Before night had even fallen, Jiang Hao and Zhao Heita returned to Cang City.
However, Jiang Hao riding Big Tiger into the city caused a bit of chaos.
How had these ordinary people of Cang City ever seen such a sight?
A child was actually riding atop a fierce tiger.
A child riding a tiger?
Every one of them was terrified out of their wits.
"That's a tiger?"
"It really is a tiger, and there's even a child on its back."
"What? A child riding a tiger? What's going on?"
"The child on the tiger's back looks a little familiar. Is that... Young Master Jiang?"
"The child prodigy of Jiang Manor?"
"There's no mistake. The master of Black Tower Martial Arts School is beside him too. I heard long ago that Young Master Jiang had become a disciple of Black Tower Martial Arts School."
"But how can Young Master Jiang ride a tiger?"
Tigers were also called mountain lords, tiger lords, and so on among the common folk.
They were the kings of all beasts.
When ordinary hunters encountered a fierce tiger in the mountains, it generally meant disaster was far more likely than survival.
Yet now, Jiang Hao, a seven-year-old child, was able to ride on a tiger's back?
The tiger even looked rather docile.
But was it truly docile?
The tiger's burly body and slightly opened jaws resembled a gaping maw of blood, filling people with fear.
It was Big Tiger's first time entering such a bustling district, yet he felt not the slightest discomfort. Instead, he strode along proudly. His tiger eyes brimmed with ferocity and dominance, drawing endless exclamations of amazement from those around him.
Anyone with sharp eyes could tell at once that this tiger had been tamed.
A tamed tiger was a rare sight indeed.
Even some bold children had gathered around to watch.
As they looked at Jiang Hao atop Big Tiger's back, their eyes were full of envy.
A child riding a tiger had stirred the entire city.
Even the City Lord's Mansion had been alarmed.
Important figures from the City Lord's Mansion arrived with constables in tow.
When they saw Jiang Hao and Zhao Heita, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Greetings, Master Zhao, Young Master Jiang."
"We received word that a fierce tiger had entered the city, so we came to investigate. It appears this tiger has already been tamed by Young Master Jiang?"
One of the constables spoke up.
It was a routine inquiry.
However, Zhao Heita held a high position, so even the constables had to treat him respectfully.
Zhao Heita also knew that these constables represented the City Lord's Mansion and were acting for the safety of the whole city.
Since Jiang Hao had ridden a tiger into the city, he naturally had to provide an explanation.
What if the tiger hurt someone otherwise?
"Rest assured. This tiger possesses a trace of Tiger Demon Bloodline and is quite intelligent. It has already been tamed and will not harm anyone."
Zhao Heita spoke calmly.
"Tiger Demon Bloodline?"
Ordinary people did not understand what that meant, but the constables felt their hearts ease.
Of course, they knew what "Tiger Demon Bloodline" meant.
Any creature with Demon Bloodline would possess intelligence.
Once it possessed intelligence, it was no longer an ordinary beast and could be tamed.
After being tamed, it was actually safer.
"That is good. Young Master Jiang, please keep your tiger pet properly restrained in the future."
"Alright, stop gathering around. Disperse..."
With the constables driving them away, the crowd quickly scattered.
They merely stopped crowding forward; in truth, they were still watching from afar.
Some martial artists also understood what was going on.
They were all deeply envious.
"A tiger with Tiger Demon Bloodline? Jiang Hao really is lucky."
"It is only a tiger pet. Do you really think that trace of bloodline can let it return to its ancestors and become a demon?"
Returning to its ancestors and becoming a demon was unlikely, unless it had Great Medicine... but who would be willing to feed Great Medicine to a tiger pet?
"Still, Zhao Heita truly values Jiang Hao. He actually accompanied Jiang Hao personally to catch a tiger pet..."
"Hehe, news already spread from Black Tower Martial Arts School this morning. Jiang Hao is suspected to have already generated force and become a Ming Jin Martial Artist."
"What? A seven-year-old Ming Jin Martial Artist?"
The martial artists of Cang City were all utterly shocked.
They did not care about a tiger pet at all.
If they wished, they could catch ten tiger pets without issue.
But Jiang Hao generating force and becoming a Ming Jin Martial Artist was different.
A seven-year-old Ming Jin Martial Artist?
That was simply too shocking.
No wonder Zhao Heita valued Jiang Hao so highly, even personally catching a tiger pet for him.
If their own disciples had such talent, they would catch a hundred tiger pets if necessary.
Jiang Hao returned to the martial arts school together with Zhao Heita.
The martial arts school had long since been thrown into an uproar as well.
Many students, Outer Gate disciples, and even Inner Disciples had come outside the school to welcome Jiang Hao and Zhao Heita.
Most of the students and disciples looked at Jiang Hao on the tiger's back with immense envy.
Who would not want to ride a fierce tiger and cut such an imposing figure?
"Alright, you've shown off enough along the way. Hurry inside so we can discuss proper business."
Zhao Heita finally spoke.
"Yes, Master."
Jiang Hao truly felt exhilarated.
Even though he had lived two lives, this was still his first time riding a tiger.
Jiang Hao jumped down from Big Tiger's back and said to him, "Stay here properly. You are not allowed to hurt anyone."
"Roar..."
Big Tiger gave a low roar, as though responding to Jiang Hao.
Jiang Hao nodded and followed his master into the martial arts school.
Big Tiger also lay on the ground and closed his eyes to rest.
As for everyone else's stares, Big Tiger could not be bothered with them.
Inside the martial arts school, Zhao Heita said to Jiang Hao, "Jiang Hao, although your Fierce Tiger Fist has reached Minor Accomplishment, you must not slack off. Strive to reach Major Accomplishment as soon as possible."
"Yes, Master. This disciple will certainly not slack off."
Jiang Hao also understood that reaching Major Accomplishment in Fierce Tiger Fist would greatly increase his strength.
Zhao Heita was also very assured about Jiang Hao.
He took two secret manuals from the inner room and handed them to Jiang Hao.
"Since you are already a Ming Jin Martial Artist, it is time for you to cultivate Ming Jin Techniques."
"Your master previously told you that there are two Top-tier Techniques: Raging Tide Force and Startling Thunder Force."
"Among them, Raging Tide Force and the Great River Blood Nourishing Technique are of the same lineage. Startling Thunder Force, meanwhile, is a top-tier Ming Jin Technique that I obtained by chance in my early years. Its power is no less remarkable."
"The two types of force cultivated by these techniques can both increase power by thirty percent. But as Top-tier Techniques, they share one trait: they are very difficult to cultivate. One needs exceptionally high Bone Quality and an extremely high degree of compatibility with the technique to cultivate them successfully."
"Among your senior brothers and senior sisters, only Senior Disciple Brother and Third Senior Brother have successfully cultivated Raging Tide Force. Not a single person has cultivated Startling Thunder Force. Therefore, if you wish to cultivate these two techniques, you must also act within your means."
"If you truly cannot cultivate them successfully, give up early and switch to another technique."
Zhao Heita gave the warning with a solemn expression.
"Yes, Master."
Jiang Hao accepted the two techniques.
Naturally, these were handwritten copies that he could take home and study carefully.
"Jiang Hao, Raging Tide Force is the technique your master cultivates. I can give you detailed guidance and help you master Raging Tide Force more quickly."
"As for Startling Thunder Force, I have not cultivated it either. You can only explore it on your own."
"Sorry for the trouble, Master."
With the two Ming Jin Techniques before him, Jiang Hao quickly made his decision.
He would cultivate Raging Tide Force first!
With his master's guidance, cultivating Raging Tide Force would certainly be faster.
He would consider Startling Thunder Force after mastering Raging Tide Force.
This was also Zhao Heita's intention.
By carefully guiding Jiang Hao in cultivating Raging Tide Force, he could also see how quickly Jiang Hao cultivated a top-tier Ming Jin Technique.
Jiang Hao had purified Ten Percent Blood Qi and could cultivate ten Ming Jin Techniques.
If he did not cultivate Top-tier Techniques, it would simply be a waste.
But techniques placed great importance on compatibility.
The more top-tier the technique, the more it emphasized compatibility.
The higher one's Bone Quality, the higher one's compatibility with a technique.
Although Jiang Hao could purify Ten Percent Blood Qi, meaning his Bone Quality should be very high,
there was always the fear of the unexpected.
What if he could not do it?
If he truly could not cultivate a Top-tier Technique, he could only settle for the next best thing and cultivate a Superior Technique.
Martial arts required diligence, but not stubbornness.
If it truly did not work, there was no need to stubbornly lock horns with a top-tier Ming Jin Technique.
He could switch to a Superior Technique, since Superior Techniques were much less difficult.
Yet even ten Superior Techniques would provide an utterly terrifying increase in power.
However, since he now had Top-tier Techniques, Jiang Hao naturally had to try them.
Thus, Jiang Hao began studying Raging Tide Force.
This Raging Tide Force truly was extraordinary, and its cultivation was extremely complex.
Whether one could cultivate Raging Tide Force depended on the compatibility between one's Bone Quality and Raging Tide Force.
Jiang Hao's Bone Quality stat had reached 7, which counted as very high.
The moment he tried, the force within Jiang Hao's body faintly showed signs of transforming into Raging Tide Force.
It went exceptionally smoothly!
And this was supposed to be difficult?
Where was the difficulty?
One had to know that Jiang Hao had only just begun cultivating Raging Tide Force.
Clearly, Jiang Hao's Bone Quality was exceptionally compatible with Raging Tide Force.
Perhaps Jiang Hao's Bone Quality of 7 was compatible with every technique.
However, this was merely the first faint sign.
Transforming it into Raging Tide Force would also take time, and that time would probably not be short. At the very least, it was not something that could be accomplished in a few days.
But Jiang Hao already understood that Raging Tide Force posed no obstacle to him.
"My Bone Quality truly is already very strong. Cultivating top-tier Ming Jin Techniques will not be a problem."
"Then from now on, I'll focus fully on Visualizing the Blood Moon to increase my Comprehension. I'll strive to raise my Comprehension quickly, so Fierce Tiger Fist can reach Major Accomplishment, or even perfection, as soon as possible!"
Jiang Hao considered his own situation.
His Bone Quality was already very strong, so practicing top-tier Ming Jin Techniques would not be a problem.
But his Comprehension was far worse. Fierce Tiger Fist had only barely reached Minor Accomplishment, and there was still no sign of when it might reach Major Accomplishment.
Naturally, he had to focus on improving his Comprehension.
As for spirit?
Other than purifying Blood Qi, spirit had no other use for now, so it could be set aside temporarily.
By evening, Jiang Hao left the martial arts school.
Du Juan and the other servants of Jiang Manor had already been waiting outside.
"Young Master, you finally finished practicing martial arts. It's nearly dark already."
Du Juan stepped forward and was about to lift Jiang Hao into the carriage, but Jiang Hao shook his head. "Du Juan, you ride in the carriage. I won't be getting in."
"Young Master, you aren't riding in the carriage?"
"Big Tiger, time to wake up."
Jiang Hao lightly smacked Big Tiger on the head.
Big Tiger shuddered all over and immediately let out a low, rumbling roar.
But when he saw that it was Jiang Hao, he immediately lowered his head and affectionately licked Jiang Hao.
"Is this tiger really Young Master's mount?"
Du Juan had actually noticed the fierce tiger long ago.
She had even heard the rumors about Jiang Hao and this tiger.
But no matter what, nothing could compare to the shock of seeing it with her own eyes.
Jiang Hao swung himself onto Big Tiger's back. Looking at the dumbfounded Du Juan, he smiled and said, "Let's go home."
And so, Jiang Hao rode the tiger at an unhurried pace toward Jiang Manor.
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