Chapter 435: Tiger-headed Beast

A tall tower stood hundreds of meters from the Ten Beasts Cage. Two elders, Xie Jiuchen, Head of the Beast Hall of Xuanyuan Kingdom, and Grand Elder Wei Yuqing, stood by a window, their faces filled with disbelief. Wei Youdao was the Grand Elder's biological grandson. Zhang Xuan had sought out these two upon arriving at the Beast Hall; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to directly enter the Ten Beasts Cage and create such a commotion.

"Did you see his movements clearly just now?" Xie Jiuchen couldn't help but ask.

"I... only saw him beat up the Gale Wolves. The rest... I didn't understand!" Grand Elder Wei Yuqing's face flushed. As a 3-star beast tamer, whose own strength had reached the Supreme realm peak and who possessed astonishing eyesight, he should have been able to comprehend the other's actions. Yet, like everyone else, he hadn't discerned anything. The thought alone made him feel embarrassed.

"His movements were extremely fast; it's normal that you couldn't discern them! If I'm not mistaken, he didn't just employ beast-taming techniques, but also the methods of a master teacher!" Head Xie Jiuchen said with a solemn expression.

"Master teacher methods?" Elder Wei Yuqing was filled with doubt.

"Exactly. Directly rushing to attack the Gale Wolves seemed reckless, but in reality, every strike landed on their meridian nodes. A few consecutive blows significantly loosened the pulses that restricted their power!" Head Xie Jiuchen explained, "This is akin to clearing a martial artist's meridians. After such hammering, although the Gale Wolves' cultivation level didn't change, their strength increased considerably. Barbarian beasts' advancement is usually difficult, but a few strikes caused their power to increase drastically. Naturally, the beasts then wished to be tamed and follow his lead!"

"This..." Wei Yuqing's eyes widened. What the other party described sounded simple, but in reality, the difficulty was so immense it could be considered an impossible task. Each Gale Wolf had a different physique, age, and physical condition, meaning their meridian nodes were naturally entirely different. To rush in and strike them accurately, even while in combat...What kind of perception was that? How was it possible? Not to mention him, even a 3-star or 4-star master teacher would likely find it difficult to achieve.

"Besides this, I truly cannot conceive of any other possibility!" Head Xie Jiuchen's eyes shone as he couldn't help but exclaim, "Although this young man is not old, he is absolutely the most formidable genius in beast taming!"

"Indeed, let's see how he passes the second round!" Wei Yuqing nodded. To employ methods that even he, a 3-star beast tamer, couldn't discern, this fellow was truly remarkable.

"The second challenge involves three Tiger-headed Beasts of the same cultivation level as him." Head Xie Jiuchen's expression grew solemn. "Tiger-headed Beasts differ from Gale Wolves; they prefer to act independently and attack alone. Moreover, their individual strength is formidable, especially their physical bodies and hooves, which have already reached the level of Ghost-grade weapons. One could say... their defense is invincible, impenetrable to blades and spears!"

"Attempting to use the previous method of striking their meridian nodes in this round will likely be very difficult."

"Indeed!" Elder Wei Yuqing nodded. The Head could see this, and he naturally understood that although the first round with four Gale Wolves was perilous, eight or nine out of ten challengers who dared to enter the Ten Beasts Cage could pass it. The true danger, the real test of strength... truthfully, had only just begun! Although barbarian beasts possess powerful bodies, speed, and defense at the same level as humans, the latter are, after all, conscious beings who have passed down countless martial arts techniques through generations. As long as one masters a few powerful martial arts, it is still possible to suppress four lower-level beasts by being one level higher. However... suppressing three barbarian beasts of the same level becomes much harder. Especially these types that excel in single attacks and have invincible defense. It could be said that nine out of ten challengers would fail in this round, ending up either dead or crippled.

"If he truly encounters danger, and it becomes unavoidable, then intervene and save him. Such a genius is rare in the Beast Hall!" Head Xie Jiuchen, feeling a fondness for talent, instructed.

"Understood!" Elder Wei Yuqing nodded. The beast-taming methods Zhang Xuan used were beyond his comprehension; either Zhang Xuan had an exceptionally powerful teacher, or... he possessed unparalleled perception and talent. Either way, these were qualities their Beast Hall needed to protect with all their might.

"Look, it's starting..."

As the two spoke, Zhang Xuan had already arrived before the three Tiger-headed Beasts; battle was about to erupt.

"Tiger-headed Beasts possess formidable physiques and are solitary and suspicious by nature, not as easily tamed as Gale Wolves!" As he gazed at the three towering, tiger-shaped behemoths before him, descriptions of them surfaced in his mind. An adult Tiger-headed Beast stands three meters tall and is five meters long. Its defense is invincible, and its enormous body makes a practitioner feel immense pressure just from one charging, let alone three at once. Normally, when fighting humans, they don't even need techniques; a brute charge can instantly kill an opponent.

However, for Zhang Xuan, it made no difference. Although his own strength was only at the Master Teacher realm peak, his true combat power allowed him to fight even a Supreme-tier mid-stage opponent. Three Tiger-headed Beasts were nothing. His eyes narrowed, and with a thought, intricate patterns emerged from his pupils. The three massive Tiger-headed Beasts before him immediately transformed in appearance. Their muscle patterns, bone arrangements, acupoint pathways, and points of weakness... all became visible to his eyes.

The Eye of Insight! After the Master character's heart-forging, this unique skill of a master teacher had advanced, not only increasing the level of things he could perceive but also the number of issues he could discern. These three Tiger-headed Beasts, formidable to others, were full of flaws and problems in his eyes.

"Let's begin; a quick victory! What if they're not easily tamed? My goal isn't to tame them!"

With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan stepped forward. His objective was to pass the Ten Beasts Cage, not to tame barbarian beasts; taming too many would be meaningless. On the contrary, they might cling to him like the previous Gale Wolves and refuse to leave, which would be troublesome.

He stepped forward, entering the Tiger-headed Beasts' territory. Amid roars, the three massive creatures surrounded him.

"Tiger-headed Beasts have invincible defense; this time, he'll likely be in for a tough fight..." Wei Youdao's eyes narrowed.

"Indeed!" Jiang Nanping nodded. "It depends on whether his attacks can break through their defense. If not, it's a dead end..."

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Before his words had even finished, the man and three tigers were already engaged in battle.

"He... why is he attacking the Tiger-headed Beast's abdomen? This is bad!" Jiang Nanping's face changed.

"Tiger-headed Beasts are different from other barbarian beasts; their abdomen is actually their strongest defensive point. They deliberately expose this area to lure attacks. Once you take the bait, you're trapped..." Wei Youdao's expression also turned grim. For most barbarian beasts, the abdomen is usually the weakest point because it's less trained; this has become a common rule. But... Tiger-headed Beasts are different. Their abdomen has an extra bone, making it naturally hard and tough. Because of this, they usually use it as bait to attract practitioners' attacks. Once hooked, the attacker is at their closest range, virtually at their mercy. They had just witnessed this young man tame the Gale Wolves with speed and ferocity, assuming he was very familiar with barbarian beast habits. How could he make such a basic mistake when facing a Tiger-headed Beast? Attacking the abdomen was futile, and once the opponent counterattacked, he would be finished!

"Look, the Tiger-headed Beast is preparing to counterattack..."

Just as the two elders frowned, the man and beast below had fully engaged. The Tiger-headed Beast, seeing that this fellow indeed attacked its abdomen, had its eyes light up with excitement. It coiled its thick tail, ready to drag the young man closer. Unexpectedly, before it could even reach him, the latter's fist landed on its abdomen.

A hint of disdain and mockery appeared in its eyes as it prepared to knock him down on the spot according to its plan, when it heard a dull thud. A massive, unparalleled force surged into its body along the human's arm. The Tiger-headed Beast, which had just been mocking this human's foolishness, suddenly had its tiger eyes widen, almost popping out of their sockets, its tongue lolled out, and drool streamed down.

Immediately after, with a "Whoosh!"...

The five-meter-long massive tiger body flew straight upwards, crashing into the cage. The iron cage was dented into a huge tiger shape.

*Clatter!*

It fell from the air, slammed onto the ground, raising a large cloud of dust. The Tiger-headed Beast struggled, vomiting profusely, wanting to get up but feeling immense abdominal pain, utterly unable to stand.

"What?!"

"One punch to the Tiger-headed Beast's strongest defensive point, striking it so hard it can't stand or even crawl anymore?"

"This... this is unbelievable..."

In an instant, the entire viewing stand above fell silent. The Tiger-headed Beast had invincible defense; normally, a human's strength would only tickle it. Yet, one punch nearly killed it... How was it done? Are you certain that was merely a punch, and not an elephant's kick?

"It's the Heaven's Path Fist!"

Liu Yang, in the crowd, clenched his fist, his eyes reddening. This was the Heaven's Path Fist his teacher had taught him. Although it appeared identical to his own technique, the power of the two was worlds apart. A Master Teacher realm peak Tiger-headed Beast was sent flying in one move, dizzy and disoriented. The power was so immense that even an early-stage Supreme-tier practitioner might not be able to resist it!

"It seems I need to cultivate properly from now on..." He secretly made up his mind.

"Roar..."

Ignoring the crowd's shock, Zhang Xuan, having sent one Tiger-headed Beast flying with a single move, looked towards the remaining two. It would have been better if he hadn't looked. As his gaze swept over them, he saw the corners of the two massive beasts' mouths twitching simultaneously, and they retreated in unison. Although barbarian beasts were not as intelligent as humans, they were not foolish. The one just now was the strongest among them, and the result... it was sent flying by one punch, vomiting profusely, looking as if it could die at any moment. How could they possibly withstand such a blow?

"Don't be afraid. Just let me hit you once, and we'll be done. Otherwise, if you don't fall, I can't pass the challenge..."

Seeing the famously ferocious barbarian beasts retreating in fear, Zhang Xuan was speechless. He clenched his fist, then called out.

*Thud! Thud!*

As his words fell, two heavy thuds were heard. Immediately after, the two Tiger-headed Beasts, which had just been so imposing, simultaneously lay on the ground, all four paws in the air, tongues lolling out, and drooling.

"..." Zhang Xuan.

"..." Everyone.