"Kung Fu is Easy to Practice, 'God' is Hard to Attain"

This indicated that the heat was just about right.

But Liang Qisheng did not stop there.

With nine cycles of the medicinal bath as one full round, only by completing an entire cycle could it be considered a true tempering circuit.

When he leaped into the medicinal bath for the last time, Liang Qisheng had long since grown able to endure the stimulation of the blood-colored liquid against his body.

The sensation of steel needles constantly piercing every pore on his skin did not even cause his brow to furrow.

He felt his entire body undergoing a violent transformation, with cells greedily devouring the blood-colored liquid.

His muscles and bones began to grind against each other imperceptibly, initiating a new round of metamorphosis.

"Woo woo!"

And within Liang Qisheng's mind, a low sound resembling a tiger's roar gradually arose.

He felt as if he were a true mountain tiger, with an intangible will reinforcing his body.

"Someone spying?!"

Just as Liang Qisheng continued his medicinal bath, a shadow suddenly flickered atop the wall.

A head stealthily poked out, peering into the courtyard.

Yet the moment it leaned in, Liang Qisheng, whose entire body was submerged in the wooden tub, suddenly twitched his ears at the sound, whipping his head around.

His originally clear face, now influenced by the intent of the Black Tiger Fist, seemed covered by a fierce tiger visage.

At this moment, man and tiger were indistinguishable.

Only ferocity and savagery remained, like a tyrant of the mountains, a single roar enough to shake the spirit.

Simply put, Liang Qisheng, without realizing it, had gone with the flow, sinking his mind into the intent of the Ferocious Tiger Fist.

Now his entire essence, energy, and spirit were highly concentrated, manifesting the form of a brutal tiger.

"Owww!"

In the silent, soundless void, the air violently trembled, as if a tiger's roar that shook all beasts suddenly echoed throughout the entire courtyard.

"T-tiger..."

The thief, already harboring ill intent, suddenly saw Liang Qisheng's face turn from behind the wooden tub, revealing this fierce tiger image, and his entire mind quaked violently.

It was as if a tiger's roar had exploded in his heart, severely wounding his spirit, and blood immediately seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He felt his chest about to burst in agony, his face turning deathly pale as he pointed at Liang Qisheng, trembling in shock, terror, and horror.

His breath caught, his body gradually stiffened, his liver and gallbladder splitting, and he fell directly from the wall.

He died on the spot!

Scared to death alive!

"A petty thief, a gentleman of the beam..."

"Slaying a guilty person, gaining one merit point!"

"Legend has it that at the Battle of Changban Slope, Zhang Yide's single roar repelled Cao Cao's million-strong army, causing Cao general Xiahou Jie's liver and gallbladder to split, scaring him to death!"

"I always thought that was just dramatic storytelling, the talk of novelists, but it seems that when a martial artist reaches a certain level, the fist intent affecting the spirit can achieve a similar effect."

At this moment, sensing the data changes in his mind, Liang Qisheng knew exactly what had happened.

His heart was also startled.

The thief being scared to death was not something he had considered.

The main point was that practicing the Black Tiger Fist to such a profound depth had this kind of effect.

The fist intent had already influenced his body and mind; when he condensed the tiger form, it could directly affect a person's spirit through the material plane, literally frightening a living person to death.

This was unexpected, giving him a deeper understanding of the martial arts of this world.

The origin of martial arts lay in the postures ancient people mimicked from animals while hunting.

Discarding the dross, condensing the essence, what remained was martial arts.

The fundamental fist frame of martial arts was essentially beast forms, and as Liang Qisheng delved deeper into the Black Tiger Fist frame, the tiger form had undoubtedly simplified the Black Tiger Fist, penetrating into his three meridians of essence, energy, and spirit.

This was a sign of gradually approaching great success.

"It seems I can't stay here any longer."

As the saying goes, "A small pond cannot harbor a dragon."

With Liang Qisheng's reputation spreading, it would inevitably attract more attention.

The villagers knew something of his background, and once someone with intent investigated, the secret of his explosive power increase would undoubtedly be exposed.

Then, drawing the attention of wolves would place him in an extremely dangerous position.

As for the gentleman of the beam who had been scared to death, Liang Qisheng simply dragged him over and buried him under the big tree behind the courtyard.

"It's time to leave."

Two days later, Liang Qisheng stood in the small courtyard.

Gazing at the familiar surroundings, an inexplicable melancholy welled up in his heart.

This was where he had lived for over three years, and if it weren't necessary, he truly didn't want to leave.

After all, this place was filled with his memories.

"As one of the major powers in Lotus Town, Nine Harmonies Hall relies on the Apricot Forest Li Family, one of the three great clans in the county seat. Their methods won't be simple—sooner or later, they'll trace it back to me."

"Even if those Nine Harmonies Hall lackeys brought it on themselves by attempting robbery, they'll still pin the blame on me."

Liang Qisheng had a very clear understanding of his situation.

Especially with a force like Nine Harmonies Hall, whose actions were extremely overbearing—this was a tacitly accepted method of maintaining their sphere of influence.

They could discipline their own people, but if an outsider interfered, they would face fierce retaliation.

It was like wild beasts marking their territory with urine; once another beast of the same kind entered, it would immediately invite a thunderous strike.

Sometimes, the difference between humans and animals was merely that humans had more methods, more cruelty, more ruthlessness—otherwise, there was no distinction.

Liang Qisheng was no ignorant herb gatherer; even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd seen pigs run.

Every person from his past life in Huaxia understood this principle.

Nothing more—history's lessons repeated day after day, without exception.

Even without thinking, he could guess what attitude Nine Harmonies Hall would take.

He naturally wouldn't stay here.

On one hand, too many eyes and ears.

On the other, if Nine Harmonies Hall really investigated, he wanted to avoid exposing more information and thus revealing his secrets.

He gathered all his scattered silver and counted it—there was still over three hundred taels.

Part came from selling beast hides and herbs, the other part from looting corpses.

Then he packed a few changes of clothes into a bundle.

He tucked the hatchet into his waist and, taking advantage of the daylight not yet gone, slipped away quietly.

This world was not peaceful. Deep in the mountains and forests, many ferocious beasts were stronger than martial artists.

Because herb gatherers and hunters spent years going into the mountains, their dwellings were more remote than those of ordinary villagers, often in desolate wilderness where such fierce beasts might lurk.

If one traveled at night, they risked being attacked by beasts, making the dark hours quite dangerous.

But Liang Qisheng had spent so long in the mountains that he had the courage for it.

His main concern was too many eyes and ears; leaving in the middle of the night saved him a lot of trouble.

His small courtyard was already in a secluded spot, and at night, both people and animals rested, with no one coming or going, so no one would notice his unannounced departure.

After some time passed, no one would bother to investigate.