Refine it?!!
My Tiger Eyes Golden Pupils and Steel Muscles and Iron Bones had both been obtained by planting the tiger demon. I had barely even warmed to them—if I refined the tiger demon away, wouldn't I immediately fall back to the Blood Qi Realm?
No refining it! No refining it!
The Vajra Scepter seemed to sense its master's emotions, and that intent to suppress all things slowly faded away.
The tiger demon had nearly been crushed into sparks that filled the sky. Having escaped death, it slowly gathered and recovered once more. Yet the violent, frenzied aura it had initially possessed had vanished without a trace. Its two front claws, formed from bloody flames, were tucked properly beneath its body, making Li Cunxiao's mouth twitch.
Did this Vajra Scepter just send me to a zoo or something? Was this big cat still a tiger demon?
In any case, without the Vajra Scepter's interference, Li Cunxiao successfully entered his burst state this time. His height, originally close to 1.9 meters, directly broke past two meters, and his muscles swelled by another full circle.
His ten fingers were thick as radishes, their bluish-black sharp nails like daggers. No fur grew over his body, but a black "king" emerged upon his forehead, as though it had always been there—rough and natural.
Li Cunxiao felt the abundant strength within him, so full it seemed ready to overflow. Even though his mind remained extremely clear, he could not help feeling the urge to pound something. Even the beams overhead looked like nails to him.
Curious what his face looked like now, he turned to fetch a mirror. Yet the instant his left foot left the ground, his right foot slammed down with a crack, splitting the stone slab and leaving behind a pit the size of a footprint.
"This strong?"
Li Cunxiao was delighted yet helpless. He truly did not want Wood Fork to come home tomorrow and discover that the house had been torn apart. With a thought, the tiger demon once more transformed into bloody flames and melted into every limb and bone, and his body immediately shrank back.
Only then did he realize he was completely naked. His transformation just now had been too great, bursting his clothes apart. Fortunately, he was the only one in the courtyard, so he simply walked naked to the well and drew water to wash himself.
It was late autumn in October. Ordinary people had already begun wearing padded clothes, yet Li Cunxiao splashed bucket after bucket of well water over himself as the cool breeze blew. Not only did he not feel cold, he found it refreshing.
"So this is the tiger demon's power? They say tigers are creatures of pure yang; sleeping amid snow is nothing out of the ordinary for them. Then this isn't so strange after all."
Li Cunxiao scrubbed himself back and forth four or five times before finally washing away all the grime on his body.
After breaking through, his skin had become more elastic and seemed thicker to the touch, like cowhide.
By the time he changed into a clean set of clothes, only one shichen remained until dawn. Li Cunxiao was not the least bit sleepy after his breakthrough; instead, he was brimming with energy. He simply moved over a reclining chair, quietly waiting for sunrise while thinking things through.
"Chief Escort once said that only after entering the Muscle and Tendon Realm and planting a Demon in the Heart can one be considered to have taken the first step upon the martial path."
"Demons are double-edged swords. From an illusory thought at the start to settling within one's form and nourishing the flesh, they enhance a martial artist's strength while also magnifying the madness in their heart."
"Therefore, after planting a demon, the most important thing is instead to guard one's True Heart. The clearer the True Heart, the greater the power a martial artist can wield in their burst state."
"With the Vajra Scepter suppressing the demon, a trial that others must cross as though treading on thin ice is effortless for me. By that reasoning, not only can I maintain my burst state longer, but the enhancement I gain can also reach its fullest extent."
"Then I have every condition to cultivate several martial arts at once, gaining the blessings of multiple demons without fearing demonic madness. I can start with the Pure Yang Sixteen Hands."
All the escorts at the agency knew that Zhang Lishi was not a man given to indulgence.
Unlike the debauchery and extravagance imagined by the common folk of the Outer City, Zhang Lishi's life as Chief Escort of the Flying Tiger Escort Agency was simple and orderly.
Every day at the hour of the tiger, when the agency hands rose early for morning training, Chief Escort Zhang had already quietly risen from beside his wife's pillow behind layer upon layer of courtyard walls. Without fail, he began practicing his fist techniques and saber techniques.
When he practiced, no one was permitted to watch. After training for a full shichen, he ate breakfast with his family after they got up. During that time, he would ask about Zhang Yuelu's martial studies and Que'er's reading.
Afterward, he spent the entire day at the escort agency, handling all manner of complicated affairs.
Having developed to its current scale, the Flying Tiger Escort Agency not only operated escort businesses, but had in fact also extended its reach into pawnshops, medicinal herbs, grain, and many other fields.
Compared to escort missions, its main trade, those other businesses could only be called small-scale ventures. Yet at the very least, they formed a chain of interests and industries centered around escort missions.
Along this chain, powers of every size in the inner and outer cities that stood apart from the Three Great Families gradually attached themselves to the agency, forming a community of shared interests.
This was the true reason why the Flying Tiger Escort Agency, a dragon crossing the river, had been able to gain a firm foothold in Chuqiu City.
The only regret was perhaps that the escort agency had been established for too short a time. It could not compare with the Three Great Families, which had flourished here for generations and gathered a great many talented people.
At times, Zhang Lishi inevitably found himself stretched too thin. Otherwise, he would not have sent his eldest disciple, Shi Tie, to guard the estate.
Chaotic times were approaching. Grain was the foundation of everything, and there could not be the slightest mishap.
But with Shi Tie's departure, aside from the Cui brothers, those two renowned experts, the younger generation lacked someone capable of carrying the escort agency's banner and standing against the younger generation of the Ye Family and Xiao Family.
Shen He and Jiang Qi, those Lineage descendants, were not only full of tangled thoughts, but their abilities were also far from sufficient. Zhang Lishi had originally placed great hopes on Ye Chengxiao, because a genius collateral descendant from the Ye Family could naturally draw upon the power of the Three Great Families.
He had even already conceived a plan to support Ye Chengxiao and divide the Ye Family's Direct Lineage.
But at that very moment, Li Cunxiao had burst forth like a meteor streaking across the sky.
Under his radiance, Ye Chengxiao seemed like a firefly, dimmed beyond recognition.
In Zhang Lishi's view, Li Cunxiao would likely break through to the Third Realm, the Viscera Realm, in no more than three to five years. By then, even if the agency faced the Three Great Families of the Inner City at once, it would have far greater confidence.
Shi Tie had toiled at the estate for many years. When the time came, Li Cunxiao could take over for him, allowing his eldest disciple to bring his eldest daughter back to the city and enjoy family happiness together.
In the lingering glow of the setting sun, Zhang Lishi saw his third daughter's familiar figure through the window. Smiling, he clasped his hands behind his back and headed downstairs.
But for now, Li Sanlang still has to cross the Muscle and Tendon Realm hurdle first.
He took a day off. It seems he has already understood that excess is as bad as deficiency. The Demon Seduction Method cannot be rushed; instead, it must be taken slowly.
That is fine. Work and rest should be balanced. By year-end, Li Cunxiao should be able to break through. As for this Autumn Hunt, Yue'er...
Lost in thought, Zhang Lishi stepped out from the shadow of the pavilion. Seeing that his daughter was already waiting, he smiled and was about to approach when his brows suddenly lifted. His gaze shifted from the path to the main gate.
A steady, powerful set of footsteps drew closer and closer. Behind the arched gateway, an enormous shadow fell.
Hearing the sound, Zhang Yuelu looked over. The instant she saw who it was, she could scarcely believe her eyes.
"Li Cunxiao?! You?!!"
Zhang Lishi stared at the broad, muscular young man and let out an incredulous cry.
"You broke through to the Muscle and Tendon Realm?!!!"
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