The Guandi Legend: Temple of Triumph

Chapter 5: Terrifying Speed of Cultivation

With his strength at the second level of Martial Apprentice, Zhang Xun was confident he could defeat the Swordburst Tiger before him without fear.

Stepping out from behind the trees, Zhang Xun caught the attention of the Swordburst Tiger in the clearing. Sensing the presence of a human, the tiger ceased feeding and growled lowly at Zhang Xun, its limbs bent, ready to pounce, and its sharp fangs and fierce eyes fixed on its prey.

In a flash, the Swordburst Tiger's body, like a sharpened blade, became a blur in mid-air as it lunged towards Zhang Xun.

In the blink of an eye, the tiger was upon him, its sharp claws swiping towards Zhang Xun's neck.

Reacting swiftly, Zhang Xun activated the Demon Dispelling Fist, his qi and blood surging wildly towards his fists. With the added strength of his qi and blood, his fists hardened, amply prepared to withstand the tiger's claw.

"Thud."

With focused concentration, Zhang Xun seized the opportune moment when the tiger was merely an inch away and threw a punch directly at its abdomen. The force of his two hundred jin punch sent the tiger flying backward, crashing into a thick tree, causing it to shake – a testament to the astonishing power of his punch.

If Chen Lian were to witness this, he would have been utterly shocked. At the same level of strength, defeating and sending a Swordburst Tiger flying with a single punch was nearly impossible, typically requiring much time and effort.

Now, the tiger lay on the ground, its spine broken, whimpering in agony, its body limp.

Zhang Xun himself hadn't expected such staggering power from his punch, all two hundred plus jin of force perfectly concentrated in his fist. For a Martial Apprentice to gather such a large portion of their strength into a single punch was nearly impossible.

"The power of the Demon Dispelling Fist is indeed exceptional. If I were using a basic technique, this would have been impossible," Zhang Xun thought, acknowledging the extraordinary capabilities of his newly acquired technique.

"Next, I should witness the special effect of the Demon Dispelling Fist. I suspect the life essence of this Swordburst Tiger will be quite potent."

Zhang Xun approached the tiger and with a swift punch to its neck, ended its life. Contrary to his expectations, the tiger's body showed no signs of desiccation or other dramatic changes often associated with life essence absorption in lore.

As Zhang Xun pondered over this, a warm current unexpectedly emerged within him, rich with qi and blood. Without hesitation, he activated the Demon Dispelling Fist technique to absorb this rich flow into his body, transforming it into an abundant source of qi and blood. The quantity of qi and blood inside him visibly increased rapidly.

"One strand."

"Two strands."

"Three strands."

"..."

"Twenty strands."

Zhang Xun was astounded. The absorption had yielded far more qi and blood than he had anticipated – a total of twenty strands from just one injured Swordburst Tiger. This was a shocking revelation; normally, it would take four to five days to cultivate twenty strands of qi and blood, but this had been achieved by merely defeating a single tiger.

The efficacy of the Demon Dispelling Fist in absorbing life essence was beyond his wildest expectations. Such a technique was likely unparalleled in the entire Golden Dragon Dynasty.

While thrilled by this rapid cultivation pace, Zhang Xun composed himself and turned his attention to the tiger’s corpse. After a cursory processing of the body, he extracted the medicinally valuable tiger kidneys.

Continuing deeper into the Yunlu Mountains, the dense jungle occasionally revealed the pungent odor of decaying bodies and the visible remains of various creatures strewn across the forest floor.

Arriving at this location, Zhang Xun became more cautious. After spending nearly half an hour, he finally found another Swordburst Tiger. This one was lazily sprawled on a rock, with two more nearby, constantly l*****g their fur.

Zhang Xun's eyebrows twitched in surprise; he hadn't expected to encounter three Swordburst Tigers at once, a deviation from his initial expectations. From his previous battle, he understood that their strength was no match for his.

Even the combined strength of three uninjured Swordburst Tigers seemed manageable to him, despite their ability to burst into lightning-fast speeds.

After careful consideration, Zhang Xun activated the Demon Dispelling Fist. His meridians surged with qi and blood, and he exploded forward with incredible speed towards one of the tigers.

By the time the tiger on the ground realized the attack, Zhang Xun’s fist was already upon it, leaving no chance for evasion.

"Crack."

His left fist, covered in qi and blood, instantly struck the tiger's skull. Despite the skull being the hardest part of the tiger's body, it shattered under the terrifying force of the Demon Dispelling Fist. The tiger died without understanding what had happened.

Before Zhang Xun could fully absorb the warm flow of qi and blood, the other two Swordburst Tigers reacted.

"Roar."

The two tigers leaped up, enraged by the death of their kin, their fur bristling and sharp fangs bared as they lunged at Zhang Xun. Their speed, clearly much faster than the injured tiger, was like two streaks of lightning.

Zhang Xun understood that uninjured Swordburst Tigers were not to be underestimated. He swiftly dodged their attack, the surge of qi and blood enabling him to move away in time.

"Thud."

The tree bark behind Zhang Xun was instantly torn by the tiger's claws, a testament to what could have happened to flesh. Surprised by their missed attack, the tigers roared and charged at Zhang Xun again, their forms turning into lightning as they aimed for him.

This time, the two Swordburst Tigers attacked Zhang Xun from different directions, effectively blocking his escape routes. Their claws, sharp as blades, aimed ferociously at Zhang Xun’s neck.

Zhang Xun could feel the boiling qi and blood within the tigers, and the power in their claws was significantly greater than before. However, he had absolute confidence in his Demon Dispelling Fist.

"Break!"

Zhang Xun shifted slightly, channeling all his qi and blood into his fist, and struck out boldly at the oncoming Swordburst Tiger.

The Demon Dispelling Fist not only blocked the incoming tiger claw but also unleashed a terrifying force of two hundred jin. In the next second, the bones in the tiger's paw shattered, accompanied by a chilling sound of breaking. The tiger fell from mid-air, collapsing to the ground, wailing pitifully and devoid of its former strength to resist.

The other Swordburst Tiger, witnessing its companion being effortlessly defeated by Zhang Xun, instantly turned and fled into the forest. Zhang Xun considered pursuit but realized it was futile; the tiger’s speed, especially in the complex terrain of the forest, made chasing it risky and potentially unrewarding.

Zhang Xun turned his attention to the wailing tiger, delivering a decisive punch to its neck. As the tiger died, he felt a surge of essence flowing into his body. He quickly activated the Demon Dispelling Fist technique to absorb it.

The life essences were refined, transforming into pure qi and blood, significantly boosting the quantity within him.

"Thirty strands"

"Forty strands"

"Fifty strands"

...

"Ninety strands"

Zhang Xun could feel the qi and blood in his body climbing rapidly, stopping only when it reached ninety strands.

Carefully calculating, each Swordburst Tiger had provided him with thirty strands of life essence, while the previously injured one had contributed twenty strands.

A sense of joy filled Zhang Xun’s eyes. He had not anticipated that by merely defeating three Swordburst Tigers, he would easily accomplish half of the requirement of two hundred strands of qi and blood needed to break through to the third level of Martial Apprentice.