[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars":3,"chapter-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-43":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Immortal Path Among the Stars",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2319975,4537,"Chapter 43","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-43",43,"\u003Cp>Wang Yu was slightly startled and quickly turned to look, only to find three people had appeared beside him without him noticing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who spoke was the frontmost man—a thin, average-built old man with sunken eye sockets and deep pupils, one hand cradling a pair of gleaming iron balls; it was Tian Guanzhu, the master of the Black Tiger Fist Pavilion, known as the Iron Tiger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind Tian Guanzhu stood two others: one broad-shouldered and muscular, the former instructor Zhu who had just left; the other was a tall young woman in a white training suit, about eighteen or nineteen, with a long braid, regular features, yet an unmistakable air of martial vigor in her brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further away, other formal disciples had stopped their practice, all gazing toward this group with reverence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greetings, Master Tian, Instructor Zhu.” Wang Yu felt something odd but stepped forward and bowed respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who taught you this Black Tiger Fist?” Tian Guanzhu nodded, then suddenly turned to the large man beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, how could I possibly have taught him such a style? His Black Tiger Fist is riddled with flaws!” Instructor Zhu waved his hands frantically, clearly unimpressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, you just said it was interesting—does this Brother Wang’s Black Tiger Fist hold some secret?” The tall woman watched Wang Yu with keen interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This woman was Tian Guanzhu’s daughter; Wang Yu had heard of her but had never seen her inside the pavilion before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, I may be old, but I’m not blind. All three of you, come with me. Everyone else, stay here and wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Guanzhu chuckled, gave the order, and turned to walk toward the back courtyard gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s hesitation, Instructor Zhu and the tall woman followed him without delay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu pondered briefly, then obediently followed, though deep within his pupils, a faint yellow talisman pattern flickered and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just activated the “Observing Qi Technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within a faint yellow glow, all three of Tian Guanzhu’s group showed clear, pulsing blood qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Guanzhu’s surface blood qi rose over two inches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Zhu’s surface blood qi was less than one inch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tall woman’s blood qi reached one and a half inches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Guanzhu’s blood qi was as potent as Wang Yu’s own half-awakened state. His previous indifference toward these “ordinary mortals” instantly shifted to wariness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Tian Guanzhu was no ordinary mortal martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at himself—his fully awakened blood qi now neared three inches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other formal disciples stood in a hazy mist, whispering among themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wang Yu followed Tian Guanzhu into a quieter training yard, he heard the old man turn and issue an order:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Yu, perform the Black Tiger Fist again, but double the speed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Double the speed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu seemed taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tall woman and Instructor Zhu exchanged glances, equally surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Remove your top, move twice as fast. Begin now.” Tian Guanzhu smiled faintly, but his tone left no room for refusal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Wang Yu shed his shirt, assumed his stance, and began performing the Black Tiger Fist before the three, each movement noticeably faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Zhu and the tall woman stared wide-eyed but saw nothing unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Double the speed again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Tian Guanzhu gave another unhesitating order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Wang Yu said nothing, but his movements grew ever faster; the previously awkward Black Tiger Fist now turned sharp and fierce, each grab and punch radiating an indescribable bestial nature, every muscle on his body trembling in rhythm with the strikes—especially the large muscle groups along his back, which writhed and twisted at an exaggerated rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In moments, Wang Yu seemed transformed into a bipedal demon tiger; as his arms slashed through the air, faint “chii-chii” sounds of displaced air emerged from his fingers, and the muscles along his back coalesced into a dense mass, forming a grotesque tiger’s head—eyes, nose, even a gaping maw—all lifelike, as if awakened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Black Tiger True Intent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Tian Guanzhu could speak, Instructor Zhu and the tall woman shouted in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a shadow flashed—Tian Guanzhu appeared behind Wang Yu with ghostly speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s clothes exploded into shreds; his upper body swelled, revealing iron-hard black-blue muscles. He drew a deep breath and punched forward with a hurricane-force blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu staggered, spun around, and met the punch with all his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crash!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact sent air rushing outward, kicking up dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu stumbled backward several steps before barely steadying himself, his arm completely numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Guanzhu stood unmoved, but his feet sank half a foot into the ground, leaving two grooves over a zhang long; on his back, a massive tiger head formed in the muscle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instructor Zhu and the tall woman stared, dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Black Tiger True Intent? No—he’s only formed the Black Tiger Martial Image,” Tian Guanzhu muttered, his expression strange as he retracted his fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, isn’t the Black Tiger Martial Image only attainable after mastering the Black Tiger True Intent?” The tall woman could no longer hold back her question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Mastering the Black Tiger True Intent guarantees formation of the Black Tiger Martial Image, but forming the Black Tiger Martial Image doesn’t require first mastering the True Intent,” Tian Guanzhu replied, shaking his head, then turned to Wang Yu with grave seriousness:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Yu, you’ve never studied the pavilion’s core secret technique, ‘Black Tiger Breathing Method,’ nor have you mastered the Black Tiger True Intent that follows its completion—yet you’ve formed the Black Tiger Martial Image. Can you explain how?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, I only paid to learn the Black Tiger Fist form here. I didn’t even know what Black Tiger True Intent or Black Tiger Martial Image were. If the pavilion has such a core secret technique, may I pay to learn it too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu shook his arm, answering calmly, yet secretly astonished by Tian Guanzhu’s strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a bloodline awakened one—he had used his full strength in that punch, yet had only matched the old man evenly. He now felt intense interest in the “Black Tiger Breathing Method.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was certain this Tian Guanzhu emitted no trace of spiritual power—he was no cultivator. Deep within his pupils, the yellow talisman pattern flashed again as he activated “Observing Qi Technique” to scan Tian Guanzhu’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Guanzhu’s surface blood qi surged wildly—not two inches anymore, but a full five inches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at himself—his own blood qi had suddenly surged to four and a half inches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This startled him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Black Tiger Martial Image is what we see on our backs now. Once it appears, it means the Black Tiger Fist has been cultivated to an extremely high level,” the old man turned, arms slightly spread, revealing the black-blue tiger head on his own back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, you’re saying I have that on my back too?” Wang Yu stared at the old man’s back, then froze and frantically reached behind himself to feel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ziying, go inside and bring out the large mirror.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Guanzhu ordered his daughter directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still stunned, the tall woman nodded, dashed into the nearby room, and returned with a half-person-tall bronze mirror, placing it behind Wang Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu turned to look into the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>",1205,"2026-06-20T15:44:30.991Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0f952bc7172261c293ca51098c117c3b6ff65795bb58a76785fcf9f209423851","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-44","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-42",530,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-immortal-path-among-the-stars-cover.jpg"]