Cultivation Soars! Might Overwhelms the Sixth Layer!

Night lay still, as silent as a pool of frozen ink. The dilapidated little courtyard had become the most turbulent vortex at the heart of this quiet.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged, his eyes shut and his expression solemn. The pearly-white radiance swirling around him had grown denser and more solid than before, even faintly gleaming with a pale golden sheen! The air warped slightly under the highly concentrated Spiritual Qi and surging energy fluctuations, emitting an almost inaudible hum.

Before him, the mountain of Low-grade Spirit Stones was being depleted at an astonishing rate. Their glow rapidly dimmed before they crumbled into powder. At the same time, he took one of the five incomparably precious Crimson Sun Grass stalks from his robes and held it in his palm!

After fusing with the mysterious Nine-Orifice Black Stone, the Myriad Dao Furnace seemed to have been infused with an entirely new soul! Its operating speed, refining efficiency, and absorption range had all undergone a qualitative leap!

At this moment, the furnace was operating at an unprecedented, terrifying efficiency!

On one hand, it was like a bottomless black hole, tyrannically drawing out the pure, scorching essence of yang energy contained within the Crimson Sun Grass in his palm!

On the other, it unceremoniously devoured the Low-grade Spirit Stones on the ground, as well as the Spiritual Qi spontaneously gathering from the air!

The yang energy of the Crimson Sun Grass was blazing and domineering; the energy of the Spirit Stones was pure and tranquil; while the Spiritual Qi was mild yet mixed with impurities.

These three utterly different energies were like three surging rivers, forcibly drawn into the Myriad Dao Furnace. Then, under the tempering of the invisible Divine Fire within and the mysterious transformation of the Nine-Orifice Dao Foundation, they were instantly broken down, purified, and fused!

All impurities, all attributes unsuitable for Lin Chen's constitution, all violent elements—every last one was erased!

In the end, only one kind of energy remained... the purest, most primal, most compatible with Lin Chen himself—a pale golden, supreme stream of energy like the nectar of life!

Rumble—!!!

This unprecedented torrent of incomparably high-quality energy poured out of the furnace like a divine waterfall descending from the Ninth Heaven, surging mightily into Lin Chen's Dantian Sea of Qi, which had already reached the Body Tempering Realm Fifth Layer Mid-stage!

Under the impact of this energy, his Dantian Sea of Qi seemed to have been injected with boundless power, expanding, spinning, and condensing madly!

At the center of his Sea of Qi, the core of the True Qi vortex, which had originally been quite stable, now erupted with dazzling brilliance like an ignited stellar core! It spun faster and faster! Its volume grew smaller and smaller! Yet it also became increasingly... solid! As though it were about to transform from a gaseous state into a higher form!

Lin Chen's cultivation, like a wild dragon breaking free of its shackles, once again began to soar upward at an astounding speed!

Fifth Layer Mid-stage Peak!

Fifth Layer Late-stage!

Fifth Layer Late-stage Peak!

After refining merely half a Crimson Sun Grass stalk and nearly a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, his cultivation had once more touched a new barrier—the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer!

Still not enough! Lin Chen roared inwardly, his gaze resolute!

He could feel that breaking from the Fifth Layer Peak into the Sixth Layer required a far greater accumulation of energy than any prior breakthrough! That realm barrier was also sturdier and heavier, like a true heavenly chasm!

But he did not hesitate in the slightest!

Myriad Dao Furnace! Full power!

He brought the remaining half-stalk of Crimson Sun Grass in his palm, all the remaining Low-grade Spirit Stones on the ground, and even those few precious Mid-grade Spirit Stones into the furnace's devouring range!

Nor was that all! He also took out all the other bottles of cultivation-enhancing medicines he had "confiscated" from Lin Bao, apart from the Qi Condensing Pill (Incomplete)—such as Qi Gathering Powder and Body Tempering Fluid—and directly used the furnace's power to... forcibly refine them, Jade Bottles and all!

With the Myriad Dao Furnace, it did not matter how poor the medicines' quality was, nor how many impurities and pill toxins they contained. In the end, they would all become the purest energy! To him, these medicines were no different from Spirit Stones or spiritual herbs; they were merely "fuel" that provided energy!

If outsiders were to witness such an extravagantly wasteful cultivation method, they would likely faint on the spot from shock!

One had to know that even someone of Lin Bao's status had to take pills cautiously in daily life, refining them step by step. Yet Lin Chen was tossing so many precious resources into the furnace as if they were firewood!

But the results were equally obvious!

Boom!!!!!!

When the final trace of Medicinal Power in the Crimson Sun Grass, the last wisp of Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Stones, and the vast energy transformed from those medicines had all been devoured, purified, transformed, and gathered by the Myriad Dao Furnace into an unprecedented torrent of terrifying energy that nearly burst Lin Chen's Dantian apart...

Lin Chen's eyes flew wide open, veins bulging across his body. Mobilizing all his focus and will, he guided this power accumulated to the utmost limit, like a world-ending tsunami poised to strike, and fiercely launched the final, most violent assault against the indestructible barrier of the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer—

"Break! For! Me!!!!!!"

Thump thump thump thump thump!!!!!!

This time, it was no longer a single thunderous blast!

Instead, a succession of terrifying muffled explosions, like ten thousand war drums beating in unison and heaven and earth collapsing, erupted endlessly within Lin Chen's body!

That solid, heavy barrier of the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer shuddered and warped violently beneath this energy assault, which had gathered all of Lin Chen's Trump Cards and all his will, enough to destroy heaven and earth!

Crack! Crack-crack! Crack-crack-crack!!!!

Like a river frozen for ten thousand miles, beginning to fracture inch by inch beneath the roar of spring thunder!

Visible cracks spread and expanded across the barrier at an astonishing speed!

At last...

Bang!!!!!!

A heaven-shaking explosion that resounded through his soul, as though he had broken free from some restraint imposed by heaven and earth!

The seemingly indestructible barrier of the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer could finally no longer endure that terrifying impact. It exploded with a thunderous crash! It utterly collapsed! It turned into a skyful of dazzling rain of light!

Whooshhhhh!!!!!!

Like countless floods breaking free from a dam! Like endless magma shattering the shackles of the earth's crust!

Vaster! More turbulent! More condensed and heavy! Brand-new True Qi, carrying brilliant golden radiance and scorching heat, surged wildly into Lin Chen's Dantian Sea of Qi as it expanded frantically once more, like the waters of a heavenly river bursting through its banks!

At that moment, Lin Chen's Dantian Sea of Qi seemed to transform into a true golden ocean! Vast and boundless! Unfathomably deep!

At the center of the Sea of Qi, the previously spinning vortex core vanished completely! In its place was a sea of True Qi—flowing slowly like liquid gold!

True Qi liquefied! Condensed like mercury!

This was the most conspicuous hallmark of the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer!

Once True Qi liquefied, it not only meant that both its quantity and quality had undergone earth-shaking changes—it also meant that a martial artist's control, explosive force, and endurance would all rise to an entirely new level! It would lay the most solid foundation for breaking into the higher realm in the future—the Foundation Establishment Realm!

An unprecedented, terrifying sense of power flooded his limbs, bones, every cell, and every inch of flesh—a power so immense that even Lin Chen found it unfamiliar, as if he could control everything!

He could clearly feel that his strength was at least five times greater than it had been at the Body Tempering Realm Fifth Layer Mid-stage!

His speed was as swift as rushing thunder and flashing lightning!

His defense was as unyielding as rock and refined iron!

His five senses had become sharp to an inconceivable degree! He could even clearly hear a mosquito beating its wings a hundred zhang away! He could see the trail of an ant crawling through the darkness!

This was the power of the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer!

Moreover, Lin Chen could tell that he had not merely entered the Sixth Layer!

The energy refined from all those resources was simply too vast! Even after breaking through the barrier, a considerable portion of it continued to propel his cultivation forward!

Only after he had completely absorbed and refined every last bit of that energy did Lin Chen's cultivation finally stabilize at...

Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Early-stage Peak!

He was only a hair's breadth away from the Sixth Layer Mid-stage!

"Exhale... inhale..."

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes and took an exceptionally long, deep breath.

With every breath, the surrounding Spiritual Qi seemed to be drawn toward him, forming a visible miniature vortex that he inhaled into his body before slowly exhaling it again.

His already deep and bright eyes now resembled two black holes containing endless galaxies! Whenever his gaze shifted, golden arcs of lightning seemed to flicker within them! An invisible yet powerful pressure naturally spread from his body!

If any other martial artist had been present, they would likely have been forced to their knees by the aura he inadvertently revealed!

"Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer... Early-stage Peak!" Lin Chen murmured. Feeling the liquid True Qi surging and roaring through his body like rivers, along with the explosive strength hidden within his flesh, an incomparably brilliant and confident smile appeared on his face!

Two days!

Only two days!

From a cripple unable to cultivate, he had soared all the way to the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Early-stage Peak!

Such speed! Such an achievement!

It was simply unprecedented! Perhaps it would never be matched again!

Myriad Dao Furnace! Nine-Orifice Dao Foundation!

Everything stemmed from this heaven-defying cheat!

Of course, it also could not have happened without his own efforts, unyielding will, and the abundant resources he had "borrowed" from Lin Bao!

"Lin Bao... Lin Zhenhong... Wang Teng..." A cold glint flashed through Lin Chen's eyes, and his smile gradually turned icy. "The humiliation and harm you brought me—I will repay them bit by bit, doubled!"

He slowly rose to his feet and casually stretched his limbs.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

A dense series of crisp snaps, like beans popping in a wok, rang out from within his body! It was the sign of tendons and bones resounding in unison, of blood and vitality surging!

He even felt that, without using True Qi at all, he could probably easily tear apart martial artists at the fourth or fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm with his physical strength alone!

"It's time to make the final preparations for the official Family Test." Lin Chen's gaze flickered.

His strength was already more than sufficient—far beyond what he had expected before.

What he needed to consider now was how much strength to reveal during the test.

Reveal everything? Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Early-stage Peak?

No! That would be far too shocking! It would definitely bring endless trouble! It might even invite a deadly disaster! An old fox like Lin Zhenhong would never allow a youth so monstrously talented—and one who bore deep hatred toward him—to continue growing!

He had to keep hiding! Keep "playing the pig"!

But he could not hide too deeply, either. During the preliminary assessment, he had already displayed the strength of the "Third Layer Mid-stage, with a solid foundation," and had "luckily" severely injured Lin Bao. If he remained at the Third Layer during the official test, it would be too fake and would instead easily arouse suspicion.

He had to "improve" a little more, within a "reasonable" range.

"Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer... Early Stage or Mid-stage?" Lin Chen pondered.

This realm would both display his traits of "immense potential and rapid progress," making the family head value him more and grant him a greater share of resources, while also not seeming too exaggerated or absurd. It would make his enemies lower their guard and believe that he had merely been lucky, that his potential was limited, and that he posed no real threat to them.

Right! Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer Early Stage it was!

Lin Chen quickly made his decision. With his current control over his strength, perfectly imitating the aura and condition of the Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer Early Stage would be effortless!

Having settled on the tone of his "performance," Lin Chen finally relaxed completely.

He turned his gaze toward the several ancient books wrapped in brocade that he had previously looted from Lin Bao's storage pouch.

The pages of these books had yellowed, and their writing was ancient and unadorned. They were clearly quite old. Lin Chen casually flipped through a few pages.

One was a cultivation manual for the "Frenzied Leopard Claw," the very sinister claw technique Lin Bao had used before. Its rank was not high, nor was its power particularly impressive. Lin Chen lost interest after only one glance.

Another was the "Lin Family Basic Swordplay," the most widely circulated basic sword art in the Lin Family. It was conventional and unremarkable, with nothing particularly outstanding about it.

There was one more...

Lin Chen's gaze sharpened slightly.

The cover of this book was actually blank! Its material also seemed different from the others, more like some unknown beast hide. It felt supple in his hand and carried a faint, peculiar aura.

Curiously, he opened the first page.

What he saw was not writing, but... an exceedingly crude humanoid diagram that nevertheless seemed to contain some profound and mysterious artistic conception?!

The lines were simple, just a few strokes outlining a blurry human figure performing an extraordinarily strange, twisted step—yet one that seemed to secretly accord with the ultimate principles of heaven and earth?!

Is this... a movement technique martial skill? Lin Chen's heart stirred.

He studied the diagram carefully, trying to comprehend the mysteries contained within.

Yet no matter how he looked at it, the diagram seemed chaotic and utterly incomprehensible. The footwork was even stranger, completely defying the natural limits of the human body. If he tried to imitate it by force, he would likely snap his own tendons and bones on the spot!

"Strange..." Lin Chen frowned. Since Lin Bao had treasured this book so carefully, it could not be anything ordinary. But this diagram... was simply too bizarre.

He tried turning to the second page.

It was still a crude humanoid diagram! The pose was even stranger! Even more twisted! Yet that profound, mysterious intent seemed to have grown slightly stronger!

Lin Chen turned page after page. The entire book was filled with these crude, bizarre humanoid diagrams that nevertheless seemed to contain endless mysteries! There were dozens of them! Not a single written annotation!

What kind of movement technique is this? Or perhaps some special body-tempering art? Lin Chen could not make head or tail of it.

He tried activating the Myriad Dao Furnace, intending to "refine" and absorb it to see whether he could decipher the information within.

However, something unexpected happened!

Although the Myriad Dao Furnace reacted to this Beast Hide Book, it did not directly absorb its information as it did with martial arts manuals! Instead, it released a strange fluctuation that shrouded the diagrams, as if it were... simulating? Deducing?

In Lin Chen's mind, vague shadows of light began to emerge! Those shadows were precisely the bizarre humanoid diagrams from the book! Moreover, these shadows were slowly evolving, combining, and flowing of their own accord!

Though he still could not see or understand them clearly, Lin Chen caught a trace of the profound essence of... "speed" and "trajectory" within them!

Th-this... could this be an incomplete peerless movement technique, or one that requires a special method to comprehend?! A monstrous wave surged through Lin Chen's heart!

He had a powerful intuition! The value of this seemingly bizarre Beast Hide Book likely far surpassed those spirit stones, pills, and even the Crimson Sun Grass!

If he could grasp its mysteries, just how terrifying would his speed become?!

Lin Chen's heart began pounding wildly once more!

But he knew this was not something he could comprehend overnight. His most urgent task was still dealing with the imminent Family Test.

He carefully tucked the mysterious Beast Hide Book close to his body, planning to use the Myriad Dao Furnace's power to slowly study it when he had time in the future.

After finishing all this, Lin Chen rose to his feet, pushed open the door, and walked into the courtyard.

The sky was already beginning to brighten.

A new day had arrived.

Only two days remained until the official Family Test!

Lin Chen took a deep breath of the cool morning air, feeling the surging power within his body. Confidence and sharpness gleamed in his eyes.

He had made every preparation!

Whether it was his hidden strength, his strategy of "putting on a show," or that powerful heart that longed to prove itself and crush every enemy beneath him!

Lin Family!

Wait for my "surprise"!