Chapter 117: Watching the Tigers Fight from the Mountain

At the summit of Fire Persimmon Mountain, amidst the deep clouds and mist, Meng Kui, the current City Lord of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, sat cross-legged in the air. Thick dusk-like haze swirled around him, and the clouds churned violently.

He formed hand seals and silently recited incantations, his magical power surging like tides, merging and resonating with the heavens and earth. A faint cyan radiance emanated from his entire body. He had been practicing this technique for eight or nine days.

Meng Kui slowly opened his eyes, and with a flick of his mind, he retrieved a scroll from his storage belt. The scroll unfurled in the air, drifting with the wind to reveal its full image. It was a portrait of a man with a square face and a fierce, imposing aura. Behind him, on a mountain, stood a robust, variegated yellow tiger, roaring toward the sky. The man was Meng Hu, a member of the same clan as Meng Kui, a Nascent Soul-stage body cultivator, and one of the four famous great generals of the Meng family.

The artist, Han Xiongfeng, was a master of portraiture, particularly skilled in depicting fierce warriors. This scroll, imbued with a portion of Meng Hu’s spirituality, represented a fraction of his talent and destiny. Meng Kui had specifically sought this painting because it was an indispensable key to the ritual he was about to perform.

"Divine Ability — Mountain-Sitting Observation!"

Meng Kui unleashed the ability he had been brewing for days upon the scroll. The painting suddenly disintegrated; the images of the man and the tiger detached from the parchment. The man and the tiger engaged in a fierce struggle, trading blows and charging at one another. Clouds and mist roiled as the two figures merged, shifting between man and beast until it was impossible to distinguish who was who. The phantoms clashed repeatedly within the haze, their roars echoing endlessly.

The ritual was complete. In an instant, an invisible hurricane swept across the summit, purging the heavy clouds and mist. The phantoms of the man and tiger dispersed, riding the clouds toward the Lava Immortal Palace, Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and the entirety of Fire Persimmon Mountain.

Meng Kui’s face turned pale; his throat bobbed, and he spat out a small mouthful of blood. A lock of hair at his forehead turned snow-white with visible speed. Meng Kui possessed the innate talent of "High Mountain Vision," which allowed him to stabilize his own destiny while observing the surrounding situation. Through this talent, he had cultivated the ability "Mountain-Sitting Observation." By sitting upon the mountain, he could observe the winds and clouds, the world, and the lives of the common people, as well as the struggles of dragons and tigers.

By using the portrait, he had created a "field of destiny" where a battle between a man and a tiger would play out. This field now covered the entire mountain, and the destiny of every living thing within it would be influenced. In the coming days, they would be driven to fight for various reasons. This "Tiger Fight" was no mere skirmish; it was a battle of life and death. As a result, those trapped in the conflict would see their fortunes plummet. Since Meng Kui’s own destiny remained unmoved, he would gain a massive advantage in momentum.

He did not do this for himself, but for his grandson, Meng Chong, who was shielded from the effects of this field.

"Chong'er has been training diligently and mastering many spells," Meng Kui reflected. "By cultivating his business, he has restored his own fortune. With my ritual affecting the Lava Immortal Palace, he will surely ride the winds of fate and move forward unimpeded."

Meng Kui understood the shift in fortunes. The situation had been turning against the City Lord’s mansion—the Zhou, Zheng, and Ning families were closing in, the Lava Immortal Palace was suffering from mysterious riots, and Zhu Xuanji had arrived far too early, while the Shadow Devil Cultivator had gone missing. He knew he had to act. The ritual was costly and drained his lifespan, making it unsustainable for frequent use, but for the sake of the Palace, his grandson, and the Meng family, he would pay the price.

Meng Chong, unaware of his grandfather’s sacrifice, had been training his spells relentlessly since his defeat by the Golden-Blooded War Ape, Da Sheng.

"Superior Talent — Thunderous Sprint!"
"Spell — A Single Breath!"
His breath was accelerated, and his firing rate soared, turning it into a lethal offensive spell.

"Superior Talent — Thunderous Sprint!"
"Spell — Ice Embracing Art!"
Cold air erupted from his embrace, coating his own face in frost. He shivered violently. The spell was executed, but it lacked harmony with his innate talent. If he used it in actual combat, he might harm himself instead of his enemy.

"Young Master Meng Chong, it is time for a break," his attendant urged.
Meng Chong nodded. "Very well."

He stepped off the training field. In the past, he would have pushed himself without rest, desperate for immediate results. But now, he understood the value of relaxation. His hardships had not only sharpened his abilities but also matured his temperament, making him more resilient.

"Young Master, you have been remarkably successful!" the attendant said while treating his injuries. "Splitting the Five Elements power to isolate Water-attribute energy just to perform the Ice Embracing Art is incredibly difficult. You are also layering your innate talent on top, which demands extreme proficiency. This is a hundred times harder than a normal execution."

Meng Chong grinned, showing his white teeth. "Even if it were a thousand times harder, I would overcome it! There is no obstacle in this world I cannot cross." His fighting spirit was high, his confidence absolute.

***

At the Ning family estate, Ning Zhuo set down a jade slip and fell into deep thought. Ning Xiaoren had sent several slips, but most contained only common knowledge, not the profound secrets Ning Zhuo had hoped for. Ning Xiaoren had not visited again, as if fearing Ning Zhuo would demand more.

Two stories in the slips left a deep impression on Ning Zhuo. The first was about the "Four Seasons Natural Zither," a spirit treasure of the Heavenly Sound Sect. To become its new master, one had to compose and perform four pieces corresponding to the four seasons, requiring the zither’s recognition. The second was a legend about the Grandmaster Refiner Lü Duan, who had helped a small nation seal a malevolent god by creating the "Wind-Herding Whip." The weapon could only be fully refined by making choices that aligned with the god's spirit—such as creating wind disasters that destroyed the lives of the citizens. The nation's ruler eventually sacrificed his people to refine the whip, only to be imprisoned by his own subjects, and the nation eventually perished.

"The logic is clear," Ning Zhuo mused. "One must act in accordance with the spirit to make it submit or be refined. To control Da Sheng, I must do what it wants to do! But what is that?"

Anxiety gnawed at him. According to the "Treatise on Spirituality," spirits go through stages of growth. "If I miss the window of the 'Spirit-Active' phase, will I lose the only chance to truly control Da Sheng forever?" Ning Zhuo thought, realizing he was running out of time.