Chapter 4

In the natural world, the senses of animals are undoubtedly the most acute.

When a crisis is about to occur, they will react in advance. Especially when they are being watched by a predator from a distance, they will instantly enter a state of alert.

At this moment, the strange body controlled by Rong Kaixuan was no less sensitive to the premonition of danger than the most timid and cautious animals in the world.

Although there were no signs, he just felt it. In the dense high trees and thick grass, there was a terrifying creature hiding, and its strength was at least much greater than his.

Perhaps because it saw Rong Kaixuan's defensive stance, the creature in the grass realized it had lost the chance for a surprise attack. So, it wagged its tail and walked out boldly.

Although the body controlled by Rong Kaixuan had blurry features, it still had a nose and eyes, so he clearly saw the appearance of this massive creature.

It was a huge and fierce beast, with light yellow fur and black horizontal stripes covering its large body, extending to its chest and abdomen. The beast's skull was round, with a circle of longer cheek hair around its cheeks. The ears on its head were short and semi-circular. Its limbs were strong and powerful, and its tail was thick and long, with black rings, and the tip of the tail had a black streak that was terrifying.

"Tiger..."

Rong Kaixuan's whole body instantly tensed. If his true self were here, he would have been drenched in sweat by now.

He never thought that on his first trip into the mountains, he would encounter such a terrifying creature.

Tigers roar in the mountains, and among the many dominant beasts in the dense forest behind the mountain, tigers are undoubtedly one of the top.

This was a ferocious tiger that roared in the mountains.

Under his father's strict supervision, Rong Kaixuan had never slacked off in his martial arts training. Therefore, his basic skills were very solid. However, the efforts of more than ten years seemed to be useless when he faced this king of the mountains.

His heart beat like thunder, his hands and feet were cold, and he felt a sense of weakness and powerlessness.

"The so-called 'nine deaths and one life' means placing oneself in a situation where death is certain. If one cannot break through, then death is certain."

His father's words echoed faintly in his ears, and only at this moment did Rong Kaixuan truly understand the meaning of these words.

The concept of life and death is completely different from the daily practice of martial arts.

When facing a deadly tiger, he could not even display the results of his daily hard training, let alone perform exceptionally and unleash his potential.

The king of the mountains was formidable and immediately sensed the fear of the unknown creature in front of it.

"Roar..."

The tiger roared, shaking the heavens and the earth.

This massive creature, weighing at least 300 kilograms, charged over with a nauseating stench.

"Ah."

Rong Kaixuan's eyes suddenly widened. At the moment the tiger pounced, he finally overcame his fear. Although his limbs were still a bit weak, he bravely charged forward.

At this moment, he had completely forgotten that this body was not his own. In his eyes and heart, there was only this ferocious tiger.

His fist struck the tiger's body, but the blow, which gathered all his strength, could not stop the tiger's charge.

The tiger's huge claws also struck the body controlled by Rong Kaixuan, and the powerful force immediately sent him flying.

"Slam."

Rong Kaixuan crashed into a large tree, the intense impact making him feel dizzy and blacking out, as if he were about to lose consciousness.

He felt excruciating pain all over his body, as if the collision had shattered all his bones.

A fierce roar echoed in his ears, as if the tiger had been enraged by his punch and was charging again.

Rong Kaixuan forced his eyes open, and what he saw was the terrifying face of the king of the beasts. The stench was overwhelming, almost making him feel as if he were in a pool of blood.

Death was so close.

At this moment, anyone could clearly feel the slow approach of death.

An indescribable great fear instantly enveloped his heart.

Time seemed to slow down, and his spirit rose at an extraordinary speed. This was not an illusion but the sudden burst of life before death.

Then, he sensed it—a strange force suddenly emerged from his lower abdomen's dantian.

This was an incredibly powerful force, the result of his more than ten years of hard training and the sudden release of his potential in the face of life and death.

He raised his fist, and the force from his dantian immediately flowed into his fist, striking out fiercely.

However, just as he raised his fist, the tiger's massive mouth had already bitten down on his neck, the powerful pulling force threatening to tear his body in two.

"Slam."

A loud boom sounded, and the 300-kilogram tiger was sent flying by his punch.

But the tiger, being the king of the beasts, did not let go of Rong Kaixuan's body even after such a terrifying blow.

※※※※

"Ah..."

Rong Kaixuan suddenly jumped out of bed, drenched in cold sweat, his facial muscles twitching involuntarily.

At the moment he hit the tiger, his neck was also bitten off by the king of the mountains. In his memory, the scene of the tiger being hit away was the last thing he saw before his consciousness plunged into absolute darkness.

However, he now understood that this was not his death but the consciousness attached to the strange body returning to his true self.

Looking at his own body, Rong Kaixuan subconsciously touched his neck and chest.

He finally confirmed that his neck was not broken, and the incident of crashing into a tree and fracturing more than a dozen bones did not happen.

Blinking his eyes, although he did not understand why the situation in the strange body did not reflect on his true self this time, it was undoubtedly a great blessing.

But every time he recalled that scene, he felt lingering fear and could not calm down.

The dense forest behind the mountain was so dangerous. Encountering a tiger by chance was enough to cost him his life.

At this moment, he fully believed his father's words.

The idea that one can only break through limits in a situation of 'nine deaths and one life' is simply a lie. If every martial artist had to go through such a perilous environment to advance, the number of survivors would be one in a hundred.

After a long, heavy breathing, he felt a bit better.

Getting out of bed, he changed his wet clothes, looking at the sweat-soaked garments, Rong Kaixuan shook his head in self-mockery.

His daily training did not seem to be of much use in that situation. It was clear that actual combat and training were vastly different.

Perhaps because it was his first time experiencing such a perilous situation, the battle with the tiger was vivid and unforgettable.

Rong Kaixuan sat on the ground, quietly savoring the feeling of that moment. His thoughts returned to the last moment, and he clearly remembered the strange force that emerged in his dantian, though it was still weak, just a thread.

If that thread of force had been a bit stronger, or if he had possessed it before encountering the tiger, the outcome of the battle might have been completely different.

His mind slowly sank, and he tried to recall the feeling of that last moment.

As if by divine inspiration, or as if it were natural, just as he immersed himself completely, his lower abdomen suddenly grew warm.

The same feeling, a subtle, almost imperceptible force began to gather in his dantian.

Rong Kaixuan's eyes suddenly widened, and his face showed indescribable joy.

True Qi...

This was definitely True Qi.

He started learning martial arts at the age of three under his father's strict supervision.

For more than ten years, he never missed a day. Although these years laid a solid foundation, he could never break through the final barrier and gather a thread of True Qi in his dantian through martial arts training.

But today, after the battle with the mountain tiger, Rong Kaixuan finally succeeded.

Feeling the single thread of True Qi in his dantian, his eyes inexplicably moistened.

True Qi was not only the goal he had pursued for more than ten years but also his father's lifelong expectation.

He would never forget the loneliness and disappointment on his father's face the first time he talked about giving up. That was a look that could make any man's heart ache.

But now, all the shadows were gone, and his heart was filled with pride.

Indeed, in the face of life and death, there is great fear, and after great fear, there is great gain.

Although he experienced the danger of battling a tiger, all the efforts were worth it.

Getting up, opening the door, Rong Kaixuan stepped out.

Although the stars were still twinkling overhead, he could not wait to share this good news with his father.

The feeling was so strong that he could not suppress it.

Although the True Qi in his dantian was not much, its emergence seemed to have opened a new realm for him.

Under the dim starlight, the surroundings came into view, and the familiar path seemed both strange and clearer.

Everything around him gave him a fresh feeling, as if the world had come to life and become "alive."

Soon, he arrived at his parents' door.

Hesitating for a moment, Rong Kaixuan raised his hand and lightly knocked on the door, the sound piercing the night.