ROAR!
Seeing the colossal golden blur appear above him, the Ghost Tiger roared with pure, territorial fury and launched itself upward. Before its massive figure arrived, a suffocating aura mixed with the fetid stench of ancient prey slammed into Zhu Hao. The tiger's muscles bunched, ready to tear the insolent golden creature to shreds.
"Follow the Laws of Heaven and Earth!"
Zhu Hao's voice boomed, resonating with a primeval power that had no business coming from a creature that looked like a teddy bear. His body swelled instantly, transforming from a tiny, 1-meter-tall pig bear into a terrifying,10-meter-tall colossus of shining gold.
His strength multiplied a hundredfold, and a fierce, powerful aura radiated from him. His eyes, now the size of dinner plates, looked down at the charging Ghost Tiger like two sharp, condescending swords.
This was overkill, and Zhu Hao knew it, but testing the limits of his new abilities was the whole point.
"Flying Eight Wings, cut!"
The eight massive golden wings sprouting from the back of the giant bear flapped once. They weren't just for flight; they were now razor-sharp extensions of his will. In an instant, it seemed as if countless golden blades burst forth, creating a sheer curtain of slicing energy. These wings, thin and translucent like cicada wings but impossibly sharp, flashed through the air, aimed directly at the Ghost Tiger's trajectory.
Swish, swish, swish!
The countless golden blurs passed right through the charging form of the Ghost Tiger without any visible obstruction. They kept going, ripping into the ancient, towering trees behind the tiger, slicing them into fine, uniform pieces that collapsed with silent resignation.
"Ah, the Shadow Clone!" Zhu Hao realized instantly. The tiger's cunning technique—creating two identical shadows to distract and confuse—was immediately exposed to his system-aware mind.
ROAR!
True to the skill's name, the very next moment, two shadowy Ghost Tigers materialized beside the giant golden bear, pouncing towards him with fangs bared and claws extended. They moved with spectral speed, aiming for his enormous throat.
"Perfect timing!"
Zhu Hao's eyes lit up. His monstrous fighting spirit soared. His titanic figure seemed to flicker, and then disappeared in a blinding flash!
He hadn't truly vanished; he was just moving at a speed that even the enhanced eyes of the Ghost Tiger couldn't track, thanks to the sheer thrust power of the Flying Eight Wings combined with his monstrous size.
In an instant, the golden giant's figure reappeared, seeming to phase in front of the two attacking tigers simultaneously. Before either could react, the golden wings, now functioning as surgical scalpels, slashed across the base of both their necks.
Swish!
As the sickening sound of razor-sharp weapon meeting flesh was heard, Zhu Hao's golden figure emerged from the side. One of the Ghost Tigers dissipated instantly, revealing it to be a harmless illusion. The other, the real one, fell to the ground with a heavy, sickening thud. A deep, arterial gash split its throat, and dark blood spurted out continuously.
"Hiccup…"
The Ghost Tiger lay on the mossy forest floor, its powerful body twitching, blood bubbling from its mouth. It gave one final, choked sound before its massive eyes went dim.
BZZZT!
A glorious notification filled Zhu Hao's vision:
Soul Beast Defeated: Ghost Tiger (800 years)Energy +40Experience +40New Magical Power Assimilated: Shadow Clone
"Yes! Worthy of being a high-tier Soul Beast!"
Zhu Hao nodded in satisfaction, quickly shrinking back to his small, round, adorable form. His little, plump face was beaming with triumph. The attack capability was impressive. The Ghost Tiger's natural defense was strong, but under the razor-sharp edge of the Flying Eight Wings, its throat was sliced like tofu. "Not to mention the speed of the Flying Eight Wings," he muttered. "Even a Title Douluo with flying skills would struggle to catch me. Lord Pig is simply too fast!"
Zhu Hao quickly checked his status, his mind already calculating the next phase of his power development.
Light of the Pig God
Name: Zhu Hao
Race: Little Pig Bear
Level: Level 3 (Energy 0/1000, Experience 0/1000)
Energy: 1120.1053
Experience: 89.2021
Magical Powers: Law of Heaven and Earth, Flying Eight Wings, Spider Web, Double Scythes, Gale Bow, Ink Soul Spear, Venomous Fangs, Straw Rope, Drilling, Hardness, Kick (Energy 0/100, Experience 0/100)
Backpack: Shadow Clone, Thorn, Black Chicken Beak, Venom (Energy 0/1, Experience 0/1)...
"Still a long way to go for the full level-up," Zhu Hao mused. "But my Energy is flush, and I have enough Experience to upgrade a handful of my foundational powers. Enhancing existing powers is the most direct way to achieve a rapid, massive increase in actual fighting strength."
He needed to take his basic, common-sense abilities and turn them into peerless, world-shaking skills—at least by name.
"System, let's get the ball rolling! Inject the Shadow Clone skill and then upgrade the following: Shadow Clone, Kick, Hardness, Double Scythes, Spider Web, Straw Rope, and Drilling!"
BZZZT!
The internal process was instantaneous and dazzling:
"Consume 11 points of Energy and 11 points of Experience. Magical Power: Shadow Clone assimilated and upgraded to Phantom Clone! Illusionary forms are now 50% more realistic and durable."
"Consume 11 points of Energy and 11 points of Experience. Magical Power: Kick upgraded to Heavenly Cruel Kick! Force output increased by 200%, damage area widened by 150%!"
"Consume 10 points of Energy and 10 points of Experience. Magical Power: Hardness upgraded to Vajra Indestructibility! Physical defense boosted to near-absolute resistance against blunt force trauma!"
"Consume 10 points of Energy and 10 points of Experience. Magical Power: Double Scythes upgraded to Death Scythe! Edges now possess a spectral quality capable of bypassing conventional armor!"
"Consume 10 points of Energy and $10$ points of Experience. Magical Power: Spider Web upgraded to Heaven's Dragnet! Web material is now 10 times tougher, size increased to cover a $\text{50}$-meter radius, and possesses a basic tracking property!"
"Consume 10 points of Energy and 10 points of Experience. Magical Power: Straw Rope upgraded to Soul-Locking Chain! Rope is now a hardened chain that inflicts a brief, paralyzing spiritual shock upon capture!"
"Consume 10 points of Energy and 10 points of Experience. Magical Power: Drilling upgraded to Earth Escape! Now grants the ability to phase through earth and stone at 50 km/h, bypassing resistance!"
Light of the Pig God
Name: Zhu Hao
Race: Little Pig Bear
Level: Level 3 (Energy 0/1000, Experience 0/1000)
Energy: 1048.1053
Experience: 17.2021
Magical Powers (Upgraded!): Heaven's Dragnet, Death Scythe, Law of Heaven and Earth, Eight Wings of Flying, Vajra Indestructibility, Phantom Clone, Soul-Locking Chain, Earth Escape, Heavenly Cruel Kick, Gale Bow, Ink Soul Spear, Venomous Fang
Backpack: Thorn, Black Chicken Beak, Venom (Energy 0/1, Experience 0/1)...
"Wow! This is incredible!" Zhu Hao's round body wobbled with sheer excitement. His little fat face stretched into a smile so bright it hurt the eyes.
"Heaven's Dragnet! Death Scythe! Heavenly Cruel Kick! Just hearing the names gives Lord Pig a sense of awe and cosmic grandeur! It feels like I've just inherited the keys to the universe and am about to marry a beautiful, rich, and powerful woman all at once! I'm going to be invincible!"
The power upgrade was deeply satisfying, and now, fueled by the scent of victory and the promise of more Experience, he was ready to return.
"Let's go!"
Zhu Hao, grabbing the massive, lifeless body of the Ghost Tiger with surprising ease, flapped the eight golden wings behind him, soaring into the sky and heading back to the valley.
Swish!
In front of the wooden house in the valley, Zhu Hao landed with a soft, gentle thud that belied the immense weight he was carrying. He proudly dumped the Ghost Tiger on the ground.
"Sister Yan Rou, Xiao Wu, Lord Pig is back!"
He strutted into the house, immediately spotting Yan Rou. With a practiced maneuver, he leaped into her arms and rubbed his little chubby face against her shoulder.
"Xiao Hao, you're back already!" Yan Rou responded, her voice soft and maternal. She reached out and gently stroked Zhu Hao's head.
"Experience +3"
Perfect. The passive buff is active!
"It seems that beautiful women have a reliable experience stream hidden in their head pats and hugs!" Zhu Hao secretly delighted, concluding that this tactic would need to be employed consistently.
"Sister Yan Rou, I caught a Ghost Tiger! We'll eat well tonight!" Zhu Hao pointed toward the massive black carcass in the yard.
"My goodness! You're quite the hunter, little one," Yanrou smiled, her beautiful eyes widening slightly in surprise. She rubbed Zhu Hao's head again.
"Experience +2"
"Aha!" Zhu Hao mentally exclaimed. "It seems that if you repeat the exact same action, the reward diminishes! Just like killing multiple Soul Beasts of the same type, the system encourages variety and progression!"
Yanrou nodded. "I will prepare it now. It looks magnificent."
"Sister Yan Rou, let Lord Pig help you!" Zhu Hao jumped out of her arms and ran toward the Ghost Tiger, ready to test his new ability.
"Death Scythe!"
His two little bear claws transformed instantaneously. They stretched and hardened, turning into a pair of sharp, wicked-looking black sickles. The blades were cold, sleek, and possessed a sinister spectral quality.
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
Under the surgical efficiency of the Death Scythe, the Ghost Tiger's tough hide was sliced like soft cheese. Zhu Hao, with remarkable speed and precision, began the process of field dressing the carcass, his movements fluid and efficient.
"Little Pig! How can you be so cruel!"
Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu had run out of the house. They stopped abruptly, staring at the bloody scene with wide, horrified eyes. Xiao Wu's pink fur was trembling.
"Cruel? This is the Law of the Jungle, little rabbit," Zhu Hao said casually, not even looking up from his work. "It's just like when you eat carrots. Carrots are also alive. If Lord Pig were caught by the Ghost Tiger, I would be eaten too. Survival is not cruel; it is necessary."
"Carrots... have life?" Xiao Wu asked, her voice small. Her beautiful eyes were filled with existential confusion. Plant-type Soul Beasts were not uncommon in the forest; she knew carrots had life, but they were food. She and her mother had simply always eaten them and never considered the moral implications until now.
Zhu Hao, who had just finished his impromptu lecture on thermodynamics and the food chain, decided to cut the philosophical crisis short.
"Eat what you want," he said, turning back to the task. "But tonight, we'll eat this magnificent Ghost Tiger. Does this look like a carrot?"
Zhu Hao, having finished the essential work, grabbed a long, fleshy, and slightly disturbing object—the Ghost Tiger's enormous, thick tail, still covered in short, dark fur—with his little claw. He raised it high, presenting it before Xiao Wu's face.
"What's... this?"
Xiao Wu looked at the strange, fleshy appendage, her eyes wide with bewildered curiosity, instantly forgetting the ethics of plant life and the cruelties of the jungle.
-------------------------------------------------------
The Ghost Tiger's tail hung innocently in the air, but the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python were already closing in, unaware their rival had just upgraded his arsenal to include a Heavenly Cruel Kick.