In a perfect world, you start by relying on your own strength.

Xiao Bai moved lightly to Shi Geng's side, her ears perked up slightly, her eyes fixed on the deep forest ahead, her whole body tense up involuntarily, full of vigilance.

Shi Geng gently stroked its head, then looked up into the depths of the dense forest, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Suddenly, an unexpected event occurred; the ground beneath our feet trembled violently, and a rumbling sound echoed across the surface.

The distant mountains and forests were struck by a brutal and violent force, sending rocks and broken trees flying everywhere, and billowing dust that obscured a large part of the view.

A massive black shadow burst forth from the smoke and dust, revealing itself to be a gigantic ferocious beast. Standing tens of meters tall, its body resembled a black bear, but it possessed a pair of thick, sharp horns on its head. Runes shone brightly on its thick, dark fur, with flowing light constantly moving across them. Its powerful and ferocious aura swept over everything, bending and flattening the surrounding vegetation under its oppressive force.

"You've come at the perfect time. I haven't eaten anything this morning, so I'll take your bear paw to satisfy my hunger today."

Shi Geng stretched and yawned, his bones cracking with a series of crisp popping sounds.

He raised his hand and gently patted Little White's back, signaling it to step aside. Little White understood immediately and without hesitation, its hooves flew as it quickly retreated, hiding behind a boulder, only peeking out half its head, its round eyes watching the battle unfold before it.

The bear-like beast ahead sensed the provocation and slammed its powerful limbs into the ground, causing the soil to churn. The runes on its two horns shone brightly.

The powerful roar of the beast shook the leaves in the forest to their core, causing them to fall in a rustling sound. The black bear's eyes turned blood red, and the runes around its body shone brightly as it charged forward with its massive, mountain-like body.

The beast's hard claws slammed into the ground, carving out several deep furrows. A violent gust of wind rushed towards them, and the surrounding air currents were distorted and turbulent by this brute force.

Shi Geng stood calmly in place, letting the howling wind brush against his face. When the ferocious beast approached, he stomped his feet firmly on the ground, his limbs surging with immense power.

He neither dodged nor evaded, nor did he use any runic or secret power. Relying solely on his powerful physical body, he raised his hand and directly met the giant palm that the ferocious beast was swinging.

The fists collided with the thick beast's paws with a deafening roar, and the shockwaves surged and spread in all directions, causing layers of soil on the ground to explode.

The ferocious beast roared in pain, its massive body forced back by the blow, its thick limbs scraping against the ground with a grating sound. Its eyes gleamed with even greater ferocity, runes swirling rapidly on its two horns, and it unleashed a powerful gust of wind carrying a menacing aura as it pounced on Shi Geng once more, its sharp claws gleaming coldly, determined to tear the tiny creature before it to shreds.

Shi Geng's footwork was nimble and unpredictable, easily dodging the fierce attacks.

Little White remained motionless behind the boulder, its round eyes fixed on the battlefield, watching the fierce battle between the man and the beast with unwavering focus.

Seeing that its several attacks had failed to harm its opponent, the giant bear's ferocity was completely ignited. The runes around its body shone brightly, and its muscles bulged high beneath its dark fur. Its massive body charged forward again with immense power, its bear paws aimed directly at Shi Geng's heart, determined to pierce him through in one blow.

Shi Geng's feet firmly planted on the ground, his blood and qi surging within him, unleashing the full power of his physical body at the pinnacle of the Blood Transformation Realm.

He sidestepped the attack, then grabbed the beast's thick arm as it swung at him. His arm muscles tensed instantly, and he pulled back with all his might.

With a muffled boom, the massive beast, heavy as a mountain, was pulled off balance and its enormous body staggered forward.

Before the ferocious beast could regain its footing, Shi Geng stepped closer, his fist brimming with powerful energy, and slammed it heavily against the beast's body.

Each collision generated a violent shockwave, causing the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees to tremble violently and the ground to crack with fine lines.

The ferocious beast roared in pain. Although its thick fur could withstand ordinary attacks, its flesh continued to crack under the powerful impact of Shi Geng's body, and dark red blood flowed down its body.

Enraged, it raised its massive paw and slammed it down, the force of the blow causing the air to hum. Shi Geng, with his sharp eyes, easily dodged the attack, simultaneously spotting the flaw in the beast's aura.

Seizing an opening, he leaped up and slammed his elbow into the beast's neck.

With a heavy blow, the giant bear's massive body trembled violently, and it groaned as it crashed to the ground, its enormous body kicking up clouds of dust. After struggling several times, it was ultimately too weak to rise again, and its powerful aura quickly dissipated.

Upon seeing this, Little White, who was hiding behind the boulder, immediately spurred its hooves and rushed out from behind the rock. It looked down at the fallen beast and its eyes were full of admiration as it looked at Shi Geng.

Shi Geng shook his slightly numb hands, looked down at the giant beast beneath him, and smiled: "Today we're having bear paws."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bai's eyes lit up instantly, and his mouth opened slightly, with saliva about to drip down the corner of his mouth.

Shi Geng gently pushed away the head that was leaning in, shaking his head helplessly and chuckling, "Looking at you, aren't you unicorns supposed to eat herbs and spiritual fruits? Why is it that you've become so fond of meat?"

Xiao Bai drooped its ears, raised its eyes and glanced at Shi Geng with a resentful look, its eyes full of grievance, as if it were silently complaining that everything was caused by him.

Previously, it only ate mountain herbs and fresh fruits, and its diet was bland and simple. But ever since it tasted the meat roasted by Shigen, the rich and fragrant flavor has been etched into its heart.

In comparison, the food it used to eat was tasteless and almost unpalatable to it. From then on, it became completely addicted to the flavor of barbecue and could never give it up.

"Let's go wash up by the river first."

Shi Geng shook his head helplessly, stopped teasing Xiao Bai, and bent down to lift the fallen giant bear onto his shoulder. This ferocious beast was tens of meters tall and as heavy as a small mountain, but it seemed effortless to put it on his shoulder.

His massive, dark body was slung across his shoulders, resembling a moving mountain of flesh from afar. His steps were light and unhindered as he strode quickly toward the sound of flowing water in the distance.

Little White swished its hooves and tail, excitedly following behind him, glancing at the giant beast on its shoulder every now and then, its craving undiminished.

After a short walk, the clear river came into view, the water crashing against the rocks with a tinkling sound, and the vegetation on the banks was lush and green.

Shi Geng casually tossed the giant bear's massive body onto the riverbank, the dull thud causing the ground to sink slightly.

He removed his tattered animal skin clothes and stepped into the icy river. The clear water washed away the scabbed blood and dust on his skin, and most of the fatigue from days of fighting dissipated.

Once the river had washed away all the blood and dust from his body, Shi Geng slowly walked back to the riverbank. With a thought, the power of the runes within his body flowed and gathered, and a bright, clear moon phantom slowly emerged from his palm, its radiance carrying a sharp and piercing edge.