Chapter Thirty: Continuing the Breakthrough

It had been a long time since Ma Yi left home—perhaps seven or eight days, maybe a month. Calm and focused, he resembled a Buddha suppressing the restless demons within. Though he still suffered bouts of confusion and amnesia, he was much improved compared to when he first set out.

On his journey, Ma Yi deliberately chose desolate paths, avoiding both humans and zombies. He encountered mighty evolved beasts—a vast eagle with wings nearly thirty meters wide, leaving nothing alive in its wake, every creature devoured. A three-meter giant toad gobbled up zombies one after another, but only needed four or five to sate its hunger.

In his quest to study a thirty-meter serpent, one of Ma Yi’s little followers was caught and eaten by the snake, a loss that pained him for quite some time. He wanted to capture and assimilate the serpent, but its fist-sized scales were impossibly tough, and he could not break through them. Forced to abandon his attempt, he nevertheless marked the serpent in his memory, vowing to capture it once he mastered himself.

During this period, Ma Yi had seen many evolved beasts. His current climb up the mountain was to hunt a large creature he had been tracking in secret for some time.

A foul stench drifted on the wind; on a distant slope lay scattered piles of dung, mixed with undigested bones—some resembling human, some animal, some fish.

Ma Yi, crouching low and moving stealthily, watched a golden beast resting atop the hill. It measured six or seven meters long, its height indiscernible while lying down, and two smaller companions lounged nearby. This was the only animal Ma Yi had no desire to assimilate; he wanted only to subdue it.

Treading lightly, he crept closer and closer to the evolved beast.

Crunch. Ma Yi’s face darkened as he glanced down—he’d crushed a bone, uncertain whether it belonged to a zombie or a human. Slowly raising his head, he met the gaze of three beasts—one male, two females—all staring at him with eyes as large as his own head. Ma Yi smiled at them, revealing eight spotless teeth.

A roar erupted.

With a thunderous smack, Ma Yi was slammed into the ground by a giant paw, pinned beneath its weight.

Spitting dirt and gravel from his mouth, Ma Yi struggled against the paw, trying to rise. The female beast, surprised to find her prey resisting, opened her cavernous maw and lunged at him, a fetid wind rushing forth.

Seeing the massive fangs so close, Ma Yi dodged and leapt up, breaking free from the paw, and punched the dark, shiny nose. The female beast howled in pain, sweeping at him with her other paw, sending Ma Yi flying fifty meters, crashing through two massive trees and gouging a furrow in the earth before coming to a halt.

Mouth open, ears ringing, Ma Yi wasn’t badly hurt, but the blow had struck his upper body, making his eardrums tingle. Standing, he flexed his limbs, stomped the ground, and shot forward again.

Seeing their companion howling in pain after Ma Yi’s blow, the other female rushed over. The two treated Ma Yi like a toy—one would swat him away, the other catch him, slam him to the ground, sweep him with her tail, then toss him back for another round. Ma Yi bounced between them like a rubber ball, endlessly ricocheting.

Despite their size, the beasts were feline, swift and responsive. Ma Yi’s clever maneuvers frustrated them, igniting their rage, but they could do nothing to him.

Biting proved fruitless; the food was unusually tough. The female beasts had never seen such a tenacious creature, tiny as a bean, yet causing them more pain than the male. Ma Yi targeted their noses and eyes—weak spots—making them cry with pain.

Careful not to cause serious harm, Ma Yi incrementally increased his strength, testing their endurance before adding more, always striking their fragile noses to hurt them without inflicting grave injury.

The injured females retreated, growling, to the male’s side, seeking comfort. From start to finish, the male had observed without intervening, but now, seeing his mates pleading, he fixed Ma Yi with a fierce glare.

As the male stood, the ground trembled. A deep, regal snarl rumbled from his throat, and the black kingly markings on his head added to his majesty. Golden fur on either side of his face formed a beard, enhancing his imposing presence.

“Submit to me!” Ma Yi exclaimed excitedly, stretching out his hands like a child awaiting an elder’s embrace. Before he could finish, a thick tail whipped him away.

Truly the king of beasts—superior even to lions—this tail strike was more powerful than the females’. Even a J3 might be seriously injured by such a blow. Ma Yi crashed through countless trees, and when he finally stood, realized that without the forest’s resistance, he would have been thrown much farther.

“I will have you,” Ma Yi shouted, undeterred, rushing back with renewed excitement.

The tiger grew irritated as Ma Yi returned, unsheathing sharp claws from its padded paws and swiping at him.

“Naughty, aren’t you?” Ma Yi dodged deftly, grabbing the thick paw with one hand, his feet plowing deep furrows in the ground. Calmly, he drove his right fist into the gap between the pads.

The tiger winced—this small creature was surprisingly tough. The pain unleashed its ferocity; unlike lions, who might cower when injured, tigers only grew fiercer. Its huge mouth and teeth gaped before Ma Yi.

Though an animal, the tiger’s hunting techniques had inspired humans to create “Tiger Fist.” Now Ma Yi faced its full arsenal—pounce, grapple, swipe, bite. The tiger unleashed its strength and every skill it possessed.

Ma Yi darted between the massive paws, weaving left and right, jumping and ducking—like an annoying flea the tiger couldn’t catch. Frustration mounted.

Gathering strength, Ma Yi flipped backward, kicking the tiger’s chin hard. The beast yelped, retreating several meters. For a creature weighing at least ten tons, such a recoil revealed the devastating power of Ma Yi’s kick.

Ma Yi quickly advanced, leaping onto the tiger’s head. Even standing there, he seemed minuscule. He punched the socket beneath the eye, careful not to blind the animal—what use would a ruined beast be?

The tiger roared again. Eye sockets were vulnerable and acutely painful, and Ma Yi’s blow drew blood beneath the golden fur.

The tiger raised its forelimbs to dislodge Ma Yi, but his agility thwarted every attempt. Frustrated, the tiger resorted to rolling on the ground, trying to shake him off, crushing rocks and trees in its wake.

“So clever!” Ma Yi was delighted—a foolish tiger would be a mere mount, but an intelligent one could do so much more. Especially given its formidable power; as Ma Yi grew stronger, so would the tiger, becoming a trusted ally like Iron Pillar. This only strengthened his resolve to capture it.

Covered in dust, Ma Yi didn’t care. He rolled away from the tiger’s crushing bulk, narrowly avoiding being pinned.

“You can’t beat me now, and I don’t want to hurt you. Why not admit defeat and bow to me?” Ma Yi believed the evolved beast could understand him—its intelligence had risen dramatically since evolution. Whether it could truly be persuaded, Ma Yi wasn’t worried; if it refused, he could kill it, endure the pain of eating two bowls of rice, and seek another evolved beast. But such a magnificent creature was hard to find.

A deep, angry snarl signaled the tiger’s utter disregard for Ma Yi’s words. Now fully enraged, it lunged with unsheathed claws and a mouth reeking of blood, its ferocity greater than ever.

“Hmph, you refuse to yield. I wanted to keep you whole, but if you won’t submit, I’ll cripple you halfway.” Ma Yi had barely finished speaking when, dodging claws and fangs, the thick tail swept him away again.

With a thump, Ma Yi was sent flying. This time, the tiger gave him no chance to react, chasing after him and digging its claws into the ground as he landed, spraying stones everywhere. Red welts appeared on Ma Yi’s body—the claws barely broke his skin, and thin blood seeped out.

Ma Yi hissed, drawing a sharp breath. Since the apocalypse, he hadn’t been wounded or bled—ever since he tamed Blossom, he’d suffered no injuries. Yet the tiger’s claws, in a flurry, had breached his defenses, their strength astonishing.

“I’m going to beat—” Ma Yi began to say he’d keep fighting until the tiger surrendered, but before he finished, a massive paw slammed him into the rocky mountainside, sinking him up to the waist. The tiger grimaced in pain—Ma Yi was so tough, its paw ached, like striking a nail only to find a stone beneath.

“You make me angry.” Ma Yi, repeatedly interrupted, grew annoyed. His eyes reddened, torn clothes burst apart, and he began to grow, his skin turning golden. Red and black stripes emerged on his body like totems, swirling around him.