The moment the tiger drew its weapons, the air **changed**.
Two jade-green blades slid into its claws—curved, elegant, and unmistakably lethal. Their edges shimmered with dense, refined qi, while runes crawled along their surfaces like living things. With every pulse, sharp pressure rolled outward, pressing against the forest itself.
The fox's eyes **lit up**.
"…Oh?" it murmured, tail swaying faintly despite the tension. "High-tier earth-grade weapon tools."
Its gaze lingered—appreciative, greedy, unmistakably pleased.
"You really are a rich one," the fox continued lightly. "In that case, why don't you just hand them over now? They're going to be mine anyway." A pause, then a pleasant tilt of its head. "I'll even be kind enough to send you off quickly."
The wind tiger snarled.
Killing intent erupted as the twin blades screamed through the air, wind gathering violently around their edges. The pressure spiked, shredding ash and loose earth as currents spiraled tighter and tighter.
The fox tilted its head.
Then paused.
"…Hmm."
It tapped a claw against the air as if thinking, ears twitching thoughtfully.
"That sounded familiar," it muttered. "Didn't the one with scars say something almost exactly like that earlier?"
Its eyes curved into a smile—sharp, amused, and utterly unafraid.
"Looks like confidence really *is* contagious."
Above them, lightning-scarred currents of wind churned as the tiger lowered its stance, blades raised. Power surged through its massive frame, climbing rapidly toward a peak.
Invisible nearby, the lizard's presence pressed closer—silent, patient.
The trap was tightening.
And this time, the prey knew it.
The wind tiger snarled, fury boiling over.
"**You dare—!**"
Wind **burst outward** in a violent shockwave, tearing up scorched earth and ash as the tiger lowered its body to charge—
Then it **stopped**.
Its muscles locked.
Its qi stuttered.
A calm voice drifted through the chaos.
"Looks like you noticed," the fox said lightly, hovering in the air, eyes gleaming. "That little delay just now? Yeah. That wasn't you."
It tilted its head, almost conversational.
"That's just a small trick of one of my weapons. I don't use it much. Most of the time it's only good for cutting and piercing." A pause. A faint smile. "But every now and then, it gets… *creative*."
The tiger's pupils shrank.
Hovering directly before its face, the pill hung in the air—silent, unassuming, yet suddenly **terrifying**.
"You see," the fox continued smoothly, "this thing can mess with someone's qi. Just a touch, just a flicker, and everything stops responding the way it should."
The tiger's thoughts spiraled.
*My energy—why isn't it moving properly?*
It tried to gather wind. The response lagged.
It tried to reinforce its defenses. The flow felt **muddy**, unstable.
Cold panic crept in.
*If I can't stabilize my qi… I can't block the invisible attack.*
With a furious snarl, it forced both jade-green blades upward, crossing them before its body and pouring power into its defense—
Nothing hit.
The air was empty.
Confusion flashed across its face—
—and in that instant, **pain exploded**.
An unseen maw clamped down hard into its side.
*Crunch.*
The tiger roared, body twisting violently as blood sprayed and wind erupted outward in a desperate counterattack.
"What—?!" it bellowed. "I blocked it—!"
Its gaze snapped back to the fox.
The fox was smiling.
Not mocking.
Not rushed.
Just… calm.
The pill hovering before the tiger's eyes **faded**, dissolving into motes of light like smoke carried away by the wind.
There had never been anything there—
just an illusion.
"No," the fox said softly. "You didn't."
At the tiger's flank, water slid off invisible scales as the lizard's jaws tightened. Lightning-scarred fangs sank deep, burying themselves in flesh. Its presence finally registered—
too late.
Far too late.
The *real* pill had never been in front of the tiger.
It had been at its side all along.
The tiger *could* have noticed.
*Should* have noticed.
But the moment its qi failed to respond—
The moment doubt crept in—
Panic had already won.
The wind tiger howled, the sound tearing through the forest as its massive body thrashed.
Wind erupted in chaotic bursts, razor-sharp currents shredding trees and gouging the ground—but this time there was no precision. No control.
Only pain.
Only instinct.
Too late.
The lizard released its bite and vanished once more, water and shadow peeling away as if it had never existed. Blood poured freely from the tiger's side, steaming as faint lightning residue crackled along the wound.
The fox didn't waste the opening.
Three weapons moved as one.
The black spear **lunged**, slipping through the turbulence like a predator moving through tall grass. The tiger twisted, barely deflecting it with one jade blade—
—only for the second jade-green blade to be **knocked aside** by the fox's other weapon, a brutal, calculated clash that sent shockwaves rippling through the air.
"Still fighting?" the fox asked, almost impressed. "Good. I was worried you'd disappoint me."
The tiger roared, veins bulging as it forced its qi to respond. Wind surged violently around its body. For a brief moment, its aura flared—unstable, but overwhelming—as it tried to crush everything in range.
The fox clicked its tongue.
"Tch. There it is. You're forcing it now." A pause. "That'll cost you."
The disruptive weapon pulsed again—subtle, nearly imperceptible.
The tiger felt it instantly.
Its qi **stuttered**.
Not a full collapse.
Just enough.
The fox was already there.
In a blur of white and gold, it closed the distance. Its eyes were cold, its movements precise. The jade spear pierced cleanly through the tiger's shoulder, pinning one arm mid-motion.
Before the beast could even scream—
The black spear followed.
Straight through the chest.
The wind tiger froze.
Its blades slipped from numb claws, clattering uselessly against the ground.
For a heartbeat, its massive body remained upright—eyes wide, breath hitching as wind leaked from its mouth in a long, broken exhale.
"…So," the fox said quietly, hovering before it, gaze flicking toward the fallen weapons, "rich, strong, arrogant…"
A pause.
"…and still alone."
The tiger's legs buckled.
Its massive form crashed into the scorched earth with a thunderous **boom**, wind dispersing into nothing as its aura collapsed completely.
Silence followed.
From the shadows, water rippled.
The lizard reappeared beside the corpse, scales faintly glowing, eyes calm as it regarded the fallen sixth-layer beast.
*Efficient,* it thought.
The fox descended, already sweeping the corpse, the jade blades, and the shattered core into a blood-stained storage pouch with practiced ease.
"One down," the fox muttered, lifting its gaze toward the remaining sixth- and fifth-layer cultivators hovering at a cautious distance.
Its smile returned.
"Four to go."