As the first zombie, clad in tattered robes and bearing a skinless jaw, drew closer, I curled my hand into a fist and struck its chin with an uppercut.

At that moment, there was one thing I had forgotten. This body didn't possess the same physical prowess as the one in Vyoman and had never been struck or beaten enough to become hard as steel.

The punch I threw landed perfectly and split the zombie's jaw into two; however, my hand suffered an injury as well.

"Shit! That fucking hurts!" I shouted, stepping back while blowing on my reddened fist. "There's no way I can fight them without a weapon!"

In that situation, I did what every person with common sense would do.

I ran fast as fuck and climbed one of the towering trees at the entrance of the forest.

The zombies surrounded the tree and began digging their fingernails into the bark, trying to climb. But for these stupid monsters who couldn't even walk properly, climbing was a task far beyond their league.

"What should I do now?" I murmured, leaning against the bark as I sat on a high branch of the tree.

The zombie I had struck also rose again and joined the others in their futile attempt to reach me.

There was the option of leaving this place and returning with a weapon, but it would become problematic if someone discovered the gate's location in the meantime.

And the chance of another E-Rank gate appearing in a hidden place like this—and within the same day—was close to zero.

"Oh, should I try that!?" I snapped my fingers as a sudden plan came to mind.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I concentrated the Soulforce from my dantian into my fist.

A blazing energy, like a burning sun, materialized on my hand, and just from its appearance, the zombies beneath stepped backward as if they had seen their nemesis.

"Oh right, you must be feeling uncomfortable because of this life energy, since you're undead."

A smirk appeared on my face as I jumped, my blazing fist descending like a meteor.

The punch landed directly on the head of the central monster and released a small shockwave of destructive energy outward.

The moment my fist connected, the monster blasted into pieces like a meatball.

Ding…

"Yin energy +5"

"Yang energy -1"

"Congratulations! You have learned a new skill: Yang Blazing Fist

Description: Concentrates yang energy into the fist and releases destructive energy upon contact.

Highly effective against opponents with strong yin energy.

Cost: 1 yang energy"

"Sweet!" I murmured, rising to my feet.

With unnatural rattling sounds leaking from their mouths, the rest of the zombies leapt at me, treating me as their archenemy.

However, it didn't take much effort to deal with them now that I was aware of their weakness.

With a sudden jerk of my arm, the flames of condensed energy appeared once more, and this time, I launched my fist from the side, swiping all four remaining zombies in one smooth motion.

"Yin energy +20"

"Yang energy -1"

"Alert! You have only 3 Yang energy left. If it becomes 0, the balance between Yin and Yang will collapse, and you will suffer critical internal injuries."

"So you're telling me to defeat the rest of the monsters with just my physical strength!?" I demanded, obviously annoyed.

"The Host can use Soul Stones to absorb Soulforce. The male body of the Host will automatically convert the Soulforce into Yang energy."

"Hehehe~ now we are talking!"

I climbed the tree again and drew a Mid-Tier Grade 2 Soul Stone from the inventory.

"Ughh! Is it because my realm is too low that the energy from a mere Mid-Tier Soul Stone is giving me a headache?" I mumbled, flinching from the radiation of the Soul Stone.

Following the usual method, I barely absorbed one percent of the Soul Stone's energy, and my Yang energy instantly surged, already reaching its maximum limit.

"Yang energy: 75/100"

"The automatic defense system has stopped further consumption of Yang energy, as the difference between Yin and Yang energy cannot be increased by more than half of the maximum limit."

"So the maximum difference can only be 50. This attribute sure has many limitations."

Not wanting to waste any more time, I leapt from the tree and went straight into the dense forest.

The deeper I moved, the more zombies ambushed me.

Some attacked from the bushes, some from behind, while others even attacked from underground.

However, it was all meaningless against me, as I possessed Divine Sense and could easily detect each of their attacks.

The fight against these monsters became a walk in the park with the deadly combination of the defense and offense provided by Divine Sense and Yang Blazing Fist.

"Yin energy +20"

"Yang energy -3"

"Yin energy +30"

"Yang energy -5"

"Yin energy +10"

.

.

.

Ding...

"Maximum limit to absorb Yin energy reached.

Yin energy: 100/100

To absorb Yin energy further, the Host must break through to the next stage!"

"Already?" I asked, throwing away the head of the zombie I had just killed. "I can still sense about 50 more of these zombies around me. They're like free EXP, so it would be a waste if I can't absorb their Yin energy."

"Vivi, what do I need to do to break through?"

"Balancing Yin and Yang energies at maximum capacity will trigger an automatic breakthrough to the next stage."

"Hehe, that's easy."

Once again, I darted up a tree and absorbed Soulforce from the Soul Stone.

Ding...

"You have absorbed enough Yin-Yang energy for a breakthrough."

I felt a sudden breeze of cool energy inside me, making me feel lighter and stronger.

"Congratulations! The Host has successfully broken through! The Host's realm has increased.

Early-Stage Formation Realm → Mid-Stage Formation Realm

All stats +10"

"The maximum capacity of Yin-Yang energy has increased!

Yin energy: 100/250

Yang energy: 100/250"

"Hehehe~! I'm going to make sure to finish all of these side dishes before I come to you, my main course!" I announced, my eyes locked on the center of the forest, where I could sense a monster with intense bloodlust waiting for me.

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