Along the way, Long Huang hummed a tune while admiring the mountain he called home. The pathway was lined with vibrant wildflowers swaying in the gentle breeze.
The air was filled with the earthy scent of moss and the distant, melodic chirps of songbirds.
Just then, he remembered why he had such an eventful day in the first place.
"Oh shit!" he said as he picked up his pace.
After a few minutes, he arrived at the abandoned training ground and sat down to catch his breath while contemplating which combat art he should start with. After some thought, he decided on the Red Tiger Roar.
"Since this one focuses on muscle and breathing control, mastering it would make it easier to master both the Ocean Wave Fist and the Wind Deer Steps," he thought.
He read the manual for the Red Tiger Roar again, this time to practice it. As he read, he couldn't help but compliment the art; after studying the manual, what had once seemed incomprehensible started to become clear.
He then got up and began practicing the Red Tiger Roar according to the first layer of the combat art.
The combat art has two layers: one for Body Tempering Realm cultivators and the other for Qi Converging Realm cultivators.
As he practiced, his vocal cords hurt, but he improved with each try. Two hours later, the sound that echoed throughout the training ground resembled that of a cat in distress.
If someone had followed the sound to locate the supposedly dying cat, they wouldn't find a cat there but Long Huang.
"Ahem, damn it! Why am I not getting it right?" said Long Huang, lightly coughing.
Frustrated and dissatisfied, he suddenly heard a noise,
Gurrrrr!!!!....
It was his stomach crying out in protest as if being oppressed by a tyrant.
"Shit, I haven't eaten anything all day. I blame this on Huang Min. If she didn't rile me up by telling about that idiot Chi Wei, I wouldn't train like a madman!" he said, clutching his belly.
"Well, that's it for training for now, I guess. I need to find something to fill my stomach," he told himself.
An idea flashed through his mind.
"Since Huang Min is to blame, I should go and take some of her food. I know that big back will have something to eat," he thought, chuckling at the idea.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, he headed down the mountain to the Fifth Elder's manor. He greeted the guards as usual, but was stopped because of his changed appearance.
After some questioning and verification of his identity, Long Huang entered the manor's yard, but instead of going to the main hall this time, he headed straight to the dining area to see if there was anything to eat in Huang Min's hidden stash.
As he entered, he saw Huang Min also walking into the dining area.
Seeing this, Long Huang sighed and muttered under his breath,
"Why am I not surprised?"
He decided to sneak up on Huang Min, intending to give her a little scare.
Cushioning his footsteps on the polished floor, Long Huang tiptoed closer until he stood right behind her, casting a shadow over her unsuspecting form.
Huang Min, oblivious to the approaching danger, had her focus entirely on her meal. Observing this, Long Huang seized the opportunity. He quickly covered her eyes with his hands and teased,
"Guess who!"
Huang Min shot back, her mouth half-full of rice cake.
"Uff..uf... Ar...are you trying to choke me to death?" she asked, swallowing hard.
"Are you a thief? What are you sneaking around for?"
"I'm here for food!" Long Huang retorted, a playful grin tugging at his lips.
"Why didn't you eat at home or cook something?" she quizzed, raising an eyebrow incredulously.
"Because someone decided to come bother me at the crack of dawn," he responded, a hint of indignation in his tone.
"That was yesterday, what about today, huh?"
"I went to the martial pavilion and completely lost track of time."
"How is that my fault?" Huang Min shot back,
"I bet you even trained before you came here!" she added.
"No."
"Don't lie to me if you don't tell me the truth, I'll just tell Father you were training late again and see if you lie then."
"Yes, I did." Long Huang said, lowering his head slightly,
"See! And you blame me for it, hmmp."
Just then, a loud growl emanated from Long Huang's stomach, echoing through the otherwise quiet room like thunder.
"Hahaha!"
Huang Min burst into laughter.
After the laughter subsided, Huang Min handed Long Huang a few rice cakes and instructed him to wait as she dashed off to the kitchen.
In the meantime, Long Huang found a seat at the dining table and nibbled on the rice cakes she had given him.
"Uhhh, these are so bland, how could she like these?"
He muttered, even as he continued to munch on them, his appetite not diminished. A few moments later, Huang Min returned, two bowls in hand, one slightly smaller than the other.
"Is the big one for you or me?"
"It's for you," said Huang Min.
"What for real?" Long Huang said, utterly shocked.
"Yes, why are you acting like I'm a glutton?"
"Uhm cause you are." Long Huang quipped, eyeing the spread as he reached for a steaming bowl of noodles adorned with a colorful mix of succulent meats.
Smack!
"Seems like you want the smaller one," said Huang Min after smacking his hand away.
"No, give me, I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow," said Long Huang as he grabbed the bowl.
Huang Min merely rolled her eyes and sat, digging into her own bowl of noodles.
At that moment, Huang Peng and Su Yan walked in. They exchanged curious glances, wondering about the identity of the young man so comfortably seated with their daughter.
Yet, as they observed his familiar eating habits, it struck them like a bolt of lightning: this was Long Huang.
Their initial shock melted into nostalgia as memories of those cherished years when Long Huang had lived with them, inseparable from Huang Min, flooded back.
A chuckle escaped their lips, but it quickly turned bittersweet as they reflected on how much time had passed and how the distance between them, Long Huang, grew due to that day.
"So, you came to feast on our food but couldn't even manage a simple greeting first?" Huang Peng remarked in a paternal tone.
With his mouth still full of noodles, Long Huang waved at the couple and greeted them happily. Noticing Long Huang's hearty appetite, Huang Peng scrutinized him intently and asked,
"You've been practicing late into the night, haven't you?" His expression turned serious.
"Yes," Long Huang answered, avoiding Huang Peng's gaze.
"I understand why you are pushing yourself, but too much of anything can be poisonous." Huang Peng cautioned sternly.
"Just relax and enjoy being a kid for a while before rushing to grow up, okay."
"I will," Long Huang responded sincerely.
"Also, thank you for the robes you sent me, Fifth Elder," he added.
"No problem, kid." Huang Peng replied with a reassuring smile.
"So how does it feel to be a cultivator?"
"Not bad..."
Before Long Huang could elaborate further, Su Yan interjected with a comment that stunned them all.
"It looks like it's not all that bad indeed. Considering you've already broken through to the 4th Stage of the Skin Tempering Realm."
"What?!" Huang Min and Huang Peng exclaimed, their voices rising in astonishment.
"You truly know how to keep things from people. When were you going to tell me?" Huang Peng asked.
But Long Huang was speechless.
"Forget about him. When were you going to mention it to your senior sister, huh?" said Huang Min, demanding an answer from Long Huang.
Long Huang, on the other hand, was still taken aback that Su Yan could discern his exact realm.
Only someone who reached the Profound Xiantian Origin Realm could do so, and to his knowledge, there were no such figures known in their sect. But seeing Huang Peng and Huang Min not finding it strange, he knew they knew already, and it was only to him that did know.
"Hehe, I was going to keep it as a surprise, but it seems the cat's out of the bag now," Long Huang said with a cheeky grin.
However, Huang Min remained unconvinced. After a brief negotiation involving bribery, she finally relented, saying,
"Fine, but remember our deal."
"Yes, senior,"
Long Huang replied promptly, which brought smiles to the couple's faces. Seizing the moment, Huang Peng posed the question weighing heavily on everyone's minds.
"How did you cultivate so quickly?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I awakened a special constitution," Long Huang explained.
As Long Huang explained, he observed the realization dawning in Su Yan and Huang Peng's eyes, recognizing the significance of his newly awakened constitution.
They instantly understand why Long Huang appeared so changed and how he had managed to progress through the ranks so swiftly.
"But I awakened a Heaven bloodline along with a special constitution, and it took me six days to reach that level!"
"How did you do it in three?"
Huang Min lamented, feeling wronged by Long Huang's extraordinary talent. Su Yan then remarked,
"Not all constitutions are the same; each has something unique. I suspect his leans more towards the body refining path, which is why he broke through so quickly."
Upon hearing this, the father-daughter duo seemed to understand.
"So, the body tempering realm is going to be super easy for him, huh?"
Huang Min said, clearly feeling a bit jealous. Seeing this, the couple and Long Huang shared a laugh.
After chatting with the family, Long Huang left and returned to his training ground.
He continued from where he left off, practicing the Red Tiger Roaring Art. As he practiced, his control improved greatly. After five grueling hours, he finally produced a faint tiger roar.
Elated with this achievement, he realized he was nearing the minor stage of completion of the combat art.
"If only I knew what a real red tiger sounded like, rather than just a normal tiger, I would have progressed faster," he thought.
"Damn it! Why didn't I think of this sooner? I have no experience with a red tiger, so how could I imitate its most famous feature without knowing anything about it?"
He said, frustrated with his stupidity.
"Looks like I have to make a trip to the Archdevil Mountain Range tomorrow," he decided, recalling ominous tales of the Red tiger spotting in the mountain range.
Yawn!
"First thing in the morning."