As he stepped out of the registration hall, oddly, only one person stood outside, the crowd that had been watching the commotion had vanished without a trace.
Passing by the hall was a young man in black robes, exuding a thick aura of menace, his steps heavy and solitary, an invisible pressure radiating dozens of zhang away, as if one could smell danger.
“This man is very dangerous!” Watching the youth walk forward step by step, Lin Xiao sighed inwardly.
He couldn’t discern the man’s cultivation level, but judging by the invisible aura, it was likely around Eighth or Ninth Heaven Martial Realm, his strength unfathomably deep.
Lin Xiao wasn’t even sure he could defeat him, this was the first time he’d encountered someone below Martial King who gave him such a feeling.
“This guy’s full of menace, walking so pretentiously!” Hu Yue remarked, somewhat surprised.
“He’s likely no ordinary figure, the crowd disappearing probably has something to do with him,” Lin Xiao warned quietly.
As if hearing them, the black-robed youth turned, revealing a fierce face marked by a knife scar to Lin Xiao’s sight.
His sinister eyes glowed with an eerie green light, the whole figure radiating danger and malice.
Upon seeing Lin Xiao and Hu Yue, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, a wave of menace spilling out, but upon noticing the registration hall, he restrained it, his mouth opening slightly, his voice raspy, “New disciples?”
“Heh!” The menacing youth’s lips curled into a dangerous smirk, then he turned and strode off.
“Bloody hell, that guy looks terrifying!” Hu Yue cursed under his breath, wary of the departing figure.
Lin Xiao said nothing more, with such a character, if he didn’t provoke Lin Xiao, Lin Xiao wouldn’t seek trouble either.
Thanks to him, Lin Xiao faced fewer hassles.
On the youth’s clothes, Lin Xiao spotted a three-star badge, giving him a rough idea that disciples with three-star badges were around Eighth or Ninth Heaven Martial Realm.
That strength was likely the peak of the outer courtyard.
Not long after leaving the main peak of the outer courtyard, Lin Xiao entered a quieter, more secluded peak, as he passed the foothills, a group of figures came into view ahead.
“Want to join our Dragon-Tiger Sect? Go back to your cave and dream on, you think you can just join whenever you want? Hahaha!”
“Ling Hu, you’re such a fool, actually bringing us thirty thunder beads, tricked into counting money for us, there’s no bigger idiot in the world, hahaha!”
Laughter erupted from the group of five, all clad in dragon-tiger patterned robes, each bearing a one-star badge, their cultivations ranging from First to Fourth Heaven Martial Realm, except one with a two-star badge at Sixth Heaven Martial Realm.
Opposite them lay a burly figure, blood visible on his body, his face bruised purple and blue, clearly beaten senseless by the five.
“Why?” The burly youth on the ground clenched his fists, his eyes glaring like a tiger or wolf at the tiger-robed youth across from him.
His fury was palpable, but he’d obviously been beaten beyond fighting back.
“Why? Truth be told, Ling Hu, your talent and strength aren’t bad, your mistake was having ‘Hu’ (Tiger) in your name, clashing with Second Brother Ba Hu—one mountain can’t hold two tigers, got it? No matter how many thunder beads you snatch, you won’t get into Dragon-Tiger Sect unless you change your name to Ling Zhu (Pig), hahaha!” The two-star disciple pointed at the burly youth, mocking loudly.
“You’ve been playing me from the start?” Ling Hu’s eyes turned icy, his voice chillingly low.
“Exactly, we’ve been toying with you, if you’re smart, bring us thirty more thunder beads to mess with next time, or I’ll beat you till you’re running circles around Shengyuan Academy!”
“Let’s go, hahaha!”
With that, the group turned and headed up the mountain, their jeers and laughter echoing down to the foothills.
“I, Ling Hu, won’t let you off, Gou Shi!” The burly youth roared at the departing five, but they ignored him, laughing mockingly as they climbed.
“Those bastards are such bullies!” Pointing at the five heading up, Hu Yue fumed.
Lin Xiao, however, walked calmly towards Ling Hu on the ground, tossing him a third-grade healing pill, his gaze sweeping over him, then his pupils shrank sharply.
“Heavenly Flame Saint Tiger Physique!” Lin Xiao was stunned, the Heavenly Flame Saint Tiger was a powerful spirit beast race, ranking high among them, a fully matured one could rival a Martial Saint.
A human with this physique possessed the tiger’s physical gifts plus human comprehension and cultivation talent, making it even more fearsome—a truly terrifying constitution.
Back then, the Heaven-Devouring Spirit Emperor had seen a partially matured Heavenly Flame Saint Tiger Physique expert fight toe-to-toe with a Martial Saint, their body extraordinarily robust.
To think this beaten youth before him had such a potent physique—it left Lin Xiao inwardly amazed.
“Logically, with the Heavenly Flame Saint Tiger Physique, fighting two realms above should be no issue, at least enough to hold his own—how could he be beaten by one at Sixth Heaven Martial Realm and four below Fourth?”
Puzzlement crossed Lin Xiao’s face, his gaze and divine sense carefully scanned Ling Hu, noticing a faint black qi swirling at his dantian.
“That’s… Black Seal Poison, his physique is suppressed!”
Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed, as a ninth-grade spirit controller, the Heaven-Devouring Spirit Emperor knew well that Black Seal Poison, refined from Black Seal Grass into a sixth-grade poison pill, could suppress even the most domineering physiques once ingested.
Ling Hu had been poisoned with it.
“Thanks!” Ling Hu took the pill from Lin Xiao but didn’t consume it, slowly rising from the ground, giving a half-trusting salute.
“You’re worried my pill’s poisoned?” Seeing Ling Hu’s caution, Lin Xiao asked.
Caught out, Ling Hu’s face showed a trace of embarrassment, “Yes, I’ve been burned before.”
Lin Xiao smiled, “Heh, if I’m not mistaken, you were hit with Black Seal Poison back then, right? Your physique is the Heavenly Flame Saint Tiger Physique?”
Ling Hu’s eyes widened in shock, “How do you know?”
The Heavenly Flame Saint Tiger Physique was extraordinarily rare, tied to spirit beasts, even Martial Venerables struggled to identify it, yet this youth, roughly his age with likely similar cultivation and experience, how could he recognise it?
Odder still, he even knew about the Black Seal Poison?
A sixth-grade pill, exceedingly rare and subtle, Ling Hu had been poisoned two years ago during a contest for young clan leader, even his clan leader father hadn’t noticed—how could this youth?
At that thought, Ling Hu’s bloodied body surged with a wild aura, black qi coiling at his dantian, seemingly suppressing the ferocity.
