Lost in the Artistic Conception, He Sought the Fierce Tiger; His Mind's Aperture Suddenly Opened

The distant mountains were hazy, their outlines appearing and disappearing in the mist.

Chen Duan's mind truly sank into the artistic conception, his consciousness taking the form of a mountain traveler.

And that majestic mountain in the distance—the fierce tiger still lay lazily beneath the tree.

He tried to approach, only to discover that no matter which direction he walked in, the path beneath his feet was always winding and tortuous.

He wandered and circled endlessly among those mountains, with no idea how much time had passed. After going round and round, he always ended up back at the starting point.

In the depths of the unseen, a voice seemed to urge him on, telling him that the next turn might be the path leading to his goal, and that he only needed to keep walking.

At last, after one more cycle, Chen Duan stopped.

He no longer blindly pursued that seemingly existent "path."

Why must I honestly go searching for a path?

That lazy beast should be the one coming to see me!

In an instant, inspiration came to him, and he seized control instead of giving chase.

The moment this thought arose, the clouds parted and the sun shone through.

The surrounding artistic conception of mountains and rivers changed with a thunderous roar. He was no longer a helpless traveler, but a cultivator sitting cross-legged atop a piece of Green Stone.

And the fierce tiger that had originally been beneath the tree in the distant mountains now appeared unmistakably not far in front of him. It yawned lazily, its amber pupils carrying a hint of scrutiny as it looked over.

The next moment.

His sea of consciousness seemed to have been split open by a giant ax. Another crucial acupoint opened within his body, and surging inner power