"Inhale... exhale..."
More than a decade of stance training had allowed him to quickly adjust his breathing and enter the zone.
Combined with the breathing method that came with stance training, Lin Qi soon felt waves of heat radiating from his waist and rapidly surging through his body.
Strands of qi and blood coursed through his body. His muscles, bones, blood vessels—his entire body came alive, tempering his muscles like a furnace.
Recalling the key points of the Perfectly Round Stance, his muscles trembled, his chest rose and fell with every breath, his whole body burned hot, and his skin reddened.
Fatigue, soreness, numbness...
The stifling air and his bodily discomfort tormented Lin Qi's mind.
"Drip..."
Sweat fell from his forehead like droplets of water, quickly soaking through his short-sleeved shirt.
Hold on, hold on!
Lin Qi gritted his teeth and persisted, his body making crackling sounds.
He was like someone in the middle of a long-distance run, holding on entirely by sheer force of breath.
If he gave up, all his previous efforts would be wasted.
He did not know how much time had passed. Lin Qi's consciousness gradually blurred, yet he held on through willpower alone.
On the Panel, the Template section also changed.
[You have completed an effective training session. Template progress has reached 100%] [Template: None (99.9% + 0.1%)]
At the instant the progress reached 100%!
Boom—
In an instant, Lin Qi's mind went completely blank.
"Ah!!"
His consciousness sank into darkness, entering a void of blackness where only a golden Remnant Banner lay in silence.
But at that moment, the Remnant Banner suddenly trembled, blooming with brilliant golden light that illuminated the entire Consciousness Space.
Golden patterns flowed across the Remnant Banner, radiating an endlessly mysterious aura as it brewed the Power to destroy everything.
Boom—
The Remnant Banner trembled again. In an instant, dozens of dazzling golden orbs burst forth and circled around it.
Soon, one of the golden orbs shot out and transformed into an enormous scroll.
Azure mountains, handsome rocks, strange forests, and bizarre trees.
A cold and stern youth strode forth. His features were as refined as jade, his body tall and imposing, like a celestial god.
Clad in armor, he wields divine weapons. With a Divine Eye on his forehead, he released an eagle and hounds, blocking the front and cutting off the rear as he carried out Searching Mountains and Subduing Demons against the demons and monsters within the vast mountains.
The scroll continued to unfurl. Golden light spread outward, and a mysterious aura enveloped everything: Searching Mountains and Subduing Demons, Subduing Dragons and Slaying Flood Dragons, Splitting Mountains to Save Mother...
It recounted one legendary tale after another.
Who knew how much time passed before the cold and stern youth suddenly raised his head, stepped out of the scroll, and swelled in size. Amid endless golden light, the Divine Eye on his forehead fired a beam of golden light.
Boom!!
Lin Qi's consciousness was instantly struck by the golden light...
[Template: True Lord Erlang · Yang Jian (Fusion Rate: 1%)]
"This is..."
Lin Qi came back to his senses and looked at the Panel. It had undergone an enormous change. In the Template section, "None" had become True Lord Erlang.
The words "Fusion Rate: 1%" appeared after it.
The next second, a vast amount of information flooded into his consciousness.
"The higher the Fusion Rate, the greater the martial arts talent. At 100%, you will fully possess True Lord Erlang's talents."
Lin Qi sorted through the information, a trace of understanding appearing in his eyes.
At the same time, his mind was shaken. Erlang Shen?!!
Erlang Shen was a figure from mythology, appearing in folktales, novels, comics, and film and television works.
He had countless titles: True Lord Erlang, Qingyuan Wonderful Dao True Lord, River Master Emperor, God Hunter...
Exceptionally gifted, immensely powerful, possessed of Boundless Magic Power, an indestructible primordial spirit, and a Physical Body Achieves Sainthood...
He was powerful in every aspect, a Hexagonal Warrior.
Lin Qi could barely restrain his excitement. This was Erlang Shen—an immortal, the strongest among the Third Generation Disciples under Primordial Heavenly Venerate in mythology.
Even just 1% of his talent would make him a genius in the eyes of others.
"Ah!!"
Just as he was getting excited, a mysterious energy poured into his body. In an instant, intense pain exploded throughout him.
"Crack, crack—"
The bones throughout his body fractured in an instant, twisting Lin Qi's entire face in pain.
This was the transformation brought by Template Talent!!
Lin Qi reacted immediately. The process of fusing talents was also a process of modifying and remolding his body.
Afraid of worrying his parents, he struggled to pull out his dirty Martial Arts Uniform from his backpack, twisted it into a ball, and bit down on it.
"Crack, crack!!"
"Ahhh!!"
It hurt—hurt too much!
His bones shattered, his muscles tore, numbness and itching spread through him. Compared to this, the pain of stance training had been pure enjoyment.
His genes were being optimized. His entire body was being remolded, and his tendons, bones, muscles, and physique were undergoing earthshaking changes.
Like an inchworm, Lin Qi wriggled and struggled across the floor, sweat flowing and mixing with dust.
He did not know how long he endured before Lin Qi lost consciousness.
Three hours later, eleven thirty.
"Whirr, whirr—"
Amid the sweltering heat and the whirring of the fan, Lin Qi slowly opened his eyes.
The scenes from earlier surfaced in his mind, leaving lingering fear in his heart. It had hurt too much—worse than death itself. Even the ten cruelest tortures could not compare.
"Phew..."
It was finally over.
As he climbed up from the floor, he looked at himself in the mirror on the wardrobe. He was filthy, and his sticky sweat made him feel miserable.
"Growl..."
The next second, a sound came from beside his ears, and intense hunger surged into his mind with lightning speed.
"Water, food!"
Lin Qi quickly opened the drawer, took out the remaining red Qi and Blood Capsules, and swallowed them all. Then he grabbed piece after piece of compressed biscuits, snacks he usually ate after training to stave off hunger.
He ate mouthful after mouthful, finishing everything in just a short while.
He opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of drink, and guzzled it down. After drinking three bottles in a row, he continued eating.
Seeing the fruit and leftovers in the refrigerator, he began wolfing them down.
After eating, Lin Qi felt deeply satisfied.
But an indescribable smell suddenly drifted through the air.
"Sniff... sniff..."
"What's that smell? Urgh?"
Lin Qi caught a foul stench, like the grime from a reeking sewer that had been sealed up for years.
It was coming from his own body. Looking down, he saw dust, sweat, and streaks of black liquid. Those were impurities his body had metabolized and expelled.
Ten minutes later.
Lin Qi walked out of the bathroom, feeling so comfortable that he flopped directly onto the bed, as though he had been reborn.
"I'm alive again!"
Looking at the ceiling, he felt the contentment of being full and satisfied.
Lin Qi felt light all over, as though he had undergone Muscle and Marrow Cleansing.
Before he could think further, fatigue and drowsiness crept over him without him noticing, and he fell asleep.
The next day, September 2nd.
"Ring-ring-ring!"
Lin Qi opened his eyes. As usual, he turned off the alarm and sat up from bed.
The first thing he did was look at the Panel.
[You have awakened the Erlang Shen · Yang Jian Template. The higher the Fusion Rate, the greater your talent.] [You have fused with Erlang Shen's talent. Your body has transformed, and your talent and comprehension have improved.] [Your stomach's digestive ability has been strengthened.]
[Name: Lin Qi (17)] [Occupation: Martial Artist] [Template: Erlang Shen · Yang Jian (Fusion Rate: 1%)] [Qi and Blood Value: 5.3 → 5.4] [Technique: Perfectly Round Stance, Tiger Form Fist (Minor Achievement), Basic Spear Technique] [Fist Technique: First Order 80%] [Spear Technique: First Order 60%] [Movement Technique: First Order 57%]
Lin Qi silently looked at Erlang Shen in the Template section. Even his calm heart could not suppress its excitement.
Fusing with Erlang Shen's talent—just 1% of it—had already strengthened his physical talent and comprehension.
He stood up and moved his body, feeling inexhaustible energy surging from within.
Although his qi and blood had only risen by 0.1, he felt that was merely due to insufficient resources.
If he could consume enough resources such as Qi and Blood Elixirs, his qi and blood value would rise explosively.
At the same time, he discovered that his body had become lighter, with all fatigue and soreness swept away.
Lin Qi clenched his fist. Power flowed from his waist, stronger than ever before.
The fusion of talents had not only remolded my body. In novel terms, it was Muscle and Marrow Cleansing.
"And it also loosened up my muscles. I won't need rehabilitation anymore, so I've saved a huge amount of money."
After muttering to himself for a while, he left his room and entered the bathroom to wash up.
"Scrub, scrub—"
While brushing his teeth, Lin Qi looked at himself in the mirror and was startled.
"I think I got taller!"
Lin Qi was surprised to find that both his height and build had changed slightly.
His shoulders had broadened, and the lines of his muscles had become clearer.
After washing up, he went to the living room and compared himself against the height marks on the wall.
"One meter seventy-eight!"
He had grown two centimeters taller, and Lin Qi was delighted.
In this era, with sufficient nutrition, martial artists were on average ten to twenty centimeters taller than people had been decades ago.
The average height of male martial artists had even exceeded one meter ninety, forcibly pulled upward by some martial artists over two meters tall.
"Xiao Qi, you're up. Come have breakfast."
Fang Huiyi brought out steamed buns and mantou, placing them on the table.
"Mom, you're not fully recovered yet. You should get more rest."
Lin Qi sat down after making himself a cup of black coffee.
"It's fine. I know my own body, so don't worry. Eat more."
Fang Huiyi said indifferently.
Looking at the twice-usual amount of steamed buns and mantou on the table, Lin Qi began eating heartily.
He really was too hungry.
A few minutes later, all the steamed buns and mantou on the table had gone into Lin Qi's stomach.
"I'm off. I'm going to school."
"Be careful!"
Fang Huiyi watched Lin Qi leave, her expression turning weary again. She glanced toward the bedroom. "Let A Zhen sleep a little longer."
Then she turned and went back into the kitchen to prepare Lin Zhen's breakfast.
Before you continue