The thought had barely flashed through Fang Qianyuan's mind when a tingling sensation enveloped him, as though an electric current had passed through his body.
Strength seemed to spring from nowhere throughout his limbs and bones, but Fang Qianyuan was not surprised. He knew this was the medicinal power of the Treasure Pill he had once taken.
That mysterious, nameless Treasure Pill had been his father's final gift on his deathbed. Yet after Fang Qianyuan had taken it and his physique had transformed, he had never felt it produce any further effect.
Only now did its lingering power surge forth.
Fang Qianyuan's experience and knowledge now far surpassed what they had been in childhood, and he could not help feeling both astonished and delighted.
Could it be that the Treasure Pill was taking effect?
That Treasure Pill was a legacy of the ancient cultivators, and quite possibly even one of the immortal pills or spiritual fruits of legend. How could such a wondrous treasure have done nothing more than slightly alter my physique that day?
So there really is medicinal power remaining in my body! Only by continually awakening my potential and guiding that power can I put it to use!
Fang Qianyuan's heart began pounding violently again, this time because he had realized that the Treasure Pill still retained some of its potency.
His father had never known exactly what the Treasure Pill was. Even giving it to him back then had entailed a certain risk.
Still, judging by his experience of taking the silver Treasure Pill, it was anything but ordinary and could bring him benefits as vast as the heavens.
Instead, his lack of inherited knowledge and limited understanding had left him entering a mountain of treasure only to return empty-handed, unable to truly make use of it.
He had never imagined it could trigger a second transformation.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Fang Qianyuan's heart beat faster and louder, until a drumming sound seemed to echo inside his head. Without his noticing, his spirit essence had reached capacity, yet it continued to grow rapidly, forcibly expanding his spirit sea.
Screee!
Within his spirit sea, the Swift Eagle Spirit seemed to shriek.
The Gray Wolf possessing his body also seemed to exult.
Boom!
Fang Qianyuan felt that electric tingling settle into his bones. His sinews and bones seemed to become incomparably strong in an instant.
This was the sensation of attaining mastery in martial cultivation-sinews of steel and bones of iron. Many advanced martial arts, techniques for exerting force, and combat movements required strong sinews and bones to support them.
Fang Qianyuan had previously forced himself to activate Shadow Step and Gang Edge repeatedly, damaging his sinews and bones. At this moment, however, every hidden injury vanished, leaving him in better condition than ever before.
As though a thunderbolt had descended, Fang Qianyuan's cultivation soared. He forcibly broke through the level of human rank third turn and reached human rank fourth transformation!
At the same time, his spirit sea grew much larger than usual. It almost seemed to extend beyond its aperture and connect with every limb and bone. Whether circulating spirit essence or activating spell formulas, everything became smoother and more effortless than before.
This transformation strengthened my sinews, bones, and spirit essence on top of the improvements to my physique and endurance!
The first transformation strengthened my physique and increased my endurance. Now, the second has given me sinews of steel and bones of iron, and expanded my spirit sea... all things I desperately needed!
No, I should say that overusing those abilities stimulated the medicinal power and brought about these improvements!
These thoughts began to take vague shape in Fang Qianyuan's mind.
A little while later, Ding Long and Wei Wu joined forces to drive back the Dwarf Demons and Ratmen, finally finding time to check on Fang Qianyuan. One look left them deeply shocked: the aura around him had become entirely different, possessing a quality comparable to human rank fourth transformation.
"Junior Brother Fang, have you... has your cultivation broken through?" Ding Long asked hesitantly.
He had heard that some heaven-gifted geniuses could challenge those above their level and break through in battle as easily as eating and drinking, defying all ordinary reasoning. Even so, he had never expected such a legendary feat to unfold before his very eyes.
"That's right. My cultivation has now reached human rank fourth transformation. Senior brothers, let's leave the talking for later. We'll kill these demons first, then go help the others!" Fang Qianyuan said.
He had already established himself as a genius in everyone's eyes. This breakthrough would merely lead them to rate his talent even more highly.
Still, it really was time to learn more about the ancient cultivators from before the age of declining dharma, lest the secret of the Treasure Pill be exposed and bring his father's affairs to light.
Fang Qianyuan silently considered this.
"You really broke through? Just like that, you advanced to human rank fourth transformation?" Wei Wu found it equally hard to believe. But Fang Qianyuan had confirmed it himself, so he wasted no more words and focused on fighting the demons.
Both men already possessed Sixth Transformation cultivation. With Fang Qianyuan having killed the Dwarf Demon chief and the Ratman chief earlier, the remaining demon underlings were no match for them.
Soon, they joined forces to kill all those demons, then turned to the wolf and spider packs.
The addition of the three immediately turned the situation in their favor. Wei Wen and Ning Yuerong no longer had to face enemies from both front and rear. They even had allies to assist them from the flanks in attacking the demon leaders.
Before long, their combined efforts finally killed the wolf king and the Seven-Star Demon Spider, and the remaining demons perished one after another.
An encounter that could have developed into a dire predicament thus came to an end.
"Senior Brother Wei, were you injured too?" Only then did everyone notice the unnatural, sickly green tinge on Wei Wen's face.
"It's nothing. I just choked on the fumes from the venom that Seven-Star Demon Spider spat out. A little mild poisoning," Wei Wen said, waving a hand and coughing softly.
"Then how are your Gray Wolves?" Everyone turned to look at the pack.
The once vigorous Gray Wolves had suffered as many as five injuries. Two more had been defeated by the demons, with only a wisp of their souls escaping back into the spirit sea, leaving them unable to fight again anytime soon.
Moreover, everyone could see that even the seemingly unscathed Gray Wolves had consumed a considerable amount of spirit essence.
These Gray Wolves had all been refined from their master's own spirit essence through his cultivation of the manifestation path. Their bodies were formed from spirit essence.
Normally, they were nurtured within the spirit sea, where they could replenish themselves at any time. In battle, however, once their spirit essence ran out, they could only disperse. Their bodies had to be condensed anew before they could fight again.
Their expenditure of power was like living creatures consuming their vitality. Once it reached a certain point, they could no longer hold on.
"My strength has taken a serious hit, but there was no helping it. Those demon spiders were all Third Transformation demons. Even with your help toward the end, there was nothing to be done..." Wei Wen said with a bitter smile.
"My situation is much the same," Ning Yuerong interjected, a trace of worry in her voice. "If we encounter that many demons again, we'll be in trouble."
"Don't worry about that. The Gray Wolves may have lost a good deal of their fighting strength, but Junior Brother Fang has advanced to the fourth transformation, and his strength has increased enormously. We'll definitely be able to carve a bloody path out and make it back up safely!" Ding Long declared loudly.
"Hm?" Only then did Wei Wen and Ning Yuerong notice that Fang Qianyuan had actually broken through in battle. Both were astonished and delighted.
Whatever the case, gaining another dependable Fourth Transformation fighter was a good thing.