My Brother's the Protagonist? Good Thing I Awakened My System! - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Skyshatter Tiger
Feng Chen headed west at a relaxed pace.

He wasn’t in a hurry and took time to enjoy the view, easily defeating any monsters that tried to attack him along the way.

The place was different from the treasure area as he could occasionally see some mercenaries here and there.

Most of them were in the Grand Qi Condensation Realm and some were in the Core Formation Stage. They seemed to have strength similar to Kong Wei’s team.

Even though the area was dangerous, the chances of running into a Rank-5 monster were very low.

On the other hand, there were a lot of precious herbs that could be found in such an area compared to others where there are many competitors.

Because of this, people with higher cultivation levels often chose to explore this area.

Of course, there was also no Rank-6 Monster in that part of the area. Otherwise, those mercenaries would never in a million years dare to come to this part of the area.

You could escape from a Rank-5 Monster if you had enough skill. But facing a Rank-6 Monster was certain death unless you were in the Nascent Soul Realm.

That’s why there was no mercenary willing to go near the treasure area whereas the west of Stormhowl Valley was indeed dangerous but there was no Rank-6 Beast.

In any case, Feng Chen wasn’t very interested in exploring the area which was already explored by other mercenaries.

He decided to venture deeper.

Naturally, those areas were the unexplored parts of Stormhowl, which was considered far too dangerous for mercenaries. No one had ever dared venture further than this.

Those areas were known as forbidden zones since it was extremely dangerous and was home to many Rank-6 Beasts.

Since the mercenaries’ cultivation was only up to the Grand Qi Condensation Realm, there was no way for them to explore the deeper part of Stormhowl Valley.

And of course, for Feng Chen, those were rather sweet conditions for him to explore rather than retreat.

As Feng Chen ventured further into the unexplored region, he found no signs of human presence or any indication that anyone had been there before.

It was indeed a place that no mercenaries dared to go in. However, after another hour of walking, Feng Chen felt something was weird.

“Hmm… Strange! There is no beast.”

Feng Chen muttered.

He could understand if he hadn’t encountered any humans as this was a forbidden area but couldn’t understand why he hadn’t encountered monsters either.

However, this just made things interesting for Feng Chen and he decided to venture further into the area.

It didn’t take long for him to find the answer.

His eyes narrowed as he approached a secluded valley. There, nestled among jagged rocks and trees, a faint glow caught his attention.

Feng Chen’s lips curled into a smirk, his heartbeat quickening as he caught sight of spiritual herbs. He recognized it instantly.

“The Jade Seraphim Root…”

He whispered under his breath, barely able to contain his excitement.

A rare herb of Grade 6 is said to strengthen one’s physique to a level comparable to those born with extraordinary physiques.

It could turn a mediocre cultivator into a genius overnight.

But his gaze shifted from the glowing root to the darker presence looming nearby.

His eyes gleamed with an almost predatory hunger as he spotted the monster guarding the herb.

The ground trembled slightly, and in the dim light, a massive form emerged.

A Rank-6 Skyshatter Tiger, its fur crackling with bolts of lightning, prowled protectively near the herb. Its piercing yellow eyes locked onto Feng Chen.

It seems like the Skyshatter Tiger has already sensed Feng Chen’s presence since it entered its territory.

A broad grin spread across Feng Chen’s face.

“Finally!”

He said, almost laughing.

“I searched for quite a long time for you!”

While most would have been intimidated by the sheer presence of the Rank-6 beast, Feng Chen’s blood surged with excitement.

The herb was valuable, no doubt, but the real treasure was standing right before him—a Rank-6 monster.

Feng Chen then understood why he didn’t encounter any monsters. It was because they were aware that this was Skyshatter Tiger’s territory.

Feng Chen cracked his knuckles, feeling the surge of his own qi as he stepped forward.

“You and I,” he murmured to the beast, “are going to have some fun.”

ROAR!

Skyshatter Tiger roared angrily at Feng Chen.

It might have been that it was offended by Feng Chen who entered its territory and was fearlessly heading towards him which might have been taken as an act of provocation.

The Skyshatter Tiger’s growl shook the valley, its muscles tensing as sparks of electricity danced along its body.

Without hesitation, it lunged at Feng Chen with blinding speed, claws tearing through the air.

“Ghostly Shadow Mirage”

Feng Chen easily sidestepped the Skyshatter Tiger’s strike, his figure blurring as the beast’s claws tore through the illusion he left behind.

His “Ghostly Shadow Mirage” technique allowed him to move like a phantom, leaving afterimages in his wake.

The Skyshatter Tiger landed where Feng Chen had just been, snarling as it realized it had struck only air.

Electricity sparked along its fur, the air around it crackling with energy. Its sharp eyes locked onto Feng Chen once more, fury was evident in its gaze.

Feng Chen stood a few feet away, his expression calm and composed. He raised his hand, gesturing for the Skyshatter Tiger to come at him again.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

He taunted, his voice light, almost playful.

ROAR!!!

The Skyshatter Tiger roared again, this time with even more rage.

It launched itself toward Feng Chen with even greater speed, bolts of lightning shooting from its body and searing the ground in its wake.

Feng Chen’s body flickered once more as he narrowly dodged the attack, the Skyshatter Tiger’s claws slicing through another afterimage.

His movements were fluid, each step calculated and precise.

The Storm Howl Tiger growled in frustration, shaking off the dust as it glared at Feng Chen.

Its yellow eyes flickered with lightning, showing its determination to continue the fight. It wasn’t going to let its territory or the Jade Seraphim Root go without a serious battle.

Of course, he wouldn’t know that Feng Chen was more interested in fighting him than those things.

Feng Chen, still calm, could sense the beast’s power growing with each second. He knew that killing Rank-6 monsters wouldn’t be as easy as Rank-5.

Although Feng Chen was provoking the Skyshatter Tiger, he was barely keeping up with its speed.

The only reason why Feng Chen was able to dodge the Skyshatter Tiger’s attack was because Feng Chen could anticipate his attack.

Otherwise, if they were to compare their speed, Skyshatter Tiger was definitely faster than Feng Chen.

The Skyshatter Tiger circled him, its muscles coiling as it prepared another attack. Then, with a blinding flash, it shot forward again, faster and more unpredictable than before.

Feng Chen barely had time to react as the Skyshatter Tiger’s claws slashed across his chest, drawing blood.

“Not bad,” Feng Chen muttered, wiping away the blood from the shallow wound.

This was the first time he had been injured unintentionally since he entered Stormhowl Valley.

Of course, because of the Mid-Level Saint Grade Body Refinement Technique: Saintly Thunder Body, his body was tougher and what could have been a fatal attack was just a shallow attack on Feng Chen.

Nonetheless, he was able to verify that Rank-6 Monsters was indeed much stronger than Rank-5 and had the potential to even kill him.

However, instead of cowering in fear, Feng Chen’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“You’ve got some fight in you.”

The tiger didn’t wait for his response, lunging again with its fangs bared, electricity arcing through the air.

Feng Chen dodged to the side, but this time the beast was ready, twisting its body mid-air and striking Feng Chen with a powerful tail swipe.

The impact sent Feng Chen skidding across the ground, his feet digging into the earth to slow himself.

He chuckled, more amused than hurt. The tiger wasn’t just powerful; it was clever too. This fight was turning out to be much more fun than he expected.

“You’re stronger than I thought,” Feng Chen said, his qi surging as he steadied himself.

Until now, Feng Chen had been on the defensive because he wasn’t sure of the Skyshatter Tiger’s full capabilities.

But after fighting it for a while, he now felt confident that he could defeat the beast.

ROAR!!!

The Skyshatter Tiger roared again, charging at him, bolts of lightning dancing across its fur as it unleashed its full power.

CRACK! CRACK!

The ground trembled with each step as the air crackled with lightning. Feng Chen knew this attack would be devastating if it connected.

Feng Chen’s qi flared, and in a flash, he gathered his strength, unleashing a powerful palm strike.

“Earth Shattering Palm!”

The air rippled as the two forces collided—Feng Chen’s strike against the Skyshatter Tiger’s lightning-charged claws.

The explosion of power sent shockwaves through the valley, tearing up the earth beneath them. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the view for a moment.

Feng Chen stood firm, his feet planted as the force of his attack clashed against the beast. For a second, it seemed like he had overpowered the Skyshatter Tiger.

But then, through the clearing dust, Feng Chen realized something was off. He didn’t feel the resistance he expected from the Skyshatter Tiger.

As the air cleared, Feng Chen’s eyes widened.

The Skyshatter Tiger had vanished.

“Huh?”

Feng Chen was surprised at the disappearance of the Skyshatter Tiger. He had never thought that the SkyshatterTiger would run away like this.

With its speed, it was indeed impossible for Feng Chen to catch up to Skyshatter Tiger. Moreover, Feng Chen has no idea where it has run off to.

It seemed that Feng Chen wasn’t the only one assessing his opponent during this battle.

Skyshatter Tiger must have also been assessing Feng Chen’s strength and concluded that he couldn’t beat him and decided to escape which was indeed a smart move.

Feng Chen couldn’t help but respect the Skyshatter Tiger’s decision.

It was no coward—it simply recognized his enemy and chose the best option. Feng Chen might also have done the same thing.

Compared to one’s life, what was a herb worth?

Of course, Skyshatter Tiger’s escape was also due to Feng Chen’s negligence. He never considered the monster to flee and also used such powerful attacks as a distraction.

In any case, this was the first time Feng Chen fought a Rank-6 monster and he was able to get a lot of experience out of it.

So, even though the Skyshatter Tiger escaped, Feng Chen didn’t suffer much loss. He would be much more prepared the next time he fights another Rank-6 Monster.

He glanced back at the Jade Seraphim Root, still glowing softly amidst the rocks. Carefully, he retrieved it and stored it away.

While it was a shame he couldn’t get a Rank-6 monster body, at least he had the Jade Seraphim Root.