Chinese Martial Arts: My Super Beast Clone

Just as the dragon-snake lizard was about to give chase, suddenly, a massive silhouette silently emerged from the shadows on the left side of the pool.

It was a strong, adult male tiger. Its striped fur looked like a wandering ghost in the night. Its four large paws stepped on the gravel without making a sound.

But the jade-horned deer seemed to sense the approaching danger. With a leap, it turned into a blur and sped into the depths of the forest.

The male tiger's massive body shot out like an arrow, whipping up a gust of wind as it closely pursued the jade-horned deer. The commotion of the deer and the tiger quickly disappeared into the distant dense forest.

The dragon lizard didn't give chase immediately. It lay there, drank its fill of water by the pool, and waited until the overpowering, fishy smell had faded considerably before it resumed its pace, following the lingering scent and falling far behind.

Over the next few days, a long tug-of-war ensued in this vast mountain forest.

The male tiger was like a leech, relentlessly pursuing the jade-horned deer. Several times, the dragon-snake-lizard found ambush positions, but were forced to abandon them due to the tiger's presence.

If they act rashly, not only will they fail to capture the prey, but they will also likely lose their own clone.

Through the dragon-snake lizard's vision, Lin Hai observed the movements in the wilderness, his brows furrowing slightly.

His continuous pursuit over the past few days led him to discover something unusual. The jade-horned deer possessed exceptional speed and stamina; if it was determined to escape, it was fully capable of breaking free of the male tiger's territory.

But it didn't.

It wandered around this area, preferring to risk being hunted and killed by male tigers every day rather than stepping out of the forest.

What's holding it back?

A guess surfaced in Lin Hai's mind. Wild beasts are quite intelligent, especially rare treasures like the Jade Horned Deer. What could make it linger there? It's most likely some kind of immature natural treasure, or an extremely special spiritual place.

He composed himself, stood up from the edge of the bed, and stretched his limbs.

These past few days, he has been taking Tiger Essence Pills internally and applying Tiger Bone Plaster externally, and practicing boxing and standing meditation every day without fail.

With the aid of the medicine, his Yi Jin Guan (Muscle/Tendon Changing Gate) was progressing very smoothly, and he had also mastered the basics of Yi Gu Guan (Bone Changing Gate). He could feel that his periosteum was thicker than before, and when he clenched his fist, an unprecedented sense of power filled his entire body.

Lin Hai pushed open the door and walked out of the room, standing on the bluestone slab in the courtyard.

He slammed his foot into the ground, twisted his waist and hips, and threw a straight punch with his right hand.

The power rising from the soles of his feet climbed up his tendons and was transmitted smoothly to his fist. As he threw this punch, all the muscles in his body trembled, unleashing a surge of power.

During this period, nourished by Tiger Essence Pills and Tiger Bone Ointment, Lin Hai's physique and strength increased rapidly. His physique reached 7.6, his strength reached 860 jin, and his whole-body strength training reached seven or eight out of ten punches. It can be said that he made rapid progress.

Even with his rapid cultivation progress, the situation in the wilderness still made him feel a sense of urgency. With the Dragon Serpent Lizard's current strength, even if he seized the opportunity, it would be difficult to snatch food from the tiger's jaws right under its nose.

He needs to assess just how powerful a male tiger truly is in actual combat.

……

In the morning, in the inner courtyard of the Fuhu Martial Arts School.

Sunlight streamed into the spacious courtyard, where several inner courtyard disciples were practicing standing meditation.

Lin Hai walked through the moon gate and immediately saw Zhou Tong practicing boxing in the center of the courtyard.

Zhou Tong's movements were wide and sweeping, each punch accompanied by a whistling sound. His muscles bulged, and sweat dripped down his neck, glistening in the sunlight.

Lin Hai stood by and watched for a while, and only stepped forward after Zhou Tong finished his set of Tiger-Taming Fist.

"Senior Brother Zhou." Lin Hai clasped his hands in greeting.

Zhou Tong wiped his sweat, turned his head and saw Lin Hai, a smile appearing on his face: "Junior Brother Lin, your cultivation speed is amazing, you must be close to completing the Yi Jin Guan stage, right?"

"Master is too kind, and my fellow disciples have also taken good care of me." Lin Hai smiled. "How is your injury healing, Senior Brother?"

"I'm all better now." Zhou Tong stretched his shoulders, his joints cracking. "That beast's last bite was really heavy. If I hadn't passed the Bone Transformation stage, this half of my arm probably wouldn't have healed in at least half a year. Fortunately, it's fine now. After resting for two more days, I can continue to train my body and complete the final step of the Marrow Transformation."

Lin Hai nodded, subtly changing the subject: "Senior Brother Zhou, I've been practicing the Tiger-Taming Fist these past few days, but I feel like something's missing. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to give me a few pointers?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tong paused for a moment. He looked Lin Hai up and down.

"Sure." Zhou Tong didn't refuse, casually tossing the towel onto the weapon rack beside him. "I've got nothing else to do anyway. But let's make it clear first, this is just a friendly spar. Fists and feet have no eyes, and I've only just recovered from my injury, so I might not be able to control my strength as well."

"I understand." Lin Hai took two steps back and assumed a fighting stance in the center of the courtyard.

The two stood facing each other, and several disciples practicing their stances around them stopped what they were doing and gathered around with great interest.

"Senior Brother Zhou, please forgive me."

As soon as Lin Hai finished speaking, he pushed off with his feet, the soles of his shoes scraping against the bluestone slabs with a short, sharp sound. He leaned forward, his right fist shooting straight at Zhou Tong's chest like a cannonball—it was the "Fierce Tiger Emerging from the Forest" move from the Tiger Subduing Fist.

This punch was not fancy; it relied entirely on the explosive power of the whole body, and it was both fast and ruthless.

Zhou Tong's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Well done!" Instead of retreating, he advanced, stepping forward with his left foot, lowering his waist and hips, and meeting the attack with his right fist.

"Bang!"

The two fists collided, producing a dull thud.

Lin Hai felt a powerful force surge up his arm, but his lower body was extremely stable, and he withstood the blow. At the same time, he swept his left arm horizontally, striking Zhou Tong's side.

Neither of them used any complicated techniques; they were simply clashing head-on with the moves of the Tiger-Taming Fist. Their fists slammed into muscles and bones, producing a series of dull thuds.

After exchanging a few blows, Lin Hai had a better understanding of the situation.

Zhou Tong's physique was indeed formidable, his bones as hard as iron, which should be a characteristic of the perfected Yi Gu Guan (a martial arts technique). However, in terms of pure strength alone, Zhou Tong seemed to be inferior to him.

From the several direct punches, Lin Hai could sense that Zhou Tong's punching force was around 800 jin (approximately 400 kg). However, due to his injury, the force he unleashed was slightly less than 800 jin. If Lin Hai were to unleash his full power, Zhou Tong would be at a disadvantage in terms of strength.

However, Zhou Tong's practical experience was indeed superb. Every time he was about to lose a direct confrontation, he was always able to neutralize Lin Hai's explosive power through footwork and angles.

"Junior Brother Lin, not bad strength!" Zhou Tong laughed loudly, and his fist technique suddenly changed.

He wrapped his arms around Lin Hai's neck, lunged forward, and simultaneously swung his fists at Lin Hai from the left and right.

This is a killing move from the Tiger Subduing Fist style, "Two Tigers Fighting for Food".

This move requires extremely high strength in the waist, abdomen, and legs; it demands overwhelming force in a single, powerful lunge.