Chapter 35: The Dragonspire Forest
Several kilometers from Oakwood City, a towering mountain stood like a silent behemoth, its sharp peak piercing the sky like a colossal spear. Rolling hills wrapped around its base, creating a natural fortress where only the strongest dared to walk.
Before the mountain stretched a sprawling wilderness where the trees grew thicker and taller with every step deeper into its heart. The outer edges were dotted with scattered clearings and gentle hills, where smaller beasts prowled and careful travelers sometimes dared to wander. But as the forest thickened, sunlight barely pierced the dense canopy, weaving shadows between ancient trunks wrapped in twisting vines and moss.
The deeper one ventured, the more alive the forest seemed—the air thick with the scent of earth and wild spiritual energy, carrying the distant howls and roars of powerful beasts echoing through the mist.
This was the Dragonspire Forest. A place of constant challenge and raw power—a perfect testing ground for any warrior seeking to forge themselves among nature's fierce guardians.
At the forest's edge stood a young man in azure robes, his golden eyes narrowed with focus, his hands clenched at his sides. Where most young cultivators wouldn't dare enter without a group, this one had chosen it as his personal training ground. He was going in alone.
"So this is the Dragonspire Forest..." Su Tianhao murmured, taking in the scenery before him.
He recalled what he had read in the Su family library. "The outer area is filled with grade one and grade two spirit beasts, the inner area with grade three and grade four, while the core is home to grade five and six..."
His eyes narrowed. "With my current strength, the outer area is my limit. Venturing into the inner area would be seeking death."
Grade one beasts matched Martial Apprentices in strength. Grade two matched Martial Disciples. The scale held true all the way up. For now, grade one was his range.
"Let's do this." Su Tianhao clenched his fist and stepped into the forest.
His enhanced senses came alive immediately—distant sounds of spirit beasts, the gentle rustling of ancient trees, and the pulse of spiritual energy far denser than anything he had felt in the city.
'Time to find my first prey,' he thought as he moved through the undergrowth, eyes scanning in every direction.
After five minutes of careful searching, he found his first target. A giant frog with thick jade-colored skin crouched in a clearing ahead, its yellow eyes gleaming faintly as it stared directly at him—sizing him up as either predator or prey.
"A Jade Frog," Su Tianhao muttered under his breath.
He recognized it immediately. A grade one spirit beast with a toxic body and powerful leg strength, known for sudden attacks and poisonous skin capable of paralyzing weaker opponents.
"Come on then." Su Tianhao surged forward.
"Crooooak!!!"
A deep, resonant croak rolled from the creature—strangely powerful, almost like jade striking stone. The sound carried spiritual energy that made the surrounding air vibrate.
Without warning, the frog launched itself skyward with explosive force. Its massive body rose above Su Tianhao in an instant, threatening to crash down on him with its full weight and poison.
"Shit!"
Even without a direct hit, landing beneath that toxic mass would mean injury at best, and paralysis at worst.
Without hesitation, Su Tianhao planted his feet, straightened his spine, and coiled every muscle tight.
"Raging Dragon Fist!"
He launched himself upward like an arrow. His fist drove into the frog's soft underbelly with devastating force.
BOOM!
A sharp crack rang out, followed by a phantom dragon roar that seemed to shake the air itself. The Jade Frog was sent flying, crashing into the forest floor in an explosion of green toxic fluid and ruined flesh.
Su Tianhao landed and stared at his own fist.
He understood quickly. From the creature's spiritual energy flow, it had been a 4th level grade one beast—comparable to a 4th level Martial Apprentice, roughly 500 pounds of strength. His own power had already amounted to a thousand pounds thanks to the Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique. The frog never stood a chance.
'Perhaps only 9th level grade one beasts would be a real match for me,' he thought.
Just then, he suddenly felt a chill ran down his spine.
Instinct fired before his mind caught up. Su Tianhao threw himself flat as a long red flash shot from the bushes—a tongue aimed directly at his neck with deadly precision. He felt the air shift above him as it passed.
When he looked up, a second Jade Frog emerged from the undergrowth. Its jade skin was a shade darker than the first—indicating higher cultivation. Su Tianhao assessed it immediately.
'7th level grade one beast.'
Manageable. But before he could act, the frog launched itself at him with incredible speed, body fully airborne, intent on crushing him beneath its mass.
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"Damnit!" He rolled hard to the side.
BAM!
The frog's body slammed into the forest floor where he had been lying just a breath before, leaving a shallow crater in the earth.
Su Tianhao was already moving. He surged forward before the beast could recover, fist drawn back.
"Raging Dragon Fist!"
BOOM!
His fist connected with the frog's skull, shattering the bone on impact. The creature crashed to the ground with a dull thud, shook once and went still.
Su Tianhao stood over it, chest heaving.
'I must never be careless out here,' he reminded himself, studying the two dead beasts. The difference between training against the oak tree and facing something with genuine killing intent was stark. One mistake could have meant paralysis—or worse.
"These Jade Frogs are too poisonous to harvest," he muttered with disappointment, eyeing the valuable beast parts he couldn't safely retrieve. "Otherwise I'd have something worth selling."
He pushed the thought aside. 'Profit comes later. Right now I need stronger opponents.'
He dashed deeper into the forest.
Over the next few hours, Su Tianhao encountered several more grade one beasts. A Steel-Back Boar that charged at terrifying speed, forcing him to time his counter or be trampled. A Shadow Wolf that circled and probed for blind spots, sharpening his senses against something that actively hunted him. Each fight left him with sharper instincts, faster reflexes, and a clearer picture of both his strengths and his limits.
As the sun began to set, painting the canopy in deep oranges and reds, Su Tianhao finally stopped to breathe. His robes were torn in several places, minor cuts lined his arms, but his eyes burned with satisfaction.
"Real combat experience that no amount of solo training could give me," he said quietly.
The forest was darkening fast. Night in Dragonspire Forest brought different dangers, and even with his heightened abilities, he wasn't ready to face nocturnal predators in complete darkness. He found a sturdy tree near the outer edge, set up a campfire, and roasted the Steel-Back Boar he had killed earlier. He devoured the entire beast with ease—enough meat to feed a family for a week—but to Su Tianhao, it was a norm. After eating, he climbed into the branches above and lay down to sleep.
---
Chirp! Chirp!
The sound of birdsong filled the air as the early morning sun showered its light over the Dragonspire Forest, golden rays piercing through the canopy like spears of light.
One of those rays fell directly onto the face of a sleeping young man resting on a massive tree branch. His sword-like brows furrowed under the brightness, and his eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing two golden orbs.
Su Tianhao stirred and gazed into the morning sun with a smile. He hadn't even noticed when sleep had claimed him—the exhaustion of the previous day had simply pulled him under.
He recalled the campfire, the roasted boar, the embarrassing quantity he had consumed.
'Luckily I have a method of suppressing my hunger,' he thought with a wry smile. 'And if things get out of hand, spirit beast meat works just as well. It's more beneficial than ordinary food—and out here, it costs nothing at all.'
He wasn't wrong. Spirit beast meat was highly prized among cultivators. Because spirit beasts absorbed spiritual energy throughout their lives, their flesh carried faint traces of it even after death, making it both more nourishing and more effective for cultivation than ordinary food. Most couldn't afford it in restaurants—but those willing to hunt for themselves could access those benefits freely.
Su Tianhao dropped from the branch with practiced ease and looked toward the deeper parts of the forest, his expression sharpening with purpose.
"Today I go deeper."
Crack.
He cracked his knuckles, rolled his shoulders, and dashed into the forest with explosive speed.
Low-level beasts occasionally crossed his path or launched surprise attacks, but after a full day of real combat, his instincts had sharpened considerably. Each one fell in a few moves without him breaking stride. After fifteen minutes of running and five effortless kills, he finally encountered his first real threat of the day.
It was a massive creature roughly the size of an adult man. Dense black fur covered its body, absorbing the light around it. Its ears were pointed like sharp horns, its red eyes gleamed with dangerous intelligence, and its fangs—long, silver, and razor sharp—caught the filtered sunlight with an almost beautiful menace.
"A Silver Fanged Wolf!" Su Tianhao's voice carried genuine concern.
Silver Fanged Wolves were grade two spirit beasts, known for their ferocity and fangs capable of shattering bone like dry sticks. A 1st level grade two beast possessed roughly 2,000 pounds of strength. Su Tianhao's full output sat at around 1,000 pounds—1,100 at most with the Raging Dragon Fist behind it. The numbers were not in his favor.
HOOOWLLL!
The wolf threw its head back and howled, a bone-chilling sound that shook the surrounding trees and sent every smaller creature within earshot fleeing in terror.
Su Tianhao narrowed his eyes and carefully analyzed its spiritual energy.
'1st level grade two beast—but it only just broke through. Its aura is still unstable.'
His eyes began to burn with battle intent.
'I might actually have a chance.'
BOOM!
The wolf charged without warning, massive paws thundering against the forest floor as it hurtled toward him.
Su Tianhao kicked off hard to the side and rolled clear, barely avoiding the crushing charge.
Grrr!
The wolf wheeled around, growling with frustration, and launched itself into the air—claws raised high, preparing to pound down with its full weight.
Su Tianhao held his ground and watched it come.
From his inherited memories, Silver Fanged Wolves were genuinely terrifying—immense strength, natural armor in their dense fur, and relentless aggression. But they had one critical vulnerability: the soft underbelly. And one more, if he could get the angle—the jaw.
He waited until the last possible moment.
"Raging Dragon Fist!"
He exploded forward, driving his fist into the wolf's exposed armpit as they closed on each other.
BOOM!
The wolf was sent flying sideways, but even as they separated, a desperate paw strike connected with Su Tianhao's side.
BAM!
Both fighters were forced back. The wolf landed with one front leg trembling, the armpit where Su Tianhao had struck clearly damaged. Su Tianhao pressed a hand to his ribs, face pale. That glancing blow had hit like a war hammer. A terrifying strike that would have been far worse on an average human. Fortunately, Su Tianhao's bloodline and physique made his endurance and defense naturally sturdier and superior.
'Can I actually beat this thing?' Doubt crept in.
'No.' He shook it off immediately. 'I still have a chance. The jaw—aim for the jaw.'
Grrr!
The wolf charged again. Su Tianhao dashed aside with improved timing, letting it pass.
The beast was growing frustrated. Its attacks were becoming more aggressive, less controlled.
Hooooowlll!
It raised its head and howled again—raw fury this time, not a warning. Every remaining creature in the surrounding area fled. The two of them were now alone in the surrounding area.
Su Tianhao steadied his breathing and locked his stance. He would only strike when the opening was perfect.
Raaarrr!
The wolf slammed its paws against the ground repeatedly, building momentum, working itself into a frenzy.
Then it launched—mouth wide open, silver fangs gleaming, aimed to devour him whole.
Su Tianhao exhaled.
Everything slowed.
He shifted to the side at the final moment, simultaneously driving his counter-attack into the exposed side of the wolf's open jaw with everything he had.
"Raging Dragon Fist!"
ROOOOAR!
A phantom dragon roar thundered from within his body. For an instant, his entire figure seemed to transform—not a young man throwing a punch, but a raging dragon crashing into the beast with unstoppable force.
BOOM!
His fist connected with the wolf's jaw like a thunderclap. The wolf cried out and was sent spinning through the air.
Su Tianhao didn't wait.
"Raging Dragon Fist!"
He charged in immediately, driving a second strike into the beast's exposed stomach. The wolf crashed hard into a massive tree trunk, bark exploding outward from the impact as leaves rained down around them.
The wolf lifted its head, struggling.
Su Tianhao appeared above it like a falling meteor.
"Raging Dragon Fist!"
His fist came down like a hammer, driving the wolf's skull into the tree trunk with bone-crushing finality.
BAM!
The tree shuddered. The wolf went completely still.
Su Tianhao landed and stood over it, breathing hard.
"I did it," he said, staring at the fallen beast. Then the reality of what he had just done hit him, and he laughed—a full, genuine laugh, fists raised toward the sky.
"Small Success! I finally reached Small Success mastery in the Raging Dragon Fist!"
The breakthrough had come at the critical moment, when he had cleared his mind completely and committed to a single counter with everything he had. That pure focus had elevated his mastery to an entirely new level.
He let the excitement settle, then turned his attention back to the dead wolf.
'Luckily it had only just broken through to grade two,' he thought. 'A fully established grade two beast would have been a different fight entirely.'
Then something unexpected happened.
A strange surge resonated from within his dantian. The dormant energy vortex had activated on its own—not from his command, but from something else. Something the fallen wolf was giving off.
"What's going on?" Su Tianhao's eyes widened.
He felt his Heavenly Devouring Dragon bloodline responding to the beast before him. The vortex spun faster, and he realized with growing amazement that his body was instinctively trying to absorb something from the defeated spirit beast.
'Blood essence,' he realized. 'I'm absorbing its blood essence.'
New energy flowed into his cultivation base—dense, wild, and potent in a way that ordinary spiritual energy wasn't. It strengthened his foundation in a manner he had never experienced before, like iron being folded into steel.
Su Tianhao stood perfectly still, letting the process complete, his golden eyes wide with the weight of what this discovery meant.
The battle had given him Small Success in the Raging Dragon Fist.
But this—this was something else entirely. If his devouring ability could absorb the blood essence of spirit beasts and convert it directly into cultivation fuel, then the Dragonspire Forest wasn't just a training ground.
It was a resource beyond anything the Su family could offer him.
