Perfect Golden Shield

The room was dim, with no rain today, but the sky was still overcast.

Jiang Yan sat on the bed in the dim light, intently studying the External Cultivation he had obtained from Fei Shan.

This External Cultivation was called Golden Cloak. Judging by the name, it was a common technique, lacking the grandiosity of a divine art.

The ability panel appeared. Jiang Yan focused, and the status of Golden Cloak was displayed.

Technique:

Golden Cloak:

Level: Four

Status: Uninitiated

Upgrade (Can) Deduce (No)

Jiang Yan willed it. Golden Cloak, upgrade, level one.

Hiss!

He spread his hands, and faint golden patterns subtly emerged on his palms. Though minuscule, they were visible with careful observation.

He pressed his arm, feeling a sense of tightness in his skin.

He clenched his fist, channeling his strength.

However, there was no significant improvement.

"Golden Cloak, first level... the improvement doesn't seem very noticeable for me."

He understood why. A martial artist at the peak of Martial Apprentice already possessed high physical capabilities. Even though Golden Cloak was an External Cultivation specifically for the body, the first level alone wouldn't have a drastic effect on him.

In that case...

He continued to upgrade, to the second level.

The ability panel blurred momentarily, then reappeared.

"Huh?"

He seemed to have discovered something.

Jiang Yan raised his arm, the slightly brighter light from outside allowing him to see more clearly and in greater detail.

Fine golden patterns appeared on his arm, but upon closer inspection, there wasn't a significant change.

His skin felt tighter and more refined, but what was the use of that? He wasn't a woman.

After a moment's thought, he picked up the long sword from the bed. Whether there was a change, he would know by trying.

He had a feeling that Golden Cloak External Cultivation wasn't about refining physical strength, but rather a defensive External Cultivation.

Clang!

He drew the sword and held it before his forearm. He didn't apply any force. In the past, the mere weight and sharpness of the sword would have easily cut his arm.

But this time, no wound appeared.

The sword felt as if it were placed against thick leather, its edge dulled.

"Hmm..."

It worked!

Jiang Yan's spirits lifted.

One shouldn't underestimate even a small amount of physical defense. In a life-or-death struggle, such a slight defense could sometimes lead to a counter-kill.

He applied more force, pressing the sharp blade down. His skin indented slightly.

As he continued to exert pressure, a faint sting of pain reached him. Jiang Yan stopped, knowing he had reached the limit of his defense.

He raised his arm to look. A thin white mark was visible on his arm.

"The sharpness of this sword is considerable. It took some effort even for it to scratch my skin..."

Jiang Yan recalled the force he had used.

"In other words, if a child were to give me a knife now, as long as they didn't hit a vital spot..."

"They would only leave a white mark."

He estimated his current defense to be roughly equivalent to wearing a set of leather armor.

In future fights, he could surprise opponents by trading injuries.

For example, he cuts me, I bleed a little, I stab him, and he's pierced through.

"Hmm..." Jiang Yan mused, a smile tugging at his lips. "It feels a bit like those combat games from my past life."

Although Golden Cloak didn't offer significant boosts to strength or physique, this defense was a pleasant surprise. There were still two more levels to go; he could try again. He continued to upgrade!

Third level, upgrade!

BOOM!

Inside the room, Jiang Yan broke through again.

The third layer was significantly different. At this moment, golden spots flickered across his skin, and his body felt intensely hot.

Hoo!

Haa!

Sweat poured down him like a broken dam, his breathing like bellows, heaving violently, his chest rising and falling dramatically.

The pressure on his body increased instantly. After all, the Martial Arts Modifier had advanced him through techniques that others would need a decade or more to cultivate, all in a short period. Thus, the phenomena accompanying his breakthrough were even more pronounced.

Lines of gold, densely packed, covered Jiang Yan's entire body. They then dispersed into even finer patterns, finally spreading out to form a faint golden film that enveloped Jiang Yan.

It was just like the protective Inner Qi of a Body Refining realm martial artist.

Hoo!

He exhaled a stream of scorching air, hot as boiling water. In an instant, the temperature of his small room rose considerably.

"Damn it, this is truly uncomfortable."

Jiang Yan cursed as he broke through to the third layer, the pain overwhelming.

Immediately after breaking through, he involuntarily entered a cultivation state. However, the breakthrough to the third layer was agonizingly painful.

Still, it was a good thing, likely caused by the drastic restructuring of his bodily tissues.

This indicated that the breakthrough to the third layer of Golden Cloak had effectively enhanced his own strength and physique.

Sitting upright on the bed, he held his sword in his right hand and thrust it forward. A sharp whistling sound of airflow could be faintly heard.

"My strength has increased by a little over ten percent."

Then, onward!

The fourth layer!

Technique: Golden Cloak

Layer: Four

Status: Fourth Layer

Upgrade (No) Deduce (No)

Monster Value: 2

Golden Cloak Fourth Layer: Great Accomplishment!

Fei Shan could never have imagined that after Jiang Yan took the technique, he would achieve Great Accomplishment in less than two hours.

This was a realm that ordinary people might never reach in twenty years, or even a lifetime.

At this moment, Jiang Yan's face was contorted, his muscles vibrating at a frequency he couldn't comprehend.

His body felt incredibly numb and tingly, as if it were being infused with water, slowly expanding. Strands of powerful muscle fibers tightened and knotted like steel wires.

His entire body was covered in a slick, golden film.

Finally, the changes in his body stopped.

"This is..."

Jiang Yan raised his arm, finding his muscles had expanded. He touched his stomach and discovered his muscles had indeed bulged explosively.

"That's right."

Jiang Yan's mouth twitched. External Cultivation was, after all, External Cultivation; it was bound to increase his physical constitution. It was just that his breakthrough was too rapid, leading to such drastic changes in his physique.

He adjusted his clothes, finding that although he had become much bulkier, he could still conceal it. Even if he couldn't, it didn't matter; he could just say he had been training diligently and his body had grown stronger.

He clenched his fist and felt it carefully.

"My strength has increased by about fifty percent."

Jiang Yan's eyes were clear and bright, shining with brilliance.

In this world, as long as one could become stronger, anything was possible.

"And," Jiang Yan reached up and touched his hair, "I've gotten stronger, but I haven't gone bald."

"Also..."

Jiang Yan discovered that after breaking through to the fourth layer, the vulnerable parts of his body – his lower body, throat, eyelids, ears, and other originally thin skin junctions – were slowly covered by a layer of something like hide.

It was as if a layer of extremely tough film had formed.

Not only that, but when he fully circulated Golden Cloak, his body would emit golden light, and a finely adjusted film would cover his entire body.

This provided defense without any blind spots.

Although the defense on the vulnerable parts of his body might not be particularly strong, even so, he was infinitely safer.

In fact, Jiang Yan's current appearance was precisely the ideal state envisioned by the creator of this technique upon reaching Great Accomplishment.

Such a state could only exist in imagination, but now, with the enhancement of the modifier, it had manifested perfectly.

PS: Requesting recommendation tickets daily, thank you everyone.