasks he would eventually have to do himself.
Jiang Qiuyue took out a packet of medicinal powder and sprinkled it around, dispersing the stench of blood in the air.
"Let's change locations," Chen Moxuan said quietly, and the group quickly moved on.
"Junior Brother, what level has your Golden Metal Finger reached?" Jiang Qiuyue asked softly. She couldn't help but compare; she herself couldn't one-shot a Qi Refinement eighth-layer beast that carried a spiritual light shield.
The others unconsciously held their breath, ears pricked.
"Just before I came to Mount Moyan, I was lucky enough to bring it to perfection," Ji An answered.
"The perfected Golden Metal Finger is that strong? If Senior Brother Ji struck the Ape King directly, it should be able to wound it outright. Boss, doesn't that mean Senior Brother's idea of wiping out the ape troop might actually be possible?" Tian Yulei said excitedly.
Beast packs were troublesome precisely because, under a leader's command, cultivators were inevitably besieged, barely able to defend themselves, let alone counterattack.
But if the leader could be slain, the pack would fall into chaos. Until a new king emerged, they'd be nothing more than scattered sand.
Chen Moxuan turned back and grinned.
"That's what I was thinking too. Let's pull out for now and rework our plan."
The most effective way to deal with pack beasts? A decapitation strike, of course.
The Ape King would never wander alone. Only if they could break through its layers of protection and kill it in an instant would the plan succeed.
If not, they would face the entire troop's counterattack.
Before, lacking the power to deliver a decisive blow, it had been almost impossible.
But now, with Ji An wielding a perfected offensive spell, hope had appeared.
Chen Moxuan gave the recruit a longer look, wondering if Ji An possessed some special constitution.
Without talent, even pushing a spell to the proficient level was a struggle, let alone to perfection.
Among all the Qi Refinement disciples he knew, only two had ever polished an attack spell to perfection, and the youngest of them was already over forty.
And here was a youth who had been in the sect just five years, barely twenty-three at most, already wielding a perfected Golden Metal Art. His future was boundless.
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