Who Let Him Cultivate?!

(Change the previous line’s timeframe from one hour to one day)

The Eternity Sect, one of the Four Great Devil Sects.

“The Eternity Sect, if I remember correctly, they believe in the Immortal Eternity who is rumored to live forever, never dying. By being a faithful follower of the Eternity Sect, one can avoid the Three Disasters and Five Tribulations that come with Cultivation, extending one’s life,” Meng Jingzhou recalled the information about the Eternity Sect.

These are basic facts that one could find out with a little diligence, though how much of it is actually true, that I cannot guarantee.

“The Eternity Sect is recruiting, which is an excellent opportunity for us. The crowd will be diverse, the threshold will be a lot lower, and the identity checks should be more lenient,” Lu Yang perked up as he heard the news. This was good news indeed.

He had been worrying because none of them had practiced orthodox demonic cultivation methods, wondering if they would manage to infiltrate the sect under the guise of driving away the ghost servants. Then Qin Yuanhao brings such good news; what a lucky star he was!

“So, do we still kill Qin Yuanhao?” Man Gu asked, seeming to think there wasn’t a need for murder anymore.

“He is a menace anyway. If we can kill him, we should. But we won’t be using his ID card,” Lu Yang answered. Whether or not they could infiltrate the demonic sect, Qin Yuanhao was still doomed.

To reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment in demonic sects, one must have taken several lives. It’s impossible otherwise.

Don’t take Qin Yuanhao sparing his little brother for mercy, it was just because he still had some use for him.

If his little brother were to lose an arm or a leg, becoming physically impaired, he would in turn be useless to Qin Yuanhao and would no doubt be killed.

“Wiry can’t we use his ID card?”

Lu Yang called two ghouls to grill some skewers and explained while eating, “The relationships among members of the demonic sects aren’t as good as we imagined. If we frame Qin Yuanhao, and he investigates, he’d conclude that someone in the sect has a grudge against him.”

“If we use Qin Yuanhao’s ID card to enter the sect, we’ll be metaphorically stamped with his mark. This could lead to us facing difficulties every step of the way and thus put us at a disadvantage.”

Understanding dawned on Man Gu.

“However, the demonic sect is indeed cautious. To prevent their base location from being exposed, they only make it public on the last day. I suppose they are afraid of us from the Righteous Path discovering their location and wiping them out?” Lu Yang chuckled.

“Continue to tail Qin Yuanhao. See if we can locate Yanjiang Rudder base through him, so we can make preparations.”

“It’s getting late. Those who need to cultivate should cultivate, those who need to rest should rest. You’re dismissed.”

The next morning, Lu Yang let out a yawn, got dressed, and joined everyone for breakfast. Man Gu had made beef offal soup.

At this time, Man Gu had returned from the market with a cart full of whole pigs, cows, and sheep.

The beef soup was cooked with marrow bones. A pinch of salt serving as a base, along with other condiments. After the beef offal simmered for a while, a steaming bowl of beef offal soup was ready.

“Put more tripe!” Lu Yang called out.

“Okay!”

After a delicious breakfast, everyone went about their own business.

Today was Man Gu’s turn to keep watch. He headed upstairs immediately after breakfast with plans to sit there all day.

Meng Jingzhou was the restless type. Like a frisky rabbit, he had run off somewhere to cause some mischief.

The two ghouls were left in the house to pluck the sheep, cut vegetables, thread skewers. After four days, they had become experts at these tasks. They would start threading skewers in the morning until the evening. Just in time for the opening, they would go to the backyard, light the charcoal in the stove, and roast skewers all night long.

Working from dawn till dusk, their lives were incredibly fulfilling.

Lu Yang also had tasks of his own. He took out “Pictographic Fist,” hoping to at least reach the beginner’s level. He’d never practiced any martial arts before and was a little uncertain if he would succeed.

“There’s always a first time.”

Lu Yang set up a simple sound-isolating formation in the backyard. This way he couldn’t hear the outside world, and likewise, his voice couldn’t be heard outside.

He sat cross-legged and carefully browsed the book: “Pictographic Fist is a martial art that imitates different animal templates and expressions, as well as mimics human combat and lifestyle. It contains the Tiger Fist, Monkey Fist, Eagle Claw Fist, and Snake Fist, but this book only includes the Tiger Fist.”

“The Tiger Fist emphasizes imitating the tiger’s appearance and techniques, infusing them with reasoning and blending it with the meaning of the fist.”

“The Tiger Fist routine is short, concise, and compact. It mainly consists of small footwork and step techniques, primarily the Three-Seven Steps.”

“To master Tiger Fist, it is best to have the experience of observing and fighting a tiger. This allows for a deeper understanding of the tiger’s fighting figure, enhancing the imitation.”

The most challenging step of the Tiger Fist for Lu Yang seemed simple enough, given his past experience of battling and defeating a Tiger Demon.

Slowly, Lu Yang closed his eyes.

Roaring, pouncing, ripping… The Tiger Demon’s actions during the attack emerged in his mind as though it just occurred.

Although Lu Yang had killed the Tiger Demon, he had to admit that the beast was a formidable enemy with traits worth studying.

Of course, he did not need to learn to call out for his wife to help since he wouldn’t be able to do it yet.

The figures of a tiger and Lu Yang gradually overlapped in his mind, blending into one. The human figure had acquired the tiger’s skills.

Lu Yang visualized the actions of the Tiger Fist in his mind repeatedly. Initially awkward movements became more and more agile, almost as if he had been possessed by a tiger, roaring in his mind.

This was a feat only those at the Foundation Establishment Stage could accomplish. It required an extremely high Spiritual Sense, something mortal warriors could not achieve.

Lu Yang opened his eyes, a fierce light flashing in them. It was almost as if there was a tiger hidden within.

He leaped up from his seated position, landing steadily on the ground. He took a stance, exhaled loudly, bellowed intensely, and attacked ferociously.

The two ghouls threading skewers inside the house jumped when they heard Lu Yang’s vigorous punches; they thought the Tiger Demon had come back to life.

They tiptoed to the door and peeked outside at Lu Yang. Feeling relief when they realized it wasn’t the Tiger Demon, they returned to their tasks.

Lu Yang finished his set of punches and kicks feeling energetic all over, as if he had boundless strength to release.

Taking advantage of the sensation, he performed several more sets. Each set flowed more smoothly than the last, and every movement was powerful.

Regardless of how much of it he used in a real fight, for now, even a master of Tiger Fist wouldn’t find flaws in his movements.

“No, I can still improve.”

Lu Yang began to move faster, his mind was as calm as a ripple-less lake, reflecting everything clearly, like a brass mirror.

This peculiar state of mind revealed an understanding of the martial art itself in every movement.

Punching, kicking… As his understanding deepened, an image of the Tiger Demon faintly appeared behind Lu Yang.

“Roar—”

With Lu Yang’s understanding reaching its peak, all his enlightenment converged in this earth-shattering tiger’s roar.

“Huh? Wiry am I lying on the ground?” Lu Yang came to his senses, puzzlingly finding himself lying on the ground. He tried to stand up but found his legs were weak. After several wobbly attempts, he was still unable to stand up.

“What’s going on?” Lu Yang was baffled. Could something have gone wrong while practicing the punches?

Feeling uncertain, Lu Yang questioned his martial talent. He had felt he was doing just fine, so where did the problem lie?

Lu Yang felt a bad premonition, he used both hands and feet to crawl toward the water trough.

Upon seeing his reflection, Lu Yang finally understood his condition.

He had transformed into a tiger.

The Tiger Fist was mastered. Congratulations were in order.

“Lu Yang, guess what I saw in the streets today. A tofu shop has an interesting mascot.”

Meng Jingzhou returned from his leisurely stroll, heard that Lu Yang was in the backyard practicing martial arts, and wanted to see his progress.

Then he saw a tiger demon looking into a water trough like a mirror.

“Damn it, a monster!”