The Extreme Realm

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The commotion in the bathroom was as massive as ever.

The water droplets hitting Li Jinshui were instantly vaporized into steam, filling the entire shower stall.

When his Basic Stance Technique reached great success, he had opened up six meridians.

Now that his Basic Stance Technique was perfected, the remaining six meridians were being pierced through.

These were the Twelve Standard Meridians of the human body, divided into six yin and six yang, distributed primarily across the head, torso, and limbs, running vertically through the entire body.

The opening of the Twelve Standard Meridians signified a formal step into the level of a First-rate Martial Artist.

"Bang!"

Following the final muffled thud that roared through his body.

The Twelve Standard Meridians connected with the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, forming an endless Great Heavenly Cycle!

Li Jinshui slowly opened his eyes, his gaze appearing increasingly profound.

Standing amidst the thick steam, his previously restrained physical aura now resembled a violent, humanoid inferno, ready to erupt with terrifying energy at any moment.

With every movement, his blood and qi surged through his limbs and bones at an inconceivable speed. Without the need for any buildup, every inch of his muscle was shrouded in the power of blood and qi, brimming with explosive, terrifying kinetic energy!

The Heaven Rewards Diligence panel had also undergone massive changes.

[Name: Li Jinshui]

[Realm: First-rate Martial Artist]

[Martial Arts: Basic Lightness Skill (Minor Success 0/500)]

[Lame Fist (Not Initiated 0/100)]

[Lightning Pulse Step (Proficient 0/300) (Can be upgraded)]

[Meteor Chasing Moon (Not Initiated 0/100)]

[Cultivation Method: Basic Stance Technique (Perfected 0/1)]

[Traits: None]

[...]

"Basic Stance Technique perfected, the state of perfect completion!"

He exhaled a long, scorching breath, which directly caused the water falling from above to recoil and splash outward, a look of relief appearing on his face.

He had finally stepped into the realm of a First-rate Martial Artist.

The journey to get here had truly not been easy.

From an ordinary person just beginning his martial path to a First-rate Martial Artist, it had actually cost him two full months of his precious youth.

"If it continues like this, by the time I reach the pinnacle of martial arts and achieve the realm of Martial Saint, wouldn't I have to train frantically for two or three years?"

Li Jinshui suddenly felt a sense of urgency. How old would he be in two or three years? Twenty-two! He would practically be an old man by then!

"Oh well, that's just how martial arts is."

He slowly withdrew his power and walked out of the shower, changing into a clean set of clothes.

Immediately, his gaze fell back onto the Heaven Rewards Diligence panel.

With the Basic Stance Technique perfected, he had reached the end; whether it was the breathing technique or the circulation route, there was nothing left to practice.

But why... did the panel show a "Perfected 0/1" indicator?

"It only needs 1 point of proficiency to improve further?"

Li Jinshui was a bit confused, mainly because he had never heard of any realm beyond perfection.

The various novels on Earth had plenty of settings, such as Great Perfection or Intent after reaching perfection.

"Could it be that Heaven Rewards Diligence has a new trick? Is there still a path to walk after perfection?"

Li Jinshui rubbed his chin. Might as well try it!

He leaped off the bed and quickly retrieved a potion from the cabinet.

Now that the beast meat had all been consumed, he only had three D-Grade Supplement Potion vials and three C-Grade Supplement Potion vials left.

The D-Grade Supplement Potion was no longer useful after reaching the minor success stage, but the C-Grade...

At eighty thousand per vial, it was expensive, but worth a try!

If it had no effect on the perfected Basic Stance Technique, he would use it to upgrade his Lightning Pulse Step or Meteor Chasing Moon instead.

"Gulp!"

Soon, he tilted his head back and downed an entire C-Grade Supplement Potion.

The moment the medicinal power hit his stomach, it triggered his entire body's blood and qi, causing them to surge and roar.

Li Jinshui did not hesitate, immediately beginning to circulate his Basic Stance Technique from start to finish.

"Wait, is it really useful?"

His eyes lit up. Although he couldn't feel it physically, the line of text on the Heaven Rewards Diligence panel was flickering.

"I get it, the energy isn't enough. Another one!"

Li Jinshui didn't hesitate. He opened the second C-Grade Supplement Potion and downed it in one gulp.

With a "gulp," the medicinal power entered his stomach again.

Immediately after, the numbers for the stake techniques on the panel changed instantly.

[Basic Stance Technique (Mastered 1/1)]

First, the proficiency jumped to completion, then the entire line of text blurred, flickered, and gradually cleared, with the suffix suddenly lengthening.

[Basic Stance Technique (Extreme: Deduction)]:

Iron-Skin Stake (Ninth Grade), Blood-Spike Stake (Seventh Grade), Hundred-Tendon Stake (Eighth Grade), Poison-Flesh Stake (Eighth Grade).

"Holy crap!"

Li Jinshui shot to his feet, and complete training methods for four stake techniques instantly appeared in his mind.

Iron-Skin Stake: Deduced from the essence of Iron-Skin Beast meat, it tempers the skin and membranes.

Blood-Spike Stake: Deduced from the essence of Blood-Spike Worm meat, it mutates qi and blood.

Hundred-Tendon Stake: Deduced from the essence of Hundred-Tendon Rat meat, it tempers the tendons.

Poison-Flesh Stake: Deduced from the essence of Poison-Tumor Frog meat, it poisons the flesh and blood.

"Hiss!"

Li Jinshui gasped, his heart pounding wildly.

This is bad, the cheat has been activated on a grand scale.

These were all from the exotic beast meat he had eaten recently, and they could deduce graded stake techniques from the Basic Stance Technique.

Does this mean he'll never have to spend money on stake techniques again?

No, it's far more than that. He could even publish and sell stake techniques, and become rich!

Especially the Blood-Spike Stake, which was directly a high Seventh Grade!

It was clear that the grades of these stake techniques were also determined by the grade of the exotic beast meat.

"If I can eat even higher-grade exotic beast meat, won't I be able to deduce First Grade stake techniques? It's a business with infinite profit!"

His face was filled with uncontrollable ecstasy.

Each graded stake technique was in an uninitiated state, but the higher the grade, the more difficult it was to master.

Li Jinshui first chose the simplest, Ninth Grade Iron-Skin Stake, and began to cultivate it from scratch according to the breathing method and circulation route in his mind.

Since the meridians and acupoints in his body were already unblocked, practicing stake techniques again was twice as effective. He only needed to circulate qi and blood with his breath and follow the circulation route mindlessly.

Boom!

From the introductory chapter to the proficient chapter, then to the minor accomplishment chapter...

Vast qi and blood surged through his body like a breaking dam, forming a small circulation.

The progress of the Iron-Skin Stake also appeared on the panel, changing rapidly.

[Iron-Skin Stake (Minor Accomplishment 0/5)]

The moment the progress bar froze.

The ecstasy on Li Jinshui's face suddenly solidified, and then gradually turned to terror.

"Damn... ah!"

He only had time to curse two words before letting out a piercing scream.

Under the scouring of qi and blood, his skin tore like tattered cloth, rapidly splitting open and shattering into pieces.

In just a blink of an eye, his entire body was as if he had been skinned alive, leaving only bloody muscle tissue exposed, with blood flowing all over the ground, a shocking sight.

This sudden turn of events left Li Jinshui frozen in place, twitching uncontrollably, almost having his soul leave his body.

Fortunately, it only took a few breaths for the transformation to reach its end.

His flesh and blood writhed, and flesh buds intertwined and coiled, rapidly forming a layer of translucent, crystal-clear membrane on his skin. It gradually thickened, becoming tighter and tighter.

Finally, the surface of his skin showed a faint metallic luster, like the color of refined iron and steel that had been hammered a thousand times, but it flashed and disappeared, returning to its normal flesh color.