Only now did Ye Tian truly understand the benefit of having a sparring partner. Even though this partner was a Demon Beast that could injure him at any moment, the results were far better than when he practiced his Cultivation alone.
Both his combat experience and his ability to switch between Martial Skills mid-battle were steadily growing. He felt that if he kept this up, he could master the Fourth Form to the Perfect Realm in three days at most.
However, the two Demon Bears had slowed down considerably, and their wounds were growing more severe. Though Ye Tian had been struck a few times himself, he had already recovered.
Besides, he had barely used any of his Dragon Spiritual Power. Whenever his reserves dropped to a certain point, the mysterious Dragon Pearl in his body would release a burst of Energy.
"It's time to end this," Ye Tian said, a faint smile touching his lips.
The words had barely left his mouth when, SWISH! SWISH! He unleashed two swift slashes, both aimed at the Demon Bears' hearts.
Already heavily injured, the Demon Bears stood no chance against Ye Tian's fatal strike. Both collapsed into pools of their own blood, which gushed from the wounds in their chests.
The potent stench of blood spread quickly through the area. Ye Tian frowned slightly. 'Cultivating in this kind of environment is really nauseating,' he thought.
After smoothly retrieving the Inner Cores from the two Demon Bears, Ye Tian quickly left the area. He knew the mysterious little snake would surely find an even stronger Demon Beast to test him.
Ye Tian stopped after walking for a kilometer or so. He stood motionless, a blank expression on his face, lost in thought.
After a moment, Ye Tian suddenly smiled. "Finally, you're here! This must be a Tier Six Demon Beast. Now this will be a challenge!"
A massive, red tiger had appeared behind him. Ye Tian felt a thrill of excitement seeing a red tiger for the first time, though he didn't know its name.
Ye Tian decided to call it the Red Demon Tiger. Strangely, flickers of red flame danced across its body.
Ye Tian couldn't help but gulp. 'If this Red Demon Tiger runs around, will it set the whole mountain on fire?' he wondered. 'This creature must be incredibly powerful.'
The more powerful the Demon Beast, the greater the challenge—and the more he would improve his Martial Skills and combat experience. A thrill of excitement began to build within Ye Tian.
Tightening his grip on his Fine Steel Sword, Ye Tian flashed forward, leaving an afterimage as he slashed at the Red Demon Tiger. He used only eighty percent of his strength, intending to test the beast's Defense Power.
When the Red Demon Tiger saw Ye Tian's attack, a look of disdain actually appeared in its enormous eyes, as if it didn't take him seriously at all.
It opened its maw and spat a massive red fireball at Ye Tian.
The moment the fireball appeared, Ye Tian could clearly feel the surrounding temperature skyrocket. The air itself began to CRACKLE and POP, as if it were about to ignite.
'If that fireball hits me, I'll be burned to a crisp.' Only then did Ye Tian truly grasp that this Red Demon Tiger was no simple foe.
But Ye Tian did not retreat. He immediately executed his Flowing Cloud Step to dodge the attack. Of course, his own strike missed its target, hitting nothing but air.
The Red Demon Tiger seemed surprised that Ye Tian could dodge its fireball. It let out a deafening roar that made Ye Tian's eardrums ache. The sound was far louder than the roars of the Demon Bears.
Ye Tian felt a surge of anger. With a dip of his wrist, he once again executed the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, but this time, he used his full strength. He was going to teach this Red Demon Tiger a lesson and show it what happened when it roared at him.
A powerful wave of Sword Qi materialized, WHOOSHING as it tore through the air. The Red Demon Tiger seemed to sense the danger of this attack and quickly dodged aside, but a few streams of Sword Qi still struck it.
Ye Tian saw clearly that his Sword Qi had only managed to break the Red Demon Tiger's skin, failing to leave a deep wound.
'What incredible Defense Power,' Ye Tian thought. 'This Red Demon Tiger's defense is much stronger than the Demon Bears'. I have to be careful.'
And so, man and tiger fought relentlessly at the foot of the mountain. After nearly half a day, the Red Demon Tiger's speed finally began to drop, likely due to a massive expenditure of Energy.
Meanwhile, Ye Tian's Flowing Cloud Sword Technique was becoming more and more proficient. He had now mastered its Fourth Form and was not far from reaching the Perfect Realm.
The Red Demon Tiger was now covered in wounds and no longer posed much of a challenge. "Little tiger, it's time to send you on your way!" Ye Tian said with a laugh.
He tightened his grip on his Fine Steel Sword and unleashed a powerful Sword Qi attack. The strike landed directly on one of the Red Demon Tiger's existing wounds, tearing it open much wider.
The blow left a massive, gaping hole in its side, its internal organs clearly visible. Dark red blood stained the ground, releasing a nauseating stench.
The Red Demon Tiger was grievously wounded by Ye Tian's attack. Its massive body swayed, on the verge of collapse. Ye Tian, however, just smiled faintly—a strange, unsettling smile.
'Kick 'em while they're down.' Ye Tian decided to finish off the Red Demon Tiger quickly. He wondered if the little snake would bring him an even stronger Demon Beast next.
Ye Tian unleashed another powerful wave of Sword Qi, which struck the Red Demon Tiger's massive wound with unerring accuracy. The blow ruptured its internal organs. As powerful as the Red Demon Tiger was, it couldn't compare to Ye Tian in terms of Energy consumption.
The Red Demon Tiger was already at the end of its rope. After suffering another grievous blow, it could only collapse. Ye Tian seized the opportunity as it fell, delivering a final strike that pierced its heart. The once-imperious Red Demon Tiger was slain.
Ye Tian quickly extracted the Inner Core from the Red Demon Tiger's body. It was the size of an egg and scalding hot to the touch, as if a flame were burning within it. It was truly a magical thing.
"Not bad, not bad at all! To be able to kill a Tier Six Demon Beast, your progress is quite remarkable. But I am curious. You only seem to have the strength of the Fourth Layer, so how do you have such high Attack Power? Don't tell me you can hide your true strength? Because I certainly can't see it."
The mysterious little snake suddenly appeared on the ground. Its ability to materialize out of thin air startled Ye Tian, but he didn't dare provoke it.
"I'm not sure myself. I am indeed at the Fourth Layer," Ye Tian replied. "Are there any stronger Demon Beasts?" He was eager to continue breaking through.
"No more. A Tier Seven Demon Beast is beyond what you can handle. You were lucky to kill this Flame Tiger. It was already injured. If it had been at full strength, you would have had no chance of killing it," the snake said.
Ye Tian was confused. The Flame Tiger had seemed perfectly fine, so how could it have been injured? He looked at the little snake, hoping for an answer.