Practicing swordsmanship, honing his boxing skills, venturing into the forest, and studying the Descending Mountain Tiger Scroll—these were Chen Zong's daily routines.
The more he contemplated the scroll, the more intensely he felt the accumulated insights building within him. Yet they remained elusive, like scattered grains of sand refusing to coalesce, leaving Chen Zong increasingly frustrated.
"I'm so close to grasping it," he muttered, pacing restlessly by the small lake, head bowed. "What am I still missing?"
The more anxious he became, the harder it was to focus, creating a vicious cycle.
Suddenly, the sword tip in the center of his brow trembled slightly. The Silver Azure Dragon stirred within his spiritual space, releasing wisps of cooling energy that calmed his mind and soothed his restless heart.
"I mustn't rush this," Chen Zong murmured, exhaling a long, steady breath. "Having reached this stage, achieving Perfection is only a matter of time."
He lowered into the Hidden Sword Stance, the opening posture of the True Sword Eight Forms.
Immobile, he guided himself into a unique state of focused awareness.
With a rasping sound, his sword slid from its scabbard. The blade swept forward in a semicircular arc, followed by a fluid backward shift of his body like a receding wave. His right arm, gripping the hilt, pulled back, channeling coiled power that suddenly exploded into a forward thrust.
Drawing Sword Stance! Thrusting Sword Stance! Circling Sword Stance! Chopping Sword Stance! Chaotic Sword Stance! Swift Sword Stance! Exploding Sword Stance!
The final form, the Exploding Sword Stance, was the most devastating of all. Its single strike shattered the air with such force that it seemed capable of crushing anything in its path.
The True Sword Eight Forms began with the Hidden Sword Stance and culminated in the Exploding Sword Stance. Each form flowed seamlessly into the next, the residual power of the previous stance amplifying the subsequent one. This cumulative effect made the final form particularly potent. The Exploding Sword Stance channeled one's entire strength into a single, explosive strike, making it an incomparably powerful technique.
Apart from the Hidden Sword Stance, the other seven forms could also be executed independently, each retaining formidable power in its own right.
After mastering the True Sword Eight Forms, Chen Zong ventured into the Wind Howl Forest once more. However, he never ventured too deep, always exercising caution to avoid encountering dangers beyond his capabilities.
Through repeated forays into the forest, Chen Zong had grown from unfamiliar to intimately acquainted with the terrain. The outer fringes of the Wind Howl Forest now felt as familiar as his own backyard. Unfortunately, apart from a few rabbits, he had yet to find any medicinal herbs.
As he stepped into the dim forest once more, an eerie silence descended.
"Perhaps this time I can venture a little deeper," Chen Zong mused to himself.
He pressed further into the woods and soon bagged another plump rabbit. Thankfully, he encountered no large predators like wolves, tigers, or leopards.
There might have been plenty of rabbits here before, but after repeated hunts by the martial artists of Small Lake Town, their numbers had dwindled, forcing them to retreat deeper into the forest and making them harder to find.
"That's enough for today," Chen Zong said, hoisting the ten-pound rabbit over his shoulder and turning to leave the forest. "This rabbit will feed Father and me for two days. Stewed with dried green gromwell and red goji berries for three hours, it'll be both delicious and nourishing."
He had barely walked a few dozen meters when a tall figure strode purposefully toward him.
"Not bad for someone who dared challenge Young Master Gang," the newcomer grinned, his tone laced with hostility. "Venturing this deep into Wind Howl Forest."
"Chen Dazhong..." Chen Zong's heart skipped a beat, sensing danger. He swiftly retreated.
Chen Dazhong was Chen Dalei's elder brother, a twenty-year-old martial artist at the fourth layer of the Qi Blood Realm. Chen Zong couldn't judge whether his talent was exceptional—his own understanding of cultivation was still limited—but he knew very well that the gap between the third and fourth layers of the Qi Blood Realm was vast. At the fourth layer, a martial artist could wield a thousand pounds with a single arm and channel their Qi Blood power to unleash even greater force.
This was the true might of a martial artist.
For martial artists in the Qi Blood Realm, Qi Blood power was paramount, a far cry from the mere blood qi of Martial Apprentices.
Even with a sword in hand, the disparity between them was overwhelming. Chen Zong might not even get a chance to draw his blade.
"Not bad, quick reflexes," Chen Dazhong said, his eyes fixed on Chen Zong like a predator stalking its prey. He strode closer, his superior cultivation, greater strength, and extensive combat experience honed through years of battling ferocious beasts in the wilderness.
Without hesitation, Chen Zong hurled the rabbit at Chen Dazhong with all his might, then whirled around and sprinted deeper into the Wind Howl Forest.
Chen Dazhong casually flicked the rabbit away like swatting a fly, sending it soaring dozens of meters. He surged forward with explosive speed, the wind whistling in his wake.
"Chen Zong, I don't want to kill you," Chen Dazhong shouted as he gave chase. "Stop now and take your beating like a man. Go any deeper into the Wind Howl Forest, and you're dead!"
Chen Zong strained every muscle, sprinting with all his might. He dared not speak, knowing that any breath would cost him precious speed.
Run! Run! Run! Blood qi surged violently through his veins, his heart hammered against his ribs, threatening to burst from his chest. By sheer force of will, Chen Zong wrung every last ounce of strength from his body, converting it into speed.
Faster!
Faster!
Even faster!
But Chen Dazhong was closing in relentlessly, his speed far surpassing Chen Zong's.
Sensing the pressure behind him, Chen Zong gritted his teeth until they nearly shattered. If Chen Dazhong caught up, he would undoubtedly be seriously injured—a fate he desperately wanted to avoid.
As if sensing Chen Zong's dire predicament, the sword tip within the space between his eyebrows trembled slightly, radiating a brilliant light that amplified his five senses to their absolute limit.
A terrifying roar echoed from behind. Without hesitation, Chen Zong dove forward, rolled once on the ground, and sprang back to his feet, narrowly dodging Chen Dazhong's thunderous punch.
Chen Dazhong was astonished. How could a mere second-level Qi Blood Realm cultivator evade his strike? Undeterred, he pressed closer, his speed undiminished.
"Chen Zong, I'm warning you one last time: stop now, or the next strike won't be just a scratch!" Chen Dazhong's voice dripped with fury.
Another punch came, like a Ferocious Tiger's Howl. The sheer force sent shivers down Chen Zong's spine. Instinctively, he rolled sideways. The violent gust of wind from the punch grazed his cheek, leaving a searing pain and disrupting his balance. Before he could recover, Chen Dazhong closed the gap, blocking his escape route with a sinister grin.
"Chen Dazhong, the clan rules strictly forbid martial artists from attacking Martial Apprentices. Do you dare defy them?" Chen Zong swiftly rose to his feet, his eyes narrowed with wary intensity as he glared at Chen Dazhong.
"Who would know?" Chen Dazhong sneered, his face contorted with murderous intent. "Besides, you've already enraged me. Do you really think you can leave here alive?"
Chen Zong's heart sank like a stone. A chill washed over him as he realized Chen Dazhong intended to kill him.
"Stop stalling. Accept your fate."
With those words, Chen Dazhong lunged forward like a Ferocious Tiger, his fist arcing through the air with such force that it seemed to shatter the very atmosphere. The devastating impact sent Chen Zong's hair standing on end; a direct hit would undoubtedly be fatal.
Roar...
A deep, resonant roar shook the forest, carrying an air of unchallenged dominance. Then, a massive, muscular figure burst from the dense undergrowth.
Its coat was a striking pattern of black and golden stripes, the dark markings on its forehead forming the character for "King"—a symbol of regal power. Its eyes glowed like twin bolts of lightning, piercing the forest's gloom with icy authority. One glance from the beast paralyzed Chen Zong with fear, an icy dread coursing from the crown of his head down to his tailbone, leaving his body numb with terror.
Chen Dazhong's expression twisted as he whirled around. The fist he had aimed at Chen Zong now surged with savage force, accompanied by a guttural roar, hurtling toward the leaping Ferocious Tiger.
The impact of fist against claw sent shockwaves rippling through the air. The tiger landed and staggered back, while Chen Dazhong stumbled several steps, his arm trembling slightly.
Chen Zong regained his senses and fled without hesitation. This was his only chance to escape. He didn't run toward the forest's edge, knowing that while the tiger was formidable, it wasn't a demon beast. Even if it couldn't defeat Chen Dazhong, the man would resume hunting him. With the forest's edge over half an hour away at his pace, being caught would mean certain death.
"Good, good, good! A mere beast dares to interfere with my plans!" Chen Dazhong roared in fury, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, his face contorted in a savage grin. He assumed the Tiger Stance. "I'll beat you to death, boil your bones for glue, stew your flesh into broth, and make clothes from your hide to enhance Young Master Gang's and my brother's cultivation!"
The Ferocious Tiger crouched low to the ground, its powerful form coiled like a spring. Its eyes burned with predatory intensity as they locked onto Chen Dazhong. The two-legged creature radiated abundant qi and blood—undoubtedly a delectable meal. Instinct told it that devouring this prey would bring immense benefits.
Both combatants erupted into action, charging at each other and unleashing a fierce battle.
After sprinting several hundred meters, Chen Zong darted behind a massive tree, peering back through the foliage. He could barely make out the silhouettes of a man and a tiger locked in intense combat, their clash shaking the forest. Chen Dazhong was gradually gaining the upper hand, driving the ferocious tiger to roar in furious frustration.
As expected, a martial artist at the fourth level of the Qi Blood Realm is truly formidable, Chen Zong thought to himself. It seems there's no chance for the tiger to turn the tables on him. After watching for a while longer and confirming the tiger's inevitable defeat, Chen Zong resumed his flight, the sounds of the battle fading into silence.
Some time later, the murmur of a stream reached Chen Zong's ears. Emerging into a clearing, he found a clear stream about a meter wide and half a meter deep snaking into the distance, as if parting the forest. Fish darted through its crystalline waters. Near the stream stood a dilapidated wooden hut.
Someone's here? Chen Zong approached cautiously. The hut was empty. A rickety wooden bed, a moss-covered iron pot, and mushrooms sprouting in a corner all indicated that the place had been abandoned long ago.
"Perhaps I should stay here for a while," Chen Zong mused, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The recent incident had revealed Chen Zhigang's narrow-mindedness. If Chen Zong returned to the clan now, Chen Dazhong or others might continue to harass him, severely hindering his cultivation.
Being injured would not only prevent him from cultivating but also place a heavy burden on his father. It would be better to temporarily leave and focus on his training, returning only for the Martial Apprentice Battle to claim a top-three spot.
"That's settled then," Chen Zong decided after a moment's deliberation. "I need to go back once to reassure Father. Hmm, I'll use the fictional old man from before as my excuse."
"I'll tell him a Senior is guiding my cultivation. That should put his mind at ease."
With his plan in place, Chen Zong felt content. He briefly patrolled the area, carefully examining footprints and tracks to confirm the absence of large predators. Reassured, he began heading back, eager to learn the outcome of Chen Dazhong's battle with the Ferocious Tiger. If Chen Dazhong had sustained serious injuries or exhausted his energy, it would be Chen Zong's moment to strike back.