Mirror Dream Tree V.4.15. Demon Tiger

A few days later, in the wilderness, rin’s fellow disciples glance at him as he trains in the ripple technique.

Wang Zhen turns to the others and asks, “Brothers, was the instrunt Yu Feng ntioned real or not?”

Wang Zishan chuckles, “For those guilty, they cannot risk it being real, and for us, it doesn’t matter.”

Wang Zhen frowns, “What do you an?”

Yu Lei scoffs, “Fool, the instrunt is not real.”

Wang Zhen nods slowly, understanding dawning on him.

He mutters, “Then if Tang Zhen hadn’t attacked Junior Brother, he would not have been caught.”

Wang Zishan agrees, “Tang Zhen couldn’t take the risk of the instrunt being real.”

Yu Qinshan adds, “Junior Brother should have told us the plan; if he hadn’t advanced to the master realm, and the city lord’s wife hadn’t gone to the kitchen, his situation would have been dangerous.”

All nod and turn their eyes toward rin, who clenches his fist, sending a ripple of energy forward that strikes a tree and shatters it instantly.

The disciples’ eyes shine with admiration as they watch rin’s demonstration of the ripple technique.

Wang Zishan steps forward, clapping his hands, “Junior Brother has truly mastered it; congratulations.”

Yu Lei bows slightly, “Your technique surpasses what we imagined.”

rin nods and smiles, “Thank you, brothers,” and gestures for them to sit around him.

A few minutes later, the three rabbits roasting over the fire at the centre are ready, and they begin eating.

Yu Han breaks the silence, “Junior Brother Yu Feng, you should have told us the plan; it was far too dangerous for you.”

He looks at rin with concern, “If anything had happened, we wouldn’t have been able to face the sect master.”

rin glances at each of them calmly, “I didn’t think the murderer would be Tang Zhen.”

Yu Lei says, “I even suspected the daughter of the city lord, Tang Qing, that she murdered her senior brother and pinned the bla on us for losing the Water Spirit Pearl.”

Yu Han frowns, “But why did Tang Zhen kill Hei Yuncheng and put the bla on ?”

rin answers, “It was convenient.”

They nod, recalling that the wounds Hei Yuncheng suffered matched those from Yu Han during their battle, which had ended in a draw.

Yu Lei leans forward, “Junior brother, the instrunt you spoke of—was it real or not?”

Everyone’s eyes lock on rin, waiting for him to reveal the truth behind the mystery.

rin says evenly, “The instrunt is not real—there is no such thing.”

A faint disappointnt flashes across their faces.

rin continues, “But… the instrunt 'can' be refined, if one can grasp the mysteries of Qi.”

Their eyes light up again, hope rekindled at the thought. If such a thing could be forged, their nas would be etched into history.

They know how demon beasts capable of human transformation infiltrate city-states and sects, breaking them from within by disabling city or mountain-guarding formations, or sowing chaos among sect mbers and citizens in countless ways.

The fire crackles, its warmth casting flickering shadows as they continue eating, each one silently reflecting on the weight of rin’s words and the dangers still ahead.

After finishing their al, the group packs their tents and belongings, then starts walking toward their goal—the Wu City-state.

rin walks in silence, his mind turning to Ji ilin. He had helped her escape the fate of being killed by the city lord in anger. Killing Hei Yuncheng alone would not have cost her life, but if the city lord discovered his wife’s betrayal, the outco would have been different. First, she was with Tang Zhen, and now with him.

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He had been with her to reassure her, but afterwards, he began planning to place her in control of the Tang City-state.

He wanted the resources there. His mission demanded that he build a portal for the senior's forces to invade this world, and for that, he needed a massive supply of resources.

Collecting them alone would be slow and troubleso.

For that reason, he needed forces to work under him—collecting, guarding, and expanding his reach.

They walk until sunlight falls across their shoulders, and when the light begins to fade again, they stop to make camp.

Three go to hunt, and three stay to cook. rin, Yu Qinshan, and Wang Zhen head into the wilds, their steps light on the snow.

Among them, rin is the only Qi Master, while the other two remain Qi Refiners.

Those who stay behind prepare the campfire. Wang Zishan, who advanced to Qi Master just last night, remains behind to guard alongside Yu Lei and Yu Han.

They walk for more than twenty minutes, yet not a single decent-sized ordinary beast or low-level demon beast appears.

Wang Zhen frowns and mutters, “Where have all the beasts gone?”

Yu Qinshan glances around uneasily, “Let’s return and check the other side. Going deeper into the forest would be dangerous.”

Wang Zhen quickly adds, “Junior brother, let’s just go back.”

rin spreads Qi ripples through his feet, carefully sensing for the presence of any large ordinary beasts or low-level demon beasts, but there is nothing.

Just as he turns to agree with them, a tiger’s roar explodes through the forest, so powerful that the trees shudder, birds scatter, and small critters shriek as they flee.

The three exchange glances, nervousness and worry flickering in their eyes.

Without a word, they dash toward the source of the roar.

The sound cos from the direction of their camp.

Bursting into the clearing, rin’s eyes lock onto a massive tiger, its claws blazing with fire, its fur glowing like living fla.

Wang Zishan clashes head-on with the beast, while Yu Lei and Yu Han dart around it, launching supporting strikes.

rin doesn’t hesitate—jade Qi surges out, covering his body like simring armour as he charges forward.

The tiger swings a burning claw, heat rippling through the air, but rin sidesteps in a blur and drives his fist into its flank.

The blow lands solidly, yet the tiger only turns its blazing eyes toward him, expression full of disdain.

rin narrows his eyes.

Inwardly, he admits, *this beast’s physique is too strong—ordinary attacks won’t work. I’ll have to use the Ripple Technique.*

He channels Qi through his legs and leaps back just as the tiger’s tail whips past, tearing a trench in the earth.

Jade Qi ripples across his palm, tightly contained, humming with restrained power.

Wang Zishan draws the beast’s gaze with a fierce strike, and in that instant, rin darts in and slaps his rippling palm against the tiger’s upper arm.

The mont he releases control, the ripple surges outward, vibrating through skin, muscle, and bone.

The tiger lets out a furious roar, its massive body shuddering under the invasive force.

But rin’s face tightens—he feels the backlash tearing through his own hand.

The sa vibrations crawl up his arm, and with a sharp crack, the bones in his palm splinter under the strain.

He grits his teeth against the pain, refusing to falter.

He steps back, his uninjured hand gripping the wrist of the broken one.

Jade Qi flows into his palm, soothing the torn flesh and knitting muscle back together with steady warmth.

His body, already transford by the Jade Body Technique, responds quickly—the skin and sinew nd on their own, while the Qi seeps deeper into bone.

The fractured spots begin to crystallise, hardening and fusing into seamless strength.

When the pain fades, he realizes the healed bone feels different—refined, dense, and eerily close to the Jade Bone described in ancient records.

But he has no ti to ponder.

A blazing claw sweeps toward his face, searing the air with its heat.

rin thrusts his hand forward, ramming against the tiger’s forearm to halt its strike.

His palm throbs in pain as the force rebounds through his bones, reminding him that his body is still weaker than the tiger’s.

Zishan unleashes his own technique, his strike biting into the beast’s side and dragging its attention away.

rin seizes the opening, jade Qi rippling from his left palm as he slams it into the tiger’s blazing hide.

The vibration tears through the beast’s body, but the backlash cracks his hand again.

Grinding his teeth, he pours Jade Qi into the broken palm, knitting flesh and bone back together before switching to his right hand.

The cycle repeats—attack, injury, heal, switch hands.

Each strike carves away at the tiger’s strength while his body endures the tornt, and soon the backlash hurts less than before.

His palms harden, the vibrations no longer shattering them so easily, and with each ripple strike, his confidence grows.

A sudden slash of claws tears across his thigh, blood spilling hot down his leg, but he refuses to retreat.

Zishan holds the beast’s focus while the others harry it from every side, draining its reserves bit by bit.

The six of them press together like tightening chains, forcing the tiger into desperation.

At last, its flas sputter out, its energy spent to nothing, and their combined assault crashes down, ending the beast in a final roar.

After the battle, none of them celebrate.

They sit cross-legged in silence, each swallowing recovery and healing pills, focusing only on restoring Qi and nding injuries.

As rin guides his breathing, replenishing his Qi, he feels sothing unusual—the bones in both his palms shimr faintly, carrying a lustrous shine exactly like the descriptions of the Jade Bone stage.

He realises he has stumbled onto the next stage of the Jade Body technique earlier than expected, before even completing the Jade Muscle stage.

But the thod is clear—he must crack all his bones using the Ripple Technique, forcing them to shatter and then reforge with Jade Qi.

It is dangerous, perhaps fatal, if his control slips.

rin narrows his focus and makes a decision.

He will begin with his palms, spreading the process carefully up into his hands.