"You ambushed me, and you still expect to live?"
Han Xuanji spoke calmly, his voice carrying a threat.
At the same time, a strand of Sword Qi spun at his fingertip.
It seemed ready to take the white tiger Demon Beast's life the next instant.
Seeing this, the white tiger Demon Beast spoke at breakneck speed, afraid to leave out a single word:
"I have a noble white tiger bloodline! I'm willing to acknowledge you as my master!!!!"
As if afraid Han Xuanji would think she was insincere, the little white tiger went so far as to spit out her life-bound demon core.
Every Demon Beast with accomplished cultivation had a demon core. Once it was damaged, the least they could suffer was the loss of all their cultivation; at worst, they would die on the spot.
"Oh?"
Han Xuanji nodded slightly. He hadn't expected her to submit so quickly.
He had only frightened her a little... Normally, as a descendant of a divine beast, she should have been extremely proud.
But she had even spat out her demon core, so she couldn't be playing tricks.
Killing her would do him no good, either.
He might as well take her for his own use. Perhaps she would come in handy someday.
Though the white tiger looked exceedingly fierce, Han Xuanji could tell she was young and had no vicious streak. She merely seemed to harbor great hostility toward Human Race cultivators.
With that thought, Han Xuanji extended his index finger and gave a gentle tap.
A mysterious rune formed from pure Sword Intent appeared out of thin air and imprinted itself on the demon core.
The Sword Intent rune contained a supreme will of the sword Dao. It was both a restraint and an enlightening influence.
If the white tiger harbored disloyal intentions, he wouldn't even need to act. That strand of Sword Intent could wipe her out.
But if the white tiger behaved herself, she might even gain some benefits under its influence.
Even so, Han Xuanji wasn't reassured yet. He also had the white tiger sign a spirit pet agreement, a master-servant contract that bound the Primordial Spirit. If Han Xuanji died, the white tiger would die too. It was a thoroughly unequal agreement.
The white tiger let out a low "Awoo," looking somewhat aggrieved, but she could only obediently sign the contract.
There was nothing she could do. A tiger beneath another's eaves had no choice but to bow her head.
After the contract was signed, Han Xuanji could also sense some of the white tiger's condition through their master-servant bond.
She could barely maintain her Spirit Transformation Realm strength. No wonder she hadn't even thought of fleeing.
"Never mind. Here, take this pill."
With a thought, Han Xuanji took out a pill that gave off a delicate fragrance.
The white tiger's eyes lit up at the sight, and she immediately said excitedly:
"Thank you, Master!"
Her enormous body then shrank rapidly, until she became a cat-sized little tiger, snow-white all over. A silvery-white sword mark lay embedded in the center of the character for "king" on her forehead, a sign that she was no ordinary beast.
After swallowing the pill, her condition improved considerably. Her Qi fluctuations barely held at the Spirit Transformation level, though she would still need some time to recover completely.
Han Xuanji had no intention of healing her completely. In his view, this little white tiger still needed some training.
"From now on, your name will be... Little White? No, that's too ordinary..."
Han Xuanji suddenly fell into deep thought. He was hopeless at naming things.
Seeing this, the little white tiger said pitifully:
"Master, I have a name already... I'm called Bai Ye."
After turning into a little tiger, her voice had become much more childish. This seemed to be her real voice.
After all, converted to Human Race terms, the little tiger did seem to be very young, still in her growing years.
"Oh, then I'll call you Little White day to day."
Han Xuanji paid no attention to the gloomy look from his newly acquired little demon pet. Instead, he changed the subject:
"By the way, you're not a native of the Heavenly Gloom Mountain Range, are you?"
"No."
Little White answered honestly:
"I was born in a secret realm in the Ten Thousand Demons Province. I cultivated there until I reached Spirit Transformation Perfection, and only then did I come out to seek a fortuitous opportunity to break through to the Void Return Realm."
"A fortuitous opportunity?"
Han Xuanji quickly caught the key detail and asked:
"What opportunity?"
In this world, there was actually little difference between the Demon Race and the Human Race. Both cultivated the immortal Dao in pursuit of ascension.
It was just that the aptitude of the Demon Race was often tied to their bloodline. Without a fortuitous opportunity, defying the heavens and changing their fate was even harder for them than for Human Race cultivators.
"I only know the opportunity is here. As for how to obtain it, to be honest, I don't know either. Otherwise, I would have gotten it long ago."
The little white tiger felt truly unlucky.
She had thought that lying low until Spirit Transformation Perfection before venturing out was already a very cautious approach. She hadn't expected to fall so easily, so soon.
The outside world was too dangerous. She wanted to go home.
With a thought, Han Xuanji activated the Heavenly Divination Technique, then turned his gaze toward the bottom of the deep pit. At the very bottom of the pit blasted out by the tribulation lightning that struck Little White, the lightning's power seemed to have accidentally torn open an ancient spatial fissure. An extremely faint yet incomparably ancient presence leaked from it, carrying a trace of ancient Sha Qi that faintly resonated with the white tiger bloodline.
"So that's how it is."
Han Xuanji understood at once why coming here for Tribulation Transcendence had been "auspicious."
He took one step, and his figure appeared at the edge of the fissure.
He then stabilized the spatial fissure, forming a portal the size of a passageway for a person.
"This must be your fortuitous opportunity."
Han Xuanji smiled.
"Master, you're amazing!"
Little White jumped onto Han Xuanji's shoulder and hurriedly gave him a lick, as if trying to curry favor.
Han Xuanji immediately recoiled in disgust:
"Get off!"
Han Xuanji grabbed the little tiger by the neck and tossed her straight inside, then stepped in after her.
The scene before him shifted, as though he had come to another time and space.
This was an enormous underground cavern. Its walls were covered in ancient murals, rough and fierce in style, depicting scenes of the Demon Race of High Antiquity offering sacrifices, waging war, and paying homage. Among them was a totem of a white tiger roaring at the heavens!
At the center of the cavern stood an altar, more than half of it collapsed. Its material was neither metal nor jade, and it was covered in cracks, yet it still radiated a pressure that made the heart tremble. Mottled stains of dark golden blood remained on its surface.
Scattered around the altar were enormous bones that had long since lost their luster. They gave off a faint primordial presence, and several of the massive arm bones bore distinctly tiger-like features.
A deathly stillness, settled over the ages, permeated the air.
Though Spiritual Qi was abundant here, it was filled with Geng Metal Sha Qi. If an ordinary cultivator stayed too long, Sha Qi would surely invade their body and affect their cultivation.
I should be able to check in here, right?
Han Xuanji asked silently.
The system soon answered.
[Check-in available.]
"Perfect. I haven't checked in today. I thought it would go to waste, but I didn't expect it to come in handy just now."
Delighted, Han Xuanji said silently:
"System, check in."
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully checked in at the Geng Metal Sha Altar and obtained the trait "White Tiger Spirit Blessing."] [White Tiger Spirit Blessing]: [You are under the protection of the "White Tiger," one of the Four Heavenly Spirits. Your aptitude has improved.]
"Legend says the sacred beast White Tiger belongs to Geng Metal, governs slaughter and warfare, and has the power to suppress Baleful Intent and drive away evil. It symbolizes martial ferocity and strength. The little white tiger has only a thin trace of the white tiger bloodline, yet she's already extraordinary. I've received the protection of the White Tiger's true spirit, but I wonder what use it will be."
Understanding dawned on Han Xuanji. He felt that this trait's level probably wasn't low either.
However, he couldn't feel any obvious change in his own aptitude.
At that moment, the little white tiger suddenly sniffed Han Xuanji. She found the scent of her newly acquired master rather pleasant and couldn't help feeling close to him. The trace of resistance and dissatisfaction she had harbored vanished like smoke.
"Master, can I cultivate here?"
"All right."
Han Xuanji nodded.
The little white tiger breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this place probably wasn't very comfortable for Human Race cultivators.
She hurriedly lay down on the altar and sucked in a large mass of Sha Qi and Geng Metal Qi. Then she let out a burp and closed her eyes, seemingly sinking into sleep.
Han Xuanji glanced at her and paid her no mind. He casually collected the demon bones beside the altar and stored them in his spatial ring. These tiger bones were of extremely high quality, and were in fact top-grade materials for refining supreme treasures of slaughter.
Now that he had the White Tiger Spirit Blessing trait, the Sha Qi here had no effect on him. Instead, he could absorb this high-quality Geng Metal essence or Sha Qi to cultivate.
Han Xuanji didn't mind the surroundings, either. He immediately began absorbing these powers to cultivate.
As expected.
The speed of cultivation here far surpassed that of the outside world.