The Shadow Thunder Tiger stepped completely out of the cave.
Each footfall shook the ground.
Ancient trees swayed as if caught in a violent storm.
Its golden eyes, large enough to swallow a man whole, slowly swept over the clearing.
No one dared breathe.
The beast's silver-striped fur crackled with arcs of violet lightning. Every bolt danced across its body before disappearing into the earth, leaving black scorch marks wherever it touched.
The oppressive aura it released was unlike anything Lin Yuan had ever experienced.
It wasn't simply stronger.
It existed on an entirely different level.
Spirit Core Realm
Gu Chen had once explained the realm beyond Spirit Foundation.
"When enough spiritual qi gathers within the dantian, it condenses into a Spirit Core."
"A Spirit Core stores spiritual qi far more efficiently."
"It allows a cultivator to unleash techniques that a Spirit Foundation cultivator cannot even imagine. They have far more qi reserves than spirit foundation experts , helping them unleash powerful techniques for a longer period."
"Against someone in the Spirit Core Realm, brute force alone is meaningless."
Although the Shadow Thunder Tiger was not human, Rank Three Spirit Beasts possessed strength comparable to Spirit Core cultivators.
For Lin Yuan and the others...
It was an existence they could not hope to defeat.
The tiger sniffed the air.
Its nostrils flared.
Then its gaze settled on the shattered rocks sealing its cave.
A low growl rumbled from deep within its chest.
The sound alone caused blood to churn within everyone's bodies.
The Blood Moon leader cursed inwardly.
"Idiot!"
He had been so focused on killing Lin Yuan that he had struck the cliff without noticing the cave.
Now...
He had awakened the ruler of this territory
The tiger roared.
ROOOOAAARRR!!
A ring of violent spiritual qi exploded outward.
Leaves, branches, and shattered stones were blasted into the air.
Li Tian was thrown backward crashing hard on the floor.
Zhao Feng crashed into a tree.
Even the masked assassins were forced to retreat several steps.
Lin Yuan crossed his arms before his chest.
The impact still pushed him back nearly ten meters.
His feet carved deep trenches into the ground.
One of the Blood Moon assassins whispered nervously,
"Leader..."
"We should retreat."
The leader's eyes never left the tiger.
"We can't."
The assassin froze.
"If we leave now..."
"...the sect will never forgive our failure."
His voice became colder.
"Complete the mission."
The other assassins hesitated.
Their loyalty battled against their fear.
The leaders eyes became even colder
"Anyone who dear's to run will die by my blade
Finally...
They nodded.
"As you command."
The tiger watched them calmly.
Its intelligence was obvious.
Instead of attacking immediately, it seemed to be judging the intruders.
Then...
Its gaze fell upon the corpse of the Iron Fang Wolf Lin Yuan had slain earlier.
The carcass had been dragged close to the cave during the battle.
The tiger walked toward it.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
It lowered its massive head.
Then let out another furious roar.
The wolf...
Had been one of its own.
The realization struck Lin Yuan like lightning.
"No wonder it's enraged..."
This wasn't merely because its cave had been disturbed.
It believed they had invaded its territory...
And killed its own.
The tiger's pupils turned crimson.
The lightning surrounding its body doubled.
The Blood Moon leader's face stiffened.
"This is bad."
"Everyone spread out!"
Too late.
The tiger vanished,It didn't leap.
It didn't charge.
It simply disappeared.
Then
BOOM!
One of the masked assassins exploded backward.
His chest had caved inward.
Before he even hit the ground...
He was dead.
Silence.
No one had clearly seen the attack.
Not even the Blood Moon leader.
The remaining assassins instinctively tightened their formation.
Cold sweat dripped beneath their masks.
They had hunted countless cultivators.
Yet now...
They had become prey.
Li Tian stared blankly at the assassin's corpse.
His lips trembled.
"So..."
"This..."
"...is a Rank Three Spirit Beast."
The confidence that had accompanied his Seventh-Grade Spirit Vein was nowhere to be seen.
Talent meant nothing before absolute power.
Lin Yuan, however, noticed something.
The tiger had ignored him.
It had ignored Zhao Feng.
It had even ignored Li Tian.
Its attacks were directed almost entirely at the Blood Moon Sect.
A thought flashed through his mind.
"It considers them the greater threat."
Perhaps...
That could be used.
He quietly moved closer to Zhao Feng.
"Can you still fight?"
Zhao Feng smiled bitterly.
"I can still run."
"That's something."
Lin Yuan nodded.
"It'll have to be enough."
He then looked toward Li Tian.
The young noble hesitated before finally speaking.
"What?"
"For now..."
"We survive first."
Li Tian remained silent.
Then slowly nodded.
The grudge between them could wait.
Dead men settled no rivalries.
The Blood Moon leader suddenly shouted,
"Boy!"
Lin Yuan looked over.
"If you help us kill this beast..."
"I swear upon the Blood Moon Sect that we'll spare your life."
Li Tian couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The assassins had come to kill Lin Yuan.
Now...
They were asking for his help.
Lin Yuan answered without hesitation.
"I don't trust murderers."
The leader laughed coldly.
"Then we'll all die together."
At that very moment...
A shrill cry echoed from the sky.
Everyone instinctively looked upward.
A brilliant blue streak descended from above.
Sword light.
Dozens of streaks followed behind it.
Each carried an overwhelming aura.
Azure Cloud Sect experts.
The fierce battle and the Shadow Thunder Tiger's roar had finally alarmed the elders outside the examination grounds.
The Blood Moon leader's expression changed dramatically.
"No..."
"How could they arrive this quickly?"
The first streak of sword light landed in the clearing.
A middle-aged elder in flowing azure robes stepped forward, standing between the candidates and the Shadow Thunder Tiger.
His sharp eyes swept across the battlefield.
The dead assassin.
The Blood Moon robes.
The injured candidates.
Finally...
His gaze landed on Lin Yuan.
For the briefest instant, surprise flickered across his face.
Then it disappeared.
He slowly drew the sword at his waist.
Its blade hummed with immense spiritual power.
"You dare infiltrate..."
"Azure Cloud Sect's examination?"
He didn't shout ,he hadn't even attacked them ,yet they felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them
The Blood Moon leader gripped his weapon tightly.
Unleashing his own aura to battle against the Elder's.