After entering the Secret Realm, Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing didn’t linger at the entrance, instead heading straight for the depths of the realm.

According to the map, the Spirit Beast Ye Qingchen chose to hunt was the Boulder Demon Ape, whose strength was comparable to a human at the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Martial King Realm. His Willow Wood Martial Soul naturally countered the Boulder Demon Ape’s Earth Attribute. In addition, despite its extremely high defensive power, this type of ape had relatively low attack power compared to other Spirit Beasts of the same level. Its body was also massive, making its movements comparatively slow. Since both Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing had mastered the top-tier movement technique, Fire Spirit Charm Shadow, they could easily dodge the ape’s attacks.

After weighing the options, the Boulder Demon Ape was undoubtedly the most suitable Spirit Beast for accumulating points.

Zi Xing fully agreed with Ye Qingchen’s judgment. Furthermore, the Boulder Demon Ape’s territory was close to the core area of the Secret Realm. This meant that after accumulating enough points, they could attempt to venture into the core region for further challenges.

Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing traveled at full speed using Fire Spirit Charm Shadow, taking care to avoid the territories of other Spirit Beasts. As a result, it only took them half a day to approach the Boulder Demon Ape’s territory.

"Sister Zi Xing, although the Boulder Demon Ape is a solitary Spirit Beast, we can’t rule out the possibility of them living in groups within this Secret Realm," Ye Qingchen said, slowing his pace as they neared the creature’s domain. "After all, the available territory here is greatly compressed, so many Spirit Beasts have chosen to live in groups to survive. We should be cautious."

Zi Xing nodded. This information wasn’t on the map, but she had also noticed that some normally solitary Spirit Beasts were appearing in groups along the way. She initially thought Ye Qingchen was only focused on rushing ahead, so she was surprised he had noticed this detail as well.

After reminding Zi Xing, Ye Qingchen activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul and cautiously approached the Boulder Demon Ape’s territory. Although the map contained information about the Boulder Demon Ape, Ye Qingchen trusted what he could see with his own eyes more and wouldn’t act rashly. Besides, this was their first battle since entering the Secret Realm, and he hoped for a victory to kick things off.

Soon, Ye Qingchen detected the Boulder Demon Ape’s aura. After a brief investigation, he confirmed that within a ten-mile radius, there was only this single Boulder Demon Ape.

Ye Qingchen gestured to Zi Xing and whispered, "Sister Zi Xing, there should be a Boulder Demon Ape ahead with strength comparable to the peak of the Martial King Realm. I’ll engage it first. You look for an opportunity to attack."

Zi Xing looked at him in surprise, as her own senses had not detected the Boulder Demon Ape at all. This was puzzling; she had already broken through to the peak of the Martial King Realm, meaning her Divine Sense had reached the absolute limit for that stage. Of course, she knew Ye Qingchen wasn’t joking, which could only mean one thing: his Divine Sense had already surpassed her own.

But how is that possible? He’s only at the fourth layer of the Martial King Realm, yet his Divine Sense has surpassed mine at the peak. When he reaches the peak of the Martial King Realm, just how formidable will his Divine Sense become?

What Zi Xing didn’t know was that as a Sixth-Rank Pill King, Ye Qingchen’s Divine Sense was inherently over ten times stronger than that of other Martial Artists at the same level. Aided by his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, the strength of his Divine Sense alone could likely rival that of low-level Martial Emperor Realm cultivators.

The two advanced a few more miles and finally saw a Boulder Demon Ape covered head to toe in gleaming Rock Armor. The ape was just over two meters tall, making it rather small compared to other ferocious beasts. However, its brilliant Rock Armor left no doubt as to the tremendous Energy contained within its body.

After giving Zi Xing a meaningful glance, Ye Qingchen charged toward the Boulder Demon Ape.

The Boulder Demon Ape had been absorbing nature’s spiritual energy when humans suddenly intruded upon its territory. It looked upon the approaching human—a mere Martial Artist at the fourth layer of the Martial King Realm—with eyes full of disdain.

Ye Qingchen raised his Double Pupil Sword and directly unleashed the Wind Blade Sword Technique, slashing at the Boulder Demon Ape!

WHOOSH!

The wind blade tore through the air with a piercing shriek as it chopped fiercely toward the Boulder Demon Ape. The creature simply raised its arm to block the strike.

BANG!

With a loud crash, only a shallow sword mark appeared on the ape’s heavily armored arm. The rebounding force knocked Ye Qingchen back three or four steps, while the Boulder Demon Ape only took a single step back before steadying itself.

This Boulder Demon Ape’s defensive power is as formidable as its reputation suggests. Even using the Wind Blade Sword Technique, I’m still at a disadvantage.

What Ye Qingchen didn’t realize, however, was that the Boulder Demon Ape was just as shocked. This little guy at the fourth layer of the Martial King Realm actually managed to break through my proud defense! Even experts at the peak of the Martial King Realm can’t always break it, yet he did.

The Boulder Demon Ape shed its contempt and began swinging its fists, launching an attack on Ye Qingchen. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Ye Qingchen continuously used Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to dodge the Boulder Demon Ape’s attacks, even managing to launch counterattacks in the brief openings. After a short bout, he had more or less figured out the creature’s strength. The information on the map about the Boulder Demon Ape had been very accurate.

The current situation was that with Ye Qingchen’s speed, the ape couldn’t lay a single finger on him. However, given the Boulder Demon Ape’s defensive power, it would take Ye Qingchen a considerable amount of time to defeat it.

To get the thousand points required for the Inner Sect Disciple assessment, this hunting speed is far too slow.

Ye Qingchen understood that since the ape’s entire body was covered in Rock Armor, he had to find its weak spot to end the battle quickly. This might be difficult for others, but for him, with his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, it wasn’t much of a challenge.

During their exchange, Ye Qingchen had noticed that the Boulder Demon Ape was always, whether intentionally or not, protecting the area on its back over its heart. Through his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, he observed that the flow of Spiritual Energy at that location was highly unnatural.

Clearly, that’s its weak spot.

However, the Boulder Demon Ape’s intelligence was already comparable to a human’s. It would certainly not expose its weakness to Ye Qingchen’s attacks. Every time Ye Qingchen tried to get behind it, the ape would promptly adjust its position to keep the spot on its back firmly protected.

"Sister Zi Xing, I’m going to launch a full-force attack. Seize the opportunity to strike the spot on its back over its heart. That’s its defensive weak point. To save time and increase our efficiency, try to make it a one-hit kill!"