Diamond Body and the Bear Demon Art

The crowd dispersed, and the small courtyard returned to its quiet.

After resting briefly, Shen Qiuyue got up and continued training, increasing her daytime workload by thirty percent. Every movement was precise and meticulous. She kept going until sweat soaked her temples, utterly unfazed, repeatedly lifting the stone lock and doing squats. Her grit was every bit as strong as a man's.

Qin Meng watched quietly from the doorway of the main room, his eyes full of approval. She hadn't rushed to take the Blood Replenishing Pill. Instead, she was first using hard training to build a solid foundation. Such clear-headedness and patience were rare among martial artists.

"Taking it step by step and building a solid foundation is the right approach," Qin Meng thought. He didn't disturb her, but turned and entered the small room next door, which he used as a meditation room.

He sat cross-legged on the heated brick bed and took out the manual for Diamond Body, the one he'd traded for at Duobao Pavilion. His lips pressed together unconsciously, and a flicker of excitement shone in his eyes.

Since arriving in this world, he'd been through all manner of trials and learned just how important strength was. His desire to reach the pinnacle of the Martial Path had long since become a prairie fire.

The Martial Path in this world was unfathomably profound. The strongest could soar through the skies and burrow through the earth.

Body Forging was divided into three stages: Boiling Blood, Blood Changing, and Body Tempering.

In the Boiling Blood Realm, breathing techniques shook one's qi and blood, making it surge like boiling water and strengthening the body;

In the Blood Changing Realm, one's blood essence tempered the blood throughout the body, transforming the physique completely;

Only with a solid foundation could one advance with unstoppable momentum.

His predecessor had been greedy for quick results and rushed ahead, ultimately depleting his qi and blood and ruining his Martial Path.

"He was him. I am me." Qin Meng cleared his mind of distractions and opened the manual.

The slim booklet was filled with illustrated diagrams of arhats and accompanying explanations, clearly detailing breathing rhythms, mental guidance, and the paths along which qi and blood circulated.

Qin Meng studied it word by word and discovered that Diamond Body was utterly unlike mainstream techniques--

Rather than gathering the power of qi and blood at the heart, it drew it into the Dantian at the Danzhong Acupoint, where a secret method tempered and compressed it until it finally congealed into a seed of qi and blood.

Once the seed formed, it would circulate on its own. The newly generated qi and blood would possess Diamond Body properties, capable of awakening the body's latent potential.

The Body Forging section had six layers. By tempering the body step by step, one could reach astonishing levels of strength and explosive power. With a mere swing of one arm, one could unleash a hundred thousand jin of force, crushing an ordinary Bone Forging Realm martial artist with a single punch.

But this technique had an exceptionally high entry requirement. The practitioner needed to be naturally robust, with several thousand jin of strength even before practicing a Body Forging technique. Otherwise, the effort would be half as effective.

Qin Meng, however, had fused with his predecessor and received the system's enhancement. He already possessed twenty thousand jin of strength, and his physique far surpassed ordinary people. This technique might as well have been tailor-made for him. For others, practicing it was like building a hut from mud bricks; for him, it was like raising a tower of blue bricks.

[Diamond Body · Body Forging Section (Not Initiated, 1/100)]

[Effect: None]

The instant two lines of golden text appeared before his eyes, a vast sea of cultivation formulas imprinted itself on his mind. The breathing, mental focus, and circulation paths became crystal clear.

Qin Meng closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. Forming the hand seal prescribed by the technique, he began to draw out his qi and blood.

The qi and blood scattered throughout his limbs and bones began to flow slowly under the guidance of his will. At first, they trickled like a stream. Then, with each long breath, they converged like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, all gathering at his Danzhong Acupoint to form a warm mass.

His proficiency steadily climbed:

[Not Initiated, 3/100, 4/100, 9/100...]

Qin Meng became immersed in the process. His breathing was almost inaudible; only the mass in his chest continued to grow more solid.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a faint sound came from within him. An invisible barrier shattered with a thunderous crash.

The cloud of qi and blood inside his Danzhong Acupoint suddenly contracted. Under the blows of his will, it compressed rapidly, finally congealing into a golden vortex.

The seed of qi and blood had formed!

The vortex trembled gently. A wisp of qi and blood, far purer and more concentrated than before, with a faint golden sheen, flowed forth of its own accord. With each beat of his heart, it merged into his blood and surged throughout his body.

[Diamond Body—First Layer (1/100)]

[Effect: Bronze Skin and Iron Bones (Initial Signs)]

[Bronze Skin and Iron Bones]: skin like leather, bones like stone; ordinary iron cannot pierce them.

This didn't conflict with his talents. It was yet another enhancement on top of the multiple talent boosts.

Qin Meng opened his eyes. A faint golden light seemed to flash and vanish in his pupils.

The changes were immediate. His skin tightened slightly, as if a highly resilient membrane had covered it, its sheen held beneath the surface.

A faint series of adjustments sounded within his bones. Their density had increased noticeably, and faint golden lines seemed to spread through them, making them sturdier.

He curled a finger and dragged his nail across the skin of his arm. The sound was grating. Then he tapped his forearm, and a metallic clang rang out.

"Bronze Skin and Iron Bones. The name is well deserved."

Qin Meng clenched his fist, feeling the new power surging through his body.

The increase in strength was secondary. This all-around boost to his defense and resilience gave him far greater confidence. Better still, the Diamond Body qi and blood circulated on their own, constantly nourishing his body without end.

A powerful hunger washed over him. His body had burned through a great deal while being tempered, so he ate two boiled wolf hearts. Their abundant vital essence quickly replenished what he'd lost.

By chance, Qin Meng's gaze fell on the inconspicuous gray cloth bundle at the head of the heated brick bed.

"I nearly forgot about this."

He untied the cloth. Inside was a manual.

Qin Meng had long since guessed what it was. The booklet was old and yellowed, and five forceful characters had been written on its cover in dark ink: Mystic Fiend Bear Demon Art.

Qin Meng's eyelid twitched. The instant his fingertip brushed the indented characters, a powerful throb rose in his heart without warning!

His blood seemed to flow a little faster.

The newly formed seed of qi and blood within his Diamond Body seemed to awaken. Golden light bloomed from it—not in rejection, but in a strange sort of "excitement."

He had a vague feeling that this technique might suit him. A mysterious sense that "this technique and I are fated to meet" lingered in his heart, impossible to dispel.

Steadying himself, Qin Meng carefully opened the manual.

The writing inside had a different style, bold and forceful, every stroke seemingly imbued with strength.

The illustrations were simple outlines of human figures, with no unnecessary embellishments. They clearly depicted a variety of poses and movements, while small annotations beside them marked acupoints, vital points, and the complex paths of qi and blood, complete with arrows.

Mystic Fiend Bear Demon Art!

Qin Meng had read only a few lines of the opening outline before he realized its origins were extraordinary. This was a proper mainstream Body Forging technique. It focused on eventually gathering the power of qi and blood at the heart to temper it, gradually honing the body.

Although the manual in his hands contained only the "Body Forging section," its system—from Boiling Blood to Blood Changing, and the foundation it laid for subsequent body refinement—was rigorous, complete, and layered. It far surpassed the militia squad's technique in his predecessor's memories, was every bit as good as Diamond Body, and might even be more profound.

Before practicing a superior technique of this kind, one had to commit it to memory and understand the intricacies of its breathing rhythms, the subtle workings of qi and blood, and the essentials of its stances. Only after mastering it completely and making it instinctive could one begin training.

Qin Meng cleared away all distractions and immersed himself in the manual.

He studied it line by line, comparing it with the diagrams and simulating the circulation of qi and blood in his mind as he worked out how breathing and movement fit together.

Even with his powerful mind and astonishing memory, it took him a full half hour to completely absorb the slim manual's Body Forging technique.

He closed the booklet and shut his eyes.

Every word and diagram unfolded in his mind like a scroll, no longer obscure in the slightest.

[Mystic Fiend Bear Demon Art (Not Initiated, 1/100)]

[Effect: None]

Golden text appeared at just the right moment.

At the same time, Qin Meng felt his understanding of the technique deepen, as if a sudden flash of insight had cleared away every obstacle and illuminated its many obscure passages.

"Now!"

Without hesitation, he adjusted his posture on the heated brick bed and began to practice.

He didn't sit cross-legged. Instead, following the instructions in the technique, he took up a stance resembling a bear crouching, his hands held loosely before his abdomen and his back slightly arched. It looked comical, yet contained the tension of a sudden, explosive strike.

He regulated his breathing and let his thoughts sink.

At first, Qin Meng's breathing was so faint it was nearly inaudible, long and deep, like a giant bear hibernating in its cave, its vital signs reduced to a minimum. Only his heart beat slowly and powerfully, storing up energy.

Gradually, the rhythm of his breathing began to change. At times it grew short and fierce, his nostrils flaring as his chest and abdomen heaved rapidly, like a demon bear enraged, panting like a bellows and brimming with savage strength;

At other times, it settled back into long, drawn-out breaths, but now those breaths carried the weight of power poised to erupt.

Mystery flowed naturally with every breath in and out.

Within him, the seed of qi and blood in his Diamond Body circulated on its own, nourishing his body.

Deeper still, as the breathing method of the Mystic Fiend Bear Demon Art took effect, another warmth, utterly unlike the first, began to arise from his limbs and bones.

He could feel his blood responding to a certain summons, gradually speeding up as if it were boiling. Wisps of pure qi and blood drifted out, slowly merging into his flesh before drawing toward his heart and gathering there.