The raging torrent of heat in his Dantian no longer circulated docilely along the path of the Mountain Shattering Technique. Instead, with unstoppable momentum, it surged through every inch of muscle and sinew in his body.
"Ugh!"
Chen Yue let out a muffled groan as his body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably. His skin instantly turned crimson, radiating an astonishing amount of heat. Sweat evaporated into white vapor the moment it seeped from his pores, rising in wisps from his head and all over his body.
He felt as if his body had been thrown into a roaring furnace. Every muscle contracted violently in the intense heat, while his sinews were stretched and hammered, emitting faint yet distinct crackling sounds.
This tyrannical transformative power washed over every corner of his body. When it swept to his chest, it violently collided with the sinister, cold aura of the black spot, which had clung to him like a deep-seated rot.
"HISS!"
The scorching, surging Qi Blood of the Refining Flesh Realm, like molten lava, slammed fiercely into the dark, icy-cold black spot. The spot writhed and contracted violently.
The lingering cold and numbness were completely suppressed by the scorching Qi Blood, rendered immobile and unable to seep out in the slightest.
Not only that, but under the continuous scouring and nourishment of his Qi Blood, Chen Yue could even feel the edge of the black spot shrink inward by a tiny sliver.
Though it was an extremely subtle change, the shrinking was undeniably real.
A dozen breaths later, the raging torrent of heat within him gradually subsided. It returned to his Dantian, transforming into an even more condensed, scorching energy that began to circulate slowly on its own along the designated path.
The crimson color of his skin quickly faded, and his body temperature returned to normal. A feeling of explosive power now filled his entire being.
Chen Yue slowly opened his eyes, which shone like two cold stars in the darkness. He gently clenched his fist, and his knuckles popped loudly.
Chen Yue looked down, pulling open his collar to look at his chest.
The black spot was still there, but the feeling that it was a living, writhing thing and the outward-creeping cold had vanished completely. It was pinned firmly in place, like a dead, silent scar.
’The Refining Flesh Realm...’ The corners of Chen Yue’s mouth curled up uncontrollably into a smile of immense relief.
’I finally broke through!’
Not only had his strength skyrocketed, but his physical fortitude, reaction speed, and the acuity of his five senses had all been elevated to a new level. More importantly, the threat of the black spot, which had hung over him like a sword of Damocles, was finally suppressed to a minimum. He could even see a glimmer of hope for its complete elimination.
At the same time, the successful fusion that created the Wind Chasing Technique left Chen Yue overjoyed. ’Judging by the 300 experience points required just for the Entry Level, the tier of this new Body Technique is probably on par with the Mountain Shattering Technique, far surpassing those five basic ones.’
This meant his shortcomings in speed, evasion, and stealth would be significantly shored up.
「The next day」
Chen Yue followed his routine, completing his alchemy tasks, taking a Solid Essence Pill to consolidate his cultivation, and practicing the Mountain Shattering Technique and the newly acquired Entry Level Wind Chasing Technique.
In his spare time, Chen Yue took out the six basic Saber Technique Manuals he had bought at the black market and studied them carefully. He practiced the movements empty-handed, attempting to fuse their characteristics just as he had done with the Body Techniques.
The fierce violence of the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber; the heavy, powerful momentum of the Mountain Splitting Saber Technique; the dense, protective screen of the Night Battle Eight-direction Saber; the wind-like speed of the Splashing Wind Saber; the treacherous, ground-hugging style of the Earth Hall Saber; and the nimble, cunning strikes of the Willow Leaf Saber...
He constantly deconstructed, combined, and extrapolated them, searching for their common ground and complementary aspects.
「Two days later」
The panel displayed a new notification.
[Successfully fused Saber Techniques through diligent effort. Obtained new Saber Technique: Furious Wave Saber Technique.]
[Furious Wave Saber Technique (Entry Level 1/300)]
’Another weakness covered, and with a high starting point, no less.’
And the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, which the stall owner had thrown in as a bonus, also gave Chen Yue an unexpected surprise.
After the panel cataloged it, the name displayed was [Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield (Incomplete)]. However, Chen Yue couldn’t cultivate it because it was too fragmented; it lacked even the complete Qi Circulation Technique for the first level.
And from the vague information the panel provided, the complete version of this Body Refining Technique was of an exceptionally high tier.
An idea struck Chen Yue. He specifically made time to visit the black market twice more, seeking out other vendors who sold Secret Manuals, hoping to uncover similar high-tier, incomplete manuals.
Unfortunately, the so-called Divine Skill manuals sold by those vendors were either complete fabrications or just superficial External Skills given a new name, so shoddy the panel couldn’t even catalog them.
Only this [Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield (Incomplete)], though uncultivable, had its Origin recognized by the panel.
After much hesitation, one night, Chen Yue stared at the solitary Source Point on his panel, then looked again at the description for [Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield (Incomplete)], and finally made up his mind.
’Let’s see if you’re worth this one Source Point.’
Chen Yue focused his mind, directing his will toward the single Source Point and then guiding it toward the [Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield (Incomplete)].
The instant the Source Point vanished, a stream of information far heavier than what he’d experienced when fusing techniques flooded into his mind. Simultaneously, the skills section on his panel blurred. The words [Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield (Incomplete)] twisted and distorted, changing into [Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield (Entry Level 1/3000)].
’3,000 experience points for the Entry Level?!’
Chen Yue sucked in a sharp breath as he saw the change on the panel.
That number was ten times the experience needed for the Entry Level of the Mountain Shattering Technique and the Wind Chasing Technique.
As Chen Yue carefully processed the information flooding his mind, he discovered that this Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield not only contained a much deeper understanding and philosophy of tempering the physical body but also pointed directly to the very Origin of physical defense and damage reflection.
Although it was just the tip of the iceberg, it had already shown Chen Yue a glimpse of a vast, boundless world of Body Refinement.
’Worth it!’
’That one Source Point was more than worth it!’
That night, Chen Yue made his first tentative attempt to cultivate the entry-level part of the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield. The results were negligible, but his attitude remained positive.
He knew his own aptitude was limited. With the panel, all he had to do was put in the effort.
All was still and silent. Suddenly, Chen Yue’s eyes snapped open, his pupils contracting slightly in the darkness.
He tilted his head slightly, his ears twitching almost imperceptibly.
’There’s a sound.’
Chen Yue sat up in bed, pressing his back against the cold earthen wall and holding his breath to concentrate.
He pushed the five senses that had been enhanced by his breakthrough to the Refining Flesh Realm to their absolute limit.
The sounds from the darkness grew clearer. People were climbing over the wall into the medicine shop’s courtyard—at least seven or eight of them, perhaps even more!
Their landings were a mix of heavy and light, indicating a wide range of cultivation levels among the intruders. However, all their movements were crisp and efficient, suggesting they were well-trained—definitely not your average burglars.
Chen Yue listened intently. Most of the footsteps were moving quickly toward the front hall, where the valuable medicinal herbs and Elixirs were stored. Their objective was clear.
But some footsteps were heading toward the relatively separate Alchemy Courtyard, where Lin Quan, the other Alchemy Masters, and he himself were living.
’Are they targeting the Alchemy Masters? Or is this just an indiscriminate raid?’ Chen Yue’s thoughts raced.
He quickly shook out his bedding, swiftly arranging it into the silhouette of a person lying on their side. Once that was done, his figure flashed, and he silently slipped into a corner of the room.
"Who are you! AHH—!"
A terrified scream erupted from an apprentice’s room in the front courtyard, but it was cut off abruptly, as if the person’s throat had been violently seized.
It was immediately followed by a coarse, vicious roar, "If you don’t wanna die, stay the fuck down in your rooms! Anyone pokes their head out, I’ll chop it off!"
The front courtyard instantly fell into a dead silence. No one else dared to make a sound, much less step outside.