Fists Stir the Great Sinews, Souls Turn and the City God Appears

Tremble! Tremble! Tremble!

Qiu Yan's body shook violently, the flesh all over him twitching in succession as though his entire body were convulsing.

Tense!

His flesh tightened with a creaking sound. It was clear that his muscles had drawn so taut they locked his tendons and bones in place, binding every bone in his body!

Blood mist filled the air around him. Specks of it neither dispersed nor fell to the ground, but were drawn by some force toward Qiu Yan's body, seeping back into him through his pores!

Swell!

Qiu Yan's arms suddenly swelled. The blood vessels and great sinews beneath his skin bulged, blue veins standing out as though his arms would explode the next instant.

What abundant force! My physique has greatly strengthened, compressing my tendons and bones and causing my blood and qi to expand. If I don't vent it, even if it doesn't burst my tendons, bones, and blood vessels, it'll still damage my body from being pent up.

As he thought this, Qiu Yan's torso and legs also began to swell faintly. Then he suddenly raised his swollen hands and smashed them down!

His fists struck the ground!

Force ran through him, joint upon joint linked together!

Surging force flowed from his legs into his torso, rose along his spine, split through his shoulders, and rushed straight to his hands.

Boom!

The earth shook, dust billowing up. The impact rang out like rolling thunder and traveled far into the distance; faint human voices rose from the distant village.

After several breaths, the dust gradually settled. Qiu Yan remained seated cross-legged, but the ground within a radius of one zhang around him had sunk into a pit. He slowly exhaled, then looked at his fists.

Those fists had struck the ground and kicked up a great cloud of dust, yet they bore not the slightest wound. His skin was far more delicate than before.

"Bright Force Peak?"

After briefly sensing the changes in his body, Qiu Yan muttered uncertainly. Then he shook his head and straightened his waist slightly. The pores over his body immediately closed, while surging force brewed within him.

Then, instead of erupting outward, that force turned inward, driving the great sinews in his arms to quiver.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

A strange sound came from within Qiu Yan's arms, like the sound of a great spear vibrating. Each note came faster than the last, until he flicked his arms and his shoulders, elbows, and wrists cracked with sharp pops!

"Hidden Force! Hidden Force has arisen within me—this means I've completed the second step of Foundation Establishment. With enough practice, I can alternate Bright Force and Hidden Force to shake my body and temper my bones. In half a year, my periosteum will generate force, and I'll cultivate Vibratory Force, reaching Foundation Establishment Peak!"

Bright Force, Hidden Force, and Vibratory Force were the three stages of Foundation Establishment Realm in Life Cultivation. Bright Force was the power of skin and flesh, while Hidden Force was the power of the great sinews. The sinews bounced beneath the skin, producing force that was concealed and explosive, hence its name.

Practicing martial arts was like practicing calligraphy: one had to proceed step by step, training bitterly through the years to achieve anything. Yet now, after absorbing purified Wolf Demon Blood Essence, Qiu Yan's physique had been strengthened to the point of being reborn. In one stroke, he had gained the power of Hidden Force. Every pore, every patch of skin and flesh, every great sinew in his body was under his control; wherever his thoughts went, his body followed like an arm moved by a finger.

He rose to his feet, his joints crackling from head to toe like beans popping in an iron wok. He looked somewhat thinner now, a sign that his muscles had tightened and his force had drawn inward.

"My avatar still needs to study and spend time truly absorbing the knowledge of its former self. I have no time to temper this body. But the lingering potency of those three drops of Wolf Demon Blood Essence is still hidden throughout my limbs and bones. Later, I can find medicinal herbs and meat, stew them into nourishing food, and slowly guide it out, releasing the potential in my flesh until force forms naturally. I just don't know how much money that will cost. Still, that is a matter for later..."

After putting his clothes back on and brushing away the dust, Qiu Yan looked at the large patches of mud and shook his head.

"That punch vented the excess force, but my clothes suffered for it. Luckily, they weren't torn. I'll still need to come up with an excuse when I return."

He raised a hand and grasped the speck of light floating beside him.

"The three Soul Shadows shed from the Wolf Demon Blood Essence have unclear uses and are full of demon qi. I certainly can't just throw them away, but carrying them on me isn't safe either."

At that thought, Spiritual Light suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Right. I might as well give it a try—perhaps it'll work. At its core, Divine Power is a type of energy containing strange force, and Soul Shadows aren't physical objects either. The two have similarities. Since Divine Power can be transmitted from my true self through the Black Hole, perhaps this avatar can travel the path in reverse."

As he thought, Qiu Yan suddenly went still. His Living Soul left his body once more, but this time, a profound exhaustion spread through his soul, making him drowsy.

"My Living Soul is nearing its limit for Spirit Projection. Too much has happened tonight. Although I absorbed a great deal of soul force, I expended considerable mental energy after all. It's only natural that my strength is failing. But once I deal with what's before me, this can be put aside for now."

As the thought fell, his Living Soul surged forward and swallowed the speck of light sealing the Wolf Soul.

The light sank deeper and soon reached the Black Hole at the center of his soul. Without pausing, it entered the hole and vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Just as I guessed! This Black Hole can transmit more than Divine Power—there's other potential here to uncover. I should study it more deeply in the future."

Feeling the Wolf Soul and the light disappear, Qiu Yan suppressed his joy. His Living Soul turned and returned to his body, after which he picked up the scroll that had been flung aside by the splashing dirt and left the forest.

"I'll have to wait until my Living Soul recovers before opening this painting to investigate it. Divine Power is wrapping it now, blurring the karmic connection, but once the scroll is opened, it may very well stir up another storm. Still, Rongniang's soul is inside. I can't ignore it."

With that in mind, Qiu Yan hurried back to the inn. The trip there and back had taken a full incense stick's worth of time. Liu Yue was still waiting, and when he saw the mud stains on Qiu Yan, another round of questioning was inevitable.

At the same time.

Within the mural of the City God Temple, the deity's true self glowed all over, eyes closed as it sat cross-legged in the Void. Chaos qi continually gathered around it. A small portion carried faint smoke mixed with sparks from Fire Star.

The true self's body was like a vortex, constantly drawing in part of the Chaos qi.

Suddenly, it opened its eyes. Flames flickered in their depths, then vanished.

From the tiny Black Hole beneath the talisman within the Divine Body, a speck of light flew out.

"This Wolf Demon had three Soul Shadows, corresponding to the power of refining the Three Souls. That Crow Demon also left behind two phantom shadows that day; it must have refined two souls."

With a turn of Qiu Yan's thoughts, the Core Talisman spun and drew in that speck of light.

Just then, an emerald radiance abruptly emerged in the Void ahead, gradually gathering into human form and becoming the armored Yuanning Metropolitan City God.

The City God's figure was not as clear as usual. It was plainly only a phantom, not his true body arriving here.

"I never expected that mortal called Qiu Yan to possess such astonishing talent. When he entered the city that day, because you were attached to him, I deliberately examined him. I found only that his blood and qi were more vigorous than an ordinary person's, while his Mud Pellet Gate was sealed and his heavenly spirit unopened. Clearly, he had never cultivated the soul before. Yet in only a few days, he could project his Living Soul from his body, and today he even laid a killing trap. He truly is extraordinary. No wonder you value him so highly. Even I, upon seeing him, feel the urge to cherish such talent."

The City God's mellow voice drifted over.

The true self did not answer, merely waited for what followed. Its consciousness was linked with that of the avatar; they were truly one person divided into two bodies. Naturally, it knew that the City God had deliberately let him pass, and it understood there had to be something more behind it.

Sure enough, the City God changed the subject. "Still, though I showed him mercy, that does not mean this matter is over. The Wolf Demon is one thing, since it is merely a demon, but Tang Yi is entangled in far-reaching matters, and the future trouble will be endless. Though you did not leave the temple tonight, you may still be drawn in. It would be best to make some preparations. Oh, and regarding these changes in Divine Power, you should devote more thought to comprehending them."

As the words fell, his form dispersed like flowers reflected in a mirror, the moon mirrored in water.

P.S. Thank you, Brother Xiao Liang, for the reward!

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