Chapter 6 Cultivation in the Mountains

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  For Xia Yan's ingratitude, Xia Zixin still felt a little disappointed in her heart. She thought that not only did Xia Yan want to save face, but he was also not as natural with her as before. After all, this was her kind intention. But unexpectedly, her good intentions were not accepted. Xia Zixin bit her bright red lips and immediately dispelled the distracting thoughts that suddenly popped up in her mind.

  Leaving from the back door of Xia's residence, Xia Yan bought a whole package of shaobing on the nearby street, spending a total of fifty copper coins. Only then did he leave from the North Gate of Yushui City and head quickly towards Mount Yushui.

  Yushui Mountain is not far from Yushui City, exit the north gate and walk more than ten miles to reach the foot of the mountain. Xia Yan had been to Yushui Mountain several times before, so it was a familiar road.

  "I am at Xia's house, although generally no one comes looking for me. But being alone in the mountains to cultivate is even more conducive to a calm mind."

  In order to cultivate in peace without being disturbed, Xia Yan decided to go to Yushui Mountain to focus on his cultivation.

  "Maybe one day I'll open up a meridian in my body and quickly open up the remaining 107 meridians! I don't believe...I don't believe I'm useless!" Xia Yan thought to himself as he walked quickly, his eyes shining with determination.

  It is precisely because of this unyielding conviction and unwavering determination that Xia Yan was able to persevere for ten years without making any progress, never giving up.

  By dusk, Xia Yan had already arrived at a mountain peak in Yushui Mountain. Yushui Mountain was not high, with some shrubs and forests growing on it, and occasionally some ordinary wild beasts could be seen. However, the north side of Yushui Mountain was a narrow passage. The end of that passage was the most terrifying Sinister Forest rumored.

  Xia Yan searched for a place in the mountains that was close to a stream and could block the wind and rain. He then gathered many stalks of licorice root and firewood from around him, piling them up into a heap, thus completing his preparations for cultivation. Xia Yan had also read in some books before that some powerful cultivators liked quietness, so they would cultivate alone in the mountains; what he was doing today was merely imitating those people.

  Time flies quickly, and in the blink of an eye, Xia Yan has spent a week on the mountain. Every day, Xia Yan eats dry rations brought from the city and drinks the sweet stream water in the mountains, but there is still no progress in his cultivation.

  "Why..."

  Under the moonlight, Xia Yan's lonely figure sat on the grass, facing the moonbeams, his eyes dazed and murmuring to himself.

  "Mother..." Looking at the starry sky, Xia Yan only felt exhausted all over his body. For these few days, he had been sleeping for only two or three hours each day. His muscles seemed to be twisted into a knot, and the numbness and soreness kept spreading to his brain, making him really want to sleep well!

  "Are those twinkling stars Mom's eyes? Mom, you've been watching me all along!" Xia Yan looked up at the vast starry sky, her mouth slightly curved upwards.

  "I won't give up!" Finally, Xia Yan gritted her teeth and suddenly sat up from the ground.

  "Hmmph!"

  At this moment, suddenly, a loud roar of a fierce beast came from behind Xia Yan. Xia Yan was startled in his heart and immediately calmed down, turning around at an extremely fast speed, and drew out a dagger from his boot with one hand.

  A striped tiger, with its bright red eyes staring at Xia Yan, was only three or four meters away from him. With just one pounce, Xia Yan would be directly attacked.

  "Damn, how did it get so close without me noticing? This Yu Shui Mountain actually has such a large and ferocious tiger!" Xia Yan's heart was somewhat bitter, earlier he had lost focus, and hadn't even noticed the tiger approaching. If earlier when his back was turned this tiger hadn't suddenly let out a loud roar but instead pounced directly, Xia Yan would probably have been injured or even killed.

  Her eyes were fixed on the fierce tiger, Xia Yan gripped the dagger in her hand tightly, her body motionless.

  The tiger shook its head, and with a heavy paw it slapped the ground, instantly splitting a stone beneath its paw with a loud "crack".

  "Come on! Bastard!" Xia Yan's muscles tensed up, his eyes shot out a fierce light, and he let out a low growl.

  It was as if he had understood Xia Yan's provocative voice, and the spotted tiger's entire body hair stood up like steel needles. Its massive, powerful body crouched down into a jumping posture, and then suddenly pounced towards Xia Yan at an astonishing speed. The distance of three or four meters was covered in just an instant, and it arrived right in front of Xia Yan. Xia Yan's left foot kicked out with force, and his body quickly rolled to the right side. Xia Yan's movements were swift, but the tiger's speed was even faster. The tiger's sharp claws slapped down onto Xia Yan's left shoulder, and instantly blood flowed like a fountain.

  Fortunately, Xia Yan had been exercising his body over the past few years, and his muscles were as hard as rocks. If not, he would have found it difficult to dodge the fierce tiger's pounce just now.

  Xia Yan looked at the wound on his left arm, which was quite long but not deep. The crimson blood flowed continuously down his arm.

  Sensing the smell of blood, the flower-patterned tiger became even more frenzied, quickly twisting its body to face Xia Yan again. Its iron-like tail whipped the ground fiercely and its body leapt into the air once more, this time pouncing towards Xia Yan with a speed that was one part faster than before.

  "Hmmph!"

  A loud whistle, and the entire mountain forest was shaken.

  Xia Yan was exceptionally calm, suddenly crouching down and lying on the ground, in a critical moment, he used all his strength to stab the dagger upwards.

  A "whoosh" sound, the sound of a sharp blade entering flesh.

  The tiger's belly is the weakest part of its body.

  "Damn you, go die!"

  "Roar!" The tiger let out a mournful howl, its copper-colored eyes bursting with scarlet light. Its body convulsed wildly before falling, and its sharp claws swiped at the air several times in succession.

  "Hmph!" A massive body of several hundred kilograms, mercilessly and heavily pressed down on Xia Yan's body, even the hard mountain stone ground was shaken.

  A moment of silence, only the mountain wind blowing from an unknown direction, bringing a refreshing air from the mountains. After a long while, the old tiger lying motionless on the ground suddenly moved.

  "Huff...huff..." Then, a coarse and heavy panting sound came out. The massive body of the flower-patterned tiger was overturned, and Xia Yan in his green robe crawled out from underneath, sitting on top of the tiger's body and panting heavily for a while.

  After a while, Xia Yan finally stood up from the tiger's body, his gaze slowly shifting from the tiger's tail to its head.

  "Lucky, if that last strike hadn't hit the mark, it would've been all over!" Xia Yan thought back to the intense battle earlier, it was truly a narrow escape. If that one knife hadn't struck the tiger's vital spot, then the one who'd be dead now wouldn't be the tiger, but him, Xia Yan. Those sharp claws could easily tear open his belly! Those razor-sharp teeth could snap his neck in one bite.

  "Huh?" Xia Yan suddenly felt a sense of unease, a feeling that was similar to intuition. At this moment, he felt as if something around him was watching him.

  Xia Yan stood still, his ears perked up, trying to listen carefully for any sound of breathing. His hearing was extremely sensitive.

  But as the time for a cup of tea passed, Xia Yan felt somewhat disappointed. Except for the occasional mountain breeze, there was no other sound here.

  "Could it be just my misconception?" Xia Yan couldn't help but mutter a sentence.

  "Kid, it's not an illusion!" Suddenly, a voice sounded behind Xia Yan, Xia Yan jumped violently, his face turned pale in an instant, and his whole body spun around 360 degrees at high speed. Because this sudden voice was almost ringing in his ears.

  Xia Yan quickly turned his face around, and what entered his eyes was another face, this one almost stuck to his.

  "Ah!" she cried out in surprise, Xia Yan's face turned pale with shock, and she retreated three steps before falling to the ground with a thud.

  It was then that Xia Yan finally got a clear look at this person.

  A grey-white beard, disheveled hair, a snow-white long robe, bright and piercing eyes, looking like sixty or seventy years old, yet with a ruddy complexion. At this moment, his eyes were wide open, with a hint of sparkling light in them, curiously staring at Xia Yan who was sitting on the ground, with a faint smile on his face.