Possessed by Evil and Died

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, unmoving as a mountain. His posture was straight and tall, like a centuries-old pine crane.

His entire aura had undergone a fundamental transformation.

"They say it takes long-term use of Tiger Qi Pills and months of effort just to refine True Qi. I used my Golden Finger to spot the crux and broke through this barrier in eight days. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones."

Chen Mo stood up and stretched, only to blink and realize...

He could see the fine grain on the wooden windowsill, spot an ant crawling across it, even make out the tiny legs wriggling. He could also hear the faint rustle of the ant's minuscule feet.

His hearing and eyesight had never been this sharp before.

"Looks like breaking through to the Internal realm has sharpened my ears and eyes a lot! They say the human body has six roots and six senses—I wonder if the other four have transformed too..."

Chen Mo ran some tests.

His nose could pick up the faintest scents in the air, his sense of smell far keener.

His tongue was much more sensitive as well.

As for touch, when Chen Mo placed his hand on the table, he could feel the subtle grain of the wood, along with every other object resting on it.

The last one—the mind—was sharper, his thoughts flowing without obstruction.

Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind... all had undergone a fundamental change.

Even his strength was several times greater than before, not to mention the surging True Qi flowing within him.

If he ran into Liu Mazi again, could he crush him with a single finger?

It took a while for Chen Mo to fully adapt to his new body. He could constantly feel a warm current racing through him, and he could control its speed and direction.

But that warmth couldn't leave his body, and its range seemed very limited... it only circulated within a specific meridian.

"This Black Tiger True Qi is just a method for Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation. Once you succeed at that, there's nothing more to it..."

"Now that I've cultivated True Qi, I don't know how to train it further."

That left Chen Mo feeling a bit unsatisfied, but he knew well: the method for Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation was already extremely rare. If he hadn't credited Liu Mazi's merit to Liu Hao, and if Liu Hao hadn't had ties with his father, he'd never have gotten his hands on such a technique.

As for the even rarer cultivation methods for True Qi... those would fall under Internal True Skills.

Liu Hao had mentioned before that even he hadn't qualified to access the Internal True Skills at the Guard Station. That showed how precious True Skills were, and it would be even harder for Chen Mo to get his hands on one.

Internal True Qi represented a level, a realm. Without an Internal True Skill to back it up, you couldn't unleash the true power of Internal True Qi.

If the basic Five Passes were a three-year-old child, then the Internal realm was a two-meter-tall brute. The brute could kill the child with a casual slap. But if the brute wanted to go further, he'd need to cultivate an Internal True Skill to fully unlock his potential and power.

After a while, Chen Mo swept the distracting thoughts from his mind and began practicing the Blood Fire Seal.

"Once I master the Blood Fire Seal, I shouldn't have to fear that old woman from the Li family anymore..."

Two days later, at noon, Chen Mo pushed open the door and stepped out.

The snow had stopped. He looked up to see the long-missed sun. Though the winter sun brought no warmth, its light falling on him still felt pleasant.

Qiulan was sweeping snow from the courtyard with a broom. When she saw Chen Mo come out, she turned and instinctively smiled in greeting. "Young Master..."

She got halfway through the word before she froze, the rest stuck in her throat.

She clearly saw that Chen Mo was half a head taller than before. The youthful immaturity that had lingered on his face was gone, replaced by a restrained masculinity, a deep and refined elegance—indescribably handsome.

Chen Mo had already checked himself in the mirror when he changed clothes, so he was used to it.

They say once you enter the Internal realm, your very bone structure transforms.

This must be the change that came with being an Internal Martial Master.

Maybe because he was in a good mood, Chen Mo teased her. "Qiulan, what are you staring at? Is there something dirty on my face?"

Qiulan snapped out of it, shyly lowering her head. "It's just that you look much taller, Young Master, and more handsome too."

Chen Mo smiled. "Has anything happened around the estate these past few days?"

Qiulan recounted, "They say that under Master Zhou's direction, the western courtyard has been cleared out and turned into a medicine workshop and a Library Tower. A pharmacist named Li was hired, and he's already started brewing Martial Cultivation Elixir. The Library Tower has also collected quite a few manuals and notes. All the estate's guards are buzzing about it, praising the Second Young Master."

Chen Mo nodded. "Go get ready. I'll take a look around in a bit."

Leaving that behind, Chen Mo went to the rear courtyard's inverted house to check on The Woman.

Ma Tie was still guarding the place. The white fuzz on The Woman's body had grown thicker, and her strength was greater. Chen Mo looked at the Baby Face on her abdomen—the third Black Rod in the identification box was growing more distinct.

At this rate, within half a month, a third Black Rod would emerge.

Going by the logic, that meant the Ghost Curse's resentment within The Woman was still intensifying.

Even though Chen Mo had broken through to the Internal Martial Master realm, he knew this wasn't a good sign.

He instructed Ma Tie to keep a close watch on The Woman, then followed Qiulan to the western courtyard. There, he saw the cleared-out Library Tower and medicine workshop. Many guards were lining up at the workshop to collect their Martial Cultivation Elixir, while others headed to the Library Tower to browse the manuals.

Everything was progressing steadily.

Chen Mo felt relieved. He went to the central courtyard but didn't see his parents—only Haitang was there, sweeping up.

"Haitang, where are Father and Mother?"

When Haitang saw Chen Mo, she noticed the change in him too. After a moment of surprise, she curtsied. "I heard the Master say this morning that today is Daoist Li Yuanlong's birthday. The Master took the Mistress early, bearing heavy gifts, to offer birthday congratulations."

Chen Mo suddenly remembered.

By his calculations, it was indeed time for Li Yuanlong's birthday.

His father going to deliver gifts and offer birthday wishes was a minor matter; the main purpose was to secure an opportunity for Chen Mo to study at Black Mountain Stronghold.

As long as Daoist Priest Li had no ill intentions, with his current realm as an Internal Martial Master, there was no reason for the priest to refuse.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo felt a flicker of anticipation.

After lunch, Chen Mo counted on his fingers and realized Dongzi's house arrest had ended. He decided to visit Xie Manor. On one hand, he wanted to see Dongzi; on the other, he planned to ask Xie Lianghong for details about the Li family.

For a long time now, being targeted by Granny Li had made Chen Mo reluctant to leave the house.

He hadn't gone out before because the manor's guards could protect him.

But now that Chen Mo had stepped into the Internal Martial realm, the guards were no longer of any use. Hiding in the manor any longer was pointless.

He took Qiulan and left Chen Mansion, heading straight for Xie Manor.

Xie Manor was in the eastern part of the city, a long walk away.

After more than half an hour, the carriage finally reached Xie Manor's main gate.

After announcing himself to the gatekeeper, a white-haired old man soon emerged. He cast a cold, indifferent glance at Chen Mo. "What do you want with Little Dong?"

His tone made it clear he wasn't welcome.

Thanks to Qiulan's private explanations, Chen Mo knew this old man was Xie Dong's third uncle, Xie Lianghong. He cupped his hands. "I heard Dongzi had a falling out with Master Xie over a girl and was put under house arrest, so I came to visit. I wanted to encourage him and help him pull himself together. I ask Third Master Xie to grant me this favor."

Xie Lianghong said coldly, "You're too late."

Chen Mo didn't catch on at first. "What does Third Master Xie mean by that?"

Xie Lianghong said, "He ran into evil spirits last night. He's dead."