Tiger Heart

For over an hour, as the last bit of skin separated from the tailbone.

Cui Hao held up a nearly complete tiger hide, only a thin slit along the midline of the belly.

The fur was glossy, the stripes clear. Though stained with a bit of blood, it couldn't hide its majestic aura.

Su Yun and Hu Xing both breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes filled with admiration. This was not just prey, but proof of a man's prowess.

Next came the evisceration and preparation of the innards.

Following the original midline incision, he steadily cut deeper into the muscle layer, carefully avoiding any damage to the hide, revealing a plump abdominal cavity.

The first thing he lifted out was a tiger heart, twice the size of an adult's fist.

The heart was heavy. As this heart, containing the essence of the fierce tiger, rested in his palm, an indescribable craving surged from the deepest part of Cui Hao's body!

It wasn't hunger, but a more primal, instinctive attraction and desire to devour the immense life essence.

Without a second thought, he quickly rinsed off the surface blood with cold well water, then bit down on the tough heart muscle!

The meat was extremely tough and chewy, carrying a strong, pure scent of blood and a strange, hot warmth of life.

Simultaneously, streams of scorching, pure, wild power surged down his throat and into his stomach, then exploded, spreading like wildfire to his limbs and bones!

As if parched, cracked earth suddenly receiving sweet rain, every cell in his body was frantically absorbing, cheering, and rejoicing!

He subconsciously looked at his status panel.

[Realm: Mortal Martial Great Accomplishment (522/1000)]
[Broken Fist Stance Technique: Great Accomplishment (522/1000)]

Just a few bites of tiger heart meat had increased his progress by 1 point!

This stunned Cui Hao, and a sharp light ignited in his eyes.

If he could consistently consume enough beast heart and meat... break through to Mortal Martial Perfection in fifty days? Perhaps, it wouldn't even take that long!

The next day.

At the crack of dawn, before the morning mist had fully dispersed, Cui Hao was already out the door with an empty carrying pole, stepping through the dew to head into town for supplies.

Coarse pottery jars, large-grained coarse salt, bundles of dry firewood... he tirelessly transported them back, trip after trip.

In the yard, the tiger meat had been divided into evenly sized strips.

Some were meticulously and firmly rubbed with coarse salt, ensuring the salt penetrated deep, then tightly packed layer by layer into cleaned pottery jars for pickling, intended for long-term preservation.

The rest were threaded onto sharpened wooden sticks and neatly hung on a temporarily erected smoking rack.

No open flame was used, only wisps of smoke that curled and licked the meat strips above.

As noon approached, Cui Hao was carefully scalding the last few empty jars with boiling water, preparing them to store tiger blood or rendered fat.

Suddenly, a rapid knocking at the door and an excited, high-pitched shout broke the quiet of the small courtyard.

"Brother Hao! Brother Hao! Open the door quickly! You passed! You passed!"

Lin Da's voice, hoarse with overwhelming joy, as if something incredibly fortunate had happened.

Cui Hao's movements paused, and the corners of his mouth twitched in resignation.

Passed? It was just passing the preliminary exam to secure a resource spot. He was still far from truly becoming a "Martial Xiucai."

And Lin Da outside, with his booming voice and excitement, was acting as if he were announcing his successful promotion to a high-ranking scholar.

Shaking his head with a smile, he wiped his hands and went to open the creaking wooden door.

Lin Da was panting like an ox, his face red and his neck thick, sweat beading on his forehead. He was so excited he could barely speak, only pointing frantically towards the village entrance. "Hao... Brother Hao! They... they've arrived at the village entrance! Beating gongs! They're beating gongs!"

As if to confirm his words, "Clang! Clang! Clang!" Clear, powerful gong sounds with the rhythm of official authority, approaching from afar, pierced the tranquility of the fields, striking every corner of Willow Tree Village.

Cui Hao looked up, following the sound.

He saw two yamen runners on the dirt road at the village entrance, dressed in smart dark red official uniforms, wearing black gauze caps with conspicuous red plumes tucked into the sides. They stood ramrod straight, flanking a minor official in a blue clerk's uniform who held a vermilion lacquered wooden tray with both hands. The official strode forward with chest puffed out, his steps unhurried and dignified, heading directly towards his house.

This unusual procession instantly ignited the quiet village.

Farmers in the fields straightened up to look, women peeked out from their kitchens, and children gathered from all directions, following from a distance, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension on their faces.

A low murmur spread through the crowd, quickly forming a circle outside Cui Hao's courtyard.

The minor official stopped at the courtyard gate, cleared his throat, raised the wooden tray slightly, and faced the onlookers. He drew out his words, his voice loud and penetrating, "An-nounce-ment of good tidings—!"

With that shout, the entire scene fell silent.

"North of Qingyuan City, Willow Tree Village, Master Cui Hao—!"

He deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping over the silent, breathless villagers, before loudly proclaiming, "In this preliminary martial examination, displaying extraordinary skill and courage unmatched by all, he has ranked seventeenth on the Mortal Martial list! Hereby, we announce this joyous news!"

"Whoosh—!"

The crowd was silent for a moment, then erupted into an even louder wave of astonishment, which quickly subsided into a deathly stillness. Only heavy breathing and suppressed gasps remained.

All eyes, as one, turned towards Cui Hao, who stood calmly by the wooden gate, dressed in plain cloth.

Su Yun, hearing the commotion, came out from the house, her fingers gripping the rough wooden doorframe, turning slightly white from the force.

She looked at the official's stern face, then at the silver ingots and medicinal packets covered with red cloth on the wooden tray, and finally at her husband's tall but silent back. Her nose tingled, and her vision instantly blurred.

Others only saw the glorious outcome, but only she knew the hardship Brother Hao endured daily, working from dawn till dusk, accumulating new injuries on old ones... Tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks, but she bit her lower lip, making no sound.

"Master Cui, Madam Cui," the clerk said with a professional and respectful smile, stepping forward and presenting the wooden tray. "As per regulations, we present the rewards."

"Thirty taels of snowflake silver! Fifteen packets of Qi and Blood Powder! Please verify. If there are no errors, kindly affix your seal here, Master Cui."

Cui Hao didn't move. He merely tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on his tear-streaked wife. His eyes softened for a moment.

Seeing her husband look at her, Su Yun hastily wiped her face with her sleeve, took a deep breath, and quickly stepped forward. She extended her slightly trembling but firm hands and took the heavy wooden tray.

Only then did Cui Hao step forward, press his fingerprint, and take a small string of copper coins from his sleeve pocket to reward the messenger.

"Thank you for your generosity, Master!" the clerk said, bowing even lower with a fawning attitude. He knew clearly that anyone who could break into the top dozens in the preliminary examination would at least become a Clear Force expert in the future, and with good luck, could even become a Martial Xiucai, or even aim for the Dark Force.

Building a good relationship now might bring benefits later.

To make this "good relationship" more apparent, the clerk turned to face the villagers and raised his voice again. "Esteemed villagers! Master Cui has ranked seventeenth in the Mortal Martial list this time! This is an honor for Willow Tree Village! Master Cui possesses extraordinary talent and is diligent and hardworking. His future is bound to be limitless! I have come to share in this good fortune!"

"Thirty taels of snowflake silver... and so many official medicinal packets..." The crowd snapped back to reality, congratulating and exclaiming in a flurry of voices.

With the task complete, the clerk and the official departed, their gongs ringing.

The villagers, however, did not disperse. They gathered around more enthusiastically to offer their congratulations. The way they looked at Cui Hao and Su Yun was entirely different from before, now filled with awe, envy, and a hint of distant flattery.

Throughout this entire process, Lingdang remained quietly in the shadows behind the west room window, silently watching the noisy scene outside through a hole in the window paper. She did not show herself, nor did anyone ask about her, remaining as unnoticed as ever.