When Golden Finger Meets Salted Fish

The little white tiger valued her face greatly. After being pecked bald by the goose, she was unwilling to let others know she had gone to the Spirit Beast Garden for medicine. This predestined difficult battle was something she naturally didn’t want others to know about her predicament.

Therefore, when Yun Qingyu tactfully suggested that they should conceal their identities before entering the arena, she agreed without hesitation.

Yun Qingyu carried the little white tiger away from the arena. With her powerful Golden Core cultivator’s spiritual sense, she ensured no one was paying attention to the human-tiger pair before turning into a street corner. In the instant they turned, her appearance changed. Her transparent glass-like eyes turned jet black, her high bridge nose flattened slightly, and all her features were adjusted. Though each change was small, together they created an entirely new face.

Jiang Mo watched this transformation with her own eyes. In the blink of an eye, the originally cold and stunningly beautiful woman became unremarkable among the crowd. She was still good-looking, as there were few ugly people in the cultivation world, but she was no longer breathtaking.

With the change in appearance, her attire naturally had to change as well.

Yun Qingyu swept her hand, and the intricate dark patterns on her sleeves and hem disappeared. Her cyan robe remained cyan, but without those inconspicuous decorations, the entire outfit suddenly seemed cheaper. Finally, she put away her usual Frost-blue Sword and replaced it with a standard sect sword from her storage ring. Walking out like this, probably no one would associate her with the senior disciple of Mingxia Peak anymore.

In the time it took to turn a corner, her senior sister seemed to have become a different person, leaving the little white tiger dumbfounded. But it wasn’t just Yun Qingyu who needed to change; the white tiger needed to conceal her identity even more.

So before the little white tiger could react, Yun Qingyu’s palm swept over her body. Looking down, she saw that her white fur had turned completely black, with the black markings naturally blending in… With just a sweep of her hand, the little white tiger had been dyed, thoroughly transformed into a little black tiger.

Jiang Mo could hardly believe it. She leaned in to examine her fur closely. The coloring was uniform from head to tail, and it even shimmered in the sunlight, looking so real that it didn’t seem dyed at all.

The sleek little black tiger couldn’t help but marvel, then out of curiosity asked the system, “System, do you know how Senior Sister dyed me? So quickly, what method did she use? It’s not just an illusion, is it? If I get into a mess on the arena and encounter someone with higher cultivation than Senior Sister, they won’t see through my identity at a glance, right?”

The offline system had limited understanding of this cultivation world. After hearing its host’s question, it could only scan her and reply, “I don’t know, but it’s probably not an illusion. In the system’s scan, your fur is actually black now.”

Jiang Mo felt somewhat relieved hearing this and didn’t pursue the matter further. Her little black head nuzzled against Yun Qingyu’s hand.

Yun Qingyu could tell at a glance that this little one hadn’t changed her mind and still wanted to go on stage for a fight. She sighed, feeling helpless, and could only circle back to the beast-fighting arena.

The human-tiger pair hadn’t been gone long, but the flame lion and cloud-splitting leopard on the arena had already decided their victor. The cloud-splitting leopard had won by a narrow margin and received the prize, but it wasn’t much stronger than the flame lion. After that intense battle, its spiritual energy was nearly depleted. Therefore, its master didn’t push further and simply left the stage to rest after receiving the reward for this round.

The beasts on the arena now were two entirely new spirit beasts, quite different from the previous feline animals. One was an earth bear, a bear-type earth-element spirit beast that not only looked clumsy but also had astonishing defense. Its opponent was a small butterfly, beautiful and delicate, but seemingly so fragile that it could be killed with a single swat.

The little black tiger’s paw twitched, probably due to the feline curiosity that made her want to reach out and catch flying things. However, this instinct lasted only a moment before she noticed and obediently withdrew her paw.

But the contrast between these two on stage was too stark. Could a butterfly even participate in a beast-fighting arena?

Only Jiang Mo was puzzled. The observing crowd showed no surprise at this scene, eagerly discussing only the outcome of the match. The reactions of the two spirit beasts’ masters also differed, with the earth bear’s master looking more solemn.

Guessing that the little milk tiger lacked experience, the considerate senior sister once again explained: “The two spirit beasts on stage, one is an earth bear with thick defenses and skilled in earth magic. The other is a phantom butterfly, a rare illusion-type spirit beast skilled in creating illusions. This one’s bloodline seems impure, and its abilities are unknown, but high-level phantom butterflies can even trouble Divided Soul realm cultivators.”

Illusion-type spirit beasts differed from common five-element spirit beasts; their attacks were more unpredictable. If trapped in an illusion, one might live or die at the opponent’s whim. But if not caught in the illusion, most fragile illusion-type spirit beasts couldn’t withstand their opponent’s attacks.

For example, with these two, if the earth bear wasn’t deceived by the illusion, it could kill the small butterfly with a single swat.

Due to these two extreme possibilities, the audience below the arena grew increasingly excited. The battle on the arena didn’t delay long. Soon after the referee’s signal, the two spirit beasts began to use their abilities.

The earth bear’s master, knowing the phantom butterfly’s prowess, ordered it to charge first, hoping to kill the opponent in one strike before it could use its abilities. This beast tamer clearly understood his spirit beast well, as the earth bear’s charging speed completely contradicted its bulky appearance. It ran fast and charged fiercely, almost reaching the phantom butterfly in the blink of an eye.

But it was still too late, as the phantom butterfly wove its illusion faster than the earth bear could charge. Just as the earth bear reached it, the small butterfly fluttered its wings, scattering invisible scales. The charging earth bear immediately became disoriented.

How formidable! 

Jiang Mo marveled, about to see how the legendary illusion would defeat its opponent, when she saw the phantom butterfly’s master suddenly move. Before anyone could react, a golden staff appeared in his hands. He leaped high, holding the staff with both hands, and heavily struck the unsuspecting earth bear on the head.

With a “clang,” everyone in the audience involuntarily winced, feeling a sympathetic pain in their heads.

The earth bear on the arena indeed couldn’t withstand it. Trapped in the illusion, it hadn’t raised any defenses. Even with its thick hide, the bear’s natural defense alone couldn’t protect against such a blow, which nearly scattered its brains.

Visibly, a large lump swelled on its head.

Then the earth bear swayed and collapsed with a “thud,” raising a cloud of dust.

Only then did the earth bear’s master snap out of his shock from the earlier events. He gaped at his staff-wielding opponent, then at his pitiful unconscious spirit beast, before exploding in anger: “You cheated! We were supposed to be comparing beast taming and beast fighting. Using the phantom butterfly was one thing, but how dare you personally attack my spirit beast?!”

The phantom butterfly’s master beckoned, and the pretty little butterfly obediently landed on top of his staff. He nonchalantly retorted, “What beast taming and beast fighting? Aren’t we ultimately comparing ourselves? Since it’s a contest between you and me, why can’t I intervene?” He then reached out to pet the butterfly, casting a dismissive glance at his opponent. “You could have acted too. If you had helped your earth bear deal with my phantom butterfly first, wouldn’t it have been fine?”

Was this sophistry? It didn’t seem so, at least the part about “ultimately comparing ourselves” hit the mark. The earth bear’s master was momentarily unable to refute, only able to turn red with anger as he sought the referee’s judgment.

The referee of the beast-fighting arena had likely never encountered such a situation. After scratching his head for a while, he still decided to rule in favor of the phantom butterfly—after all, cultivator contests were about winning and losing. Although the phantom butterfly’s master’s intervention was unexpected, their human-beast cooperation had soundly defeated the opponent. Their actions couldn’t be considered a violation of rules, so naturally, they should be declared the winners.

In the referee’s words: “Although we’re comparing beast fighting, what’s most important is the victory or defeat of the humans, not the beasts. If a beast tamer is strong enough to roll up his sleeves and knock down the opponent himself, no one can complain even if he just brought his spirit beast for a walk on stage.”

This reasoning was sound, and so the outcome of this match was decided.

◆◇◆◇◆

The little black tiger and Yun Qingyu watched seven or eight matches from below the arena without finding an opportunity to go on stage. The reason was simple: almost all of these beast fights were at the Foundation Establishment level, without encountering a single Qi Condensation level spirit beast. Naturally, Jiang Mo didn’t want to go on stage to be brutalized.

Conveniently, Yun Qingyu didn’t want that either.

In her early years, Yun Qingyu had certainly participated in such competitions, though she competed in sword fighting and undoubtedly defeated her opponents, even taking the top spot. Back then, she was full of vigor and fearless. But now, to bring the little milk tiger onto the beast-fighting arena, she truly had no confidence. Did she have to learn from the phantom butterfly’s master and personally defeat the opponent?

But if she did so, she would be the one fighting, and what would be the point of the little white tiger competing?

Yun Qingyu felt that the combative little white tiger certainly wouldn’t be happy with her intervention. If so, she had to find a weaker opponent to prevent the frail little milk tiger from being defeated and getting hurt, for which she would be responsible.

If only Jiang Mo knew Yun Qingyu’s thoughts, she would certainly have clung to her leg and begged her to act—she wasn’t combative at all, really. If not for the system’s meddling, she would have behaved obediently without causing trouble.

Wouldn’t it be nice to just stand below the arena, munching on snacks and watching the show?

Unfortunately, their previous spiritual connection wasn’t manifest at this moment, and Yun Qingyu didn’t understand the little black tiger’s internal roar. So the human-tiger pair could only continue waiting until the ninth match when they finally saw a Qi Condensation level beast take the stage.

But before Jiang Mo could get excited, she heard Yun Qingyu say, “That’s a spirit beast at the peak of Qi Condensation, just one step away from Foundation Establishment.”

Jiang Mo instantly deflated upon hearing this, because peak Qi Condensation meant level 20. Although she had also reached level 20 through pill consumption, her combat power had hardly increased, relying only on the basic power brought by her level. Compared to these spirit beasts that fought constantly, she probably couldn’t win. Thinking of this, she once again opened her character panel:

[Host: Jiang Mo

Race: White Tiger

Profession: Divine Beast

Level: 20

Combat Power: 2,621,495

Experience: 2,520,089/2,621,440

Points: 104

Potential: ∞

Skills: Bloodline Inheritance (Not Activated)]

After being pecked bald by the red-crowned goose, Jiang Mo had learned her lesson and consumed pills even more diligently these past few days, now just one step away from Foundation Establishment. Originally, she had planned to casually take some pills today, advance to Foundation Establishment, and give her senior sister a surprise. But now she didn’t dare act rashly—what if she accidentally advanced to Foundation Establishment now? Wouldn’t the system’s temporary mission require her to defeat at least a Foundation Establishment level spirit beast?

Defeating a Foundation Establishment level spirit beast was more than ten times harder than defeating a Qi Condensation level one, while the experience and point rewards would be reduced to one-tenth. Only a fool would do such a thing!

Jiang Mo withdrew her paw that had been itching to take pills. Glancing at the arena again, she found that the opponent of the peak Qi Condensation spirit beast was actually at the Foundation Establishment level. Challenging a higher level did offer double rewards, but it was far too difficult.

Indeed, although the fight on the arena was spectacular, the peak Qi Condensation beast still lost in the end.

Jiang Mo looked at the Foundation Establishment beast reclaiming the arena, sighed, and leaned listlessly into her senior sister’s arms.

Yun Qingyu sensed the little black tiger’s low spirits and could guess she was getting impatient. She comforted her, “It’s alright, let’s wait a bit longer. The rewards for Qi Condensation level in such competitions aren’t much, so most of them are unwilling to go on stage.”

Indeed, the only Qi Condensation level opponent who had gone on stage faced a Foundation Establishment level beast, clearly aiming for the double rewards.

Just waiting for an opponent was already testing Jiang Mo’s patience to its limits. At this moment, a young man suddenly leaped onto the arena, accompanied by a wind wolf at his feet. It looked fierce, but its aura was much weaker than those at Foundation Establishment level.

After ascending the stage, the young man cupped his fists towards the audience and said, “This junior has just arrived and only wishes to gain experience by competing with an opponent of the same level. I ask the seniors not to mind, and regardless of victory or defeat after one match, this junior will leave the stage.”

This was a rogue cultivator, and the Qi Condensation level wind wolf wasn’t a precious spirit beast. He might have come on stage just to see the difference between rogue cultivators and sect disciples. He had stated his intentions clearly upon ascending the stage and adopted a sufficiently humble attitude. Those of higher cultivation naturally wouldn’t come out to trouble him.

Yun Qingyu looked at the wind wolf on stage, which was only at Qi Condensation level five, but hesitated and didn’t go up—this opponent might be the weakest present, but after the young man had spoken like that, she felt somewhat embarrassed to go on stage.

Regardless, she was already at the Golden Core stage, and even though the little milk tiger was weak, she was almost at Foundation Establishment. It wouldn’t be right to go up and “bully” someone.

But Jiang Mo didn’t care about all that. She had already had the system scan, and this wind wolf turned out to be the weakest spirit beast around the entire beast-fighting arena. If she missed this chance, there might not be another.

Besides, what was wrong with Qi Condensation level five? If there had been a Qi Condensation level one on stage, she would have been eager to bully them!

Thinking this, the little black tiger excitedly patted Yun Qingyu’s hand, indicating she could go on stage now.

Yun Qingyu’s gaze wavered. On one hand, she didn’t want to use her higher level to “bully” a rogue cultivator, and on the other hand, she feared the little useless tiger was too weak. If she couldn’t even match this wind wolf on stage, it would be too embarrassing.

However, with neither Yun Qingyu nor the little black tiger going on stage, no one else did either.

The young man on the arena waited but saw no one coming up. He had to cup his fists again and say, “This junior is being presumptuous and would like to request a battle with a cultivator of the same level.”

Still, no one went up. Everyone felt that going up would be bullying him, so the previously lively beast-fighting arena suddenly fell quiet. Finally, seeing that Yun Qingyu really wouldn’t move, Jiang Mo struggled out of her arms and actively leaped onto the arena—she was probably the first spirit beast to leave her “master” and voluntarily go on stage.

The young man opposite was stunned for a moment, and Yun Qingyu below the arena could no longer remain unmoved. On one hand, she was glad she had disguised herself early, so no one could recognize her as the senior disciple of Mingxia Peak. On the other hand, she had no choice but to follow onto the stage.

Seeing the little black tiger’s master appear, the young man composed himself and looked closely at the little black tiger’s cultivation level.

Seeing this, Yun Qingyu hurriedly spoke first: “My spirit beast is barely a month old. Although her cultivation is high, she’s not skilled in actual combat. Her rash ascent to the stage is merely due to her strong curiosity, not intentionally targeting anyone or for any other reason. Please forgive our rudeness.”

Understood, just a cub. High cultivation level doesn’t matter. It’s like a newborn lion can’t beat a zebra. Even though zebras are always on a lion’s menu, a cub is still a cub. A zebra won’t voluntarily sacrifice itself to be killed just because the other is a lion—of course, in the cultivation world, there’s one exception, and that’s bloodline suppression.

For example, divine beasts like the white tiger, even as newborn cubs, can suppress beast types of higher cultivation realms. Unless there’s a gap as large as between Nascent Soul and Unity or Great Achievement stages, beasts basically have no power to resist in front of her.

But Jiang Mo, who had transmigrated into this body, was clearly a fake. Not only was she unimaginably weak, but she also lacked bloodline suppression—if Divine Lord Zhiming hadn’t personally verified her identity, even the Xuanqing Sect Leader might not dare recognize her as Jianbing, instead of just some random albino tiger mutation that happened to grow fur resembling Jianbing.

In any case, after hearing Yun Qingyu’s explanation, the young man accepted it well.

Although the little black tiger before him had higher cultivation than the wind wolf, she was just a cub, neither of which matched his expected opponent. But besides this little black tiger who had voluntarily come on stage, there were no other opponents, right?

Thus, neither side complained. They each took their positions at opposite corners of the arena and prepared to fight.

As the referee signaled the start, the wind wolf charged towards Jiang Mo. It was very fast, living up to its name, almost reaching Jiang Mo in the blink of an eye. Jiang Mo could even see its sharp wolf teeth in its open mouth.

The little black tiger’s fur instantly bristled. Perhaps thankfully, felines are agile enough, and her first reaction to danger wasn’t to freeze but to flee. So in that critical moment, the little black tiger nimbly dodged, barely avoiding the wind wolf’s bite. Then, as if by instinct, the little black tiger’s paw shot out, sharp claws aiming for the wolf’s belly.

Wolves are known for having “copper heads, iron bones, and tofu waists,” with their waist and belly always being weak points. This wind wolf was no exception. However, precisely because the waist and belly are weak points, they usually guard them closely.

Just as the little black tiger’s paw neared the wolf’s belly, the wind wolf twisted its body and turned its head. Not only did it avoid the tiger claw, but it also spat out a wind blade towards her. If Jiang Mo hadn’t retracted her paw quickly, she would have been bloodied on the spot. Even so, the tips of her claws were shaved off by the wind blade, as if she’d gotten a free nail trim.

It didn’t hurt, of course, but Jiang Mo was a bit dumbfounded—claws and teeth are the most important weapons for beasts, so unlike human nails, beast claws are generally very hard. But now she had easily had her nails trimmed by a lower-level wind wolf. She really wanted to ask the system if she had taken too many pills and developed osteoporosis!

The little black tiger felt quite unsettled, but with the battle ongoing, there was no time for wild thoughts. After witnessing the wind wolf’s prowess, when it pounced on her again, the little black tiger instinctively tucked her tail, feeling fear.

Yun Qingyu, watching from the side, frowned deeply. Sure enough, the little black tiger was soon injured.

Wind wolves excel in speed. At the same Qi Condensation level, facing it head-on might be fine, but once fear sets in and one tries to avoid it, it becomes very difficult to outpace its speed. Moreover, wolves are cruel and cunning by nature. It would gradually test your limits, leaving you battered and bruised before you’re completely defeated, until the final killing blow.

At this point, the little black tiger had wounds on her back, legs, and even tail. She was also panicking—after all, she was originally just a girl without any fighting skills, and battling with wild beasts was truly a first for her. If she could have won decisively, it would have been fine, but once at a disadvantage, her mindset easily collapsed. Even with the system cheering her on from the side, it was useless.

Am I going to be killed by this wolf?!

Jiang Mo felt panicked and desperate internally, beginning to regret why she had chosen to do this mission. At the same time, she started hoping Yun Qingyu would quickly call for surrender—she really couldn’t beat this wolf, and the wounds on her body hurt so much, far more painful than being pecked by the goose.

The little black tiger’s eyes were brimming with tears. She didn’t even dare to turn her head to look at Yun Qingyu, fearing that in that moment of distraction, the wind wolf would bite her neck.

But Yun Qingyu didn’t call for surrender. She just stood there watching, as cold and hard as if she were indifferent to Jiang Mo’s life or death. On the other side, the young man, seeing this scene, began to hesitate, fearing that his wind wolf might actually kill someone else’s spirit beast, which he couldn’t afford to compensate—look at this little black tiger, about to reach Foundation Establishment just a month after birth. Although she looked weak now, her potential was clearly far higher than his wind wolf’s.

Just as the young man was hesitating whether to call for a stop, the attacking wind wolf suddenly paused. Originally, the little black tiger was being beaten miserably and was about to cry, but this didn’t mean she was willing to be beaten like this.

Seeing the wind wolf suddenly stop moving, the little black tiger’s anger surged, and her survival instinct kicked in. With a tiger’s pounce, she leaped forward.

For any animal, the throat is a vital point. The little black tiger bared her tiger teeth and bit down on the wind wolf’s throat. By the time the wind wolf recovered from its pause and reacted, no matter how it struggled and counterattacked, the little black tiger clenched her jaw and refused to let go.

The taste of blood filled her mouth, both the wolf’s blood and her own from earlier attacks.

But at this moment, Jiang Mo had become fierce, golden tiger eyes showing killing intent for the first time, as if it were a fight to the death.

However, this was ultimately just a competition. Seeing both spirit beasts severely injured, with blood splattered all over the arena, especially his wind wolf’s neck about to be bitten through, the young man hurriedly called for surrender.

By this time, Jiang Mo’s vision was darkening, and she could no longer hear the young man’s voice. The system, not expecting things to escalate to this point, circled around her anxiously, crying out, “Host, host, quickly let go, you’ve won…”

But it was useless. The little black tiger still bit down hard on the wind wolf’s neck, refusing to let go.

Until Yun Qingyu stepped forward, embraced her, and placed a hand on her mouth: “It’s over, you’ve won, let go now.”

Those hands were warm and soft, seeming to instantly pull Jiang Mo out of that desperate and fierce state. She dazedly released her bite, blinked her eyes, and finally saw the scene before her clearly.

Golden tiger eyes welled up with tears again, and combined with the wounds all over her body, the entire tiger looked pitiful. But before Jiang Mo could nuzzle against Yun Qingyu for comfort, her vision darkened, and she fainted.

Yun Qingyu picked up the little black tiger, nodded to the young man, and then looked at the referee. The referee also glanced at her, and the two seemed to have a tacit understanding in their gaze, but neither said anything. Yun Qingyu simply left carrying the little black tiger.