[Ingredient: Five-Colored Rooster]

Feeling the changes in his body, Lin Ye felt a jolt in his heart.

Tendon-Forming Qi Refining! The transitional stage of Python-Forming Qi Refining!

The next step would be the true Python-Forming Qi Refining!

His gaze fell upon the Monument.

[Soul Whale Fist "Second Layer" (90/200)]

Looking at the text on the Monument, Lin Ye revealed a smile.

However, his gaze was quickly drawn to his four-dimensional attributes.

[Strength: 0.73]

[Agility: 0.58]

[Constitution: 0.66]

Strength and Constitution had both increased by 0.02! The Agility attribute had also risen by 0.01.

In other words, improving the Soul Whale Fist could drive the growth of all three major attributes!

And the increase was significant! Combined, it was equivalent to half a Potential Point!

As expected, the cost-effectiveness of improving martial arts was much higher!

However, what he found a bit strange was that the head coach had previously said that the Soul Whale Fist prioritized willpower; logically, shouldn't the Intelligence attribute have increased as well?

Was it because he hadn't mastered it yet?

He picked up a mirror; his already rugged facial features were now more defined, and his hair was slightly longer than before.

Looking at his arms, they were visibly thicker by a circle.

He stepped onto the scale and pulled out the measuring tape.

"184cm."

"92kg."

Unknowingly, he had undergone a massive transformation from a thin, gaunt youth.

Although he wasn't exactly a muscular brute, he was certainly well-built.

"I still have two Potential Points. Should I add them to something else, or invest them all into the Soul Whale Fist?"

After some thought, he decided to temporarily hold onto these two Potential Points.

The changes in his physique over a short period were already quite obvious; if he added more points now, it would be too eye-catching.

It wouldn't be too late to add them after some time, once everyone had gotten used to his current appearance.

Clenching his fist slightly, he stood up and carefully felt the changes in his body.

"Whoosh!"

A sound of breaking air rang out as his fist sliced through the air before retracting in an instant.

"With this sense of power, my current punching force level should already exceed three hundred kilograms."

He had seen another coach at the gym training, who had punched with a force of 350kg.

By comparison, he was likely still a bit behind that coach.

He nodded slightly; he couldn't go to the gym for the next week.

In the gym, it would be difficult not to expose his true level of punching force.

Even if he intentionally held back, he might not be able to hide it from coach Lei Long.

It wasn't that he was afraid of being exposed, but rather that there was no need.

"Always keep at least one trump card."

This was a habit he had cultivated over many years as an extreme sports challenger, a habit that had saved his life.

A week later, which was the time head coach Lin Fei had estimated for him to break through to the second layer, would be a good time to go back and explain things.

He could also take the opportunity to further elevate the impression of his genius status in the gym, laying the groundwork for breaking through to the third layer and becoming an official disciple later on.

He intended to refresh the impression of his genius in the eyes of others bit by bit.

Otherwise, it would seem too abrupt.

With the Monument in his hands, he was destined to display things that were difficult for ordinary people to understand.

And there would always be some people who liked to pry into what made others different.

It wasn't that this was necessarily bad; if he were a genius in the ordinary sense, this might even be a good thing.

But he was anything but.

The secret of the Monument was too great, great enough to make anyone's heart covet it.

So... he lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze clear and bright.

Therefore, he had to keep some unknown trump cards up his sleeve.

"Click."

The sound of a key turning came from the living room, followed by a "bang."

His mother had left for work.

She had already been asleep when he returned late yesterday, so she didn't know he was back.

He revealed a smile, looked at his palm, and slowly curled his fingers shut.

"After all, I am no longer alone," he whispered to himself.

"Cast off the shackles of your humanity."

A vague voice suddenly flashed through his mind.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at the Elementary Potionology Notes on his computer desk.

"Some kind of mental influence?"

He stared quietly at the notes, then let his gaze fall back to his palm.

"Or is this the price for crossing the Domain of Silence?"

After a few seconds of silence, he rose without a sound.

No more sleeping; today's destination was the Coast City First Zoo.

He needed to confirm the categories of certain "ingredients."

Coast City First Zoo.

Lin Ye looked at the mountain area enclosed by iron fences ahead, where a massive sign stood inside.

"Mountain Tiger Hunting Ground! Roaring with Vigor!"

His gaze fell upon the tigers behind the iron bars, and as he scanned them, he frowned slightly.

Only two tigers, noticeably larger than the rest, displayed ingredient information; the other twenty-plus did not.

Unsurprisingly, these two tigers were likely the strongest in the pride.

His gaze landed on one of them.

[Ingredient Name: Mountain Tiger]

[Ingredient Category: Flesh]

[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]

[Edible Part: Tiger Gallbladder]

[Consumption Effect: Slightly increases Strength, Constitution, and Intelligence attributes; minor increase to mental vigor, bone density, and muscle density.]

He then looked at the other one.

[Ingredient Name: Mountain Tiger]

[Ingredient Category: Flesh]

[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]

[Edible Part: Heart]

[Consumption Effect: Slightly increases Strength, Agility, and Constitution attributes; minor increase to bone density, bone marrow hematopoiesis, and neural recruitment ability.]

He nodded slightly; even within the same species, the edible "ingredients" were not necessarily the same.

At the same time, because the parts were different, the benefits provided also varied.

He didn't linger for long; tigers were not something one could buy through ordinary channels, and one couldn't pick and choose.

This meant there was a possibility of buying a tiger that wasn't an "ingredient."

And the most important point was, he had no money.

Poverty had taught him to act within his means.

He walked toward the next enclosure, "Savanna Lion Club!"

[Ingredient Name: Savanna Lion]

[Ingredient Category: Flesh]

[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]

[Edible Part: Heart]

[Consumption Effect: Slightly increases Strength and Constitution attributes; minor increase to bone density and bone marrow hematopoiesis.]

[Ingredient Name: Albino Peacock]

[Ingredient Category: Flesh]

[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]

[Edible Part: Peacock Gallbladder]

[Consumption Effect: Slightly increases intelligence attribute, minor increase to mental attack resistance and charm.]

[Ingredient Name: Black Bear]

[Ingredient Category: Flesh and Blood]

[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]

[Edible Part: Bear Gallbladder]

[Consumption Effect: Slightly increases strength and intelligence attributes, minor increase to mental vigor and bone density.]

[Ingredient Name: Gulf Stream Crocodile]

[Ingredient Category: Flesh and Blood]

[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]

[Edible Part: Heart]

[Consumption Effect: Slightly increases strength and constitution attributes, minor increase to bone density, blood oxygen capacity, and dynamic visual tracking ability.]

Approaching noon, Lin Ye sat in a pavilion.

As it stands, within any given population, there might only be one or two individuals that qualify as "ingredients," and in some cases, none at all.

Furthermore, he discovered that the enhancement effects of many ingredients are actually quite similar.

Only the intelligence attribute and the boost to mental vigor are relatively rare, found either in special species or the gallbladders of apex predators.

He speculated that this might be because the ingredient category is limited to flesh and blood, meaning the consumption effects are all related to the body, leading to overlaps.

However, overlap also has its benefits; it allows a specific enhancement effect to be pushed to the extreme, breaking through all obstacles with sheer force.

After sitting for a while, he didn't linger any longer.

There was one more destination: North Shore Market.

Here, he could truly call himself wealthy.

In the afternoon, Lin Ye stood in the kitchen with a Black Fish squatting on the counter.

This was an "ingredient" he had discovered; its brain matter could slightly increase the intelligence attribute.

His gaze shifted to the other side, where a rooster puffed out its chest even while lying on the ground.

[Ingredient Name: Five-Colored Rooster]

[Ingredient Category: Flesh and Blood]

[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]

[Edible Part: Chicken Gallbladder]

[Consumption Effect: Minimally increases constitution, agility, and intelligence attributes, minor increase to mental vigor.]