I'll write a manual called the Sunflower Manual, and the entire martial arts world will turn in

The little girl tied to the crooked tree was only six years old. She was originally a villager from Yingyuan Village and had bright, large eyes. At that moment, she saw a two-meter-tall water monster climb ashore and walk towards her step by step…

The little girl was terrified, struggling to move her limbs but unable to break free. She tried to shout for help, but no sound came out. She could only stare in horror at the approaching water monster.

The girl smelled a pungent, fishy stench, along with a heart-stopping fear, and before she knew it, her crotch was wet.

sizzle.

The water monkey walked up to the girl and stuck out its long tongue to lick her face, leaving her face covered in sticky, foul-smelling saliva.

The little girl stammered as she called out to her father and mother.

There was no response.

"Hehehe~"

The water monkey grinned, took a deep sniff of the boy's meaty aroma, and then revealed an extremely joyful smile.

The next moment, the water monkey opened its blood-red maw, its mouth splitting open all the way to the base of its neck, about to bite down on the girl's head and suck out her brains.

Just then—

call out!

A swift, cold light streaked towards the water monkey, closing in rapidly and disappearing behind it in the blink of an eye. The water monkey immediately sensed the danger and whirled around, clapping its hand frantically.

bump!

Two terrifying forces collided violently, the ground exploded, and the water monkey stumbled back two steps.

Before it could even get its footing, a dark figure rushed over and brought down a mountain-splitting palm strike.

Xie An unleashed both palms simultaneously, the "Mountain-Splitting Palm" of Bajiquan descending with the force of thunder. He used seventy percent of his strength in this strike, enhanced with Ming Jin (manifested internal energy), enough to shatter monuments and split rocks. The water monkey had no time to dodge and crossed its arms to block.

"boom!"

Their palms and arms struck each other, producing a dull, loud bang.

The water monkey's feet sank deep into the mud, and the surrounding grass was pressed into a round pit by the strong wind.

The water monkey bared its teeth, letting out a low roar, its arm muscles bulging, and actually withstood the blow.

Xie An felt a chill run down his spine.

The water monkey was much stronger than he had expected.

He had already achieved minor mastery of the Ming Jin technique, and this palm strike possessed at least a thousand jin of force, yet the opponent was able to withstand it head-on without retreating.

Before Xie An could change his move, the water monkey swung his right arm sharply, bringing a foul gust of wind as it struck Xie An's ribs. Xie An sidestepped and lowered his elbow, using the "Tiger Crouching Stance" to block. His elbow collided with the opponent's arm, producing a crisp "crack" sound—not a bone breaking, but the sound of air being squeezed and bursting.

"What incredible strength!"

Xie An was so shocked that his arms went numb and he staggered back three steps, each step leaving a deep footprint in the mud.

The water monkey, seizing the advantage, pressed its attack relentlessly, its claws like hooks, reaching for his face and chest from both ends. The claw strikes were fierce and carried a pungent, fishy stench.

Xie An advanced instead of retreating, meeting the "Supporting Hammer" strike of Bajiquan head-on. His right fist, like an arrow shot from a bow, collided with the monkey's claw. In an instant, a cloud of dust rose.

The water monkey's claws were covered with thick scales, as hard as iron. When Xie An punched it, it felt like hitting oil-soaked cowhide, slippery and hard, and his strength was reduced by forty or fifty percent.

"This thing is not only thick-skinned and tough, but also slippery!"

Xie An frowned, changed his fist into a palm, his five fingers like hooks, and tried to grab the other's wrist. But the water monkey's skin was covered with a layer of sticky mucus, and when he pressed his palm down, it slid away along the texture of the scales, and he couldn't get any leverage.

If this water monkey's skin weren't so smooth, it would have been injured by this attack. But this creature's body is unusual, making it extremely difficult to deal with.

"Bang bang bang!"

The two exchanged blows, sending sand and stones flying. Xie An's Bajiquan was incomparably fierce, each punch carrying the penetrating power of Ming Jin, striking the water monkey with a dull thud like a drumbeat. Although the water monkey possessed immense strength, it lacked agility and was forced to retreat repeatedly by Xie An. However, its recovery ability was astonishing; its body was as slippery as an eel, and the marks from Xie An's punches faded away in just a few breaths.

"This can't go on."

Xie An's mind raced, and his right hand slammed onto the hilt of his sword at his waist.

"Zheng—"

The Tang sword was drawn, its cold light flashing.

The first move of the Crimson Sun Saber Technique, "Subduing Tiger Stance," was unleashed with a fierce slash, the blade carrying a blazing wind, aimed directly at the water monkey's neck.

The water monkey sensed danger, clasped its paws together, and forcefully clamped the blade between its fingers. The blade sliced ​​into the scales of its palm, splattering a few drops of black blood, but it could only cut in half an inch before it could not be pushed any further.

Xie An twisted his wrist, causing the blade to spin and forcibly pull it from the monkey's grasp. He then changed his move to a "sinking pressure" stance, lowering the blade and slashing horizontally at the water monkey's waist and abdomen.

The slash was swift and sudden; the water monkey had no time to dodge and was grazed across its ribs, leaving a wound about a foot long. Black blood gushed out, but soon, the muscles around the wound began to twitch, healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Such a fast recovery speed!"

Xie An gasped.

This water monkey not only has slippery skin to absorb force, but also an abnormal self-healing ability; ordinary knife wounds are no match for it. No wonder Zhou Fu suffered a great loss at its hands.

……

In the distance, Zhou Fu, Zhou Wu, Liu Shengnan, Liu Wei, Zhong Wu, and several others lay behind a haystack, watching in stunned silence.

"Fifth Master's skills... are they really only at the Lesser Completion of the Ming Jin realm?" Zhou Wu asked in a low voice, incredulous.

Zhou Fu squinted. "His internal strength is much more profound than that of an ordinary junior master; he's almost reached the threshold of senior mastery. And look at his swordsmanship—every move flows seamlessly together, clearly showing he's put in a lot of hard work. It's no wonder Chen Lutang took on a disciple on behalf of his master."

"But that water monkey is too troublesome. Although Fifth Master has the upper hand, he can't kill it or even hurt it. The water monster has divine power, and if this continues, it may be detrimental to Fifth Master," Zhou Wu said anxiously.

Zhou Fu nodded: "The water monkey has smooth, thick skin and recovers quickly. It's difficult for a martial artist of the same level to kill it. It's already remarkable that Fifth Master was able to suppress it. If Fifth Master didn't have a backup plan, today's efforts would have been in vain. Let's not just watch; we should pay attention to the movements on the water around us and find the trace of that man in black."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

……

Under the crooked tree.

Xie An and the water monkey exchanged dozens more blows. They fought and ran, gradually moving away from the crooked-necked tree.

The water monkey sustained more than a dozen knife wounds, none of which were fatal and healed quickly. It gradually began to consider retreating and tried to escape into the river several times, but Xie An stopped it each time with a swing of his sword.

"You lowly human, you can't hurt me!" The water monkey suddenly opened its mouth, emitting a hoarse, grating voice, like the scraping of rusty iron, "Why bother with this endless entanglement!"

Xie An's pupils contracted.

This thing is indeed sentient; it can speak human language.

"You've finally made it ashore, don't be in such a hurry to leave." Xie An's voice suddenly became very soft, but it carried an undeniable pressure.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers loosely clenched.

An invisible aura rose from his body, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze. The water monkey instinctively felt fear, its scales stood on end, and it hissed.

"There's no one here, so I'll use you as a test."

Xie An slowly opened his right hand, a faint golden luster swirling in his palm. The luster grew brighter and brighter, as if a small sun was burning in his palm. The air began to distort, and a scorching heat spread out, even the withered grass on the ground began to steam.

"Dragon's Breath"