September, the height of summer.
Inside the wooden house's bedroom, sunlight forced its way through the holes in the window, setting the air ablaze with a warmth no less than Naizi's—the kind that came after passionate lovemaking. By the bed, Lin Manshan sat cross-legged bare-chested with his eyes closed, slowly raising his lush green right arm.
It was a right arm like an emerald, lighter in color on the front and smoother and more translucent as well.
Its back was a deeper dark green. Looking closely, one could vaguely make out countless wrinkle-like patterns, like densely packed scales.
From afar, it looked like a piece of shell with a metallic sheen, giving off an impression of extreme sturdiness.
Slowly opening his eyes, Lin Manshan frowned, then suddenly spread his right hand. A faint golden light shimmered from his palm. The next moment, five golden patterns emerged along the backs of his fingers, extending all the way to his fingertips as golden radiance flickered and condensed into sharp golden claws.
With a light scratch along the edge of the bed below, he carved up strips of wood as though a blade had sliced through tofu.
"The Mysterious Jade Hand became much stronger after the improvements. Not only was its hardness enhanced, it could even amplify arm strength. Used together with the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear External Soul Bone, the results were especially outstanding." Lin Manshan clicked his tongue in amazement before the corners of his mouth rose. "Those three-plus months of spending every afternoon deducing the Mysterious Jade Hand and opening all the corresponding connected meridians in both arms weren't wasted. Not bad, not bad."
"Should I call it the Kirin Arm from now on?"
Dismissing his martial soul and restoring his arm to its normal skin tone, Lin Manshan rubbed