Internal Micro-carving, Transformed and Reborn

The county office's backyard had a secluded side room cleared out and turned into Ji Ye's secluded training space.

The doors and windows were tightly shut, with the gaps stuffed with cotton cloth, not letting a single breeze through.

In the center of the room sat a large wooden tub filled with scalding hot water. Floating on the surface was the Crimson Blood Ginseng, sliced thinly, along with several auxiliary herbs Wang Meng had gathered.

The medicinal aroma was rich, and the steam billowed, making the entire room feel like a giant steamer.

Ji Ye sat naked in the tub, his eyes tightly closed.

But the condition of this body was even worse than he had anticipated.

"Cough..."

As soon as he entered the water, the scalding medicinal power seeped in through his pores. The already fragile meridians instantly let out a mournful cry.

The Crimson Blood Ginseng's medicinal properties were fierce. For Ji Ye right now, it was no different than swallowing a mouthful of lava.

In his previous life, he could have endured it with his robust body, amplified by Triple Brute Force, and forcibly locked the medicinal power within his muscles.

But in this life, this body of his was like a leaky sieve.

His Blood Essence surged chaotically, his heart rate instantly skyrocketing to two hundred beats per minute, teetering on the verge of sudden arrest.

His skin surface flushed with a strange redness, capillaries began to rupture, and fine beads of blood seeped out.

This was "weakness unable to receive nourishment," just a hair's breadth away from sudden death.

Outside the door, Wang Meng listened to the suppressed groans and the splashing sounds coming from inside, pacing like an ant on a hot pan.

[Martial Arts Through Divinity x3] fully activated.

In his consciousness, this body was no longer flesh and blood, but an incredibly precise three-dimensional diagram.

A torrent of red medicinal power was fiercely assaulting the withered, dark meridians.

"Too fast, it needs to slow down."

Ji Ye's thoughts shifted.

Microscopic Control activated.

He controlled all eighty-four thousand pores on his body, causing them to abruptly close at the exact same moment!

It was like closing the valves on a pressure cooker.

The heat and medicinal power that were about to dissipate were forcibly locked within the body.

Next, he began to control his heartbeat.

"Thump... thump... thump..."

His heart rate was forcefully suppressed, transforming from rapid drumming into the steady chime of a bell. The blood flow slowed, no longer violently impacting the blood vessel walls, but becoming viscous and heavy.

"Divert."

Ji Ye's consciousness acted like an invisible giant hand, guiding the violent medicinal power.

This portion goes to repair the old injuries in the lung meridian.

That portion nourishes the atrophied calf muscles.

And this portion is injected into the great dragon of the spine, awakening the dormant hematopoietic function.

This wasn't cultivation; it was a "reconstruction project" happening at a microscopic level.

Even the most elite Grandmaster of the Organ Tempering realm couldn't achieve such precise control over the destination of every trace of medicinal power.

But Ji Ye did.

The fierce energy of the Crimson Blood Ginseng was broken down by him into countless tiny streams, gently and firmly penetrating every single cell.

Time trickled by.

The water in the tub gradually cooled. The originally crimson medicinal soup turned clear and transparent, all its essence greedily devoured by this body.

The redness on Ji Ye's body receded, replaced by a warm, jade-like luster.

Although still gaunt, without exaggerated muscle bulges, beneath that seemingly thin skin, every muscle fiber was like a taut string, brimming with explosive power.

More importantly, his lungs.

That wheezing, stabbing pain that had accompanied him for three lifetimes had finally disappeared.

In its place was a long, deep breath, as if capable of swallowing and expelling the wind and clouds.

"Hoo—"

Ji Ye slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a breath of stale air.

This breath, condensed and unbroken, actually formed a straight white ribbon in the air, striking the edge of the wooden tub three feet away with a crisp "crack."

Exhale Sword!

This was a manifestation of Blood Essence reaching its absolute peak.

Although in terms of realm, he had only just entered the early stage of "Skin Grinding," not even perfecting the first layer.

But in terms of control over his body and the purity of his force, he was already a Grandmaster.

"Almost there."

Ji Ye stood up from the water, droplets sliding down his smooth, muscular lines.

He extended his hand, looking at his own slender, powerful fingers.

In this life, he wouldn't need that cumbersome "Dead Flesh Armor."

This body would be a precision instrument born for slaughter.

"Creak—"

The door, shut tight all night, finally opened.

A cold wind rushed in, dispersing the warmth within the room.

Wang Meng turned his head sharply and saw Ji Ye emerge, wearing a washed-out, pale single-layer garment.

Still the same face, still the same build.

But Wang Meng subconsciously took half a step back, his hair standing on end.

As an old constable who had spent years on the edge of life and death, he possessed a beast-like intuition for danger.

The Ji Ye before him no longer felt like a sickly scholar, but a sheathed sword.

Though its sharpness was unseen, the faint chill emanating from it could cut one's eyes.

"Mis... Mister?" Wang Meng called out tentatively, "Did it work?"

"It worked."

Ji Ye smiled. The sickly pallor was gone, replaced by a healthy flush.

He walked to the weapon rack in the courtyard and casually picked up a standard Wild Goose Feather Saber.

The saber was heavy, crudely made, and unbalanced.

But in Ji Ye's hands, it was like an extension of his arm.

"Watch closely."

Ji Ye wasted no more words, flicking his wrist.

"Clang!"

The saber left its sheath.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, nor a sky full of saber light.

Only one strike.

A simple, diagonal slash.

"Look Back at the Moon."

The blade cut through the air, emitting an extremely faint sound, like tearing silk.

It was the sound of the saber moving at extreme speed, slicing through air resistance.

Wang Meng's eyes widened.

In his vision, the strike was still in front of Ji Ye, but in the next instant, the saber tip seemed to have appeared at the throat of a non-existent enemy behind him.

It was a visual displacement.

Because it was too fast, too bizarre.

"Is this... the tenth move?" Wang Meng's voice trembled.

"There's more."

Ji Ye spun his body, his saber momentum not yet finished, following through with a downward chop.

This strike wasn't a straight line but carried a subtle arc, like heavy snow sealing a mountain pass, cutting off all escape routes.

"Snow Blocks Blue Pass."

Immediately after, the moment the blade touched the ground, Ji Ye's wrist flipped strangely. The blade slid along the ground in a counter-slash, aiming directly for the lower body, vicious and deadly to the extreme.

"Severing Gate and Ruining Household."

The three moves demonstrated were complete.

Ji Ye sheathed his saber, his breathing steady, his expression unchanged.

Wang Meng stood frozen in place, the three strikes replaying endlessly in his mind.

They were too exquisite.

Each strike utilized the limits of human anatomy, each followed the shortest, most fatal path. If he had faced these three strikes just now, he would likely be dead.

"These three moves are enough for you to practice for half a year."

Ji Ye tossed the saber to Wang Meng. "Once you've mastered them, no one in Black Stone County, except for that Zhao Hei Hu, will be able to withstand ten of your moves."

Wang Meng fumbled to catch the saber, treating it like a priceless treasure.

"Thank you, sir!"

"No need."

Ji Ye brushed off his sleeves and looked towards the county office's main hall, where the faint sound of a gavel striking could be heard.

"Next, it's time to take care of business."

"Business?" Wang Meng blinked in surprise.

"Although the Black Tiger Gang was intimidated by me, it's only temporary. Zhao Hei Hu isn't an idiot. Once he realizes the Crimson Blood Ginseng isn't poisoned, or if he consults a famous doctor, we'll be exposed."

Ji Ye's eyes were deep.

"So, before we're exposed, we need to cause him some trouble. Big trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"The Barbarians."

Ji Ye uttered the two words.

In his previous life, he had only counterattacked passively when the Barbarian army was at the border.

In this life, he would proactively detonate this mine.

"Wang Meng, take a few trusted brothers, change into plain clothes, and head out of the city."

Ji Ye took out a map he had drawn long ago from his embrace, pointing to a valley on it.

"Go here, White Wolf Valley. It's a secret outpost for Barbarian scouts."

"To do what? Kill barbarians?" Wang Meng was somewhat eager.

"No."

Ji Ye shook his head, a cold arc forming on his lips.

"We're going to deliver a gift."

"Throw the batch of 'fake medicine' we confiscated in the Ghost Market, along with the clothes the Black Tiger Gang usually wears, near there."

"Then, kill a few lone Barbarian scouts and arrange their bodies to look like they were 'black-eaten' by the Black Tiger Gang."

Framing.

This tactic, though old, was effective.

The Barbarians were greedy and held grudges. If they thought the Black Tiger Gang not only took their goods but also killed their people...

"Sir, you want to... use a borrowed knife to kill?" Wang Meng gasped. This scholar looked refined, but his heart was truly dark.

"Using a borrowed knife to kill is only the first step."

Ji Ye looked at the gloomy sky, as if seeing the bloody storm that was about to arrive.

"I want to muddy the waters in Black Stone County."

"Only when the water is muddy can we fish."

"Go. Make it clean."

"Yes!"

Wang Meng took the order and left, his steps light, fueled by ambition for the future.

Ji Ye stood alone in the courtyard, feeling the wind and snow on his face.

In his previous life, he had shed blood defending the city.

In this life, he would turn this city into his chessboard.

Whether it was the Black Tiger Gang, the Barbarians, or Qin Wuji, who had yet to show himself, they would all become stepping stones for his ascent.

"The first step, chaos, has been created."

Ji Ye murmured softly and turned to walk back inside.

He still had to continue cultivating.

This much strength was not enough.

Far from enough.