Chapter 106: Shadowclaw Leopard, Phantom Bloom!
After fully activating Illusory Flow, Su Tianhao couldn't help but marvel at its effect.
"Even my aura and bearing have changed..." he murmured, fingers brushing Shadowfang's hilt absently.
"Time to leave this place. Get some proper food—and sharpen my swordsmanship while I'm at it."
His mind was already running calculations.
His progress with Killing Sword Sense had been painfully slow, but he understood the reason. Without real combat—without blood and danger—true comprehension was impossible. Only in life-and-death battles could such a concept be genuinely grasped.
With that thought settled, Su Tianhao stepped out of the cave, pushing past the hanging vines as sunlight washed over him for the first time in days.
The scorching rays fell like a blazing curtain, forcing him to raise a hand against the glare. As his vision adjusted, he studied the dense forest beyond.
'I'm deep in the inner region... picking fights here would be suicide.'
The only reason he had made it this far unharmed was the terrifying pressure of his dragon aura during the escape. That moment of dominance had scattered every spirit beast within range—but it wasn't something he could replicate at will. Not yet.
'I should train closer to the outer edge of the inner region.'
With Shadowfang at his hip, he dashed into the forest, his figure flickering between trees like a shadow in perpetual motion.
The outer edge still held grade three spirit beasts—but most would be low-ranked. To the current Su Tianhao, they posed no real threat.
'With the Shadow-Splitting Flash, I might not be able to kill a 3rd level grade three beast just yet... but a 1st level one shouldn't be a problem at all.'
Under Illusory Flow, he moved without leaving a trace. His aura perfectly veiled, his presence blurred—a phantom slipping through dense underbrush. Even brushing against stronger beasts' territories, they wouldn't sense a thing.
---
Soon he arrived at the outer edge of the inner region—a stretch of forest where the oppressive weight of danger thinned slightly, yet never fully lifted. Ancient trees stood less densely packed here, allowing more sunlight to filter through the canopy in golden beams across the mossy ground.
The sounds of the forest grew louder—chirping insects, rustling leaves, distant cries of beasts. Claw marks scarred the bark of nearby trees, silent testimony to the constant territorial disputes among the creatures that called this place home.
The spiritual energy in the air remained rich, lacking only the suffocating intensity of the deeper regions. It was the perfect ground for cultivation, combat training—and hunting.
"Perfect," Su Tianhao murmured, sharp gaze sweeping the underbrush. "Now I just need to find my first opponent."
In the wild, the easiest way to find spirit beasts was to let them find you. Su Tianhao understood this well. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing inward on Illusory Flow.
His presence dimmed—then deliberately expanded.
But it wasn't his true aura that emerged. It was the carefully crafted presence of a 3rd level Martial Disciple—ordinary, unremarkable, easily overlooked. The plan was simple: conceal his true identity while baiting spirit beasts into attacking what appeared to be easy prey. With his Supreme Dragon bloodline and inherited techniques hidden beneath that modest disguise, he appeared no different from any average 3rd level Martial Disciple with nothing remarkable about him except his appearance.
Two benefits with a single move—avoid Blood Grin's detection, lure in beasts looking for an easy meal.
Su Tianhao smiled quietly. "Now I just need to wait."
He strolled along the forest path with the relaxed bearing of a clueless young cultivator on a morning walk. Underneath that performance, his instincts lay coiled—waiting, watching.
A low rustle disturbed the stillness of the bushes ahead.
Su Tianhao paused mid-step, golden eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. The sound was faint—barely more than a breeze brushing past leaves—but to his honed senses, it was unmistakable.
Something was watching him.
Rustle.
Another movement. Sharper. Closer.
Then silence.
He remained calm, adjusting his robe with an unhurried hand—the perfect picture of oblivious prey.
Then—
Swish!
A blur of black and silver burst from the shadows with terrifying speed. A pair of glowing green eyes locked onto his throat. Sharp claws sliced through the air like curved daggers.
"Here we go," Su Tianhao murmured, a faint smile touching his lips.
The attacker was sleek, powerful, and deadly—a Shadowclaw Leopard.
Its obsidian-black fur shimmered faintly with spiritual energy, limbs lean but packed with explosive muscle. What stood out most were the metallic claws extending from its paws, glinting like forged blades beneath dappled sunlight. Known for their stealth and silent ambushes, Shadowclaw Leopards were apex predators among low-ranked grade three beasts—and this one radiated the power of a 3rd level grade three beast.
Compared to Su Tianhao's disguised presence, it was an entire major realm above him. To the Shadowclaw Leopard, he was already lunch.
But this prey was a predator in disguise.
---
Seeing the beast lunge, Su Tianhao's eyes turned cold. His grip closed around Shadowfang's hilt.
"Shadow-Splitting Flash—"
Shing!
Shadowfang flew from its scabbard, the metallic ring resonating through the air like thunder announcing a storm.
Flicker Edge!
The blade slashed outward with blinding speed, flickering like a bolt of black lightning through a midnight sky.
The Shadowclaw Leopard sensed the danger immediately—yet instead of retreating, it charged harder, infuriated by the resistance. To its senses, it was a creature an entire major realm above this opponent. How dare it strike back?
Swoosh!
The leopard twisted mid-air with startling grace, metallic claws reacting to Shadowfang's speed with primal precision.
CLANG!
Claw met steel. Brilliant sparks scattered through the air like fireflies startled into flight.
The leopard carried its momentum forward without slowing, beastly muscles driving it into the blade with overwhelming force.
Whoosh—BAM!
Su Tianhao was sent flying, his figure crashing into a massive tree several meters away with a thunderous impact that reverberated through the forest.
An ordinary 7th level Martial Disciple would have been coughing blood—internal injuries, pale face, body wracked with weakness. But Su Tianhao stood back up with a smile, hands still wrapped around Shadowfang's hilt, flexing his muscles until his joints cracked audibly, a testament to the powerful physical defense granted by the Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique.
"As expected—Flicker Edge isn't enough against a 3rd level grade three threat," he said, the smile remaining. "Let's try the second form."
The Shadowclaw Leopard grew even more infuriated at the sight of that smile. To the beast, it was being mocked.
It launched again—but this time there was no sound, no disturbance in the air. Only suffocating silence.
A terrifying killing intent locked onto Su Tianhao, sending involuntary chills racing down his spine.
He looked at the leopard again—and found it transformed. Its entire frame now glowed with a menacing shadowy aura, edges blurred and indistinct, as if the beast had shed its physical form and become a phantom of the night.
'Spiritual energy manifestation...'
Su Tianhao recognized it immediately. The ability that separated Martial Adepts from Martial Disciples—spiritual energy amplifying raw physical strength into something altogether different. As a 3rd level grade three beast, the Shadowclaw Leopard could multiply its strength fourfold. Even with his own physical defenses, taking that head-on without injury wasn't possible. Fighting it at all was only viable because of the Shadow-Splitting Flash.
His expression cooled—smile gone, eyes steady and cold. His killing intent rose to meet the leopard's, and for a moment the beast froze.
To its senses, this opponent was weaker. But its instincts were screaming something else entirely.
Danger.
BOOM!
The Shadowclaw Leopard's aura detonated. Power surged outward without restraint. It was done holding anything back—even if it meant cracking an egg with a sledgehammer. This particular egg was simply too strange to take lightly.
Su Tianhao's stance shifted. His expression stilled to something carved from ice—cold, motionless, and absolute.
"Shadow-Splitting Flash..."
His voice rang out like a blade drawn in silence.
Phantom Bloom!
The moment those words left his lips, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
WHOOSH!
Shadowfang erupted from his side with explosive force, its edge vanishing into a blur. The air distorted as the strike split into a torrent of afterimages—a thousand phantom blades blooming like obsidian petals caught in a violent storm. To any watching eye, it was as if a field of black lotuses had exploded into motion at once, every petal a blade of death.
The Shadowclaw Leopard froze mid-pounce, bestial eyes wide with shock. No time to react. No time to defend. Its instincts screamed in every direction—but couldn't find the truth.
Only one of those countless slashes was real.
Only one carried true killing intent.
And it found its mark.
SLICK—!
A single black arc of light whispered across the leopard's neck.
No explosion. No dramatic surge of power.
Just death.
The beast landed silently behind Su Tianhao, claws still extended, body still poised mid-strike.
Then—thud.
Its head separated cleanly from its shoulders, rolling onto the grass with a dull, final weight. The storm of phantom petals faded into stillness.
Su Tianhao exhaled slowly, lowering Shadowfang to his side. Not a drop of blood stained his robes.
"...As expected of the second form," he murmured softly.
His golden eyes burned cold and certain.
"Same standard as the first. One strike—one kill."