Flesh Phase Realm

The Patrol Team was dispatched and quickly found the Demons and Ghosts hiding on Moonlight Slope. There was more than one.

The strongest among them was unmistakably a Ghost Spirit that had already reached Level Four, making it comparable to a Tendon Phase Realm Martial Artist. Who knew how it had managed to sneak into Bamboo Forest Valley?

Monster Beasts, Demonic Beasts, Ghost Spirits, and Anomalies... were collectively known as Demons and Ghosts. The most troublesome among them were Ghost Spirits and Anomalies. Anomalies were especially difficult: unless one found the object they were attached to, they simply couldn't be killed. They could practically be called immortal.

Ghost Spirits came next. They had no physical bodies, only spiritual forms, so most physical attacks had little effect on them. If Martial Artists wanted to deal with Ghost Spirits, they could only rely on their scorching Blood Qi or special pills.

But releasing Blood Qi consumed too much energy and could easily harm the user, and it wasn't all that effective, either.

Under normal circumstances, a Level Four Ghost Spirit could easily take on a Fifth Martial Realm expert. A Martial Artist at the same level, in the Tendon Phase Realm, was no match for it.

If the Patrol Team members hadn't been cautious, sending several Martial Artists at or above the Flesh Phase Realm and bringing pills that countered Ghost Spirits, they might have met their downfall on Moonlight Slope.

Even so, two Patrol Team Martial Artists had died beneath the Ghost Spirit's attacks. When Qin Dongcheng heard the news, he couldn't help feeling relieved.

It was a good thing he hadn't been reckless and gone after that Ghost Spirit himself. Otherwise, who knew how things would have turned out? Even if he had won, it would likely have been a bitter victory, greatly affecting his cultivation and perhaps bringing even worse consequences.

Besides that Ghost Spirit, several other Demons were hiding on Moonlight Slope. There were even two Rat Demons, which left Qin Dongcheng utterly speechless.

The Patrol Team seemed to have cleared Moonlight Slope many times. How had it gotten more crowded with every sweep? And how could so many Demons and Ghosts still be hiding there?

He'd been incredibly lucky lately. He'd made so many trips back and forth without ever being attacked.

If he went to the Herb Field again, he'd have to be more careful. It would be best to travel with others.

Moonlight Slope was the only route to the Herb Field, and people passed through it regularly. He could simply tag along with them. If they ran into any Demons and Ghosts, they could look out for one another.

Even if they couldn't win, escaping wouldn't be difficult with his speed. And the others could draw some of the enemies' attention.

After feeling relieved, Qin Dongcheng suddenly remembered something: what had happened to Zhen Le, who had ambushed him on Moonlight Slope?

He hadn't seen Zhen Le in a long time. At first, he'd assumed Zhen Le was recovering from his injuries. But after learning that so many Demons and Ghosts were hiding on Moonlight Slope, Qin Dongcheng could no longer sit still.

He secretly made some inquiries and was astonished to learn that Zhen Le had gone missing. It had happened just a few days after Qin Dongcheng had broken both his legs. Everyone suspected that Zhen Le had fallen victim to Demons and Ghosts as well.

Qin Dongcheng fell silent. Unless something unexpected had happened, Zhen Le had probably been eaten by the Demons and Ghosts on Moonlight Slope. He might have inadvertently helped them along.

He felt a little guilty, but the man had brought it on himself. If Zhen Le hadn't kept making trouble for him, he wouldn't have met such an end.

He was just a menial laborer, and quite a few had gone missing lately. On top of that, Zhen Le had been a stubborn man whom people didn't like.

So no one bothered to look for him. They planned to wait a while, and if he still hadn't returned, remove his name from the roster and give his family some compensation. Menial laborers weren't worth much, after all.

The trouble Zhen Le had caused was well and truly over. Qin Dongcheng hadn't done it on purpose, but he was still involved. This was the first person he'd indirectly killed since crossing over.

He didn't give it much thought. In just over a year, he'd seen life and death countless times, including among people he knew. Things like this could no longer affect him.

Qin Dongcheng continued cultivating in peace, devoting even more time and effort to it. Before long, he reached the very limit of the Skin Phase Realm and prepared to break through to the Flesh Phase Realm.

After all his cultivation over the past few days, his Blood Qi had once again surged to its limit, ready to penetrate deeper into his body.

All he had to do now was drive it into his muscles. That would mean Qin Dongcheng had broken through the bottleneck and entered a new realm.

After practicing Diamond Skin Refining Fist once more and receiving a severalfold critical bonus, Qin Dongcheng seized the opportunity to break through the bottleneck.

He was fully prepared, with his essence, energy, and spirit all restored to their peak. His chances of breaking through were excellent.

Under his control, his vast, refined Blood Qi transformed into countless fine threads and began to burrow deeper into his body, little by little.

Soon, it met a bottleneck that blocked it from entering his muscles. Methods and techniques for breaking through surfaced in his mind. Following the experience passed down by his predecessors, he began to batter the bottleneck dam.

"Shhk, shhk, shhk... shhk, shhk, shhk... shhk, shhk, shhk..."

A steady rhythm of sounds rang out, gradually wearing down the dam that blocked his Blood Qi, until at last a crack appeared.

The moment the first crack formed, Qin Dongcheng knew his breakthrough was all but certain. His expression remained calm as he continued battering the dam in an orderly fashion.

A tiny ant hole can bring down a thousand-mile dike. Half an hour later, the dam was riddled with cracks. Amid a series of "crack, crack, crack" sounds, the fine strands of Blood Qi soon broke through the barrier and seeped into his muscles.

The moment the first wisp of Blood Qi entered his muscles, Qin Dongcheng's cultivation broke through.

Third Realm of Martial Arts!

Flesh Phase Realm!

As Blood Qi tempered and strengthened them, his somewhat slack muscles tightened and firmed up at a pace visible to the naked eye.

His physique had already improved considerably after the overall enhancement of the Body Phase Realm, and his build was quite well-proportioned. He had thought there wasn't much left to improve.

But as the Blood Qi flowed into him, Qin Dongcheng realized that his muscles still had so much room for tempering and improvement. He had only just begun to refine and strengthen them.

After the breakthrough, his Blood Qi also grew much more vigorous and refined. His strength, speed, reflexes, and every other aspect surged, though the greatest improvement was in his muscles.

The contents of Evergreen Muscle Refining Fist continually surfaced in his mind. Qin Dongcheng followed them, beginning to practice and improve.

He had long since fully grasped this muscle-refining technique. Practicing it now felt as natural as breathing. He quickly got the hang of it, tempering his muscles more effectively and improving his overall strength.

By the time he had consolidated his current realm, Qin Dongcheng's strength had undergone an astonishing transformation.

In the martial world, a Flesh Phase Realm Martial Artist was worthy of being called a first-rate Martial Artist—or a first-rate expert. That title alone showed how formidable Flesh Phase Realm Martial Artists were and what status they held.

What was more, after awakening the top Strange Phenomena Dragon Vigor Tiger Might and Heaven-Reaching Rhino Roam, Qin Dongcheng was far stronger than an ordinary Flesh Phase Realm Martial Artist. He was even much stronger than Martial Artists a realm above him.