Ling Xuan slowed down as he entered the residence; he was soon greeted by a few of his cousins who mocked him for being unable to save even a guard. At this point, no one except a few elders who were looking with disgust and bloodlust toward Ling Xuan knew that the assassination attempt had failed.
Ling Xuan could only be silent in front of these elders as each one of them was at least a high-level master. But him…, he was only a mid-level apprentice. He felt jealous looking at his cousins, who were all high-level apprentices, and the son of the 1st elder and the daughter of the 2nd elder were already peak apprentices. Ling Xuan could only reach mid-level apprentice after 6 months of hard work and the help of the clan leader, Ling Xuanhuan, because soon after his father, Ling Feng, died, many clan elders demanded Ling Xuanhuan to reduce the amount of resources allotted to Ling Xuan. As he couldn't deny their demand, he had to ultimately reduce the resources to the bare minimum. However, the Clan leader always had a soft side toward Ling Feng; therefore, he helped Ling Xuan secretly.
Soon after a few hours, Ling Xuan buried the body of his beloved guard, whom he used to call Uncle Fu, in the graveyard of the Glorious Flag City. Later, Ling Xuan retired to his quarters and lay on the bed after a really hectic and surprising day. A lot had happened today. He slowly started organizing the memories. He could, in fact, learn a lot about this world.
The Ling clan was one of the 7 founding clans under the Royal family. The Royal family was the ruler of this continent, and it was known as the Xia Kingdom. The city he was presently in was known as the Glorious Flag City, also one of the 7 major cities other than the capital. The Ling Clan owned this city's land and was affiliated with the Thunder Law sect; more than a million people lived in this city. It was true that it deserved to be called one of the 7 major cities. The Glorious Flag City, being the ancient capital of the Xia Kingdom, made it even more prosperous and grand than the other 6 major cities.
Soon, Ling Xuan pondered whether he could reach the pinnacle of cultivation here; could he join a sect, and so on? Soon, he remembered the words his savior Jin Guo had told him earlier that day, "The Competition in the capital," he whispered to himself. Tired of fatigue, he soon fell asleep.
The light shone brightly, waking him up from his sleep. He soon woke up and freshened up to meet the clan leader to discuss his participation in the competition. After thinking of numerous opportunities last night, he was excited like a small child. Ling Xuan arrived at the private quarters of the clan leader, Ling Xuanhuan, an hour later. As he was about to knock on the door, a man in his mid-70s wearing a white linen robe lined with silver-colored cloth opened the door.
Seeing his favorite grandson, he joyfully exclaimed, "What brings you here this early in the morning, my boy?"
Ling Xuan answered, "Clan leader, I want to talk to you about something important."
Ling Xuanhuan replied, "Sure, my boy, anything for you."
Saying that, Ling Xuanhuan opened the door and led Ling Xuan in; as expected, it was lavish enough and had 3 to 4 rooms full of furniture and a lot of books; it really looked like the room of a great cultivator. As Ling Xuan sat on a mat cross-legged, his grandfather offered him a cup of tea. Ling Xuan accepted it politely and began to talk.
"Grandfather, I would like to participate in the competition held at the capital."
Xuanhuan replied with a hint of surprise, "Ohh, so you know about it. Sure, you can attend it; make sure to take care of yourself as you will be going with your cousins."
Ling Xuan exclaimed, "No grandfather. I would like to leave a little early and get there before them. I want to avoid going with my cousins, and as I am a mid-apprentice, I can take care of myself if a danger arises."
Xuanhuan was surprised to hear this from his grandson, whose father died recently, but then he gave it a thought, accepted him for his courage, and understood the reason behind such a request. Ling Xuan was delighted to hear this and left his grandfather's residence to pack a few essentials for this month-long trip.
As he was heading to his quarters, he saw a girl with cold eyes. She looked thin and feminine but strong. She was the daughter of the 2nd clan elder, Ling Hua. She was already a peak apprentice at the age of 14, the same age as Ling Xuan. She gave him a cold gaze as she smirked and passed by him. Ling Xuan felt jealous and guilty but calmed himself by saying, "It's not my time yet."
Soon, Ling Xuan bid farewell to his grandfather and took off to the capital. Few of the elders secretly wished Ling Xuan would die before even reaching the capital. As for his cousins, they mocked him a lot before he left.
After walking for an hour, Ling Xuan reached the market of Glorious Flag City. As expected, it was really grandiose and was filled with people bustling all over the place; this was nothing like that of earth. He soon reached a stall and bought some food with the gold coins his grandfather gave him for this one-month journey.
As he crossed the outskirts of Glorious Flag City, he came across a vast barren land; it was rocky and had very little vegetation. After walking through this barren land for about two hours, he rested upon a rock under a tree. He took out the food which he packed and started eating bit by bit.
His thoughts wandered, "My father is dead. My mother also died while giving birth to me. Most of the clan members resent me. My strength is only at mid-apprentice. Sigh, now how should I grow stronger in order to make myself safer and also to establish my position in this world. Let's think about it slowly, yet for now, let me eat this bread."
After relaxing for a bit, Ling Xuan started walking again. After an hour or so, he rested for a while. He couldn't travel at a fast pace as he was carrying quite a load on himself to last till the end of the competition. When he was drinking water, he suddenly heard a sound that was very near; it was the sound of branches cracking.
Ling Xuan's thoughts raced, "What could it be, is it a person or perhaps a beast? If it really is a beast, then I have no confidence that I can fight against it on my own with this pathetic level of strength. What should I do? Perhaps I could hide in a cave or climb a tree, or should I flee?"
As Ling Xuan was immersed in his thoughts, the growl of the beast grew louder; it was near Ling Xuan. Ling Xuan then took a peek at the beast and he was shocked. It looked like an average tiger with its peculiar purple fur, yet he knew there was more to it. After all, its normal appearance was its trap. Its eyes were purple as well, almost seemingly glowing with a gleam reminiscent of a great warrior; any mortal that met its gaze would freeze on the spot from fear.
What truly sets this creature apart is its insatiable hunger for chaos. Unlike its more docile cousins, this one prowls the night with a thirst for destruction, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. It stalks its prey with uncanny stealth, its movements barely a whisper in the darkness. Its teeth were its most powerful weapon as it could tear apart stone with a mere clench. Some said that it was the descendant of a Great Mythical Beast, yet none knew for sure. They only knew one thing: not a single being that existed at the same level as it did could survive the jaws of The Purple Thunder Tiger.
It's said that a Purple Thunder Tiger's strength is at the high Adept level, but Ling Xuan was only mid-apprentice level. Soon, Ling Xuan climbed a tall tree and took a clear look at the beast. Ling Xuan knew that he had no chance of beating it on his own. One strike from that huge claw could end his life without a doubt. Was this how he was going to die?
Ling Xuan soon remembered the words he had told his grandfather earlier this morning, that he could take care of any danger and have a safe trip. He felt as if he mocked himself after recollecting the words, but there was no other way out. Ling Xuan gained a bit of confidence and took out a knife which was not too short and not too long; it was the size of approximately 1 foot. Ling Xuan began devising plans to kill it.
"Should I jump on it with my knife as soon as it comes over to this tree, or should I wait until it first attacks?"
Even though Ling Xuan wasn't strong, he had great willpower and confidence. Also, he secretly wished that the beast would not bother him and leave. Ling Xuan started observing the beast for the perfect opportunity to attack. But to his surprise, the beast ignored him and walked past the tree he was standing on. Ling Xuan sighed in relief.
But as Ling Xuan lowered his guard, the tiger jumped onto the tree to attack Ling Xuan. Its claw was this close to Ling Xuan's face and to his astonishment, there were streaks of lightning surrounding its claw. As the tiger was about to strike Ling Xuan in his face.
"Slash"!
The tiger fell down towards the ground. Ling Xuan, who was in a state of panic till now, was surprised. Who was it, who could have injured the tiger?