"Ding! Cervical spine misalignment detected."
"Ding! Three fractured ribs detected."
...
"Ding! Host is in a state of exhaustion. Suggest immediate consumption of Spirit Replenishment Pill."
"You damn system, you're only telling me now?!"
As he was sent flying through the air, Lu Lei hurriedly grabbed a Spirit Replenishment Pill and shoved it into his mouth. Worried the dosage wouldn't be enough, he stuffed a few more in for good measure.
"BOOM!"
The moment the pills hit his stomach, a surging tide of spiritual energy exploded through his meridians. His body, which had been contorting in mid-air, suddenly snapped straight. His skin took on a deeper, bronze hue, and his charred wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Eat this—and STOP!!"
As the sixth Flaming Rhinoceros charged, Lu Lei suddenly spread his arms wide, hooking his fingers around its horn like steel claws. His heels plowed two deep trenches into the scorched earth, sparks flying from his feet all the way up to his head, but he held his ground.
The Flaming Rhinoceros widened its eyes in disbelief. The human who had been kicked around like a ball just moments ago was now planted on the ground like a glowing red iron stake.
"My turn now."
Lu Lei grinned, flashing a set of pearly white teeth. He sank his hips, his muscles—at the peak of the Bronze Skin Realm—tightening like braided steel wire. To the horror of the rhinoceros, the human, not even as tall as its hoof, grabbed its horn and began to spin.
One circle, two circles...
Lu Lei transformed into a human gyroscope. The moment all four of the rhinoceros’s hooves left the ground, the entire Flaming Rhinoceros Garden fell into a deathly silence. The other Flaming Rhinoceroses collectively retreated half a step, their eyes reflecting the madman who was swinging a seven-to-eight-ton beast like a Meteor Hammer.
"Off you go!"
The massive body of the Flaming Rhinoceros traced a perfect arc through the air, crashing into the manure pit with a deafening thud. The spray of volcanic-sludge manure showered the surrounding herd, covering them from head to toe.
Lu Lei shook out his numb arms and gestured at the stunned herd with a crook of his finger: "Next."
"ROAR—"
A Flaming Rhinoceros at the Late Stage of the Spirit Breath Realm let out a low growl. Refusing to believe what it was seeing, it stamped its hooves into the ground, charging at Lu Lei like a miniature, moving volcano, wreathed in billowing heat.
Lu Lei stood his ground, motionless. Just as the beast's horn was about to pierce him, he swerved sharply, his left hand clamping onto the horn like an iron vise while his right hand hammered downward.
"Mountain-Crushing Fist!"
"Get—DOWN!"
Lu Lei roared, his arm muscles bulging as the terrifying power of his Bronze Skin Realm (Peak) fully erupted. The massive creature was slammed headlong into the dirt, splashing up a cloud of dust.
"Roar..."
The Flaming Rhinoceros let out a whimper, struggling to rise, only to have Lu Lei plant a foot firmly on its neck.
"Do you yield?"
Lu Lei looked down at it with a cold sneer. A flicker of fear crossed the beast’s eyes, and finally, it lowered its proud head, letting out a submissive whine. Seeing Lu Lei’s dominance, a female rhinoceros suddenly knelt, pressing its forehead to the ground. The rest followed suit; in the blink of an eye, the entire herd was kneeling, and the most cowardly one even rolled over to expose its belly in surrender.
Lu Lei stepped on the male rhinoceros’s head: "Hmph, would it have killed you to be this sensible earlier? You had to force my hand."
Watching from the shadows, a pair of eyes flickered with curiosity.
"A Body Cultivator? To think there are fools in the sect who would choose the path of the Body Cultivator."
"But how did his physical body reach a breakthrough so suddenly?"
"Bronze Skin Realm (Peak)?"
"No wonder he could beat this bunch of dim-witted rhinos."
...
Lu Lei: "Everyone, line up!"
Lu Lei kicked the rhinoceros under his foot back toward the herd and, with an expression of disgust, used a scoop to fish the other one out of the manure pit. Covered in its own filth, the rhinoceros instinctively started to shake itself off, but Lu Lei stopped it with a kick and chased it back into the herd. As it approached, the other rhinoceroses moved away in disgust.
Watching the crooked, messy line of the herd, Lu Lei leaned against a scorched tree trunk, crossing his legs and tapping the manure scoop against the ground.
"You, and you, hold the bags open."
"You, and you, use your mouths to pick up the scoops and shovel what you’ve left behind into the bags. You clean up your own mess. Even my cat knows how to bury its own waste; you're spirit beasts, yet you can't even take care of your own hygiene. You’re a disgrace to spirit beasts everywhere."
Lu Lei pointed to the female rhinoceros that had surrendered first: "You, you’re in charge of supervision. If anyone slacks off, kick them into the pit."
The female rhinoceros set to work with surprising enthusiasm. The other rhinoceroses began their chores, looking utterly aggrieved. They used their horns to break up the caked manure, used their tails to coil around the scoops to transfer the volcanic sludge into the bags, and even learned to use their nostrils to spray fire to seal the bag edges. Resistant to the fire-toxins of the pit, they worked quickly, finishing a job that should have taken days in less than one.
However, Lu Lei didn't rush to send the bags to the spirit garden; he chose to slack off instead. There was no point in being too efficient—if you could finish by the deadline, never finish a second earlier. Otherwise, you wouldn't get more pay, only more work. This was the wisdom Lu Lei had gained after years of being a corporate slave.
But Lu Lei’s leisure time didn't last long.
As night fell, the constant, overlapping roars of the beasts gave him a headache. Watching the herd brawl again to compete for mates, Lu Lei stood on a scorched boulder, holding his cleaned manure scoop like a microphone, and roared at the restless herd.
"Fighting, fighting, always fighting! Line up! It's just mates, isn't it? Fine, I'm holding a matchmaking event for you all today! Whoever fights again, I'm shoving into the manure pit for three days!"
Soon, under Lu Lei’s forceful command, five female rhinoceroses stood in a row, while the males squeezed together opposite them, their horns clashing with a metallic ring.