Rapid Progress

"This was a good thing, after all!"

Chen Xuan withdrew his thoughts and slid the dagger back into his belt.

Now that Copper Skin had been achieved, even without Huajin force protecting his body, ordinary blades and swords would find it difficult to break through his defenses.

If he added protective force to the defense of Copper Skin—

He would be truly impervious to blades and spears, immune to water and fire.

The next few days passed without a ripple.

The Blood Wolf Gang did not send anyone else to cause trouble, and Qingshi Town returned to its former peace.

Aside from handling the branch's affairs each day, Chen Xuan devoted himself to cultivating the Vajra Technique.

On the evening of his third day in Qingshi Town—

After consuming the Zhaoxi Value he had just obtained, Chen Xuan advanced the Vajra Technique by another layer.

[Vajra Technique/Third Layer]

A line of text flashed before Chen Xuan's eyes.

The familiar sensation returned. Images of a year of grueling cultivation flooded Chen Xuan's mind as force penetrated deep into his marrow, striking and tempering it again and again.

Through repeated minute fractures and healing, his bones became denser and harder.

"The third layer of the Vajra Technique—sinews and bones like darksteel!"

Chen Xuan clenched his fist and could clearly feel the changes in his bones. They were like refined steel forged through a thousand hammerings, several times denser than an ordinary person's. With a casual punch, the air let out a dull boom.

His physical strength now far surpassed that of an ordinary Huajin martial artist. A single swing of one arm carried more than two thousand jin of force.

Such strength could no longer be described as human. It was superhuman.

"Next, I'll temper my internal organs, then break through to the Zhuqi Realm."

Chen Xuan looked forward to it.

Chen Xuan had completed Copper Skin in one day, then achieved Iron Bone on the second and third days. Next came the tempering of his internal organs.

Upon reaching the fourth layer of the Vajra Technique, one's internal organs would be as robust as a furnace, capable of swallowing gold and melting stone, while one's qi and blood would surge like great rivers.

According to the secret manual, most Vajra Sect disciples took around ten years to complete Copper Skin, then another thirty years to achieve Iron Bone. That was forty years in total. By the time they attained Iron Bone, they were already over fifty, and their qi and blood would basically begin to decline.

But with the acceleration of Zhaoxi Value, one day could grant him a year of cultivation. Chen Xuan had completed Copper Skin in merely one day and achieved Iron Bone on the second and third days. Tempering his internal organs would take no more than another three or four days.

In the blink of an eye—

Another three days passed.

It was Chen Xuan's sixth day in Qingshi Town.

At dusk, the sun set beyond the horizon.

[Zhaoxi Value +1]

"Upgrade the Vajra Technique."

The moment he obtained the Zhaoxi Value, Chen Xuan could not wait to accelerate his cultivation of the Vajra Technique.

Images of a year of grueling cultivation flooded Chen Xuan's mind.

This time, the force no longer tempered his skin, flesh, sinews, and bones. Instead, it penetrated deep into his five viscera and six bowels.

His heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys were repeatedly washed by the force, continuously strengthening and transforming.

Every heartbeat was like the beating of a war drum, while his qi and blood surged like mighty rivers.

[Vajra Technique/Fourth Layer]

Chen Xuan abruptly opened his eyes.

An invisible aura spread from his body, like a slumbering ferocious beast awakening.

Chen Xuan lowered his head to look at himself. His skin had taken on a deep bronze hue, hard as iron to the touch yet still resilient. He clenched his fists, and his bones rang like clashing metal. Drawing a deep breath, his chest heaved violently like a bellows. The sound of his heartbeats was clear to hear, each beat driving his qi and blood rushing through his body.

"This power..."

Chen Xuan rose to his feet and casually swung an arm. The air gave a shrill boom.

He walked into the courtyard and lightly punched a waist-high Bluestone.

Bang!

The Bluestone shattered at once, fragments spraying everywhere.

This was pure brute force, without any force added to it. Chen Xuan's fist did not feel the slightest pain; it was hard as iron.

According to the Vajra Technique's description, upon reaching the fourth layer, one's physical body would be strong enough to fight a martial artist who had just broken through to the Zhuqi Realm.

Now, it seemed those words were no exaggeration.

Elsewhere—

After six days of travel, the Blood Wolf Gang members arrived at the Blood Fiend Devil Sect.

In the inner sect, within a shadowy courtyard, a young man of twenty-five or twenty-six sat cross-legged in a cultivation chamber, dense blood-colored true qi swirling around him.

His face was sinister, his brow bones high, his cheekbones pronounced. His triangular eyes were half-open and half-closed, revealing a chilling air.

This man was Liu Feng, an Inner Disciple of the Blood Fiend Devil Sect. He was at the Qi Casting Realm Second Layer and was Liu Lie's elder brother.

"Senior Brother Liu, an urgent letter has arrived from Tiannan Prefecture!"

An Outer Disciple hurried into the courtyard, stopped outside the cultivation chamber, and spoke with a respectful expression.

Liu Feng opened his eyes. The blood-colored true qi slowly withdrew into his body as he said blandly, "Read it."

The Outer Disciple opened the letter and quickly scanned it. His expression changed slightly, and he said in a trembling voice, "Senior Brother Liu... your younger brother, Liu Lie, was killed in Qingshi Town of Lianshan City by Chen Xuan, an Outer Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect."

The temperature inside the cultivation chamber plummeted.

Liu Feng's expression did not change in the slightest, but the air around him seemed to freeze. An invisible pressure radiated from his body, and the Outer Disciple standing in the courtyard felt a tremendous weight bear down on him, making it difficult even to breathe.

"Chen Xuan?" Liu Feng's voice was terrifyingly calm. "What is his cultivation?"

"Steward Qin of Lianshan City suspects... the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering."

The Outer Disciple answered.

"Heh, the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering?" Liu Feng gave a cold laugh, unable to stop himself from mocking himself. "My little brother truly was trash. He threw his weight around in the outer sect by relying on my influence, acting like a tyrant. Yet he was beaten to death the moment he left the sect."

The Outer Disciple shuddered and lowered his head, not daring to respond.

"But though my brother was trash, he was still my own younger brother. Killing him was the same as slapping me across the face."

A flash of killing intent passed through Liu Feng's eyes.

However, he was at a crucial point in his cultivation. He was only one step away from breaking through from the Qi Casting Realm Second Layer to the Qi Casting Realm Third Layer. Leaving seclusion now would affect his cultivation progress.

Wasting ten days or half a month to avenge a dead trash of a younger brother was not worth it.

For disciples of the devil sects, strength and benefit were what they believed in. Family affection was worth less than nothing.

But his own younger brother had been killed. For the sake of his reputation, he had to take revenge. If he did nothing, people would likewise laugh at his incompetence.

Creak!

The cultivation chamber door opened. Liu Feng took a token from his robes and tossed it to the Outer Disciple. "Go find Zhou Kang. Tell him to kill someone for me. Once it is done, I will owe him a favor."

"Zhou Kang?"

The Outer Disciple caught the token, his heart tightening.

He was one of the outer sect's seed disciples. A year ago, he had already reached the peak of the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering and Huajin, and he could break through to the Zhuqi Realm at any time.

"Yes, I'll go find Senior Brother Zhou at once."

The Outer Disciple answered and turned to leave the courtyard.

"Wait!" Liu Feng called after him and said in a deep voice, "Tell Zhou Kang to bring him back alive. I want to deal with him personally."

"Yes."

The Outer Disciple hurried away.