A kick to the groin sent the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan recoiling, its body arching backward like a massive green shrimp. It opened its huge maw and spat out a great torrent of red blood. Crack. The sound of bone breaking resonated from its frame. That single, solid kick to its abdomen had snapped the lowest of its ribs.

The searing sensation that had briefly burned across Gan Jing’s chest vanished the moment the force scraped past, replaced instantly by an unparalleled coolness! The impact-striking ability of the Wind and Cloud Golden Body was vastly superior to that of the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan.

The creature writhed in intense pain, its face twisted into a savage grimace. The agony fueled its savagery. A faint gleam flashed across the skin on its forehead—a patch that seemed remarkably deep-set yet possessed the sheen of metal. The veins in its three arms bulged violently.

“Giant Strength Art?”

A flicker of excitement danced in Gan Jing’s eyes. The world of the Magical Beasts was also split into two major categories: physical attack types, like the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan, which relied on sheer muscular prowess for hunting.

The other type consisted of beasts that unleashed mental power and magic, such as the Evil Eye.

Their physiologies differed, and so did their levels of mental power, but that did not imply any difference in the magical energy contained within their Magics Cores; they were almost identical.

It was just that the Evil Eye’s innate talent leaned towards utilizing mental power to draw forth the magic from its Core, whereas the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan’s talent was to draw forth magical power to strengthen its own body.

Giant Strength Art was the only spell the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan knew! It could activate this technique with only a minuscule amount of magical energy. Even a Human Grand Magus, possessing resources capable of fueling a hundred times the magical power of the Orangutan, would still be unable to cast this unique spell.

“It’s only green... not blue....” Gan Jing let out a soft sigh mixed with palpable excitement. “The Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan can only use the Level One Giant Strength Art, increasing its strength by a mere hundred catties. If it were blue-skinned, it could use the Level Two version—that adds three hundred catties of power! If only I could learn the Giant Strength Art...”

The Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan roared, its feet pounding the snow-covered ground into sprays, leaving deep imprints in the frozen earth. All three arms struck at Gan Jing simultaneously, loaded with its full force.

“Still not enough!”

Crunch! Gan Jing flicked his right hand up like an iron chain in a raging river, using his forearm to parry the leading punch aimed at his head. Simultaneously, he ground his heel into the ground, twisting his waist to drive all his momentum into his right arm. The resulting impact, amplified by his Dou Jin, smashed aside the incoming blow, shattering the finger bones of the striking fist with a crisp cracking sound.

Fingers connect to the heart! The agony of the broken hand bones instantly slowed the Orangutan’s other two strikes. Gan Jing reversed the twist of his heel, pivoting his body with the released energy. He slid smoothly to the side of the beast, like an eel slipping through mud. His right leg, which had landed first, bent and kicked off the ground, launching his body upward. His left palm braced against the Orangutan’s shoulder, and his legs hooked over its shoulders. His right fist, already drawn far back, slammed down heavily onto the back of its skull.

Thud! Crack-crack... Ten levels of Dou Jin mixed with brute force pulverized the occipital bone of the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan. Its colossal body could not withstand the sudden, immense blow. It pitched forward, collapsing onto the ground, its three arms scrambling for purchase to push itself up...

Having suffered countless losses in the Boundless World, Gan Jing showed no mercy in a fight to the death. He stepped forward and kicked the creature’s head again, driving his left foot into the ground to surge against the convulsing beast, snapping its spine with one decisive stomp!

Crack... crack-crack-crack...

The final note of death sounded. The moss-green coloration on the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan rapidly receded, vanishing without a trace in an instant. Its four limbs weakly pushed against the ground a few times, much like a person sprawled on slick ice, unable to gain any leverage.

The body twitched twice more, and the last reserves of strength in its limbs suddenly gave way. Its huge bulk went completely limp. Blood bubbled and jetted from the beast’s mouth, turning all the snow surrounding its head a deep crimson. Its eyes, grotesquely bulging from the heavy blow, held an expression of profound disbelief. Gradually, the bright pupils began to defocus, losing their last vestige of luster.

Shui Lian Ying’er stood rooted to the spot, gazing blankly at Gan Jing beside the downed beast. She even forgot the essential duty of an adventurer: to approach the fallen prey and personally verify that it was truly dead.

Was Shui Lian Ying’er dreaming? In the mere blink of an eye, Gan Jing had scattered the wolf pack and killed the magical beast, the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan, using only his fists—without even drawing his saber! Punch after punch!

“The Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan is nothing special,” Gan Jing shook his head, sounding slightly disappointed. “Who said a Level Ten Warrior facing a Magical Beast is left with nothing but the option to flee? Wasn’t this one killed by me using only my fists?”

Shui Lian Ying’er vigorously shook her head, a wry smile touching her lips as she looked at Gan Jing, thinking only to herself: Do you think every Level Ten Warrior is like you? I once saw a Level Ten Warrior

being chased for his life by a Magical Beast.

Gan Jing retrieved his saber and skillfully bisected the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan, extracting a still-bloody, infant-fist-sized green stone block.

The Magic Core! The most valuable part of the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan!

“A Magic Core... hehe... I never thought I’d get my hands on one.” Gan Jing grinned, gazing at the core in his hand. For a Magician, this item was not only useful in combat but also provided massive assistance when training mental power or magical force—much like how a Battle Stone aided a Warrior.

“I wonder how many grades of Battle Stone this could trade for?”

Gan Jing muttered to himself. For a Warrior, the Magic Core had only four uses: first, trading it for Battle Stones; second, selling it to enjoy life; third, keeping it to secure aid from a Magician if the need arose; and fourth, forging it into rare, highly effective, and powerful Magical Weapons.

“Magical Weapons...” Gan Jing drew a deep breath, a sigh escaping him. In this world, only Magic Forgers could craft Magical Weapons. This required not just forging skill but also high proficiency in magic arrays, carving, inlaying, and various other disciplines to successfully integrate the Magic Core into a weapon.

“Magic Forgers...” Gan Jing inhaled deeply, a surge of ambition rising in his chest. Once he learned the Forging arts to a higher level under Blake, he might have a chance to study the art of Magic Forging! The houses lining the roads in the villages of the Boundless World did indeed have workshops dedicated to carving, magic arrays, and inlaying, but he wondered if he possessed any talent in those fields.

Gan Jing cleaned the blood from the Magic Core with snow, then dragged the Orangutan’s corpse all the way to the cave entrance. He carefully positioned the body, turned, and scanned his surroundings, letting out a long, relieved breath. “Finally! I’ve established my presence! I can finally enter the Boundless World!”

Soft sunlight bathed every corner of the quiet village. A few wisps of smoke from morning cooking rose straight up into the blue sky in the still air.

Gan Jing stood on the quiet street of the Boundless World village, filled with a long-suppressed emotion. He recalled how, earlier, in his haste to enter this place, he had quickly swallowed a few bites of cooked meat, grabbed his hat, and hurried to bed, earning strange looks from the two women.

Gan Jing walked with practiced ease to the front of Blake’s blacksmith shop and cautiously placed one foot inside the courtyard.

“You’re here?”

From behind the door, Blake’s sleepy voice suddenly rang out. Gan Jing, whose emotions had remained utterly steady against the Green-Skinned Three-Armed Orangutan, was genuinely startled by Blake.

Facing Blake, Gan Jing always felt a connection akin to facing a true family member, constantly worried that he might do something wrong and cause disappointment.

Not visiting for these past few days had filled Gan Jing with anxiety. It wasn't the fear that Blake would stop teaching him the art of the hammer, but the dread of seeing disappointment reflected in Blake’s eyes, even for a fleeting moment. Ever since his failure in the bloodline awakening ritual, an insidious thought had taken root in Gan Jing’s mind: he couldn't bear to see his loved ones show even a momentary expression of disappointment in him again.

Blake emerged from behind the door, looking listless. The moment he saw Gan Jing, his heavily clouded eyes suddenly brightened, countless signs of astonishment leaping out from them. Even his gait hitched slightly, and his mouth fell slightly open. “You haven’t been here these past few days, I see this was the reason. As a Warrior, I understand.”

Gan Jing bowed deeply. “I apologize.”

Blake studied Gan Jing, his gaze lacking the sharp edge of Gan Zhanwu, resembling instead the scrutiny of an elder observing a junior.

“Good, very sincere,” Blake nodded, a satisfied smile appearing. He picked up a hammer weighing over three hundred catties and tossed it to Gan Jing. “Go on, keep striking your iron.”

Gan Jing weighed the three-hundred-catty hammer in his hand, then glanced at the four-hundred-catty hammer resting nearby, appearing hesitant. He subtly looked towards Blake, as if about to speak but holding back.

In the past, Gan Jing would have simply asked directly about trading hammers. Today, after being absent, feeling he had committed a minor transgression, he felt a little awkward addressing the elder-like Blake.

Blake turned and walked two steps. Hearing no sound of blacksmithing work, he turned back to observe Gan Jing’s series of movements and glances. His eyes, which were almost returning to their sleepy state, now held a trace of curiosity. Had he misjudged the situation? Was three hundred catties not enough?

“You want to use this four-hundred-catty hammer?” Blake asked, swinging the heavier hammer lightly in his hand.

“Yes!” Gan Jing nodded quickly. The three-hundred-catty hammer felt quite manageable, but it offered little benefit for his improvement. And to be honest, it felt just a little too light.