novelraw Chapter 545 - 451: White Tiger
Chapter 545 - 451: White Tiger
Qingshi County, in a Martial Hall surrounded by white walls at the east end, dust filled the air.
The scorching sun streamed through the sparse wooden windows, casting dappled shadows on the ground, illuminating the figures inside who were sweating like rain.
In the center of the Martial Hall, a brawny man with a scar-covered bronze torso stood with his arms behind him, the instructor of the martial arts school.
His voice was like a great bell, each word resounding with a metallic ring, making the eardrums of those around tremble:
"The world today is unstable! Ever since the blood rain came down years ago, strange phenomena have appeared in the sky, bringing forth all kinds of demons and ghosts."
As he spoke, his eyes swept over the dozen or so young men practicing their punches, suddenly kicking a nearby disciple who had deformed movements, not hard enough to hurt but making the disciple stagger and nearly fall.
"We martial artists can only rely on our own bronze skins and iron bones, and our hard-earned skills!"
The instructor pointed at his chest, his tone heavy:
"Training for skills is first to protect your family, to keep your home safe, second to protect yourself and survive in this chaotic world, third if you are favored by a noble, you might gain power and wealth and bring glory to your ancestors!"
As he spoke, he stepped forward to correct the postures of his disciples, slapping their shoulders, backs, waists, and abdomens, making muffled thumping sounds:
"Your horse stance must be stable, your foundation rooted to the earth; your punches should be fast, with fierce wind, channeling all your strength into your fists!"
Inside the hall, there were only the sounds of synchronized shouts and the sound of fists and feet slicing the air.
...
By evening, outside the Martial Hall at a tavern, four robust men gathered, clutching pottery bowls filled with strong liquor.
One of them, a man with a stubbled face, gulped down the liquor, smacking his lips, his face full of worry:
"It’s true that literary arts are for the poor, martial arts are for the rich!"
"I’ve just touched the threshold of the Blood Exchange realm, changed my blood a second time, and the family’s savings are almost depleted. If this goes on, I won’t even be able to afford the medicinal baths for practice."
"Isn’t it the truth?"
Another tall and skinny man chimed in, a bit of agitation in his eyes:
"Just relying on the small amount of money earned from odd jobs at the martial school isn’t enough, we need to find a quick way to earn more."
"I have an idea."
Another man, with dark skin, lowered his voice, looking around:
"Last year, I went back home, and heard from the elders in the village that deep in the Qingshi Mountain Range, there’s a Mountain Monarch, snow-white and glossy."
"If we could hunt it, skinned and sold to the fur trade, it would fetch a high price, enough for us brothers to exchange blood and buy medicinal baths!"
"Mountain Monarch?"
The stubbled man raised an eyebrow, a hint of fear in his voice: "That’s the overlord of the mountains, I’ve heard it can bite through a bull’s neck with one bite."
"Afraid of what?"
The dark-skinned man thumped his chest, speaking boldly:
"We’re all Blood Exchange realm martial artists, at least we’ve entered the Martial Arts threshold, surely we can handle a beast?"
"As long as we set a trap and take turns tiring it out, we can definitely take it down!"
The other men exchanged glances, nodding in agreement, downing the liquor in their bowls, as if the snow-white tiger pelt was already in their possession.
...
Meanwhile, deep in the Qingshi Mountain Range, beside a secluded mountain stream.
A large white tiger walked slowly, its whole body snow-white with no blemishes, its fur glistening under the sun, its limbs strong and silent on the ground.
The white tiger held a large piece of fresh deer meat in its mouth, blood still dripping warm from the meat.
As soon as it set the meat down, three small, nimble figures pounced on it instantly, three white tiger cubs born not long ago.
The three fluffy white tiger cubs, like little snowballs, circled the deer meat, vying for it, making tender "wu wu" sounds.
One particular cub was very eye-catching, larger and more robust than the other two, its fur denser, moving quickly as it fought for food.
After a few bites, it swallowed a large piece of deer meat, then retreated to the side, lying on the soft grass, its belly rising and falling slightly, a satisfied purring sound emanating from it.
This robust little white tiger was none other than the reincarnated Chen Sheng.
"Who would have thought, in this life, I’d be reborn as a white tiger."
Chen Sheng lay on the grass, his mind churning with thoughts.
At the same time, he was keenly aware that the Dao Principle of this world was completely different from the world he once knew, with no fluctuations of Spiritual Qi in the heavens and earth.
Most likely, this was not a subsidiary world of the Spirit Realm; clearly, his last bloodline diffusion was quite effective.
"Without Spiritual Qi, I’ll take a different path."
With Chen Sheng’s vision and understanding, even in a world devoid of the Law, he could find a way to cultivate. In a moment, two prototype cultivation techniques formed in his mind.
The first cultivation technique centered on devouring and absorbing energy, perfectly transforming and utilizing the various energies taken in, all for the purpose of honing the body, strengthening sinew, bones, and skin, helping him grow rapidly and soon escape this frail cub state.
"I’ll call it the ’Elephant Devouring Dragon Technique’."
Chen Sheng mentally settled on the name, its dominance matching the essence of the technique, which was to devour energy and strengthen the body.
The second cultivation technique was a method for nurturing the soul, driven by visualizing the sun, moon, and stars, drawing in the weak Star Power in the world to nourish the Divine Soul.
Once the Divine Soul grows to a certain extent, even without Spiritual Qi, it can harness some of the Heaven and Earth Dao Principle, unleashing powers far beyond the same rank.
"I’ll call it the ’Stellar Divinity Visualization Method’."
With this in mind, Chen Sheng slowly closed his eyes, following the ’Stellar Divinity Visualization Method’ technique, beginning to visualize the sun, moon, and stars in the sky.
Though it was daytime, in his Divine Soul’s perception, the positions of the stars in the sky clearly emerged, and faint, almost imperceptible strands of Star Power were slowly converging toward his brow.
Meanwhile, his body, unconsciously, according to the ’Elephant Devouring Dragon Technique’ rhythm, was slowly growing stronger!
...
The mountain winds turned, the vegetation flourished and withered, and a month slipped by quietly.
Beside the tiger’s den deep in the Qingshi Mountain Range, a robust white figure lazily sprawled on a rock, it was Chen Sheng.
After a month of honing by the ’Elephant Devouring Dragon Technique’ and nurturing by the ’Stellar Divinity Visualization Method’, his form had undergone a dramatic transformation.
The gap that used to be a size apart from his siblings was now even larger, his body nearly on par with a young white tiger, with muscles under his snow-white fur that were fluid and full of explosive power.
Still more crucial was his spiritual development, as his Divine Soul had become increasingly refined, allowing him to initially manipulate the Heaven and Earth Dao Principle and perform some Magic.
But after trying, Chen Sheng shook his head:
"The rules of this world are special, the Dao Principle is sluggish and obscure, the Daoist Technique I once mastered has its power reduced by over ninety percent here."
"It seems to establish myself in this place, I must find the native, legitimate cultivation methods."