As the first session of qi training concluded, I made my way back into my room to retire for the night.

While I was walking, I had realized that my entire body was overflowing with power; I felt like I could punch straight through a wall with relative ease.

I absentmindedly strolled through the forest never straying from the path. I remembered my masters words about the beasts so I needed his warning and remained on high alert.

I was around 100 meters from the outpost when I sensed a wild killing intent blocking my path; I heard rustling and the trees seemed to be moving.

A wild beast whistled past me and appeared 10 steps ahead glaring menacingly.

"Fuck" I muttered. Why has my luck been so shit from the moment I got here. I thought inwardly, as I got into a basic fighting stance. I prepared myself for a clash. Is someone doing this on purpose?

While I readied myself for my first fight the strange beast, that looked like a cross between a badger and a mole, made the first move.

With a stomp of it's tail, it cleared 10 feet effortlessly and twisted it's torso in preparation to hit me with the flat of its tail.

I preempted this strike. With a drop of my shoulder,  I shifted the weight to my right foot and slipped the tail while simultaneously generating power Into my thigh. I twisted my leg and my shoulder followed through allowing all the momentum to travel to my fist.

The strike landed cleanly and hit the badgermole square in it's temple. However, this punch was futile.

The beast staggered one step back before finding it's center of gravity and readying itself for the next attack.

I looked at it dumbfounded, how had it managed to not take any damage? Until I heard a familiar voice shout instructions. I listened carefully while dodging and weaving, not attacking until I grasped what he was talking about.

"Boy, your body is strong but this is not earth. You are currently fighting a Rank 1 beast while you are unranked. Do you think a normal punch will harm it? Naïve. Circulate qi into your fists and deliver a decisive blow to its throat, twist your body then strike its temple with your right foot then clasp your hands behind its head and deliver a powerful strike with your knee to its solar plexus."

'Of course! What was I thinking this is not earth.' I internalized my epiphany and readied myself to execute what my master had told me.

I used Moon God's Mantra and circulated qi throughout my body gathering it to my fist. The badger had been constantly attacking and my stamina was depleting, I had to finish this fast.

I slipped another tail attack, focused the qi to my fist and struck the beast in its throat with all my strength.

"HAH!"

The moment it connected, it felt different from last time; I felt its throat get crushed under the pressure of my strike.

'Success!' I screamed in my head. I gave it no time to rest, I gathered qi into my right leg and delivered a skull crushing blow to its temple.

I felt powerful, in control; something deep within was being unlocked. I grabbed the back of its head and brought a terrifyingly strong knee toward it's solar plexus.

My knee glowed faint red from all the qi I gathered.

"BOOM!"

A small shockwave resounded the empty forest and then silence. The forest seemed to have paused after the fight had been concluded.

Shiroi stared at his student, his face curved into a crescent and a small smiled adorned his face.

'An unranked besting a Rank 1 beast in mortal combat? No one will believe me. I knew if I tested him he would show results.' Shiroi's smile grew wider.

Shoto looked at the lifeless corpse of its opponent with a terrifying smile on his face. He felt strangely comfortable, like the battlefield was were he belonged. He urges for more fighting.

"CLAP...CLAP...CLAP"

"Excellent, just excellent. As expected of my disciple. Are you not going to take your spoils of war?" Shiroi punched through the badgermole's solar plexus and brought out a shiny spherical core.

"This was your opponents inner core and you can consume this and absorb it's qi. Enjoy." He then threw me the inner core and disappeared.

Once I made it back to my room, I sat on my bed in the lotus meditation position, swallowed the inner core and started Moon God's Mantra completely absorbing the whole core. I was one step closer to Rank 1.

I shut my eyes laid down and shortly after, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.