After placing Max into his Spirit Land to rest and digest the flesh of the mad bear, Su Yang stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles.
> "I need a stronger opponent to sharpen my hand-to-hand combat. I can't let my martial foundation weaken," he muttered, stepping deeper into the Spirit Forest.
The trees thickened. The sounds of wild beasts echoed faintly. As Su Yang walked quietly, his instincts flared—and that's when he saw it.
His eyes widened.
In front of him stood a Crazy Monkey—a beast no taller than a ten-year-old child, yet brimming with feral energy. Its wild fur spiked, and its red eyes darted with madness.
> "Damn… Crazy Monkeys," Su Yang whispered. "And where there's one…"
He slowly took a step back, hoping to retreat.
> Snap.
A branch broke behind him.
Su Yang froze and turned.
He was surrounded.
Dozens of Crazy Monkeys crawled out from the trees, their snarls echoing like drumbeats of war. Twenty… maybe more. Their sharp claws clicked, and their crazed grins stretched wide.
> "Tch... I walked into a damn nest."
He clenched his fists, muscles tightening. The monkeys beat their chests, screeching, then launched forward in a wild assault.
"HAAAH!!" Su Yang roared, thrusting his fist out.
Mountain Splitting Punch!
A golden aura burst from his body as the ground trembled. The first wave of monkeys was blasted backward—some thrown into trees, others dropping lifeless from the shockwave.
But many more surged forward, eyes red with rage.
> "Too many. I can't win this head-on."
Su Yang ducked under a claw swipe, spun to kick one in the face, then leapt onto a branch. Without pausing, he jumped from tree to tree, but the monkeys pursued like rabid shadows.
They followed him—bounding, shrieking, climbing through the trees.
> They're fast… too fast.
Suddenly, the sound of rushing water reached his ears.
> "A waterfall!"
Su Yang darted toward the noise. Within moments, he burst out of the trees and skidded to a stop on a rocky cliff. Before him roared a massive waterfall, cascading into a misty abyss below.
He looked down. The depth was unfathomable. He couldn't see the bottom.
Behind him, the monkeys screeched closer.
> If I fight here, I'll be torn apart. If I jump…
He didn't finish the thought.
"Better injured than dead."
He turned back and saw the red eyes nearing.
> "Let's gamble."
With one breath, Su Yang gathered his world energy, forming a glowing barrier around himself.
Then he jumped.
The wind roared in his ears as he plummeted. Trees and cliffs flashed past. He clenched his body, trying to keep balance as his energy shield flickered under pressure.
Above, the monkeys screeched in frustration, their prey having slipped away.
Below… only mist.
> "Let's hope this doesn't kill me…"
---
Meanwhile…
On a cliff nearby, a masked woman in a black robe slowly descended the rocky slope. Her long black hair fluttered in the wind, and her fingers gripped the rope tightly.
She was careful—meticulous. Each step was deliberate. One wrong move could lead to a fatal fall.
A python, thick as her arm and twice as long, slithered near. Its cold eyes locked onto her.
She froze.
Her breath hitched.
The python hissed, fangs gleaming.
The woman's grip trembled. Her foot slipped on a wet stone.
She screamed.
And fell.
---