Template: Erlang Shen Yang Jian (Please Follow Along)

Template: Erlang Shen · Yang Jian (Please Follow Along)

"Inhale... exhale..."

More than a decade of stance-training habits allowed him to quickly adjust his breathing and enter the proper state.

Combined with the breathing method that came with the stance, 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, and blood vessels—all of him came alive, his body tempering his muscles like a furnace.

Recalling the key points of the Perfectly Round Stance, his muscles trembled, his chest rose and fell with each breath, and heat spread across his body as his skin turned red.

Fatigue, soreness, numbness...

The stifling air and the discomfort in his body tormented Lin Qi's mind.

"Drip..."

Sweat fell from his forehead like droplets of water, quickly soaking through his short-sleeved shirt.

Keep going. Keep going!

Lin Qi gritted his teeth and held on, his bones making crackling sounds.

He was like someone running a marathon, holding on entirely through sheer force of will.

The moment he gave up, all his previous efforts would be wasted.

He had no idea how much time had passed. Lin Qi's consciousness grew hazy, but he continued to endure 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%)]

The instant the progress reached 100%!

Boom—

In an instant, Lin Qi's mind went completely blank.

"Ah!!"

His consciousness plunged into darkness, entering an empty void where only a golden Remnant Banner lay in silence.

But at that moment, the Remnant Banner suddenly trembled, blooming with resplendent Golden Light that illuminated the entire Consciousness Space.

Golden patterns flowed across the Remnant Banner, emanating an endlessly mysterious aura as it brewed the Power to destroy everything.

Boom—

The Remnant Banner shook again. In an instant, dozens of dazzling golden orbs burst forth and circled around it.

Shortly afterward, one of the golden orbs shot out and transformed into an enormous scroll.

Towering mountains and handsome rocks, strange forests and bizarre trees.

A cold and stern youth strode forward. His features were as fine as jade, his body tall and imposing, like a Celestial God.

Clad in battle armor, he Wields Divine Weapons. A Divine Eye rested on his forehead. Releasing an eagle and hounds, he blocked the front and intercepted the rear as he carried out Searching Mountains and Subduing Demons against the demons, ghosts, and monsters hidden in the vast mountains.

The scroll continued to unfold. Golden Light spread, and a mysterious aura shrouded everything: Searching Mountains and Subduing Demons, Subduing Dragons and Slaying Flood Dragons, Splitting Mountains to Save Mother...

It recounted one legendary tale after another.

No one knew how long passed before the cold youth suddenly raised his head, stepped out of the scroll, and rapidly expanded in size. Amid endless Golden Light, the Divine Eye on his forehead fired out a beam of golden radiance.

Boom!!

Lin Qi's consciousness was instantly struck by the Golden Light...

[Template: Erlang True Lord · Yang Jian (Fusion Rate: 1%)]

"This is..."

Lin Qi came back to himself and looked at the Panel. It had changed dramatically. In the Template section, "None" had become Erlang True Lord.

The words "Fusion Rate: 1%" had appeared after it.

The next second, a vast torrent of information rushed into his consciousness.

"The higher the Fusion Rate, the higher your martial arts talent. At 100%, you will completely possess Erlang True Lord's talents."

Lin Qi sorted through the information, a hint 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 possessed countless titles: Erlang True Lord, Qingyuan Wonderful Dao True Lord, River Master Emperor, God Hunter...

Exceptionally gifted, possessing immense strength, 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 contain 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 overwhelmed with excitement, a mysterious energy poured into his body. In an instant, agonizing 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 realized it. The process of talent fusion was also a process of transforming 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!!"

"Aahhh!!"

It hurt—hurt too much!

His bones shattered, his muscles tore, and numbness and itching wracked his body. Compared to this, the pain of stance training was practically enjoyment.

His genes were being optimized, his entire body remolded. His sinews, bones, muscles, and constitution underwent earth-shattering transformation.

Like a caterpillar, Lin Qi writhed and struggled across the floor, sweat mixing with dust.

No one knew how long he endured before Lin Qi lost consciousness.

Three hours later, eleven-thirty at night.

"Whirr, whirr—"

In the stuffy heat, accompanied by the whirring of the fan, Lin Qi slowly opened his eyes.

The scenes from earlier surfaced in his mind, leaving lingering fear behind. It had hurt too much. It was worse than death; even the ten greatest tortures were nothing compared to it.

"Whew..."

It was finally over.

As he climbed up from the floor and looked at himself in the mirror on the wardrobe, he saw that he was filthy. The sticky sweat made him feel miserable.

"Growl..."

The next second, a sound came from beside his ear as intense hunger surged into his mind with the speed of lightning.

"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 used to satisfy his hunger after training.

He wolfed them down, and within moments, he had finished every last one.

He opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of drink, and began guzzling it wildly. After downing three bottles in a row, he kept eating.

Seeing the fruit and leftovers in the refrigerator, he began devouring them ravenously.

After finishing, Lin Qi felt deeply satisfied.

But then an inexplicable smell suddenly drifted through the air.

"Sniff... sniff..."

"What's that smell? Ugh?"

Lin Qi caught a foul stench, like the sludge from a reeking sewer that had been sealed away for years.

It was coming from his own body. Looking down, he saw dust, sweat, and streams of black liquid. They were waste products his body had expelled through metabolism.

Ten minutes later.

Lin Qi emerged from the bathroom, feeling refreshed all over as he flopped directly onto his bed, as though he had been reborn.

"I'm alive again!"

Looking at the ceiling, he felt the contentment of having eaten and drunk his fill.

Lin Qi felt light all over, as if he had undergone Muscle and Marrow Cleansing.

Before he could think further, fatigue and drowsiness crept over him without him realizing it, and he fell asleep.

The next day, September 2.

"Ring, ring, ring!"

Lin Qi opened his eyes, turned off the alarm as usual, and sat up in 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 enhanced.]

...

[Name: Lin Qi (17)]

[Profession: Martial Artist]

[Template: Erlang Shen · Yang Jian (Fusion Rate: 1%)]

[Qi and Blood Value: 5.3 → 5.4]

[Techniques: 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 the Erlang Shen in the Template section. Even his normally calm heart could not suppress its excitement.

Fusing with Erlang Shen's talent—just 1% of it—had enhanced his physical talent and comprehension.

He rose to his feet and moved his body, feeling an inexhaustible amount of energy surge from within.

Although his qi and blood had only increased by 0.1, he felt that was merely because he lacked 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 found that his body had become lighter, with all fatigue and soreness swept away.

Lin Qi clenched his fist. Power traveled up from his waist, stronger than ever before.

The fusion of the talent had not only remolded my body—it was Muscle and Marrow Cleansing, as they called it in novels.

"And it relaxed my muscles too. I won't need recuperation anymore, so I've saved a large sum of money."

After muttering to himself, he left his room and entered the bathroom to wash up.

"Brush, brush..."

As he brushed his teeth and looked at himself in the mirror, Lin Qi was startled.

"I think I've gotten taller!"

Lin Qi discovered in surprise that both his height and physique had changed slightly.

His shoulders were broader, and his muscle definition 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, filling Lin Qi with delight.

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 surpassed one meter ninety, raised by martial artists taller than two meters.

"Xiao Qi, you're up. Come have breakfast."

Fang Huiyi brought out steamed buns and mantou, placing them on the table.

"Mom, you haven't recovered yet. You should rest more."

Lin Qi sat down with a cup of black coffee.

"It's fine. I know my own body. Don't worry about me. Eat more."

Fang Huiyi spoke carelessly.

Looking at the amount of steamed buns and mantou on the table—twice the usual portion—Lin Qi began eating heartily.

He really was starving.

A few minutes later, Lin Qi had eaten all the steamed buns and mantou on the table.

"I'm leaving for school."

"Be careful!"

Fang Huiyi watched Lin Qi leave, exhaustion returning to her face. 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.