Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

The tiger, one of the apex predators on land, bears the glorious title "King of Beasts." Before humans unlocked their technological prowess, it represented the perfect fusion of speed and power in this world—the most formidable killing machine in nature. A casual swipe from its paw could unleash a terrifying force of seven hundred catties. Its explosive speed left others in the dust, and its bite force was exceptionally frightening.

But that wasn't the current focus. The real issue was, "Why is there a tiger here?"

Didn't that son of a bitch Zheng Jituo say West Yin Mountain was incredibly safe and devoid of any large beasts? Is *this* the fucking safety you talked about, the lack of large beasts?!

Zhang Beixing stared warily at the creature crouching in the tall grass, his pupils contracting and his entire body tensing. He cursed Zheng Jituo endlessly in his heart, convinced that dog hadn't spoken a single word of truth.

At the same time, he felt a wave of relief. Thankfully, he'd spotted the tiger during the day. If it had been nighttime, after darkness fell, and he was asleep in his tent when the tiger appeared, ripping it open with a swipe of its paw and strolling in... now *that* would have been a catastrophic problem!

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Zhang Beixing watched the tiger. It was crouching in the tall grass, staring right back at him, its yellow pupils glinting with an unnerving green light. He cautiously took half a step back.

He was currently beside a waterfall, a considerable distance from his tent. Even if he sprinted, it would take a full minute to reach it. Moreover, the surrounding area was open, lacking trees, which meant he had no terrain advantage if a fight broke out. Since he couldn't use the terrain to his advantage, he'd have to focus on the tiger itself.

Zhang Beixing observed the tiger before him. He noted its physique was clearly a size smaller, if not more, than the tigers he'd seen in zoos. Its features also lacked true ferocity and grandeur, instead retaining a hint of lingering immaturity.

It must not be fully grown yet, Zhang Beixing concluded internally.

Yet, this realization didn't cause him to relax. On the contrary, he adopted the opening stance of Yue Family Boxing, his vigilance at its peak. After all, adult or not, a tiger is undeniably an apex predator in the natural world. This one, in particular, looked well-fed and sturdy, about 1.9 meters long and weighing an estimated 200 kilograms. While perhaps not a match for a fully grown adult, it was definitely a prime specimen among tigers of its age.

Especially now, as it crouched in the tall grass, its entire focus fixed on him. This is the prelude to an attack! The thought flashed through Zhang Beixing's mind.

Then, as if to confirm his suspicion, the nearly two-meter-long tiger, still crouching in the tall grass, suddenly flicked its tail upright, its fur bristling. With a powerful thrust of its hind legs, it burst from the grass.

ROAR!

Accompanied by that deep growl, when it was still three meters from Zhang Beixing, the tiger raised its front paws, pushed off powerfully with its hind legs, and in an instant, its massive body lunged, casting a dark shadow over him. A gust of wind buffeted him, carrying the unbearably foul stench from the tiger's maw.

Almost in that same instant, Zhang Beixing moved.

Considering the vast disparity in their Power and weight, Zhang Beixing didn't meet the attack head-on. Instead, he sidestepped, his body almost brushing against the tiger's as he narrowly evaded its sudden, ferocious pounce.

WHOOSH!

The soft, smooth sensation of fur brushed against his skin. Zhang Beixing felt no relief, only a profound, alarming shock at the tiger's explosive speed.

He knew tigers were incredibly powerful creatures, terrifying in both speed and Power. But he hadn't anticipated that even an immature specimen could be this formidable.

They had been more than ten meters apart just moments ago. Even with his current physique and sprinting speed, it would have taken him a second or two to cover that distance. Yet the tiger had crossed it in a mere instant to launch its attack.

If he hadn't already raised his Power and Constitution attributes to 99.9, and if his Spirit value of 105 hadn't granted him extremely fast reflexes, that single pounce would have slammed him to the ground, no matter how stable his stance.

"Fuck, that was too damn close!" Zhang Beixing exclaimed, a trace of lingering fear in his voice. He then turned to face the tiger.

He knew he absolutely couldn't turn his back and try to flee; he'd never outrun it. The tiger would pounce and bring him down in an instant. His only hope for survival was to face it bravely, tracking its every movement to react in time.

He saw the tiger, enraged by its missed strike.

ROAR!

It roared at him again and launched another pounce, kicking up a fierce gust of wind.

However, unlike its previous simple pounce, this time, it extended its claws. Its formidable paws rose, sharp talons unsheathed from between its pads, glinting with a chilling light in the sun. He could faintly make out dried flecks of blood and gore clinging to them. With overwhelming momentum, it swiped menacingly at Zhang Beixing.

Seeing this, Zhang Beixing narrowed his eyes. This tiger has locked onto me, he thought. It won't give up. And in this environment, escape is impossible.