Chapter 34: Hunt the Tiger

After leaving Ghost Street, Li Yi did not linger; he retraced the route Lei Tao had first taken him through.

Though he had activated his Spiritual Medium, he dared not alter his course, fearing another encounter with danger.

The path was utterly silent, save for Li Yi’s rapid, heavy footsteps.

His physique was more agile than before, his speed greater—he tore through the abandoned urban district without pause.

In the darkness, Li Yi’s eyes glowed faintly, allowing him to clearly perceive any anomaly; his night vision had become extraordinary, revealing things that had never existed before.

For instance, distant buildings drifted with bluish-black smoke, as if on fire—but without his Spiritual Medium active, those buildings showed no change whatsoever, no trace of bluish-black fumes.

He also constantly saw strange floating organisms drifting in midair.

Li Yi even perceived buildings visible only through his Spiritual Medium—ruined, bizarre in design, unlike anything from Earth, yet radiating a dangerous aura that deterred approach.

“Is this what the true world looks like? But I can feel that as my body continues evolving, my Spiritual Medium vision will grow stronger, revealing more and more. Right now, I’ve only just stepped into this realm.” Li Yi’s expression shifted slightly.

He was like a newborn, seeing the world around him for the first time.

“Good, I’m almost out of the danger zone. Once I pass this district, I’ll see the blocked road—Yang Yi’s car should be waiting there.” Li Yi thought to himself, accelerating his pace.

But at that moment, his peripheral vision caught a black shadow flickering past, silent and unseen.

Though subtle, Li Yi detected something amiss.

“What’s that? Show yourself!”

Li Yi slammed to a stop, suddenly barking a low command, his entire body tensing.

Around him, utter silence—no sound at all, only the cold night wind howling. No one else was here; other cultivators had long evacuated the danger zone. It seemed the fleeting glimpse had been merely Li Yi’s illusion.

But Li Yi did not believe that. He trusted his instinct.

And now, as he was about to leave the danger zone, cultivators were most likely to let their guard down—if the danger chose to strike now, it would be easiest to succeed.

“Still hiding? How long do you plan to wait?”

Li Yi shouted again, his eyes swiftly scanning.

Though his eyes were activated with Spiritual Medium and granted night vision, they lacked x-ray capability; the area was littered with chaotic concrete debris and shattered buildings—perfect for concealment.

Li Yi did not act rashly. He steadied himself, standing motionless, and began imitating Lei Tao, analyzing the situation.

“That creature followed me silently, never striking directly—it means its power isn’t strong. If it truly saw me as prey it could crush at will, it would’ve attacked already. No need for such trouble.”

“So, I have no reason to fear.”

With this thought, he took a slow, deep breath, then lowered his stance slightly, slowly raising his fists.

Unconsciously, Li Yi assumed the fist posture his Master had taught him.

Li Yi held the posture, steady and grounded, alert to all sides.

Seconds ticked by.

Everything remained calm.

How long had passed?

Suddenly—

A low, muffled growl erupted from behind a protruding slab of concrete.

The hidden creature, now out of patience, slowly stepped forward.

“It’s that beast tiger.” Li Yi immediately recognized the figure, his eyes narrowing—he recalled the tiger that had chased him into Ghost Street.

But unlike before, this beast’s mouth was caked in blood; its protruding fangs still hung with tattered fabric—evidently, during the hour Li Yi vanished, it had successfully hunted several cultivators. Its once-flat belly was now swollen, its gaze fiercer than ever.

A fed tiger was stronger, more ferocious.

“I didn’t expect this thing still hunts me after so long. Looks like I can’t leave the danger zone without fighting it.”

Li Yi understood now.

It had fixated on him. He had only two choices: drive it off—or kill it.

Otherwise, this beast would pin him here, and he’d never escape alive.

Moreover, he’d already missed the optimal window to evacuate. He couldn’t count on other cultivators for help. Everything now rested on him alone.

Once he grasped his situation, Li Yi’s tense gaze instantly turned icy.

A desperate, wild determination, a ruthless will to survive, began surging within him.

The beast growled, eyes locked on Li Yi, its body crouched low, inching closer.

It had already killed three cultivators.

One of them had even activated his Spiritual Medium.

With past success, this beast had secured its place in the local food chain. Now, it saw Li Yi as its meal—and would never let him go.

Li Yi held his fist posture, balanced and firm, his spine taut like a dragon, power rising from the ground, fully alert.

He had no experience fighting, never faced a beast like this before. Of course he was nervous—he didn’t strike first, fearing exposure of weakness. He waited for the enemy to move.

“Stay calm. Be patient. Don’t rush. I’m not who I was before. I can handle this.” Li Yi kept whispering to himself, building his confidence.

The beast continued closing the distance, searching for the perfect attack angle.

One strike—its sharp fangs would snap the prey’s neck.

Man and beast faced off.

As the distance slowly shrank, the aura of danger grew thicker.

Until, at last, the gap between the beast and Li Yi reached its limit.

A sensation arose.

The beast sensed its opening. It roared and lunged—within a blink, it was upon Li Yi, jaws wide, teeth bared, ready to tear him apart in an instant.

“Now.”

Li Yi roared too. His eyes glowed. Beneath his feet, the ground suddenly cracked with a dull thud—the solid concrete pavement shattered in spiderweb fractures.

Power surged from the ground, up through his legs, knees, waist, spine, and finally concentrated into his fist—his entire body’s force twisted into one unbroken surge.

This was his perfect punch.

His most powerful, ferocious punch.

“Boom!”

Undeniably, the punch landed. Air exploded with a deafening crash.

The punch struck like thunder on the beast’s lower jaw.

The devastating force tore through its supple hide and hardened bone alike.

A beast’s agonized howl echoed.

The massive creature, larger than Li Yi, flew backward like a ragdoll in a storm, tumbling violently before crashing to the ground, rolling several times before finally stopping.

“Knocked it flying?”

Li Yi froze: “How? My punch’s force didn’t dissipate. This should’ve pierced its skull.”

Then he saw his own outstretched fist and immediately understood: “My arm’s too short. When I punched, I should’ve stepped forward another step after releasing force—generating a second surge to close the gap, so the punch could pierce its skull. And after that second step, I could’ve unleashed a second punch.”

With this realization, Li Yi suddenly understood the difference between practicing punches and actual fighting.

Practicing is rigid. Fighting is fluid.

Master Zhao Ge had only taught Li Yi how to practice punches—he had no time to teach fighting. Had Li Yi learned combat application, that first punch would’ve crushed the beast’s skull.

But now…

The beast’s mouth was bloody, its lower jaw shattered, fangs broken—but it still lived. No vital point struck. It staggered to its feet, its gaze no longer as vicious.

Its eyes seemed almost clear.

After such a severe setback, the beast realized it couldn’t match Li Yi. It turned abruptly, trying to flee.

“Now you want to run?”

Li Yi reacted instantly, pushing off the ground.

“Boom!”

Another thunderous crack—the ground split again. He shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, hugging the earth.

One insight unlocked all.

If Li Yi could generate punch force, that same force could propel his body at speed.

In that instant, attacker and defender switched roles.

Li Yi moved like a top predator, striking.

The beast had barely turned when Li Yi struck again, his fist slamming into its back.

The punch landed on its spine.

The force penetrated through fur and flesh.

A clear, sunken fist imprint seared into the beast’s body.

Spine shattered. The beast howled in agony.

It collapsed, half its body numb, paralyzed.

“Again.” Li Yi growled, eyes glowing. He flipped onto the beast’s back, stomped down, his body sinking heavily to pin it, then raised his fist once more.

“Boom!”

Punch force erupted again, air exploding.

This punch struck the beast’s skull. Though it didn’t shatter the hardened bone, it severely damaged its brain—blood gushed from its nostrils. Its once-clear eyes instantly filled with terror, turning bloodshot.

“So this is it. The fist posture is rigid, but the punch is alive. As long as I master force generation, I don’t need to hold the posture to maintain punch power.”

As Li Yi struck the beast, countless insights flooded his mind.

You don’t need to hold a posture to generate punch force—otherwise, in life-or-death combat, who has time to pose?

“Fists, legs, elbows—any part of the body can generate force. As long as you channel all your power into one concentrated surge, that’s what Master meant by ‘one insight unlocks all.’ I understand.” Li Yi’s body now pulsed with endless power.

He brought down one palm strike.

A palm print appeared on the beast’s body, sunk several inches deep, enough to shatter its internal organs.

He pressed his knee down, like a boulder rolling downhill; the beast’s massive body twisted, bones cracking in an unending chain.

Li Yi now unleashed punch, palm, kick, knee, and elbow in rapid succession, Zhenggeren like a frenzied beast, relentlessly attacking the man-eating beast.

This ferocious creature, fiercer than a tiger, now howled in agony, blood spurting, and gradually ceased struggling.

Less than a minute had passed.

Li Yi alone, barehanded, had brutally slain the beast.

They say “biao” means fierce—but now Li Yi was fiercer than this biao.