Evil Tiger Stripes, Body Tempering Sixth Level

The moment the thought arose, 100 Experience Points were deducted from the system. As a warm current coursed through his body, countless movements and techniques appeared in his mind.

Those movements and techniques felt as if he had practiced them diligently hundreds of times, utterly familiar and refined.

The Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture was born from the movements of beasts as they walked, lay, hunted, and pounced. Each captured posture was different, allowing every part of the body to be trained precisely.

Beyond that, it was also a Martial Arts technique that gathered all manner of scattered moves.

As the Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture broke through to the second level, some of its moves could now be used in actual combat.

Moreover, the second-level Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture further enhanced Li Yan's physique, speed, and strength. He had now firmly stepped into the Body Tempering Second Layer.

At the instant his realm broke through, Li Yan vaguely felt something within him open up. His entire body felt indescribably refreshed.

At the same time, the fierce tiger that had been preparing to press its advantage halted, seeming to sense the changes in Li Yan as well.

"Hey, hey, hey, is this what they mean by a beast's instincts? Did it notice my changes?"

With one long pick slung over his shoulder and the other angled toward the fierce tiger, he sneered. "Don't chicken out. I'm hungry again. Today, either you eat me, or I eat you~"

Perhaps it sensed the contempt in Li Yan's smile. How could a Tiger with Fiery Eyes, the overlord of these mountains, endure such humiliation?

As the King of the Mountain's domineering roar spread outward, the tiger had already lunged.

This time, Li Yan did not meet it head-on. Just as the tiger's claws reached him, he ducked low and twisted, his body sliding away.

At the same time, the pick in his hand came down without mercy.

"Roar!"

A pained howl rang out. When it landed, two bloody holes had appeared in one of the beast's hind legs, as if it had been bitten by a venomous snake.

For a beast, injury and the sight of blood were undoubtedly the quickest way to stir its savagery. Coupled with this tiger's gnawing hunger, a trace of frenzy had entered its low growl.

"Roar!"

"Kill!"

The vicious tiger pounced again. Claws, fangs, whipping tail—all its weapons were unleashed at once.

Yet in the face of the vicious tiger's frenzied assault, Li Yan's twin picks gave the most direct response.

The twin picks whirled without pause, like a sky full of sparrows screeching down. Every time the picks rose and fell, they inevitably sent flesh and blood flying.

Only after a full two quarters of an hour did the shrieking within the forest gradually fade.

Looking at the Tiger with Fiery Eyes collapsed beneath a great tree, its body trembling incessantly and taking more breaths out than in, Li Yan was panting heavily as well.

He had not expected a mere beast to give even a Body Tempering Second Layer cultivator like himself such trouble. But it ended here.

"Big fellow, looks like I won. Then I won't hold back."

As he spoke, Li Yan raised his long pick and smashed it down viciously.

Clusters of light that only Li Yan could see dropped out as the vicious tiger breathed its last.

Strength +0.5

Physique +1

Speed +0.2

Experience Points +30

By the campfire, Li Yan gnawed on the vicious tiger's hind leg.

"Damn it, after all that effort, it tastes terrible."

"Forget it. It's not like I gained nothing."

With that thought, Li Yan turned his gaze toward the status panel at his side.

Name: Li Yan

Realm: Body Tempering Second Layer

Strength: 31.5

Speed: 28.2

Physique: 26

Spirit: 19

Martial Arts: Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture, Second Level (0/200)

Remaining Experience Points: 80

Breaking the Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture through to the second level had added 8 points to each of his three physical attributes, while killing the vicious tiger had raised them further.

Retracting his gaze, Li Yan continued eating. The tiger meat was dry, bitter, and tough, but it was still better than the moldy, foul-smelling things he had eaten over the past few days.

As he ate, Li Yan's gaze settled on an iron ring in his hand.

He had discovered it while chopping at the vicious tiger's hind leg. It had been fastened around the tiger's paw.

Several words were engraved upon it: Beneath Lord of Tiger Mountain, Tiger with Fiery Eyes Stripes.

Well, well. This big fellow actually had an owner!

Anyone capable of taking such a vicious tiger as a pet was surely no ordinary person. At the very least, Lord of Tiger Mountain was not someone Li Yan could contend with at present.

Yet judging by how hungry Stripes had been at the time, no one had clearly been feeding it.

The fellow was probably free-range, though Li Yan did not know whether this Lord of Tiger Mountain lived in seclusion within the Nine Desolations Mountain Range or wandered outside it.

But Li Yan knew very well that if the other party learned his pet had been killed, only one of them could remain alive.

If he got the chance, he might as well kill Lord of Tiger Mountain.

Just as Li Yan was pondering this, an earth-shaking wolf howl rang out from the forest in the distance.

It was followed by the cries of different animals—some roaring, some calling, some chanting, some whistling—startling countless birds into flight.

Merely hearing those sounds was enough to tell that these creatures were far from ordinary. They might not be weaker than this Tiger with Fiery Eyes.

Apart from this Tiger with Fiery Eyes, there were likely quite a few vicious beasts in the Nine Desolations Mountain Range.

At that thought, an idea surfaced in Li Yan's mind.

If vicious tigers could provide him with attributes, what about the other beasts in the mountains?

These fellows would surely become nourishment for his rapid rise!

Over the next month, a faint killing aura appeared in the Nine Desolations Mountain Range, which had once been steeped in savage desolation.

A hunter had come to the mountains, specifically seeking out the overlord of every peak for a challenge.

If he won, he ate them. If he lost, they ate him.

Deep within the Abyssal Mine, Yan Qi was resting by himself when someone suddenly approached him.

"The matter with that kid didn't arouse any suspicion?"

Yan Qi snorted with laughter. "Suspicion of what? That he could escape through that bottomless mine tunnel?"

"Fair enough... though that kid you sent out is really interesting."

"Oh? He's only been out for such a short time. Don't tell me he's already made a name for himself?"

"Ha, forget making a name for himself. He's still in the mountains!"

"These past few days, the mountains have been a bloody gale of carnage, all his handiwork alone."

"Oh?"

"This guy has been wandering through the mountains these past few days, seeking out powerful beasts from every peak to fight. The beast kings of more than ten peaks near the exit have all been killed."

"Haha, he does have some brains. Using battles with those beasts to improve his Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture is not a bad path. He can also obtain enough meat to replenish his body."

But after saying that, Yan Qi could not help frowning.

When Li Yan left, he had only been at the Body Tempering First Level. It had been a stretch to say he had even entered the path of martial cultivation. With such strength, how could he possibly...

Yet his companion quietly shook his head. "You're mistaken."

"Oh?"

"On his first day out, that fellow encountered a Tiger with Fiery Eyes."

"A Tiger with Fiery Eyes... You mean—"

"That's right. The Tiger with Fiery Eyes Stripes raised by Lord of Tiger Mountain."

Stripes the tiger was one of the greatest ferocious beasts in the Nine Desolations Mountain Range. Wouldn't a Body Tempering First Level cultivator encountering it be no different from walking into death?

"What happened afterward?"

"That kid used nothing but two long picks. Not only did he kill that big beast, but he also broke through during the battle and reached the Body Tempering Second Layer."

"Mm... I'm starting to believe some of what that fellow said."

"Hehe, and you believe it already? Then you probably can't imagine that he's now at the Body Tempering sixth level."

"What? How is that possible?!"

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Nine Desolations Mountain Range, Li Yan stood looking out from the entrance to the mountains, dressed in rags and carrying twin picks.

The powerful beasts in the surrounding mountains had all been killed by him, and his strength had reached the Body Tempering sixth level.

But the beasts could now provide far fewer attributes and Experience Points. Some did not even drop anything anymore, so there was little point in remaining in the mountains.

Rather than continue wasting time here, he might as well leave this beginner's village.

Li Yan immediately summoned the system panel to inspect his attributes.

Name: Li Yan

Realm: Body Tempering sixth level

Strength: 80.5

Speed: 76

Physique: 79

Spirit: 22

Martial Arts: Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture, Fifth Level (0/1600)

Remaining Experience Points: 103

Though he had failed to reach the very pinnacle of the Body Tempering Realm as he had hoped, he had gained this much in barely a month. What was there to be dissatisfied about?

Once he left these mountains, the sky would be high enough for birds to soar and the sea wide enough for fish to leap. He would set a small goal first: take Wu Zongren's head and offer it in tribute for the suffering he had endured in the few days since transmigrating!

Just then, dust suddenly rose ahead. Looking closely, he could see fast horses racing through the haze, heading directly toward where Li Yan stood.