Chapter 4

Putting aside the original owner's obsession for the moment, Lin Yun took out the scroll given to him by Old Hong.

In the Sword Washing Pavilion, Lin Yun had often seen Old Hong carefully examine this painting, and he had never peeked at it.

He didn’t know what was depicted in the painting.

"Within the heart of a tiger, there is a delicate scent of roses?"

The scroll bore eight characters, ancient and profound, weighty and solemn.

The moment he unfurled the scroll, a deep, angry roar echoed in his ears, and a fierce tiger leaped out of the painting toward him.

Startled, Lin Yun jumped back and dropped the scroll.

His heart pounded for a long time before it gradually calmed down.

"Too scary, it seemed like a real tiger was leaping at me just now."

Lin Yun was still shaken, looking at the scroll on the ground. After a moment of hesitation, he picked it up again.

The painting depicted a fierce tiger leaping forward. Just one glance made him feel an overwhelming pressure.

In the next second, he forgot that it was just a painting, as if a real tiger was leaping at him.

Its massive mouth opened, and the roar of the tiger shook his soul.

Whoosh!

Lin Yun hurriedly put the scroll away, not daring to look at it any longer. His hand holding the scroll trembled slightly.

What a terrifying feeling, no wonder Old Hong was always so careful when he looked at it.

The pressure was like a mountain and a sea, right in front of him! The killing aura of the king of beasts, straight to the heart!

This painting was undoubtedly a treasure.

But even looking at it once was so overwhelming, it seemed to be of no use for now.

"No, that's not right..."

Xiao Chen's eyes lit up, remembering what Old Hong had said: "You practice the Tiger Fist. Even if you can't unravel the secrets in the painting, it will still be of great use to you."

He understood that Old Hong never expected him to unravel the secrets in the painting.

He only hoped that Lin Yun could observe the painting and perfect the Tiger Fist.

The cultivation of any martial art or technique has four levels, from shallow to deep.

Initial understanding, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and peak perfection.

The Tiger Fist is a basic technique, and with a bit of insight, one can reach the initial understanding.

With diligent practice and enough time, achieving minor accomplishment is not difficult.

But to reach major accomplishment is not easy. Without enough insight, no matter how much time is spent, it is a waste.

As for peak perfection, that is a luxury.

Even the most basic technique, if practiced to peak perfection, can unleash formidable power, making people take notice.

It can even break through the constraints of the technique's grade and unleash power that transcends its grade.

For two years, Lin Yun's Tiger Fist had remained at the minor accomplishment level.

The power of the Tiger Fist could only be unleashed to thirty percent. Defeating Zhou Ping before was a fluke.

Mainly because the opponent underestimated him. Zhou Ping had always been able to easily beat Lin Yun.

He never expected Lin Yun to advance to the third level of martial arts, and in his haste, he suffered a major setback.

Joining the outer sect would bring many new challenges.

It would be better to first stabilize his realm and perfect the Tiger Fist before proceeding.

In his previous life, Lin Yun's style of action was quite cautious.

He rarely acted rashly.

In this world of the strong preying on the weak, he could not afford to be careless. One mistake could ruin his entire life.

With his mind made up, Lin Yun no longer hesitated.

He forced himself to overcome his fear and opened the Tiger Scroll again.

Whoosh!

It was as if a strong wind blew past his ears, and the pressure hit him instantly.

Lin Yun tried to remain calm and carefully observed the spirit of the tiger, holding on for two seconds before closing the scroll.

He closed his eyes, letting the spirit of the tiger in the painting resonate in his mind.

When he opened his eyes, a flash of insight appeared, and Xiao Chen practiced the Tiger Fist in the small wooden house.

Instantly, his punches were like the wind, smooth and fluid. The spirit in his mind was gradually absorbed with each movement.

When he finished the set of punches, Lin Yun felt thoroughly refreshed and invigorated.

Many thoughts surged in his mind, intricate and detailed, all about the Tiger Fist.

An experience he had never had before, mysterious and indescribable.

It was indeed effective; Old Hong had not deceived him!

A smile appeared on Lin Yun's face, and he was full of enthusiasm as he opened the scroll again.

One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds!

This time, Lin Yun observed the scroll for twice as long, four seconds.

The tiger in the painting had already formed a vague shape in his mind.

In the small and simple wooden house, the young man seemed to have opened a new world, repeatedly practicing the seemingly worthless basic technique.

Sweat poured down, and he was exhausted, but he persisted.

Even though each time he opened the scroll, he was terrified and left with a terrible shadow.

He still gritted his teeth, mustered his courage, and bravely opened the scroll again and again.

Tiger Descends the Mountain!

After repeating this ten times, Xiao Chen roared, and the second move of the Tiger Fist, the offensive technique, was flawlessly executed.

In an instant, he transformed into a tiger, leaping from the ground, almost touching the ceiling.

When he landed, his bones crackled, like a roar, deafening.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The wind generated by his punches scattered the items in the wooden house, creating chaos.

Tiger Roars in the Mountains, Tiger Descends the Mountain, and All Beasts Bow.

These are the three killing techniques of the Tiger Fist. The first twelve moves are only for strengthening the body and cultivating qi and blood.

Now that two killing techniques were perfected, only the last one, All Beasts Bow, remained.

Lin Yun's eyes gleamed. This scroll was indeed a treasure, and in just half a day, it equaled half a year of hard practice.

"With this, my mastery of the Tiger Fist is just around the corner."

Having perfected two killing techniques, Lin Yun was full of confidence.

Three days later, as the sun rose.

In front of a wooden house on the waist of Qingyun Peak, sunlight fell, and a figure moved in the open space, punching like the wind.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Each punch sent a gust of wind. The young man was naturally Lin Yun, still a sword slave of Qingyun Peak, not yet an outer sect disciple.

In the open space, Lin Yun's gaze was calm, and he did not punch blindly.

He was sensing the hot current in his body, which was said to be internal energy, generated upon reaching the third level of martial arts.

Becoming an outer sect disciple would grant him the method to cultivate internal energy, making him a true martial artist.

At the moment, although he did not have the method to cultivate internal energy, he was already paying attention to its coordination while punching.

Suddenly!

His calm eyes glowed with intense light, as if a flame was burning.

"Tiger Roars in the Mountains!"

Boom!

His bones crackled like a tiger's roar. A punch sent a thunderous sound through the air, and the wind howled in all directions.

Tiger Descends the Mountain!

Taking advantage of the momentum, Lin Yun leaped into the air and then plunged straight down. Transforming into a tiger, he landed on the ground with a thud.

A punch landed, and cracks appeared on the stone-paved ground.

Breaking through the stone, the Tiger Fist was perfected!

After a set of punches, Lin Yun was only slightly sweaty, a significant improvement from the drenched state when he first practiced.

In three days, his Tiger Fist was finally perfected, and his third level of martial arts was stabilized.

Whoosh!

He retracted his punch and stood still.

In the sunlight, Lin Yun's slightly immature face was full of vitality. He exhaled a breath and said softly, "Now that my realm is stable and my fist is perfected, I have something to rely on."

Entering the wooden house, he washed up and looked at the purple mark on his forehead in the basin of water, lost in thought.

It was too conspicuous. Even if he didn't care, others might be noisy.

After some thought, Lin Yun tore off a strip of cloth and tied it around his forehead as a headband.

Half an incense stick later, Lin Yun appeared in the Qingyun Sect's Affairs Hall.

The Affairs Hall was where the sect stored techniques, weapons, and other items.

When Lin Yun arrived, there were already many disciples gathered there.

"Senior, this is Lin Yun. I have now reached the third level of martial arts and am here to apply to become an outer sect disciple."

In front of the Affairs Hall's officer, Lin Yun took out his identity badge and handed it to the officer for inspection, speaking calmly.

The officer was an old man in gray, surnamed Yang, unremarkable in appearance but with a cultivation level of the sixth level of martial arts.

In front of him, Lin Yun felt a great pressure.

"Lin Yun, the sword slave?"

The gray-robed officer raised an eyebrow lazily, glanced at Lin Yun, and didn't verify his identity, smiling, "I've heard of you. Your sword nurturing technique is well-known in the sect."

The old man's voice was neither loud nor soft, but it still drew the attention of many people, who looked at him curiously.

"Lin Yun, the sword slave!"

"This guy actually broke through to the third level of martial arts, impressive. My treasured sword was once maintained by him."

"What's so impressive? Senior Sister Su gave him so many elixirs, and he only barely broke through today. He's pretty dumb!"

The originally quiet Affairs Hall became noisy after the gray-robed officer mentioned Lin Yun's name.

The voices were harsh, but Lin Yun remained unperturbed, saying softly, "Senior, please, can I become an outer sect disciple now?"

"According to the sect's ancestral rules, anyone who reaches the third level of martial arts, regardless of their status, can become an outer sect disciple. In theory, that's true, but... you can't!"