Meat, dried rations, and fresh water—these were all essential for his survival on this deserted island.

Chapter 3: The Terrifying Young Demon Crab

Noon.

The sun blazed fiercely, scorching the entire island, and the sand on the beach was hot enough to burn one's feet.

After finishing his cultivation in the seawater, James Carter walked up onto the beach. Sweat dripped incessantly from him, soaking his martial robe completely; it was impossible to tell whether it was seawater or sweat.

He gave his head a hard shake, flinging off all the sweat, then wiped his face with his sleeve. After that, he began searching along the beach for seabird eggs, the constant hunger in his stomach forcing him to quicken his pace.

"Rustle...!"

Suddenly, a faint sound came from behind.

James Carter's hairs stood on end instinctively. As a mid-level martial artist, he was extremely sensitive to sounds.

"That's not the sound of waves hitting the shore."

James Carter instantly cast aside all distracting thoughts, quickly gripped his sword, and turned around.

Just several yards behind him was a gigantic sea crab, over two feet tall—bigger than a child's wooden bath tub. Its shell was a tender yellow all over. It had just been washed ashore by a wave, and as the tide receded, the crab's body was left fully exposed on the beach.

James Carter was startled, but immediately broke into a smile. "This East Sea crab is actually so big! But, looking at its shell, it's still quite tender—it must be a juvenile crab, not yet fully grown. If I can kill this young crab and roast its meat, I won't have to worry about food for several days. Haha, looks like I won't starve on this island after all!"

The young sea crab also seemed surprised to encounter a human on the beach; humans were very unfamiliar to it.

It immediately stopped crawling, its round, bulging eyes staring warily at James Carter, while it raised a pair of golden pincers, each a full three feet long.

"Don't you dare slip back into the sea!"

James Carter gripped his Azure Edge Sword tightly with both hands, slowly approaching the young crab, ready to kill it with a single strike and roast its meat. He could already picture the giant crab turning into a delicious, massive grilled feast.

The young crab clearly sensed James Carter's "hostility" and became enraged.

It waved its huge pincers high in the air and scuttled rapidly toward James Carter, determined to show this stranger that it was not to be trifled with.

James Carter was a bit surprised and quickly leapt aside, dodging the young crab's attack. "It's not running away—it actually dares to attack a human! The crabs on this island are really bold!"

Missing its strike, the young crab seemed even more infuriated. Its two massive pincers flashed dazzlingly in the sunlight as it swept them sideways at James Carter.

This time, James Carter didn't dodge.

"Wave-Cleaving Slash!"

He swung his sword, a cold gleam flashing as it struck one of the young crab's swinging pincers.

"Clang!"

A tremendous force rebounded back at him.

Under the impact, James Carter staggered back several steps—"thud, thud!"—and, in a panic, stabbed his Azure Edge Sword hard into the ground to steady himself.

"What incredible strength!"

"What unbelievably hard pincers!"

James Carter's expression was one of shock as he stared at the golden young crab before him, waves of astonishment surging in his heart.

"As a mid-level martial artist, sixth level of body refinement, my slashing force is at least two hundred jin. This young crab's strength definitely exceeds three hundred jin—stronger than even a late-stage body refinement martial artist!"

"And this is a top-grade Azure Edge Sword, a superior weapon for martial artists, able to cut through ordinary iron in a single stroke. But when I struck its pincer, it only left a faint mark—no wound at all. Its pincers are unbelievably tough!"

"This is definitely not an ordinary young sea crab! This crab is even stronger than a mid-level martial artist like me, who has trained for ten years. Whether in attack or defense, it surpasses me!"

In an instant, he compared their strengths in his mind and was shocked to realize he was no match for this young crab.

"It seems it hasn't even used its full strength yet—just a probing attack earlier. Damn, what kind of sea crab is this? Such a massive body—I've never seen any crab like this in the rivers of the Martial Kingdom. Could it be that all the sea crabs on the East Sea islands are this huge and formidable?"

A sense of foreboding crept over James Carter.

"Competing with it in strength or defense is a losing game. I have to find its weakness!"

James Carter gripped his Azure Edge Sword tightly with both hands, quickly adjusting his defensive stance. "Those huge pincers must be the hardest part of its body. If it has a weakness, it should be its eight legs on the sides—they're much thinner. If I can cut off a few of them, its movement will slow dramatically, and it will be much less of a threat!"

The young crab waved its massive pincers at James Carter a couple of times. That earlier clash seemed to have excited it, and it was eager to continue the fight.

James Carter gripped his Azure Edge Sword, suddenly lunged forward, then twisted to the left, darting to the crab's side.

"Whirlpool Slash!"

James Carter shouted.

Immediately, a cold arc of light shot out from his sword.

The Azure Edge Sword struck the joint of one of the young demon crab's legs.

"Splurt!"