Long Shen found himself facing an astonishing sight, discovering for the first time the wonders of nature. What seemed like a peaceful stroll in the beautiful forest quickly turned into a nightmare when a creature, resembling a wolf, emerged in front of him. What seemed like an innocuous adventure, a simple walk in this magnificent forest, turned into a full-blown disaster. Indeed, this small man, mastering the ninth layer of Qi refinement, found himself fleeing, pursued by a powerful spiritual beast, on the verge of the Foundation level. He didn't even have time to appreciate the beauty of the forest, for his luck—"optimized" by the system—had already led him into one of the most dangerous situations.
A bitter irony gripped him as he ran: "This can't be happening! Why, after all my efforts to rid myself of this bad luck, does it always appear to try and finish me off?! Ah!"
He cursed himself internally, but his quick thinking helped him regain control rapidly. He had to react, and fast. There was no way he was going to be easily defeated.
"System!" he called out.
< Yes > replied a mechanical voice, strangely calm.
"What are the weaknesses of this damn wolf?!"
< Ah, you really are in deep trouble, my dear host, > the system responded, seemingly mocking his predicament.
< Well, let's see... This Scarlet Wolf is at the first level of Foundations. If you want this information, you'll need to exhaust all your balance essence reserves. >
Long Shen felt his heart stop for a moment. He could not afford to retreat. His last drops of essence, though precious, would be necessary.
"As much !" he exclaimed in a sort of desperate last-ditch effort.
< I'm not the one setting the cost, little Long. You'll learn that depleting 100% of your essence all at once isn't a wise move. Balance is crucial, just as wisdom in using your resources, > the system added, in a paternalistic tone.
"Well, whatever. Are the details coming, or not?!"
Immediately, a flood of information poured into his mind. The Scarlet Wolf's morphology, its needs, its strengths… but most importantly, its weaknesses. He eagerly scanned the list:
[Weaknesses: poison, endurance, head, abdomen.]
A mental map quickly formed before his eyes. He already knew certain areas of the forest well: some to avoid, others safer. One area nearby was home to plants with highly toxic properties. He had experienced this just days earlier while attempting to harvest one—an error that could have been fatal without the help of his purification abilities. He didn't have many plants left, but the ones he had would still be enough to inflict considerable pain. He decided to lure the beast into this dangerous area, to direct the battle where he had the advantage.
Without wasting a second, he changed direction sharply. The wolf, furious, immediately followed, struggling to close the gap. If Long Shen had hoped for a moment of respite, he was sorely mistaken. The Scarlet Wolf, though huge and monstrous in its strength, wasn't without weaknesses: its main one was its endurance. Long Shen knew that the key to victory lay in exploiting this flaw.
Thus, for nearly ten long minutes, Long Shen performed maneuvers to exhaust the creature. The effort of maintaining the intense pace finally wore the wolf down. Its breathing grew ragged, and its paws became heavier with each stride. It stumbled, swayed, but its pride wouldn't allow it to falter. However, fatigue was beginning to take over, and the wolf was inevitably drawing closer to the spot Long Shen had set up for his final assault.
Finally, Long Shen turned at a sharp angle and made one last push to reach the toxic zone. There, he suddenly stopped and turned to face his enemy. The wolf, despite its evident exhaustion, bared its fangs and charged forward, determined to tear him apart. But a cold calm spread over Long Shen's face. He knew the environment now favored his own power, and his confidence in his chances of success soared. He just needed to execute his plan.
The area they were in greatly weakened the combatants. All physical and spiritual parameters were reduced by 30%. For the Scarlet Wolf, this reduction reached 60%, and in addition, its extreme fatigue made it more vulnerable, reducing its abilities to 20%. Long Shen, though also affected by these debuffs, had a slight advantage due to his tactical intelligence.
Without hesitation, he leaped gracefully several meters into the air before landing with monstrous force, striking the wolf's head with a devastating kick. The creature groaned under the impact, but before it could react, Long Shen followed up with a series of violent punches, relentlessly pounding the wolf's body. What followed was a massacre. The wolf, powerless to defend itself, was overwhelmed by a rain of blows. An unparalleled brutality. The beast's once-threatening fangs were now reduced to silence.
After several violent strikes, the wolf collapsed, its body barely able to hold itself up. What seemed to be an almost equal situation had, in fact, turned into a clear advantage for Long Shen. He slowly approached what he believed to be the wolf's corpse. But, in a final surge of rage, the wolf launched a terrifying attack. A blade of spiritual energy shot from its mouth, slicing the air with lethal precision, typical of cultivators at the Foundation level.
Long Shen, in a split second, realized he was about to die, his body frozen in terror. But… that's when an improbable miracle occurred. Just as he prepared to meet his doom, he literally tripped over a tree root, as if the forest itself had decided to give him a helping hand. He was flung backward, and the spiritual blade, with lethal precision, whistled just above his head, slicing the air with a piercing sound.
The wolf, expecting to see its enemy shattered by its attack, could hardly believe its eyes. He succumbed shortly after to his injuries with his last thought of immense shock. The blade exploded against a large rock behind them, sending shards flying in every direction. But even more, Long Shen crashed into the grass with a dull thud, like a sack of potatoes falling into the mud, narrowly avoiding death. He lay there, wide-eyed, breathless, wondering if he had really just survived that attack.
"For once, my luck actually saved my life," he said, his voice full of surprise.
< Wow! Little Long, you really impressed mec ! >
the system exclaimed, bringing Long Shen back to the reality of his victory.
< You managed to defeat that wolf. I believe you deserve a reward. >
The system continued, displaying the results of this hard-fought battle:
< The Scarlet Wolf's body, at the first level of Foundations, has been decomposed and transformed into balance essence. This has restored 40% of your reserves. >
< The quality of the essence is high due to the spiritual energy present in the beast's body. You have obtained your first classification: 1-C. >
Long Shen took a moment to process the information. A sense of surprise filled him: the quality of the essence obtained was far higher than he had expected. He smiled, his mind filling with new goals to pursue.