White Moon City remained bustling with excitement.
As for Li Hao, after returning to Night Patroller headquarters, he turned a deaf ear to the outside world, ducked straight into Hao Lianchuan's office, and did not come out again.
Right now, Hou Xiaochen had yet to emerge from seclusion, so Li Hao had no duties assigned to him.
Having been recruited by Hou Xiaochen himself, none of the others felt it was their place to assign him tasks.
Inside the office.
Hao Lianchuan was swamped with affairs and had gone off to attend to business. Not wanting to idle away his time, Li Hao retrieved the ten Blood God Seeds.
A single seed was only slightly stronger than the Solar Radiance level.
For Li Hao as he was now, while it was still beneficial, the benefit was not tremendous.
Having strengthened his internal organs to this extent, he had virtually stepped into the Spirit Nourishing realm; at this stage, Solar Radiance-level Blood God Seeds offered him little to no aid. Thus, what Li Hao was considering right now was whether to consume five or swallow all ten at once.
Ten was the equivalent of a Rising Light's total.
He worried he would not be able to digest it.
Yet upon further thought... Li Hao felt that might not be the case.
Sword energy also aided in digestion.
Had it not been for the sword energy's help, he never could have rapidly absorbed thousands of cubic units of mysterious energy.
"Then I'll take five first. If I feel like I'm not going to burst, I'll quickly take the rest..."
Countless eyes were fixed greedily upon him. At this point, Li Hao felt that even Spirit Nourishing was not entirely reliable. Since his momentum was not as powerful as his teacher's, he would push his physical constitution to the ultimate limit of a martial master.
If he could not elevate his momentum, he would elevate other aspects.
Blood exchange!
That was another path, which was precisely what He Yong had done. Li Hao had chatted with He Yong; while Spirit Nourishing might be the key to stepping into the next echelon, tempering the physical body, augmenting vitality, and achieving an enhancement of qi and blood was also a form of progress.
Though it lacked the sensation of a realm breakthrough, the increase in strength was real.
The Thousand-Battler realm was merely comparable to Solar Radiance, yet He Yong, as a Thousand-Battler, could battle Three Sols—no weaker than Yuan Shuo on the day he fused five momentums to step into the Thousand-Battler realm.
Li Hao had asked about the key to blood exchange, and He Yong had not concealed much—in fact, there was no need to hide it.
It was very simple: continuously strengthen the physical body and inner force.
When the body became immensely formidable and the internal organs were no longer weak, one could keep up the pace and empower qi and blood even further. This was the path chosen by many martial masters who found nowhere else to advance after stepping into the Thousand-Battler realm.
At this moment, Li Hao harbored that very intention.
Nourishing the spirit and cultivating momentum—right now, he possessed only Earth Sword momentum. Further nurturing and cultivating it would yield diminishing returns.
Unless he achieved a far deeper comprehension of Earth Sword momentum, no massive breakthrough would occur.
Mulling over these thoughts, Li Hao swallowed five Blood God Seeds in one breath.
A formidable surge of blood shadow power instantly erupted inside him.
His blood boiled!
Were he in Silver City, Li Hao would in all likelihood see the Eight Trigrams diagram right now.
Alas, this was White Moon City.
Li Hao looked up at the sky and saw nothing.
Clearly, that Eight Trigrams diagram existed only in Silver City and did not extend to White Moon City. Red Moon's persistent desire to deal with Li Hao in Silver City was evidently tied to this Eight Trigrams diagram; Ying Hongyue very likely knew of its existence.
A powerful vitality flooded into his body, sending Li Hao's blood into a rapid boil.
An ordinary martial master could never withstand this.
Most likely, energy would stagnate within the body, just as it had the first time Li Hao absorbed red shadow power.
But sword energy still proved effective.
Running the Five Animals Breathing Technique, sword energy surged forth. Li Hao began crushing a divine energy stone again to supply the small sword with ample energy.
Divine energy stones had now become a resource Li Hao urgently required.
The divine energy stone Yu Xiao had just given him was crushed immediately. A burst of energy spilled forth and was rapidly absorbed and converted by the small sword. The conversion rate was low, but Li Hao was already well satisfied.
A bit of waste did not matter, so long as the results were good.
Inside him, blood surged and roiled.
With internal organs as robust as Li Hao's, there was no burning sensation, nor any pain. His organs were simply too resilient. Five Blood God Seeds only held energy comparable to the Three Sols level, and at his current stage, Li Hao could bear it.
Feeling that the strain was manageable, Li Hao swiftly swallowed the sixth seed, then the seventh...
By the eighth, he felt considerable pressure.
His blood churned violently within.
Vaguely, his blood even showed signs of transformation, rushing like a surging river through his internal organs.
At this point, Li Hao could sense the presence of supernatural locks.
One, two, three...
Within his five internal organs emerged five supernatural locks. More than that, four more gradually surfaced in his limbs. In the blink of an eye, nine supernatural locks had materialized, each exceedingly thick and stout.
According to Wang Ming, the number of supernatural locks one sensed represented supernatural talent.
But to Li Hao, that meant nothing.
Powerful vitality poured into the supernatural locks, making them even sturdier. Li Hao trusted only his teacher's words: the strength of supernatural locks reflected the depth of one's foundation. The stronger the locks, the more abundant the foundation locked within.
When the day came that martial arts broke through those supernatural locks... it might yield a leap beyond imagination.
Thus, even watching these supernatural locks grow steadily stronger, Li Hao had no intention of halting his absorption of vitality. Let them absorb.
The stronger, the better!
The stronger they were, the less likely they would snap inadvertently when he fused momentum, nourished spirit, or broke momentum in the future, thrusting him into the supernatural realm. Currently, Li Hao harbored no desire whatsoever for supernatural abilities.
Therefore, the strengthening of his supernatural locks had no adverse impact on his power; it only bolstered his confidence.
Seeing the supernatural locks also absorbing vitality, Li Hao held back no longer. He downed the remaining two Blood God Seeds in one gulp. With that, all ten Blood God Seeds were in his belly.
The power of an entire Rising Light-level red shadow erupted within him.
*Crack, crack, crack.*
His bones began to shudder as though struggling to bear the load; flesh and blood roiled, accompanied by a stinging, burning pain.
Li Hao opened his mouth, and a divine energy stone appeared.
This time, he was not replenishing the small sword's energy. This was a lightning-attribute divine energy stone. Lightning energy tempered bones—Li Hao knew this well, but he rarely acquired lightning energy.
At a moment like this, how could he care whether divine energy stones were precious or not?
He immediately began devouring the lightning energy within the stone, extracting it using sword energy. The extracted lightning energy was purer than raw mysterious energy, and it instantly merged into his body, seeping into his bones.
*Rumble!*
Like thunder pealing inside him, a faint purple tint stained his bones—the effect of lightning tempering.
His bones popped and snapped.
Li Hao promptly stood up, abandoning his cross-legged posture, and began practicing his boxing: the Five Animals boxing, Tiger Combat Art.
Striking with sound was easy; striking in silence was hard.
To avoid making too much noise and drawing undue attention, Li Hao began trying to strike silently. In this regard, his teacher was far superior to him.
When his teacher practiced boxing, he made not a whisper of sound, as if performing gentle morning exercises for old age.
Yet despite Li Hao's extreme restraint, his punches still stirred some commotion, though not overly loud. Moreover, being inside Director Hao's office, no one dared come cause trouble.
Fists like thunder!
Fast!
Yet speed meant an inability to remain soundless—a contradiction, unless Li Hao could rapidly reel in his fist force after throwing a strike, keeping the power condensed within his body.
*Boom!*
A muted rumble echoed. Li Hao paid it no heed and continued practicing, aiding his digestion.
As for whether that Rising Light chief secretary downstairs could sense it, Li Hao did not care.
The strength he currently displayed was not overly formidable.
Even a Hundred-Breaker martial master could produce punches with this level of commotion.
At worst, people would say he trained without regard for time or place; if seen, it mattered little.
Inside his body, the blood shadow power continued to erupt. The energy of a Rising Light blood shadow was dense beyond imagination.
Supernatural locks continuously emerged and expanded.
*Clatter!*
At this moment, faint sounds of dragging chains even echoed through the room. Locks appeared one after another across his body, binding Li Hao firmly. Not only that, but supernatural locks even began to emerge upon his head.
Nine?
Far more than that!
Human potential was limitless; supernatural locks existed not only in the five internal organs and four limbs, but in other parts of the body as well.
In this moment, Li Hao even felt a supernatural lock materialize along the great dragon of his spine.
He was in great spirits. Absorbing lightning energy tempered his bones, while the blood shadow power fortified his inner force, vitality, physical body, and supernatural locks.
Li Hao felt his qi and blood grow ever more vast and substantial!
***
Downstairs, Chief Steward Yu glanced upward, her gaze seemingly piercing through the ceiling to see Li Hao. In her mind's eye, she caught glimpses of him practicing boxing—the Five Animals Art. The fist shadows were few, the speed not exceptionally fast.
Yet... Chief Steward Yu still furrowed her brows slightly.
Did he take a Blood God Seed? How many did he eat?
Li Hao had not displayed momentum, nor released inner force outward, merely practicing ordinary boxing forms. When a martial master trained, discerning their strength was difficult; without an actual clash, a martial master's prowess was often hard to gauge.
Yet as a powerhouse, Chief Steward Yu still sensed something subtle, her brows arching slightly.
"A Thousand-Battler?"
She had known a little about Li Hao being a Thousand-Battler, but exactly what level he had reached remained uncertain.
Thousand-Battlers came in many varieties. There was the weakest sort, like Liu Long: stepping into the Thousand-Battler realm with a single momentum, internal organs untempered, vitality unexceptional. There were slightly stronger ones whose blood and qi had transformed, bones reinforced, and internal organs nourishing the body. There were stronger ones still, like He Yong: entering the realm with a single momentum, but having undergone multiple blood exchanges, boasting a robust physique, fortified bones, and partially tempered internal organs. And then there were even stronger beings, like Yuan Shuo's prior state: directly fusing five momentums into overwhelming, terrifying force.
Which echelon did Li Hao belong to?
She could not tell, nor did she know how many Blood God Seeds Li Hao had taken—three? Five?
Surely not all ten. If he took all ten, Li Hao could never survive it. That was power on the level of a Rising Light, something even ordinary Three Sols could scarcely endure. Unless Li Hao's physical resilience had already reached the Three Sols level—was that even possible?
Lost in thought, Chief Steward Yu quietly monitored the faint sensations.
Regarding Li Hao, other than his status as a bloodline descendant of the Eight Great Families, people rarely gave him much weight. What drew the most attention was his bloodline and his identity as Yuan Shuo's disciple. As for Li Hao's own strength, even though he had slain Sun Moxian, while impressive in the eyes of ordinary folk, to true powerhouses, he was merely a martial master who had not even reached Thousand-Battler.
Such a martial master, however strong, was merely comparable to Solar Radiance. Yet in today's White Moon City, where powerhouses gathered in droves, was Solar Radiance considered formidable?
*Perhaps... he is stronger than everyone expects,* Chief Steward Yu thought silently.
***
Time slipped by. Li Hao persevered in his boxing, striking relentlessly. The energy of an entire Rising Light was not exhausted so quickly. Moreover, Li Hao continued drawing energy from divine energy stones—not the five elements this time, but predominantly lightning and wind. Lightning tempered bones; wind lightened the body. Without speed, no matter how strong one was, one remained merely a living target. Previously, Li Hao had focused more on physical power—not that he disregarded speed, but because wind energy had been scarce. Now, there were a few wind-attribute divine energy stones among his collection, and Li Hao absorbed them directly without minding the waste.
He had started with only twelve divine energy stones left, and though Yu Xiao had given him one, not many remained. Furthermore, the small sword was constantly consuming energy. After training for a while and exhausting the lightning and wind divine energy stones, only seven stones remained. Five were of the five elemental affinities. Of the other two, one was pitch-black and the other icy cold; Li Hao did not dare absorb them rashly. They were likely dark-attribute and ice-attribute. He was unwilling to absorb them recklessly—divine energy stones held abundant energy, and if he were to take them in, he would first absorb some corresponding mysterious energy to understand their effects beforehand. As for the five elemental stones, Li Hao planned to reserve them for the small sword. Sword energy was his true foundation.
***
Hao Lianchuan had been busy all morning. Only around noon did he find a moment of leisure to head back to his office for a short rest. Before even stepping inside, he frowned slightly; faint noises were coming from within.
Li Hao? Probably!
The young man had nothing left to do; once the morning concluded, he could have returned to his apartment or strolled around White Moon City. Yet Li Hao had done neither. The kid was a workaholic—never leaving before the shift ended! But headquarters was cramped, lacking any dedicated desk for Li Hao, and he had no official paperwork to handle anyway.
*Cultivating in my office?* Hao Lianchuan wondered as he pushed the door open.
The moment the door opened, the divine gleam in Li Hao's eyes swiftly retracted, and his punches grew somewhat limp. Yet Hao Lianchuan was, after all, a Three Sols expert. Drawing close to Li Hao, he suddenly felt a piercing, bone-chilling sensation.
Hao Lianchuan glanced at him. Li Hao continued throwing punches while grinning: "Director, I borrowed your office to train for a bit. I had nowhere else to go... You don't mind, do you?"
Hao Lianchuan nodded indifferently, set down his briefcase, sat on the sofa to the side, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a sip. Looking back at Li Hao, the young man had not stopped, still practicing his forms. Faint pops rattled from his bones, resembling nothing more than the resonance of sinews and bones typical of a Ten-Slayer realm martial master.
But Hao Lianchuan paid no attention to that. He merely sensed the residual aura lingering throughout the office. The aura was very faint, yet up close, it carried a persistently bone-aching sharpness. He did not disturb Li Hao, watching him quietly.
Li Hao acted as if no one else were present, continuing his punches to digest the remaining third or so of the Rising Light energy. Over the course of the morning, he had absorbed roughly two-thirds. With the energy diminishing, his digestion proceeded ever faster. His internal organs felt significantly more robust than before. And that was only part of it. Most importantly, his bone density and strength felt vastly superior. The blood rushing through his veins surged like ocean waves, giving Li Hao an urge—an urge to throw a punch straight at Hao Lianchuan. He was even tempted to test whether a single punch without momentum could hold its own against this Three Sols expert.
Naturally, he restrained himself. Endurance was for a better eruption. In this place, no one could be trusted. The one he trusted most was his teacher, and aside from his teacher, perhaps the captain. The people of the Demon Hunt Squad were more trustworthy than anyone here. Liu Yan was also among the Night Patrollers, but Li Hao had never gone to see her, nor had Liu Yan come to see him—all for the sake of maintaining distance. This was White Moon City! Countless eyes were fixed on Li Hao. If Liu Yan came to visit him now, it would only attract unwanted attention, suspicion, and even danger. Liu Yan's absence showed her wisdom. The Hao Lianchuan before him might be a decent man... but who could know what he truly harbored deep inside? A good person? Would a good person plot to eliminate a Three Sols superior? Looking around the whole of White Moon City... how many were worthy of his trust? Li Hao could rely only on himself. On his own pair of fists, on the sword in his hand! If the sword were not sharp enough, how could he survive here? What was in his heart showed in his fists.
At this moment, Li Hao's strikes still appeared frail, yet murderously boiling intent faintly churned within. He wanted to carve out a new world through slaughter! Just like the demon king he had seen in the illusion, wielding a single blade to silence the world and halt all enemies in their tracks! Red Moon, the Night Patrollers... it was all too convoluted! Li Hao had no desire to delve into them; there was no need. All he wanted to say was: Even if I am a bloodline inheritor of the Eight Great Families, do not come looking for me. I was originally just an ordinary student—why drag me into this?
***
Hao Lianchuan's expression grew solemn. The teacup in his hand remained still. Li Hao's punches grew increasingly fierce, increasingly swift. What was this kid thinking right now? Had he... already crossed into the Thousand-Battler realm? This boxing intent... was not momentum, yet faintly, it showed signs of transitioning into momentum. Could it be that Li Hao was on the verge of comprehending a second momentum? Hao Lianchuan frowned; his understanding of martial masters was limited. Yet he vaguely felt that Li Hao's boxing intent seemed stronger than the momentums comprehended by certain martial masters. Why wasn't it a momentum? Only one possibility! He had reached Thousand-Battler! Having stepped into the Thousand-Battler realm, comprehending momentum was much harder; furthermore, Li Hao already possessed one momentum, so a second momentum would not convert so readily. Had Li Hao still been a Hundred-Breaker, he might have transformed this boxing intent straight into momentum. What a terrifying kid! Everyone thought he was notable solely for his special identity, overlooking his sheer talent. Momentum was not something just anyone could comprehend. Everyone was underestimating Li Hao.
***
Li Hao paid no heed to Hao Lianchuan, losing himself in his practice. The Tiger Fist! Among the Five Animals Art, the Tiger Combat Art possessed the fiercest offensive lethality, focusing primarily on killing. Li Hao had seen tigers, yet only caged tigers—much like himself, trapped in a cage. Even if this cage was infinitely vast, he remained imprisoned within it. Putting on fake smiles, speaking insincere words. Everyone wanted to live authentically! But could he? He could not! Only by shattering the cage could one behold one's true self. But this cage—could he shatter it? Reluctance and indignation churned within Li Hao's heart, yet he had no choice but to swallow them. Hou Xiaochen had saved him, so he had to display his worth to Hou Xiaochen, which was why he revealed his Earth Sword momentum. Hou Xiaochen bade him come to White Moon City, and though he desperately wished to remain in Silver City, he had come nonetheless, because he had no choice. His teacher had departed because Red Moon sought his life... and all of that stemmed from his teacher slaying a host of Red Moon powerhouses, which in turn had been done for Li Hao. People were forever at the mercy of circumstances! At this moment, countless thoughts crossed Li Hao's mind. His Tiger Combat Art reached a crescendo—not the hearty, unrestrained ferocity of a wild beast, but a suffocating desire, suppressed to the extreme, yearning to burst from the cage! *I want to shatter this cage! But I cannot!* Convoluted emotions poured into the Five Animals Secret Art as his fists struck and retracted.
Watching for a while, Hao Lianchuan suddenly felt utterly wretched. That lack of release in each strike, that stifled frustration, that sensation of a punch thrown halfway only to be yanked back made him want to vomit blood. What kind of boxing was this? The Tiger Combat Art? He had seen the Tiger Combat Art before and watched Yuan Shuo execute it—overwhelmingly fierce, exhilarating, terrifyingly mighty, murderous intent billowing like a tiger descending the mountain to awe the forest. Yet Li Hao's Tiger Combat Art evoked a completely different sensation.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Hao Lianchuan could not help but cough violently. He did not do it on purpose; watching it genuinely made him feel so choked that he could barely breathe.
Li Hao instantly halted his fists. He looked at Hao Lianchuan, frowning slightly. He had just been getting into the flow; Director Hao should not have interrupted him.
Hao Lianchuan exhaled a long breath and gasped, "My apologies, but... that was truly unbearable to watch. Li Hao, is that the Tiger Combat Art?"
Li Hao nodded slightly.
Catching his breath, Hao Lianchuan asked with some hesitation, "Why is it... so different from your teacher's? And were you pulling your punches halfway through?" He could not resist asking.
Li Hao smiled. "A martial master's secret art may share the same name, but it varies from person to person; the art that manifests isn't necessarily identical. As for pulling punches halfway, that wasn't quite it—it's just that I haven't found the target of my strike, the direction for my punch."
Hao Lianchuan understood only half of it. Exhaling again, he remarked, "Your boxing lacks a bit of overbearing dominance, but carries... a suffocating quality!"
Li Hao nodded, still pondering his boxing just now. The Five Animals Art was the first secret art he had come into contact with, and the one he had cultivated the most. While striking just now, he had felt it himself: had he still been in the Hundred-Breaker realm, he might have comprehended a momentum from it—not his teacher's kind of tiger momentum, but a completely different tiger momentum. Who said a caged tiger could not possess momentum?
Thinking of this, Li Hao suddenly spoke up: "Director, is there a zoo nearby?"
"Huh?" Hao Lianchuan was caught off guard by the abrupt leap in topic. After a pause, he said, "I suppose so. Ask Wang Ming; he might know."
"Alright!"
At this moment, Li Hao suddenly felt the urge to see a tiger. An ordinary caged tiger was not what he wanted; he wanted to see a fierce tiger imprisoned in a cage that fought relentlessly to leap free. Tigers that had grown accustomed to confinement, living in idle comfort and no longer wishing to escape, did not match his fist.
"Director, then I'll head down first."
"Go on, be careful." Thinking of something, Hao Lianchuan added, "Don't wander around aimlessly, and don't go too far, lest you invite trouble."
Right now, he still wanted to bait Yu Xiao. If Li Hao lured over a horde of martial masters first, it might not be a good thing.
Li Hao nodded. "I won't go far."
He only intended to look nearby. If it was too far, he wouldn't bother.
***
Downstairs, Li Hao waited a short while before Wang Ming showed up. The fellow hadn't been at Night Patroller headquarters earlier, likely having stepped out for a meal; he returned with grease on his lips, laughing as he spotted Li Hao: "I was planning to invite you along for lunch, but you vanished, so I didn't look for you."
"Is there a zoo nearby? Or rather, is there anywhere with a freshly captured tiger... the kind that was caught recently and still has its wildness?"
Wang Ming was taken aback. A tiger?
After a moment of thought, he said, "Let me think... There are zoos, but as for a freshly captured one, I really wouldn't know. Let me ask around for you. Zoos might not have newly caught ones, but some of my friends might."
Li Hao showed a quizzical look.
Wang Ming chuckled. "With the rise of supernaturals, some of my buddies are supernaturals too. They like their thrills, and some enjoy hunting. They head out into the deep mountains and old forests around here, and when they do, they might catch a tiger or something... After all, times have changed; keeping a tiger is far more prestigious than keeping a dog!"
Li Hao remained silent. Wang Ming wasted no words and quickly dialed around on his comms device. His network was extensive, and he knew plenty of people. After making five or six calls, delight surfaced on his face. Hanging up promptly, he laughed: "Found one! A buddy of mine caught a fierce tiger just the day before yesterday—a massive striped beast, brimming with wildness! Unfortunately, since being caught, it hasn't eaten or drunk anything these past few days. My buddy is trying to break it in right now... Li Hao, do you want to go see it?"
He assumed Li Hao was bored and looking for a bit of excitement. Then again, the Five Animals Secret Art included the Tiger Combat Art—perhaps it was to comprehend the form? Who cared! Just a tiger. In years past, it might have been an unprovokable beast, but nowadays, any random Lunar Nether or Hundred-Breaker could easily dispatch one. Unless a beast had transformed into a spirit, ordinary beasts were no longer a threat to humanity.
"Is it far?"
"Not far..." As he spoke, Wang Ming chuckled. "Afraid of danger? I can have my buddy transport it over directly; it's no trouble anyway."
"No need. If it's not far, let's go have a look."
"Alright then!"
Wang Ming smiled and soon pulled Li Hao along outside. In White Moon City, he was no longer without a ride. Wang Ming quickly pulled up in a flashy red coupe that drew stares everywhere. Sitting in the driver's seat, Wang Ming looked at Li Hao by the roadside and grinned: "Get in! What are you staring at? My own car! I've got plenty of cars in White Moon City. When I went to Silver City last time, there was no way to transport them over, so I didn't bring any."
Li Hao said nothing and hopped into the vehicle. With a roar of the engine, Wang Ming floored the accelerator, shooting forward at high speed. Driving through the city, his supernatural reflexes meant he had no fear of accidents; his speed shot past a hundred kilometers an hour in an instant, and he continued accelerating. Li Hao kept quiet; though he felt it wasn't appropriate, the people of White Moon City seemed accustomed to it, so why bother speaking up?
Driving at breakneck speed, Wang Ming hollered over the wind, "Almost there! That buddy of mine is a supernatural too, though only in the Lunar Nether realm. He hasn't joined the Night Patrollers or any other faction—he's an independent practitioner. His old man holds significant rank, a big shot in the Administration General Bureau who easily ranks among the top ten in standing there. But don't worry, we don't need to fear him!"
Li Hao said nothing. He didn't care about any of that; he only wanted to see that tiger.
***
In less than ten minutes, the car pulled up before the gates of an estate. It was indeed close by, verging on the southern outskirts. Yet even near the suburbs, owning an estate here was no small feat.
At the gates, a young man watched the car stop and laughed: "Old Wang, you made good time! Finally back from that godforsaken dump Silver City? I thought you'd been exiled!"
"You're the one who got exiled!" Wang Ming chuckled, hopped out, waved Li Hao along, and said briskly, "Zhou Qin, cut the chatter. Where's the tiger? My brother wants to see it..."
The young man glanced at Li Hao, looking puzzled. "And this is... Care to introduce us?"
"My senior brother!" Wang Ming laughed, offering no further explanation. "Cut the crap, why ask so many questions!"
"Fine!" The young man pressed no further, merely eyeing Li Hao a few times. Li Hao gave a slight nod. The young man had originally wanted to crack a few jokes, but suddenly felt an odd discomfort; this person... made him feel slightly uneasy. He couldn't quite articulate the sensation, except that... it felt remarkably similar to the tiger he had caught two days ago. In that instant, for reasons unknown, that tiger came to mind: lying motionless in its cage most of the time, yet leaping the moment anyone approached, ready to maim at the slightest opportunity, wild and intractable. He had spent days trying to train it to no avail. Refusing to eat or drink, its wildness was unyielding. He had already resolved that if a few more days yielded no progress, he would either cast it aside or slaughter it for meat.
This Zhou Qin was reasonably efficient. Since Wang Ming wanted to see it, he wasted no time, leading the two inside past an artificial rockery. A moment later, Li Hao spotted an enormous cage. Inside the metal bars, a large striped tiger lay sprawled on the ground, motionless.
Zhou Qin explained, "Don't be fooled by how still it is now. Get close, and the beast will pounce in an instant. I was nearly mauled by it earlier. Though it's merely an ordinary beast, truthfully, an average Starlight supernatural probably couldn't handle it. Someone on my side even got injured when we captured it."
Wang Ming said in astonishment, "No way. You're all Lunar Nether—how could it hurt you?"
"Really!"
As Zhou Qin spoke, Li Hao had already walked forward. Usually, he was never so impatient, but right now, an urgent eagerness gripped him.
***
Inside the cage, the tiger remained motionless. Even as Li Hao approached, it did not stir; crusts of dried blood clung to its striped fur, clear evidence of prior wounds. As Li Hao drew nearer, Zhou Qin behind him was about to call out a warning...
In that very instant, a tiger's roar resounded through the estate. Through the gaps in the metal bars, a massive paw swiped violently toward Li Hao! Li Hao met the tiger's gaze... It was a look of fury, despair, and sheer refusal to yield. This tiger refused to accept its fate!
Razor-sharp claws slashed toward Li Hao with terrifying speed!
*Boom!*
Its colossal body slammed straight against the cage. The claws missed Li Hao by a hair's breadth, unable to reach him no matter how it tried. The beast roared frantically, its impacts rattling the entire cage violently.
"Roar!"
The roars echoed continuously until, gradually, the tiger relented and slumped back onto the ground.
Li Hao simply watched in silence, experiencing it, feeling it!
He edged a step closer. The next moment, soundless as a shadow, the tiger swiped again—this time faster, sharper, fiercer! No roar accompanied the blow, only unbridled rage and refusal to submit!
With a loud crash, the cage trembled violently once more under the impact.
Li Hao stepped closer still and suddenly threw a punch. With a thud, his fist struck the tiger's paw. A squelch sounded as blood burst from the claw, yet the beast paid no heed, clawing maniacally toward Li Hao!
Still, it fell short!
Driven mad with fury, it began gnawing at the cage with its fangs, struggling again and again, striving desperately to fight its way out, yet meeting only failure. This persisted for a long time.
By now, Zhou Qin was watching Li Hao in bewilderment, whispering to Wang Ming, "What is your friend... doing?"
"No idea." Wang Ming shook his head, baffled himself. It looked almost as if Li Hao were tormenting the tiger, having punched it several times.
***
Li Hao watched quietly. He landed another strike, sending the beast tumbling back, only for it to pounce forward once more, biting at the cage and swiping at Li Hao. Time and time again, heedless of exhaustion or pain. Gradually, despair welled thicker in the beast's eyes.
Just when Li Hao thought it was ready to surrender...
At that very instant, with a sharp crunch, the tiger lunged forward once more. Its jaws clamped onto a preexisting notch in the metal bars. With a sickening crack, one of its fangs snapped, yet it tore a gaping notch into the metal railing. The next moment, the tiger slammed its full weight forward. With a loud crash, one of the bars actually snapped!
Zhou Qin was alarmed—not out of fear for himself, but dreading that Wang Ming's friend might get hurt.
Yet Li Hao remained motionless, letting the tiger pounce toward him. A claw slashed straight at his head. Raising a hand, Li Hao unleashed another punch. With a thunderous boom, the beast was sent flying backward.
Li Hao stepped forward. Badly injured from the blow, the tiger continued to struggle. Exhaling a breath, Li Hao said softly, "Knowing there is no escape, knowing death is certain, knowing how strong I am... you still strike again and again... Are you not afraid to die?"
The tiger made no sound. It merely continued to struggle.
Li Hao reached out; the tiger swiped its claw once more. Li Hao caught the paw in his hand, channeling a trace of sword energy into it, yet the beast fought on relentlessly. Gripping the paw, Li Hao gently shoved it back into the cage. He turned to Zhou Qin, thought for a moment, and said, "Friend, this tiger is proud and intractable. Might I ask a favor and request that it be released back into the mountains?"
Zhou Qin was taken aback.
Li Hao produced an object from his chest—a bone. "There are five cubic units of fire-affinity mysterious energy in here..."
Zhou Qin understood immediately and waved his hands hurriedly: "Don't! I was planning on letting it go anyway. I only kept it for novelty, but it refuses to be tamed, and it takes up too much space. Any friend of Old Wang is a friend of mine; it's a trivial matter! I'll have someone cart it back later today!"
"Thank you," Li Hao offered his thanks without standing on ceremony. He glanced at Wang Ming and smiled. "I've seen enough. Let's head back."
"Not watching anymore?" Wang Ming was dumbfounded. What was all this? Did he come all the way out here just to set a tiger free?
"Let's go. Thank your buddy for me later!"
With that, Li Hao waved to Zhou Qin and strode away. Behind them, as if understanding the words, the tiger lay flat on the ground, completely still, quietly watching Li Hao depart.
***
Stepping out of the estate, Li Hao suddenly smiled.
Even trapped in a cage, it never gave up? Knowing full well the danger, it still sought to break the bars, risking life and limb for a desperate fight?
What his teacher had observed was the king of beasts roaring through the mountain forests! Yet what he had seen today was a trapped beast fighting to the bitter end. Two entirely different sensations, two completely different tiger momentums. Yet at this moment, Li Hao felt that this one suited him perfectly.
In his youth, his teacher had roamed the world unopposed—a fierce tiger descending from the mountain. Whereas Li Hao was currently trapped in White Moon City, surrounded by lurking perils. He was this caged tiger!
A cornered beast fighting on!
As Li Hao walked, he contemplated. Behind him, Wang Ming's expression gradually changed. At this moment, Li Hao seemed to embody a fierce tiger, soundless, crouching in wait, biding its time to choose someone to devour!
A sudden chill ran down Wang Ming's spine. What on earth was going on with Li Hao? Had he comprehended something? Wang Ming had studied the Five Animals Art as well, yet he felt nothing of the sort.
***
At this moment, Li Hao harbored a tiger in his heart.
The embryonic form of a fierce tiger gradually surfaced within his spirit intent, soundless and still, lying dormant in wait.
So what if he was trapped in a cage? The day would come when he broke free!
The tiger momentum had manifested!
Chapter 111