79. Fight and Immortal Cultivator

Rain stood on the deck of the boat, the crisp morning wind brushing against his face and the soft sounds of dawn filling the air. Yet, his mind was elsewhere, immersed in comprehending the **Hard and Soft Palm Technique**. While he had reached proficiency in the technique, his progress had significantly slowed. The key challenge lay in the inability to merge the hard and soft powers that emerged at this level. His understanding of both types of power continued to deepen, incrementally raising his proficiency, but without mastering their combination, advancing to the master realm was impossible.

Conflicted, Rain's thoughts churned. *Should I pause practicing this technique and switch to another middle-rank technique?* He pondered. Doing so might expand his overall understanding of palm techniques and potentially provide insights that could help him merge the hard and soft powers.

Lost in thought, Rain was suddenly brought back to reality by a voice calling, "Grandmaster." He turned to see Xue Lin standing beside him. "Yes?" he replied.

Xue Lin pointed ahead. "Grandmaster, that mountain is where the Water Monkey Tribe resides."

Rain's gaze followed her gesture and settled on the mountain. It was small, with only its peak emerging above the river. Trees grew densely atop the peak, while others sprouted from the submerged parts of the mountain. Their roots, vines, and branches intertwined to create a floating wooden forest that obscured much of the mountain above the waterline, leaving only the peak visible. 

As Rain observed, he noticed the monkeys. They had striking blue skin and moved deftly among the trees and mangroves, some jumping playfully into the river and others swimming gracefully through the water. As soon as the monkeys spotted the three boats approaching their settlement, they erupted into a cacophony of shrieks and chatter, their alarm echoing across the water. Rain stood firmly on the bow of the lead boat, observing the chaotic scene. Some monkeys began hurling branches from the trees at the boats, while others gathered en masse in front of them, forming a blockade.

The warriors on the boats wasted no time, leaping into the river to confront the blue-skinned primates. Leading them was the old guard who protected Xue Lin. A fierce battle erupted as the warriors clashed with the monkeys. Armed with weapons, the human warriors had an advantage over the monkeys, who fought with their bare hands and improvised sticks. However, the humans faced the added challenge of balancing their energy and focus to stay upright and move on the water's surface.

Rain noticed that the water monkeys were enveloped in a mysterious energy, allowing them to float and move effortlessly on the river. Some of the monkeys dove beneath the surface, launching surprise attacks by attempting to pull the warriors into the depths below.

Rain realized that without the presence of the old man and himself, the warriors would have struggled to even approach the floating forest surrounding the mountain peak. He watched intently as the old guard, enveloped in a golden aura and wielding a spear, fought off the monkeys with unmatched skill. The old man moved steadily closer to the mangrove platform, drawing the attention of more monkeys to himself and easing the pressure on the warriors behind him. Gradually, the warriors began to overcome the attacking monkeys and advanced toward the forest.

When the old man was only a few steps away from the forest, five large, muscular monkeys wielding metal weapons emerged from the dense foliage. Without hesitation, they leaped at the old guard. Rain felt no concern; he could sense that these five monkeys, each possessing the strength of a master-level warrior, would not be enough to overwhelm the old man, who was only a step away from being a grandmaster. 

However, as the five master-level monkeys engaged the old man, the rest of the monkeys that had been fighting him shifted their focus to the warriors behind. The sudden shift in focus halted the warriors' progress and increased their casualties, adding urgency to the chaotic battle.

Beside Rain, Xue Lin shouted, "Start the second part of the plan!" The boats pivoted so that one side faced the forest. Those who had remained on the boats drew their crossbows and began firing at the monkeys attacking the warriors. With the added support, the warriors were able to push forward again. 

Moments later, more monkeys emerged from the forest, led by three master-level monkeys. Unlike before, they bypassed the old man and targeted the warriors at the rear. 

In response, ten master-level warriors who had been waiting on the boats sprang into action. Three intercepted the approaching master-level monkeys, while the remaining seven joined the old man in fighting the five master-level monkeys. With their combined efforts, the group quickly gained the upper hand, suppressing the monkeys. Within a few intense minutes, they were poised to eliminate the five master monkeys, but the old man disengaged and made his way into the forest.

A short time later, an enraged roar echoed from the depths of the forest. The old man emerged, running and shouting, "Plan successful!"

Xue Lin, standing beside Rain, turned to him and said, "Grandmaster, now it's your turn."

Rain nodded. "Okay." So far, the battle had unfolded exactly as planned by Xue Lin. The first step involved the old man leading the warriors of gathering strength to engage the monkeys, using his half-step grandmaster prowess to push toward the forest. This forced the monkey horde to send their master realm warriors to intercept him. 

The second step began when the crossbowmen on the boats opened fire, raining arrows onto the monkeys attacking the gathering strength realm warriors, killing or wounding them. The sight of their comrades falling provoked more monkeys to emerge from the forest. At this point, the master realm warriors on the boats would join the battle, some of them moving to support the old man and free him to enter the forest and create chaos. The plan was built on their detailed knowledge of the water monkey tribe's strength—one first-rank monster, ten master realm monkeys, and over 150 gathering strength realm monkeys. The strategy aimed to draw out the tribe's leader, a first-rank water monkey. If the leader appeared before the plan's final stages, they would have already succeeded.

Rain stepped onto the river, his aura surging forward to meet the powerful presence emanating from the forest. The collision of their auras created a heavy pressure that halted the battle, forcing both monkeys and warriors to pull back. From this point on, the outcome hinged solely on this confrontation.

A thunderous roar erupted as a massive water monkey leaped out of the forest, landing on the river in front of Rain and sending water splashing in all directions. 

The monkey stood motionless for a moment, its dark eyes locked on Rain, who studied it in return. Though it was similar in height and size to the master monkeys, the creature's distinct dark blue markings on its light blue skin and its noticeably bulkier arms set it apart. Unlike the master monkeys wielding human-forged metal weapons, this one carried no weapon, which led Rain to suspect it fought purely with its natural strength and skill.

With a deafening roar, the monkey lunged forward, raising its massive palm to strike down on Rain. Noting that his opponent fought barehanded, Rain chose not to draw his sword and instead engaged with the palm techniques he had been practicing. As their battle unfolded, Rain quickly noticed that the monkey's movements were precise, as if it, too, had mastered a palm technique. Realizing this, he felt a rush of shock—it was more skilled than he had anticipated. 

Although Rain was being pressed back and felt the strain of the powerful onslaught, he managed to hold his ground. His own hard and soft palm techniques, honed to proficiency, enabled him to block and counter effectively, preventing the monkey from completely overpowering him.

On the boat, Xue Lin cast a nervous glance at the old man now standing beside her. The old man's eyes narrowed as he observed the intense battle. "The Grandmaster is being suppressed by the monkey," he noted, concern clear in his voice.

Xue Lin shook her head slightly. "It doesn't matter. The Grandmaster's main weapon is his sword. Right now, he's using the monkey as a whetstone to sharpen his palm fighting skills."

The old man's brow furrowed in surprise. "Really? But just yesterday, he only purchased palm techniques from us and the payment for this mission is also a top rank palm technique."

Xue Lin's expression turned serious. "After the Grandmaster left, I sent our men to gather more information about him. His true name is not Rain but Yun Ting. He bought that house from Xie Yu, a seventh-rank military official, for just 100 gold coins when it was worth 1,000."

The old man's eyes widened slightly. "He forced Xie Yu to sell by threatening him?"

Xue Lin shook her head. "No. Behind the house is a depleted iron mine where zombies have started to emerge. Xie Yu, afraid of the undead, sold the house. But Yun Ting, a Grandmaster unafraid of such dangers, bought it."

The old man nodded and turned his gaze back to the fight. "The Grandmaster's palm skills are improving rapidly." Just moments ago, Rain had been suppressed by the monkey, but now the battle was at a stalemate.

Rain, locked in combat with the powerful monkey, felt the pressure ease as he successfully merged the hard and soft power within his palm techniques. With a sharp slap, he forced the monkey to step back. Seizing the opportunity, Rain drew his sword, deciding to end the fight now that his palm skills had reached their limit for improvement. 

Within moments, Rain struck the monkey a dozen times, each blow precise and deadly. The monkey, bleeding from numerous cuts, struggled to stay upright. This shift was possible because Rain's palm skills had surpassed those of the creature, and his soul chip had gathered ample data on its fighting patterns, allowing him to predict its moves in advance.

As Rain prepared to deliver the final blow, Xue Lin called out, "Wait, Grandmaster!" He paused and turned to see Xue Lin stepping onto the river's surface, with the old man following close behind. Rain kept a wary eye on the wounded monkey, waiting for them to approach.

As Xue Lin came to stand beside him, Rain asked, "Why did you stop me?"

Xue Lin replied, "I want to subdue the monkey."

Rain was momentarily puzzled by how she planned to subdue it, but he chose not to question her, aware of his limited understanding of this world's complexities. He simply nodded and watched as Xue Lin took out a black rectangular paper with red markings on it. She pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the paper, muttering words in a language Rain did not understand. The red markings on the paper began to glow, and Rain felt an unfamiliar power emanating from it.

His mind echoed with the thought, *Immortal method*. The realization struck him—Xue Lin was an immortal practitioner. It explained why, when he first encountered her in the Golden Treasure House, her true energy felt misty and ethereal rather than solid. Now, it made sense. Although the first realm for both warriors and immortals was called the Gathering Strength realm, their methods of cultivation were different.

Xue Lin directed the paper toward the monkey. It floated and adhered to the creature's forehead. The monkey struggled, trying to move away, but the power of the paper immobilized it. The paper landed firmly on its forehead and, after a few seconds, burst into flames, leaving behind a glowing red mark before the monkey fell unconscious.

Rain looked at her and stated, "You are an immortal."