Under the thick night fog, I didn't clearly see the other person's face. But just by his figure, I could tell at a glance that he must be a Beamon. Who could it be? The situation at the moment didn't allow me to think any further. Saving my life was the top priority. If I were hit, with the opponent's strength and my mediocre Thunderbolt Unarmor technique, there would only be one outcome: I would be thoroughly beaten into a pulp.

  There was no other choice but to fight. I channeled all the remaining Dark Power into my hands, and a faint black aura emanated from them. I used the same method as before—confronting head-on. (Later, after suffering a great deal from the principle of "strength overcomes all skills" in many battles, I realized the importance of technique.) I struck out with both fists at the opponent's fists simultaneously. I found that after channeling the Dark Power into my hands, the meridians that had been injured earlier by the shock recovered rapidly, reaching about six or seven tenths of their original state.

  "Boom..."

  I felt as if my whole body was about to split apart. I was sent flying by the opponent's powerful force, and a mouthful of blood spurted out wildly. I fell heavily onto the open ground five meters away. If it hadn't been for the Dark Power I used, just that one punch could have cost me half my life.

  I didn't know why the opponent didn't continue to pursue me. If he had landed another punch, I would have had no chance of survival. I reluctantly got up from the ground, staggered a bit, and managed to stand firm. I couldn't help but spit out another mouthful of blood.

  The opponent let out a surprised "Huh".

  I barely raised my head and took a closer look, and I was stunned. It turned out that the powerful enemy who wanted to kill me was actually my father.

  I asked hoarsely, "Dad? Why is it you?"

  A look of satisfaction appeared on my father's face, and he said, "I didn't expect that you could withstand two of my punches. Now I can rest assured to let you complete the mission."

  Complete the mission? I was filled with doubts in my heart.

  My father continued, "I used one-tenth of my strength for the first punch, and then added another tenth for the second punch. I thought you should have been unable to get up, but unexpectedly, you can still stand. It seems that you've been working very hard recently." This might be the reason for his earlier surprise.

  I smiled bitterly inwardly. Was this really my father? He didn't care about his son's life at all. If my strength had been a little weaker, I might have gone to the underworld to accompany my grandmother.

  "What was that black aura on your hands just now?" my father asked.

  I was secretly startled. Remembering what my grandmother had said about not letting my father know about the existence of the Heavenly Demon Art, I pretended to be puzzled and said, "What black aura? Did you see it wrong? Is it because it's too dark?"

  My simple-minded father didn't think much about it. He just frowned and said, "Alright, you can go back. Come to me tomorrow morning. I have a mission for you."

  I nodded and said calmly, "Okay." Then, dragging my aching body, I walked back.

  The body of a Beamon is indeed very sturdy. Coupled with the fact that I had already completed the first stage of Thunderbolt Unarmor, which was to transform my body, in just one night, my injuries had recovered by about seventy or eighty percent.

  What kind of mission did my father want me to complete? It couldn't be to lead the troops into battle. Several of my brothers were at home, and there was no reason to send me, a novice on the battlefield, to do it. What could the mission be? Besides going to war, with my father's prestige among the orcs, other matters were just a matter of a word. Did he really need me to do it?

  With a nervous heart, I came to my father's door and knocked gently. My father's deep voice sounded, "Who is it?"

  "Father, it's me, Lei Xiang."

  "Come in."

  I pushed the door open and walked slowly into the room. My father was sitting upright on a tall backrest chair, squinting his eyes at me. I stood there calmly, not affected at all by his sharp gaze.

  "Lei Xiang, you've grown up. I used to think you were the most useless coward. But since you went berserk four years ago, your performance has made me very satisfied. Although you don't have the robust figures of your brothers, your strength is no less than theirs, and your potential is even higher. The Orc King has given me a very important mission, and I want to send you to complete it."

  So it was a mission assigned by the Orc King. There was not the slightest change in my expression. I just asked in a calm voice, "What is the mission? Please give it to me. I will definitely complete it." No matter what difficulties there were, I had to overcome them. I wanted to become a peerless powerful person to show my father. Thinking of my grandmother's death, a flash of hatred passed through my eyes. Since my grandmother died, I had learned to hide my true feelings. No one could see through my real thoughts. I would never show my hatred for my father before I became powerful, but the seed of hatred had been deeply planted in my heart. I would definitely avenge my grandmother.

  "Good. You truly are my son, Lei Ao's son. The Orc King asked me to find someone to go undercover among the humans. You know, our orcs have always been the weakest among the three major races. Why is that? First, it's because we can't use magic. Second, it's because orcs are generally not very intelligent and don't have as many excellent generals as the humans. This mission is to go to the humans and steal their tactical and magical materials."

  "Go undercover among the humans?"

  "Yes. You're only sixteen years old this year. Moreover, the most important thing is that you have human blood in you. With your human appearance, you will definitely be able to blend in with the humans. I'll give you five to ten years. You must learn everything you can and bring it back. Then, we'll spend another ten years training our troops. In the future, the continent will be ours, the orcs'. So, you should understand the importance of this mission. If you successfully complete this mission, the position of Beamon King will be yours in the future."

  What my father said was indeed the truth. It seemed that the Orc King wasn't a complete fool either. He knew the weaknesses of his own race. This was a good idea, but whether it could be achieved depended on me. For me, this was also a very good opportunity. If I could learn the knowledge of the humans, it would indeed be the best way to enhance my strength. Besides, after all, I had orc blood in me. Making the orcs stronger was also what I hoped for.

  I replied firmly, "Father, don't worry. I won't let you down."

  My father nodded in satisfaction and said, "Good. Tomorrow, I'll take you to meet the Orc King. Then, I'll have the merchants who are familiar with the humans train you for three months. After that, you can set off."

  "Yes, Father. Then I'll take my leave for now."

  After getting my father's approval, I left his room. On the way back to my room, my heart was filled with excitement, something I hadn't felt in four years. Humans? Were they the same as me? I, Lei Xiang, was coming.

  Back in my room, I still couldn't suppress my excited mood. I might as well practice some martial arts. I changed into my training clothes and went to the courtyard. First, I channeled the Thunderbolt Unarmor throughout my body. Then, with a loud shout, I started to practice the Thunderbolt Eighteen Punches that my father had taught me. This set of boxing techniques was completely designed for charging into battle. It was wide open and powerful, and it was most suitable for the Beamon Beasts to use. It was a technique that my father had newly created in the past two years. Each punch was filled with an indomitable momentum, and it was all about head-on confrontation.

  As if the air was my enemy, I exerted all my strength with each punch. The sounds of "Boom, boom, boom, boom" kept coming under my fists, and the courtyard was filled with dust from my attacks.

  I only stopped when I was completely exhausted. I was sweating all over, but I felt incredibly comfortable.

  This was the first time I had come to the Orc King's palace. I looked around curiously at the tall buildings. Although the craftsmanship was rough, there was a powerful aura everywhere. All the houses were built with huge granite stones, making them look extremely thick and solemn.

  My father and I stopped in front of the largest building. When the leopard guards at the door saw my father, they respectfully said, "Hello, King Lei Ao."

  My father grunted and said, "Please announce my arrival."

  The guard bowed and said, "Yes." Then he turned around and shouted loudly, "King Beamon Lei Ao requests an audience." The sound spread wave after wave towards the interior of the palace. Soon, another leopard guard came out from the palace and walked up to my father respectfully, saying, "King Lei Ao, His Majesty is expecting you." Then he turned around and led the way in front.

  My father and I followed him into the most magnificent building I had ever seen. The Orc King's Hall of Governance was a full twenty meters high. It was supported by huge granite pillars with a diameter of one meter on both sides. My two-meter height seemed so insignificant.

  While I was still looking around, my father pulled me. Then his voice came, "Your servant Lei Ao, accompanied by my son Lei Xiang, pays his respects to Your Majesty." I quickly knelt down and shouted in unison with my father, "Long live our king, long live, long live!"

  A deep and steady voice came from directly in front of us, "Rise. We brothers don't need these formalities." My father and I stood up together. When I raised my head, I finally saw the king of our orc tribe.

  The Orc King was a lion man. Sitting there, it was hard to tell his height, but he was definitely taller than me. He was probably around the same age as my father. His sturdy body was dressed in a python robe and a jade belt, and on his head was a glittering golden crown. He was also sizing me up. The imposing light in his eyes told me that he definitely had no less strength than my father. His wise eyes were something I had never seen before. No wonder he could be the king among the orcs. He really did have his own outstanding qualities.

  "Lei Ao, this is your youngest son. If you hadn't told me, I would have really thought he was a human."

  "Yes, Your Majesty. My son's mother is human. He has inherited the strength of our Beamon tribe and also the appearance of his mother."

  The Orc King praised, "No wonder you said your youngest son is the best candidate for undercover work. The humans will definitely not be able to tell that he has our orc blood. My child, the future rise and fall of our orcs will be placed in your hands. Don't let me and your father down."

  "Yes, Your Majesty. Your servant (since I am the deputy commander of the Beamon Legion, I also call myself a servant) will definitely do my best and give my all."

  "Good. Brother Lei Ao, how is your youngest son's martial arts skills?"

  My father laughed heartily and said, "Your Majesty, you can rest assured. He can now withstand a palm strike from me with thirty percent of my strength (my father exaggerated this for his own pride. I actually have trouble with even withstanding twenty percent). Although his figure is not like that of our Beamon tribe, he definitely has the strength of a Beamon."

  The Orc King didn't doubt my father's words. He said happily, "Truly, heroes emerge from the young. Good. It's settled then. Lei Xiang will go undercover in the Dragon God Empire. This matter is extremely confidential. You must not reveal it to anyone. For this operation, I haven't even informed our ally, the Demon race. Lei Xiang, you may face great difficulties. However, this mission must succeed. Otherwise, I will not show mercy. As long as you complete this mission, I will appoint you as your father's successor, the next Beamon King." The Orc King was using both kindness and severity. At the same time, it also showed how much he valued this mission.

  I quickly knelt down and said, "Yes, Your servant will definitely live up to Your Majesty's trust."

  The Orc King turned to my father and said, "Alright, that's it. Tomorrow, I'll send the selected merchants to your mansion to teach Lei Xiang some human etiquette and matters to pay attention to."

  My father said, "Yes, Your Majesty. Then your servant will take my son and take our leave."

  After leaving the palace, my father actually patted me on the shoulder affectionately and said happily, "Son, you must bring glory to our Beamon tribe. This is a very good opportunity. His Majesty thinks highly of you."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  I replied indifferently, "Yes, Father."

  Starting from the day after I met the Orc King, I began to learn human etiquette from the merchants who had been to the Dragon God Empire. My memory and imitating ability exceeded their imagination. The training that was originally planned for three months only took one month, and they had nothing more to teach me. Since I learned human etiquette and heard stories about humans, my interest in the human kingdom became even stronger. After all, I had a quarter of human blood. What was my mother's country like?

  A deep voice came from outside, "Lei Xiang, Father is looking for you." It was my eldest brother, Lei Long. Among the three brothers, only my eldest brother was relatively kind to me. The other two brothers simply looked down on me. It was already a good thing that they didn't come to bully me.

  I walked out of the door. The bright sunlight made my whole body feel warm. My eldest brother's sturdy figure appeared in front of me. Standing next to him, I looked so small.

  "Eldest brother, why did you come here in person? Why didn't you send a messenger to notify me?" I said calmly.

  "Hehe, I happened to be at Father's place, so I stopped by to see you. I heard that you're going to carry out a secret mission, and we won't be able to see each other for a long time."

  I nodded but didn't reply. My eldest brother was used to my attitude and didn't find it strange.

  "Alright, we're here. You go in by yourself. I'll be leaving now."

  "Okay. Goodbye." After replying, I directly walked into my father's room. My father was sitting behind his large desk, holding a stack of papers and reading them.

  "Father, I'm here." My father looked up at me, then handed the papers in his hand to me and said, "Take a look. These are the identity materials for your undercover mission this time. You need to memorize them on the way. I heard from those merchants that you've already mastered everything they taught you. This matter can't be delayed. Tomorrow, pack your things and set off quietly by yourself."

  I took the papers and saw that it was written: Name: Lei Xiang, from Luomu Village on the outskirts of Aika City in the Dragon God Empire. Father: Lei Fu, a craftsman. Mother: Sha Die, engaged in handicraft production. He has liked practicing martial arts since he was a child. His father passed away when he was ten years old, and his mother passed away when he was thirteen years old. He has been wandering and experiencing life on the continent alone for three years until now. He has an introverted personality... The rest was a detailed introduction of the identity. Judging from the materials, it was very carefully prepared without the slightest flaw. I knew that the person with the same name as me must have been killed by my father's men. This was my father's usual style. He wouldn't leave any chance for the enemy.

  I turned around and took a deep look at the city where I had lived for sixteen years. I took a deep breath and began my journey to complete the mission.

  My father arranged for me to go directly to the capital of the Dragon God Empire, the Dragon City. There was the Tiandu Academy, one of the four major human academies. My mission was to go there for further study and try to learn everything I could. It was May now, and the Tiandu Academy would start enrolling students in August. So I had to arrive there before August and take the entrance exam.

  The weather today was very good. The blue sky was cloudless, and the clear chirping of birds could be heard from the trees on both sides of the road from time to time. Having left the cage where I had lived for sixteen years, my mood was as open and cheerful as the sky.

  I was dressed in a samurai outfit and wore a large wide-brimmed hat on my head. A three-foot-long piece of gauze hung down from the hat, preventing anyone from seeing my face from the outside. This was still the orc's territory, and humans were not very welcome here. So, I had to hide my human appearance to avoid unnecessary trouble.

  Before leaving home, I went to see my mother. She was still the same, with empty eyes and a reluctance to talk. When I went to her, she was rather indifferent.

  "Mom, I'm going on a long journey. I'm afraid I won't be able to come back for a while."

  She just glanced at me, then turned her head and ignored me. It seemed that she didn't care about my life or death. Over the years, I had long been numbed. Except for my grandmother, no one had ever given me any warmth.

  But after all, she was my mother. Although she hadn't raised me, I was still born to her. I let out a deep sigh and said, "Mom, I'm going to the Dragon God Empire this time."

  Upon hearing my words, her whole body trembled. She turned around and said, "Is it true? You're going to the Dragon God Empire?" My mother's eyes finally lost their coldness and showed a trace of human emotion.

  I nodded heavily and said, "Yes, I'm going there to complete a secret mission."

  My mother staggered up from the bed. I quickly stepped forward to support her. She murmured, "The Empire, the Empire, Father King, Father King, Feng, Feng."

  "Lei Xiang, can you do something for me?"

  I nodded and said, "Tell me. As long as it's within my ability, I will definitely do it for you."

  My mother took out a small bell from under the mattress. She shook it with her hand, and it made a clear ringing sound. The bell seemed to be made of some special material and emitted a faint blue light. Her expression was very complex, sometimes gentle, sometimes angry, sometimes helpless. Reluctantly, she handed the bell to me, and a glistening teardrop fell on the bell.

  "When you get to the Dragon God Empire, find a person named Lin Feng and give this bell to him. Tell him... tell him that Lingling is sorry for him." After saying these words, my mother's tears gushed out like a spring, and she threw herself onto the bed. I stood there holding the bell, not knowing what to do.

  My mother seemed to be tired from crying. She took out a necklace from her bosom. It was made of small silver beads, and on it hung a delicate little dragon carved from purple crystal. She looked at me silently for a moment, and then hung the necklace around my neck.

  "I've never taken care of you for a single day. You help me complete this task, and this necklace can be considered as my payment to you." Her words were still as heartless as ever.

  I suppressed the endless sadness in my heart, clenched the purple crystal dragon tightly, and let the hard crystal pierce my palm. I took a deep breath to calm my agitated mood and said, "Okay, I will definitely deliver it for you." Then, without looking back, I turned and left my mother who had given birth to me but hated me.

  However, before leaving the door, I still asked my eldest brother to take care of her.

  I had already traveled a long way from the Orc Imperial City, and my mood gradually improved. Since I had never been on a long journey before, I found everything so novel.

  The sun had risen to the top of the sky. Although it was still May, the sunlight was already very fierce. After walking for the whole morning, I was also a bit tired. I looked up and found that there was a simple shed on the right side of the road. I guessed that there might be some food for sale there. I quickened my pace and went over. Sure enough, it was a fruit stall. The owner was a female werewolf who looked to be in her fifties.

  When she saw me approaching the stall, she asked, "What kind of fruits would you like to have? These are all grown by myself. They are absolutely fresh."

  I took out a silver coin and threw it to her, saying coldly, "Give me a little of each kind."

  Seeing that I had a bad temper, she didn't dare to say much. She immediately wrapped some of each kind of fruit and handed them to me. It was really a huge package, enough for ten people to eat. There was no way I could finish it all.

  "Not so much. Take out three-quarters of it. Give me the rest."

  The old woman showed a troubled look on her face and said, "But I don't have any change for you."

  I thought to myself, couldn't she even make change for a silver coin? Were the orcs' lives so hard? I couldn't help but ask, "Is life really that difficult? You don't need to give me the change. Just take out the extra fruits."

  As the old woman took out the fruits, she said helplessly, "You're really a kind person. With years of continuous wars, it's still relatively better here since it's close to the capital. The common people in those war zones are even worse off. Among us orcs, only those who are soldiers or have strong martial strength can have enough to eat. It's already very difficult for someone like me who can't fight to make a living. Are these fruits enough?"

  I took the fruits she handed me, and my heart couldn't help but feel a bit sorry. It was always the common people who suffered in wars, and it should be the same in any country.

  I picked up the fruits and was just about to turn and leave when a sinister voice said, "Boy, leave the valuable things on you behind. Otherwise, hehe, you'll be our dinner tonight, lad."

  I turned around and saw that three people had surrounded me from behind. There was a bear man, a fox man, and a werewolf. The one who spoke was probably the fox man. Fox men were the most cunning race among the orcs. They were all ordinary characters.

  I let out a cold snort and said, "Robbery?"

  The three of them burst into laughter simultaneously. The bear man sneered, "Nonsense. What else would we be doing stopping you if not robbing you? Don't make us waste our breath. Hand over your belongings quickly, or we'll braise you tonight and have you with our wine."

  I asked calmly, "Do you often rob and eat people passing by?"

  This time, the werewolf answered, "You're right. This world is about the law of the jungle. The weak can only become the food and prey of the strong. Don't you even understand such a simple truth?"

  I swept a glance at them and said, "Okay, I understand. Thank you for your teachings."

  I took a heavy step forward and punched towards the strongest among them, the bear man.

  They obviously didn't expect that I would fight back. The werewolf's knife and the fox man's long sword were swung at me simultaneously. I didn't pay attention to them and still threw a straight punch at the bear man. The bear man was about the same height as me, but he looked much fatter and stronger. Seeing me attacking him, he didn't hesitate at all and stretched out his huge bear paw to grab my fist.

  If I hadn't been wearing the hat, they should have been able to see a trace of a cold smile on my lips.

  The first one to be unlucky was the bear man. When our fists and palms collided, a low sound was heard. Both the bear man and I heard the sound of his bones cracking. Before he could let out a scream, his tall body had been sent flying five meters away by me. I had full confidence in my own strength. I knew that he would only be able to come out to rob in his next life.

  At the same time that the bear man was sent flying by me, the two weapons struck my left shoulder and right back respectively. The werewolf and the fox man felt as if they hadn't struck the enemy's body but rather a steel plate. Their swords and knives were simultaneously shaken up, and they didn't even manage to cut through my clothes.

  I half-turned and kicked the fox man in the chest. The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible. Just like the bear man, he flew a long distance and landed heavily on the ground. Blood gushed out from all his orifices, and it was obvious that he wouldn't survive.

  The werewolf was stunned by the scene in front of him. The knife in his hand fell to the ground with a "clang". With a wild roar, he turned around and ran. I gave a cold smile, used my foot to lift the knife that he had dropped on the ground, and with a spin, kicked it. The knife flew towards the werewolf like lightning and precisely hit the vital part of his back. With a "puff", it went in all the way to the hilt, nailing him to the nearby tree.

  I walked slowly up to the werewolf and said coldly, "It was you who told me the principle of the law of the jungle. I hope you'll be smarter in your next life."

  The werewolf groaned, "You... you... so... cruel..." and then took his last breath.

  The old woman at the fruit stall had already been so scared that she curled up into a ball and was shivering. I walked up to the fruit stall, picked up the fruits I had just bought, threw a gold coin to her, and said, "Bury them." Then I turned and left.

  I didn't feel sad about killing people. Since I was a child, my father had taught me that among the orcs, only powerful strength was the basis for speaking. No one would show sympathy for the weak. When dealing with the enemy, one must never be soft-hearted. One should strive to kill with one blow and not leave the enemy any chance to fight back. Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it should go all out and use any means to kill the opponent.

  Only after leaving the area of the capital did I realize that the fruit stall was just the beginning of my killing journey. There were orc bandits and robbers everywhere. Except for the large towns guarded by soldiers, looting, burning, and killing could be seen everywhere. No wonder, with the orcs' natural physical conditions that surpassed those of humans and demons, they could only rank at the bottom among the three major races. With such a social atmosphere that made everyone feel insecure, how could they develop into a powerful country? I might as well help His Majesty the Orc King clean things up.

  Describing my journey in the orc country as "blazing a trail of blood" was not an exaggeration at all. All the bandits and robbers I met were eliminated by me with thunderous means. Later on, I didn't even know how many people I had killed, and I had long been numbed.

  Through this journey, I also understood why the orcs couldn't defeat the humans. Although the orcs were naturally brave and strong, when it came to real masters, there were almost none. Among the hundreds of people I had slaughtered, not one of them could withstand a single blow from me. Relying on the powerful strength passed down in my Beamon tribe, wherever I went, it was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.

  Finally, I reached the border between the orc country and the Dragon God Empire. The Stru Fortress of the Dragon God Empire stood in the way at the border between the two countries. The tall city walls blocked the orcs' way forward.

  I came to the bottom of the city wall and shouted, "Please, generals, open the gate and let me in."

  A human general-like figure on the city wall looked down and shouted loudly, "Who are you?"

  I recited the lines I had prepared in advance, "I'm a merchant who went to the orcs' place to do business. Our merchant team was robbed by orc bandits, and I'm the only one who managed to escape and come back. Look, I'm human." I took off the hat that I had been wearing for over a month.

  The general first looked into the distance and saw that there was indeed only me and that I was human. His tone became much softer, and he said, "These orc bandits are really despicable. You people, why do you always go there to do business? It's not worth losing your lives for. Men, open the city gate a little and let him in."

  After a while, a crack opened in the city gate, and several guards welcomed me in.

  The general who had been on the city wall earlier was also among them. Seeing my handsome appearance and tall figure, he immediately took a liking to me and said to me, "Was the loss great?"

  I pretended to sigh and said, "Don't even mention it. I'm already lucky to be alive. General, you don't know how terrifying those orc bandits are. They kill people on sight and rob everything they see."

  The general said, "Okay, don't be too sad. Don't worry. Sooner or later, our Dragon God Empire will wipe them out. Go ahead, enter the city and have a rest. Once you're in our human territory, you don't need to be afraid anymore."

  I said a lot of words of gratitude and secretly let out a sigh of relief in my heart.

  The Stru Fortress was built on the basis of Stru City. This was the first time I had come to a human city, and I found everything so new. It was indeed much more prosperous than the orc territory. The streets were bustling with people, and there was an atmosphere of open buying and selling, a scene of prosperity.

  According to what the merchant teacher had taught me, I first found a relatively clean inn and stayed there. I planned to rest for one night and then continue my journey to the Dragon City tomorrow.

  Now that I was among the humans, I felt that there was no need to wear the hat anymore. It was the first time I had seen so many people who looked similar to me, and I couldn't help but feel a bit excited. Although I was the shortest among the Beamon, here, almost no one's height could compare with mine. I felt like a crane among chickens when walking on the street.

  Many women passing by cast curious or strange glances at me, making my face turn red from time to time. The merchant teacher had told me during the class that my appearance was considered very handsome among humans, and I would definitely attract many girls in the Dragon God Empire. But I didn't expect that the women here would be so bold. It seemed that taking off the hat was a wrong decision. However, human girls looked much more pleasing to the eye than female orcs. Maybe it was because they had a similar appearance to me, I told myself secretly.

  There was no smell of war in this city, and everyone got along very harmoniously. I took a stroll around the city streets, bought some food, and then returned to the inn.

  It was already late at night. I took out the map of the Dragon God Empire from my bag. There were still more than 3,900 kilometers to the Dragon City. It was really not close. I had to set off early tomorrow morning. It would be better to arrive earlier so that I could be more fully prepared for the exam.