With a crack of his knuckles, Jin Yu stepped forward, but then—

  GROWL!

  A deep, guttural sound thundered from behind the wolves.

  Ding!

  Influence +10,000

  Influence +10,000

  Influence +10,000

  Influence +10,000

  (Emotion Provoked: Killing Intent)

  The smaller wolves immediately backed off, parting in deference as something far more dangerous emerged from their ranks.

  A massive Wolf stepped forward.

  Twice the size of the others, its towering form nearly reaching Jin Yu’s shoulder.

  It was lean, but packed with tight, sinewy muscle. Each step landed with a subtle thud, like a silent drum announcing its presence.

  Its movement was graceful, almost feline in its predatory elegance.

  It looked calm, yet brimmed with coiled violence. A single twitch, and it would pounce.

  Its cold, piercing eyes was emerald green, locking onto Jin Yu with unsettling intensity.

  Jin Yu’s breath caught. The moment their gazes met, he froze.

  Is that…?!

  They stared at each other, a silent battle of will passing between them.

  The other wolves growled, feral and restless—

  But this one stood still.

  Calm. Proud. Unbothered.

  It didn’t see Jin Yu as prey.

  It saw him as a rival.

  "You’re... intelligent?"

  Jin Yu narrowed his eyes, studying it carefully. The difference was clear.

  Where the others looked hungry and savage, this one exuded awareness. Confidence. A sense of superiority.

  It didn’t answer, of course. But it didn’t need to.

  Its gaze said enough.

  Ding!

  Influence+10,000

  (Emotion provoked: Challenge)

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  The big Wolf took another step forward. The ground beneath Jin Yu’s feet trembled subtly from it's presence.

  Jin Yu lips curled into a grin.

  "So you're challenging me?"

  GROWL.

  Its lips peeled back slightly, exposing long, ivory fangs.

  Ding!

  Influence +5,000 (Amusement)

  Influence +10,000 (Provocation)

  Jin Yu’s eyes widened for a second.

  "...You’re amused?"

  He took a step forward.

  "Then let’s make this fun."

  His aura flared instinctively, as if responding to the challenge.

  The air grew heavier. The wolves behind their leader whimpered, some crouching down, others retreating further into the trees.

  But the green-eyed Wolf didn’t flinch.

  Instead, it lowered its body slightly, shoulders tense, paws digging into the earth.

  Ready to strike.

  "So it’s a duel, huh?" Jin Yu whispered, his voice calm but charged with anticipation.

  Ding!

  Influence +15,000 (Hostile aura)

  The Wolf lunged.

  A blur of motion, with feral grace and explosive power.

  Jin Yu dodged sideways, barely avoiding the first swipe.

  Boom!

  The ground behind him shattered from the force of the Wolf’s claws. Debris flew.

  Jin Yu didn’t hesitate, he spun, gathering Qi into his palm and slammed a palm strike toward the Wolf’s exposed flank.

  But it twisted midair with an unnatural flexibility and landed on all fours, unscathed.

  It was fast. Too fast.

  Jin Yu’s grin widened.

  "This is going to be interesting."

  The Wolf circled him, low and silent, its green eyes never breaking contact.

  Jin Yu’s chest rose slowly with each breath, his fingers flexing at his sides, feeling the pulse of energy coursing through him. This wasn’t a mindless beast, it was a predator, tactical and sharp. Every move had weight.

  Another lunge.

  Jin Yu met it head-on this time.

  Their bodies clashed with a thunderous shockwave. Jin Yu’s forearm blocked the Wolf’s strike, but the force sent him skidding backward, carving lines into the dirt with his heels.

  Blood welled along his arm where its claws grazed him, but he didn’t retreat.

  Instead, his body pulsed with a faint Golden light, almost unseen.

  The Wolf charged again.

  This time, Jin Yu’s foot twisted ever so slightly, then he vanished.

  Appearing just above the Wolf’s back, he struck down with a vicious palm, the blow bursting with unnatural pressure.

  Crack!

  The wolf collapsed to its knees for the first time.

  It snarled and twisted around to bite but Jin Yu was already gone.

  He reappeared behind it, his movements faster than before, smoother, his Nascent Soul aura flaring dominantly

  Each strike came not just with strength, but with intent.

  Every motion of his was laced with precise and refined Energy .

  The ground darkened beneath his feet as strange sigils faintly shimmered in his wake, too quick to see clearly, like ripples over water. The air around him seemed to bend.

  The wolf howled, pouncing again in Fury. Jin Yu welcomed it.

  They clashed again—

  A blur of motion, a storm of claw and palm, fangs and fists.

  This time, Jin Yu began controlling the rhythm.

  He weaved between strikes with sudden shifts, phasing before the wolf could even finish its motion. His hand lashed out, fingertips glowing faintly as he brushed the side of the beast’s neck.

  A pulse.

  A disruption.

  The wolf stumbled mid-lunge, just for a split-second, but it was enough.

  Jin Yu twisted low, swept its legs with a coiling kick, then slammed both palms into its ribs as it fell. The ground beneath cracked.

  The Wolf howled in pain and scrambled back.

  Its green eyes weren’t as cold now, they were wild and uncertain.

  Jin Yu exhaled slowly, and the energy around him condensed, drawn inward like a tide.

  “Not so arrogant now, are you?” he murmured.

  Ding!

  Influence +20,000

  Emotion Provoked: (Wariness)

  The Wolf backed up a few paces, pacing again, as if reevaluating him.

  Its chest heaved. One of its legs trembled slightly, it was favoring its left side.

  "AWOOOOOO!"

  A guttural howl echoed from deep within the wolf’s chest.

  Then Its fur bristled. Muscles tensed.

  It regained it's balance, roared and charged, not with grace this time, but raw Fury.

  Gone was its calculated elegance, now it fought like a cornered beast, desperate and wild.

  Jin Yu didn’t flinch.

  The Wolf pounced, jaws wide, aiming straight for his throat.

  But Jin Yu’s body vanished again—

  A blur, a flicker of light, he reappeared above, twisting mid-air.

  Boom!

  His heel crashed down onto the wolf’s skull, sending it sprawling.

  Before it could rise, Jin Yu descended like a storm, his fists a flurry.

  One blow to the ribs—Crack!

  Another to the shoulder—Thud!

  A backhand laced with a cutting wave of pressure split the air—Smack!

  The Wolf yelped, blood spraying from its mouth.

  It twisted, trying to rise

  Too slow.

  Jin Yu seized its scruff and slammed it into the ground

  BAM!

  Once.

  BAM!

  Twice.

  The forest floor quaked with every impact.

  The lesser wolves had long since retreated, eyes wide in terrified silence. Not one dared move.

  The great wolf tried to struggle, but its strength was fading.

  Jin Yu grabbed it by the jaw, forcing it to look him in the eyes.

  “You challenged me,” he whispered coldly. “Now you kneel.”

  And with a final strike, his palm glowed faintly, he drove it into the wolf’s chest.

  Thud.

  The beast collapsed, groaning, barely conscious. Its proud green eyes now dulled with defeat.

  Silence fell.

  Then—

  Ding!

  Dominance Point +1

  (Alpha recognized. Submission confirmed.)