The White Crystal Tiger King had grown quite sturdy in the village these past few months. This was likely because the Flame King Human-faced Lion had already drawn most of the villagers' hatred. Consequently, the White Crystal Tiger King, initially just cannon fodder, wasn't the target of much enmity from the villagers. Of course, as the village chief often said, the plan was to fatten it up before the slaughter. After being fed for about four or five months, the White Crystal Tiger King had indeed grown much sturdier. It even indicated that it no longer wanted to return to the Divine Wood Forest. Here, it could eat and drink for free, eat its fill, sleep, and live a blissful life. It didn't have to hunt wild beasts every day and worry about its daily sustenance. The villagers had even constructed a special Tiger Cage for it.

One day, after finishing a piece of deliciously fragrant wild boar meat, the White Crystal Tiger King was lying in its nest of crushed grass. It stretched lazily, just about to nap. Suddenly, it spotted a familiar figure approaching. As if by reflex, it shot up, clamped its hind legs together, and tucked its tail tightly against its rear.

"Don't get excited, don't get excited!" Wang Mu waved his hand. "I'm not here to slaughter you; I'm not interested in your tiger's penis."

The White Crystal Tiger King understood human speech and let out a slight sigh of relief.

Wang Mu sized it up. "Haven't seen you in months. I didn't expect you'd put on some weight." The White Crystal Tiger King let out a howl. Wang Mu continued, "You're so fat and haven't exercised; your strength must have decreased quite a bit, right? Aren't you craving a hearty, exhilarating battle?"

The White Crystal Tiger King quickly shook its head. Its comfortable life had made it forget about fighting; it was too tiring and arduous. It was much better to just lie down and have food served.

Wang Mu nodded. "Got it. You're very eager. Although I don't understand tiger language, I can grasp your meaning."

The White Crystal Tiger King was speechless.

"Since that's the case, let me test you," Wang Mu said as he opened the Tiger Cage. "Come on out. It's obvious the villagers intend to fatten you up and then slaughter you."

Startled by his words, the White Crystal Tiger King immediately sprang up and hurriedly followed Wang Mu out of the cage to an open area.

"Come on, attack me!" Wang Mu patted himself. "You'd better use that light-beam attack you can shoot from your mouth!"

The White Crystal Tiger King was suddenly confused. Was this human tired of living and actively seeking death? It glanced at the outside world. The thought of being fattened for slaughter made it want to run away immediately. Now that it was out of the Tiger Cage, this was the perfect opportunity. Though its spiritual wisdom wasn't high, it began to eye Wang Mu, intense aggression radiating from its tiger eyes. He's just standing there. Could it be a trap? The White Crystal Tiger King pondered. If he wanted to kill it, why would he have let it out of the Tiger Cage? With that thought, it suddenly understood.

It began to sprint towards Wang Mu. Though much fatter, it was still agile. Its massive body shook the ground like a small mountain as it pounced. Take this, tiger claw! The claws hidden in its fat had less of a cold gleam and more of a heavy, oppressive force.

Wang Mu also raised a palm and slapped out to meet it. The White Crystal Tiger King's strength was extremely formidable; a single palm strike from it could shatter mountains and break stones. However, the moment their vastly different palms collided, Wang Mu's body emitted a faint hum. His coiling body suddenly erupted with the force of a thousand charging horses. A violent torrent of air instantly exploded outwards, creating a massive sonic boom!

The White Crystal Tiger King felt a tremendous force slam into it. Before it could react, it was sent flying by this immense counterforce, tumbling through the air before crashing to the ground in a parabolic arc.

THUD!

A crater appeared where it landed, cracks spiderwebbing outwards. A few breaths later, the White Crystal Tiger King staggered to its feet, shaking its head. The tiger was stunned into silence. Its eyes were filled with utter disbelief.

Wang Mu, however, appeared contemplative. The fortieth layer of the Hundred Refinement Body Technique, especially the strength boost after Bone Casting, has elevated my power to an incredibly terrifying level. Wang Mu glanced back at the distance he had been pushed. It was short, only a step or two—negligible. My strength can already crush Fierce Beasts like the White Crystal Tiger King... After Bone Casting, it's truly a night-and-day difference. Moreover, my body barely felt the impact from the recoil just now... Wang Mu now had a rough understanding of his current capabilities.

Wang Mu shouted at the Tiger King, "Hurry up and use your ultimate move!"

The Tiger King was furious. It truly couldn't believe its strength was weaker than that of a mere mortal. It opened its mouth, and a platinum-colored light condensed within. It instantaneously transformed into a beam of light that shot towards Wang Mu.

So this is the move. Wang Mu watched the orb of light, feeling a slight sense of danger, but not an overwhelming one. It's nothing like the lethal sensation I felt before.

The orb of light landed not far from Wang Mu and abruptly exploded, its destructive power radiating outwards from the epicenter. Wang Mu raised his arm to shield his face. As the orb of light exploded, a scorching, fierce blast instantly engulfed the surroundings!

The White Crystal Tiger King looked slightly weakened but wore a rather smug expression. This human must have lost his mind, it thought. He knew to dodge before, but now he isn't even trying. Not many Fierce Beasts in the Divine Wood Forest would dare to take this attack head-on.

However, as the light from the explosion dissipated, the ground lay shattered and cracked, a faint, piercing aura still lingering in the air... Only that human figure remained standing in the center. His clothes were tattered, revealing strong, well-defined muscles.

Wang Mu slowly lowered his arms and inspected his body. There were many fissure-like marks on his skin, but they weren't painful, as most hadn't drawn blood. With muscle and bone integrated, their strength radiating to the skin, my defensive power has truly begun to take shape. Wang Mu focused on the current sensation. That was the spell the opponent cast. And it seemed to be a Gold Attribute spell, which is extremely destructive. Yet, the damage to my body wasn't severe. This is the power of the Hundred Refinement Body Technique at the fortieth layer.

This was somewhat beyond Wang Mu's expectations, yet also within the realm of what he had anticipated. I have a little over seven months left. I hope to complete Refining Organs and reach around the eightieth layer. That should be enough to steadily pass the assessment and enter a Cultivation Sect.

Wang Mu took a change of clothes from his bracelet and put them on. He walked up to the dazed Tiger King and patted its head. "After gaining weight, it seems your strength has really declined."

The White Crystal Tiger King was speechless. At this moment, it was beginning to question its very existence as a tiger. Hearing Wang Mu's words was like a drowning man clutching at a straw. That's right! It must be because I've been lazy these past few months! My strength has declined!

"Go back to the Tiger Cage. I'll train with you again next time."

The White Crystal Tiger King obediently returned to the spacious Tiger Cage. It began to reflect, to contemplate its life as a tiger. Feeling that it couldn't go on like this, it began to train...

「——」

After this brief test with the Tiger King, Wang Mu began the process of Refining Organs. Refining Organs meant tempering his internal organs. This training process was considerably easier than Bone Casting. The main difficulty lay in the time and resources required.

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