Iron Cloth Shirt Perfected

"Sun Qifeng!"

Huang Tiansheng seemed quite wary of this figure, growling in a low voice:

"This brat has been playing me for a fool all day. I won't be able to quell the hatred in my heart until I mince him into meat paste."

"Are you planning to protect him?"

Wisps of white mist surged from Huang Tiansheng's body as he roared, swirling around him.

"Hm? You dare to use True Essence within the Dianshi Office? Even if Huang Tianhe came himself, he couldn't save you..."

Chief Clerk Sun raised a palm as large as a cattail fan, and a massive amount of white mist condensed upon it, manifesting into the shape of a giant hand.

Just as the palm was about to descend, Huang Yuan'er suddenly bowed and shouted: "Master Sun, before the Autumn Hunt, all parties must cease hostilities..."

Even as his words fell, the giant hand didn't pause for even a fraction of a second, crashing directly onto Huang Tiansheng.

With a thunderous "bang," the ground beneath Huang Tiansheng's feet cracked and buckled, forming a massive, deep palm print.

The disparity in strength was clear at a glance.

The white mist on Huang Tiansheng's body dissipated, and the look he cast toward Chief Clerk Sun lacked the previous rage and ferocity, replaced instead by a hidden trace of fear.

He could not have blocked that strike.

Sun Qifeng's cultivation has actually advanced by such a massive margin...

Huang Tiansheng was secretly shocked, yet he felt a crushing sense of shame and indignation that a junior had shown him mercy.

Chief Clerk Sun withdrew his palm, swept his gaze over the two men, and spat out a single word.

"Scram!"

Huang Tiansheng's face was so dark it looked as if it might drip ink, but remaining here would only invite further humiliation.

He turned to leave, but caught a glimpse of Chen Zhuo extending his palm, which held his three gu-insects.

Seeing Chen Zhuo staring at him with a beaming smile, he suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

Snap.

Right in front of Huang Tiansheng, Chen Zhuo clapped his hands together with force. The gu-insects didn't even have time to let out a final wail before they were crushed to pieces.

Huang Tiansheng shuddered three times. He didn't utter a sound, merely fixed Chen Zhuo with a steady stare before turning and walking away without looking back.

Seeing this, Huang Yuan'er mouthed something silently to Chen Zhuo before following him away.

"See you at the Autumn Hunt, then..."

Watching their retreating backs, Chen Zhuo rubbed his palms together haphazardly and flicked his hands to shake off the remains of the gu-insects.

Chief Clerk Sun shook his head and laughed: "You really are the type who refuses to take a loss. They were already leaving; why bother provoking him further?"

Chen Zhuo cupped his hands in a salute, thanked Chief Clerk Sun, and walked out of the Dianshi Office to return to the kitchen.

Treading through the lingering rays of the sunset, Chen Zhuo entered the kitchen.

But as soon as he reached the stove, he discovered that the person manning it was not Senior Brother Yan, but a strange, fat cook.

"Who are you?"

Chen Zhuo furrowed his brows slightly.

"You must be Chef Chen, right?"

The fat cook set down his large ladle, wiped his hands on his clothes, pulled a letter from his robes, and handed it directly to Chen Zhuo, adding:

"I am a cook Master Chef Yan hired from outside. While he is away, I am covering his station. This is the letter he entrusted me to deliver to you without fail."

Hearing this and looking at the letter in his hand, Chen Zhuo's brow furrowed into a deep crease.

He truly couldn't understand why Senior Brother Yan would suddenly disappear without a word.

No wonder he hadn't seen a shadow of Senior Brother Yan all day.

Carrying his confusion, Chen Zhuo opened the letter.

There were only three short lines written on it.

"I am going on a long journey. The matter is urgent, and I don't have time to explain in detail. Work hard, and stay alive. By the way, remember to offer incense to our Master and Senior Brothers every day."

"He leaves and still doesn't forget to tell me to work? Yan the Skinflint..."

Chen Zhuo cursed with a laugh, then looked at the fat cook with a solemn expression: "Before he left, did he say anything else to you?"

The fat cook shook his head: "No, he only asked me to guard the stove and gave me this letter, saying that you would be in charge of everything."

Though Chen Zhuo was worried about Yan Ming's sudden departure, there was nothing he could do.

The letter mentioned nothing about the specific nature of the matter or when he would return.

He could only mutter in his heart:

"Master, Senior Brothers, may your spirits in heaven protect Senior Brother Yan and keep him safe."

After a moment of silence, he looked up at the large pot bubbling with steam, tucked the letter into his robes, and said: "I'll handle the cutting board, you handle the ladle. Let's get to cooking."

"Right, once you're done later, remember to have someone brew a few more pots of Blood-Strengthening Soup and send them to the courtyard next door."

"Yes."

The fat cook immediately began to busy himself.

Chen Zhuo also started to dissect fish and chickens...

[Dissection Technique +1]

"I bagged a big one today, but in reality, the Dissection Technique is still not enough. During this time, I must try to dissect as much as possible..."

After a flurry of activity, when the moon was bright and the stars sparse, Chen Zhuo returned to the small courtyard carrying a food box.

Sitting in the yard, he glanced at the spot where Yan Ming used to sit, then began to eat.

There was no shortage of meat now, but with someone suddenly missing, the food tasted bland and flavorless.

After wolfing down his meal, he offered incense to his master and senior brother, then carried several large buckets of Blood-Strengthening Soup into the practice room.

As he poured, the soup quickly filled the vat.

As usual, he took off his clothes and stepped into the liquid.

The True Blood of the demon beast had been exhausted yesterday, so he could only use False Blood tonight.

He poured an entire bottle of demon beast False Blood into the soup.

But he wasn't finished yet.

He picked up another porcelain bottle and began pouring the demon blood from it.

One bottle, two bottles, three bottles...

By the time the burning sensation of the soup made him feel a stinging pain, he had already poured in five full bottles of demon blood.

Chen Zhuo took a deep breath, raised his slightly trembling hand, and poured in yet another bottle.

It was as if a basin of oil had been thrown onto a raging fire; he felt an unprecedented heat, as if he were truly being roasted over a flame.

[Demon-Seeking Art +6]

"That's about enough."

Chen Zhuo gritted his teeth, assumed a fist stance, and began to strike his body.

His physical body was constantly tempered amidst the intense burning.

[Iron Cloth Shirt +10]

[Iron Cloth Shirt +10]

This suffering was worth it. With the reinforcement of six full bottles of demon beast False Blood, although the progress of the Iron Cloth Shirt was not as good as with True Blood, it still provided an additional boost.

Under the unprecedented burning, Chen Zhuo's mind seemed to drift into a trance.

He did not know how much time had passed when a line of text appeared before his eyes.

[Practice Method: Iron Cloth Shirt: 250/250 (Consummation)]

The next moment, a roar seemed to echo in his mind, instantly bringing him back to his senses.

The Iron Cloth Shirt had finally reached consummation!

So, what came next...

The Iron Cloth Shirt entry faded from his vision, and a new line of text appeared.

[Practice Method: Dragon-Roar Iron Cloth Shirt: 0/80 (Not Yet Initiated)]

Chen Zhuo seemed to hear the roar of a dragon, echoing incessantly in his ears, lingering for a long time.

A warm current also forcefully surged into his mind.

A long while later.

After gasping for air, Chen Zhuo struck a twisted pose, rotating his body nearly a full circle, his muscles and bones wriggling and trembling in a peculiar way.

He did not open his mouth, yet a faint dragon roar emanated from his body, resounding through the room.

[Dragon-Roar Iron Cloth Shirt +10]

"The amplification from the demon beast False Blood is actually the same as before."

At this moment, Chen Zhuo clearly felt that his blood and qi had increased by a significant margin compared to before the Iron Cloth Shirt reached consummation, and his skin had taken on a faint "jade" hue.

"Still not enough."

Chen Zhuo was not blinded by the joy of the Iron Cloth Shirt's consummation; this was something he had expected.

There was one more thing to do tonight, something even more critical.

With the image of wisps of white mist lingering in his mind, Chen Zhuo composed himself and slowly closed his eyes.

Tonight.

He would enter the Aperture-Opening stage.