That afternoon, long shadows began to creep across Tiger Nest Hill, stretching from the sturdy cliffs flanking it.
The air, scorching hot moments ago, now filled with a cool breeze carrying the scent of damp earth and forest leaves.
However, the silence that should have brought peace was instead shattered by an aura of blood-freezing dominance and raw rage.
From the dark cave entrance, a pair of golden eyes, far larger and more intense than the cub's, suddenly opened, radiating a menacing gleam.
Grrrr...Rroarr!
The roar split the afternoon air, not just a sound, but a concussive wave of pure power that slammed into me. The ground trembled beneath my feet, and the vibrations rattled through my still-weak bones.
The mother tiger stepped out of the darkness, her body towering, much larger than I had imagined. Her muscles rippled under gleaming orange-and-black fur, radiating primal strength.
Every step was a heavy thud. A strong, musky scent, a mix of damp earth and angry pheromones, filled the air, stinging my nose.
"Why did you bring a human, my child?!" The mother tiger's voice boomed, vibrating through every fiber of the cub's body, making its fur stand on end.
Her tone was laced with dominance and burning fury. "I warned you! Didn't you listen to me?!"
My eyes narrowed, locking onto the cub cowering in front of me. My gaze was cold, piercing, devoid of emotion. A veiled promise of the worst suffering if the cub dared to speak falsely.
I didn't need to utter a word. Its trembling small body was proof that it understood. The law of the jungle I'd applied on Earth worked just the same here.
The tiger cub trembled violently. Though fear of its enraged mother consumed it, my own cold gaze was no less terrifying, urging it to lie.
"M-Mom!" its voice quivered, almost breaking, a fearful whimper. It lowered its head, avoiding its mother's gaze, feigning extreme fear.
"I didn't mean to bring him! He... this human was almost killed by another beast! Look at his eyes, Mom, and his stomach is full of wounds!" It raised its small, trembling paw, pointing towards me.
"I felt sorry for him! He... he's so weak!"
The mother tiger shifted her gaze to me. I could feel her eyes scanning every inch of my body, observing the wounds on my stomach and face. The scent of my own dried blood, now probably mingled with the earthy smell from the abyss, permeated the air.
I maintained a neutral expression, allowing myself to appear weak and helpless, like an exhausted prey that had stumbled into a predator's den by chance.
The mother tiger let out a low rumble. The sound wasn't a roar, but a deep hum from her throat, laced with suspicion. "A weak human? Here? In the Ancient Shadow Forest? This makes no sense. Humans can never survive here."
She doesn't fully believe me, yet she's not entirely skeptical either. She sees the weakness in this body. That's my advantage. A trump card I need to maintain.
Night began to fall, bringing the shroud of darkness. Suddenly, the muscles in the mother tiger's shoulders tensed. The fur on her nape stood on end. Her tail swished impatiently, lashing the air.
A large claw, the size of a short sword blade, extended from her soft but deadly paw pads. The air around her vibrated, and I could feel an immense pressure, a pure aura of killing intent pressing on my lungs.
A test. She wants to see if I'll flinch. If I'll kneel. If I'll beg. She wants to see if I'm just a lucky human or something more.
I didn't flinch. My eyes remained fixed on hers—no fear, just cold analysis. I had already formulated a plan in my mind. This was a gamble, a cruel bet pitting her natural instincts against my pretense.
Risk of death? Forty percent. It felt like rolling the dice on a gambling table. But the reward? Information. Knowledge. Power. A way out of my ignorance. Worth the gamble. Every risk is an opportunity.
The large claw moved. Swish! Its speed was incredible, cutting through the air with a sharp, hissing sound. I could feel the cold gust of wind from its deadly movement hitting my face.
The claw shot straight towards my chest, so fast that the cub beside me yelped in fear, its voice barely audible, a small whimper carried by the night wind.
Thump!
The claw stopped. Exactly one inch from my chest. I could feel the sharp tip of the claw pressing the air against my skin, a pressure that could tear me apart at any moment.
The scent of earth and blood clinging to the claw stung my nose, a brutal reminder of death. I didn't blink. No change in expression.
I just stared at her, letting the silence take over.
The mother tiger stared at me, her golden pupils narrowing into menacing vertical slits. There was a flash of surprise in her eyes, mixed with curiosity. Her expression clearly showed she was considering something new.
"What's your name, brave human who isn't afraid of death?" Her voice was no longer filled with anger, but deeper, laced with questions, as if acknowledging something extraordinary.
Name. A new identity. Something I can play with. Something I can sacrifice for a greater gain.
I grinned faintly, a smile barely visible behind the scratches on my face. My eyes stared straight into hers, conveying a sense of profound exhaustion. "My name is... Xiao Bai."
The mother tiger tilted her head slightly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing on her muzzle. Xiao Bai. Little White. Foolish. Easily manipulated. Perhaps she thought, Good. A unique tool. A slave.
Mei's gaze lingered on my face, a flicker of something calculating in her golden eyes. He has unusual courage. Not an ordinary human who would die of fear. He's useful.
The mother tiger let out a low growl, but this time it wasn't a threat. It was a deeper sound, as if she were thinking and making a decision.
"Alright, Xiao Bai," the mother tiger said, her voice now calmer, but still dominant. She glanced at the cub, which immediately cowered obediently at her feet.
"You can rest here tonight. My child will watch over you."
I nodded, then sat leaning against the cave wall, feeling the cold stone seep into my wounds. An opportunity. A chance to recover and gain information.
I felt my drained vitality slowly return, though very gradually, from the air that felt richer in spiritual energy inside the cave.
"Thank you," I said, my voice sounding tired, fitting the role I was playing. I looked at the mother tiger with an innocent gaze.
"I have some questions about this place. I've never seen beasts that can talk like you. I want to know more."
I deliberately avoided direct questions about human cultivation, so as not to raise suspicion that I was ignorant of this world. I wanted her to think I was just curious about beasts, not because I was totally clueless.
The mother tiger snorted, as if amused by my curiosity. "Of course. Most humans are too weak and foolish to meet beasts like us at this stage. What do you want to know, Xiao Bai?"
I began to ask, focusing on beast cultivation. "How can beasts absorb energy? Are there stages? What happens if a beast reaches a very high stage?"
The mother tiger, perhaps proud of her knowledge or simply wanting to show off her power to this "weak human," began to explain, her voice deep and authoritative.
"We, the beasts, absorb spiritual energy from nature. From the forest, from rivers, from rocks. We don't have a Dantian like humans; we form a Beast Core within our bodies, like meridians that gather energy. This is our path to ultimate power."
She continued. "In the early stages, we are Spiritual Beasts. We begin to absorb energy, our bodies become stronger, our senses sharpen. I can see and feel a mouse moving from dozens of meters away."
"Then, that energy gathers and forms a Beast Core within our bodies. This is the turning point. That core has several levels. First is the Bronze Core. Beasts at this stage are much stronger than Spiritual Beasts. They can roar with rock-shattering power. After that, the Silver Core, our core is more stable, our abilities begin to vary. Some can spit fire, others have skin as hard as steel."
"And the peak of the Beast Core," her voice grew even more proud, "is the Gold Core. This is a very rare stage. Our core is perfect, and we have full intelligence, even able to speak fluently like humans." She paused for a moment, looking at me, as if waiting for my reaction.
Gold Core. That's the level. And this is all good groundwork for me. I nodded slowly, showing great interest.
"Above the Gold Core," the mother tiger continued, "there are King Beasts. They are leaders, capable of controlling many other beasts and influencing their environment with their aura of dominance.
Then Emperor Beasts, absolute rulers of vast territories, their power can shatter mountains." And the peak..." she snorted, "is Immortal Beasts. That's a legend, Xiao Bai. Beasts that transcend death."
I absorbed every word, analyzing it, comparing it with my scientific knowledge from Earth. Spiritual energy, cores, stages... this is a complex system, yet understandable. Every stage, every ability, was recorded in my mind.
"Human form?" I asked, pretending to be surprised. "Beasts can transform into humans? That's amazing!"
"Of course," the mother tiger replied, her voice full of pride.
"Only beasts that have reached the Gold Core stage can do that. This is a sign of ultimate power and wisdom for beasts." She looked at me, a faint smile appearing on her muzzle.
"Are you impressed, Xiao Bai?"
I nodded slowly, my eyes sparkling. "Very. I've never seen anything like this."
Night had completely enveloped the Forest, only the faint moonlight filtering into the cave. The mother tiger stood, her fur gleaming in the dim light.
Her muscles tensed, and the cave, which had been silent, now began to hum with a quiet energy. It wasn't a roar, but a deep, resonant pulse, as if the very air was a living thing, and she was its heart.
Whirl! Crackle!
My gaze, cold and analytical, didn't miss a thing. I watched as the spiritual energy, the 'breath of this world,' coiled around her. It was a beautiful and terrifying sight, like a celestial event being born from a mortal beast.
Golden light and orange hues swirled together, melting her fierce fur into a soft, pale skin. Her claws, once tools of death, became slender fingers of art.
In a blink of an eye, where the mother tiger stood, there was now a woman. She was incredibly beautiful, with long, jet-black hair that contrasted with her smooth, pale skin. A pair of pointed tiger ears protruded gracefully from her head, twitching softly.
A long, bushy orange-and-black tail, similar to her original fur, swayed slowly behind her, appearing flexible and strong.
Her clothes were made of orange and black beast hide, fitting her body perfectly, highlighting her graceful silhouette.
Her eyes, which had been golden, now looked more human, yet still radiated deep power and wisdom, a gaze that could pierce the soul.
She looked at me with a faint smile, full of mystery and indescribable power.
The raw, primal power I had felt moments ago was not gone, but refined. Bottled. Made into something more subtle and dangerous.
The beast was not gone; it was simply wearing a new mask. A mask of beauty and grace, but underneath, the same untamed power still lurked, waiting to be unleashed.
"How is it, Xiao Bai?" her voice was now softer, melodious, yet still contained an undeniable dominance. "Are you impressed?"