Back when Xiao Chen was still considered a useless nobody, he deeply understood that Tianyue Continent was a world where strength reigned supreme. In this world, one had to be ruthless against their enemies, giving no room for retaliation. Showing mercy to an enemy was akin to being cruel to oneself. Therefore, the chief's only fate was death!
"Xiao Chen, how are you? Quickly take the Snow Jade Elixir to heal your wounds!" The Ancient White Tiger hurriedly emerged from the storage ring, worried about Xiao Chen's condition.
Leaning against a large tree, Xiao Chen smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine, just lightly injured." With that, he took out a Snow Jade Elixir and swallowed it. This healing elixir was something he had concocted himself.
"Heh..." After taking the elixir, Xiao Chen couldn't help but laugh, showing a silly grin.
"You're still laughing even in this state." The Ancient White Tiger said irritably.
In truth, Xiao Chen's laughter was born from a sense of joy and satisfaction. Managing to kill a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator was a significant achievement for him.
"Little White Tiger, quickly bring me that guy's storage ring. As the chief of the Shadow organization, his ring must contain many crystals and treasures," Xiao Chen said with a grin, despite his severe injuries, not forgetting his spoils of war.
The Ancient White Tiger flicked its tail, accurately hooking the storage ring off the chief's finger and handing it to Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen took it, injected a trace of his true essence to check its contents, and immediately smiled happily. "Just as I thought, this guy indeed had many treasures. There are Rejuvenation Pills, healing medicines, and even a scroll of profound-level martial arts. But there are too few crystals, only a few tens of thousands."
Hearing this, the Ancient White Tiger was left speechless, rolling its eyes at Xiao Chen. Killing and looting, yet still finding it insufficient! Such wickedness!
Xiao Chen took out the profound-level martial arts scroll from the storage ring and opened it, reading the information on it. "Profound-level martial arts, Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters. Achieving mastery in this can shatter mountains and rivers, granting the practitioner double their strength. It is suitable for cultivators with strong physiques."
Reading this, Xiao Chen was astonished. "I didn't expect this profound-level martial art to be so powerful. It can double my strength! If I had used Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters in the fight with the chief, I could have defeated him with one punch. This martial art seems to be made for me!"
"Xiao Chen, aren't the martial arts left to you by the Dominator Soul even more powerful? Why don't you cultivate those instead of this profound-level martial art?" The Ancient White Tiger asked in confusion, puzzled why Xiao Chen would opt for the lesser technique.
"Of course I'll cultivate them, but the Dominator Soul's martial arts are too powerful. Without reaching a certain level of cultivation, I can't practice them. So, I need to cultivate these profound-level martial arts first. Besides, this martial art is very suitable for me, almost tailor-made," Xiao Chen replied happily, seemingly forgetting about his injuries.
"Alright, whatever you like. Let's go find a place where you can heal properly. Your injuries are severe," the Ancient White Tiger said, lifting Xiao Chen with its tail and placing him on its back. With a flap of its wings, it soared into the sky.
"Little White Tiger, where are you taking me?" Xiao Chen asked in confusion.
"To the top of that mountain ahead," the Ancient White Tiger replied. They arrived shortly thereafter.
Xiao Chen sat down and began healing, circulating his Destruction Saint Technique, simultaneously cultivating and using his true essence to treat his internal injuries. The Ancient White Tiger stood guard by his side.
With the help of the healing elixir, Xiao Chen fully recovered in just three days. Afterward, he did not leave immediately but went to the foot of the mountain to practice the profound-level martial art, Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters.
"Xiao Chen, didn't you say you would practice martial arts when you returned to the Xiao family?" the Ancient White Tiger asked, sensing something odd about Xiao Chen's behavior.
"I think it's better to master Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters first," Xiao Chen replied, beginning to follow the cultivation route of the profound-level martial art.
The reason Xiao Chen was eager to cultivate Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters was that it could double his strength and was particularly suitable for cultivators with strong physiques. He was eager to see how powerful his punch would be after mastering it.
After three hours of sitting, Xiao Chen had grasped the method to perform Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters. He stood before a stone the size of a water tank.
Seeing Xiao Chen seemingly ready to try out the martial art, the Ancient White Tiger quickly said, "Xiao Chen, with your current physical strength, even without using Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters, you could shatter this stone with one punch."
"Uh... true, but I'm not sure if I can perform the technique yet, so I'll start with this small stone," Xiao Chen said, pausing for a moment before smiling bitterly.
Xiao Chen's expression became serious as he slowly gathered his true essence, condensing the power into his fist according to the technique's instructions.
"Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters!" After a moment, Xiao Chen roared and struck the large stone with his fist.
"Bang!"
The powerful force shattered the stone in an instant, but Xiao Chen felt nothing. He couldn't tell if the power of that punch came from the martial art or his own strength.
"That's odd, why didn't I feel anything? Did I do something wrong?" Xiao Chen muttered, but he quickly recovered.
Xiao Chen knew that mastering martial arts wasn't easy. If he had succeeded in just three hours, he would have discarded the technique immediately.
"Looks like it failed! I didn't feel any increase in strength," the Ancient White Tiger remarked.
Xiao Chen nodded and smiled bitterly. "Indeed, I didn't feel it either. To succeed, I need more practice."
"Xiao Chen, check the profound-level martial art scroll again. See where you went wrong. If you can't perform it, there must be an error," the Ancient White Tiger suggested.
"Okay, I'll check it again," Xiao Chen agreed, sitting down to carefully read the scroll once more.
"Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters!"
After several more hours of practice, Xiao Chen attempted the technique again, shouting as he struck the mountain. This time, he only managed to knock down a few pieces of rock, with no significant change.
"It's still not working! Let's try again!" Xiao Chen said, not discouraged by the failure, his eyes filled with determination.
The Ancient White Tiger encouraged him, "Xiao Chen, keep it up! You'll succeed!"
In the following days, Xiao Chen tirelessly practiced Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters. Even when his sweat soaked his clothes, he did not stop. The loud thudding noises at the foot of the mountain were a constant, with the Ancient White Tiger always by his side, offering encouragement.
Days turned into weeks, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Through relentless practice, Xiao Chen finally mastered the profound-level martial art, Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters.
"Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters!" Xiao Chen shouted at the foot of the mountain.
"Bang!"
A powerful explosion followed his punch, creating a large crater in the mountainside. Countless fragments of stone flew out, with cracks spreading from the edges. The power was astounding.
"Amazing! I only used a bit of my true essence, and it already unleashed such immense power. If I used my full strength, the power would be several times greater. This is wonderful!" Xiao Chen exclaimed with joy, looking at his fist as if it were encased in steel, its power boundless.
"Xiao Chen! That's great! You did it! The power is even stronger than before!" The Ancient White Tiger cheered.
Xiao Chen laughed happily, "Heaven rewards those who work hard! There are always rewards for effort! My strength is much greater than it was half a month ago. If the chief were still alive, I'm certain I could defeat him with a single full-strength strike!"
"Xiao Chen, as an early-stage Golden Core cultivator, you already possess such tremendous power. With your strong physique and the mastery of Heavens Collapse and Earth Shatters, your strength is truly terrifying. Others would be scared to death of you!" the Ancient White Tiger remarked with a laugh.
After tidying up, Xiao Chen said, "Let's go, Little White Tiger."
A few days after Xiao Chen left Qiufeng Town, the members of the Shadow organization discovered the chief's corpse. Without a leader, no one could support the organization, and without the powerful chief, they had no choice but to disband. This brought peace to all the towns within a hundred-mile radius of Qiufeng Town.
After several days of travel, Xiao Chen arrived at the abyss where he first met the Ancient White Tiger. The excited Little White Tiger leaped down, hoping to see its mother waiting for it. But to its disappointment, there was nothing at the bottom of the abyss.
The Ancient White Tiger had often wondered why its mother never came to find it, why she abandoned it, and why there had been no news. It couldn't figure out what had happened.
Feeling sad and distressed, the Ancient White Tiger was gradually comforted by Xiao Chen. Though Xiao Chen had thought about it too, he knew little about the ancient beast and had no idea what had happened.
In a tavern in Shuiyun City, Xiao Chen ate roasted chicken while speaking softly to the Ancient White Tiger. "Little White Tiger, after we pass through Shuiyun City, we'll be in the Tianzhou region. After another Qing Shui Town, we'll reach Feng Yue City. We'll be there in two days. Let's rest in Shuiyun City for the night and set off early tomorrow."
"Who would've thought Feng Yue City was so far from Tian Du? I don't know where you got the courage to walk from Feng Yue City to Tian Du back then," the Ancient White Tiger transmitted, secretly admiring Xiao Chen's determination.
"Heh, back then I was still considered a useless nobody! I didn't care about anything as long as I could become stronger," Xiao Chen laughed, his slightly tanned and mature face showing a bright smile.
After resting in Shuiyun City for the night, Xiao Chen hurriedly left the next day. The closer he got to Feng Yue City, the more anxious and nervous he felt, even a bit afraid. His emotions were very conflicted.