Leaf Gray initially thought he had encountered an incredibly fierce creature, but after actual contact, he realized this great tiger might not be as powerful as he imagined.

It had been standing at the cave entrance, not daring to venture deeper. If its strength truly far surpassed Leaf Gray's, why would it waste so many words?

That was the first point.

Secondly, after failing to get spirit pills from Leaf Gray, it settled for spirit stones, and when that failed, it demanded healing pills, giving off a strong vibe of 'a thief cannot leave empty-handed'.

From this, Leaf Gray concluded that although the great tiger appeared imposing, it was likely just an empty facade.

Leaf Gray taking out the healing pills and placing them at his feet was the final test.

Sure enough, the great tiger was unwilling to approach Leaf Gray, only telling him to throw the healing pills over.

Now certain the great tiger wasn't as strong as imagined, Leaf Gray felt relieved. What he needed to do now was simple: kill the tiger, eat its meat!

Admittedly, this was a demon beast with cultivation. If he could kill and eat it, it would definitely be better than eating many ordinary wild beasts. Perhaps his goal of opening the ninth aperture would depend on this great tiger.

Leaf Gray was never one to abide by the rules; otherwise, he wouldn't have lured Manager Miller into the mine shaft filled with Metamagnetic Field back then.

He would prepare for potential dangers, and he would also strive to seize possible opportunities.

The Fire Snake Talisman activated, wreathed in flames, shot towards the great tiger. At the same time, Leaf Gray charged out with his sword.

However, as soon as he moved, he felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders, as if something was pressing down on his body, making him stagger and nearly kneel on the ground.

Simultaneously, a sharp screech sounded by his ears. Instantly, he felt as if hit hard on the head by a hammer, his whole body feeling dizzy, seeing stars before his eyes.

He braced himself with his sword in one hand, forcing his body not to collapse, while channeling the spiritual power from his eight spiritual apertures to protect his body. In an instant, the surface of his body seemed to burn with a layer of fiery light, within which traces of gold shimmered.

His primary element was Fire, secondary Metal, so his spiritual power manifested the hues of these two attributes.

A shrill scream erupted, and the heavy pressure on his shoulders vanished immediately. Although his head still felt somewhat dizzy, he had recovered considerably.

What astonished him was that he had been ambushed just now!

The ambusher wasn't the great tiger, but someone else!

He had been at the back of the cave the entire time, with the great tiger blocking the entrance. From start to finish, he had been communicating with the tiger, with no sign of anyone else.

So, it never occurred to him that someone would attack him from behind. Fortunately, the ambusher didn't seem very strong; merely activating his protective spiritual power had forced them back.

As the shrill scream sounded, Leaf Gray swiftly turned his head, catching a glimpse of an indistinct mass vanishing into the rock wall.

No time to pursue the identity of the ambusher, for a pungent wind swept towards him—the great tiger had pounced right in front of him.

The Fire Snake Talisman hadn't killed it, only scorching its fur, proving that this great tiger indeed had some cultivation.

Activating another talisman now was clearly too late. Leaf Gray had missed his best chance to strike and could only slash out fiercely with his sword while channeling spiritual power, enhancing the blade with the Sharpness spirit pattern!

During this period, he had used Manager Miller's long sword to kill many fierce beasts. Unfortunately, not having learned any sword techniques, his moves were mostly simple chops and slashes.

How sharp was the sword enhanced with Sharpness? Back when fighting Ryan Carter, his opponent's sword of similar quality was cut in half by Leaf Gray with one strike.

However, the bones of this great tiger seemed even tougher than Ryan Carter's sword. Leaf Gray's chop on its shoulder blade failed to completely sever its body; instead, he was thrown off balance by a powerful impact.

Leaf Gray retreated with the momentum, pulling back his sword. Tiger blood sprayed out.

Before he could do anything else, a numbness struck his chest—he had been grazed by a tiger claw, losing a layer of skin and flesh.

The pain didn't affect Leaf Gray; instead, it sharpened his awareness. In this confined space, the fight between man and tiger was extremely perilous, with life and death potentially decided at any moment.

Yet, after this exchange, Leaf Gray felt greatly reassured, because his judgment had been correct.

The great tiger's cultivation indeed wasn't as profound as imagined. This wasn't an unbeatable enemy. With proper handling, killing the tiger and eating its meat was within reach!

The great tiger roared, pouncing towards Leaf Gray again. Simultaneously, ghostly wails and howls suddenly filled the cave, disturbing Leaf Gray's concentration.

This was the trick of the enemy hiding in the shadows.

Leaf Gray ignored this hidden enemy, focusing solely on the great tiger's movements. As it leaped out, he immediately dropped his stance, stepped firmly, and slid out from under the tiger.

As the two figures passed each other, Leaf Gray thrust his sword upwards sharply, striking the tiger's soft abdomen. He thought this thrust would spill its guts, but unexpectedly, a faint golden light emerged around its belly. Even with the Sharpness-enhanced sword, it only broke through that layer of protective light, failing to inflict serious injury.

By the time he rose again, the positions of the combatants had reversed.

Originally, Leaf Gray was deep inside the cave, with the great tiger blocking the entrance. But now the situation was the opposite.

Moreover, this exchange made Leaf Gray realize that while the great tiger's strength wasn't high, it wasn't low either, estimated to be slightly stronger than him.

Only because he possessed a sharp weapon, which could also be enhanced with a spirit pattern, did he hold a slight advantage.

But if the fight continued like this, the outcome would inevitably be mutual destruction.

With this thought, Leaf Gray reached into his storage bag and pulled out a spirit talisman.

Strength lacking, talismans make up. The thirty spirit talismans prepared by the Sect Master weren't for show, and Leaf Gray had no intention of saving them. If not now, then when?

But before he could activate the talisman, a crisp, urgent voice rang out: "We surrender! Spare us!"

Leaf Gray's eyes lowered. Hearing such words at a life-and-death moment undoubtedly affected fighting spirit. Spiritual power surged in the hand holding the talisman as he shouted sharply, "Come out!"

From deep within the cave, near the rock wall beside the great tiger, a figure slowly emerged. The figure wasn't solid, instead appearing like coalesced spiritual power.

After emerging, the figure gradually solidified, becoming no different from an ordinary person.

It was clearly a young girl with a slender figure and beautiful features. Her black hair cascaded down to her waist, and she wore a white dress. A small black mole under the corner of her eye added a touch of allure. She looked about sixteen or seventeen years old.

After stepping out, the girl stood beside the great tiger, looking timidly at Leaf Gray with an expression of someone who had done something wrong.

Leaf Gray frowned: "What are you?"