Clank!!
Dai Yaun looked at the uncountable bodies of giant centipedes squirming in a circle around him. He took a deep breath, then dropped his iron rod onto the ground. The sound of metal hitting the sharp blades of a Silverblade Centipede echoed through the forest.
Even though his increased cultivation made the heavy rod feel lighter in his hands, he abandoned it. The weapon had proven to be a hindrance in this kind of fight. The height difference between him and the low-to-the-ground centipedes made it difficult to attack multiple opponents quickly. With his fists, he could launch fast strikes in any direction.
Having made his decision, Dai Yaun clenched his hands into fists. He shifted into a wide horse stance, hips open for balance, then turned sideways while pulling his right arm back. For a brief moment, he exuded a heroic aura — which was instantly shattered by the loud chorus of clicking and hissing from the centipedes. He faltered and broke out of the stance.
"Oh!"
Just as he was about to get back into position, Dai Yaun suddenly remembered the footwork art the old man at the market square had given him. It was only a low-tier martial art suitable for the Mortal Realm, relying mostly on physical prowess rather than internal energy.
The technique had two main movements. The first was Meteorite Shooting Star Stomp — catapulting the body upward and then crashing down with both feet like a falling meteor, using the full weight and momentum to cause heavy impact damage. The second was Meteorite Bullfrog Bomb-This form required the practitioner to drop out of the sky into a sudden, deep sitting position, utilizing the entire kinetic weight, mass, and skeletal density of their body to crush anything beneath them like a falling boulder. The manual explicitly specified a singular rule for this style: The stronger one's physical body, the greater the damage these moves could produce.
As three giant centipedes lunged simultaneously with their daggers-like legs raised, Dai Yuan didn't dodge. Dai Yaun adjusted his stance. The moment the centipedes lunged at him from all directions, he sprang into action.
Boom!
He came down directly on top of the largest centipede's flat body, executing the Meteor Star-Stomp. The impact was catastrophic. The sheer mass of his landing shattered the silver chitin like brittle glass, driving the creature's broken segments deep into the mud while sending a concussive ripple through the surrounding soil that knocked two adjacent monsters off their feet.
Without pausing, Dai Yuan leaped again, twisting his mid-air trajectory to align himself over a cluster of four overlapping centipedes. He pulled his knees to his chest and dropped like a lead weight, executing the Meteor Bullfrog Bomb.
CRASH!!
The entirety of his heavy frame slammed into the cluster, creating a deep, muddy crater the size of a wagon wheel. The intense physical force completely pulverized the internal organs of the trapped beasts, spraying thick, pale fluids and shattered silver plates across the clearing.
He leaped high into the air using the Meteorite Shooting Star Stomp. His massive body shot upward like a cannonball before crashing down with tremendous force again. Boom! The impact smashed two centipedes flat, creating a small crater and sending dirt and broken segments flying. Without pausing, he immediately followed up with another Meteorite Bullfrog Bomb, dropping heavily into a sitting position. The ground shook violently as several more centipedes were crushed beneath him.
The fight turned into a frenzied killing spree.
Dai Yaun moved constantly, jumping and crashing down repeatedly. Every landing created new gullies and pits in the forest floor. Centipede bodies burst open, sending greenish blood and pieces flying in all directions. The swarm attacked relentlessly, crawling over each other to reach him, but he kept smashing them down with raw physical power.
The intense pressure of the battle stimulated his body. The remaining vital energy from the previous refining was rapidly digested. Midway through the fight, a powerful surge ran through his bones. He broke through to the Advanced Silver Bone stage in the middle of combat.
With his newfound strength, Dai Yaun felt even more energized. He also began comprehending another martial art Mr. Li had taught him at the martial arts arena — Furious Wave Punches. This technique focused entirely on rapid, super-fast punches without concern for defense. It emphasized speed and overwhelming offensive momentum.
Dai Yaun started combining the footwork with the punches. He would leap high with Meteorite Shooting Star Stomp, then rain down a barrage of Furious Wave Punches while descending.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His fists moved like a storm, smashing into any centipede that came within range. When he landed, he used Meteorite Bullfrog Bomb to clear the area around him.
Dai Yuan's fists transformed into a blurry, indistinct shadow as he unleashed the Furious Wave Punches. His arms moved so fast they created sharp whistling sounds that cut through the damp air. Every punch carried the dense weight of his evolving skeletal structure.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A centipede lunged at his chest, only to be met by a barrage of six consecutive punches delivered in the span of a single heartbeat. The first punch cracked the head plate; the second tore through the compound eyes; the third and fourth shattered the front mandibles; and the final two drove the collapsed skull deep into the torso. He didn't stop to admire his work, immediately pivoting to hammer his fists into the flank of another attacker, his strikes hitting with the rhythmic, mechanical precision of a iron-stamping machine.
The combination of the heavy Meteor Bullfrog Bomb landings and the hyper-speed Furious Wave Punches turned the area beneath the giant canopy into an absolute warzone. Gullies and deep pits appeared wherever his feet touched down, throwing clouds of dark earth and severed monster limbs into the air.
The ground became increasingly torn apart. Pits and craters formed wherever he landed. Broken centipede bodies piled up. Greenish blood sprayed chaotically through the air. The once peaceful area under the giant tree had turned into a battlefield littered with death.
Even as more Silverblade Centipedes continued crawling out from underground, Dai Yaun's attacks grew sharper and faster. His movements became more fluid as he refined the two techniques through real combat. He jumped, punched, landed, and repeated the cycle without stopping.
The centipedes' numbers were overwhelming, but their individual strength was no longer enough to threaten him seriously. He used their large quantity and lower power to practice relentlessly. Every leap and every punch helped him better understand how to maximize his physical might.
After a long and brutal exchange, Dai Yaun finally drove the remaining centipedes away. The survivors retreated back underground, leaving behind a massacre of broken bodies across the torn-up ground.
Dai Yaun stood in the middle of the destruction, breathing heavily. His body was covered in green centipede blood, but his eyes burned with satisfaction. He had not only survived the swarm but had grown stronger through the fight.
"damn... is this why it is called a forbideen forest?" dai yaun grumbled as he looked around at the devastated area and let out a long breath.
This forbidden forest was truly dangerous