Chen Tian wandered aimlessly in the secret realm, unsure how long he had been walking without emerging from the forest. He began to doubt the sheer size of this mountain range. He had been walking for nearly two days and had not encountered a single person, let alone any living creatures. He wondered if this secret realm was devoid of life.
However, if there were no creatures, this secret realm would be too simple. Since it was a trial secret realm, it should have obstacles and bosses to test participants. Yet, Chen Tian saw none. He could only take one step at a time, unsure when he would exit this forest. It felt as if the forest was infinitely large, and he still hadn't found his way out after almost three days, with trees stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Help! Help!"
Chen Tian heard a cry for help. Finally, there was another person. He hoped they knew how to leave this place. The sound seemed to be coming from the north. Chen Tian quickened his pace, his Divine Steps carrying him ten meters with each stride as he slowly moved towards the source of the sound. On the other side of the forest, a girl with yellowish-brown skin, appearing to be only five or six years old, with curiously curved ears and skin that seemed to be made of earth, stood before five yellowish-brown wild boars. These boars were twice the size of normal ones, with sharp tusks and blood-red eyes that stared ferociously at the girl, as if she were food.
"Help, help, can anyone save me? Grandpa, Dad, I was wrong, I'll never run out to play again, boo hoo."
The girl had never seen such a situation and began to cry hysterically. The five wild boars charged at her, intending to crush her into a pulp. Their massive mouths opened, engulfing the girl's figure and lunging forward. Tu Xue'er closed her eyes, facing the imminent danger.
But after a long time, the feeling of death and pain did not come. What was happening?
Thump, thump, thump. Several consecutive sounds jolted Tu Xue'er back to reality. She opened her wide eyes and saw the scene before her: a young man stood in front of her, having dealt with the earth monsters.
It was Chen Tian. Tu Xue'er gazed at his handsome back, momentarily entranced. He was so handsome!
Chen Tian did not turn around to acknowledge Tu Xue'er. In his eyes, there was a hint of surprise. The reason was simple: Tu Xue'er was not human, her appearance clearly indicated that. There was only one possibility: she was a native creature of the secret realm. He could finally leave this forest.
Chen Tian had no idea how many days he had leisurely walked in this forest. Finding the token of the Earth God was proving to be difficult. Chen Tian looked at the wild boars before him with a solemn expression. He had killed them with a single blow, but then something bizarre happened: their bodies began to reassemble.
"Fall back."
Chen Tian extended his hand, signaling Tu Xue'er to retreat. Tu Xue'er nodded and said, "Be careful, these earth monsters can fuse to form a monster king."
Chen Tian saw this and thought, "Is it a bit late to tell me this now? If you had told me earlier, I would have destroyed them so completely that not even a speck would remain. Where would they reassemble from then?"
The bodies of several wild boars merged together, and instantly, a colossal creature appeared before them. It was a gigantic wild boar hundreds of meters tall, with long, curved tusks like crescent moons. Its sharp teeth were incredibly formidable, and its fur resembled tiny needles covering its body.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The boar roared, seeing the human before it as an enemy who dared to interrupt its meal, vowing to tear them apart and devour them. They were its food.
It charged forward, its colossal body barreling towards Chen Tian. Chen Tian extended his hand, grasping the boar's tusks. The earth-yellow tusks collided with his palm, and Chen Tian was forced to retreat continuously, his feet leaving tracks on the ground. What immense strength!
Chen Tian was slightly alarmed. This creature was incredibly strong. He had used his full physical strength and was still at a disadvantage. Chen Tian channeled his power into his palm, stabilizing his body. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He was indeed still too weak. He kicked out with his left leg, striking the boar's lower abdomen. A tremendous recoil force emanated from his foot. Chen Tian released his grip and leaped backward, performing a backflip.
"Such a powerful physique. Even with full force, I can't break through its defense. This is going to be difficult."
Chen Tian became serious. He was having trouble dealing with this giant boar.
Without hesitation, he turned and ran, pulling Tu Xue'er along. Their figures blurred into streaks of light as they fled the area.
How could the boar king let go of its chosen prey? It pursued them relentlessly. As Chen Tian fled, he was calculating various scenarios in his mind, simulating how to kill the beast. After tens of thousands of simulations, Chen Tian finally devised a plan with a fifty percent chance of success.
But that was better than nothing. The boar king was close behind, and Chen Tian couldn't shake it off. Chen Tian tossed Tu Xue'er aside and summoned a five-colored light sword into his hand. He plunged the sword into the ground, leaped up, clenched his fist, and punched towards the boar king's body. The boar king looked at Chen Tian descending from the sky with no expression in its eyes. Did this insignificant ant think it could instantly kill him?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Seeing the boar king standing still, Chen Tian knew he had been underestimated. Moreover, it hadn't even reacted. This filled Chen Tian with shame. He was determined to kill it. In all his battles, no one had ever shown him such indifference. This was a clear rejection of his prowess. He, Chen Tian, was a man who stood at the pinnacle of the world. To be looked down upon by a mere beast with rudimentary intelligence? How could he not be enraged?
If this got out, it would be as if he were less capable than a beast.
Indeed, the boar king clearly underestimated Chen Tian, showing no change in its expression. It stood still as if to say, "Come at me. I'll just stand here and see what you can do."
Chen Tian unleashed a terrifying surge of power, channeling all his strength into his left fist. He struck down, and a shockwave rippled through the entire forest. A concave mark appeared on the boar king's body, but it showed no sign of pain. The punch seemed to have no effect, as if hitting solid diamond.
His hand couldn't even scratch it. Chen Tian's lips curved slightly. A beam of light shot up from the ground, piercing the boar king's throat with a whistling sound. The boar king's eyes widened as it looked at Chen Tian. It had been careless and had been tricked.
"Hmph, you looked down on me, didn't you? If you hadn't been so dismissive of my attack and had been more cautious, this sword would have missed. Your arrogance increased my success rate by thirty percent."
Chen Tian spoke with disdain. The original success rate of this move was only fifty percent. The more powerful a creature, the more sensitive its instincts were when facing death. Chen Tian's surprise attack would have failed if the boar king had been more cautious.
It was only the boar king's carelessness and contempt that lowered its guard, greatly increasing Chen Tian's success rate. Chen Tian had initially prepared for another attack, but seeing that the boar king made no move after his punch, he abandoned the idea. The boar king was going to die, so there was no need for a second move.
The creature simply didn't believe Chen Tian could kill it. At this moment, Tu Xue'er ran up to Chen Tian, her face full of liveliness. "You're so amazing! Big brother, even better than my dad and grandpa."
Chen Tian rubbed the tip of his nose and then chatted with Tu Xue'er as they walked.
"What race are you? I've never seen a creature like you."
"Big brother, we are the Earthlings. We are beings formed from the fusion of earth elementals and human essence."
"A great war broke out in this land, and humans suffered countless casualties. The human essence from the deceased fused with earth elementals, giving birth to us. We call ourselves Earthlings."
"Earthlings master the earth element and possess human-like appearances. We naturally inherited the cultivation talents of the Earth Spirits, but the cultivation speed of Earth Spirits was too slow. Now that we have human cultivation talents, our race's cultivation speed is the same as that of your human race, big brother."
"Coupled with some human abilities, our reproductive capacity is no longer low. Our entire village is now prosperous and no longer desolate. In the village, Xue'er has many friends and sisters."
Tu Xue'er finished speaking and made a gesture with her hands. Chen Tian smiled. She was a cute little girl. Chen Tian asked her all the information he needed to know, then asked, "Where is this place, Xue'er? I feel like I can't get out of here."
"Uh! Big brother, Xue'er doesn't know where this place is either. It's Xue'er's first time out of the village. I just wanted to come out and play, but as soon as I left the village and wandered for a bit, I was chased by earth monsters and ran all the way here."
Tu Xue'er looked bewildered. She genuinely didn't know this place. After all, she had just left the village and wasn't very familiar with the outside world. If her grandfather and father knew she wasn't in the village, they would be frantic.
Tu Xue'er said anxiously, "Big brother, can you take Xue'er out? Back to the village. Otherwise, Dad and Grandpa will be worried to death."
Her big eyes and pitiful expression, with a tear rolling down her cheek, made Chen Tian unable to refuse. He couldn't reject her request. She was too pitiful, but he had no idea how to get out, which was troublesome.
"Alright, Xue'er, do you remember the way you came? Let's go and see."
"I know, big brother, I'll take you."
"Just call me Chen Tian."
Chen Tian and Tu Xue'er grew more familiar with each other as they talked. After five days, two figures emerged from a misty forest. Chen Tian sighed with relief, "We're out. That's great."
After five days of effort, Chen Tian and Tu Xue'er finally emerged. Of course, Chen Tian had discovered the peculiar nature of the forest and found a weak point to escape.
"Chen Tian, thank you. Why don't you stay at our village for a while? I'll ask my dad and grandpa to treat you well."
Chen Tian couldn't refuse. The same expression, the same eyes. She was too cute. Wait, I'm not a lolicon.
"Sinful, sinful. She's still a child. What am I thinking?"
Chen Tian calmed himself. No, she was still too cute, too irresistible. Chen Tian couldn't bear to disappoint her with just one glance. A five or six-year-old child. He could only nod in agreement.