The raging fire at Black Wind Stockade lit up half the night sky.
Yan Kui didn't look back. Carrying the Bone Shattering Hammer, he strode off with heavy, swift steps and disappeared into the depths of the forest.
The battle at Black Wind Stockade had given him a clearer understanding of his own shortcomings. Though his physical defenses had reached the limits of the Mortal Warrior, when facing an opponent like Zhu San, who had half-demonized, the sheer strength of his body and the resilience of his Demon Race bloodline had still given him some trouble. In particular, the counteracting Inner Force had put a faint strain on his internal organs once more.
He needed to strengthen his body more comprehensively.
In a secluded cave some distance from Black Wind Stockade, Yan Kui settled in again. He didn't dare spend the night out in the wilderness anymore. Who knew whether some cultivator might happen to pass by, catch sight of his Demon God-like silhouette, and take him down in the name of "ridding the world of evil"?
He struck a fire starter, and its dim glow illuminated the cave.
He couldn't wait to check the system.
────────────────────── [Crimson Modifier] Host: Yan Kui Condition: Peak (internal organs slightly damaged, urgently in need of strengthening) Physical Attributes: Strength: 5.5 Agility: 2.0 Constitution: 6.0 Cultivation Techniques and Skills: Raging Bull Fist: Great Accomplishment (limit broken) Iron Cloth Shirt: Great Accomplishment (limit broken, Mysterious Iron Body) Body Nourishing Technique: Great Accomplishment Evergreen Technique: Recorded (cannot cultivate, can be analyzed) Savage Boar Ramming Technique: Not Yet Initiated (0/100) Origin Power: 53.8 Notice: The host's body is strong on the outside but weak within. It is recommended that he find a Body Refining Technique to strengthen his internal organs as soon as possible, or use system fusion to make up for this shortcoming. ──────────────────────
"Savage Boar Ramming Technique..."
Yan Kui's gaze fell on the newly recorded technique.
Its name was as crude as could be, but the system rated it a "Mortal Hard Skill." Back at the stockade, Zhu San had already trained it to the peak of the Body Refinement Realm.
More importantly, the technique was named "Ramming Trees," so it was bound to have something special about it. Though Zhu San was a Half-Demon, his strength and defensive power were among the best in the Body Refinement Realm, and his internal organs had a certain degree of resilience as well.
That was exactly what Yan Kui needed right now.
He had nearly a hundred points of Origin Power—enough to push this technique to Great Accomplishment or even break its limits.
"System, upgrade Savage Boar Ramming Technique!"
[Consumed 1.0 Origin Power. Savage Boar Ramming Technique reached Initiation.]
[Consumed 2.0 Origin Power. Savage Boar Ramming Technique reached Minor Accomplishment.]
[Consumed 4.0 Origin Power. Savage Boar Ramming Technique reached Great Accomplishment!]
A surge of heat, even rougher and wilder than the one from Raging Bull Fist, poured into Yan Kui's body.
This time, the heat rushed straight toward his internal organs.
He felt his lungs contract, his liver tremble, and his kidneys throb. The dull ache from his minor injuries quickly faded beneath the nourishing heat.
His internal organs seemed to be wrapped in a tough layer of gel, becoming denser and more compact.
Strange changes began to appear on the surface of his body as well.
"This..."
Yan Kui rubbed his arm.
His skin, which had once looked as if it had been cast from black iron, now took on a dark, ashen-brown hue. Short, coarse black hairs had sprouted across it!
They weren't long, but they were densely packed, like a wild boar's bristles, and gleamed with a cold sheen in the firelight.
"System! What's going on?!"
Yan Kui's face darkened.
He had no desire to turn into a monster covered in hair.
[Warning: A deviation has been detected in the host's life blueprint.]
[Analysis: The Savage Boar Ramming Technique contains trace biological-structure information from a "Savage Boar Demonic Beast." Prolonged cultivation will cause the host's outwardly expressed genes to develop "demonization" traits.]
[Notice: This is a common flaw in low-grade beast-mimicking techniques. The host need not panic. The "Essence Plunder" function can be unlocked later, or "system fusion" can be used to remove impurities and refine the host's life essence.]
"Refine..."
Yan Kui's mouth twitched.
He looked at the smooth, mirror-like head of the Bone Shattering Hammer. It clearly reflected his current, savage appearance.
Besides the black hair, his nostrils seemed to have widened, and his teeth jutted out a little. He had taken on a fierce yet simple-minded air, with more than a hint of a pig's features.
"This is... awkward."
Yan Kui sighed helplessly.
Still, the strengthening of his internal organs was undeniable.
He tried channeling his strength again, tensed both arms, and slammed a punch into the cave wall.
The wall shuddered violently, and rubble came pattering down.
This time, he let his strength pour out, and his chest no longer felt the slightest discomfort from the vibrations. His internal organs were firmly protected within resilient flesh and blood, like a tightly sealed whole.
────────────────────── [Crimson Modifier] Host: Yan Kui Condition: Peak (internal organs strengthened, shortcomings remedied) Physical Attributes: Strength: 6.0 Agility: 2.0 Constitution: 7.0 Cultivation Techniques and Skills: Raging Bull Fist: Great Accomplishment (limit broken) Iron Cloth Shirt: Great Accomplishment (limit broken, Mysterious Iron Body) Body Nourishing Technique: Great Accomplishment Evergreen Technique: Recorded (cannot cultivate, can be analyzed) Savage Boar Ramming Technique: Great Accomplishment (internal-organ resilience strengthened, body demonized) Origin Power: 46.8 Notice: The host's physical shortcomings have been partially remedied. It is recommended that he use fusion with higher-level techniques to fully refine his physical traits. ──────────────────────
His Strength had reached 6.0, and his Constitution, 7.0!
With attributes like these, he was already worthy of being called a land immortal among Mortal Warriors.
"Sure enough, the effort wasn't wasted."
Yan Kui looked at the panel with satisfaction.
If only it weren't for all this hair...
He picked up the Bone Shattering Hammer, walked to the cave entrance, and slammed into a thick tree outside.
BOOM!
The tree snapped and crashed to the ground.
Feeling the power coursing through him, Yan Kui realized that this kind of "impact" was different from the explosive straight punch of Raging Bull Fist. It placed greater emphasis on the force and penetrating power of his whole body.
That was the essence of Savage Boar Ramming Technique—using the body as a weapon to charge with savage force.
Though the technique had a crude name, it had truly made up for the weakness in his internal organs, letting him finally escape the awkward state of being strong on the outside but weak within.
It was just that he wasn't happy about looking like a wild boar.
"Refine..."
Yan Kui turned the system's advice over in his mind again.
He understood that to completely rid himself of these demonic traits while keeping their advantages, he would need to use system fusion.
"Tianwu City..."
Yan Kui looked north once more.
It was a sacred place for warriors, and the first stop on his journey to collect the hard skills of a hundred schools and complete their fusion.
He would show those cultivators.
What the pinnacle of physical strength looked like.
What it meant to... overcome ten skills with sheer force!
The night passed without incident.
At dawn the next day, Yan Kui set out once more.
He took off his coarse cloth clothes, stained with dirt and pig hair, and changed into a fairly well-fitting black tunic he had found in Zhao Wuji's Storage Bag. It was a little tight, but it would do.
Though the black hairs on his body still stood out, he had already come up with a plan.
"Cultivators are all sorts of strange. I'll just say this is a side effect of some Body Refining Technique I practiced—my cultivation went awry, and I grew all this hair!"
Yan Kui chuckled to himself.
What he cared about more now was what kind of "good stuff" the martial arts schools in Tianwu City had to offer!
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