BAM!
Lu Sheng drove his fist into the ground, striking the metal plate embedded beneath. Transparent yet tangible ripples burst outward, distorting the air as they spread in every direction. The floor caved inward, forming a deep concave pit perfectly shaped like a clenched fist.
“Hum… hum… hum…”
A low, resonant vibration filled the sanctuary. From his temples, two thick slabs of flesh swelled outward like malformed horns. Across his frame, black-gray muscles ballooned, straining as though they might rupture at any moment.
“Hoo…!”
He exhaled a steaming burst of hot Qi, then lifted both arms and hammered the ground with frenzied force.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!!!
Each blow carved new fist-shaped craters, large and small, the tremors rippling beneath the metal floor and rolling toward the four enclosing walls. The walls shuddered and sent the shockwaves rebounding straight back into his body. Pressure mounted within the sanctuary, layer upon layer of vibrations merging and amplifying until the air itself seemed thick with force.
Under the pulsing hum, Lu Sheng’s skin writhed, twisting as though something beneath it clawed for release.
BAM! BAM! BAM!! BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAMMMM!!!
His fists crashed down like an unbroken thunderstorm. The overlapping shockwaves fused into one colossal surge, reverberating through the chamber and slamming into him from every direction.
BAM!!!
Abruptly, he froze.
The crushing force of the tremors drove the vast reservoir of Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies inner Qi inward, compressing it violently within the center of his chest. Under that unimaginable pressure, it finally condensed—forming a single, clear drop of pale-red liquid Qi that gleamed like crystal.
A second drop followed. Then a third.
Drawn by an overwhelming pull, torrents of inner Qi spiraled toward his chest, circling and gathering in a wild rush. In the instant the first drop appeared, the rest surged after it, funneling together until they, too, condensed.
At last, three drops of liquid inner Qi drifted in slow, deliberate orbit within Lu Sheng’s chest cavity.
“Hoo… Hoo… Hoo…”
Lu Sheng panted heavily, each breath sending out faint streams of white mist as his sweat evaporated the instant it touched his overheated skin. Inside, he felt hollow. Every shred of Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies inner Qi within him had condensed into three crystal-clear drops of pale-red liquid.
More troubling, those three drops quivered with instability—fragile, volatile, as if the slightest disturbance could trigger an explosion.
‘Three drops of liquid inner Qi…’ Drawing on his past experience cultivating the Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies Skill, he calculated silently. A practitioner without the Modifier would require more than two centuries of relentless training just to reach Level Eight. Yet the Qi swirling within him now had swelled by at least a third—far beyond its volume at that level.
‘So these three drops… do they represent the equivalent of three hundred years of cultivation?’
His gaze shifted to the Deep Blue Modifier floating before him. The words “Level Nine” gleamed sharply beside the Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies Skill.
Ultimate Crimson Nine-Furies Skill: Level Nine. Special Effect(s): Inner Qi Detonation, Strengthened Blood-Web.
‘Inner Qi Detonation? What sort of ability is that?’
Lu Sheng’s mind raced. After cultivating countless mantras—inner force, hard-body, hybrid—he couldn’t discern which combinations the Modifier had drawn from to extrapolate a Level Nine form. But the moment he saw “Inner Qi Detonation,” he thought of the three trembling drops inside his chest cavity.
They were unstable, dangerously so. A single nudge might set them off.
‘Inner Qi Detonation… I’m already in Yang Extreme Mode and at the peak of hard-body cultivation. What happens if I trigger detonation in this state?’ A flicker of excitement coursed through him.
‘Let’s try it…’
Carefully, with the gentlest touch of intent, he brushed his mind against one of the liquid drops.
POP!
In an instant, the drop vanished—evaporating into nothingness. Lu Sheng’s body jerked violently. His torso swelled, spine arching upward as it pushed against his skin. Then, with a deep crackling sound, sharp spikes burst along his back like the ridged plates of a dragon.
‘This… this is…’
A surge of power—vast, primal, overwhelming—rose within Lu Sheng, spiraling through him without end. He lifted his hands, staring as a layer of greenish-black keratin coated his skin like a hardened armor. The keratin that once appeared pale had now deepened into a stony, grey-black shade.
“HOO!”
With a casual flick of his hand, the air before him roared, trembling as if some colossal force had swept past and torn through the space.
Inside the sanctuary, Lu Sheng stood transformed. A new layer of thick, obsidian armor encased his entire body, merging seamlessly with the hardened shell he had cultivated before. Muscles along his back jutted outward like a row of jagged spikes. His silhouette no longer resembled a man—he had become a monstrous, towering creature forged from muscle, keratin, and sheer might.
At nearly three meters tall and over two meters wide, he looked from afar like an enormous, grayish-black beast with a spine crowned in sharp protrusions.
‘My strength has grown again… though I can’t tell how much. But this form can’t last forever. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, my inner Qi is draining.’
He studied himself with sharp precision. An immense power churned within him, pressing against his flesh as if fighting to burst free of its vessel.
‘Just detonating a single drop of inner Qi has made me this strong. If I were to detonate all three at once… I might reach a state beyond anything I can imagine.’
Instinctively, his awareness shifted toward the two remaining drops of liquid Qi resting in his chest cavity.
‘Even without detonation, after this breakthrough I should already surpass the original Three-Vein level… perhaps even reaching Four-Vein. But without real combat, I can’t be certain.’
‘After detonation, though—my strength rises explosively. Even if it only lasts for a short while, using it at the right moment could completely overturn a battle. It’s a second trump card.’
With a mere flicker of intent, Lu Sheng’s towering, three-meter form began to shrink. Muscles contracted, bones realigned, and the monstrous shell receded like a tide pulling back into the depths. In moments, he stood once more as his original self—bald, powerfully built, and only slightly taller than an ordinary man. His skin returned to its natural tone.
Yet something felt different.
His complexion appeared even fairer than before—smooth, refined, almost too pristine. It resembled the unblemished skin of a pampered young master who had never endured a day of training, much less the harsh molding of martial cultivation.
‘Legend has it that when one reaches the pinnacle of hard-body training, the body returns to its purest, untouched state… a form so natural that no one can discern the depth of one’s cultivation.’
‘Perhaps… that’s what’s happening to me now.’
He drew a slow breath, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
‘Next, I should find a place to test what happens if I detonate all three drops of liquid Qi at once.’
…………
Inside Mystery River Valley.
Brown, sheer cliffs loomed on all four sides, enclosing the basin like the walls of an enormous natural courtyard. At its center lay a pale-green pool, its surface still and glassy.
From the heart of that pool rose a cluster of silent, silver-gray structures. Built entirely from an unfamiliar stone, the architecture towered elegantly above the water, unattached to any land—no bridges, no platforms, nothing connecting it to the surrounding cliffs.
Small boats drifted lazily between the cliffs and the buildings, bobbing each time a waterfall came crashing down from above. The cascading torrents battered the waters, sending the boats rocking violently before they steadied again.
Atop one of the tallest towers, a balcony jutted out like a sharp horn. Several men and women in pale-green robes stood there, overlooking the valley.
Among them was a man with hair cascading to his waist. His eyes were as beautiful as a painted portrait, and his porcelain-like skin glowed faintly beneath the light. His green robe was adorned with two curved hooks that arched outward from his shoulders like ceremonial armor.
In terms of appearance alone, he was unparalleled—far surpassing even Jade Lotus. Yet his beauty was of a different kind: neither masculine nor feminine, but something ethereal in between. Delicate features, unblemished skin, sleek black hair falling in soft waves, and an aura of serene grace.
This was Qin Wumian, the Deputy League Master of the Martial League—a man who had united mortals and declining Noble Families alike into a formidable resistance against Ashoka Manor for years. His charisma and abilities were unquestionable.
Li Shunxi, dressed in matching green robes, stood quietly among those behind Qin Wumian. His gaze remained fixed on the enigmatic beauty before him—one of the most influential figures in the entire league.
“Which means to say, that Crimson Whale Sect Master has already agreed to our transaction? You’ve even arranged a time and place?” Qin Wumian asked softly, turning to face him.
Li Shunxi nodded.
“Yes. Brother Lu very willingly agreed to offer us grain in exchange for Intent Proficiency martial arts skills.”
“Of course, that’s only fair,” Qin Wumian replied with a gentle smile. “The Martial League may lack many things, but martial arts skills are something we possess in abundance. Since Sect Master Lu and Shunxi share a past, and he’s willing to cooperate with us despite our reputation, do you think long-term collaboration is possible?”
Li Shunxi thought of Lu Sheng and could only shake his head with a helpless smile. “I’m afraid not. That friend of mine is extremely self-centered and often tyrannical. He believes solely in power. I haven’t known him for long, but from the few events I’ve witnessed, his nature is clear. When he acts, he’s bold yet cautious, daring but thorough. He may appear reckless, but every strike is deliberate, calculated, and executed only when he’s certain of victory. If not, he either probes quietly or waits patiently.”
Qin Wumian nodded in approval. “Truly a dragon among men. It is a great pity that such talent cannot join the Martial League.”
“League Master, you haven’t even confirmed whether he’s of Noble Family lineage, and you’re already thinking of recruiting him,” a man beside Li Shunxi said with exasperation. “If Sect Master Lu really is a Noble—especially one under the Shangyang Family—then at most he’ll trade with us from the shadows. Joining us is impossible.”
“Elder Brother Chen is correct,” Li Shunxi agreed. “Among Noblemen, those like us in the Martial League—who take a moderate stance and show consideration for common folk—are very rare. Most Noble Families revel in the privilege of ruling over ordinary people through their bloodline power. They’re accustomed to their lofty position. Expecting them to abandon their prejudice without us first shattering the existing order through force… is simply unrealistic.”
“Shunxi is right. He hails from a notable family of the Song Dynasty, so naturally he sees the truth of these matters more clearly. If even a demonic faction like Ashoka Manor can flaunt such overwhelming power in broad daylight… what are the Noble Families not capable of?” Elder Brother Chen’s expression darkened as he clenched his fists.
“Our time will come eventually,” Qin Wumian said softly, shaking his head. “But tell me, Shunxi—during your visit to Crimson Whale Sect, did you manage to meet our Martial League senior stationed there?”
Li Shunxi nodded. “Yes. That senior didn’t speak to me. He only handed me a cylinder and instructed that I open it after returning.”
He reached into his sleeve and carefully withdrew a bamboo cylinder, thick as a man’s fist, presenting it respectfully to Qin Wumian.
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