Way of the Knights

Chapter 679 - Scales

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It's the dead of the night within the Blue Mountain Tribe and everyone was staying inside the comfort of their own home. 

Night time in the tribe was always laced with a ominous vibe. Apart from the horror stories spread amongst tribesmen, they could also hear the howls of demonic beasts, causing the atmosphere to be tensed. Even under the protection of the Berserker Elders, many people still refuse to let down their guard completely since one can truly never know what to expect in a place like this. 

The elders never issued a curfew, it's the people who created one simply because of fear. This is why when night falls, the whole tribe is like a deserted place. It's creepy and eerie, nobody would want to he there. 

Well, all with the exception of Little Tiger really...

"They're afraid, that can't be helped I guess." He murmured as he stepped out of his 'house'. "Well, this works for me." 

The Berserkers are only tasked to man the walls, he didn't see anybody patrolling the vicinity therefore he felt a little bold and walked towards the place that Fatty mentioned earlier today. The tribe was relatively small, it didn't take long for him to arrive at his destination. 

Beyond the Graveyard Hill, a small patch of forest could be seen. The place already originated many horror stories so in addition to the night, it just became even more eerie. Not for Little Tiger though as he waltz over the place as if he owned it. 

He did felt a chill but that's because he's barely wearing anything. Only a piece of old and worn-out cloth was wrapped on his waist, plus he's still a mortal, how can he not be cold? 

Little Tiger inspected the place for a bit. The more he saw this place, the more he was satisfied with it. He grinned as said...

"It's decided then...this will be my base for now at least." 

Saying that, a spear appeared on Little Tiger's hand. The spear's handle was made out of gold littered with numerous inscription patterns. The spear head was the mixture of white body with a black tip. It truly resembled the Brush of Wisdom, on it's in the form of a spear. 

When the spear appeared on his hand, Little Tiger didn't waste anytime and poked the ground. All of a sudden, a quiet wave swept through his surroundings, sweeping up dried leaves and grass in the process. A dome appeared above his head, something that he's confident that only him could see. 

The commotion came and went silently. Additionally, this place was isolated from people so nobody was alarmed.

This dome was of course a formation. Something that Little Tiger created on his spare time at the sect. He applied it so that it can be activated with but a thought from him. It didn't need his energy nor required him to do a complicated process, if he wanted it to be there, it will appear. 

The Brush of Wisdom might in stuck in a spear form right now but that doesn't mean that the things he placed on it were gone. Thankfully, it didn't or else things would be significantly harder for him. 

The formation is only visible to him, it can isolate him, it can also function as an energy gathering array and also boast extreme durability. It's one of the simple formations he created but it's extremely useful for him at his current state. It's also self-sufficient and without his permission, nobody could enter this place at all. 

It has barely been five minutes since he erected this array but the amount of energy it gathered was already immense. Little Tiger nodded in satisfaction and said:

"If it weren't for the fact that cultivating the [Ancient Dragon King's Scripture] causes a lot of commotion, I wouldn't have the need for this. Oh well, with this much energy, at least I won't be needing to eat."

Little Tiger kept the spear away and sat down on the ground. He regulated his breathing and began cultivating right away.

A few seconds in and he could already feel his blood boiling within him. He could feel his body temperature heating up but it's still in an acceptable level. He didn't mind this and continued with his cultivation. 

The first realm of cultivating the [Ancient Dragon King's Scripture] was the Body Transformation Stages: Dragon's Scales, Dragon's Muscles, Dragon's Tendons, Dragon Bones, Dragon's Muscles and finally, Dragon Veins. 

This doesn't mean that Little Tiger would transform into a dragon when all's said in done, well he might be able to but that's not the point. The Body Transformation Stages of the [Ancient Dragon King's Scripture] tempers the body to rival that of an infant dragon - which is something that's a hundred times stronger compared to that of a regular mortal. 

First, Little Tiger needed to cultivate Dragon Scales, more specifically, his skin. The pattern of his cultivations is from the outside - in, so it would make sense that he starts from his skin. 

With every inhalation, Little Tiger would consume large amounts of the True Essence to temper his skin. That's right, Little Tiger isn't using Demonic Qi of Berserk Qi to cultivate like the tribe members, he's using the energy that is most suitable to humans in this world, and that True Essence. 

Not only does the quality of True Essence higher compared to that of Demonic or Berserk Qi, it also has neutral properties which makes it practically harmless unless one's an idiot. 

As Little Tiger cultivated, faint popping sounds could be heard from his body. If one listens closely, faint roars of dragons could be heard amongst those sounds. As time went on, the popping sounds got quieter but the dragon roars became louder. 

Little Tiger was enduring so much pain right now that even Berserkers of this tribe would want to die if they experience it. However, nary a groan nor a whimper could be heard from Little Tiger. He was expressionless, its as if he didn't feel any of this at all. 

Any kind of Body Tempering process is painful, especially for the first time. Nevertheless, the more they could endure this hellish pain, the more beneficial it would be for them. To Little Tiger, this kind of pain was nothing. He might be a mere mortal right now but his Willpower wasn't affected in the slightest. 

*Crack!* *Crack!* *Boom!*

Brittle sounds occurred on the surface of his skin before a loud shattering sound of a glass breaking could be heard. The ground that Little Tiger was sitting on crack as if something heavy fell in it. 

Little Tiger opened his eyes to reveal his reptilian pupils which faded shortly after. Next, he smelled something coming off of him causing him to frown. He shook his head and inhaled sharply, a pulse of Qi erupted from his body, expelling the dirt and impurities that was pushed out from his cultivation. 

After that, Little Tiger stood up and felt light. The overwhelming sensation gripped his chest, he could feel the surging power coursing through his body. A grin appeared on his face. He gripped his fist and threw a casual punch. 

A loud slapping sound occurred as he punched. This casual punch of his can cause severe injuries even to a fully grown adult. He didn't know how much he would fare against a Berserker of the tribe but considering that this is the result of his short training, there's nothing for him to worry about.

Little Tiger looked up and inspected his surroundings, he frowned for a bit and said: "Midnight huh, so I spend at least three hours cultivating just now. Not bad." 

He didn't feel tired nor lethargic. In fact, he was brimming with excess energy. Right now, he just stepped into the early stage of Dragon Scale Stage. Little Tiger was in no rush to cultivate more since he want to make sure to build a steady foundation. 

Instead of sitting back down, he began his routine. First was his physical conditioning. He went through some exercises and then began polishing his un-armed fighting skill. He performed the basics over and over again, making sure to do them as perfectly as he could. 

As he practiced, he could feel his body heating up. He could also feel that his body was getting more solid as he go. Under the glare of moonlight, his skin shone with sweat. He was also aware that more impurities were being pushed out of his body which will definitely hasten his cultivation. 

Even without his influence, the True Essence were nourishing his body. He wasn't actively absorbing them but it's doing this on it's own. As True Essence gave him their blessings, a slight transformation was happening to his body. 

Looking closely as his silhouette, faint sparkles could be seen in the shape of an oval. The oval shaped objects were over-lapping, forming a pattern that wrapped around Little Tiger's wrists, calves, neck and cheeks. Coupled with his slit-shaped pupils, Little Tiger looked more like a Dragon now who's wearing a human skin...