When Wu Jian was just a child, he had been a cowardly weakling. He disdained from violence, couldn’t stand up to bullies, and feared his father.

That changed once Wu Meiying shared a vision with him. There were many things he had feared, but the one thing he feared more than anything else had been the idea of his best friend being taken from him.

While that had started him on his path to strength and was the main reason he continued fighting, somewhere along the line, he had picked up a strong desire to test his mettle, to confront adversity in all its forms and come out on top. This tiger’s words had invoked within Wu Jian the same urge he always felt when facing off against a strong opponent.

“Bring it on! I’ll take your test!” Wu Jian said with clenched fists.

The tiger’s chuckle was like rumbling thunder. “I admire your courage. To become a tiger means to become a king. Tigers are the symbol of bravery and strength. We are the ones who lead through example. My tests will see if you are worthy of being my successor by testing these two qualities.”

Wu Jian came from the Shang Kingdom, which worshiped the dragon, Seiryuu. He didn’t know much about the tiger. It sounded cool though. There was no boy in this world who did not dream of becoming a king at least once in his life. Some grew out of that phase, while others retained it, and those who continued to hold such great ambition would sometimes go on to become great kings.

“I like that look in your eyes, boy,” the tiger said. It hummed, and the universe shook. “The first trial will be the trial of strength. This will be a three phase trial. Each phase will have you fight against stronger and stronger opponents. If you complete all three phases, you pass. Are you ready?”

“I am,” Wu Jian said.

“Excellent. Then the trial shall commence now.”

The giant tiger disappeared, the stars vanished, and the world shifted. Wu Jian found himself standing in an open plain filled with grass and plants. He turned his head left. Then right. Then he looked behind him. He could see nothing beyond this plane, as if it was the only thing that existed.

A voice echoed from overhead. “The trial shall commence in three, two, one.”

At the very moment the voice reached “one,” several monsters appeared. Each one was a tiger with white fur that contained black stripes. Their eyes were icy blue. Sharp teeth that looked like it could rend flesh filled their muzzle, while massive claws jutted from their paws. They looked like miniature Byakkos.

Of course, calling them miniature was a misnomer.

Each one was about the same height as Wu Jian.

Wu Jian summoned his sword, holding it in a two-handed grip as the tigers encircled him. He steadied his breathing and tried to remain calm. He counted six tigers. Since there were so many and they had him surrounded, it would be fool-hardy to attack one. The others would immediately pounce if he did. That meant his best option to survive was by counterattacking.

He used the Dao of Space to extend his perception in all directions. While it was not visible, a bubble surrounded him, extending several chih in every direction. He could sense every blade of grass, cool breeze, and even the pollen. Once an enemy entered this field, he would be able to sense them and react.

Or so he hoped.

This was an untested ability.

A low growl erupted behind him. He turned, but then the tiger in front leapt forward, powerful paws extended. Wu Jian sensed the tiger as it entered his field. He stepped to the side, raised his sword, and brought it down. Spatial distortions erupted from his blade as he sliced the tiger in half.

Another one leapt at him, but Wu Jian leapt over it, landed on its back, and impaled his sword through its head. He leapt off to avoid a third tiger’s attempted pounce.

Landing on the ground, he observed the remaining four tigers. None of them attacked. They seemed quite intelligent. It was like they knew he was dangerous and were keeping their distance until they were sure they could deal with him. Was this their instinct at work?

Two tigers came at him next—one from the left and the other from the right. He made to step back, but they followed him, so he kept going backward until the very last moment. Just as he was about to reach the tiger behind him, he rolled forward. The two tigers were somehow able to avoid colliding in midair. He skipped back to his feet and spun around a full 360 degrees to take in all of his enemies.

The two who attacked him were still in the process of turning. Wu Jian manipulated the space around his sword and swung. His blade seemed to disappear. A cry of pain echoed around them as the tiger on his left found the lower portion of its body splitting off from its upper half.

The remaining three tigers seemed to realize how dangerous he was and attacked together. Wu Jian found himself confronted with a hailstorm of attacks, but he used Nihility to phase through them, then attacked with three vicious swings of his sword. A head was lopped off. A body split down the middle. The last attack stabbed a tiger through the heart. All three of his remaining opponents died.

Their bodies disappeared.

“Excellent. Very well done. You’re quite strong, and your control over the Dao of Space is impressive. I never would have expected someone who has not broken their mortal chains to have such mastery over such an esoteric power.”

“Uh… thank you,” Wu Jian murmured. The tiger seemed pleased. He had no idea why.

“Do you need to rest? I can give you a day between each phase.”

A day seemed a tad extensive, especially when he had no trouble defeating these tigers. Wu Jian shook his head.

“Thank you, but there’s no need. Let’s continue the trial.”

“Very well. Be warned, the next trial is going to be much harder.”

The scenery around Wu Jian shifted once again. He was still on a plain, but it was covered in blood and the ground was barren. It looked like this place was the sight of a warzone.

Six tigers appeared… Well, he called them tigers, but they were more like beastmen. They stood on two legs and had a vaguely humanoid shape, but their bodies were covered in fur and their heads still resembled that of a tiger. They wore clothes as well, though it was just a pair of pants. Hands that resembled a human’s save for the long nails waved through the air as they stalked forward.

Their glaring blue eyes were locked on him.

Wu Jian took a shaky breath. It was obvious these creatures were much more powerful than the ones he had fought before. What cultivation level were they at? He’d heard that magical beasts gained a human form upon reaching the Deva Realm. These looked half-complete, so they must have been… Human Limit Realm maybe? That was still much stronger than him.

I shouldn’t let them surround me. And I shouldn’t let them attack in a group.

Wu Jian decided to go on the offensive this time. He raised his sword, manipulated the space around it, and swung.

Unlike last time, his sword did not vanish. A jet black blade of light rushed from his weapon and split apart the ground. The six tigers leapt away to avoid the attack. Three went one way and three went another way.

Wu Jian grimaced.

Well, three on one is better than six on one, I guess.

Wu Jian swung his sword at the group on his right, once more creating a blade of manipulated space that swept forward. It was not as strong as his first attack. Even so, he hoped it would be enough to take out his opponent.

Those hopes were dashed when the lead tiger tore the attack apart with its claws. Wu Jian almost gawked, but the two other tigers had rushed forward to attack him. He ducked underneath a claw swipe, then rolled backward to avoid another attack. Wu Jian swung his sword as he came up.

The attack was blocked. His weapon clashed against the tiger’s forearm. What the heck was this thing’s skin made of? Or was it the fur? It had to be. That fur was harder than steel!

Wu Jian gritted his teeth as he thrust his blade forward. The tiger crossed its arms to block the attack again, but Wu Jian folded space once more, and the attack came from behind instead of the front. His foe could only roar in agony as the blade pierced his back. The roar was cut short, however, and the monster toppled to the ground.

Wu Jian’s attack had pierced its heart.

While he had managed to kill one of the tigers, the other two had already regrouped, and the three whom he had separated were now making their way toward him. He needed to finish these two quickly or he would be overwhelmed.

With a roar, Wu Jian swung his sword again, but unlike last time when he was too distracted to create a spatial blade, he made sure to cover his sword in the Dao of Space. He created a blade as fine and sharp as he could, then condensed it even further. The tiger didn’t seem to realize the danger. It raised an arm to block his attack. The look of surprise on its face when Wu Jian sliced off its forearm and cut through its head was priceless.

Sadly, he was unable to kill the last tiger before the other three reached them. Wu Jian felt their presence at his back and tried to dodge. He was too slow and cried out in pain as five jagged claws cut into his back.

He stumbled forward but managed to turn it into a roll. This let him avoid another attack. Skipping back to his feet, he raced away from the group and turned around to confront them. Showing your back to the enemy for too long as a stupid idea.

This proved true when he realized how close one of the tigers were. It was already swiping at him! He raised his sword to block. The enemy’s attack was not just strong, but he did not have enough time to shift into a sturdy position. Wu Jian bit back a surprised cry as he was sent tumbling across the ground.

The world around him spun, but he somehow managed to land on his feet. He swung his sword horizontally, unleashing a black blade of light that traveled through space. The tiger who attacked him had been racing forward, heedless of any danger, and so its lower half separated from his upper half when the blade sliced through it.

“Haaah… haaaah… haaaah…”

Wu Jian blinked the sweat from his eyes as he studied the two remaining tigers. They were not attacking him. What were they waiting for? An invitation—

Wait. Two?

He could have sworn there had been three. Where was the last one?

Something broke through his space barrier from above, traveling so fast he almost missed it. He leapt back. Pain lanced through his face. He had moved too slowly to fully dodge. Wu Jian bit back a scream as he felt something tearing apart his left eye. His vision was suddenly narrowed because he only had one good eye remaining.

Despite the agony he was experiencing, Wu Jian channeled space through his sword and thrust it forward. The tiger sidestepped to avoid his attack, but he halted the great sword, then swung it diagonally down. It could not dodge this attack. He had extended his blade using the Dao of Space. The entire area from the tiger’s chest to its hips split open like overripe fruit.

As the tiger’s two parts fell to the ground with meaty thuds, Wu Jian turned his eyes toward the two tigers, only to realize one of them was missing.

My blind spot!

Wu Jian moved backward just in time to avoid the tiger’s attack. The other tiger dashed forward before he could launch a counter and attacked with its claws. He moved back again, only to feel the second tiger moving behind him. He ducked to avoid its claw swipe, but he could not avoid the knee it launched into the back of his head.

So he used Nihility.

The knee phased through him.

He scrambled to his feet and backed away. Nihility was a great technique, but it was hard to use if he couldn’t concentrate, and it didn’t activate right away. He had been building chi for the sole purpose of using it after having one of his eyes gouged out.

“Haaaaaah… haaaaah… haaaah…”

Wu Jian stood apart from the two tigers who had regrouped and were now eying him like predators that knew their prey was cornered. He bit back a snarl. Wu Jian did not appreciate being underestimated.

With a ferocious battlecry, he rushed forward.