Chapter 12: A Real Tiger Doesn’t Leave the Mountain Lightly

Thud…

There was another dull sound.

This time, it wasn’t their fists colliding. The brawny man’s punch landed squarely on Mu Feng’s chest, heavy and forceful, making Mu Feng’s chest feel tight, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. At the same time, Mu Feng punched the man’s left shoulder. As his fist connected, a tremendous force erupted like a volcano, almost shattering the man’s shoulder blade.

At the critical moment, Mu Feng’s extraordinary sense of smell once again played a decisive role.

His eyes couldn’t see the brawny man’s true form, his ears couldn’t discern his position, but with a slight sniff of his nose, he detected the real direction of the attack at the last moment. In his haste, although he couldn’t strike a vital spot, landing a hard punch on the opponent’s shoulder blade still inflicted significant injury.

“Huh…”

Jing Hu cried out in surprise again, eyeing Mu Feng, who stood unmoved before him, with unexpected curiosity.

He had thought the other was just a bit stronger; he never expected him to see through the deception of his Shadowless Fist and launch a sudden counterattack at the last moment. Had the punch been just slightly off, it would have smashed right into his face!

“Again!”

Jing Hu roared, leaping forward in an instant, creating multiple afterimages, growing fiercer as the fight went on.

“Still as a mountain, swift as a hare, invasive as fire, leaving barren land for miles!”

Mu Feng silently recited the cultivation chant of the Mu Family Fist, swallowed a Blood Pearl, and faced Jing Hu’s countless afterimages without changing his expression. No matter how immense the other’s strength, no matter how relentless the attacks, he stood firm and unyielding!

After swallowing a Blood Pearl, his depleted stamina and Spiritual Power were quickly restored. Dragging the fight out, he refused to believe his opponent could maintain such power and aggression forever!

Thud… thud… thud…

The dull thuds of punch after punch landing continued incessantly as the two engaged in a fierce exchange.

Gradually, Jing Hu’s strength waned, blood also trickling from his lips, and he panted heavily. His eye socket was dark, his left eye nearly knocked out by one of Mu Feng’s punches. Meanwhile, Mu Feng was nearing exhaustion as well; all dozen or so Blood Pearls he carried were used up. Apart from his face, nearly every vital part of his body had taken heavy blows.

What a brawny man!

A real tiger doesn’t leave the mountain lightly!

Though seriously injured, Mu Feng looked at Jing Hu with a hint of admiration.

Relying on over a dozen Blood Pearls, he had barely managed to hold on, while this burly man had been relentlessly attacking him almost the entire time. Without a doubt, the other’s strength, endurance, and combat experience surpassed his own!

As the fight dragged on, he noticed something unexpected. Whether it was due to the intense attacks or the shocks from the heavy blows, his Shaoyin and Lesser Yang Meridians, which had been blocked and unrecoverable, showed signs of loosening and began absorbing Spiritual Power more rapidly.

Once fully restored, his Spiritual Power could complete a full cycle, allowing him to break through to the Mortal Realm in one go!

Overjoyed, Mu Feng saw hope for a quick breakthrough. At this moment, he felt even more excited than when he had obtained the high-level cultivation method, Clear Wind Method. His spirits lifted, and on the verge of defeat, he stubbornly fought on!

“Fine, kid, you’re tough!”

After throwing one last weak punch, Jing Hu quickly retreated, bending over and panting heavily. He looked at Mu Feng as if he were some kind of freak.

Who in the Hundred Thousand Mountains hadn’t heard of the fierce name Jing Hu?

A single punch from him could half-kill a tiger with white markings above its eyes; he had always prided himself on his extraordinary strength. Whenever he went hunting in the mountains with others, he led the charge, killing tigers with his bare hands, and even tearing fierce leopards in half. People called him the Sky Splitting Tiger.

This time, he had stumbled upon Mu Feng killing someone and silencing a witness, and he intended to teach him a harsh lesson. Never did he expect to encounter such a monster.

Even when he seemed to have the upper hand, thinking the next punch would take Mu Feng down, the guy just kept stubbornly holding on, time and time again!

“Likewise!”

Mu Feng smiled, took a deep breath, his abdomen rising and falling with a gurgling sound, and began cultivating on the spot. The more exhausted he felt, the more he wanted to lie down and rest, but he knew this was the time to push himself in cultivation. Training now would yield twice the result with half the effort; but if he gave in and lay down, he would lose his momentum, making further breakthroughs much harder.

The path of cultivation was like rowing a boat against the current—it required great perseverance and strong will, with no room for slack!

“Let’s call it a draw today. Tomorrow at this time, we’ll fight three hundred rounds again. How about that?”

Jing Hu, tall and sturdy, stared straight at Mu Feng as he spoke, clearly unwilling to give up so easily.

Today, he had single-handedly taken down several fierce tigers and carried the heaviest tiger’s body for most of the day, exhausting most of his strength. He refused to believe that after resting and recovering overnight, he still couldn’t defeat this troublemaker Mu Feng tomorrow!

“Deal!”

Mu Feng agreed immediately; it was exactly what he wanted.

It was rare to meet a true opponent, and he had no intention of showing weakness. Besides, his Shaoyin and Lesser Yang Meridians had already loosened; another big fight tomorrow might help him fully restore and clear them. Why not take the chance?

“Tomorrow at this time, no backing out. Remember, my name is Jing Hu!”

After setting the rematch, Jing Hu wasted no more words. Picking up his steel fork from the ground and hoisting the tiger’s carcass on his back, he turned and left. Though panting, he still moved swiftly and soon disappeared into the vast rainforest.

“Jing Hu?”

Mu Feng silently repeated the name, committing it to memory, then didn’t delay any longer and quickly left. He gathered some medicinal herbs and returned to Mu Manor. It was already evening, with night beginning to fall. Keeping his head down and hurrying home, his heart yearning for return, he hadn’t expected to be blocked by a group of people shortly after entering Mu Manor’s gates, running into that bully Mu Qingyuan once again.

“Oh, if it isn’t Young Master Mu Feng? Out gathering so many herbs this late? How rare, truly rare!”

In the cool night breeze, Mu Qingyuan fanned himself with a hand fan, his tone mocking and pretentious as he continued, “One basket of herbs is worth at most twenty copper coins. Let me think… twenty-seven taels of silver—even if you saved every penny, how many baskets would you need to collect to earn that back? Three days? Thirty days? Half a year? Or a full year? Hahaha!”

Imagining Mu Feng and his mother being driven out of Mu Manor, Mu Qingyuan couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Though people came and went around them, he showed no restraint!

“You… damned… bastard!”

Mu Feng clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fury. If not for his concern for his mother, he would have charged forward without hesitation, breaking Mu Qingyuan’s ribs and tearing out his tongue!

“What did you say?”

A heavily armored guard beside Mu Qingyuan scowled, stepping forward swiftly. Burly and intimidating, his green armor weighed at least a hundred pounds, making him look like a moving iron statue, fierce and menacing. He bent his knee and viciously slammed toward Mu Feng, striking fast and ruthless!