Chapter 14: Battling Tigers to Forge Real Combat

"Long Wang, your mountain is called Tiger Mountain, so what sect is this you've planted?" At lunchtime, Xu Jia suddenly asked Long Wang.

Long Wang suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, "You said earlier today why my mountain isn't called Dragon Tiger Mountain; now I'll answer you. Here, the mountain isn't called Dragon Tiger Mountain, but the sect is called Dragon Tiger Sect! My underlings also all call me Long Wang!"

"Dragon Tiger Sect?!" Chen Yi He was shocked…

At this moment, a subordinate walked up to Long Wang's side and asked, "Long Wang, would you like some wine?"

"I won't drink today at noon; I have something this afternoon!" Long Wang didn't take to heart the fact that he'd drunk too much last night.

However, Chen Yi He was quite moved; Long Wang regarded his matter as more important than drinking, even though they had only known each other for a day…

"Let's go!" Long Wang hastily finished eating, patted Chen Yi He's back, and urged.

Xu Jia gave Chen Yi He a strange smile, "You guys go quickly and come back quickly!"

Long Wang led Chen Yi He deeper into the mountains; the two walked for a full hour before reaching a streamside area, where across the stream there was a cave.

Long Wang pointed at the cave across from them and said to Chen Yi He, "Inside that cave lives an expert who once gave me guidance; now I'm bringing you to him—you must treasure this opportunity! Don't let me down!"

"Of course!" Chen Yi He cracked his knuckles, looking extremely excited; having been guided by an expert who advised Long Wang, he would surely be able to guide himself!

"Remember, once you go in, you must take it seriously!"

"That's for sure!" Chen Yi He eagerly crossed the stream, and when he reached the cave mouth, he didn't forget to turn back and give Long Wang an "OK" gesture…

"What kind of expert lives in this pitch-black cave? Doesn't even light a lamp?" Chen Yi He entered the empty cave; the light from outside shone on him, casting his black shadow ahead.

Although the cave's mouth was small, the interior space was ample; Chen Yi He proceeded cautiously.

For some reason, Chen Yi He felt a creepy sensation all over; he seemed to smell a foul odor, thinking, "Experts often have tastes unlike ordinary people…"

Seeing Chen Yi He enter the cave, Long Wang's mouth twitched, revealing an inscrutable smile; he raised a huge stone with one arm and hurled it at the cave.

A Third Heaven expert, having achieved the stage of qualitative transformation, begins to break the body's shackles, transcend limits, and reach what ordinary people cannot! Long Wang is only twenty, yet his inner strength is so powerful!

That boulder was as big as the cave itself! It sealed the cave shut!

"Boom!" The huge impact shattered the silence here!

Chen Yi He jumped in fright; he found himself completely plunged into darkness! The initial glimmer of light had vanished completely.

"Roar!" The expert also stirred, actually letting out a roar! The roar echoed in the sealed cave, nearly deafening Chen Yi He.

In the darkness, Chen Yi He saw only a pair of bright, glaring eyes fixed on him… He excitedly greeted, "Expert, expert!"

Only when Chen Yi He saw the bright, gleaming fangs did he realize he might be facing a wild beast…

Only when the beast lunged did Chen Yi He see clearly that he was facing a tiger whose entire body was covered in short white fur!

To be precise, it's not a tiger, but a giant tiger!!! A white-furred giant tiger!!! It's huge—at least the size of five tigers!

Chen Yi He leapt up, trying to dodge the white-furred giant tiger's charge! If it struck him, he'd surely be smashed to pieces!

"Hahaha! This must be the expert testing me!" Chen Yi He laughed inwardly, easily dodging the white-furred giant tiger's impact, clinging to the cave wall like an old Daoist gecko, with the tiger's head right beneath his feet…

Who would have thought the white-furred giant tiger's tail would whip out suddenly, flinging Chen Yi He away!

Chen Yi He hadn't noticed the white-furred giant tiger had such a long tail! This is clearly a mutant tiger!

That lash left Chen Yi He dazed; he rolled seven or eight times on the ground, clutching his abdomen as hot blood flowed out—only then did he realize the white-furred giant tiger's tail had sliced a thin, long wound across him!

The white-furred giant tiger turned its body and lunged again…

Chen Yi He hastily got up and fled into the cave…

The white-furred giant tiger also sprang into pursuit!

How could two legs outrun four? Besides, their builds differed enormously!

The white-furred giant tiger leapt, soaring over Chen Yi He's head to reach the cave's highest point; its two forepaws, snow-white, came down in front of him, and its whole body followed.

Chen Yi He barely managed to stop his feet, nearly crashing into the tiger's foreleg, which towered over his entire body!

"Roar!" The white-furred giant tiger opened its maw and let out another roar at Chen Yi He!

Chen Yi He was directly flung away by the shockwave of the roar! He hit the ground three or four times before coming to a stop…

The white-furred giant tiger's long tail swept over again, "Smack!" lashing Chen Yi He once more!

Chen Yi He covered his speckled backside; his trousers were torn to shreds by the lash!

The white-furred giant tiger charged again!

"Who the hell did I offend?! Is this the expert?!" Chen Yi He was near madness, constantly driven by the white-furred giant tiger, fleeing everywhere in the cave!

Long Wang, lying by the stream bank, stretched lazily, "Ah, what a comfortable sleep!"

"It's about time…" Seeing that it was getting late, he then walked to the cave mouth and pushed aside the huge stone.

Not long after, Chen Yi He burst out of the cave mouth as if his buttocks were on fire!

The white-furred giant tiger ran to the cave mouth, then halted; looking down from above at Chen Yi He below, it scratched its short fur with its long tail, let out a roar, and turned back into the depths of the cave…

"Hahaha! Yi He, you're in quite a sorry state!" Long Wang pointed at Chen Yi He hiding in the stream and laughed loudly.

"Long Wang, is this the expert you spoke of?" the bedraggled Chen Yi He asked.

Long Wang pointed upward, then downward, saying, "It's this tall—still not tall enough?"

"But it's not a human!" Chen Yi He slapped the water and shouted.

On the way back, Chen Yi He and Long Wang walked together, and Long Wang said, "That white-furred giant tiger you're talking about is exactly the expert I meant!"

"I may be a Second Heaven player, yet I can't even beat a tiger!" Chen Yi He lamented; having read Water Margin, where Wu Song and Li Kui slew tigers with great prowess, here he felt like a tiger's plaything.

"Don't underestimate this tiger; it's no ordinary tiger. Rumor has it it's lived for many years, and the people of the nearby mountains say it's a spirit‑awakened holy beast! Having dwelt by the mountains and water for so long, it never comes out to do harm—it stays in its cave, harming none who don't provoke it. Your current strength surely can't match it!" Long Wang stopped walking and told Chen Yi He.

"Then why did you point me toward provoking it?" Chen Yi He asked, all the while holding his lashed‑and‑bruised backside.

"How strong is this white‑furred giant tiger?"

"Strong—one blow can smash a hole in the rock wall."

"What's its constitution like?"

"Hard—even after smashing a hole in the rock wall, it suffers no harm; its fur isn't even scratched."

"What's its speed like?"

"Fast!" Chen Yi He marveled at the white-furred giant tiger's huge body, but its speed far surpassed his, leaving him no way to escape.

"It also has a tail like an iron whip, right? That's its weapon!" the Dragon King said, pointing at Chen Yi He's buttocks.

Chen Yi He felt embarrassed to speak further.

"I said this morning, what you lack now is combat experience, and this white-furred giant tiger possesses all the qualities of an enemy; it is a rare opponent for you!" the Dragon King said.

Chen Yi He suddenly realized! How could he not have thought of that! He must have been addled from being chased by the white-furred giant tiger.

"Fighting it is your best option right now; starting tomorrow, you must improve further and strive to suffer fewer injuries than today."

"What? I still have to be chased by it tomorrow?!" Chen Yi He panicked.

"Otherwise? There's no such thing as one-day success! But you're not bad—you haven't been eaten by it..." the Dragon King said matter-of-factly.

"Dragon King, have you heard the story of the cat catching the mouse?"

"Oh? How so?"

"When a cat catches a mouse, it doesn't eat it right away; it toys with the mouse, bit by bit, playing it to death... then only then eats it, satisfying both mind and belly." Chen Yi He replied, "Several times I almost got eaten, so I begged for mercy, then when it wasn't looking, I used internal force to pry open its tiger paws, and kept fleeing."

The Dragon King gave Chen Yi He an approving look, "Not bad—you must gradually, over time, put your internal skill and sword technique to use! Pour your energy into actual combat, hone yourself!"

"I understand! Thank you, Elder Dragon—no, thank you, Dragon King, for your kindness!" Chen Yi He had an epiphany, finally grasping the Dragon King's meaning.

"Hahaha, don't rush to thank me—this is only the first day, just the beginning. I'll give you one month to achieve a breakthrough; then we'll move on to the next round!" the Dragon King laughed.

Returning to the tiger's mouth, it was already evening; Xu Jia had sat there early, waiting for his brother.

Seeing Chen Yi He in rags, with his buttocks exposed, Xu Jia nearly laughed himself silly.

Chen Yi He had a black line across his head.