His Grass on Flying was suited for traveling and long-distance dashes, but it fell short when it came to dodging and weaving.
Chen Jingye's footwork, on the other hand, was quite good for evading attacks. He had even managed to dodge a lethal strike aimed at his heart.
If Qin Shuang could get his hands on that footwork and simplify it until he mastered it, it would fill in the gap in his own movement and evasive skills.
"I... I'll hand it over..."
Chen Jingye looked at Qin Shuang, fear in his eyes.
He knew he had no choice. If he refused, he would die. If he agreed, there might still be a sliver of hope for survival.
"Senior Brother Qin... the manual for Swimming Dragon Steps isn't on me... I have to go back and get it..."
Chen Jingye clutched his left arm, enduring the pain as he looked at Qin Shuang in terror.
At that moment,
he had lowered himself and become Junior Brother Chen.
"Tell me the formula. Don't try any tricks, or I'll kill you on the spot!"
Qin Shuang stared at Chen Jingye, killing intent in his eyes.
"T-the formula..."
Chen Jingye nodded. "All right..."
The formula for Swimming Dragon Steps was over a thousand characters long. Chen Jingye recited it while Qin Shuang memorized it. Once he had heard the whole thing, the panel in his mind shuddered.
[Swimming Dragon Steps: (Not Initiated)]
[Simplification: Carry Earthworm Walking for one minute]
"Hm?"
"It's showing up on the panel?"
Qin Shuang looked at the panel in his mind, anticipation in his eyes. He glanced at Chen Jingye, whose forehead was slick with cold sweat, and said coolly, "Get lost. If I see you again, I won't let you off!"
"Yes... yes, I'll leave right away..."
At Qin Shuang's words, Chen Jingye felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Clutching his broken, swollen arm, he ran frantically along the stone embankment beside Clear Water River, desperate to get away from this harbinger of death.
"Qin Shuang, one day, I'll pay you back a hundred, a thousand times over!"
As he ran, Chen Jingye swore silently that he would have his revenge someday—
and sate the hatred in his heart!
Chen Jingye ran two li along the riverbank before stopping. He looked back, saw no sign of Qin Shuang, and finally relaxed. A cold killing intent surfaced in his eyes.
Chen Jingye turned to leave, but suddenly froze. His pupils shrank, and he instinctively took three steps backward. "Senior Brother Qin... you..."
"Sorry about that. We meet again."
Qin Shuang looked at Chen Jingye, his eyes brimming with killing intent. Fierce Tiger Pouncing!
"You... you...!"
Chen Jingye turned and ran. He knew Qin Shuang had never intended to spare him.
But
it was already too late.
Chen Jingye felt a sharp pain in his back. It was as if he were soaring through the clouds. The next moment, he knew nothing more.
"Not bad!"
Qin Shuang tossed Chen Jingye's corpse into Clear Water River. He let out a low tiger's roar, then found a rock and moved it aside. He gathered more than ten earthworms and headed for Fusheng Restaurant.
[Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill Initiated]
[Simplification: Imitate a tiger's roar ten thousand times, consume 10 Tiger Blood Pills]
"I still have fifty Tiger Blood Pills and three Dragon Blood Pills at home. I can get Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill to proficient tonight!"
Qin Shuang thought to himself.
He knew that Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill was clearly a whole tier above all the other martial arts he had learned. That was because he had comprehended it from the Tiger Roar Painting.
At that moment,
in a manor in the southern part of Qingzhou City,
an old man with a short beard sat at the head of the room. He looked at the three Silver Masked Men below him and asked with a frown, "Still no news of Jin Qiao'er?"
"Guild Master, no. According to our investigation, the young master chased Jin Qiao'er to Clear Water River behind Golden Tiger Martial Arts School. I went there, and found traces of a fight, but no sign of the young master..."
A dark-skinned Silver Masked Man stepped forward and replied respectfully.
"Keep looking!"
"You must find Jin Qiao'er!"
Ding Dian pressed a hand to his chest, suppressing the Qi and Blood churning within him.
At that moment, he was deeply frustrated. He had finally found news of Senior Brother Jin Yihang, and reclaiming the sect's Tiger Roar Painting had seemed within reach. But he had never expected their master to have favored his senior brother.
Not only had their master given the Tiger Roar Painting to his senior brother, he had also held back a trump card.
His senior brother had fought to the death, making Ding Dian pay dearly with his own life. Otherwise, Jin Qiao'er could never have escaped with the Tiger Roar Painting!
He had schemed to obtain the Tiger Roar Painting for forty years. It had become an obsession—a hope of condensing his Divine Wheel!
He could not afford to lose it!
A little after eleven that night.
"Awoooo~~~!"
"Awoooo!!"
[Imitate a tiger's roar +1 time!]
Qin Shuang sat in a back room at Fusheng Restaurant, making a faint tiger's roar. He discovered that even if the sound of his imitation was so quiet only he could hear it, the +1 notifications still kept appearing in his mind...
His left foot stepped on grass, his right foot balanced a Blood Vitality Pill, and in front of him sat the Tiger Roar Painting and a cage containing a dragonfly. He had his left hand immersed in a bowl of Body Tempering Decoction.
[Balance a pill +1 time!]
[Step on Grass +1 time!]
[Soak in Body Tempering Decoction for one minute!]
[Watch a dragonfly fly for one minute!]
In his mind, the notifications rang out like a string of firecrackers.
Time passed.
At three in the morning,
[Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill advanced to Proficient!]
[Proficient-level simplification advanced to Mastery: Imitate a tiger's roar one hundred thousand times, kill ten tigers, consume one hundred Tiger Blood Pills]
Qin Shuang's whole body shuddered. A notification rang in his mind, and a mighty stream of information poured into it, merging instantly with his consciousness. It was the training techniques and insights for the proficient level of Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill!
At the same time, Qi and Blood surged through his body. Red light flickered around him!
A terrifying aura spread out from Qin Shuang!
At that moment, anyone looking on would have seen Qin Shuang glowing crimson in the darkness, bathing the entire room in blood-red light!
"Awoooo~~~"
"Boom~~~"
Qin Shuang hurriedly circulated Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill, channeling the Qi and Blood within him. It was so abundant that as it surged through his meridians, the sound it made was like a tiger's roar.
"What's Qin Shuang doing?"
Third floor of Fusheng Restaurant.
Nangong Wan'er was healing her injuries when she suddenly cocked her head and listened. A flicker of surprise crossed her beautiful eyes. She slowly rose to her feet, then vanished in a flash.
The next moment,
Nangong Wan'er appeared outside the room where Qin Shuang was cultivating. She looked inside, astonishment in her lovely eyes. "Such dense Qi and Blood! Is that Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill? Where did he get a Divine Intent Skill?"
At that moment, Nangong Wan'er saw Qi and Blood so dense that it spilled from Qin Shuang's body, taking the form of a tiger rearing its head and roaring at the sky!
As an outstanding disciple of Divine Saber Sect, she knew all too well how rare Divine Intent Skills were!
Divine Intent Skills were created by experts of the Heavenly Palace Realm. Divine Saber Sect, where she had once lived, had stood tall in Tianchu Jianghu thanks to a single Divine Intent Saber Art!
Yet Qin Shuang was only an ordinary young man from Qingzhou City. How could he possess a Divine Intent Skill?
At that moment,
the blood-colored tiger appearing around Qin Shuang grew more and more solid, and a terrifying aura spread outward!
"Tiger Form Divine Intent, Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke... in just a few days?"
Nangong Wan'er sat cross-legged beside Qin Shuang, shock filling her beautiful eyes. When she had arrived, Qin Shuang had only been in the Blood Condensation Realm, with blood like mercury.
In less than five days, he had already reached the Bone Forging Realm, with Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke—and had even cultivated Tiger Form Divine Intent!
As an outstanding disciple of Divine Saber Sect,
she knew just how powerful a martial artist with Divine Intent could be!
If Qin Shuang fought an opponent at the same Bone Forging Realm, with the same Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke, he could win in five moves!
Because
they might have the same strength, but with Tiger Form Divine Intent, Qin Shuang had mastered how to wield the power of his Qi and Blood!
Before you continue