Cultivation Nerd-Chapter 250: Eye of The Tiger!

As I gently patted the egg, the warmth radiating from its surface remained steady and soothing. It wasn't the kind of heat that burned, but something deeper. A quiet, living warmth that pulsed faintly beneath my palm like a heartbeat. The shell was smooth, almost glass-like, but firm and dense. That constant warmth, unwavering and calm, gave the sense that whatever was inside was still sleeping… and very much alive.

How was I going to take care of the thing growing inside this egg?

This year, it felt like I'd been collecting a lot of people I needed to look after. Like they were Pokémon or something. Wu Yan, Fu Yating, and now this egg.

I chuckled, patted the shell again, and erected a thin but firm green barrier around it. The egg floated gently beside me, perfectly cradled by the shape of the construct.

There was this borderline – no, not even borderline – straight up demonic ritual that allowed the parent to transfer their Qi, power, and even spiritual roots into their child, though at a massive cost to the parent. The big pelican wasn't going to be living long anyway…

But I shook my head and dismissed the thought, no matter how tempting it was to witness such a thing. Human curiosity could get pretty twisted if left unchecked.

Even in modern times, people sometimes specifically search for gore videos. Why? Just curiosity. How far could the human mind go if no restrictions were placed due to morals or anything holding it back? That was not something I wanted to find out about myself.

And anyway, I was way too close to Molten Sky Island to be casting a demonic ritual. Besides, the writers of those demonic ritual books who mentioned this stuff never talked about the side effects. They probably didn't care what happened to the poor idiot who actually tried it.

Well. Time to get a read on my future enemies.

With a single thought, the tiger bounded forward, leaping from tree to tree at incredible speed. The giant pelican flapped its wings, creating strong gusts, and took to the skies, flying in the same direction.

Both were heading toward Molten Sky Island.

I stayed on the branch for a few more minutes and closed my eyes. At first, there was only darkness. Cool, still, and silent. Then I felt the wind brushing against my feathers, even though I had none. A faint signal connected me to the pelican.

A blurry image started to form in my mind, hazy and color-muted. It was like seeing through another body with unfamiliar senses, but it was definitely something.

Then, pain.

It hit like a dynamite stick full of needles exploding in the center of my brain.

I immediately cut the connection and staggered slightly as the lightheadedness rolled in.

"Shit," I muttered, touching my upper lip. I expected to see blood.

But there was none.

Huh. No blood?

It seemed that developing the technique to focus on monstrous beast control didn't put as much strain on the mind. Which made sense. Driving on a road made of asphalt was always easier than a road of nails. The technique was designed for this and was best when used exactly as intended.

Also, I think I was beginning to understand the "code" used to create Sky Grade Techniques.

Sighing, I looked at the large egg floating beside me as the jade barrier around it flickered, becoming more solid, like a cocoon.

After that, I moved at breakneck speeds from tree to tree. Galloping Horse Power Technique was so fast that the corner of my vision blurred as my body couldn't keep up with my level of mastery over my techniques.

But by now, I was used to this.

What kind of arrays would a big organization like this use to protect themselves? I was curious.

After a while, I changed my approach, moving from the south to the western side of Molten Sky Island. I summoned a jade platform beneath my feet and hovered there, looking toward the distant island.

I was about twenty miles away. From this height, and with my vision enhanced by cultivation, I could just barely make out the sea of flames far off in the distance.

I brought my thumb and index finger together to form a circle, mimicking a pair of makeshift glasses.

At first, nothing happened. The space inside the circle blurred like I was looking through lousy eyesight. Then, everything suddenly sharpened, like I was seeing through a low-grade pair of binoculars.

This was a simple Mortal Grade technique I'd barely used before. And it showed since it felt like I was looking through an old TV screen, all low resolution and static.

I toggled it on and off until it worked a bit better.

"Fuck me, I should really start using more of these techniques," I muttered.

Learning techniques on the spot was never a smart move. But I had a reason for it. Between the Song Clan Library and the Outer Library, I'd memorized over sixty Earth Grade Techniques and probably hundreds of Mortal Grade ones.

Even with my Eight Mind Phantoms Technique helping me categorize memories and improving recall, it wasn't perfect. That wasn't what it was made for. There was a good chance I'd forgotten over a hundred Mortal Grade Techniques, ones I'd skimmed for fun but never practiced.

Still, now wasn't the time to dwell on that. I planned to sort all this out once I hit Foundation Establishment.

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I spread my Qi senses, sweeping a radius of almost five miles just to check for anyone nearby. Maintaining that scan along with the visual technique was a bit taxing, but I didn't need to hold it for long.

Down by the shore of the flaming sea, the tiger finally appeared. It roared at the sky, then leapt at one of the giant nails holding the massive chain. The nail was supposed to be incredibly hot, but the tiger's Fire Qi seemed to grant it some natural resistance.

With surprising ease, it clawed its way up the nail, reached the top, and then sprinted along the chain toward the floating island.

What surprised me most was the complete lack of response.

No attacks. No defensive arrays. Nothing had triggered so far.

For a major stronghold like Molten Sky Island, one with Core Formation cultivators at their disposal, this level of security felt... underwhelming.

As the tiger climbed higher along the chain, cultivators finally made their move.

They descended from above, flying down on crimson clouds like Sun Wukong, their palms raised and glowing with fire. Instantly, fireballs filled the air and rained down like a carpet bombing run.

Even from so far away, I could issue immediate commands to the tiger, trying to weave it between the attacks and keep it moving upward. But the field of fire was too broad and there was no dodging that.

Control slipped from my grasp in an instant.

Well, at least now I knew: their defensive arrays weren’t fully in place yet. If we ever needed to invade in the future, attacking from the chain with some cover fire from the ground might actually work.

Also worth noting was that fire-type techniques were enhanced by the sheer density of fire Qi in this area. No surprise there.

Now, it was time to test their reaction to an aerial assault.

The pelican swooped in from high above, having flown well beyond the passive sensory range of most Core Formation cultivators. As it dove, its massive form blurred, and the air around its beak combusted, igniting from sheer pressure and ambient fire Qi. The sharp tip of its beak was now wrapped in flame.

It looked like a giant fiery missile streaking toward Molten Sky Island.

Even as it got dangerously close to the city, no defensive array activated.

But then someone appeared. Just, appeared. I didn’t see him move. No warning. One moment the sky was clear, the next it wasn't.

Core Formation. Had to be.

A brilliant explosion lit up the air, and the pelican slammed into the ground with a thunderous impact. A scorching, oversized handprint was burned into the sand where it hit like a giant had slapped it out of the sky.

I shut off the binocular-like Mortal Grade technique, dropped from the tree, and moved on. I’d gotten the basics. That would be enough, for now.

When I returned to Fu Yating, Wu Yan, and Speedy, they all looked at me like I’d grown a second head. Well… I couldn’t tell what Wu Yan was thinking, but Fu Yating looked annoyed, and Speedy was still staring at the egg floating beside me.

“Alright, let’s set the ground rules,” I said, cancelling the jade cocoon and letting the egg settle into my arms. It was lighter than I expected. “This thing is not for eating.”

“I don’t think that was the first thing on our minds when we saw you return with an egg,” Fu Yating said flatly.

“I was just being polite by not pointing fingers,” I said, gesturing toward Speedy. “But let’s be honest. The one I’m most worried about is him. Look at him, he’s eyeing it like breakfast.”

Speedy didn’t respond, just kept staring with that same unreadable turtle face. It was always hard to tell what he was thinking. For all I knew, he was planning its entire seasoning profile.

“Anyway,” I said, “we probably need to get the hell out of here.”

My Qi flickered like fire, forming a long thread that wrapped around Speedy. Another barrier formed around the egg and Fu Yating, cocooning them in protection.

And just like that, we took off, vanishing into the trees.

The wind brushed against my face and ruffled my hair as I kept an eye on Wu Yan following behind. She’d gotten a lot better at using her movement technique and could almost keep up with me.

Sure, I was carrying Fu Yating, Speedy, and the egg, but that didn’t slow me down nearly as much as it seemed.

This was actually kind of exciting. Wu Yan technically had a higher cultivation level than me, so she should be faster. But she hadn’t hit a Trace on her movement technique yet.

As I wondered which direction would be best for her development, I sensed dozens of cultivators flying toward us at breakneck speed.

Had they figured out I was behind the attack on their island?

I’d been careful. While observing, I’d stayed far beyond the sensing and visual range of even Core Formation cultivators. Even if someone noticed me, I’d have just looked like another guy watching from afar.

Besides, mental waves couldn’t be detected once they were inside someone else’s brain. Even if that Core Formation cultivator who slapped the pelican out of the sky had a mental-type Sky Grade Technique, it would’ve been near-impossible to distinguish my interference from the creature’s own thoughts.

There was also the egg I was carrying, but they shouldn’t have been able to sense that either. And even if they used it as evidence later, I could just claim it was a beast egg I found or bought elsewhere. The fire-type mutation wasn’t exactly rare in these parts.

No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t see any solid reason they’d suspect me. The best they could do was note that I had visited during the same time the incident happened… but assuming I was the attacker based on that alone? Bit of a stretch. Especially since, on paper, I was just a Qi Gathering cultivator.

Even the borrowed identity token from Song Song only hinted at me having some kind of potential. Maybe they’d assume I could control beasts or something, but I was too old to be seen as a prodigy. Real prodigies reached the peak of Qi Gathering in their teens. They spent the time until their twenties gathering the experience and foundation they needed for their element. King of how Song Song did it.

The most likely conclusion on their end was that a few monstrous beasts went berserk, whether out of revenge or raw bloodlust.

Still, I conjured two jade daggers and got ready. I could sense their cultivation levels. Most were at the upper end of Qi Gathering, with one Foundation Establishment cultivator among them. Thankfully, that guy was at the lower end of his stage. If things went sideways, I could still get away.

But despite all my theories and prep, the group just flew overhead on crimson clouds without even glancing at us.

“Huh…” I raised an eyebrow. “Oh. I get it now.”

I’d spent all that time thinking about worst-case scenarios. In reality, I wasn’t even on their radar. They were probably just doing a sweep, wiping out any local beasts near the island.

“Are we going to be okay?” Fu Yating asked.

I could tell she wasn’t looking for specifics by the way she said it. She just wanted to know whether a fight was coming.

“We’re fine,” I said. “But we should still get the fuck out of here.”

“Please don’t swear in front of Wu Yan. She’s at an impressionable age,” Fu Yating said, tone soft but pointed.

She really knew how to hit me where it hurt.

Still, my thoughts drifted back to those crimson clouds. If I remembered right, that was the Floating and Flying Cloud Technique. An Earth Grade technique used mainly by the Flaming Cloud Sect. It was their signature move. At the lower levels, it let you float, but with enough mastery, you could fly at incredible speed, no flying sword required.

Tempting… but definitely not something I had the time to learn right now.