The scene shattered abruptly, only to reassemble amidst excruciating pain.
This time, he was a fully grown Molten Gold Battle Tiger, locked in mortal combat with a dozens-of-meters-long green python in the muddy swamps.
The slippery, massive serpentine body coiled around his frame, crushing his bones piece by piece with unbearable agony. At death's door, his molten gold-burning single eye fixed unwaveringly on the python's vital spot. Gathering all his remaining strength, his tiger claws tore through the scales, ripping out the still-beating heart.
As the python died, its monstrous maw gaped open, countless needle-like fangs piercing through his abdomen...
The scene shifted again.
An aged battle tiger stood alone atop a snow-capped peak, battered by knife-edged winds. Three towering, ten-meter-tall pale skeletons crawled from glacial fissures, their eye sockets flickering with eerie Soulfire.
Decaying bone claws shattered the frozen earth, unleashing a piercing death storm that swept toward him.
"ROAR!"
The tiger's roar shattered glaciers as his eyes erupted with tangible streams of light, burning through the skeletal ribcages. Yet a broken giant rib shot forth like a javelin, impaling his last remaining right eye.
Darkness and pain swallowed his vision...
At this desperate moment of near-death, all illusions collapsed like glass shattered by a hammer.
Each "death" brought mental shocks that nearly drove Han Ning unconscious, yet some icy force forcibly kept his awareness suspended.
In the boundless darkness, only a pair of enormous pupils remained—suspended in the void, flowing with molten gold liquid.
These star-sized pupils radiated coldness, majesty, and indifference, their gaze carrying the will to crush insignificant ants as they stared at the dust-like Han Ning.
"Human, can you withstand my will?"
Boom!
An intangible mental pressure descended like collapsing mountains.
Han Ning's spiritual form groaned under the strain, every inch of his "body" emitting clear cracking sounds.
"Gahh..." Agony from his soul's depths assaulted him, threatening to tear him apart.
As his consciousness wavered, a thick aura enveloped Han Ning's spirit, alleviating the pain.
Lifting his nearly shattered "body," Han Ning mustered all his mental will to shout toward those molten gold pupils, his consciousness exploding in the void:
"Of course!"
The void fell silent for an instant.
The molten gold pupils contracted, their flowing light seeming to freeze.
Boom!
The eyes vanished, collapsing into an extreme line of golden light.
This golden thread ignored the barriers of mental space and Han Ning's resistance, piercing deep between his brows like a red-hot branding iron.
"AH!"
In reality, Han Ning's eyes snapped open as his body convulsed violently, rain mixing with cold sweat rolling down his temples.
Between his brows, a roaring tiger's head mark outlined in molten gold suddenly blazed to life. Its radiance pierced through the rain curtain, dyeing the surrounding murky waters with flowing gold.
Along the mark's edges, intricate golden patterns spread downward—across his forehead, covering both cheeks, before vanishing beneath his skin. Only faint golden veins remained visible beneath the surface, exuding faint majesty.
[Beast Spirit Mark: Molten Gold Battle Tiger has been imprinted!]
[Beast Form (Beginner) (2/2000) - Molten Gold Battle Tiger]
"Huff... huff..."
Han Ning knelt on one knee in the muddy water, gasping for breath as icy rain sizzled against his scorching skin.
With a thought, he activated the newly branded Molten Gold Tiger Mark between his brows.
Hum!
Spiritual Power flowed through his body, drawn by the molten gold insignia.
An intense tearing sensation spread throughout his limbs.
Under Han Ning's astonished gaze, his bones became enveloped in emerald natural light, stretching and transforming as muscle fibers rapidly reshaped.
Crack! Crack!
His body visibly grew taller and more massive.
The once well-fitting jacket tore apart under bulging muscles, revealing skin now covered in dark golden fur.
His fingers transformed into tiger paws covered in dark golden keratin, ending in curved lethal claws.
His spine strengthened, legs becoming thicker and more reverse-jointed, feet morphing into massive tiger claws that dug deep into the muddy ground.
Han Ning's facial bones protruded forward, his mouth and nose elongating as ivory fangs pierced through his lips to form a majestic tiger's maw.
His eyes completely transformed into tiger's eyes.
Golden flames slowly swirled within his pupils, like flowing magma.
On his forehead, the Molten Gold Tiger Mark clearly emerged like a monarch's crown.
The entire process took less than five seconds.
A muscular figure over two meters tall, half-human half-tiger, now stood in the storm.
His torso, back, and overall silhouette still retained human characteristics.
[You are currently in Molten Gold Battle Tiger (Partial) state, with continuous Spiritual Power consumption.]
[Spiritual Power: 72/90 (40/50)
Mental Power: 4 (2)]
[Values in () represent base stats. External display shows values after transformation and Earth Blessing bonuses.]
[In Molten Gold Battle Tiger state, awakened 'Molten Gold Eyes' talent, additionally gained 'Metal Splitting Claw (Beginner)' and 'Heat Breath (Beginner)' skills.]
Maintaining an upright posture, his body covered in dark golden fur, the thick muscles of his lower limbs bulged with explosive power.
A tiger tail covered in dark golden rings, its tip burning with a small golden flame, swayed slowly behind him.
The perfect fusion of human torso and tiger features created a half-beast form brimming with powerful beauty and wild majesty.
Wherever the Molten Gold Eyes scanned, even the dense raindrops distorted and evaporated from invisible heat.
"ROAR!"
Han Ning couldn't help but roar at the sky.
The soundwave was no longer purely human - it carried the tremoring bass of a tiger's roar, making the surrounding puddles ripple violently and causing distant floating planks to vibrate.
"Eep..."
Snowflake, lying nearby, stared dumbfounded.
Only when Han Ning released his deafening tiger roar did the lizard suddenly jolt, curling into a trembling ball as if encountering a natural predator.
Han Ning looked down at his tiger claws.
Dark golden keratin covered the backs of his hands, five razor-sharp claws gleaming like curved daggers.
"This power, this surging sense of strength!!"
In his transformed state, Han Ning felt fire burning in his chest, demanding release.
His eyes flashed as he slightly crouched, extending both tiger arms to strike at empty air on either side.
BOOM!!
The wind carrying rain erupted with terrifying sonic booms, creating two completely vacuumized zones.
His thoughts stirred slightly as he raised his right claw and casually swung it toward a nearby concrete lamppost half-buried in the water.
Whoosh!
A shrill sound of tearing air echoed.
Boom-crack!
The thick cement-covered lamppost was struck with a deep, spiderweb-like dent from what seemed like a casual swipe.
The steel rebar beneath the cement flickered with a faint crimson glow. The terrifying residual heat from the claw's edge vaporized the rainwater nearby into a vast expanse of white mist.
[Molten Gold Eyes]: Your attacks carry molten heat, dealing additional burning damage to both spiritual and physical entities while significantly boosting mental resistance.
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