The silence after the first wave did not feel like peace.
It felt like a pause before judgment.
Jiang Chen stood at the front of the group, breathing steady but controlled. The Origin Thread within him had not fully faded it lingered faintly, like a wound that had not yet closed.
Zhou Yan's gaze remained fixed ahead.
"…It's coming," he said quietly.
Han Wei rolled his shoulders. "Good. I was getting bored."
Chen Yu exhaled. "Yeah… that first wave was too easy."
Lin Xue did not relax. Her frost energy remained subtly active, spreading just enough to stabilize the ground beneath them.
Jiang Chen did not speak.
Because he felt it too.
Something deeper in the forest had shifted.
The atmosphere had changed.
Heavier.
Slower.
As if the realm itself was holding its breath.
A moment later
The forest bent.
Not physically breaking.
But warping.
A pressure descended that made the surrounding spiritual energy tremble.
Chen Yu's expression changed instantly. "…That's not Spirit Gathering Realm pressure anymore."
Han Wei's grin faded slightly. "Finally."
Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed. "Everyone, prepare."
Lin Xue's frost expanded slightly. "…Core level."
Jiang Chen's gaze sharpened.
He didn't release his aura.
But he allowed a trace of it to surface.
Just enough.
The system flickered faintly.
---
**[Target Detected]**
**[Unknown Entity: Core Formation Realm (Early)]**
**[Threat Level: High]**
---
Jiang Chen exhaled slowly.
"…So it's here."
The trees ahead parted.
Not broken.
Not destroyed.
Simply pushed aside by sheer pressure.
And then
It appeared.
A massive beast stepped into view.
Its body was covered in dark stone-like scales, each one etched with faint glowing patterns. Its eyes burned with dull red light, and every step it took made the ground sink slightly beneath its weight.
The air around it distorted.
Spiritual energy was being compressed simply by its presence.
Even without attacking
It was dominating the space.
Chen Yu swallowed slightly. "…That's definitely Core Formation Realm."
Han Wei clicked his tongue. "Early stage, but still annoying."
Lin Xue's eyes sharpened. "Don't underestimate it. Its aura is stable."
Zhou Yan spoke calmly. "Formation breaks if we misstep. Maintain spacing."
Jiang Chen stepped forward slightly.
The Origin Thread stirred more strongly now.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Recognition.
---
The beast locked eyes with Jiang Chen.
And in that instant
It moved.
Too fast.
The ground cracked as it lunged forward, massive claws tearing through the air.
Chen Yu reacted instantly. "Left!"
Han Wei surged forward to intercept.
BOOM!
The collision sent a shockwave through the battlefield.
Han Wei was pushed back several steps.
"…Strong," he muttered.
Lin Xue immediately reinforced the ground with frost barriers, slowing the beast's movement slightly.
Zhou Yan shouted, "Rotate pressure! Don't let it build momentum!"
But the beast adapted quickly.
It twisted mid-motion and struck again.
The frost barrier shattered instantly.
Lin Xue's expression tightened. "…It's adapting."
---
Jiang Chen moved.
Not rushing.
Not panicking.
Stepping into position.
He raised his hand.
Golden qi gathered.
But this time
He did not attempt full pseudo-domain expansion.
Instead
He compressed it.
Even further than before.
The Origin Thread tightened around his perception like a blade being refined.
"…Threaded Convergence," he said quietly.
---
He struck.
BOOM!
The attack landed on the beast's side.
But
It did not cut cleanly.
The beast only staggered slightly.
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed.
"…Defense layer."
The scales were absorbing force.
Dissipating energy.
Zhou Yan noticed immediately. "Its outer defense is reinforced. Don't rely on single strikes."
Han Wei gritted his teeth. "Then we break it together!"
Chen Yu nodded. "I'll open its flank!"
Lin Xue reinforced her frost again. "I'll restrict its movement!"
The team moved in coordination again.
But the beast was no longer passive.
It roared.
And the pressure exploded outward.
BOOM
A wave of spiritual force pushed everyone back.
Chen Yu was forced to brace. "Tch this thing is serious!"
Han Wei slid back several steps. "Yeah… this is more like it."
Lin Xue stabilized herself, frost cracking under pressure.
Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes. "It's trying to establish dominance through aura suppression."
Jiang Chen remained standing.
Barely.
But standing.
His eyes sharpened further.
"…So that's how you fight."
He stepped forward again.
This time
He didn't extend his pseudo-domain.
He refined it.
Focused it into a narrow zone around the beast's movement path.
Not full control.
Not full influence.
Just interference.
---
The Origin Thread reacted.
And the beast's movement
Slowed.
Barely.
But enough.
Chen Yu noticed instantly. "It's slowing down!"
Lin Xue followed up immediately. "Now!"
Han Wei surged forward with full force.
Zhou Yan directed the timing. "Strike its left side now!"
BOOM!
Han Wei's fist landed hard against the beast's flank.
Cracks appeared in the stone-like scales.
The beast roared in pain.
But instead of retreating
Its aura intensified.
The pressure spiked again.
Chen Yu's expression changed. "It's getting stronger?!"
Zhou Yan's voice became serious. "…It's entering rage amplification."
Lin Xue's frost struggled to maintain suppression. "Its energy output is rising too fast!"
Jiang Chen's gaze sharpened.
This was no longer a simple obstacle.
It was evolving mid-battle.
The system flickered again.
---
**[Warning]**
**[Enemy Adaptation Detected]**
**[Combat Efficiency Decreasing]**
---
Jiang Chen exhaled slowly.
"…Then we finish it quickly."
His Origin Thread tightened.
For a moment
The space around the beast shifted again.
Not fully a domain.
Not fully stable.
But enough to create one certainty:
Its next movement would be predictable.
Jiang Chen moved.
"Now."
The team followed instantly.
Everything converged.
---
And for the first time
The beast hesitated.
Just a fraction of a second.
But that was enough.