3: Strength surges, Extreme Tiger Killing Fist

The commotion in the distant garden had long since alarmed Xiao Ningzhi.

He entered the garden with a somber expression, his gaze sweeping over the scattered corpses and the mangled remains of the ox demon, his face so ashen it looked like water could be wrung from it.

He suppressed his fury and sternly instructed everyone to collect the bodies of the fallen guards. He ordered that their families be informed the next day and each be given one hundred taels of silver as a condolence payment.

After completing these tasks, he departed with a chilling aura, disappearing into the night.

Xiao Zhuo, however, had already slipped back to Xiao Shaoyou's courtyard.

Under the bewildered gazes of Hu Zi and Zeng Qiang, he rushed into his small room, slamming the door shut with a "bang."

"Hahaha! My precious panel! I knew it! I knew you weren't useless!" Xiao Zhuo leaned against the door, no longer able to suppress the ecstasy in his heart, his grin stretching from ear to ear. "My final guess was indeed correct! Slaughter is the only way to obtain Attribute Points!"

He suppressed his excitement, sat cross-legged on the hard bed, and immersed his thoughts into his Sea of Consciousness.

Name: Xiao Zhuo.

Race: Human Race.

Realm: Uninitiated.

Cultivation Technique: Tiger Subduing Fist (Roughly Understood) (59/100); Eight Directions Demon Slaying Saber (Initiated) (17/100);

Attribute Points: 18.

As his thoughts focused on the "Attribute Points" entry, a clear explanation appeared in his mind:

[Attribute Points: Can be obtained by slaying transcendent creatures. Can be consumed to Cultivate Cultivation Techniques. Each successful allocation allows for one year of Cultivation in the Cultivation space.]

"Sure enough!" Xiao Zhuo's heart was about to burst with joy.

Previously, no matter how he probed, the panel remained unresponsive. Now, with Attribute Points acquired, all information was so clear and concise!

Attribute Points were the core of this Golden Finger!

He eagerly locked his thoughts onto the "Tiger Subduing Fist" and silently chanted, "Add point!"

On the panel, the number of "Attribute Points" instantly decreased by 1, becoming 17.

The next moment, Xiao Zhuo's consciousness was abruptly pulled into a pure white, boundless space.

A profound power instantly took over his body, meticulously performing the Tiger Subduing Fist!

Under the guidance of this power, all the subtle deviations and sluggishness from his past practice were precisely corrected.

Every punch, every stance, reached theoretical Perfection! What shocked him even more was that the dormant Qi and blood within his body were frantically stirred and surged by these perfect fist movements! The effect far surpassed a hundred times his diligent practice in reality!

In this space where time did not flow, Xiao Zhuo was like a tireless Puppet, practicing the Tiger Subduing Fist day after day with the most perfect posture.

His Qi and blood continuously grew stronger and more refined with the circulation of the fist technique... After an unknown period, his consciousness was abruptly pulled back to reality.

Xiao Zhuo opened his eyes, and the sensation in his body was completely different!

His muscle lines seemed tighter and smoother, and his bones and sinews were filled with a sense of power.

Every move and every stance of the Tiger Subduing Fist was imprinted into his body's instincts—as if he had truly practiced it tirelessly for a year in reality!

Looking around, it was still the same simple small room: one bed, one table.

However, a terrifying hunger, capable of devouring reason, surged from his stomach like a tsunami!

In his mind, the mangled corpse of the ox demon instantly appeared.

He pushed open the window, and the clear, cold moonlight streamed in. Judging by the position of the moon's shadow, only a short moment seemed to have passed in reality.

He summoned the panel again:

Name: Xiao Zhuo.

Race: Human Race.

Realm: Uninitiated.

Cultivation Technique: Tiger Subduing Fist (Minor Achievement) (35/100); Eight Directions Demon Slaying Saber (Initiated) (17/100);

Attribute Points: 17.

The Tiger Subduing Fist had indeed reached Minor Achievement! Xiao Zhuo subconsciously clenched his fist and struck the air with a sudden blow!

"Whoosh—!"

The force of the punch stirred up a noticeable gust of wind!

A sense of power filled his entire body, making it impossible for him to suppress the smile on his face.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and pushed open the door.

Under the increasingly bewildered gazes of Hu Zi and Zeng Qiang, he quickly walked through the courtyard, his target clear—to find Li Zhen, to find the ox demon's corpse!

A hunger from the depths of his Soul was frantically screaming, guiding his direction.

An inexplicable intuition told him that only the flesh and blood of that demon could quell this terrifying hunger!

The Xiao Residence occupied a considerable area. Xiao Zhuo walked briskly, passing through several courtyards to reach the quadrangle where the guards resided.

There were three large communal bunkhouses in the courtyard, and at this time, many guards were still talking in low voices inside.

Xiao Zhuo walked directly to the middle one and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?!" Li Zhen's slightly tired but still gruff voice came from inside.

"Brother Zhen, it's me, Xiao Zhuo!"

"Creak—" The door opened, revealing Li Zhen's tired but smiling face. "Xiao Zhuo? So late, is something wrong?"

He had thought Xiao Zhuo was there to inquire about his injuries.

"Brother Zhen, where did you put the ox demon's corpse?" Xiao Zhuo asked directly.

"Threw it in the woodshed. We'll send it to the City Lord's Mansion for a reward when it's light." Li Zhen was stunned, completely unprepared for this question. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, just wanted to ponder if there are any other weaknesses on this demon." Xiao Zhuo vaguely replied, then turned and ran, leaving Li Zhen standing at the doorway in a daze—this kid, asked his question and ran? Didn't even say a polite word?

Xiao Zhuo didn't care what Li Zhen thought; he was almost driven mad by the hunger in his stomach, and he pushed off with his feet, running at full speed.

The woodshed was just around the corner from the guards' courtyard.

As he approached, a strong, nauseating smell of blood assaulted him.

The woodshed was a simple shed made of straw and earth, surrounded by piles of dry firewood.

In the center of the ground was the huge ox demon's corpse, brought in on several stretchers lined up, now hacked into shattered, bloody pieces.

The moment he saw the corpse, the terrifying hunger in his stomach was like a lit powder keg!

Xiao Zhuo instinctively pounced on the corpse, grabbed a piece of still-warm flesh, and stuffed it whole into his mouth!

The heavy smell of blood instantly filled his mouth, but unexpectedly, the muscle was not difficult to chew, instead having a strange toughness.

After a few bites, he chewed and swallowed. A warm current immediately surged in his stomach, rapidly spreading to his limbs and bones, and the heart-wrenching hunger instantly receded by more than half!

It worked! This ox demon flesh was indeed the remedy for the hunger after adding points!

Xiao Zhuo was overjoyed. Disregarding everything else, he used both hands to tear off pieces of flesh and devour them in large mouthfuls.

It took eating three or four catties before the maddening hunger completely subsided.

He wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth and summoned the panel again.

His thoughts locked onto "Tiger Subduing Fist"—add point!

One attribute point disappeared.

His consciousness once again sank into the pure white space.

The Tiger Subduing Fist at the Minor Achievement Realm was unleashed, fist winds howling, the air compressed by the force of the punches, emitting muffled explosive sounds!

He could clearly feel that with every punch and retraction, his muscles, bones, and skin were being repeatedly tempered and strengthened by the surging Qi and blood!

The simulated year of diligent Cultivation ended, and his consciousness returned.

On the panel, the progress of "Tiger Subduing Fist (Minor Achievement)" had soared to 94/100.

He looked up at the moon; its position was the same, indicating that very little real-world time had passed.

The familiar, maddening hunger in his stomach attacked again!

Xiao Zhuo didn't hesitate, pouncing back to the corpse to continue feasting.

He even felt somewhat grateful to the guards who had dismembered the corpse to vent their anger; if they hadn't cut the body so conveniently, he would have had to exert effort to carve the meat himself.

This cycle repeated: consuming flesh and blood to suppress hunger—adding points to Cultivate—then consuming again—then adding points again... After the fourth replenishment of flesh and blood, Xiao Zhuo had added points to the Tiger Subduing Fist to the Realm of Perfection!

Name: Xiao Zhuo;

Race: Human Race;

Realm: Body Tempering Realm Ninth Level;

Cultivation Technique: Tiger Subduing Fist (Perfection) (100/100) (Can consume five Attribute Points to Breakthrough the limit); Eight Directions Demon Slaying Saber (Initiated) (17/100);

Attribute Points: 12.

A powerful, irresistible sense of strength filled his entire body! His Qi and blood surged like a river, and his bones and sinews were as strong as refined steel!

Xiao Zhuo had a strong premonition that at this moment, he could smash a stone wall with a single punch!

"Tiger Subduing Fist Perfection! I am definitely a true Martial Artist now, and much stronger than Li Zhen!"

Xiao Zhuo confidently assessed his own strength.

His gaze fell on a line of golden small text in the panel's prompt bar: "Can consume 5 Attribute Points to Breakthrough the limit."

"5 points?" Xiao Zhuo frowned slightly.

It only took 6 points from Roughly Understood to Perfection, but it required 5 points to Breakthrough the limit once?

The cost was not small.

But then he thought, he currently only had two Cultivation Techniques, and the "Tiger Subduing Fist" was clearly his Foundation. Why not fully unearth its potential?

"Breakthrough!"

5 Attribute Points instantly vanished!

His consciousness was pulled into the pure white space for the third time.

This time, a sudden change occurred!

Under the absolute control of that mysterious power, the Qi and blood that originally surged like a river within him suddenly became like boiling molten lava!

A scorching aura was born deep within his body, as if a dormant power had been awakened!

This nascent "Qi" was incredibly powerful. Under the precise guidance of the mysterious power, it was like a giant axe carving out a river, following a specific trajectory, breaking through one after another of the originally blocked Meridians with irresistible force!

With each Meridian opened, Xiao Zhuo felt his body become a bit more unhindered, as if invisible shackles had been removed!

At the same time, his body assumed the ultimate stance of the Tiger Subduing Fist in the space—his right fist tightly drawn back to his waist.

All the boiling Qi and blood in his body, along with that nascent, scorching "Qi," surged into his right fist like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!

Before the punch was even thrown, the air was already faintly vibrating!

"Roar—!"

It was as if the roar of a tiger exploded deep within his Soul! His right fist transformed into a bolt of lightning that tore through space, striking out with a mighty roar!

His arm muscles bulged, and wherever the fist passed, the air was extremely compressed, forming visible layers of translucent ripples that burst open with a crash!

In front of the fist, a momentary vacuum even formed!

"Boom!!!"

A terrifying sonic boom echoed in the pure white space! The power of this punch far surpassed all previous ones!

Xiao Zhuo's mind was greatly shaken, and he was supremely confident: "With this punch, even if that ox demon were to revive, I would smash him with a single blow!"

[Tiger Subduing Fist has Breakthrough its limit, reaching the Profound Insight Realm! Acquired unique skill: Extreme Tiger Killing Fist!]

His consciousness returned.

The panel was completely refreshed:

Name: Xiao Zhuo;

Race: Human Race;

Realm: Meridian Connection Realm Third Level;

Cultivation Technique: Tiger Subduing Fist (Profound Insight) (MAX); Eight Directions Demon Slaying Saber (Initiated) (17/100);

Unique Skill: Extreme Tiger Killing Fist;

Attribute Points: 7.