The Merit of the First Ascender

At the Southern Foothills of Fang City, a patrol of soldiers marched along the ramparts, the clatter of their armor emitting a dull, rhythmic thud.

Deep within the dense forest, Zhao Cheng quickly crouched, concealing himself within the shadows.

Simultaneously, a sharp pain surged through his entire skeletal structure, followed by a sensation of being reforged; his bone density increased rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, they became as indestructible as refined steel.

He felt as though his body had grown significantly heavier, accompanied by a sense of unbridled power constantly being unleashed!

The hardness of his bones was now sufficient to allow him to exert his full strength without restraint, no longer fearing that his frame would shatter under the pressure!

With this, he had truly become a "Man of Iron" in the literal sense!

The changes to his body did not cause Zhao Cheng to tremble in the slightest. He held his breath, his gaze locked onto the patrolling soldiers looking his way, and slowly drew his bow; should the enemy show any sign of suspicion, he would shoot them down immediately.

Fortunately, the sunlight was bright, and the shadows grew even darker by contrast; people facing strong light often struggle to see into the dark, so the patrol gradually moved away.

Zhao Cheng silently released the bowstring and continued his ascent.

The life span deduction continued to unfold.

[Year 301: You step into the major threshold of Skin Refining. You feel that skin refining is useless, but the Basic Body Refining Method states clearly that to enter a higher realm with a flawless physical body, one must refine the skin to perfection.]

[Year 310: The Skin Refining stage, which you looked down upon the most, turns out to be the hardest to master. Even with your proficiency in blood-qi circulation, you have made little progress after ten years. You feel the cost-benefit ratio is too low, but you have no other choice.]

[Year 340: Progress in skin refining is becoming increasingly slow. You begin to seek quick success and try to use grinding methods to accelerate your progress, only to end up on the wrong path...]

[Year 370: You finally find the right path. You notice the calluses formed from years of farm work beginning to fade; your skin gradually becomes smooth and crystalline, turning fair and tender. Your journey into skin refining has finally begun!]

[Year 380: Your skin becomes as lustrous as jade, and your pores become translucent. You feel as though you can control the opening of your pores, even using them to breathe. You begin to realize the necessity of skin refining...]

[Year 400: The toughness of your skin increases significantly, resembling cowhide. You vaguely perceive a profound mystery hidden within skin refining. You practice with increasing diligence, and your skin refining enters the Minor Accomplishment realm!]

[Year 470: Your skin looks soft and tender, but in reality, it is exceptionally tough, almost like iron plating. Even a bronze sword cannot injure you. Your skin refining enters the Great Accomplishment realm!]

[Year 490: Your skin is translucent, as if it can let the wind pass through, and your entire body's qi circulates within it. At this point, even without breathing through your mouth and nose, you can run like thunder for long periods without needing to gasp for air...]

[Year 500: For ten years, you have breathed through your skin, sensing the world. You vaguely feel that there exists a certain type of qi between heaven and earth. It flows over your skin and, with every breath you take, merges into your body. You suspect it is the spiritual energy of the world and are greatly shocked by this...]

The deduction came to an abrupt halt.

Zhao Cheng's blood-stained hands and face rapidly began to turn as fair and smooth as jade. Fortunately, the blood he had previously been splattered with had already begun to darken, otherwise, this change would have been far too conspicuous.

At the same time, Zhao Cheng felt as if layer after layer of oily film was shedding from his entire body, as if he were breaking through the surface of deep water after suffocating. His pores opened wide, greedily absorbing the air, and his body rapidly became light and translucent.

The wind blew against him, passing through his clothes as if it could brush against his internal organs, even blowing from the front of his body straight through to his back.

This feeling was exceptionally refreshing and profound.

It was as if he had been living inside a plastic film; the sensations he once thought were normal now felt suffocating in retrospect.

Indescribable, mysterious wisps of qi flowed faintly over his skin; he wanted to grasp them, but they slipped through his fingers.

"Now is not the time to explore this qi." Zhao Cheng quickly blocked out the wonderful sensation, turning instead to test the strength of his skin.

Taking advantage of the fact that Feng Quan behind him was not paying attention, he poked his palm with an arrowhead!

He felt nothing.

He applied a little force, gradually feeling some pricking pain, but that was all; it still failed to break his defense.

He continued to apply force until the tip of the arrow slightly deformed, at which point he felt a sharp sting and a small drop of blood appeared on his skin.

Zhao Cheng concluded that while saying his skin was impervious to blades might be an exaggeration, it was already many times tougher than cowhide, and it was true that ordinary swords could not easily break his defense.

"With this, even my major arteries are protected by my skin."

"Skin, muscle, fascia, and bone constitute four layers of defense. It is enough for me to scale walls, seize strongholds, and charge back and forth through enemy lines!"

The unparalleled sense of power within his body felt like a volcano about to erupt, poised and ready.

From his bones to his skin, he possessed ultimate control over every corner of this body. The immense power allowed him to manipulate this indestructible frame as he pleased. This supreme authority of ultimate control greatly bolstered Zhao Cheng's confidence.

He moved forward with greater speed, his body now agile to the extreme. His feet appeared to step on dead branches and leaves, but in reality, he was using his hands to grip tree trunks to move forward, capable of doing so without making a single sound or leaving a single trace.

As they approached the Southern Foothills of Fang City, the group's nerves grew increasingly taut. Everyone held their breath, gritted their teeth, and kept their eyes wide open, staring fixedly at the guards on the city wall.

The closer they got, the greater the risk of being discovered.

They had to be careful, ever so careful; the slightest disturbance could attract the attention of the guards!

Closer, even closer!

Fifty paces, thirty paces...

The group's movements grew slower and slower, their bodies crouching lower and lower. Their eyes were bloodshot from prolonged staring, yet they dared not blink...

Twenty paces, ten paces...

The beard of the guard standing on the city wall was now clearly visible.

Just then, the sharp-eyed Feng Quan suddenly noticed that Zhao Cheng, who was in front, was moving faster, yet the dead leaves beneath his feet were not even being crushed!

How could this be?

In his surprise, a dead branch snapped under his foot, emitting a loud crack!

Everyone's heart sank; they thought it was over!

Sure enough, the guard on the wall looked down at the same time, but before his gaze could fully settle, Zhao Cheng quickly raised his hand and threw an arrowhead like a hidden weapon, which plunged straight into the guard's throat!

A strike to seal the throat!

"Ugh!"

The defenders didn't even have time to see Zhao Cheng and his men clearly before they lost their strength and collapsed.

Zhao Cheng's body was like a phantom, rushing toward the wall like the wind. With a few light taps of his toes against the masonry and a shove of his palm, he soared up the Fang City wall. While still in mid-air, he drew his bow with both hands!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As the bowstrings snapped, Han defenders fell one after another to his left, right, and front!

Simultaneously, the Han defenders fell into chaos, cries of alarm erupting everywhere. Those who reacted quickly raised their bows to fire back, but with so many defenders on the wall, arrows began to rain down like a storm!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Feng Quan charged forward desperately, the veins on his neck bulging as he roared, "Charge up there!!"

Because of his own mistake, the Squad Leader had risked everything to scale the wall early, placing himself in the midst of a perilous encirclement!

In this moment, he had forgotten all about life and death!

Like a furious little leopard, he sprinted to the wall, kicked off the wall and a tree trunk in rapid succession, and became the second to reach the ramparts, positioning himself to guard Zhao Cheng's side.

Behind him, the elite Assault Cavalry moved with incredible speed, some leaping off the wall to climb, others scaling vines and creepers, surging onto the wall like a tide.

Further back, the long-faced Centurion could no longer hold back, leaping into the air, "Brothers, provide cover fire for our comrades!"

The fire support immediately disrupted the rhythm of the Han Army as they swarmed Zhao Cheng!

The Han Army was panicked and in disarray!

The elite enemy troops constantly emerging on the wall caught them completely off guard; some were still drawing their bows when they were swiftly cut down by the surging Assault Cavalry.

With their formation in shambles and the fighting turning into close-quarters combat, arrows were no longer effective.

Thus, the Han Army gathered their forces to strike at the Qin Army, hoping to drive them off the wall.

But Zhao Cheng was already charging like a fierce tiger descending from the mountains. He moved like thunder, and wherever his bronze sword passed, heads flew into the air!

He faced the surging torrent of hundreds of Han soldiers alone, charging straight against the current!

At first, the Han soldiers relied on their numbers to embolden themselves, attacking him in unison, but once they came within seven paces of him, they were marked by the King of Hell; in the blink of an eye, their heads would be parted from their shoulders!

What terrified the Han soldiers most was that this guy simply wouldn't die!

They didn't know how many times their comrades had slashed their long swords into his body, even shattering the bronze armor he wore, yet he remained as vigorous as ever.

He charged like a monster, ignoring the blades biting into his flesh, and with a single strike, he cleaved a soldier clean in two!

They were terrified!

Fresh blood sprayed everywhere, drenching the faces and bodies of the nearby Han soldiers, and splashing onto Zhao Cheng as well, dyeing him blood-red. Only those fierce eyes, radiating endless Sha Qi, remained bright, casting a chilling, piercing light!

The Han soldiers in the front were nearly scared out of their wits!

"A god of slaughter!"

"Fall back! Fall back!"

"Kill!!"

"Those who retreat shall be executed!"

The men in the front were terrified and wanted to retreat, but those in the back, unable to see the situation, were still desperately pushing forward!

What was even more infuriating was that the garrison commander, Zhao Yong, was still shouting that those who retreated would be executed!

Do you think I don't know that retreat means death?

But damn it, if I don't retreat, I'll definitely die, but if I do, I might be able to run away and become a deserter!

If you're so against retreating, why don't you come to the front yourself!

The Han soldiers in the front gritted their teeth while their legs trembled!

As they gritted their teeth, that god of slaughter had already cut down another squad of soldiers and was dragging his sword toward them. The pressure he exerted made the Han soldiers feel as if a mountain-sized tiger was pouncing upon them. Some were so frightened they fell to their knees, only to be decapitated by Zhao Cheng's sword!

Meanwhile, the soldiers being constantly harvested realized they couldn't escape, which instead ignited a desperate, do-or-die resolve!

"He has penetrated deep into our formation; if we all strike together, we can definitely kill him!"

"Kill!! Don't be afraid! Fear is a dead end anyway!"

"Kill!!"

The Han soldiers roared to bolster their own courage, then surged forward in a massive wave!

Not far away, Feng Quan and his men, whose pressure had eased as they finished off the few remaining defenders, turned their heads in confusion, only to be struck with utter horror!