The eight meters long Wood Snake glared at Yan Xiu, it's body was as thick as his body. Yan Xiu took the first move as his whip lashed out, the snake dodged to the side, the snake was surprisingly agile for it's size.

The snake came charging with it's mouth wide open, Yan Xiu dodged but before he could land, a thick tail was nearing him with great speed. Yan Xiu put his hand on the ground and did a somersault, dodging the tail.

In the air, Yan Xiu returned the favor by lashing out his whip a few times. The whip landed on the snake's body twice, carving two long bloody wounds.

The snake hissed loudly, it's tail lashed out. Yan Xiu defended using his whip but he was thrown a few meters before he landed on the ground. Yan Xiu clenched his hand a few times, his hands felt numb because of the force.

Yan Xiu rolled to the side as the snake's tail hit Yan Xiu previous spot the next second. Yan Xiu rolled again twice as the snake's tail pursuit him, attacking relentlessly. Before the fourth tail descent, Yan Xiu threw needles at the snake's head.

The snake's tail abruptly change course to deflect the incoming needles, when the needles deflected, a whip suddenly hit it's face. A long wound decorated the snake's face, the snake writhed in pain.

Back when the snake was distracted with the needles, Yan Xiu used the chance to land a strike at the snake's head, it was a layered attack. Yan Xiu judged that striking the snake's head deal more damage than aiming at it's body.

The snake's swiped it's tail at Yan Xiu, already used to the snake's attack, Yan Xiu jumped and dodge the tail.

While in the air Yan Xiu strike the snake again, aiming for it's head. The first strike hit the snake's head while the second one was deflected by the snake's tail. Not giving the chance for the snake to attack, Yan Xiu already threw his needles at the snake's head, forcing it to defend.

Yan Xiu landed and ran around the snake, waiting for a chance to strike again. Meanwhile, hidden in the bushes, Chen Hanchen was impressed by how well Yan Xiu fought the wood snake.

While it was a low-level demon beast, it was still a legit demon beast. He thought he would have to help him, but Chen Hanchen didn't expect Yan Xiu to fought so well. The other two apprentice hunters had little problem fighting their first demon beasts too, but their fight didn't went as smooth as Yan Xiu.

'Hahaha! He truly is a diamond! If we nurture him, we could have another Outer Foundation stage hunter!' thought Chen Hachen as he continued watching Yan Xiu fight with excitement in his eyes. Outer foundation was another stage of cultivation, from lowest to highest, it would be Qi Refining, Inner Foundation, and Outer Foundation.

Back to the fight, Yan Xiu ran around the snake, waiting for the snake to attack him. When the snake attacked him, Yan Xiu would dodge and counterattack. For Yan Xiu, this was the best method to fight the snake.

Soon, the snake's body was riddled with slash wounds of varying size. With all the blood leaking out of it's body, the snake's became sluggish but the hate and rage in it's eyes didn't die out, it was increasing. Both emotions were the thing that kept the snake from falling.

The snake learned his mistakes and didn't attack Yan Xiu again, it waited for Yan Xiu to attack. Yan Xiu, noticing the snake turned defensive, tried to provoke it by throwing needles at it. But the snake only deflected the needles without attacking back. With no one making the first move, Yan Xiu and the snake could only glare at each other in a stalemate.

Yan Xiu was no better, the fight was draining him empty. If he lose focus, he would probably fell to the ground. His hands and feet already trembling from exhaustion, he breathed long and hard, his vision started to dim.

Yan Xiu and the snake limit was approaching, the next attack was probably the last exchange. Yan Xiu thought of how to end the fight with one attack and he thought of a risky plan. Yan Xiu couldn't think of another plan so he decided on the risky plan.

Chen Hanchen, who watched the fight, knew that if the snake didn't attack, then Yan Xiu couldn't attack either. While the Yan Xiu and the snake was both Qi Refining 3rd stage, demon beast and normal beast was usually stronger than human cultivator of the same stage.

Yan Xiu own advantage was that he could attack from afar with throwing weapon but the snake agile tail negated his advantage. So, Yan Xiu could only exploit the opening when the snake attack. Chen Hanchen commended Yan Xiu for realizing this opening, many hunters rely on brute force when they fought their first demon beast.

Chen Hanchen was curious, 'Now, how will you break this stalemate?' thought Chen Hanchen. He predicted that Yan Xiu would keep provoke the snake by throwing his needles or javelin, but he never thought that Yan Xiu would foolishly attack the snake with whip.

It all happened suddenly and so fast, that Chen Hanchen couldn't react in time. He saw Yan Xiu slashed the snake with his whip, the snake swiftly defended with it's tail but it didn't end there. The snake's tail tangled the whip and pulled it hard.

Yan Xiu was disarmed of his whip. The moment Yan Xiu's whip left his hand, the snake lunges at Yan Xiu with great speed. Yan Xiu could see the blood red mouth and the sharp teeth of the snake before the collision.

When the snake collided with Yan Xiu, Chen Hanchen snapped out of it and his face paled.

"LITTLE XIU!!!" (CH)

He screamed and ran toward Tan Xiu in horror. In his mind, he could picture the image of Yan Xiu's cold body. But when drew near, he realized the snake was still. He didn't see the picture of Yan Xiu bloody and cold body, what he saw was the snake's bleeding head.

There was a javelin sticking out of the snake's head from below, the snake couldn't be more deader. The javelin was stained with blood and grey brain matter. Chen Hanchen was shocked and dumbfounded, he was awaken by the weak sound calling him from below the snake's head.

"Senior brother, don't just stand there, help me. This thing's heavy." (YX)

Chen Hanchen then found Yan Xiu pressed below the snake's head, which covered half of his body. Chen Hanchen quickly helped Yan Xiu and sat him leaning on a tree.

"Little Xiu, you... What did you do?" (CH)

Yan Xiu smiled and told him his risky plan, which shocked Chen Hanchen again. His plan was simple, the snake didn't attack because he still got his weapon and it was afraid of being counterattack. So, he simply just need to cast away his weapon, but simply throwing it away might alert the snake.

That's why he attacked and gambled on the snake to use it's tail to defend and took the whip away from him, and he won the gamble. The snake used it's tail to took the whip and attacked again with his head like Yan Xiu planned. From there, it was another gamble whether he could stabbed the snake to dead with his javelin or died by chomp.

Chen Hachen never had thought that the calm and mature Yan Xiu would have such a daredevil-like aspect in him. Yan Xiu drank some green water and rest for a bit before he could stand. Now, the snake gone, Yan Xiu's locked on to the beautiful fruits.