Feeling the changes in his body, Lin Ye was shaken.
Tendon-Forming Qi Refining! The transitional stage before Python-Forming Qi Refining!
The next step was true Python-Forming Qi Refining!
His gaze fell on the Monument.
[Soul Whale Fist "Second Layer" (90/200)]
Looking at the words on the Monument, Lin Ye smiled.
But soon, his gaze was drawn to his four attributes.
[Strength: 0.73]
[Agility: 0.58]
[Constitution: 0.66]
His strength and constitution had both increased by 0.02! His agility had also risen by 0.01.
That meant improving Soul Whale Fist could boost all three attributes!
And by quite a lot! Added together, the increase was equivalent to half a Potential Point!
As expected, improving martial arts was more cost-effective!
But one thing puzzled him. The head coach had said before that Soul Whale Fist primarily honed one's willpower. By rights, his intelligence should have increased too.
Was it because he hadn't mastered it yet?
He picked up a mirror. The lines of his already rugged face had become more pronounced, and his hair was a little longer than before.
Looking at his arms, he could see that they had grown noticeably thicker.
He stepped onto the scale and pulled out a tape measure.
"184 cm."
"92 kg."
Without realizing it, he had changed dramatically from the skinny young man he once was.
He wasn't exactly a hulking mass of muscle, but he was in good shape.
"I've got two Potential Points left. Should I put them into something else, or invest them all in Soul Whale Fist?"
After some thought, he decided to save them for now.
His physique had changed noticeably in a short time. If he added more points, he'd attract too much attention.
He could wait until everyone had gotten used to the changes before adding more points.
He clenched a fist and stood, carefully sensing the changes in his body.
"Whoosh!"
His fist cut through the air, then snapped back in an instant.
"With this kind of force, my punching power should be over 300 kilograms now."
He'd seen another boxing coach training and throw a punch with 350 kilograms of force.
By comparison, he was probably still weaker than that coach.
He nodded slightly. He wouldn't be able to go to the boxing gym for the next week.
It was hard not to reveal his true punching power there.
Even if he tried to hold back, he might not fool Coach Lei Long.
It wasn't that he was afraid of being found out. There was simply no need.
"Always keep at least one card up your sleeve."
It was a habit he'd developed over years as an extreme-sports challenger—a habit that had saved his life.
A week from now would be when Head Coach Lin Fei expected him to break through to the second layer. Going back then would be easier to explain.
He could also strengthen the impression that he was a genius in the boxing gym and lay the groundwork for breaking through to the third layer and becoming an official disciple.
He intended to gradually refresh how others saw his talent.
Otherwise, it would seem too abrupt.
With the Monument in his possession, he was bound to display abilities that ordinary people couldn't understand.
And there would always be people who liked to investigate what made others different.
That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If he were a genius in the ordinary sense, it might even be good.
But he wasn't.
The secret of the Monument was too great—enough to tempt anyone.
So... He lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze clear.
So he had to keep some cards hidden.
"Click."
He heard a key turn in the living room, followed by a bang.
His mother had left for work.
She'd gone to bed early after coming home late the night before and hadn't known he'd returned.
He smiled and looked at his palm, slowly closing his fingers.
"After all, I'm not alone anymore," he murmured.
"Cast off the shackles of your humanity."
A vague voice suddenly flickered through his mind.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at Elementary Potionology Notes on his computer desk.
"Some kind of mental influence?"
He stared at the notes, then turned his gaze back to his palm.
"Or is this the price of crossing the Domain of Silence?"
After a few seconds of silence, he rose without a sound.
No more sleep. Today's destination was Coast City First Zoo.
He needed to confirm the varieties of "ingredients."
Coast City First Zoo.
Lin Ye looked at the mountain enclosed by iron railings, with a huge sign standing inside.
"Mountain Tiger Hunting Ground! Where the tigers roam!"
His gaze swept over the tigers behind the bars, and he frowned slightly.
Only two tigers, noticeably larger than the rest, showed ingredient information. The other twenty-odd had none.
As expected, those two were probably the strongest in the group.
His gaze settled on one of them.
[Ingredient Name: Mountain Tiger]
[Ingredient Type: Flesh]
[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]
[Edible Part: Tiger Gallbladder]
[Effect: Slightly increases strength, constitution, and intelligence; moderately increases spiritual presence, bone density, and muscle density.]
Then he looked at the other one.
[Ingredient Name: Mountain Tiger]
[Ingredient Type: Flesh]
[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]
[Edible Part: Heart]
[Effect: Slightly increases strength, agility, and constitution; moderately increases bone density, bone marrow blood production, and neural recruitment.]
He nodded slightly. Even within the same species, the edible "ingredients" weren't necessarily the same.
At the same time, different parts of an ingredient produced different benefits.
He didn't linger. Tigers weren't something one could buy through ordinary channels, and he couldn't pick and choose.
That meant he might end up buying a tiger that wasn't an "ingredient."
Most importantly, he had no money.
Poverty had taught him to stay within his means.
He headed to the next enclosure, "Savanna Lion Club!"
[Ingredient Name: Savanna Lion]
[Ingredient Type: Flesh]
[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]
[Edible Part: Heart]
[Effect: Slightly increases strength and constitution; moderately increases bone density and bone marrow blood production.]
[Ingredient Name: Albino Peacock]
[Ingredient Type: Flesh]
[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]
[Edible Part: Peacock Gallbladder]
[Effect: Slightly increases intelligence; moderately increases resistance to mental attacks and charm.]
[Ingredient Name: Black Bear]
[Ingredient Type: Flesh]
[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]
[Edible Part: Bear Gallbladder]
[Effect: Slightly increases strength and intelligence; moderately increases spiritual presence and bone density.]
[Ingredient Name: Gulf Stream Crocodile]
[Ingredient Type: Flesh]
[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]
[Edible Part: Heart]
[Effect: Slightly increases strength and constitution; moderately increases bone density, blood oxygen capacity, and dynamic visual tracking.]
Near noon, Lin Ye sat in a pavilion.
So far, it seemed that only one or two animals in a group could qualify as "ingredients." Some groups had none at all.
He'd also noticed that many ingredients had similar effects.
Boosting intelligence and spiritual presence seemed relatively rare. Those benefits came either from unusual species or from the gallbladders of apex predators.
He guessed this was because all the ingredients were classified as flesh, so their effects were related to the body and often overlapped.
But there was an upside to overlap: it could push a particular benefit to its limit, letting strength overcome everything.
After sitting for a while, he didn't linger.
He had another destination: North Shore Market.
Here, he could consider himself wealthy.
In the afternoon, Lin Ye stood in the kitchen. A Black Fish sat on the stove.
It was an "ingredient" he'd found; its brain could slightly increase intelligence.
His gaze fell on the other side of the room. Even lying on the ground, a rooster held its chest proudly.
[Ingredient Name: Five-Colored Rooster]
[Ingredient Type: Flesh]
[Ingredient Rank: Mortal Rank]
[Edible Part: Chicken Gallbladder]
[Effect: Slightly increases constitution, agility, and intelligence; moderately increases spiritual presence.]
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