Brother Du Bai and Senior Brother Gu Li were both in a very deep coma, utterly unresponsive. Their Spiritual Power was severely overdrawn.Cheng Zicheng was the only one who remained completely intact, so she was responsible for keeping watch.
Tang San could no longer afford to explain anything; as soon as Zhang Haoxuan returned, he began to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Method urgently, regulating his own injuries.
That night was indeed heart-stoppingly tense.
The next morning, when Tang San woke up from his meditation, the body of the mother tiger had already vanished. Then he saw Wu Bingji, with her limbs splinted, sitting near a tree trunk not far away, resting.
Brother Du Bai and Senior Brother Gu Li were still lying there "like corpses." Cheng Zicheng was nowhere to be seen, and Zhang Haoxuan likewise.
After a night of regulating his energy, although there was still some aching pain inside, Tang San's injuries had stabilized.
"Awake? Have some food," Zhang Haoxuan's voice rang out as he approached from behind Tang San, offering him some fruits.
"Thank you, teacher," Tang San took the fruits and began to eat heartily.
The fruits in the forest were rich in Aura, and after eating seven or eight, the replenishment of nutrients and water immediately revitalized Tang San considerably.
Zhang Haoxuan sat down beside him, looking slightly pale, but his breath had regained its steadiness. Truly befitting of a Ninth Stage powerhouse!
"Tell me, how did you manage to do it last night?" Zhang Haoxuan asked.
Tang San replied, "It was the result of everyone's joint effort. Didn't the Senior Brother tell you?"
"He spoke of everything before, but according to him, it looked like you were about to be eaten by the Winged Tiger."
Tang San chuckled bitterly, "When I pounced on it, I was just trying to restrain the Winged Tiger. As it flung me away, I managed to have a breakthrough. The Senior Brother should have told you the rest of the story; when I fell, I was incredibly lucky to land straight into the mouth of that mother tiger, which at that time couldn't close her jaw, thanks to the combined effort of Senior Brother Gu Li's full-powered Time Freeze and the Senior Brother's freezing technique. This created an opportunity for me to attack. I released the wind blade inside the mouth of the mother tiger. With my recent breakthrough, the attack was strong enough to inflict a severe wound."
"You launched an attack inside its mouth? No wonder," Zhang Haoxuan had also examined the mother tiger's body earlier, and the fatal injury was indeed internal, with its skin largely intact.
"You all almost were wiped out this time. Never again are you to undertake such risky missions. If it hadn't been for your good luck last night, by the time I got there, you all would have been torn to shreds by that mother tiger," Zhang Haoxuan still felt a surge of fear when he thought about it.
Tang San smiled, "Luck is also a part of strength, isn't it? Don't forget why I brought Brother Du Bai along. If I'm not mistaken, Brother Du Bai's collapse yesterday must have been because he used all his strength to unleash the Heavenly Fox Eye, adding the Power of Luck to us. Otherwise, how could it have been such a coincidence that I ended up right in the tiger's mouth to launch an attack?"
"Hm?" Zhang Haoxuan was taken aback, "You're suggesting that his Third Stage Heavenly Fox Eye was able to influence a Seventh Stage Peak Winged Tiger? That's impossible!"
Tang San thought to himself: Plus my own Third Stage Spirit Rhinoceros Eye, which also possesses the luck-boosting ability of the Third Stage Heavenly Fox Eye. The combination of both, along with the fact that two of our members are at the Sixth Stage, probably led to this outcome. The gap should be considered between the Sixth and Seventh Stages, rather than just evaluating based on Brother Du Bai's Third Stage alone.
Of course, he wouldn't voice that thought; he didn't want Zhang Haoxuan to know that he had already absorbed the Heavenly Fox Eye.
"Anyway, the result is what it is. Under normal circumstances, how could we possibly have defeated a Seventh Stage Winged Tiger?" Tang San said with a smile.
Zhang Haoxuan took a deep look at him, feeling increasingly unable to see through this new disciple of his. Despite being only nine years old, Tang San consistently gave him the impression of being very mature, yet all of Tang San's background was crystal clear.
"Xiao Tang, are you okay?" came Wu Bingji's somewhat feeble voice.
Tang San said, "Big brother, I'm fine. How about you?"
"It hurts..." Wu Bingji took in a sharp breath of cold air. He had sustained severe internal and external injuries. Thanks to Zhang Haoxuan's treatment, his condition had just barely stabilized.
"It serves you right to hurt. Who told you to mess around together and insist on hunting the King of Winged Tigers?" Zhang Haoxuan spoke irritably. Just thinking back to last night's events scared him out of his wits.
Wu Bingji's mouth twitched into a bitter smile as he said, "Teacher, shouldn't you rather focus on a kid who has already broken through to the Sixth Stage at just nine years old? Didn't you just hear him? He's reached the Sixth Stage. Is he even human? He's seven years younger than me."
"Hmm?" Zhang Haoxuan was taken aback for a moment. He truly hadn't been paying attention to this detail before. Searᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Upon hearing this, he stared fixedly at Tang San, "You... you're at the Sixth Stage?"
"Yep," nodded Tang San, "Under immense pressure, at a critical moment of life and death, I had a breakthrough. That's why I've always told you and Teacher Guan that the best way to have a breakthrough is when facing tremendous pressure, especially the stimulus of a life-and-death crisis. It fully unleashed my potential."
Zhang Haoxuan inhaled sharply. The Sixth Stage, yes! A nine-year-old at the Sixth Stage. This kid...
Among all the students of the Redemption Academy, he's the second one, the Sixth Stage! And how many days has he been here?
And if he's not mistaken, Tang San had just broken through to the Fifth Stage when he arrived. How did he reach the Sixth Stage so quickly?
This rate of improvement is a little too fast.
Zhang Haoxuan looked up and down at Tang San as if he were a monster, making Tang San feel a bit uncomfortable, "Teacher, please don't look at me like that, I'm a little scared."
"You know how to be scared? You all dared to kill a Seventh grade Winged Tiger, and you still know fear?" Zhang Haoxuan lifted his hand, really wanting to smack him, but considering the kid was still in an injured state, he held back.
Tang San chuckled, "This time, it's not just me who has made a breakthrough. I think everyone will give you some surprises. Brother Du Bai and Senior Brother Gu Li might have the potential for a breakthrough after they wake up."
Upon hearing these words, Zhang Haoxuan's whole body shook, and he eagerly said, "You mean, the two of them..."
Tang San nodded and said, "Senior Brother Gu Li, at the last moment when he used Time Freeze on the tigress, obviously exceeded his normal strength. By then, everyone was at the brink of life and death. He passed out right after that outburst. He's been at the Fourth Stage Peak for quite a while now, without being able to break through. I think with that move, he very likely did. Brother Du Bai's situation should be similar. Just as you said, can a Third Stage Heavenly Fox Eye make the luck of a Seventh Stage Winged Tiger turn bad? But what if it's the Fourth Stage?"
Zhang Haoxuan's eyes lit up, truly lit up.
Without a doubt, in terms of bloodline levels, the Time Variation Seal and Heavenly Fox Transformation were the strongest among the whole Redemption Academy—the ones with the most expectation placed upon them. If, this time, both of them managed to advance...
Thinking this, Zhang Haoxuan's entire mood changed.
"If it's really as you say, I'll take the consequences of the danger you all faced this time," Zhang Haoxuan clenched his fist.
Tang San successfully shifted the topic from his own breakthrough to the Sixth Stage and asked with a smile, "Teacher, what ability is that flame knife of yours? It's really amazing. Even the Ninth Stage King of Winged Tigers was heavily injured by you."
Zhang Haoxuan gave him a sidelong glance and said, "That's my Lifebound Weapon. It's integrated with me, made from the spine of a Ninth Stage Fierce Flame Tiger, crafted by a top-tier Monster blacksmith. I exchanged years of accumulated merits with the organization to obtain it. It requires a lengthy buildup of power to use, but it can also unleash a very strong attack. Without it, our trouble would have been much greater yesterday. Would you guys even have seen today's sun?"