A Hundred Years of Skill: Golden Bell Shield

A Hundred Years of Skill: Golden Bell Shield

Outside Five Mile Village, the Tiger Demons roared, their terrifying cries shaking heaven and earth.

With a thought from Wei Fan, the tiger-shaped patterns on the Golden Bell seemed to come alive. They opened their mouths and roared, wave after wave of tiger howls echoing through the air.

This tiger roar was grander and more soaring than the roar of the Tiger Demon opposite him.

As the two waves of roars clashed in midair, the ground exploded even more violently.

"Pfft..."

The clash lasted no more than a breath before the demonic aura around the Tiger Demon was scattered. Then blood began to flow from its seven orifices, its body seeming ready to burst apart.

"What martial art is this?"

Since when had the Golden Bell Shield become this powerful?

The enormous Tiger Demon was horrified. It had never imagined that in a clash of tiger-roar sound waves, it would lose to a martial art—one as familiar as the Golden Bell Shield.

Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield!

After that burst of tiger roars, even the largest Tiger Demon had been shaken until blood streamed from its seven orifices and its demonic power collapsed. The other Tiger Demons, weaker than it, were even closer to death.

One of the weaker ones had even had its eyeballs burst apart from the shock!

Though not a single Tiger Demon had been killed by the roar, Wei Fan was still satisfied with this crowd-clearing power.

This was only the Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield at minor accomplishment. As long as he continued adding skill, one day he would be able to sweep away hordes of demons the moment the Golden Bell emerged.

With the Golden Bell over him, Wei Fan charged into the Tiger Demons. His blade rose and fell, and blood began to spray.

Terrified screams rang out. Beneath the two- to three-meter blade aura, even the massive Tiger Demons fell one by one with a single slash.

A few breaths later, apart from the smallest Tiger Demon, which lay trembling on the ground, all the others had been slain by Wei Fan.

Slain a Tiger Demon, gained 30 years of skill!

Slain a Tiger Demon, gained 23 years of skill!

Slain a Tiger Demon, gained 18 years of skill!

...

Current skill: 132 years

Seeing this number, Wei Fan smiled in satisfaction.

He kicked the remaining Tiger Demon and said, "What are you afraid of? With guts this small, how can you be a demon? I only killed a few of your blood brothers. What is there to fear?"

The Tiger Demon's eyes were full of terror, and it did not dare meet Wei Fan's gaze. "Y-you're too terrifying. You're the real demon."

A True Qi Ninth Level martial artist slaughtering great demons of the Initial Realm Ninth Rank as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, one slash each—and you had the nerve to say I was cowardly?

You killed six of my nine blood brothers, then told me not to be afraid. Was fear something I could simply choose not to feel?

Wei Fan's gaze sharpened, and he gave the Tiger Demon a resounding slap across the face. "You dare insult me? I'm not as cruel as demons like you."

The Tiger Demon did not dare speak again. It did not know who was truly cruel. Of nine brothers, six had been killed by Wei Fan. Their bloodline was about to end.

"Which son of the Tiger King are you?"

Seeing that it remained silent, Wei Fan simply sat down on it.

A proud Tiger Demon was now more obedient than a dog.

It was actually severely wounded as well. In the earlier clash of sound waves, its internal organs had been shaken badly. Blood was still flowing from its seven orifices, and cracks had appeared in many places across its fur.

"I... I'm the sixth son. They all call me Tiger Six. Why aren't you killing me?"

Though terrified, Tiger Six still voiced the doubt in his heart.

This fellow was even more ruthless than demons. Why had he spared him?

Wei Fan said, "Cut the nonsense. Answer what I ask. Why hasn't the Tiger King come when his own sons have died?"

He had thought that if the Tiger King came, there would be a fierce battle.

After all, the Tiger King had run rampant through Cloud City many years ago.

Tiger Six froze. "Should my father have come himself?"

Wei Fan gave a mocking smile. "You beasts want to imitate humans, but you can never learn human emotions. His own sons die, yet their father does not show himself. Beasts will always be beasts."

Tiger Six wore an expression as though he had been taught a lesson.

Wei Fan smacked Tiger Six on the head with the flat of his blade. "Get up. Take me to your father."

Tiger Six did not hesitate in the slightest. Wei Fan wanted to find the Tiger King? He could not have wished for anything more.

He rose from the ground and carried Wei Fan away.

"To be a demon to your extent is truly a disgrace to demons. You won't even put up the slightest resistance? You're selling out your father that easily?"

Wei Fan smacked the Tiger Demon on the head with his blade.

At first, he had thought Tiger Six would refuse. Who would have imagined that this fellow would silently take him to find the Tiger King?

The Tiger Demon said weakly, "If I resisted, would that not just give you an excuse to beat me? Besides, if you want to go die, why shouldn't I grant your wish?"

Current skill: 132 years

Wei Fan looked at the panel. "Use fifty years of skill to enhance the Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield!"

With more than a hundred and thirty years of skill, Wei Fan was no longer as stingy as before. In one go, he added fifty years of skill to the Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield.

The panel began to flicker.

Deducted fifty years of skill

Five years of skill: Your Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield grows increasingly proficient.

Ten years of skill: The tiger forms become increasingly lifelike, but you are still far from a breakthrough.

Fifteen years of skill: You gain ever more insights into the Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield and continue cultivating tirelessly.

Twenty years of skill: At the top of a hundred-foot pole, you take another step forward. The Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield reaches proficiency, condensing a wisp of tiger soul.

...

In his senses, the tiger forms on the Golden Bell began to gain a touch of spirit, as though life had been bestowed upon them. A tiger's majesty emerged.

At the same time, the Golden Bell became increasingly solid, and patterns appeared on its surface.

Thirty years of skill: The tiger soul continues to grow stronger.

Forty years of skill: Through your hard work and persistence, the Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield breaks through once more, reaching major accomplishment.

Fifty years of skill: Your Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield remains at a standstill.

Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield (Major Accomplishment)

Current skill: 82 years

"Add another ten years of skill!"

Seeing that fifty years of skill had failed to bring the Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield to perfection, Wei Fan added another ten years.

Deducted ten years of skill

Five years of skill: The tiger soul becomes increasingly real, but it is still a step short of perfection. You do not lose heart and bury yourself in arduous cultivation.

Ten years of skill: After years of persistence, the tiger soul reaches perfection. With one chime of the Golden Bell, demons are cowed. The Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield reaches perfection.

Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield (Perfection)

Current skill: 72 years

Wei Fan let out a long breath.

It had finally reached perfection.

By now, he had invested exactly a hundred years of skill into this martial art.

With the golden finger's aid, it had taken a hundred years of skill. If he had truly cultivated it himself, even if he lived to be a hundred, he would not have been able to bring the Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield to perfection.

"Hmm... What are you afraid of?"

Wei Fan suddenly discovered that Tiger Six beneath him was trembling all over, struggling even to walk.

Tiger Six said in terror, "What ghostly thing do you have on you? You're scaring this demon to death."

For an instant just now, he had sensed a terrifying aura belonging to the tiger race. Its terror far surpassed that of his father, the Tiger King.

"There's nothing. You coward, you're bringing shame upon demons!"

Having roughly understood what had happened, Wei Fan ignored Tiger Six.

This fellow had probably been frightened by the tiger soul condensed on the Golden Bell.

Dragon's Roar Sky Shattering Finger (Not Initiated)

Glazed Treasure Body (Not Initiated)

Current skill: 72 years

Wei Fan temporarily stopped enhancing the Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield and looked toward his other martial arts.

There were still two martial arts he had yet to initiate.

At this point, he did not know whether continuing to add skill to the Roaring Tiger Golden Bell Shield would still be useful. He would first enhance the Glazed Treasure Body and Dragon's Roar Sky Shattering Finger, then see if any skill remained.