Ma Rue Bu Vs. Jin Luo Niu.

The body of the rod glistened under the sun's rays, its black surface and shimmering purple reflections giving it an ominous aura. It weaved through the forest, slipping between branches and hanging vines with speed and precision. From a bird's-eye view, one would see it taking a long route through the forest, heading straight toward someone's back.

A young Gu Master was fighting. His short, jet-black hair rustled in the wind, giving him a messy look, while his blue eyes gleamed with a subtle crimson tint, barely noticeable. He was battling what appeared to be an amalgamation of vines and tree branches, standing on a barren patch of earth with his back to the only landmark in sight—a tree. Two of the monsters were near him: one already engulfed in flames, the other launching a 'vine' at him. There were close to five more, a short distance away.

"…you'll need more than that to corner me…" he muttered, rolling to his left. The vine missed and embedded itself in the tree trunk.

He looked uneasy but strolled casually toward the vine stuck in the tree, gently caressing its surface. A flame suddenly appeared and raced along the lone vine back to the main body. The delicate twigs and leaves that made up most of its form began to burn, and the flowers that framed its eyes and face started to wither one by one. Yet unlike the other monster, now reduced to ashes, this one didn't resist. Whatever the fire consumed would regrow at an absurdly fast rate, making the shifting and reshaping of its body even more pronounced. It eventually lost its original form, becoming a chaotic cluster of charred leaves and fresh greenery that made the young Gu Master frown.

The monster, preoccupied with the fire, didn't appear able to attack anymore, but the flames wouldn't last forever—and the other five were closing in. Suddenly, the youth's eyes flashed with brilliance and turned completely crimson.

"You already tried that before…" he said under his breath. Without hesitation, he grabbed the vine with both hands and tore it apart. Instantly, the monster's regeneration ceased, and the cluster was consumed by fire like the last one.

"Hmph." He snorted and activated another Gu worm in his aperture. With newfound strength and speed, he dashed across the barren plain toward the remaining enemies. Almost as if by chance, the gleaming black rod crashed through the tree and continued pursuing him.

"Haha! Last time I didn't have enough primeval essence to activate both Berserk Gu and Swift Wings. I can outrun your little rod now…" he said aloud. He hadn't noticed the rod earlier until he activated the Berserk Gu to boost his strength and sever the vine's connection to the guardian, finally allowing the fire to consume it. That activation also enhanced all his senses—including hearing.

'Well, good thing I was already on guard. Even if I didn't hear it at first, I had no choice but to wait before reactivating Berserk Gu…' The Berserk Gu's effect wasn't consistent across its five-minute duration; it gradually weakened until barely noticeable, and one had to wait for the effect to wear off before reactivating it again. That's why he hadn't heard the rod earlier.

He reached the enemies before the rod did, and with enhanced speed and strength, the guardians stood little chance—but they weren't ordinary monsters either.

The five surrounded him swiftly, attacking from all sides. Normal guardians in the wild would've tangled their attacks, but these moved with eerie coordination—stepping over and under each other, weaving vines and branches, all aiming at him with minimal interference.

He suddenly found himself in a tough spot—but didn't panic. He could be considered the natural enemy of these monsters—not just him, but anyone from the Ma Tribe.

Out of nowhere, a fiery red rope appeared and wrapped around his body. Attacks landed on him—some trying to deliver crushing blows—but failed. He stood fixed to the ground like a mountain. Some of the vines he grabbed with his bare hands and tore apart instantly, while the rest coiled around him, trying to squeeze him to death. They burned to a crisp against the fiery rope.

"Haha! Just in time…" he laughed aloud, grabbing two of the vines trying to land heavy blows. He pulled their main bodies closer to him—the red rope already burning them—but that wasn't his goal.

The black rod finally caught up, but the first thing it encountered was the bodies of two plant guardians. It shuddered and tried to veer around, but there was no time. It pierced two small holes into their bodies—fatal ones—and they stopped moving.

The Gu Master didn't spare the rod a glance after tossing the two monsters at it. He dashed toward the remaining three. Their formation was broken, and they were weakened from their earlier barrage. He reached the healthiest-looking one first. The monster, no longer thinking, hurled itself at him—its limbs and remaining vines flailing in desperation. Detached tendrils hurled themselves in his direction, but not a one managed to catch up to him. He dodged left and right, ignoring unnecessary fighting, and when he reached the main body, he merely touched its surface and moved on. He didn't need to do more—it ignited in orange flames, its fate sealed.

He didn't manage the same with the last two. They attacked while retreating, giving the black rod another chance to catch up. He wasn't afraid, though. Its surface was now full of cracks, and its speed had dropped—but so had his.

The rod didn't care for its own safety and launched itself straight at his heart. He stopped chasing the guardians, focused entirely, letting the red rope defend against their random strikes.

He smiled, raised his index finger, and whispered, "Fire Fly."

A light shimmered at his fingertip and shot toward the black rod. It had no time to react. The light hit its body—and it shattered immediately, sending shards in all directions. It was too close.

The red rope blocked a few fragments, but the rampaging guardians, no longer holding back, overwhelmed it. The rope vanished, and the remaining fragments pierced him all over—some even lodging into his face.

"Hmph," he grunted through clenched teeth, enduring the pain. Without hesitation, he continued chasing the two remaining guardians before Berserk Gu's effect faded completely. Though they had reached the forest and were recovering rapidly, he gave them no chance—setting one on fire and wrestling the last one, punching a hole where its heart should have been.

"…I win…" he sighed, his eyes returning to their calm blue hue.

"Really? I still have that one," a woman's voice rang out.

"…Sure, but can it even do anything in that state?" he said, glancing at the monster still struggling against the flames.

"Still, technically a draw," the woman said, appearing before him.

"Sure, whatever. At least I didn't go down in one hit like last time," he said, shaking his head while attempting to remove the pieces of metal that lodged in his skin.

"Haha! Rue Bu, if I didn't hold back and used my Rank Two abilities, you wouldn't have lasted half a hit," she teased.

"Obviously. So, how did I do?" he asked, unfazed by the remark, and gestured for her to help.

"Really well. No one's ever used my own soldiers against me like that. Luring them to a spot with no greenery was a smart move. And you even managed to destroy my replicated black rod in one hit." She didn't hold back her praise, while caring for his wounds.

"But, even though you destroyed it, you burned through all your primeval essence and couldn't finish the last one off after Berserk Gu's effect ended. If this were a real fight, you might've escaped before the plant guardian fully recovered— that's why I said it's a draw, not a loss. Still, you need to manage your primeval essence better. You rely too much on Berserk Gu. If you can't handle this level of threat without constant enhancements to your senses, maybe it's time you consider permanent upgrades—like Myriad Sound Moth or Fragrance Spirit Moth…" she added with some critique.

'She's right. The host has too many Gu worms, and maintaining their effects drains a massive amount of primeval essence—even if only used when necessary. If Jin Luo Niu had added one more plant guardian, the draw would've been a loss,' the voice said.

'…Yeah, and she didn't even use 10% of her army… I have a long way to go…' he thought to himself, continuing to listen to both Luo Niu and the voice's critiques and suggestions with patience.