Chapter 137: Findings (II)

After several breaths, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes and withdrew from the consciousness space.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 0]

[Skills: Sixfold Saber (Advanced Mastery: 46%), Mountain Shattering Palm (Initial Mastery: 77%), Golden Goose Technique (Eighth Stage: 48%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 5%)]

“So it'll truly take 3 units of Origin Force to bring the Mountain Shattering Palm to Perfection,” Lin Zheyu murmured as he examined the progress displayed in his consciousness.

2 units of Origin Force were enough to push the Mountain Shattering Palm close to Advanced Mastery, nearing Perfection, but to reach true Perfection, one more unit would be required.

Standing up, Lin Zheyu clenched his arms, feeling the muscles bulge beneath his skin. He noticed a subtle change. The muscles that swelled at full exertion were smaller than before, as though compacted. To find out what this was all about, he stepped out of the cave and stood before a large tree.

Boom.

Lin Zheyu swung his fist, unleashing a terrifying force that pierced cleanly through the trunk.

He had not infused this punch with blood qi; it was purely the strength of his flesh and bones. Since reaching the Tiger Transformation, his body, nourished by immense blood qi, had grown far stronger than that of any Organ Forging Realm martial artists.

“The strength feels about the same,” he concluded quietly after testing the strike.

Through the Origin Force enhancement, his muscles, tendons, bones, and skin had become further refined, and their density significantly increased.

Let’s test the Mountain Shattering Palm’s power.

Channeling blood qi into his right arm, he activated the explosive technique of the Mountain Shattering Palm. In an instant, a massive surge of blood qi erupted through his arm.

Boom!

His palm struck the tree trunk, and it exploded instantly into countless splinters that scattered through the air.

So strong! It’s at least 1.8 times my previous full-force strike!

Lin Zheyu was more than satisfied with the power of that blow. Right now, he was only at Initial Mastery. Once he cultivated the Mountain Shattering Palm to Perfection, he would be able to unleash three times his current blood qi strength.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lin Zheyu struck out with both hands, unleashing the Mountain Shattering Palm simultaneously. Deafening roars echoed as trees toppled one after another, sending the surrounding beasts fleeing in terror. After unleashing twelve palms in succession, six from each arm, pain finally shot through his arms.

Not bad. The effect of the Origin Force is far stronger than I expected. If I go all out, one arm can deliver up to eight palms in a row; it’s more than double the three palms mentioned in the manual,

thought Lin Zheyu.

He was thoroughly pleased with this improvement. The mysterious energy that strengthened his arms through the Mountain Shattering Palm had not increased their power, but had made them far more resilient. This gave him hope that one day, he could sustain such blood qi burst techniques as part of his normal combat state.

After testing the Mountain Shattering Palm’s might, Lin Zheyu returned to the cave. The wooden basin still gave off a strong medicinal fragrance, indicating that much of its potency remained. He sniffed lightly; the lingering scent from the herbs was slightly weaker than that of a fresh batch of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction.

Six sets were too much; five will be enough next time,

thought Lin Zheyu to himself.

He placed the wooden basin in the corner of the cave, as the remaining medicinal strength could still be used again.

***

Time slipped by, and five more days passed by. There was still no sign of the person he sought. Daba Mountain was vast, but at his speed, he had already explored nearly half of it. He began to wonder if the person had already left.

On the sixth day, the weather finally cleared. Since arriving at Daba Mountain, it had been nothing but cloudy skies or rain. Sunlight streamed through the forest canopy as birds sang melodiously in the trees.

“It’s time to investigate that cave again,” murmured Lin Zheyu as he looked up at the blazing red sun.

Two days ago, he had once again broken through his limits, gaining 2 units of Origin Force at once and advancing his Mountain Shattering Palm directly to Perfection. With a single strike, he could now unleash threefold the power of his blood qi in an instant.

After reaching Perfection, the muscles, tendons, bones, and skin in his arms had grown denser and more compact. When fully activated, he could execute sixteen consecutive Mountain Shattering Palms with one arm, which was thirty-two palms in total using both arms. With the strength of his third transformation of blood qi combined with the Mountain Shattering Palm, even warriors who had undergone five transformations were no longer a threat to him.

That morning, Lin Zheyu searched the forest as usual. When noon arrived and the sun reached its peak, he returned to the cave thick with yin qi. Ghosts feared both fire and sunlight. Whatever lay hidden within that sinister yin aura likely shared the same weakness. Under the blazing noon sun, even a living corpse would find its power somewhat suppressed.

The cave appeared perfectly normal during the day. As Lin Zheyu stepped inside, he sensed no trace of the sinister yin aura from before. Reaching the spot he had marked earlier, he struck out with his right fist. With a thunderous boom, the wall shattered, revealing a hidden chamber behind it.

“

Eh?

” Lin Zheyu exclaimed softly, surprised to discover a secret room behind the wall.

Peering through the opening, he once again sensed a faint trace of sinister yin aura. Taking up his torch, he illuminated the chamber and finally saw what lay within. The chamber was small, containing nothing but a simple coffin. The eerie aura emanated directly from within it.

Could a living corpse be lying inside?

wondered Lin Zheyu. It seemed highly likely.

He had long been fascinated by living corpses. Unfortunately, the one at Beast Roar Mountain had been taken away by Ren Jie, and its fate remained unknown. He had not expected to encounter another one here.

Boom, boom, boom.

Lin Zheyu swung his fists again, breaking the wall completely open. At last, he could see the coffin inside the secret chamber clearly.

Inside the chamber, mysterious runes were carved both on the floor and on the coffin, connected together to form a single integrated formation. The entire pattern formed a small-scale formation.

Could this formation be the key to nurturing a living corpse?

Lin Zheyu studied the symbols closely, and after staring for some time, his mind began to blur. The densely packed runes seemed to come alive, writhing faintly before his eyes. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and when he looked again, the runes had returned to normal.

How strange,

thought Lin Zheyu, astonished. These runes contained an uncanny power and were most likely a technique belonging to immortals.

Should I open it?

Lin Zheyu stared at the coffin. His curiosity was burning to see if a living corpse truly rested inside.

After some thought, he decided against opening it now. Doing so might damage the mysterious rune formation. Instead, he planned to return that night to observe how the formation functioned. He really wanted to see why iit emitted such dense, sinister yin energy at night but remained inert during the day.

He gathered some branches to conceal the cave’s entrance, then resumed searching throughout Daba Mountain. By afternoon, he still had found no one.

The night was clear and bright. After so many days of rain, the sky was finally free of clouds, and a full moon hung high, casting silver light over the mountains.

Holding a torch, Lin Zheyu made his way back to the cave, steeped in sinister yin aura. The moment he reached the entrance, he could already feel the chill seeping out from within. Entering the cave, he found everything unchanged. The coffin remained sealed, while faint violet glimmers flowed across the surface of the rune formation.