My Arts Evolve When Perfected

How tragic.

"Are there no Settlements nearby? Never mind. It looks like you don't know anything. Come here, let's test our strength."

Jiang Qiu understood. The Bear Demon before him was simply too shortsighted. Perhaps he had inherited some crucial information through his bloodline, but he either didn't know what it was or it hadn't been awakened yet.

Therefore, it would be better to explore on his own.

However, before he could explore, he had to confirm just how powerful he was. If he was too weak, wouldn't heading out just be suicide?

He could sense that his own body wasn't bad. No, not bad at all—perhaps even stronger than he imagined. But he wasn't sure how it compared to the Bear Demon's.

Having lost the Perception Power of his Half-Step Unity Realm, his judgment was naturally not what it used to be. He couldn't tell the Bear Demon's exact strength with just a glance.

Of course, he had no doubt he could thrash the demon with ease. This was simply instinct—or perhaps the confidence that came with his current Dragon Race bloodline.

And so, Xiong Batian obediently walked over, his body trembling slightly. He still hadn't figured out what was happening. The closer he got, the smaller Jiang Qiu seemed—like a little mouse that could be crushed with a single squeeze. Yet, the bear bowed his head even lower. A sense of terror was skyrocketing within him, and his heart pounded like never before!

The pressure was immense. It felt like something ominous was about to happen.

CLACK. Jiang Qiu grabbed for his ankle. To be precise, he couldn't actually grip it; he could only touch a tiny bit of fur. But his hand seemed to be imbued with a strange, ethereal power. A surge of Strength locked onto Xiong Batian's ankle.

In that instant, Xiong Batian's expression froze. A colossal force shot up from his foot, and he felt his massive, tens-of-tons body become as light as a feather. And the one holding this "feather" was just a hatchling, with a hand so small it shouldn't have even been able to wrap around his ankle.

BANG—

BOOM!

A loud whoosh ripped through the air. Xiong Batian's body became a massive black shadow as he was flung away, crashing explosively against the trunk of an ancient tree.

The ancient tree, over a hundred meters tall, trembled slightly, and a few leaves drifted down. Xiong Batian couldn't help but let out a low roar, hugging his body as he shivered uncontrollably. "ROAR—"

It hurt so damn much. He felt like his organs were about to explode. The power of that throw... it was as if he were facing the Dominator he once feared the most!

Every region has its Dominator. There used to be one in this area—the very being he feared most. All creatures within a few hundred li had to pay him tribute, and in return, they were spared from the encroachments of creatures from other territories.

After all, there was more than one Dominator in the Primitive Ancient Forest. Any being with Dominator Level strength was the strongest in their territory and could easily control the lesser members of the Demon Race.

But that Dominator had been torn to shreds by the Demons from the outside. That was the first time Xiong Batian had ever encountered the outside Demons. Just a distant glance had made his very Soul tremble.

It was after that incident that the creatures from the outside began to pour in. Not being particularly powerful himself, Xiong Batian had his territory seized and was forced into his current miserable life.

Life was just this difficult without a Dominator's protection.

Fortunately, though he wasn't very strong, he wasn't so weak as to be helpless either. Yes, he still had some power. If anyone dared to push him to his death, they would surely pay a heavy price. And so, he had managed to hold on to a piece of territory after all!

But now, facing Jiang Qiu, he felt as insignificant as an ant. Even if he fought to the death, he knew he would be no match for him.

Moreover, he suspected that this being was from the High Heavens, which meant his origins were even more formidable. He was someone who absolutely could not be offended.

It was said that even a being from the Second Celestial Realm, upon descending, would be a supreme existence. All life within the First Celestial Realm would have to kneel. Unless the being permitted it, no one would dare to stand while speaking to them. Plus, they all arrived via Yukong, which was terrifying!

Under such circumstances, Xiong Batian, now being used as a strength-measuring unit, didn't dare to voice his anger. He forcefully suppressed his agony, nearly bursting into tears. 'He's too powerful!'

A casual toss possessed Dominator Level power. Was this really a normal hatchling?

He was just born! I watched him hatch with my own two eyes!

A being from the High Heavens was just that much stronger than those from the First Celestial Realm. A newborn hatchling could crush a powerful member of the Demon Race who had cultivated for decades, or even centuries!

"Hmm, not bad. My strength is decent," Jiang Qiu murmured, shaking his wrist. "What's your power level like? How do you rank in this area? Who do you know that's stronger than you, and how are the strength Realms divided here?"

He could now tell that his strength far surpassed Xiong Batian's. He could probably even dominate a small area. After all, while the Bear Demon seemed weak, he had no problem establishing himself here, which meant he couldn't be a complete pushover.

"I'd say my strength is barely in the lower-middle tier. I do have a small territory, after all," Xiong Batian said without daring to delay, spilling everything he knew through the pain. "Many who have awakened their intelligence but have no territory are the lowest tier. They can only wander and fight for limited resources in unclaimed lands.

"As for those who haven't awakened their intelligence, they're just Food. Lots and lots of them. For instance, I love eating primitive rats; they're practically my main source of sustenance."

"Above me, aside from the Demon Race members from large territories, are the local Dominators. The previous Dominator is dead, so this area doesn't have one right now. They're all fighting for the position..."

Hearing this, Jiang Qiu understood. "So, there are Dominators here. How do I compare to one?"

"The previous one?" Xiong Batian swallowed hard. "You are a being from the High Heavens. How would he dare to fight you? In terms of strength alone, you're already his equal, not to mention the bloodline suppression."

"My strength is already his equal?" Jiang Qiu raised an eyebrow. He actually hadn't used his full power at all, just a tiny bit of it. After all, if he had really gone all out, the bear wouldn't have just been sent flying—his leg would have snapped. 'That's acceptable, then.'

In other words, from Xiong Batian's perspective, the strength he had just displayed was comparable to the previous Dominator's. Add in the bloodline suppression, and he could crush them with ease.

This simplified things. His own power should be above that of a Dominator, or at least on par with a stronger one. At this level, what was to stop him from capturing a few creatures who truly understood this world?

At this thought, Jiang Qiu's path became clear. He glanced at Xiong Batian and fell silent for a moment. "Do you have any enemies? I threw you around a bit, so how about I help you get some revenge as compensation."

There should be rules for doing things, and everyone has their own code. Jiang Qiu was not some brutish, uncivilized person. Since he had injured the bear, he ought to offer some form of payment.

And in this case, payment meant revenge.

For a creature like Xiong Batian, living in the Primitive Ancient Forest, it would be strange if he hadn't had conflicts with other beings.

If he hadn't been in any fights, would he look so cowardly?

If he hadn't recognized his own place and thought he was the local Dominator, he might have tried to intimidate Jiang Qiu instead of immediately prostrating himself and begging for mercy.

Therefore, he had definitely been beaten up before and knew his own strength was nothing special.

This was just Jiang Qiu's guess. His main goal was to see if the bear actually wanted revenge. If not, he could just help him get some prey as payment.

In any case, the priority was to understand this world and to probe the strength of other creatures step by step—especially those "Demons" from the outside. Just how powerful were they?

When Xiong Batian heard that Jiang Qiu would help him get revenge, his eyes lit up. "Sir, are you really going to help me get revenge? Really? I... I actually used to have a pretty large territory, but..."