Sinews and Bones Resonate, Breaking into Third-Rate

Deep within Mount Dayan, a hunter carefully made his way through the forest. The vast mountains were filled with towering trees, many too thick for a single person to wrap their arms around. Who knew how many deadly dangers lurked amid the clusters of green and yellow foliage.

Brilliant sunlight filtered slowly through the branches and leaves, yet it brought not the slightest warmth. Instead, it felt eerie and sinister, sending chills through the body.

The stench of rotting branches and fallen leaves permeated the forest. The towering trees that blotted out the sky made the air here feel stifling.

Gu Sheng moved steadily and swiftly, watching out for poisonous insects and savage beasts around him from time to time. Spiritual Qi was abundant deep within Mount Dayan, especially at certain nodes near Lake Tianhong. It would not be strange even for Demon Beasts to appear there.

"Here!"

Gu Sheng cautiously moved through the woods, occasionally lowering his head to inspect the ground. Suddenly, he crouched down and looked at the plum blossom-shaped paw print beside a large pile of dung.

"Such a huge tiger paw! It seems those ten Luck Points weren't wasted!"

The corner of Gu Sheng's mouth curled slightly. He had not deceived Teng Qingshan before—he had indeed come out alone to make another breakthrough in Tiger Form Fist.

Gu Sheng's current state was rather peculiar. His understanding of Tiger Form Fist—his theoretical knowledge—had already reached the Return to Simplicity stage, the sixth level. Yet in actual practice, he was only at the Proficient level, the third level, while his cultivation remained stuck at the threshold of Third-Rate, unable to advance or retreat.

This was actually quite normal. He had practiced Tiger Form Fist for only a few days and had no real foundation. The martial path emphasized gradual progress. What he practiced was not some demonic art, so naturally his strength would not soar like a rocket.

He was now only one final step away from Third-Rate. There were two ways to break through. One was to borrow external force. The other was safer: simply grind away at it with steady effort and spend another ten days or half a month. But as a Reincarnator, what he lacked most was time.

The mediocre waited for opportunities, while the strong pursued and even created them. Since he had entered Lord God Space and chosen such a dangerous world, Gu Sheng naturally had no desire to be mediocre. Thus, he spent ten Luck Points to activate the Heavenly Secrets Deduction function of the Great Reincarnation System, which revealed that something he wanted was nearby—a fierce tiger.

Tiger Form Fist contemplated the tiger's majesty and power. Without seeing a true tiger descending the mountain, how could one truly grasp its essence?

Gu Sheng carefully examined the signs, then followed the paw prints. Before long, waves of foul, bloody wind rushed into his face.

"Roar~~"

A thunderous tiger's roar exploded beside Gu Sheng's ears like a bolt from a clear sky. Looking toward the sound, he saw a colossal creature in a rocky clearing ten meters away, standing nearly 1.8 meters at the shoulder and over five meters long, roaring furiously at him.

"Black Tiger!"

A flash of surprise crossed Gu Sheng's eyes. The great beast before him was not black and yellow like the ones he had seen in pictures on Blue Star. It was a savage giant covered entirely in black fur.

Black Tigers, also known as Black Tiger Cubs and Violet Leopard Cubs, were small in size and similar to leopards.

Their bodies were covered in dense black stripes, their fur a pale black with a faint gray-blue tint. They were creatures of Blue Star legend, unrecognized because no living specimens existed, yet they had been recorded throughout history.

This fellow before him was broadly similar to the records, except for... its size. This giant was far larger than even the biggest Northeast Tiger on Blue Star. Judging by its build, it definitely weighed over a thousand jin. As for its strength, merely thinking about it made one's scalp go numb.

"What a Violet Leopard!"

Faced with this colossal beast, Gu Sheng felt not the slightest fear or hesitation. Instead, blazing battle intent erupted from him. Before entering this world, he had already known that sooner or later, his future days would bring challenges of life and death.

Rather than wait for them to descend upon him someday, he might as well unleash the storm of blood himself—beginning with this Black Tiger.

Teng Qinghu—Gu Sheng—fixed his tiger-like eyes on the Black Tiger's beastly pupils. Calmly, he removed the pack from his back, tossed aside his bow, arrows, spear, and other tools, then stood alone in a fighting stance and beckoned to the Black Tiger. "Come!"

"Roar~"

The Black Tiger was enraged by Gu Sheng's provocation. This tiny monkey actually dared challenge it, the king of beasts. Its gleaming claws sprang from its paws. It scraped them against the rocks a few times, then charged forward on all fours before suddenly leaping into the air.

Its two steel-like front claws pushed off the ground while its thick hind legs kicked down hard. Its massive body soared through the air, accompanied by a gust of bloody wind. Its two blade-like claws tore fiercely toward Gu Sheng's chest, while its gaping jaws had long been hungry for flesh.

Gu Sheng suddenly rushed forward. Just as he was about to collide with the tiger's jaws, his knees bent sharply, and his entire body dropped lower in an instant.

"Roar~"

The Black Tiger's pounce missed, and before it could land, a piercing pain suddenly shot through its soft belly, making it howl in agony.

"Hah!"

Gu Sheng ducked beneath the Black Tiger's pounce. As it passed over his head, his legs suddenly sprang upward, and a heavy punch blasted from below into the Black Tiger's belly. The small amount of Inner Force he possessed shot forth like an arrow, instantly injuring the Black Tiger's internal organs.

"Smack~"

The injured Black Tiger flew into a rage, but with no leverage in midair, it could only twist its body violently and lash its steel-whip tail down at Gu Sheng below. Gu Sheng flipped away in quick succession, dodging the fatal strike. The tiger's tail struck a bluestone on the ground, instantly shattering the half-human-tall rock into pieces.

"Hmph~"

Gu Sheng narrowed his eyes at the great tiger, which was already showing signs of fear, but he remained as cautious as ever.

"Roar~~~"

The fierce tiger seemed to realize that its situation was worsening. With an earth-shaking roar, it charged and pounced at Gu Sheng.

Wounded beasts were the most dangerous. Gu Sheng now understood that firsthand. Its speed was astonishing, much faster than its previous pounce. In the blink of an eye, it had reached Gu Sheng, its foul-smelling jaws snapping viciously toward him.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

As the starving tiger pounced, Gu Sheng's mind was filled with the image of that roaring tiger diving down at him. Thoughts exploded one after another in his mind. His sinews and bones began to resonate, a surge of air struck his throat, and he suddenly threw back his head and roared.

"Roar~~" The roar, like that of a tiger, shook the soul. Even this king of beasts could not help being affected, its movements slowing by half a beat.

"Bang~"

Gu Sheng suddenly hopped half a step backward. His two fan-sized hands accurately seized the Black Tiger around the back of its neck, then lifted and hurled it, letting it experience the sensation of flying once more.

"Third-Rate, huh!"

Gu Sheng clenched his fists. The surging power within him made him want to vent, to destroy.

"Bang~"

The Black Tiger crashed heavily into a pile of rocks, shaking its head as it tried to rise.

"Up!"

By then, Gu Sheng had already reached the giant beast's back. He grabbed its iron-whip tail with both hands and yanked fiercely, then spun in place with the Black Tiger in tow and slammed it into a huge boulder beside them.

"Bang~"

The Black Tiger's head smashed heavily into a massive bluestone.

Strike while it was down and take its life. Gu Sheng leaped onto the tiger's back, raised his iron fists, and hammered the tiger's head twenty or thirty times in succession. Blood splattered around the Black Tiger's ears. Before long, only air left its nostrils, with none entering. Gradually, it stopped moving.