Chapter Thirty-Two: Contest in the Forest

At the sound of Xu Kang's low shout, his body soared into the air and underwent a startling transformation, becoming a giant eagle with jet-black feathers and a wingspan exceeding two meters!

The eagle was magnificent, its wings strong and graceful—but, alas, as a fledgling pilot making his maiden flight, Xu Kang’s flying skills were sorely lacking.

He had barely flown a short distance before he crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, rolling a dozen meters and leaving a trail of scattered feathers. Dazed and bewildered, he sat up, utterly at a loss.

What’s going on? Why am I here? What just happened?

He remained in a stupor for over a minute, until a sharp pain from his wounds jolted him back to his senses. Hastily, he cast a healing spell on himself and dismissed his eagle form.

There was no helping it—his emergency landing had left his plumage in tatters. Even healing magic couldn’t fix it immediately; only time and rest would restore him. Flight was out of the question for now, and there was little point in remaining an eagle. It was better to change forms altogether.

“Sigh, gravity is no easy foe to conquer. I’ll have to practice much more in the future. Let’s just call this a rehearsal... Now, let’s try another rehearsal!”

Taking a deep breath, he lunged forward with a decisive motion.

“Beast Transformation—Tiger Form!”

At his low command, his body shifted once more. When he landed, he had become a magnificent tiger, its striped form stretching over three meters in length!

With a thunderous roar, Xu Kang—now a tiger—lifted his head in exhilaration, then darted into the forest like a gust of wind, sending a flurry of startled birds into the night sky.

Even the crickets, which had been serenading the darkness, fell silent, cowed by the tiger’s might.

But at this moment, Xu Kang had no mind for such things. All his focus was trained on mastering control over his new body.

Transformed into a tiger, he essentially had to adapt to an entirely new form. While control over one’s body is instinctive, it still requires a period of adjustment.

It was like a child learning to walk—no one is born running.

Xu Kang’s predicament was very much the same. Just as with his eagle transformation, he had to reacquaint himself with every aspect of his tiger form: running, dodging, swiping, pouncing, biting, lashing out with his tail... In short, every combat skill a tiger possesses, he needed to master as quickly as possible.

Who knew when he might need them?

Fortunately, these battle instincts seemed etched into his mind. By following their templates, he rapidly picked up the tiger’s fighting techniques. While he wasn’t yet a true master, he could now roam the mountains and forests with ease.

Exhilarated, he let out another resounding roar.

“From this day forward, I rule this forest! Roar!”

His bellow shattered the nighttime silence, rousing the entire woodland. Animal cries echoed one after another, interwoven with the sounds of frantic flight and scurrying feet.

The tiger’s roar reigned over the forest—so terrifying, so absolute.

Just as Xu Kang was basking in his newfound dominance, a colossal figure suddenly entered his line of sight, uttering a series of threatening grunts.

“Huff... snort...”

It was not another tiger or a bear, but a wild boar.

Yet this was no ordinary boar. Judging from its massive body and shoulders nearly a meter and a half high, it weighed at least five hundred kilograms!

Clearly, this was a fearsome beast.

As for Xu Kang in his tiger form, he was strong and well-built, with sharp claws and fangs, but weighed only a little over three hundred kilograms—more than a hundred kilos lighter than the boar before him.

It was easy to imagine who would have the advantage if the two collided. Xu Kang would clearly be at a disadvantage in terms of sheer mass.

But retreating now was not an option—not only would it be a blow to his pride, but he had already set his sights on this massive boar.

“Damn it, this boar is huge—the yield must be over fifty percent! If I can bring it down, my men will have meat for tomorrow. No point hesitating—let’s take it! Roar!”

Having made up his mind, he unleashed another mighty roar and pounced at the enormous boar, striking at its eyes with his claws.

“Blind it first, then wear it down with my agility!”

It was a sound strategy, but Xu Kang had overestimated his own agility and underestimated the boar’s cunning.

The moment his claws slashed down, the boar did not retreat but instead surged forward, avoiding its vulnerable eyes and presenting its forehead to take the brunt of the attack.

Bang!

Xu Kang’s claws raked across the boar’s skull, but even his sharp talons could not pierce its tough hide.

He realized at once: “I remember from wildlife documentaries that boars often wallow in mud and rub against tree bark, gradually forming an armor of earth and resin over their bodies. I need to aim for its eyes or underbelly!”

With this in mind, he switched tactics and launched a classic “Black Tiger Steals the Heart,” striking straight for the boar’s abdomen.

If he landed this blow, even if he couldn’t disembowel the beast, he would at least make it bleed profusely.

His plan was sound, but he hadn’t anticipated the boar’s foresight. It twisted away deftly, dodging his attack, then lunged with its gaping maw for his leg!

“What a cunning brute!” Xu Kang gasped, startled by the turn of events.

Despite his shock, he reacted swiftly, leaping clear of the boar’s snapping jaws and preparing to counterattack.

Yet as he raised his claws, he realized the massive boar had already retreated a dozen meters.

He thought it might be fleeing and prepared to give chase, but the boar suddenly wheeled around, lowered its head, and angled its tusks menacingly.

Seeing this, Xu Kang’s expression changed dramatically.

“Damn it, it’s going to charge!”

A wild boar weighing over five hundred kilograms, accelerating over a dozen meters—what kind of impact force would that generate? Xu Kang didn’t know, nor did he wish to find out firsthand, so he quickly dodged aside and took cover behind a thick-trunked tree.

No sooner had he taken shelter than the boar crashed headlong into the tree.

Crash—crack!

With a deafening sound, the tree—thick as a barrel—was snapped in two by the boar’s charge!

Had he not dodged in time, Xu Kang would have been crushed beneath the falling trunk.

What terrifying strength!

Xu Kang was stunned. At that moment, he realized that, in his current state, he was no match for this boar.

Without hesitation, he abandoned the hopeless fight, swiftly retrieving a sweet-smelling loaf of bread from his dimensional pack and tossing it at the boar.

“Hey, Bajie, look—bread!”

The wild boar: “(⊙o⊙)…”