Tiger's Might and Fist's Humiliation

Crack!

Roar!

Snap!

A Striped Tiger, about six meters long and as tall as a horse, charged through the branches of the forest with an invincible aura. It let out a roar and, with the force of Mount Tai crushing down, bit down on the Mountain Demon's head and upper body.

The Mountain Demon didn't even know what happened before half its body was crushed.

Cui Hao trembled violently. He saw it: the tiger's roar had stunned the Mountain Demon, making it react a fraction of a second too late. That fraction of a second cost it its life.

Unable to even consider hunting the fierce tiger, Cui Hao lay flat in the dry grass. He waited until the tiger finished eating the Mountain Demon, carried away the hunter's corpse, and disappeared into the dense forest. He still didn't dare to get up, continuing to lie low.

Panel refresh.

[Stealth: Beginner]
[Progress: 10/300]
[Effects: Scent -5, Light as a Swallow +5, Shadow Utilization +5]

He hadn't done anything, yet as the panel updated, Cui Hao felt he had gained many new abilities, as if they were innate.

By maintaining his focus, he could walk silently.

His utilization of shadows had also improved significantly.

However, now was not the time to be happy. The last update to his Stealth skill was after he assassinated Zhou Menghu and returned home.

The data at that time was: [Initial: 20/100]

Now, he was just lying here, doing nothing, and his Stealth skill had reached beginner level. What did that mean?

He lay there for another hour. The fierce tiger that had left earlier reappeared with the majestic presence of a overlord, its eyes filled with killing intent. It slowly walked out and stared at the other side of the stream for a long time, then suddenly let out a roar.

The roar seemed to form sound waves, making Cui Hao's ears ache.

The ear pain was a minor issue. The tiger's roar carried an transcendent pressure that made one's body tremble uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the fierce tiger roared once and left.

Cui Hao continued to lie still. Another hour passed before he gently moved his limbs, slowly stood up, and retreated.

Walking back more than ten steps, he picked up his prey and the dead hunter's bow and arrows, and crossed one mountain to go home.

Looking at the barren first mountain, he hadn't fully understood before why some people would rather starve or sell their children than go to Second Mountain to chop wood. Now he understood.

Selling children at least allowed one to survive. Going to the second mountain meant death. Fortunately, he had always been cautious and, even with his cheat, hadn't dared to venture too deep.

As night fell, under the desolate moonlight, Cui Hao passed the village entrance and encountered Zhou Mengyue, who was leaving the village.

Seeing Cui Hao carrying a bow with prey hanging from a Shoulder Pole, Zhou Mengyue's expression twisted. Thinking of his brother's death, he asked, "You can hunt?"

Cui Hao always set out at dawn for his hunts and returned late or at night.

Most people in the village didn't know he could hunt, and Zhou Mengyue didn't either.

"Like father, like son. A rat's son knows how to dig holes. It's normal for me to hunt. Brother Zhou, do you want to buy my prey?"

Zhou Mengyue examined the Hog Badger closely. "How much?"

"A fresh Hog Badger. It's delicious no matter how you cook it – braised, roasted, or in soup," Cui Hao held up two fingers. "Just two taels of silver."

Zhou Mengyue's appetite was whetted by Cui Hao's description. He countered, "Half a tael."

"One and a half."

Not wanting to waste more words, Zhou Mengyue took out more than one tael of silver from his sleeve and stuffed it into Cui Hao's hand.

"Thank you," Cui Hao gave a shake of his Shoulder Pole, leaving the Hog Badger behind. "Goodbye."

"Stop!" Zhou Mengyue suddenly called out to Cui Hao. "Have you practiced martial arts?"

Shaking his Shoulder Pole revealed his skill. Cui Hao replied truthfully, "Just started three days ago. Brother Zhou has sharp eyes."

Zhou Chao Meng narrowed his eyes into a slit. "Which martial arts school?"

"Zhanhong Martial Arts Academy."

"Where did you get the tuition fee?"

Zhou Mengyue was very rude, but Cui Hao had only been practicing for three days and clearly couldn't defeat him. Cui Hao pretended to be in good spirits. "I hunted a Golden Python, and Xu Family Pharmacy gave a good price for it."

Zhou Mengyue suddenly threw a punch, hitting Cui Hao's chest.

An irresistible force sent Cui Hao flying back five or six meters. His back hit the well wall with a bang, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Trash! Your learning martial arts is an insult to practitioners." Cursing, Zhou Mengyue picked up the Hog Badger, took the silver, and strode away.

Cui Hao's internal organs ached, and he couldn't stand up immediately. He leaned against the well wall until Lin Da passed by.

"Brother Hao," Lin Da hurriedly helped Cui Hao up. "Who beat you up like this!?"

"Injured while hunting. Please help me get home."

Lin Da agreed, picked up the scattered items on the ground, and supported Cui Hao as they walked home.

"Brother Hao!" At the courtyard entrance, seeing blood at the corner of the man's mouth, Su Yun's tears streamed down as she asked with a trembling voice, "Who beat you up like this?"

"Injured while hunting," Cui Hao sat on a stool in the main hall, feeling much better. "Get Lin Da two pounds of smoked meat."

"No need for meat," Lin Da waved his hand. "Brother Hao, I'll head back early. You should rest well."

After Su Yun saw Lin Da out and closed the courtyard gate, she returned, wringing her hands. "Brother Hao, should we find a doctor?"

"No need," Cui Hao was sure he was fine. "It's just a minor injury. Help me wipe myself down, and get some sleep early."

Su Yun understood. "Even like this, can you still…?"

"I can't, but you can."

Su Yun blushed a deep red.

There was hot water in the pot. Su Yun used a wooden basin to bring it over, tempered it with cold water, then soaked a piece of linen cloth and gently wiped Cui Hao.

Su Yun wiped him meticulously, washed his feet with great care. Cui Hao sat like a lord, shaking his head and swaying.

After two days of comfortable living, the panel refreshed.

[Bedside: Novice]
[Progress: 95/300]
[Effect: Physique +5, Controllable Progress Points +40]

'Controllable Progress Points' were good things. He wouldn't add them for now, saving them for breakthroughs or life-or-death situations where they could be applied precisely.

On the third day, as the sun peeked out, Cui Hao felt fully recovered and went to the martial arts school to hone his strength.

"Junior Brother Cui," asked Sun Cheng, a lean and dark-skinned man, "why weren't you here yesterday?"

"Got punched and rested at home for two days."

Sun Cheng grabbed Cui Hao's wrist to take his pulse. After a moment, his brow unfurrowed. "It's not serious. It seems the other party knew you were a disciple of the Zhanhong Martial Arts Academy."

"Is our martial arts school that powerful?"

"Master used to be a bodyguard for a high official in the capital. He retired due to injuries, but no one is sure if Master still has contact with that official, so they don't dare offend us."

Cui Hao suddenly understood. He hadn't been beaten to death the night before not because Zhou Menglong held back, but because his master and the martial arts school had saved his life.

"Junior Brother Cui," Sun Cheng said solemnly, "you'd best reach Mortal Martial within two months. Continue staying at the martial arts school, otherwise… before Clear Force, you are just an ordinary disciple. Master and the martial arts school won't help."

"Also, you can't use Qi and Blood Powder to quickly accumulate qi and blood. That's something for Mortal Martial. Using it early will damage your foundation."

Cui Hao nodded and continued to hone his strength. As dawn broke, the master came to inspect. Everyone trained even harder, hoping to gain the master's recognition and praise.

"Xiao Li," Xu Dian stopped in front of Xiao Li, who was lifting stone locks. "You're doing very well. Keep up the good work."

As a fellow newcomer, Wang Nian beside him puffed out his chest, hoping for encouragement from the master too. However, Xu Dian turned and walked away.

This caused a group of newcomers, including Wang Nian, to deflate instantly.

To be noticed by the master, after a moment of dejection, Wang Nian trained even more diligently.