Chapter Sixty-Four: Initiation into the Tiger Transformation Technique, Sparring Partner

The sunlight that once warmed his body in those early mornings now appeared to Xu Chen as one blade after another stabbing into him. He circulated the special blood energy technique, guiding the morning sunlight into his body. Yet every ray of sunlight felt like a sharp knife; with each breath, he sensed a piece of flesh being sliced from him. Before noon arrived, Xu Chen was already trembling as he descended the mountain.

“Fortunately, this is only the entry stage. If I had to keep cultivating like this...” Xu Chen shuddered at the very thought.

At noon, Xu Chen and the little fox Yue sat down to eat, with an old monkey in coarse clothing sitting beside them, recounting the latest happenings within the sect.

“Our young sect ancestor has perfected the Sixteen Forms of the Sacred Ape.”

“That top-tier blood energy foundation technique, the Nine Transformations of the Candle Dragon, has already reached the seventh transformation. The Grand Elder is so delighted he’s considering holding a feast in celebration.”

“The Five Great Sects of Thunder Prefecture—Chiyang Peak is bringing their five hundred strongest blood energy disciples to visit, seeking to challenge our sect’s five hundred best in a simulated realm. By then, the whole sect can watch from around the Illusion Valley.”

Listening to the news, Xu Chen suddenly asked, “Who is the strongest blood energy cultivator in our sect?”

Without hesitation, the old monkey replied, “Excluding the young sect ancestor, it’s Wei Wuyai, a disciple under the Grand Elder. He’s eighteen, already possesses the power of six dragons.”

Hearing this, Xu Chen’s hand paused in the act of picking up food.

“So powerful, to have the spirit of six dragons at the blood energy stage—truly a prodigy among humankind,” exclaimed little fox Yue in awe.

“The gap between people is greater than the gap between a person and a dog,” thought Xu Chen, recalling a saying from his previous life for reasons he could not fathom.

The old monkey continued to share other sect matters until the meal was finished. Xu Chen handed him a pouch of spirit coins.

“Ten jars of Monkey Wine,” he said.

The old monkey immediately broke into a delighted grin.

That afternoon, Xu Chen resumed his practice of the Tiger’s Movement Transformation. He was only a step away from mastering the entry stage. As dusk fell, he unleashed the final move—like a tiger’s roar echoing through the forest, his force struck the air, resounding with the might of a tiger king’s bellow.

“Tiger’s Movement Transformation, entry level achieved,” Xu Chen exhaled deeply.

Just then, his disciple token began to vibrate. He took it out, and a task appeared in his mind.

“Sparring partner for three days?” Xu Chen frowned. All he wished for now was to cultivate diligently.

“It’s a bit of a distraction from training,” he thought. Now that he had money, the small rewards no longer tempted him.

“I’ll accept the task for now. Once it’s done, I’ll inform Steward Bai.”

That night, within the Sacred White Space, the wooden door of the Tiger’s Movement Transformation appeared once more. Xu Chen, well-practiced by now, pushed open the door. On the other side stood a duplicate of himself, expression vacant, awaiting at the threshold. The moment the door closed, the double transformed into a fierce tiger and lunged at Xu Chen.

A wild force erupted into a tiger’s roar. The double’s momentum was overwhelming as it pounced. Xu Chen struck with his palm, and as forceful as the attack had been, the defeat was equally spectacular; the duplicate was slain.

A familiar sensation swept over him—his soul was drawn into an unknown space.

He now inhabited the body of a young man climbing the mountain to chop wood. Dressed in coarse clothes, the youth’s posture was upright, his features handsome, and his eyes sparkled like a galaxy with every blink. Carrying a hatchet, he walked toward the mountain forest, each step resonating with the rhythm of heaven and earth.

Though Xu Chen could not fully grasp the cadence of the youth’s steps, he sensed that each one embodied the beauty of nature’s order.

In the woods, the youth encountered a fierce tiger descending the mountain. They locked gazes. The tiger, moments earlier wild and bloodthirsty, became peaceful upon seeing the young man and slowly lay down. The youth’s expression remained unchanged; he simply continued chopping wood. The tiger lay quietly, watching him work.

After a quarter of an hour, as if suddenly enlightened, the tiger stood and roared through the forest, then dashed off into the mountains. With every stride, its body and blood energy grew stronger. In Xu Chen’s unique perspective, the tiger had achieved a breakthrough—from the mundane to the spiritual—and would surely encounter great fortune in the future.

This transformation of the tiger brought Xu Chen many insights. When he came to, he found himself back in the Sacred White Space, a flood of comprehension pouring into his mind.

“These insights are quite extraordinary,” he murmured.

In the small courtyard, Xu Chen practiced the Tiger’s Movement Transformation. With every repetition, his blood energy grew stronger. Once he fully comprehended the technique, he felt his strength enhance once more.

“I must have gained the strength of another tiger,” he mused.

He struck out with a palm; the sound of a tiger’s roar echoed throughout the training ground.

Testing his speed at full strength, he found himself only marginally faster—by half a level.

“That will suffice,” he concluded.

By now, the sun was about to rise. The eastern sky was already aglow with red. Xu Chen left the courtyard and quickly ascended to yesterday’s mountaintop. Seated in meditation at the summit, he began another painful session of cultivation.

But as the sun climbed higher, Xu Chen stood and made his way to Illusion Valley.

Where once there had been only a few disciples, the valley was now packed, all queuing to enter the simulated realm to test their combat abilities. Pushing through the crowd, Xu Chen found his old formation array. Activating it, a mist appeared, and he took a deep breath.

Within the illusory world, a boundless frozen plain stretched as far as the eye could see. Xu Chen stood upon the ice, gazing at Bai Ningxue in the distance.

“Bare-handed first, then with weapons,” she said coolly. “Three days as a sparring partner, thirty thousand spirit coins.”

“Agreed,” he replied. “But this may be my last time as a sparring partner.”

A flicker of doubt crossed Bai Ningxue’s icy gaze. “Recently, I’ve hit a bottleneck in my cultivation. I want to go into seclusion.”

“Very well. If you’re available again, you can tell Steward Bai. Now, let’s begin!”

Bai Ningxue’s figure flickered as she charged at Xu Chen. What had once been blindingly fast now seemed sluggish to Xu Chen’s eyes.

With a thunderous impact, Xu Chen’s palm sent Bai Ningxue reeling. Yet she managed to strike back at his chest.

Their palms collided, the clash of powerful blood energy sending waves of snow billowing. Amidst the swirling blizzard, the two figures, moving at the limits of speed, collided repeatedly.

By now, Bai Ningxue’s strength had diminished in Xu Chen’s eyes to the point where he could barely consider her a challenge. Their sparring no longer sparked his interest.

With a deft strike, Xu Chen sent Bai Ningxue flying, his domineering energy shattering her meridians.

“I concede this round,” she said. “Next, with weapons.”

The illusory world shifted to a sea of bamboo. The two stood atop the bamboo forest, Xu Chen wielding a blade, Bai Ningxue a sword.

“You’re growing stronger,” she said, her icy tone tinged with unfamiliar emotion.

“On the path of the great Dao, there is no standing still.”

Xu Chen thought, if one cannot show off at such a moment, what is the point of life?

The two became mere shadows, entwined once more. The clash of blade and sword resonated throughout the sea of bamboo.