To the northwest of Cang City lay an endless stretch of mountains and forests known as Flying Eagle Mountain.
For thousands of years, many hunters had made their living by entering Flying Eagle Mountain to hunt.
Zhao Heita brought Jiang Hao racing over, and they entered Flying Eagle Mountain.
"Master, are there fierce tigers in Flying Eagle Mountain?"
Jiang Hao asked.
He now understood why Zhao Heita had brought him to Flying Eagle Mountain.
Although he had memories of fierce tigers in his mind,
they were only video clips.
In reality, Jiang Hao had never truly seen a fierce tiger before.
"There are many fierce tigers in the depths of Flying Eagle Mountain. If we are lucky, we will encounter one soon enough."
Zhao Heita spoke calmly.
He seemed utterly unafraid of the king of beasts.
That was perfectly normal.
No matter how powerful a fierce tiger was, it was still a beast.
Zhao Heita was a Transforming Force martial artist. Why would he fear an ordinary beast?
Once a Ming Jin Martial Artist unleashed their force, they could possess several thousand jin of strength. Let alone a Transforming Force martial artist.
Jiang Hao was faintly excited as well.
After all, they were searching for a tiger—the king of beasts. He could not help feeling expectant.
The two wandered through the forest for two hours.
"Roar..."
Their luck was good. At last, they encountered a fierce tiger.
This tiger looked majestic and robust, as though even its steps carried the wind.
They said clouds followed dragons and wind followed tigers. The saying was indeed true.
"Jiang Hao, watch every movement this fierce tiger makes. See whether you can comprehend Tiger Form."
Zhao Heita said from the side.
"Tiger Form?"
Jiang Hao stared closely at the tiger's every movement.
The tiger walked very lightly.
There was even a sense of elegance to it.
Yet its eyes were incomparably sharp. As a tiger standing at the pinnacle of the forest's food chain, it possessed an air of looking down upon all living things.
Jiang Hao's Comprehension had reached 3.5. This number could not compare to his Bone Quality, but it was actually still very high.
With such Comprehension, he could certainly bring Fierce Tiger Fist to Minor Accomplishment.
He merely lacked an opportunity at present.
Now, that opportunity stood before him.
Jiang Hao fell into thought.
Certain moves within Fierce Tiger Fist seemed to gradually overlap with the tiger before him, merging into one.
However, something was still missing.
Yes, "killing intent."
The tiger's "killing intent."
"Master, I want to see how a tiger hunts."
"That is simple."
Zhao Heita nodded.
"Whoosh."
Zhao Heita moved.
He actually charged directly at the tiger.
The tiger was instead startled and did not rashly pounce. It swiftly retreated, then circled to Zhao Heita's side and suddenly lunged forward from beside him.
Though tigers were apex predators, they were extremely cautious and skilled at sneak attacks.
At the instant the tiger pounced, inspiration struck Jiang Hao.
"Yes, that's it!"
Jiang Hao could not help beginning to demonstrate the moves of Fierce Tiger Fist.
Every move and stance seemed like those of a real fierce tiger.
Tiger Form had taken shape!
At that moment, Jiang Hao's Fierce Tiger Fist smoothly broke through from proficiency to Minor Accomplishment.
Tiger Form was that simple. Once the opportunity arrived, it could be comprehended at once.
However, the tiger had pounced at Zhao Heita. This was a true fight to the death with a beast.
Zhao Heita suddenly turned around.
He actually unleashed Fierce Tiger Fist as well.
He too seemed like a real fierce tiger.
"Bang."
Zhao Heita's fist smashed into the tiger's paw.
The tiger was sent tumbling backward like a kite with its string cut.
The difference in strength was far too great.
Zhao Heita had not even used his full strength.
He had only used a tiny fraction of it.
Otherwise, that single punch would have killed the tiger.
"Minor Accomplishment?"
Zhao Heita was delighted.
His personal trip to Flying Eagle Mountain to search for a tiger with Jiang Hao had not been in vain.
Once Fierce Tiger Fist reached Minor Accomplishment, the fist technique's power could be amplified by ten percent.
That was extremely terrifying.
"Sorry for the trouble, Master."
Jiang Hao said with a smile.
"As your master, I can only help you this far. For Major Accomplishment and Perfection, you can only slowly comprehend them yourself. I am powerless to help."
Zhao Heita stood with his hands behind his back, his face full of gratification.
Jiang Hao glanced at the tiger and found that it was only growling lowly, not daring to make any rash movement.
An idea came to Jiang Hao. "Master, can I take this tiger home? If I observe it every day, perhaps I can train Fierce Tiger Fist to Major Accomplishment, or even Perfection, faster."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Heita nodded. "In fact, I once did the same. I captured a tiger and observed it every day, but after Minor Accomplishment, it seemed to have no further effect."
"However, if you want to take this tiger home, you will have to rely on yourself. If it were merely a beast, a fierce tiger would be difficult to tame. But this tiger is not as simple as an ordinary beast. It seems to possess a trace of Tiger Demon Bloodline and understands human nature. If you want to subdue it, you must rely on yourself to beat it into submission."
"Tiger Demon?"
Jiang Hao was startled.
This world had not only martial artists, but demons as well?
"Jiang Hao, since you will soon enter the Huangtian Sect, there is no harm in telling you. All things possess spirit. Flying insects and running beasts can become demons through fortuitous opportunities, and once they become demons, their intelligence is no different from humans. They can even cultivate and grow stronger."
"Even the weakest demon is comparable to an Entering Dao martial artist."
"In the Huangtian Sect, whether Inner Disciples or True Disciples, their ultimate goal is to Enter Dao."
"If one practices martial arts without Entering Dao, it will all end in emptiness. After you enter the Huangtian Sect, your goal will also be to Enter Dao! Back then, it was only because a powerful Entering Dao expert emerged from our ancestral line that we were able to become part of the Huangtian Sect's upper ranks."
Jiang Hao's eyes lit up.
Entering Dao?
So the goal of martial artists was Entering Dao.
Demons corresponded to Entering Dao martial artists?
"You are only at Ming Jin now, still very far from Entering Dao. It is enough for you to understand a little common knowledge. Once you enter the Huangtian Sect, you can learn more on your own."
"This tiger has Tiger Demon Bloodline, so it possesses some intelligence and can be subdued. As for whether you can subdue it, that depends on you. I will not help."
Zhao Heita made himself very clear.
The tiger before them possessed intelligence. It was not merely a beast and could be subdued.
But if Jiang Hao wanted to subdue this tiger, he would have to find a way himself.
Yet Jiang Hao was only seven years old.
A seven-year-old child, subduing such a ferocious tiger?
"Yes, Master. This disciple will give it a try."
Jiang Hao took a deep breath, his gaze instantly locking onto the tiger.
Though he was only seven, he was already a Ming Jin Martial Artist.
No matter how high one's cultivation or how strong one's Martial Skill, it still had to be tested in actual combat.
Without actual combat, one could never become a martial artist.
Jiang Hao roughly understood his master's intentions as well.
His master wanted him to truly experience a real battle!
Watching Jiang Hao walk out step by step, Zhao Heita secretly nodded.
His intention was indeed to let Jiang Hao engage in actual combat.
Moreover, with him present, no matter what danger they encountered, he could intervene and save him.
"Though this tiger has Tiger Demon Bloodline, it is ultimately only a beast with a little intelligence. Though it is the king of beasts, it is still no match for a Ming Jin Martial Artist. Even an ordinary Ming Jin Martial Artist could kill it, let alone Jiang Hao?"
Zhao Heita knew that the force Jiang Hao had developed possessed double the power, far surpassing that of an ordinary Ming Jin Martial Artist.
What he lacked was nothing more than actual combat.
Cultivation was cultivation, and battle was battle.
Battle required skill, ferocity, and experience.
These were all things Jiang Hao lacked.
It was certainly impossible to make up for them all at once.
But allowing Jiang Hao to truly experience a real battle was still extremely necessary.
Jiang Hao approached the tiger step by step.
The tiger possessed some intelligence, but it certainly could not compare to a human's.
Seeing Jiang Hao's "tiny" body draw near, the tiger seemed to be enraged. It began to growl softly.
Jiang Hao did not dare let down his guard.
He was observing the tiger as well.
Moreover, seeing the tiger's manner allowed Jiang Hao to understand "Tiger Form" even more deeply.
"Whoosh."
The tiger leaped up and pounced forward.
In Jiang Hao's eyes, the enormous tiger radiated terrifying might, sweeping toward him like a hurricane and arriving before him in the blink of an eye.
A trace of fear inevitably arose in his heart.
That was only human nature.
But Jiang Hao was, after all, a Ming Jin Martial Artist.
Especially since he had just comprehended "Tiger Form" and brought Fierce Tiger Fist to Minor Accomplishment.
Seeing the tiger pounce toward him, Jiang Hao's small body suddenly twisted aside. Then, like a fierce tiger himself, he threw a punch straight at it.
"Bang."
The punch struck the tiger's flank.
The tiger was still in midair.
Struck like that, its body crashed heavily onto the ground.
Jiang Hao did not hesitate in the slightest. He unleashed Tiger Pounce from Fierce Tiger Fist, leaping down and throwing a punch straight at its head.
This punch erupted with Ming Jin.
The terrifying additional force, amplified twofold, smashed viciously into the tiger's head.
At once, a dull thud rang out.
The tiger felt its head grow dizzy, and its huge body collapsed onto the ground.
"Bang bang bang bang bang."
Jiang Hao attacked continuously, his fists falling upon the tiger like raindrops.
"Enough. If you keep hitting it, you will beat this tiger to death."
Seeing this, Zhao Heita immediately reminded Jiang Hao.
Jiang Hao stopped upon hearing this.
Looking again at the tiger before him, it was basically unable to move on the ground.
It was even continuously whimpering in pain.
"Are you willing to follow me?"
Jiang Hao asked the tiger.
The tiger possessed some intelligence and could understand Jiang Hao's meaning.
The tiger nodded. It even forcibly propped up its body, lowered its head, and knelt before Jiang Hao, affectionately licking Jiang Hao's feet with its tongue.
This was how a beast showed submission.
A faint smile appeared on Jiang Hao's face.
The fierce tiger submitted.
He had taken in a "tiger pet."
Jiang Hao had actually held back just now.
The fierce tiger looked miserable, but they were only superficial wounds. He was not seriously hurt.
"I'll give you a name. You'll be called Big Tiger."
Jiang Hao's nickname was Little Tiger, and now he had subdued this fierce tiger as well. He truly seemed fated with tigers.
Big Tiger affectionately rubbed his face against Jiang Hao's.
Looking at Big Tiger's enormous body, Jiang Hao was eager to give it a try.
So he flipped himself up and jumped onto Big Tiger's back.
Tigers did not have much endurance, so they were not really suited for carrying people.
But Jiang Hao was a child and very light. To Big Tiger, it made no difference at all.
Sitting on Big Tiger's back, Jiang Hao looked incredibly excited.
After all, what child could resist the temptation of riding on a tiger's back?
"He really is still a child..."
Watching Jiang Hao play to his heart's content atop the tiger's back, Zhao Heita smiled knowingly.
So Zhao Heita rode his horse while shaking his head, and Jiang Hao rode Big Tiger as they slowly made their way back toward Cang City.
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