I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 17 Meat Refining Realm

"Mother, I'm fine. I just couldn't stay idle after my injury healed, so I went to inspect the family's properties. I was delayed a bit on the way," Chen Mo replied with a smile.

In fact, her mother's surname was Lin, and her given name was Yulan. She was a young lady from a scholarly family in the neighboring Qingwu County. She was well-educated and virtuous from a young age, and was skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her ancestors had even produced a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), bringing glory to their family.

After listening to his mother's nagging for a while, Chen Mo finally left the central courtyard and returned to the east courtyard.

Chen Mo inquired in detail about Ma Tie's breakthrough to the Skin Refining Realm and the many details of his taking the Qi and Blood Pill.

After thoroughly familiarizing himself with everything, Chen Mo returned to his room and took out a Qi and Blood Pill.

It tasted slightly astringent at first, but the pill was very smooth and slid down my esophagus into my stomach without any effort. Immediately afterwards, I felt a hot, burning sensation in my stomach.

hum!
The heat was getting stronger and stronger, unbearably hot, as if it were burning my stomach apart.

Remembering Ma Tie's words, Chen Mo immediately picked up the broadsword beside him and began practicing the moves of the Fuyang Saber Technique with great force.

Before he knew it, the sky outside the window had brightened, and bright light poured in through the window paper, highlighting the fine beads of sweat on Chen Mo's face.

I've been working myself to the bone all night.

[Fuyang Sword Technique: Rustless Cold (Beginner Level)]

A bright smile finally appeared on Chen Mo's extremely tired face.

"The Unblemished Cold is complete. I have finally entered the Skin Refining Realm!"

"With my current Qi and blood, taking Wei Qi Pi Gao (a traditional Chinese medicine ointment) is no problem at all."

Without saying a word, Chen Mo took out a small bowl from the cabinet, which contained the first batch of skin paste, and ate a small ball.

As soon as it entered his mouth, he felt a special heat surge through his body, rushing to his limbs and bones, scorching his muscles and flesh. At first, it was quite unbearable, but fortunately, Chen Mo's blood and qi were strong enough to withstand the heat and it did not cause any other discomfort for the time being.

Chen Mo was thankful that he had three death row inmates test the medication. This ensured that there would be no problems when he took it. If he had acted rashly, the consequences might have been unpredictable.

After taking the medicine, Chen Mo felt that the birthmark on his baby face had faded a bit, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"This is a good start, but we can't slack off. We still need to continue practicing martial arts and strengthen our qi and blood..."

Before we knew it, seven days had passed in the blink of an eye.

It was early October, and the ground had gone cold; the weather was getting even colder.

That morning, Chen Mo got dressed early, took his knife, and went to the training ground to find Zhou Liang.

"Uncle Zhou, could you please call a guard at the Flesh Refining Realm to spar with me?"

Zhou Liang was taken aback. After a moment of stunned silence, he saw the resolute look in Chen Mo's eyes and agreed, "Alright, alright. Ma San, you spar with the Second Young Master a few times. Be careful not to hurt him."

A burly man, about 1.9 meters tall, stepped out carrying a knife. "I am Ma San, and I have been in the Flesh Refining Realm for two years. It is an honor to spar with the Second Young Master. Please, Second Young Master."

"please!"

Chen Mo said a few words, then drew his sword and charged forward.

He rushed to Ma San in two quick steps, raised his sword and slashed without reservation, unleashing the first move of the Fuyang Sword Technique, Unrusted Cold.

Ma San raised his knife to block, making a loud "clang".

The powerful force forced Chen Mo back several steps, greatly surprising him.

Is this the strength of the second stage of the Flesh Refining Realm?

Having made a judgment in his mind, Chen Mo did not back down and struck again.

Each strike was more ferocious than the last, and his blood and qi surged like a dragon.

Dang Dang Dang!
The piercing sound of swords rang out in the training ground, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.

Chen Mo struggled to resist the first twenty strikes. After that, he was able to maintain his peak condition by using the Xuan Yin Hand technique to offset the side effects of the Fu Yang Blade Technique.

This actually made things more difficult for Ma San.

We're all martial arts practitioners, so we know very well that a person's strength is limited, and every sword technique has its side effects. It's impossible to maintain peak performance indefinitely.

But this young master in front of me is a monster.

On the other hand, Ma San was able to suppress Chen Mo when he was at his peak, but he quickly passed his peak and his condition began to decline, and he ended up fighting Chen Mo to a draw.

This puzzled Ma San greatly. He had lived in the Chen family for several years and knew the second young master's temperament well, so he couldn't believe that the second young master had suddenly become so formidable.

What horrified Ma San even more was that after a hundred cuts... Chen Mo maintained his peak condition, and even grew stronger. In contrast, he himself had fallen behind and was being suppressed by the Second Young Master.

How can this be?

How could anyone disregard the principles of martial arts?

when!
With a final, loud bang, Ma Shan dropped his sword, admitting defeat with a face full of shame. "Second Young Master is truly a martial arts prodigy; I, Ma San, am ashamed of my inferiority." Chen Mo sheathed his sword. "You flatter me."

At this moment, Zhou Liang walked up and patted Chen Mo's shoulder hard, his eyes shining with excitement: "Good, good! In just half a month, the Second Young Master has completely mastered the Unstainable Cold. He is truly a rare martial arts prodigy."

Chen Mo looked disheartened: "Unfortunately... Father doesn't really want me to practice martial arts."

When Chen Mo said these words, he had something on his mind.

Although Chen Mo is the heir to the Chen family business and will inherit the family fortune in the future, the problem is that he hasn't inherited it yet... everything in the family is decided by his father.

If one wants to quickly master martial arts, then a large amount of money must be invested.

It won't work without the father's approval.

It's not feasible for Chen Mo to speak on this matter.

After all, in his father's heart, he was still just a child.

If Zhou Liang could act as an intermediary for him, things would go much more smoothly.

Therefore, Chen Mo came to the martial arts arena today not only to test his combat skills, but also with the intention of having Uncle Zhou act as an intermediary.

Sure enough, Zhou Liang spoke up, "Leave this to me."

Chen Mo was overjoyed, "Then thank you very much, Uncle Zhou."

……

"Is Erlang a martial arts prodigy?"

Chen Yinfu, who was drinking tea in the living room, frowned upon hearing Zhou Liang's words, finding it hard to believe.

Zhou Liang said excitedly, "Half a month ago, the Second Young Master told me that he wanted to learn martial arts and asked me for the Fuyang Saber Technique. I originally thought that even if the Second Young Master could endure the hardships of martial arts training, it would still take him at least a year to master it. But just now, the Second Young Master sparred with Ma San and actually won against him."

Zhou Liang recounted the details of their exchange in detail, and finally exclaimed with admiration, "I've spent most of my life wandering the martial world and have seen quite a few talented young men. But I've never seen anyone as monstrous as the Second Young Master before."

Chen Yinfu's mind was a bit confused.

In his mind, neither of Chen's eldest son nor his second son were suited for martial arts. Moreover, martial arts were not an option for Chen Mo in his plans. He simply intended to groom Chen Mo to inherit the Chen family business.

If someone else had told him this, Chen Yinfu would not have believed it.

But the person who spoke was Zhou Liang, which forced him to believe him.

Seeing Chen Yinfu's hesitation, Zhou Liang said, "Brother Chen, Honghe County is not peaceful right now. No matter how much wealth you have, without the protection of martial arts, you will eventually lose your foundation. Now that the second young master has the ambition to practice martial arts, why not give him his wish?"

Chen Yinfu held the teacup in his hands without speaking.

Standing to the side, Madam Chen said, "Practicing martial arts is hard work. Erlang is only fifteen years old and his body is weak. As his mother, I really can't bear to see Erlang suffer."

Zhou Liang said, "What you said, sister-in-law, is certainly true, but we all know that the stronger a person's martial arts skills, the better they are at resisting madness. This time, the second young master escaped a calamity, but there's no guarantee that he won't contract madness again in the future."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen turned pale and shook Chen Yinfu's arm. "Husband, I think Zhou Liang's words make sense. You shouldn't always be thinking about the Chen family's little plot of land. If our second son gets mad again, no amount of money will help. It would be better to let him practice martial arts. Besides, practicing martial arts and inheriting the family business are not mutually exclusive."

Zhou Liang continued, following Chen Linshi's words, "Sister-in-law is a reasonable person. Brother Chen, there is something I'm not sure if I should say."

Chen Yinfu said, "Brother Zhou, please speak freely."

Zhou Liang said, “I regard Brother Chen as my own elder brother, and I will naturally risk my life to protect the Chen family. But after we pass away, the Second Young Master may not be able to find a selfless martial arts master like me to protect him. The guards hired with money may not be reliable. The more wealth a family has, the more resentment it will attract. Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.”

Chen Yinfu took a deep breath and finally relented, "Brother Zhou is right. I was too narrow-minded and only cared about the family business. This matter is settled then. I hope Brother Zhou will give him more guidance. I will approve all the necessary expenses."

……

Meanwhile, Zhou Liang, carrying two martial arts manuals, excitedly arrived at the east courtyard. Just as he reached the door, he saw Chen Mo repeatedly charging up his double whip strikes in the living room.

Double Whip is the first move of the Mysterious Yin Hand. The next moves are Grasping the Sparrow's Tail and Blocking Hammer, which correspond to training the skin, flesh, and bones, respectively.

Zhou Liang was greatly astonished: The Second Young Master had actually cultivated the Profound Yin Hand simultaneously? He had even mastered the Double Whip Strike, and was even about to master the second move, Grasping the Sparrow's Tail. How could this be possible?
The Xuan Yin Hand and the Fu Yang Saber Technique are incompatible, representing Yin and Yang clashing. If an ordinary person were to practice both techniques simultaneously, they would inevitably suffer a qi deviation and damage to their meridians.

How did the second young master manage to do that?
That's impossible, absolutely impossible!
Zhou Liang, as the top martial artist in the Chen family, had practiced martial arts for decades and possessed a profound understanding of the path of martial arts. However, everything before him was truly shaking Zhou Liang's worldview...

Just then——

Snapped!
A piercing, sharp whistling sound interrupted Zhou Liang's thoughts. He looked up abruptly and saw Chen Mo pressing his legs down, striking forward with one hand and sweeping backward with the other. Finally, he slammed both hands forward simultaneously, producing a sharp, whistling sound.

He had surprisingly mastered the second move of the Mysterious Yin Hand: Grasping the Sparrow's Tail.

This means that the second young master... has broken through to the Flesh Refining Realm.

In less than a month, starting from scratch... he reached the Body Refining Realm.

What kind of monster is this?

(End of this chapter)