"Such individuals are rare gems, either blessed with exceptional talent or encountering once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. We can't compare."

"I wish we could capture this on film."

Listening to the chatter, Shao Qi clicked his headset and remarked, "Footage of a battle with a high-level mutated beast could fetch a good price."

"Damn, why didn't you say so earlier?" Zhou You's voice, full of vigor, echoed in his ear, indicating there wasn't any immediate danger.

A deafening blast shook the mountainside. Countless birds took flight from the trees, obscuring the sky. People could barely see the path and almost tripped.

"What was that sound?"

"It feels like the mountain's about to explode. Did Mr. Zhou use a nuclear weapon or something?"

Zhou You would have loved to utilize them, but they seemed ineffective against the bear's thick hide. Throwing knives and daggers couldn't harm it. Bare fists seemed more effective, so their fight had come down to hand-to-hand combat.

Zhou You had no clear idea of the strength behind his punch. The last measurement yielded no concrete result. But seeing that he and the bear seemed evenly matched, he speculated that his punching force must exceed ten thousand jin. It's no wonder that the wall had collapsed earlier.

The large grizzly had been knocked down by Zhou You several times. Even though it hadn't sustained significant injuries, its mood was increasingly agitated and irate.

"Shao Qi told me to focus on its head, but that's easier said than done. This creature might look clumsy, but its front limbs are swift. Most of my attacks are parried. Continuing this way will exhaust me," Zhou You thought.

Zhou You retreated to a large tree, resting and devising a strategy. The weapons he had seemed ineffective, but there must be something that could work against it.

Zhou You checked the electronic map to understand the topography. The mountain wasn't too high, and its peak was fairly flat. If only there were cliffs, he could try luring it there. Sadly, the terrain offered no such advantage.

Zhou You suspected that this wasn't the bear's habitat. It likely had just been passing through and decided to rest when it was disturbed by the Dragon Group, truly an unfortunate turn of events for them.

As the bear noticed its target had disappeared, it roared in anger, demolishing trees in its path. It was soon approaching the tree Zhou You was hiding in. Spotting a beehive above, he skillfully used a throwing knife to drop the hive, which landed right on the bear's head.

Even for a mutated bear, the allure of honey was irresistible.

The bear swatted away the bees and started to feast on the hive, forgetting all about the lurking enemy.

Zhou You channeled his energy into his palm, and as he activated his internal techniques, the surrounding spiritual energy began converging into his hand, forming a transparent orb.

Advanced mutated beasts were highly sensitive to changes in spiritual energy. Detecting the anomaly above, the bear, still clutching the hive, looked up just as Zhou You descended, aiming a palm strike at its head.

Sensing danger, the bear rolled back, and Zhou You's palm met the hive. The spiritual orb merged with the hive and was then thrown at the bear.

The bear, recalling the sweetness, instinctively caught the flying hive with its mouth. The fragile structure shattered, mixing the spiritual energy with the honey that was consumed.

Zhou You remained in his previous pose, kneeling, muttering incantations. His internal technique continued channeling energy, focusing now on the bear's stomach.

Initially, the bear felt an unusual surge of vitality, as if its strength was fully restored. Even its wounds seemed to vanish. It roared in delight, tapping its belly, ready to resume its assault on Zhou You.

Zhou You's face turned crimson, sweat streaming down his temples. Teeth chattering, he held on until he released the energy, forming a sign with his hand and shouting, "Break!"

A potent force erupted from within the bear's stomach. The energy, foreign to its body, wreaked havoc on its internal organs and tissues, causing an explosive chain reaction.

The bear writhed, desperately scratching at its belly, but to no avail. It couldn't stop the internal explosion.

Blood foamed from its mouth, its vascular system ruptured, drenching its fur. With a final explosive sound, a gaping hole appeared, revealing shattered organs. Slowly, the bear ceased to breathe.

Zhou You had put every ounce of his energy into that final move. Grateful for its success, he collapsed on the ground, catching his breath, indifferent to the fallen beast beside him.

Those at the base of the mountain heard a few bursts reminiscent of thunder. Looking up, they seemed to catch glimpses of lightning, but it felt uncannily close.

"What kind of martial technique is that?" someone exclaimed in astonishment.

Looking up, Shao Qi clarified, "It's not a martial technique. It's simply a burst of spiritual energy."

"A burst of spiritual energy?" Everyone was familiar with the term "spiritual energy." There were many discussions in the martial arts association about how this energy could transform a martial artist's body and even be converted into power. They could feel this energy during practice, but how could one harness it to such an explosive degree?

Long Gan voiced the very question on everyone's minds. Shao Qi replied calmly, "It happens when you accumulate so much spiritual energy that your body can't contain it. Didn't your masters teach you? If you push too hard during training, your body can explode, resulting in death."

Once, a pharmaceutical company developed a pill claimed to boost spiritual energy. It was said to not only enhance one's skills but also rapidly recover strength after injury, making it highly sought-after by martial artists.

But later, people discovered that this spiritual energy pill, lacking any specific measurements, wasn't suitable for everyone. Some suffered severe side effects during training, others died on the spot. The fortunate ones, who faced no immediate harm, eventually found their progress halted at a certain martial rank, unable to break through, no matter how hard they tried.