52: Chapter 52 A Mysterious Feeling

In the mountains, there are no calendars; as the cold fades, one loses track of the years.

Deep within the Black Cloud Mountains, Ye Tian had long since forgotten the flow of time.

His dry rations had long been exhausted, so he fed on the flesh of the Vicious Beasts he hunted and drank from mountain springs when thirsty.

Every day, he was either honing his Martial Skills in life-and-death combat or searching for Heaven And Earth Treasures in perilous places.

This period of experience had yielded significant results.

No fewer than a hundred and seventy or eighty Vicious Beasts of various types had died under his fists, including many powerful Rank 5 and Rank 6 existences.

High-intensity actual combat not only made his use of the Overlapping Wave Fist increasingly proficient but also made the True Qi within his body more condensed and majestic through repeated consumption and recovery.

He could clearly feel that his cultivation was steadily advancing toward the Qi Gathering Realm - Level 7 Late Stage.

“As expected, life-and-death combat is the fastest way to improve one's strength.”

Ye Tian understood this deeply; comfortable Cultivation would ultimately fail to produce greatness.

On this day, he followed a strange medicinal fragrance and tracked it to a deep valley.

The mist in the valley was murky, and the Spiritual Qi was quite dense.

However, before he could find the source of the fragrance, an extremely ferocious aura locked onto him!

Accompanied by a low growl, a dark shadow pounced from the mist and blocked Ye Tian's path.

This was a sleek leopard-type Vicious Beast, its entire body covered in dark golden markings; most peculiar of all, two long tails like steel whips swayed behind it!

A pair of amber vertical pupils stared coldly at Ye Tian, exuding a sense of pressure far exceeding that of an ordinary Rank 7 Vicious Beast!

“Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard!” Ye Tian's pupils constricted slightly as his heart tightened.

This was a standout among Rank 7 Vicious Beasts, extremely fast and fierce in its attacks; its level of danger even surpassed that of an ordinary Qi Gathering Eighth Layer human Martial Artist!

Of course, compared to an expert like the Ye Family's Third Elder at the Qi Gathering Ninth Stage, there was still a gap.

This was the strongest opponent Ye Tian had encountered since entering the mountain range!

He instantly boosted his state to its Peak, the True Qi in his body surging and the blood-qi power of his Body Refining Fourth Layer surging secretly as he stood ready.

The Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard also seemed to sense that Ye Tian was not to be trifled with; it didn't attack immediately, but instead lowered its body, growling low in its throat as it paced slowly around Ye Tian, searching for a weakness.

Man and beast confronted each other in the silent valley, the atmosphere tense to the extreme.

After a stalemate lasting about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the beast's ferocity finally overcame its caution.

A fierce light erupted from the Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard's eyes, its limbs suddenly kicked off the ground, and its two steel-whip-like tails lashed out at Ye Tian first with startling speed!

“Good timing!” Ye Tian shouted low, advancing instead of retreating!

The triple force of the Overlapping Wave Fist erupted with full power, meeting the attack head-on!

The sound of a violent collision instantly resounded through the valley!

Energy overflowed, causing the surrounding mist to churn incessantly!

This Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard truly lived up to its reputation!

Its speed far surpassed any previous opponent, its claws moving with a whistle that tore through the air, and its strength was incredibly heavy and fierce!

Even more troublesome were those two elusive long tails—whipping, stabbing, entangling, and coiling at tricky and ruthless angles, causing Ye Tian immense trouble!

Ye Tian pushed his movement technique to the limit, shifting and maneuvering within a small space as the Overlapping Wave Fist poured out like a rainstorm, clashing hard with the Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard!

His powerful Body Refining Fourth Layer Physical Body became his greatest reliance, multiple times withstanding the opponent's claw strikes and tail whips; though painful, he sustained no heavy injuries.

The battle was exceptionally fierce, with both sides trading blows, making it difficult to determine a winner in a short time.

Ye Tian landed a punch on the leopard's relatively fragile waist and abdomen, in exchange for a claw strike that left three burning bloody gashes on his back!

For the first time, his Body Refining Fourth Layer defense had been broken through by an opponent of the same level!

Although the wounds weren't deep, the stinging pain made Ye Tian even more alert.

And Ye Tian's heavy Overlapping Wave Fist force also caused the Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard to suffer greatly, especially one punch that accurately struck its right hind leg joint, making it let out an angry roar in pain as its speed was noticeably affected.

However, both sides were full of resilience, and these injuries were unable to decide the outcome of the battle.

The battle fell into a stalemate; it was now a contest of endurance, will, and the grasping of opportunities!

Just as the battle reached its Peak, at the moment Ye Tian was fully focused on dealing with another fierce pounce from the Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard!

Ye Tian's mind instantly went blank, and a mysterious, profound sensation welled up in his heart.

He didn't deliberately think about how to punch or how to dodge, yet his body seemed to possess its own consciousness, with an incredible precision, slightly turning to avoid the leopard's claws while his right fist followed an extremely tricky angle, striking out silently but quickly!

This punch had no buildup, no shout, and didn't even stir up much wind!

But the explosive power and timing contained within it far surpassed any strike he had ever consciously delivered!

The Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard had no time to react; it only felt an indescribable, agonizing pain in its abdomen as it was sent flying several yards away with a miserable howl, crashing heavily to the ground with blood overflowing from its nose and mouth!

It struggled to get up, its amber vertical pupils filled with terror; after one last look at Ye Tian, it no longer wished to fight and let out an unwilling low growl, turning to drag its injured leg and vanishing into the depths of the thick mist after a few frantic bounds.

But Ye Tian was left stunned in place.

He didn't pursue the fleeing Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard; instead, he looked down at his fist, his brow furrowed and his eyes filled with confusion.

“What was that just now?”

He clearly remembered the feeling of that moment.

His body seemed to have detached from his conscious control, making the most perfect and precise reaction on its own!

The punch delivered in that state—whether in terms of speed, power, or timing—had reached a height that he could hardly achieve even with his usual hard training!

“It was as if... for a moment, my body was fighting on its own?”

Ye Tian murmured to himself, trying to recall that mysterious state, but it was like looking at flowers through a mist; he simply couldn't grasp it.

He tried throwing another punch, wanting to recreate the feeling from just now, but what he delivered was still the familiar Overlapping Wave Fist; although powerful, it lacked that natural, seamless charm.

“Strange... truly strange...” Ye Tian was completely baffled.

He had never heard of such a situation.

This was neither a Breakthrough in Martial Skills nor an increase in cultivation; it was more like... a combat instinct?

Or rather, something at a much deeper level had been touched?

After thinking for a long time without any clues, Ye Tian had no choice but to temporarily suppress this doubt in his heart.

He checked the wound on his back; it was only a superficial injury, and after applying some Golden Sore Ointment, it would be fine.

“Although I haven't figured it out, it shouldn't be a bad thing.”

Ye Tian looked in the direction the Double-Tailed Ringed Leopard had fled, feeling a bit of regret.

That kind of Vicious Beast surely had many treasures hidden on its body.

“However, this battle was quite a harvest. Not only did my actual combat experience increase greatly, but I also seemed to have touched upon a mysterious state... even if only for a moment.”

He felt that he was one step closer to the Qi Gathering Realm - Level 7 Late Stage.