Tiger Form Fist Attains Great Completion

Under the pressure of this life-and-death edge, Li Yuan's comprehension of the Five Animals Tiger Form Fist improved rapidly.

The great beast's attack was blocked, and after taking several heavy blows to its body, it grew increasingly frantic, its offensive becoming even more ferocious.

Yet, the more Li Yuan fought, the more composed he became; his movements grew increasingly coordinated, and his fist techniques became more refined.

Man and tiger battled fiercely in this mountain clearing for nearly an hour.

It was only when Li Yuan felt his blood-energy beginning to deplete significantly and his stamina waning that he stopped.

I must conserve my strength. If I'm too drained and get ambushed on the way back, that would be bad. I need to be cautious.

Li Yuan feinted a move to force the tiger back, then shifted his body and quickly retreated.

The great beast chased him for a distance, but seeing Li Yuan's immense speed as he vanished into the dense forest, it roared in frustration before returning to continue gnawing on its prey.

On the way back.

Li Yuan chewed on some dried meat while looking at his panel.

Skill: Five Animals Tiger Form Fist (Minor Achievement)
Progress: 830/1000 points
Effect: Strong muscles and bones, doubled strength

"I gained 30 points from fighting for nearly an hour; that's much better than the 20 points I get from a whole day of bitter training."

Li Yuan couldn't practice the Tiger Form Fist all day; he had two other fist techniques to train, and he still had to find time to polish his stance work and read books.

Even the time he spent hunting on the mountain had decreased; it could be said that there simply wasn't enough time in a day.

No wonder his senior brothers could stay in the Stone Skin Realm for several years.

The progress of the Tiger Form Fist on his panel left him quite satisfied; at this rate, it shouldn't take many more days to reach Great Achievement.

After that, he would go find beasts corresponding to the other two forms to spar with; that way, the time until he reached the Iron Skin Realm would be short.

Just as he was pondering, the sound of rolling wheels came from behind him.

A carriage drove past him at a leisurely pace, steered by a coachman.

Just as the carriage passed Li Yuan, an agitated voice drifted out from the carriage window:

"Return to the city and immediately send men to capture every single person named Li Yuan in the city and all surrounding villages, without exception! Better to kill a thousand by mistake than to let one go! I will interrogate them personally; I must find the murderer who killed my son!"

Li Yuan's footsteps faltered, and he frowned.

Why are they looking for me?

Another voice inside the carriage consoled, "Rest assured, Master. Your subordinate will certainly handle this matter, though it may take quite some time..."

The carriage gradually moved further away, the voices growing fainter.

Could that be Zhou Wu's father? Li Yuan thought for a moment, guessing.

Li Yuan's heart sank immediately; he had killed the man's son, and now the man knew who he was.

What should he do?

After a moment of silent deliberation.

I was forced into this, after all.

Li Yuan shook his head, quickened his pace, and caught up to the slowly moving carriage.

Through his blood-energy perception, he discovered that the coachman was just an ordinary person.

However, inside the carriage, besides the person who had just spoken, there was another individual with a much steadier aura—likely a guard.

One Stone Skin Realm practitioner; I can handle this.

Li Yuan made a prompt decision, took a piece of cloth from his bosom to cover his face, and immediately approached the carriage.

When he was within range, he swung his right hand, scattering a handful of lime toward the coachman's face.

"Who goes there!" the coachman shouted, instinctively raising his hands to shield himself.

Li Yuan used his palm as a blade, striking the coachman's neck.

"What's going on?"

Hearing the commotion, the carriage curtain was ripped open, and the guard leaned out.

Li Yuan was prepared; he threw another handful of lime into the guard's face while simultaneously flicking his left hand, tossing the toxic powder hidden within into the carriage.

"Careful! It's lime!" The guard retreated in a hurry, but he had already inhaled a significant amount of the toxic powder.

He tried to draw his blade, only to find his arms turning weak and his vision beginning to blur.

From inside the carriage came the sound of Zhou Deshun coughing: "You... who are you? Do you know who I am..."

Before the words had even faded, Li Yuan leaped into the carriage and slammed two punches into the guards' chests.

The guards barely managed to raise their arms to block, but their defensive strength was severely diminished by the poison, and they were sent flying backward by the force of the blows.

Before long, both men were foaming at the mouth and had ceased to breathe.

"Sigh, I was only acting in self-defense," Li Yuan sighed.

Not daring to delay, he quickly searched their bodies.

He fished out a heavy money pouch, a jade pendant, and some loose silver from them.

After stuffing the spoils into his robes, Li Yuan jumped off the carriage, his figure flickering as he dove into the dense forest by the roadside, vanishing in an instant.

The mountain path returned to its former tranquility, just as it had been before, save for the addition of a few corpses.

Li Yuan returned to the city and first delivered the gathered medicinal herbs to Hundred Herb Hall.

Su Wan was surprised to see Li Yuan return with the herbs so quickly, especially with the lingering traces of a struggle still on him.

Her heart stirred, but she was sensible enough not to ask any questions.

She simply thanked him sincerely, "Many thanks, Young Master Li. You have truly been a great help."

"It was my duty," Li Yuan waved his hand, then took his leave.

Over the next few days, Li Yuan went to find Little Flower whenever he had free time during the day.

Yes, Li Yuan had given it a nickname: Little Flower.

Every day after gathering the herbs Su Wan needed, he would go find Little Flower to practice his fist techniques.

Every time Little Flower saw Li Yuan, the human who disturbed its peace, it would fly into a rage and pounce on him.

After sparring for a full hour each time, Li Yuan would simply turn around and leave.

The progress he made was truly remarkable.

At first, he had to focus with every ounce of his being, but later on, he could predict its attacks with relative ease.

After a few days, Li Yuan could clearly feel the blood and energy within his body becoming more refined, and his understanding of the Tiger Form Fist had reached a critical threshold, as if he were only one step away from breaking through to a new realm.

[Skill: Five Animals Tiger Form Fist (Minor Achievement)]

[Progress: 958/1000 points]

[Effect: Strong bones and muscles, doubled strength]

"Almost there. The Tiger Form Fist will reach Great Achievement within these next few days!"

Li Yuan felt the surge of his fist intent, then looked at Little Flower, who seemed a bit lethargic not far away.

Using this king of beasts to hone his fist techniques was indeed far more effective than bitter, solitary practice.

A few more days passed.

Watching the progress bar on his panel nearing the breakthrough point, Li Yuan took a deep breath and charged at Little Flower once more.

This time, his Tiger Form Fist felt exceptionally fluid.

Every punch carried the whistling sound of the wind, as if he truly possessed the might of a fierce tiger.

Little Flower seemed to sense the danger, and its offensive grew even more ferocious.

At that very moment, inspiration struck Li Yuan; as he threw a punch, his blood and energy surged, and his fist momentum suddenly intensified.

"Bang!"

The punch landed squarely on Little Flower, sending it tumbling several times across the ground.

[Skill: Five Animals Tiger Form Fist (Great Achievement)]

[Progress: 50/2000 points]

[Effect: Surging blood and energy, incipient tiger might]

Before Li Yuan could even rejoice, he realized that Little Flower was lying motionless on the ground.

He stepped forward to check, only to find that the tiger, which had sparred with him for many days, had stopped breathing.

"This..." Li Yuan scratched his head. "I finally found a sparring partner, and I've gone and beaten it to death."

After fighting for so long, he had actually developed a bit of an attachment to it.

Looking at Little Flower's carcass, he pondered for a moment.

He then recalled his senior brother saying that tiger bone could be used to make medicinal wine, which was excellent for vitality.

Li Yuan hoisted the several-hundred-pound tiger onto his shoulders and decided to head back first.