Roar!
From the depths of the fierce forest, the roar of a tiger echoed.
Xu Yan had already pounced onto the Red-eyed Tiger, channeling his inner energy and bursting with strength, landing a fierce punch on the tiger's head.
Thump!
The Red-eyed Tiger, which had just gotten to its feet, ready to unleash its fury, was knocked dizzy by the punch, its limbs went soft, and it slumped back down.
Roar!
Provoked, the Red-eyed Tiger unleashed its ferocity, roaring as it shook its head, trying to roll over and fling off Xu Yan. Its tiger claws were tensed, ready to strike.
Xu Yan, having successfully landed his attack, certainly wouldn't stop there. He grabbed the back of the tiger's neck with one hand and landed another punch on its head.
Once again, the tiger was smashed to the ground.
"The Red-eyed Tiger truly is the king of tigers, it can still struggle after taking two of my punches!"
Xu Yan was inwardly shaken.
Little did one know, although he had not refined his bones to gold, he had broken through the limits of copper bone. His physical body was so strong that it could withstand swords and knives.
In a burst of inner energy, he could easily split steles and shatter rocks.
Such a terrifying punch had not killed the Red-eyed Tiger, which testified to the beast's formidable strength.
"Die!"
Xu Yan landed another punch on the Red-eyed Tiger's head.
Boom!
This punch smashed the tiger's head deep into the ground!
The Red-eyed Tiger flailed, trying to struggle to its feet, its tail thrashing wildly, snapping through the air with such force that an ordinary person struck by it likely wouldn't get up for half a day.
"So tough?"
Xu Yan yelled, and in that moment his inner energy seemingly exploded at its limit, feeling a stream of energy wrapping around his fist, which seemed to grow larger.
"Die!"
This punch was mercilessly smashed onto the back of the Red-eyed Tiger's neck.
Crack!
A sound of bone fracture was heard.
Roar!
The Red-eyed Tiger let out a painful roar; its head drooped into the mud and could no longer lift, its limbs twitching as if it had lost all strength.
With that punch, Xu Yan had directly broken the Red-eyed Tiger's neck bone!
"It's dead for sure now, right?"
Although he had only thrown a few punches, each was driven by a burst of inner energy, especially the last punch, which erupted with full force.
Xu Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and caught his breath as he got off the tiger.
At that moment, the Red-eyed Tiger let out a low growl, convulsing throughout its body, it was clearly not going to live.
"I, with my bare hands, have killed the king of tigers!"
Xu Yan raised his fists, his eyes blazing with fanatic fervor.
He felt he was not yet sated.
"The king of tigers, is nothing more than this!"
"This is what true Martial Arts is about, and I haven't even started formal training. If I already possess such strength now, how powerful will I be once I've truly begun?
"A fierce beast like the Red-eyed Tiger, could I blast it with one punch?"
At this moment, Xu Yan's heart for the Martial Arts was even more determined, his eyes burning with a fierce enthusiasm, filled with longing!
He picked up his sword and put it back at his waist. The Red-eyed Tiger had breathed its last, and he hoisted its body over his shoulder, leaving with large strides.
"Take it to the town for processing, then hasten back to Prefecture City on horseback. Get the Pharmacist to match it with precious medicines to brew, enhancing the nourishing potency!"
Xu Yan left with an invigorated look, certain he could refine his bones to gold, shoulder to shoulder with the talents of ancient times, he would not disappoint his master!
...
Eastern River Prefecture, one of the twenty-six prefectures of Qi Country.
In the streets and alleys of Eastern River Prefecture City, the most relished topic among the common folk was none other than the son of the wealthiest family in the prefecture. From high-ranking officials to common citizens, and even the beggars at the street corner, who didn't know, who hadn't heard that the son of the richest man was obsessed with martial arts?
Not only was he obsessed with martial arts, but he was also seen as a bit of a fool.
After reading novels and biographies, he actually believed that there were hidden experts in the world. He set out to find such a master to learn the true Martial Arts.
Those with unbridled audacity pretended to be such masters to deceive him, and when they were eventually exposed, they were beaten severely and thrown into jail. Over time, no one dared to pose as a master to swindle others anymore.
However, the Xu Family's son was not content, and he began to wander far and wide, claiming he was searching for a master to learn the supreme Martial Arts.
Last month, the Xu Family's son got his engagement canceled.
The whole city was abuzz, with many ridiculing, everyone thought the broken engagement was well-deserved.
The woman was not from any ordinary citizen family, but from the household of General Jiang Pingshan, a great military leader in Eastern River of Qi Country. For the Xu Family, this was truly marrying above their station.
This marriage arrangement had been made between Xu Yan's grandfather and the Eastern River Great General.
Speaking of legendary figures in Eastern River Prefecture, Xu Junhe was definitely one of the renowned, having come from humble origins yet possessing exceptional business acumen. What was most incredible was that he married the daughter of the former Prefecture City Governor, now the Royal Family's Minister of Personnel, Guo Rongshan.
Indeed, this connection, along with Xu Junhe's business tactics, quickly established him as the richest man in Eastern River Prefecture.
However, his only son was not up to par.
Not only lacking in business skills, his head was full of Martial Arts, and he couldn't even maintain the marriage arrangement with the family of the General of Eastern River.
Rumors had it that when the General's daughter came to break off the engagement, Xu Yan boasted that one day, he would make the General's daughter regret it deeply, deeming herself unworthy to reach for him!
With this statement, he became a laughingstock of Eastern River Prefecture.
A mere merchant's family, fortunate enough to have a connection to the General's family, yet he had the audacity to claim the General's daughter was out of his league?
Had it not been for the Xu Family having the Minister of Personnel, Guo Rongshan, behind them, those words might have incited the General to ransack their home.
And it was because of this connection to Guo Rongshan that Xu Junhe, bearing significant gifts, went to offer apologies and thus mollified General Jiang Pingshan's fury.
A horse drew a flatbed cart along the main street of the eastern city, attracting many curious glances.
The goods on the cart were wrapped in coarse cloth, concealing whatever was inside. The people on the street were not so much interested in the cargo as they were in the young man driving the cart.
"Xu Junhe is quite a character, how did he have such a son?"
"The great wealth of the Xu Family, with no one to inherit it."
"That may not necessarily be the case, Xu Junhe is still young. If his son isn't up to it, maybe his grandson will be?"
"If he had married the General's daughter, of course, it would have been a sure thing. Now, it's hard to say."
Many people on the street discussed fervently.
There were those who expressed regrets, and also those who took pleasure in the Xu Family's misfortune.
And there were those who despised them.
Xu Yan turned a deaf ear to all this. These comments had been ongoing for more than a day or two. If it had been in the past, he might have been angry, but now he regarded them with disdain.
A bunch of frogs in a well.
How could they know the vastness of the Domain, the power of Martial Arts?
Once I achieve Great Achievement in martial arts, let alone these mere merchants and civilians, even the exalted emperor will not catch my eye!
The General's daughter is impressive?
Once I achieve Great Achievement in martial arts, even the Royal Family's princess wouldn't catch my eye!
To say she's out of my league, I'll most certainly make it so!
At this moment, Xu Yan's eyes were haughty, his gaze firm. He believed that the day would come, and it wouldn't be too long!
The King of Tigers, known as the Red-Eyed Tiger, was enough to help him quickly refine his golden bones.
To stand shoulder to shoulder with the prodigies of old!
The mansion of the wealthiest Xu Family in Eastern River Prefecture was located on the main street of the eastern city, close to the prefectural government office, an opulent estate.
The house servants and Protectors numbered over a hundred.
The Protectors included martial experts of the jianghu who could perform feats such as walking on rooftops and breaking stones with their bare hands.
At this moment, inside the courtyard of the Xu Family, the female head of the household, the Minister of Personnel's daughter, and Xu Yan's mother wore a worried expression. Her foolish son had not been heard from for a month...
ps: Seeking readership, bookmarks, and all support ^_^