Breakthrough! Essence Refining Realm!

Tigers are the kings of beasts!

The physical structure of an adult fierce tiger, its skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, its organs, Blood Essence, are all at their peak!

Such ferocious beasts are natural hunters. Once they reach adulthood, they are almost equivalent to a Martial Artist of the Inner Strength First Rank, the limit of human potential, the pinnacle of the martial path!

In his previous life, in the Water Margin, Wu Song was like a god or demon descended, with a towering physique and innate strength, yet killing a fierce tiger was enough to boast about for a lifetime.

Later generations, when mentioning this anecdote, often debate it, generally believing that no matter how powerful a person or how formidable a Martial Artist, they could never kill an adult fierce tiger.

And this fierce tiger before him has already become a spirit!

A demon tiger!

No longer can it be overcome by human strength!

Even a Martial Artist like Lin Yan, at the Inner Strength First Rank, considered the limit of human strength, could not match it.

"Then I have no choice but to break through to the Essence Refining Realm."

Lin Yan took a deep breath and swung his long saber.

He had just killed thirty-three Ghouls, obtaining thirty-three strands of Malevolent Energy!

He added two strands of Malevolent Energy to his cultivation.

Name: Lin Yan.

Cultivation Method: Five Elements Inner Breath Art.

Cultivation: Essence Refining Realm (1/3650) +

Divine Ability 1: Devour Fiend Qi!

Divine Ability 2: Demon Suppressing!

Techniques:

Lightning Blade First Level (87/100) +

Paper Cut into Horse (12/100) +

Disguise Technique (67/100) +

Breath Concealment Technique (21/100) +

Malevolent Energy: 31 strands.

In an instant!

It was as if a spring had gushed forth from within him, flowing through his entire body.

At this moment, Lin Yan's eyes became even brighter.

In a daze, the candlelight reflected in his pupils seemed to emit divine light.

He felt his physique gradually solidifying.

From his skin to his flesh, tendons, bones, and internal organs, everything was connected internally and externally.

He felt his strength growing at an extremely noticeable rate, and even the saber in his hand seemed to have become much lighter in an instant.

The eleven ranks of Martial Artists.

Skin, Flesh, Tendons, Bones.

Blood Refining, Marrow Cleansing.

Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lungs, Kidneys.

When the five internal organs are connected, Inner Strength is perfected, becoming a First Rank Martial Artist!

And today, his internal and external aspects merged, his entire body became one, his physique like iron, tempered into steel!

At this moment, his vitality surged like a continuous spring!

"Now I've become a spirit too!"

Lin Yan gripped his saber, took a stance, and said in a deep voice, "Old demon! Come at me!"

A tiger's roar shook the mountains and forests!

A fierce wind suddenly rose, kicking up sand and stones!

Having already cultivated to the Essence Refining Realm, his vision was sharp, seeing the night as clear as day.

But at this moment, dust flew, blurring his vision.

He couldn't see clearly ahead, but a fierce wind was rushing towards him with extreme ferocity.

Lin Yan's gaze turned sharp, he leaped forward with his saber, and slashed down.

With a boom!

He felt a heavy resistance from his saber!

He focused his energy into his eyes and discovered that what he had shattered was a colossal rock hurtling towards him.

It was a trap!

A fierce tiger that had become a spirit, a cunning demon!

Lin Yan's danger sense flared. The moment he landed, he rolled, moving to his left.

Bang! A dull thud echoed.

When he looked up, he saw a fierce tiger pouncing down where he had just been.

The ground instantly caved in!

The surrounding earth cracked and spread out!

It was clear how powerful the demon tiger's pounce was!

"Though the tiger is old, it must have been a spirit for a long time," Lin Yan thought, his mind racing. "I've only just reached the Essence Refining Realm, my cultivation is far inferior to its, but it's old and past its prime, no longer agile."

His current situation: Inferior in strength to the fierce tiger. But more agile than the old demon. What was more troublesome was that this tiger was no longer an ordinary beast; it was cunning and treacherous, shifting between reality and illusion. In just one exchange, he had almost fallen into a trap!

His heart grew serious, and he retreated, holding his blade.

As expected, the tiger roared, its cry shaking the heavens and earth, kicking up sand and stones!

In the blink of an eye, a large area of sand and earth was lifted, covering where he had just been!

If he hadn't retreated early, he would have been buried alive!

But after the sand and dust settled, the demon tiger did not pursue.

As the dust cleared, the night remained dark.

The demon tiger had vanished.

Yet, the chill in Lin Yan's heart had not abated at all.

The night was silent, the night wind blowing gently.

A slight breeze brushed his face.

"Something's wrong!"

Lin Yan tensed, his instincts screaming at him to brace himself and strike forward.

But his extensive combat experience prevailed. He suppressed his instinct to counterattack and instead lunged forward.

A fierce wind erupted behind him. The demon tiger had, without his knowledge, circled around and hidden in the bushes behind him.

Despite its large size, the tiger was a master of concealment, crawling low and waiting for its moment!

But Lin Yan still managed to evade the pounce!

The demon tiger was still in mid-air, not yet having landed.

But Lin Yan had already spun around and, with incredible speed, circled behind it.

Before he could even draw his blade, he saw the demon tiger press its front paws to the ground, its hindquarters rearing up.

Its rear half lifted, and it kicked backward with its hind legs!

Lin Yan quickly stopped himself, evading the sweep.

Then, he saw the demon tiger's tail rise like an iron rod, sweeping towards him with a whistling sound.

Lin Yan was struck by the blow, brutally swept and bisected at the waist!

But before the demon tiger could show any joy in its eyes, the two halves of the human body it had struck transformed into a flurry of paper, scattering like snowflakes!

Paper Cut into Horse! A diversionary tactic!

A sudden thunderclap!

"Old demon, take this blade!"

Lin Yan, who had been crouching in the dust, rose with a roar.

The first strike of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade!

In the cold night, the blade's light shone, like a flash of lightning!

Its tough muscles and bones were fragile beneath the blade's edge!

Bang!

The tiger's massive head was severed and fell to the dust.

"..."

Lin Yan gasped for breath, his body trembling, barely able to stand after unleashing that full-powered strike.

He knew the gap in their cultivation was too great, and even if he added the remaining thirty-one strands of Malevolent Energy to his cultivation, it wouldn't change the current situation.

So, he added eighteen strands of Malevolent Energy to his mastery of "Paper Cut into Horse," bringing it to the "Proficient" level, intending to deceive it.

He was also deeply afraid his blade techniques weren't strong enough, so he added the final thirteen strands of Malevolent Energy entirely to his blade technique mastery.

But more importantly, the demonic tiger was old and declining; its pounce, its lift, and its slash were already exhausting its strength.

Its old strength was gone, and new strength had not yet emerged. In this moment of weakness, he found its flaw.

Finally, with the boost from the Demon Suppressing divine ability, he was able to deliver a fatal blow, slaying the demonic tiger!

He looked at the severed body of the demonic tiger, took a deep breath, and thought, "It's not just you, old demon, who can use tricks!"

He closed his eyes slightly and took a look.

This time, slaying the demonic tiger yielded fifty-three strands of Malevolent Energy.

If he added the Ghoul spirits from before, it would reach a staggering eighty-six strands of Malevolent Energy.

If this tiger hadn't been old and decrepit, the harvest would have been even higher.

He knew that a Martial Artist who had cultivated to the Skin, Flesh, Tendons, Bones realm was already considered a master, yet they only gained three strands of Malevolent Energy.

The spoils from slaying this demon were more than he had anticipated.

He thought to himself, "Besides, a spirit-infused tiger is a treasure trove… its skin, flesh, tendons, and bones are all incredibly useful. Its tiger blood, when made into candles, is a supreme treasure for Evil Warding, far more effective in the wilderness than incense sticks in a temple."

He was a butcher by origin, and he immediately planned to recover some strength to butcher the demonic tiger and cut up its skin, flesh, tendons, and bones.

"Hmm?"

But at this very moment, a sense of unease suddenly struck him.

His heart grew cold, and he abruptly flipped backward.

He somersaulted three times, landing six zhang away. Looking ahead, an uncontrollable terror welled up in his eyes.

He saw the severed body of the demonic tiger swaying and rising from the ground.

Blood gushed like a fountain from the neck of the headless tiger carcass.

But at this moment, the gushing blood gradually turned black.

Black stripes on the tiger's body extended into wispy branches, fluttering in the air.

In the blink of an eye, the demonic tiger was covered in black branches, its flesh splitting open.

The tiger bones were visible.

Black blood flowed.

Beneath the torn tiger skin, its muscles twitched and writhed, as if countless insects were struggling within.

The scene before him was ghastly and terrifying; a single glance made his scalp tingle.

Had this demonic tiger been possessed even before it died?