Cowhide Stage, Blood Qi Like a Stream, A Small Surge in Strength! Is the Hall Master Here?

"Go guard the intersection. Without my command, none of you are to come over!"

Shi Wen sensed a turbulent, surging upheaval occurring within his body, his expression shifting slightly.

He hurriedly barked the order.

Several gang members left in a rush, disappearing from his sight in an instant.

Only then did Shi Wen allow a look of wretchedness to show on his face.

A green light seemed to flicker within his pupils—a transformation that only occurred when the body reached the absolute limit of starvation!

That intense sensation of hunger erupted violently; it felt as if his intestines were being gripped and twisted by someone, a sickening sensation of being torn out, accompanied by stinging pain, panic, and anxiety flooding his mind.

The blood and qi within his body seemed to have transformed into a gluttonous beast.

It was forcibly breaking down his bodily functions, converting them into a continuous stream of blood and qi!

In just a moment, Shi Wen's previously sturdy and well-proportioned muscles withered away once more. His skin clung tightly to his bones, like a layer of old hide wrapped around a skeleton, looking even more ghastly than the hollowed-out state he had been in when he first started practicing martial arts!

Shi Wen saw stars, and at the same time, the sound of his heart beating wildly echoed in his ears.

It was as if the world had suddenly fallen silent, leaving only the sound of his own heartbeat, his breathing, and a buzzing, numbing sensation in his ears!

Inside his body.

The blood and qi, which had once been like a crucian carp, surged dozens of times over!!

Every inch of skin and flesh from head to toe was squeezed by an invisible force, spawning wisps of blood and qi that flowed through his hundred bones and into his dantian, making a splashing sound like a rushing stream. As it circulated through his meridians, that intense blood and qi dyed his skin as red as a boiled prawn.

Steam was actually rising from the top of his head!!

Hot!!!

Hungry!!!!!

At the same time, a massive current of air exploded within his chest, transforming into countless wisps of energy that rushed into his limbs and bones.

Under the reckless, rampaging force of this energy, a sensation of swelling pain spread throughout his entire body.

Hunger, scorching heat, swelling pain...

The various agonizing pains made Shi Wen's eyes split at the corners.

He lunged toward his carry-on bag, stuffing the Red Python Meat inside into his mouth to chew, and swallowed the medicinal pills from a porcelain bottle!

He had no idea how much Red Python Meat he had consumed!!

Only when the various pains and the hunger erupting from his body gradually subsided did Shi Wen collapse onto the ground, gasping for air, his eyes beneath the pale mask filled with hideous bloodshot veins!

It was clearly visible that the veins on his exposed skin were bulging, and steam was rising from his entire body!!

The ground beneath him was already soaked with sweat.

It wasn't until he had finished all the water in his waterskin that Shi Wen finally regained his senses.

He breathed in great, heaving gulps like a man about to drown, his face filled with lingering fear.

"What just happened? What level of martial art is the Taibao Hard Qigong? Why was the feedback even more violent than when I first tempered my blood and qi?"

"Could the body's depletion really reach such a severe extent?"

"To nearly die from depletion—that is truly too absurd!!"

Shi Wen reached into his bag for more Red Python Meat, only to find that the remaining half-portion was now less than a jin.

As for the pills, there weren't many left either.

The resources required for a single breakthrough in Taibao Hard Qigong were truly outrageous!

"It is overly dangerous, but the benefits are equally immense!"

Shi Wen examined his body.

He was now as thin as a bamboo pole; his once well-proportioned, muscular physique had vanished without a trace. His entire body seemed to be encased in a layer of tough, hardened cowhide stretched over bone. This appearance was even more miserable than before he had broken through to the Blood-Tempering Realm!

Yet, the degree to which his body had been tempered was extraordinary.

When he drew a sharp blade across his skin, it left only a faint white mark.

Only by applying force could one cut a gash, yet no blood flowed out. After a moment, the small wound vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared at all.

If he channeled his internal energy or blood and qi, even a sharp blade could not pierce his skin!!

"The records of Taibao Hard Qigong state that one can temper the skin and flesh of the entire body to the stages of Cowhide Skin, Stone Skin, and Iron Skin."

"At the same time, the density of the flesh and the strength of the bones are also elevated to a certain degree."

"If one can reach the Great Perfection of this hard-body art, the skin and flesh become as hard as iron, the body weight reaches a thousand jin, and one's strength surges."

"I just don't know when I will be able to reach that stage!"

Shi Wen walked through the mud, observing the depth of his footprints to estimate how much his weight had increased.

Despite looking as thin as a bamboo pole, he estimated his weight to be around 170 jin.

The density of his flesh and the strength of his bones had improved in ways invisible to the naked eye.

"I wonder how much my strength has increased now?"

Shi Wen scanned his surroundings and walked toward an abandoned millstone.

This discarded millstone was a large one, a full meter in diameter, likely left behind by some former processing plant.

Shi Wen let out a sharp grunt.

Without even erupting his blood-energy, he was able to lift the five-hundred-pound bottom half of the millstone above his head with his bare hands, even supporting it with one hand for a moment before his strength failed and he dropped it to the ground!

If this had been before, he could hardly have achieved this without erupting his blood-energy!

"It's not just my strength that has grown; the internal breath within my body has become this profound!"

Shi Wen breathed, using his intent to regulate the flow of his internal breath.

In his perception, the internal breath was light, flowing through his entire body like a gentle breeze; yet once summoned by his intent, it raged like a gale, causing the muscles wherever it passed to swell and reveal a stone-brown luster!

If he were to fill his entire body with this internal breath, his stature would more than double, his muscles would knot and harden, and he would be overcome with the sensation of boundless power!

Beyond that, His blood-energy had also surged to a terrifying level.

The blood-energy in his dantian circulated through his meridians like a stream, endless, scorching, and solid!

"I suppose that when a hard-body technique is cultivated to the Great Success or Perfection realm, the internal breath can fill the entire body and protect it autonomously, rather than requiring deliberate exertion to shield myself as I do now."

"I wonder how many moves it would take for me to beat Tong Roushan to death?"

Shi Wen chewed up some dried meat, swallowing it whole.

He practiced the Taibao Five Forms in the open space, coordinating his internal breath and blood-energy.

Even without using his full strength, The immense power and sense of destruction revealed in the moves were several times more fierce and violent than the Baji Fist Foundation!

This filled his heart with both surprise and joy.

Thirty moves—thirty moves to capture Tong Roushan alive!

Ten moves—to beat Tong Roushan to death!

"Now, in this Black Cloud County, I wonder if I have even a shred of self-preservation power?"

"No, although my physical body is strong, my martial arts realm is still too low."

"Even though I haven't reached the Blood-Coagulation Realm, I wonder if I could squeeze into the ranks of the top ten disciples of the inner courtyard based on my strength alone?"

Shi Wen took a new set of short-sleeved training clothes from a bundle in the corner and put them on, as his previous set had long since been ruined.

He discovered that the training clothes, which had fit perfectly only a few days ago, were now a bit short.

Clearly, he had grown taller again.

Suddenly, a gang member hurried over and said, "Leader, the House Master is here."

"Hmm, have him come over."

A flash of coldness crossed Shi Wen's eyes.

"Yes!"

Not long after, A figure hurried over, cupped his fists toward Shi Wen, and said, "Leader, I am here."

Shi Wen raised his icy eyes to stare at Zhang Sheng, suddenly revealing a chilling smile, "So, the House Master has arrived."