At this moment, Su Ti's attributes had changed drastically!
Strength: 1.2, Agility: 1.1, Constitution: 1.1, Intelligence: 1.2
"Strength and constitution each increased by 0.2, while agility increased by 0.1!"
He could not underestimate increases of 0.2 or 0.1. Every decimal increase in an attribute was a multiplier on what came before.
Moreover, the all-around increase in strength, constitution, and agility had made Su Ti at least fifty percent stronger than he had been at the Tongli Stage.
In martial arts, even the slightest difference could be worlds apart. A fifty-percent gap was already a leap in progress—truly astonishing.
"No wonder I thought I was crazy for challenging the Inner Refinement Stage while at the Tongli Stage. Even Master didn't think highly of my chances. The gap was actually this huge."
Su Ti felt that he would not even need ten moves to beat his former self to death.
He turned his attention to the Golden Snake Molting technique, which had become:
Golden Snake Molting (Intermediate Mastery 1%) Inner Refinement once+ Energy: 330%
"Golden Snake Molting took 150% energy to go from Beginner to Intermediate Mastery and complete the first Inner Refinement."
The energy required to enter the Inner Refinement Stage had actually been less than what it took to max out the Tongli Stage.
However, one Inner Refinement was far from the end. Overall, the Inner Refinement Stage required even more energy than the Tongli Stage.
"Although I've refined internally once, Demon Mountain has done the same. He also practices external martial arts and has natural godlike strength. His advantage over me is even greater."
Breaking through the Inner Refinement realm and reaching the first level of Inner Refinement had not made Su Ti any taller.
He was now 1.74 meters tall, while Demon Mountain was two meters tall and weighed more than two and a half times as much as Su Ti. Though both were at the first level of Inner Refinement, the other man's durability and strength far exceeded Su Ti's.
Therefore, if Su Ti wanted to defeat him, he needed a higher level of Inner Refinement.
With that thought, Su Ti looked once more at the plus sign after Golden Snake Molting.
Boom!
His energy plummeted again, while Golden Snake Molting's proficiency rose sharply once more.
Intermediate Mastery 20%! Intermediate Mastery 60% Intermediate Mastery 99% Advanced Mastery!
Once Golden Snake Molting reached Advanced Mastery, it could no longer be increased. Just as before, a massive surge of heat erupted within Su Ti's body and spread through every inch of him, followed by intense pain.
From a microscopic perspective, Su Ti's cells were undergoing frenzied metabolism. Every bone and every muscle cell became stronger through this renewal, while vast amounts of dead cells and waste were expelled through his pores, accumulating and thickening over his skin until they formed something like a layer of dead skin.
Su Ti tore off that layer of dead skin, finally completing the second molting of Golden Snake Molting.
His martial arts and attributes had now become:
Golden Snake Molting: Advanced Mastery, Inner Refinement twice Strength: 1.4, Constitution: 1.3, Agility: 1.1, Intelligence: 1.2
"Strong—too strong!"
After the second molting, his intelligence and agility had not changed, but his constitution had increased by 0.2 and his strength by 0.2!
Two molts, two all-around surges in attributes. This strengthening of his very foundation felt better than anything any external object could offer. Su Ti felt exhilarated beyond measure!
Su Ti glanced at his energy.
Energy: 130%
"The second Inner Refinement used 200% energy in total—50% more than the first one's 150%. Does every Inner Refinement become harder than the last?"
Su Ti did not yet know the answer. He had only refined internally twice, yet Golden Snake Molting had already reached Advanced Mastery. He could not carry out a third Inner Refinement even if he wanted to, which left him somewhat puzzled.
He remembered Long Yuanzheng saying that Senior Sister Yao Juan had refined internally three times, while Long Yuanzheng himself had done so six times. They had both used the Golden Snake Molting internal refinement method, so why had Su Ti reached the limit after only two refinements?
At this point, Su Ti did not yet know that it was due to his natural aptitude. Long Yuanzheng had not told him because he had never imagined that Su Ti would master Golden Snake Molting so quickly and complete two Inner Refinements!
Still, Su Ti had no plans to ask Long Yuanzheng for now. His cultivation had risen too quickly. If he went to see Long Yuanzheng in his current state, he would be treated like a monster.
Seeing him on the ring a week later would still be shocking, but at least Su Ti would have an explanation by then.
Su Ti did not intend to save the remaining 130% energy either. He put all of it into the Golden Python Four Forms!
Golden Python Four Forms: Beginner 1% Beginner 30% Beginner 60% Beginner 99% Minor Mastery 1%!
Boom!
As the last trace of energy was exhausted, Su Ti's Golden Python Four Forms combat technique leaped straight to Minor Mastery!
The improvement in combat technique flooded Su Ti's entire body with countless muscle memories. In an instant, he went from a novice who had just begun learning the Golden Python Four Forms to someone with years of hard training behind him!
Boom!
He suddenly thrust out his hand and slashed with his claws!
His entire arm instantly swelled by half, turning red as though it had been massively engorged with blood!
Though his palm had not turned bluish-black like Long Yuanzheng's monstrous claw, it still expanded by more than half, becoming like a small palm fan. It tore through the air with a ripping howl of vicious wind!
"King Python Hand!"
Su Ti grabbed at the bark of a large tree in the park. With a tearing sound, he ripped off the bark along with a centimeter-thick layer of the trunk beneath it!
If that grab landed on a person, it would tear away a huge chunk of skin and flesh!
He withdrew his hand and dispersed the King Python Hand technique. His arm quickly returned to its normal fair complexion, and his swollen fingers became slender again.
After seeing the power of that claw strike, Su Ti was quite satisfied.
"This Inner Refinement Stage combat technique is truly formidable. It's no longer a traditional move in the usual sense—it strengthens the body and unleashes the qi and blood!"
As the Golden Python Four Forms combat technique reached Minor Mastery, Su Ti gained many new insights into combat techniques.
What were qi and blood? According to Long Yuanzheng, they were actually the power contained in every inch of muscle and every drop of blood in the body.
Ordinary people could mobilize their strength through large movements, but they could not control every individual muscle fiber in detail.
Tongli Stage practitioners could integrate most of the muscular power throughout their bodies, but they still could not manipulate muscle fibers with such precision or control the flow of blood.
Because that was the exclusive domain of Inner Refinement Stage martial artists!
Upon reaching the Inner Refinement Stage, not only did one's attributes change, but one's bodily sensitivity also increased dramatically.
One could vaguely sense the power of qi and blood. The deeper one's Inner Refinement, the stronger that sensation became.
Combat techniques turned that sensation into concrete control!
Su Ti swung his claw again, activating King Python Hand. His arm bulged, and seeing this, he revealed a satisfied expression before retracting it.
"Although the improvement in combat technique is only muscle memory and experience, without any tangible increase in attributes, it is precisely that muscle memory and experience that makes my use of qi and blood more mature and my moves more powerful."
Over the next week, Su Ti did not idle away his time. He trained day and night in Red Leaf Park.
Though the Golden Snake Molting internal refinement technique could no longer improve and he could not continue refining internally, he kept diligently practicing the first three forms of the Golden Python Four Forms.
Training only gave a little proficiency, but with no energy available at present, every bit counted. He could not rely entirely on the modifier and neglect his own training. Otherwise, sooner or later, he would become useless and lose his drive to improve.
Su Ti also did not neglect other matters, especially the Cursed Antiques that provided energy. He had been searching for them on the dark web and had found several merchants selling such items.
With the five million yuan compensation from Li Zong, Su Ti contacted several dark web sellers of Cursed Antiques and bought antiques from them.
Naturally, treasures as priceless as Cursed Antiques would not be sent through some low-end method like courier delivery with free shipping. Most of these things came from questionable sources and could not be exposed, so transactions were conducted face-to-face in private, with money and goods exchanged hand to hand.
Before Su Ti started buying, he had not known how deep the waters ran. After several transactions, his face had turned dark.
Among those sellers, there were professional swindlers who tried to pass off fakes as genuine items and cheat people out of their money. Su Ti could identify whether a Cursed Antique was real with a single touch thanks to the modifier, so naturally, he was not fooled.
The most outrageous part was that some sellers did not even have any merchandise. They simply posted pictures online as bait, intending to rob whoever took the hook.
When Su Ti arrived at those abandoned buildings for transactions, several masked men in black would surround him with knives and begin robbing him outright.
After several such incidents, not only had the five million yuan in Su Ti's card remained untouched, but he had even gained more than a hundred thousand yuan.
Thus, a week quickly passed amid Su Ti's training and purchases of Cursed Antiques. In the blink of an eye, it was time for his scheduled fight with Demon Mountain.
Eight o'clock that evening, rooftop of Diwang Building.
One after another, elegantly dressed guests wearing masks were led by attendants to their seats in the rooftop viewing area.
The rooftop, which covered more than a thousand square meters, had been transformed into an underground boxing venue. At its center stood the steel-reinforced octagonal cage commonly used in the Death Fighting Competition, with spectator seats arranged in every direction.
Because the rooftop venue had limited space and the match involved a conflict between factions, low-status spectators were not qualified to attend.
Everyone who could watch today's match had received an invitation. They were all important guests, either wealthy or powerful.
Many influential figures from other cities had even heard about the grudge between the Death Fist Society and Dragon Gate Martial Hall and come specifically to watch the spectacle.
Li Zong and his two sons were also seated at the host's table.
Li Zong sat upright in the main seat, while Li Mingsheng and Li Mingyuan stood behind him.
At that moment, Li Minggui said in a low voice.
"Dad, most people have arrived. The guests we invited are largely here, and some who were not invited heard about this and came to watch out of curiosity."
Li Zong nodded slightly. Watching so many prominent figures appear in masks, he thought to himself.
Long Yuanzheng, today I'll beat your reckless disciple to death in the ring before everyone! I'll let everyone know what happens when they provoke me, Li Zong!
Though Li Zong thought this, his expression remained unchanged as he maintained a calm and composed demeanor.
Not long after, Long Yuanzheng and his group arrived as well.
Today, he had brought only his three disciples and no one else. None of the four wore masks.
Boxers in underground matches wore masks because they could not show their faces. Spectators wore masks because they valued their privacy and did not want to be recognized.
However, Li Zong, as the host, and Dragon Gate Martial Hall, which was participating in the match, had already announced their names. Wearing masks would have been pointless, so they showed their faces.
Seeing Long Yuanzheng arrive, Li Zong promptly rose to greet him and smilingly invited him to take a seat.
Long Yuanzheng kept a cold expression as he sat beside the host's table, while his three disciples stood behind him.
Su Ti had arrived long ago and was seated in the competitors' area, staring across the distance at Demon Mountain.
A large open space lay between them. When Long Yuanzheng arrived, Su Ti stood and gave him a slight bow from afar. Only then did Long Yuanzheng's icy expression soften somewhat.
Everyone had arrived. Li Zong gave a signal, and Li Minggui walked to the center, picked up a microphone, and said:
"Distinguished guests, we have long heard of Dragon Gate Martial Hall's great reputation, and the Death Fist Society has admired it for some time. A week ago, our Death Fist Society's A-Class Boxer, Demon Mountain, formally challenged Su Ti of Dragon Gate Martial Hall. Today is the day of the match. We ask everyone here to bear witness. Who is stronger and who is weaker will be decided today."
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