At that moment, the Beast King was drenched in sweat, and its fierce expression was filled with fatigue. Its once intimidating tiger eyes drooped, and its limbs trembled...
It was drained.
It was numb.
It couldn't understand how this human, whom it had never seen before, could run so well!
As the Beast King of the Divine Wood Forest, even though speed wasn't its forte, how could a mere mortal evade its tiger claws for so long?
With its limited spiritual wisdom, it couldn't figure it out.
At this time, Wang Mu's body was emitting steam. His chest was slightly reddened, and his feet, as if in a sauna, were shrouded in mist from the evaporating sweat.
If it weren't for the Turtle Breath Cultivation Method reaching the tenth layer, I might not have made it through today,
Wang Mu was parched, tired, and hungry.
He hadn't eaten, having run from morning until afternoon.
In my previous life, there probably wouldn't have been a human who could endure this much, right?
Although I haven't started Cultivation yet.
But now, I guess I'm part of Anle Village's family of superhumans.
Of course, real Cultivators would definitely be very powerful, Wang Mu thought to himself.
At that moment, the Village chief came over, gnawing on a meat pie.
"Village chief, did I perform well enough today?" Wang Mu asked excitedly.
"Yes," the Village chief nodded calmly.
More than well enough, indeed... He had never expected that Wang Mu could last until the afternoon... He hadn't even eaten a bite. Such stamina...
"Tomorrow, you will officially learn hunting with me," the Village chief threw a meat pie made by Aunt Hong to Wang Mu. "Today's preliminary training was just to give you an idea. In the future, this kind of training and hunting will go hand in hand."
"You should get used to it in advance."
Wang Mu nodded, indicating he understood.
In the evening, Wang Mu went to Aunt Hong's house and indulged in a bowl of fish soup.
"Old Xing really doesn't treat you like a person, starting with such harsh training…" Aunt Hong complained. "I think he's glad to finally have someone to learn hunting with him, someone to share the burden."
"Aren't there other people in the village who learn to hunt?" Wang Mu asked curiously.
Most people in the village had superhuman attributes, so logically, there should also be other hunters.
"There used to be, but some couldn't handle the Village chief's training methods," Aunt Hong shook her head. "Moreover, the Divine Wood Forest sits beside Gu Yun Mountain, teeming with Spiritual Energy. Many of the animals there are quite formidable and highly sensitive. It's not easy to catch prey by hand like Old Xing does, let alone succeed with a bow and arrow. None of our villagers possess skills reaching even forty or fifty percent of Old Xing's."
"Also, because it's so dangerous, naturally, very few people go to learn hunting."
"Compared to that, digging the ground and planting things is much easier."
"Those in the village who are capable, like the Tie Hu brothers, have their own things to deal with, and the villagers can't do without them..."
Wang Mu reflected thoughtfully.
Hunting was indeed the most skill-intensive activity among the various village activities, requiring many different capabilities.
In his previous life, Wang Mu hadn't even touched a bow and arrow and knew nothing about such matters.
But it didn't matter; he had action points.
「That night, Wang Mu lay in bed.」
Right, should I also cultivate the Tiger Crane Seven Forms?
This thing can enhance strength and agility, and it has benefits.
It's still early now. There's no time requirement for this Cultivation, and with the Turtle Breath Cultivation Method, I only need four to five hours of sleep to recover my strength…
He had just finished dinner, which would have been around six or seven o'clock in the evening in his previous life.
In the past, Wang Mu would have gone fishing or perhaps summarized his gains for the day.
I'll save some action points for learning hunting tomorrow. I wonder how much this rudimentary Body Strengthening Method will improve with just one action point?
Deciding to act, Wang Mu immediately got up and composed himself.
For him, even practicing until two or three in the morning wouldn't be a problem. He had plenty of time.
Especially now that he had just finished eating, it was a good time to exercise.
Wang Mu first took out the manual for the Tiger Crane Seven Forms and studied it for a while. Then, he closed his eyes and began to recall the seven forms and their mantras.
He found that he remembered them quite clearly.
Afterward, Wang Mu first practiced it a few times without using action points.
"Fierce Tiger Leaping!"
"Lying Tiger Climbing Mountain!"
"Tiger Jumping Spirit Stream!"
"Light Dance of Cranes..."
After completing the seven forms continuously, Wang Mu felt a slight warmth in his limbs, somewhat resembling the sensation of chopping wood while simultaneously running away.
Although performed barely adequately and likely with many flaws, my body has grown much stronger over this past year of consistent training.
I've reached a certain level of control over my own body, my spiritual perception has greatly increased, and I've also become much quicker at learning.
Even without using action points, learning these rudimentary skills naturally follows.
Wang Mu nodded.
If it had been a year ago, right after I arrived, trying to learn these, I probably couldn't have even managed the basic forms.
As my attributes improve, my learning ability strengthens, and the effect of the same amount of action points continues to grow stronger.
It's time to lay the groundwork for the Hundred Refinement Body Technique.
After all, that is the only path to Cultivation available to me under these circumstances...
Afterward, Wang Mu continued practicing for half an hour, becoming more proficient as he did so. Then, he sensed his progress.
[Cultivation: ...Tiger Crane Seven Forms (0)]
Well, okay, I thought I was already at the First Layer.
I should reach the First Layer after a few more days of practice.
Forget it, I'll just use action points.
Wang Mu shook his head.
He directly applied action points.
The next instant, his body subtly changed, and the seven different postures of the Tiger Crane Seven Forms instantly appeared in his mind. The details of each posture swiftly flashed through his thoughts, and he even began to recall the instance from earlier in the day when he was chased by the Tiger King.
The scenes seemed to overlap and merge.
His entire body operated like the most perfect machine, mastering each posture to the utmost detail, without the slightest error.
Proficiency skyrocketed instantaneously!
Wang Mu completely lost himself, feeling his consciousness enter a special state.
Using action points for Cultivation was an extremely peculiar experience. It was as if the whole world had vanished, leaving only him practicing the Tiger Crane Seven Forms.
When Wang Mu's consciousness returned, it was nearly dawn.
I can't sense the passage of time at all...
Wang Mu silently shook his head.
Compared to using action points for skills like hunting and Mining, cultivating these Breathing Techniques and Fitness Skills offered a stronger sense of immersion.
I can still sleep for another hour.
Wang Mu felt mentally sharp and hardly fatigued, wondering if it was due to this Cultivation.
He also felt a relaxing sensation, as if a burden had been lifted from his body.
He sensed his progress once again.
[Cultivation: ...Tiger Crane Seven Forms (6)...]
Straight to the Sixth Layer in one go?
Wang Mu was astonished.
This Cultivation was even quicker than the Turtle Breath Cultivation Method!
Rudimentary skills are indeed rudimentary. They're effortless to cultivate! Wang Mu grinned.
Clenching his fist, Wang Mu distinctly felt a surging power gathering within him, an increase of two or three tenths.
This was no small feat, as his progress in gaining strength from Chopping had already slowed considerably.
With a gentle jump, he easily leaped three to four meters high, feeling incredibly light.
This progress was even more evident!
Six Layers in one go, and the effects are quite noticeable!
Once my hunting Skill improves a bit more, next month I'll cultivate the Tiger Crane Seven Forms to the Tenth Layer!
By then, my agility should be very high, and I'll have a certain level of skill! Should I encounter those Fierce Beasts I can't beat, I'll be able to escape with ease!
A sense of achievement from his development welled up in his heart, filling Wang Mu with anticipation for the day's hunting.