We made you practice martial arts, and you've mastered the Great Golden Body?

Chapter 83 A New Round of Transformation (4k!)
"Hahaha~~"

In an instant, the empty stone hall was filled with Kong Chaowu's powerful and hearty laughter. The laughter was like a resounding bell, shocking people and echoing for a long time.

Shen Bailian waited patiently. This was not an answer he gave on a whim, but one he had thought about carefully. Ever since he awakened his innate talent, he had been pondering this question.

Because once you embark on the path of a martial artist, it's like vying for power with the old gods of the past, and the conflict between the two sides will become inevitable. This is something that all martial artists must consider.

Before the gods were born, both the Western and Eastern continents had their own understanding of the gods.

In the Eastern Continent, gods are often seen as symbols and manifestations of natural forces; while in the Western Continent, gods are usually depicted as beings with power and wisdom that surpass those of humans.

Similarly, the ancients also placed many beautiful fantasies on these powerful, lofty, and ethereal gods.

However, after God appeared in the world, regardless of whether these conclusions are correct or not, there is only one thing that is indisputable: it is a fact.

That is--

Most gods possess an innate malice towards humanity, so much so that when most gods inexplicably perish, they leave behind a curse—a curse etched into their bloodline.

“Well said. Gods are just more powerful humans. They don’t love the world. They also experience sorrow, anger, and jealousy just like humans. At the same time, they also experience fear.”

After the laughter subsided, Kong Chaowu's voice returned to calm, each word as firm and resonant as metal striking stone.

"Lord Kong, I have a question." After gathering his thoughts, Shen Bailian asked a question that had long puzzled him:

"Back in 1998, the observable universe spanned 160 billion light-years. There must have been many life-bearing planets within that area. So why did those deities insist on staying on this tiny corner of Earth?"

Logically speaking, Diyuan Star is just an ordinary life-bearing planet in the vast universe. The nearest life-bearing planet to Diyuan Star is 10 light-years away.

Although it is an extremely difficult distance for humans to cross, it is probably not a problem for gods who control time and space.

“Because,” Kong Chaowu turned his head, pointed to his eyes, and said with a hint of mystery, “what the eyes see is not necessarily the truth.”

"Based on current research findings, Earth Star is very special; it is both the origin and the end."

"?"

Shen Bailian frowned, and was about to ask further when Kong Chaowu waved him off, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation.

"Alright, let's stop this small talk." Kong Chaowu turned around, looking at the stone coffin in front of him, and said, "Do you remember that Azure Scale Snowwalker that attacked the city before?"

"Ah."

Shen Bailian nodded. It was because of that fortuitous encounter that he was able to make great strides and win first place in the Bozhou City Martial Arts Competition.

Otherwise, based on his original cultivation progress, he wouldn't be too weak; he could barely squeeze into the ranks of top-tier talents, and with good luck, he could advance to the top sixteen.

"That Azure Scale Snow Treader, for some unknown reason, has been tainted with divine power and has extremely high research value. It should all have been sent to Kyoto."

Kong Chaowu pointed to the fist-sized, perfectly round sphere on the stone coffin and said, "But I'll leave the most crucial part, the Azure Scale Snow-Treading Beast Core, and some of its scraps of blood, as a special reward for the first place winner of this martial arts competition."

"The blood contains some impure divine substances, but with the help of a special formation, using its beast core as a medium, and combining the most advanced biotechnology of the Great Xia Dynasty, it can be purified and most of the bloodline curse can be removed. This can enhance your physique and improve your potential, allowing you to go further in the martial arts apprentice stage."

"Divine matter?"

Shen Bailian's pupils dilated suddenly, and his heart was filled with turmoil. However, he quickly controlled his emotions and remained calm and composed on the surface.

Fortunately, Kong Chaowu had his back to him and did not notice anything unusual.

He looked around and saw that the mysterious patterns on the walls and floor of the stone hall were flowing with divine matter, divine matter that had been filtered and purified over and over again.

The final end is the perfectly round sphere at the top of the stone coffin, which is the beast core of Qinglin Taxue and the condensation of its power.

However, Shen Bailian felt that something was not quite right.

Based on his past experience refining divine matter, the panel should have issued a notification at such a close distance.

But today, until now, no notification sound has appeared on the panel.

unless.

Unless this is not divine matter, Kong Chaowu, as the lord of a city, would not make things up, so there must have been a mistake somewhere.

"After saying all that, you should understand why I called you here today."

"Ah."

Shen Bailian nodded excitedly. No matter what, it was always a joy to improve one's strength.

This is a technology that has been mature for hundreds of years, and it is a method of breaking through realms that many wealthy young people use, with guaranteed safety.

"That's good." Kong Chaowu nodded slightly. "Then take your clothes off and lie down inside."

"Row."

Shen Bailian did not hesitate at all. He was already very familiar with this process. In no time, he was left with only his underwear and walked to the stone coffin.

He glanced back at Kong Chaowu.

"Don't be nervous, I'll be waiting for you outside."

A relieved smile appeared on Kong Chaowu's face. Although he looked old and his voice was slightly weathered, the composure and gravitas he exuded made people feel at ease.

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Shen Bailian watched Kong Chaowu's departing figure, and the tension in his heart eased slightly. He took a deep breath and resolutely lay down.

He lay down on the first day of the lunar month.

hum.

With a slight tremor, the stone coffin began to rotate, but after a while, it remained in a horizontal position.

Just then, a very seductive sentence suddenly rang in my ears.

"Flesh and blood are weak and feeble; mechanical ascension, please join us in this glorious evolution!"

Shen Bailian's lips twitched, but he didn't take the advertisement for the Ascension Martial Hall to heart. Over the years, he had heard it countless times and had long since developed an immunity to it.

After the sound faded.

The inner walls of the sarcophagus began to undergo a strange change. They were no longer made of hard stone, but gradually became soft and even began to flow, turning into a living liquid.

The liquid was a deep black color, shimmering with an eerie light as it flowed. It gradually gathered at Shen Bailian's feet, then gently engulfed his body, converging towards his chest.

The moment the liquid touched his skin, Shen Bailian felt a cool sensation, but it wasn't cold; rather, it was a comfortable coolness.

It seems to penetrate deep into the skin, taking away fatigue and tension, leaving one feeling relaxed like never before. Finally.

Shen Bailian's vision went black as the black liquid completely engulfed him, but unexpectedly, he did not feel any suffocation. Instead, his breathing became smoother and stronger than before.

At the same time, the black liquid pulsed rhythmically with his breathing.

Sudden.

"rise!!!"

A roar, like thunder, rolled out in all directions. A beam of light shot out from the sky and struck the top of the stone hall with precision, gradually illuminating the patterns on the stone walls.

Just then, inside the main hall, the liquid within those mysterious patterns suddenly accelerated, emitting a strong, dark blue light, and rapidly converged towards the beast core.

After being purified by the beast core, the original dark black color was instantly replaced by a deep, dark blue color.

"Is this all there is to it?"

Shen Bailian felt the coolness and comfort around him, but some doubts remained in his heart.

But suddenly.

Shen Bailian felt the icy liquid suddenly become frenzied, its temperature soaring rapidly to over fifty degrees Celsius.

Moreover, an extraordinary power was constantly invading his body through those liquids, from his pores, penetrating every part of his body, even down to each individual cell.

The body and muscles were torn apart by that extraordinary force, and the cells were being replaced at an extremely rapid pace.
"Ah~~"

In Shen Bailian's subconscious, he opened his mouth and roared in pain, but no sound came out from outside the stone coffin, except for the increasingly dense dark blue light.

It was eerily quiet, as if everything was frozen in time.

Pain, pain all over his body, as if his fingernails had been ripped off and then baptized with chili oil and salt, fire ants were tearing at the wounds, and blades were scraping his bone.
It itched, an unbearable itch, as if his body was crawling with ants, constantly wriggling and gnawing at his nerves.

Furthermore, this pain and itching intensify over time, making every second an absolute nightmare for ordinary people.

I think about suicide all the time.

If it were merely physical pain, Shen Bailian wouldn't have screamed so loudly. He had experienced similar agonizing events before, and he could grit his teeth and bear it.

but.

What if this pain involves the younger brother's sorrow?

The already fragile second brother seemed to be undergoing an inhuman torture; the pain that went deep into his bones caused his body to tremble violently.

Furthermore, Shen Bailian felt as if his spirit was being scorched by raging fire. This pain reached his very core, and he was struggling to stay awake.

If he hadn't temporarily lost control of his body, he would have bitten off his tongue long ago.

However, Shen Bailian could also feel that the functions of his internal organs, as well as his physical strength, defense, and power, were all increasing at an extremely rapid pace.

After decay and desolation, flesh and blood ushered in new life.

Just as Shen Bailian was about to lose consciousness.

Suddenly, a line of dazzling gold text popped up on the panel—

[Divine crystals detected. Should we use one solidification point for purification?]

"Yes."

Although Shen Bailian had some doubts, he couldn't care less about that now and immediately chose yes. If he didn't make a choice, he might faint and miss out on the extraordinary encounter.

A new transformation is gradually underway.

"how's it going?"

"Not bad." Kong Chaowu smiled slightly as he looked at the beam of light that stretched to the sky. He knew who Duan Wuyai was asking about, and continued, "How's the situation at Outpost One?"

"Wait a moment."

As Duan Wuyai spoke, he frowned slightly as he looked at the five-meter-tall behemoth raging not far away. He gripped the Yuan Power longsword in his hand and slashed fiercely through the void.

bass!
A chilling blade of energy flashed past, heading straight for the giant beast. The immense power was like a mountain pressing down. Before the giant beast could react, a line of blood appeared between its brows, but it was completely unaware and remained in its ferocious posture.

In an instant.

The giant beast's body was split in two. A look of confusion flashed in its eyes before it lost its luster. Blood gushed out, the azure blood shooting dozens of meters high, and its internal organs crashed to the ground with a thud.

"It's not dangerous enough to warrant a Level 3 war alert, but I have an idea."

"Tell me."

"Given Shen Bailian's current physical condition, there's no need to worry about his mental strength, but it's unlikely that his physical fitness will reach level 8.5 before the start of the semester. It's not enough for just the two of us to be recommenders. Even with the addition of that Level 3 Combat Hero Fearless Medal, the success rate of the application won't be 100%."

"Ah."

Kong Chaowu listened to the voice in his ear and nodded in agreement.

Every year, at least several thousand high school students across the entire university are qualified to compete for the Sun-level Dragon Gate Seed, but only a few hundred actually manage to obtain it, due to its extremely high entry barrier.

The first method is to obtain it through hard power. This requires raising your physical fitness to level 8.5 or higher and your mental strength to 3.0 before the age of eighteen.

The second method is the recommendation system. The recommender must be at least at the Opening Sea Realm and their personal authority level must also meet the requirements. There are three such recommenders required.

Furthermore, each recommender has only one opportunity to make a recommendation per year; the recommended person must also have a physical fitness level of 7.5 or above and a mental strength level of 2.5 before the age of eighteen.

“I asked my friends, and they said that almost all the recommendation opportunities have already been given out, so it’s very difficult to find a third recommender.”

"Tell me, what's your plan?"

Kong Chaowu asked directly, knowing that his old friend must have a solution to say that.

"Military merits".

Military merits?

"Correct."

Duan Wuyai's thoughts became clearer and clearer. He soared into the sky and slashed down with his sword. In an instant, corpses littered the ground, scaring the ferocious beasts around him into fleeing. But none of them could escape the terrifying blade light.

"That Level 3 Combat Hero Fearless Medal was awarded with the authorization of He Haizhou, so as long as Shen Bailian acquires a certain amount of military merit, it can, to some extent, replace the third recommender."

(End of this chapter)