After swearing brotherhood, the way the three brothers interacted actually didn't change much.
When Jun Mo Li practiced swordsmanship, little Jun Bai would still watch from the side as usual. Li Tonghui still went deep into the mountains every day and never brought his two brothers along.
At the same time, the daily staple program—Li Tonghui and Jun Mo Li's battles—never stopped.
It was just that this time, it was Jun Mo Li's turn to be easily defeated by Li Tonghui, and he had been on a losing streak ever since.
It wasn't because Li Tonghui had a Vision—in fact, Li Tonghui no longer used his Vision during spars.
The real reason was that Jun Mo Li was now using a heavy sword he wasn't proficient with, instead of the light sword he was accustomed to.
When using a weapon he was still learning, Jun Mo Li's strength was naturally reduced by thirty percent. Not to mention that what he was wielding was the hundred-jin Mountain Severer.
Both Li Tonghui and little Jun Bai suggested he switch to a lighter sword during spars and only switch back to Mountain Severer when practicing alone.
Then Jun Mo Li rolled up his sleeve, pointed at the bulging muscles on his arm, and said: "No need. Although it's a bit harder, the training effect is still pretty good."
"Switching swords might not give this kind of result."
Hearing this, the two brothers stopped trying to persuade him.
In this way, two years passed.
The eighteen-year-old Li Tonghui and Jun Mo Li had both come of age. Then, without a word, they ran off to the Guili Assembly, found jobs as escort guards, and began wandering the jianghu.
This made their third brother, little Jun Bai, very dissatisfied. He often complained that his two older brothers went out without taking him along.
Li Tonghui and Jun Mo Li just smiled, then comforted little Jun Bai together with Bai Zhirou.
Wandering the jianghu was no simple matter.
Not to mention that this was during the Archon War period—being an escort guard was far more difficult than in peaceful times.
How could older brothers let their younger brother take such risks?
On this day, Li Tonghui and Jun Mo Li rarely stayed in Qingce Village instead of going out.
Since they were both in Qingce Village, naturally they had to have a long-overdue spar.
The sounds of knuckle dusters and heavy sword clashing echoed continuously through the bamboo grove as the two tall, slender youths engaged in fierce combat.
No elemental power was used, yet the commotion caused by these two young men far exceeded the impact of a battle between Vision holders.
Li Tonghui wasn't using his Vision—this was for fairness.
But now, under equal conditions, he was firmly suppressed by Jun Mo Li.
"Second brother, we've both been escorting for a year and a half—hasn't your progress been a bit too much?" Li Tonghui said as he knocked Jun Mo Li back with a punch.
Jun Mo Li swung Mountain Severer one-handed: "All I did in this year and a half was get used to Mountain Severer's weight."
Li Tonghui: "?"
I said you took my punch like it was nothing—turns out your physical conditioning has already reached this level.
"Use your Vision, eldest brother. Otherwise, you might not be my match." Jun Mo Li smiled.
The earlier suppression had made Jun Mo Li realize his current level—Li Tonghui without his Vision was no longer his opponent.
"Seems like that's really the case." Li Tonghui said as flames ignited across his body.
To force me to use elemental power—ordinary Vision holders are already no match for second brother.
With mortal martial arts, surpassing the gaze of the gods.
Chasing after him all this time has definitely been the best decision I ever made!
The two clashed again. This time, both went all out.
The difference between this battle and a true life-or-death fight was probably just that the two tacitly avoided each other's vital points.
...
"Second brother, you're really unreasonably strong."
Li Tonghui walked through the mountains, picking roadside herbs to apply to his wounds: "Back when we decided who would be eldest brother, he must have been going easy on me."
"Although I was holding back too, second brother was definitely holding back an ocean."
Li Tonghui muttered to himself, then crushed the herbs in his hand, mixed them with saliva, and applied them to the bruises.
These herbs, when used externally, could invigorate blood circulation and reduce swelling—very effective.
This mountain was one Li Tonghui had frequently visited since he was five years old. He was familiar with everything on it.
Including the massive tiger that suddenly appeared in front of him now.
The three-meter-long tiger pounced on Li Tonghui without a word the moment it saw him.
Li Tonghui didn't resist, letting the tiger knock him down.
The tiger extended its barbed tongue and gave Li Tonghui's face a frantic licking.
"Wait, wait—Little Yao! I know, I know—it's my fault for not coming back to see you in so long. Stop licking, it's really itchy!"
Hearing someone's pleas, the big tiger Little Yao finally let Li Tonghui go.
Li Tonghui could frequently enter and exit the deep mountains, even learning from wild beasts to develop his own fist style—this was inseparable from his legendary life.
To sum it up: Li Tonghui had been adopted as an infant by the parents of the big tiger in front of him. Li Tonghui didn't know why his "foster parents" hadn't eaten him back then.
In any case, with his foster parents around, no creature on this mountain dared provoke Li Tonghui unless monsters appeared.
With two tigers over five meters long as backers, which short-sighted beast would dare mess with him?
Then, at one year old, Li Tonghui was found by his birth parents and brought back to Qingce Village.
After that, various other events occurred, leading to the current situation.
This big tiger was the biological son of Li Tonghui's foster parents. Li Tonghui affectionately called him Little Yao.
A tiger that could grow to five meters long—if it wasn't a demon, could it be an adeptus?
Little Yao climbed off Li Tonghui, then gestured for him to get on.
Li Tonghui was puzzled but still sat on Little Yao's back.
Once Li Tonghui was secure, Little Yao took off without another word, charging through the deep mountains with Li Tonghui on his back.
Soon, Little Yao brought Li Tonghui to a tree hollow.
Li Tonghui got down from Little Yao and walked into the hollow. There he saw an egg the size of a watermelon.
The eggshell was crimson, with flame-like patterns on its surface—extremely mysterious in appearance.
Little Yao walked over, extended a tiger paw, pointed at Li Tonghui's Vision, then at the egg in front of him.
"You want me to attack this egg with fire elemental power?"
"Roar—" Little Yao nodded.
"If you want to eat it, just eat it directly—why make me cook it for you? Sometimes I really don't know if you're a tiger or a person." Li Tonghui said, but he still released fire elemental power to attack the egg in front of him.
However, Li Tonghui soon noticed something wrong.
This egg... seemed to be absorbing the fire elemental power? Was this... incubating?
Watching the cracks gradually appear on the eggshell, Li Tonghui couldn't help but widen his eyes.
And then...
"No, what kind of creature's egg hatches into a little tiger with wings that can breathe fire?"