Chapter 128: Chapter 94: Breakthrough to the Iron Skin Realm
Clad in a set of white, form-fitting martial attire, he looked less like a Martial Artist and more like a dashing Young Master.
It was Jiang Che.
He had finally cultivated the *Eight Sufferings Vajra Zen* to the Great Success stage.
He was surprised to discover that his physique had not become more muscular.
Instead, the more he practiced, the leaner he became.
His build had already been absurdly muscular.
His arms had been thicker than other people’s thighs.
His shoulders were twice as wide as a normal man’s.
He had once worried, ’Will I turn into a monster?’
Fortunately, the *Eight Sufferings Vajra Zen* had brought his physique back into the realm of normalcy.
However, his weight hadn’t actually decreased.
He felt he weighed at least five hundred pounds!
His current physique, though it didn’t look particularly muscular, was actually incredibly dense.
The power it contained was also terrifying.
But he hadn’t tested it specifically.
He just had a faint feeling that now, even without using his Transformation, he could hold his own in a fight against someone at the Peak of the Iron Skin Realm.
In terms of Qi Blood, Jiang Che was now just a sliver away from reaching the Peak of the Stone Skin Realm.
But progress on this last sliver of Qi Blood was slow.
He discovered that the more Qi Blood he possessed, the more nourishment he needed just to maintain his already massive reserves.
To increase it any further, he would either need a stronger Root Bone or to consume better tonics or Exotic Beast Meat.
Now, relying solely on Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat, he was finding it difficult to even max out his Qi Blood!
’Looks like I’ll need to eat Top Grade Exotic Beast Meat...’
Jiang Che shook his head.
Truth be told, with his original aptitude, he would have maxed out at the Bull Skin Realm if not for the Skill Proficiency Panel.
The only reason he’d reached his current level was by stacking countless Martial Arts and consuming Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat as if it were free, essentially brute-forcing his progress.
Yet even then, he was struggling to reach the peak.
The silver lining, however, was that once he did max it out, he could instantly break through to the Iron Skin Realm without any barriers.
Unlike others, who, after reaching their peak, still had to face an extremely perilous trial for Breaking Realm.
Cutting a few strips of Top Grade Exotic Beast Dried Meat, Jiang Che tossed them into his mouth and started chewing.
It was a type of dried snake meat. Other than being a bit gamey, it was actually quite tolerable.
After chewing for a while, it even left a savory and sweet aftertaste.
’I never thought this Top Grade Exotic Beast Meat would actually taste decent.’
After finishing, Jiang Che quickly sat down to meditate.
Soon, he felt a surge of Qi Blood, much stronger than ever before, rise from deep within his organs.
’This Top Grade Exotic Beast Meat is truly miraculous!’
Jiang Che’s eyes lit up.
He estimated that after eating this for another day or two, he would smoothly reach the Peak of the Stone Skin Realm and directly enter the Iron Skin Realm!
’I’m about to reach the Iron Skin Realm without even realizing it...’
Jiang Che mused to himself.
However, he had already killed quite a few Iron Skin Realm experts by now.
The awe he once felt for the Iron Skin Realm had gradually faded.
He no longer gave a second thought to anyone below the level of a Force Integration Artist.
Now that he had mastered the *Eight Sufferings Vajra Zen* to the Great Success stage,
Jiang Che began to plan his future training regimen.
’Besides the *Five Poison Technique*, there’s the *Shadow Tracing Step* I got from the Government Office, the *Flowing Light Saber* from the Horse Bandits, and two incomplete manuals: the *Beast Taming Technique* and the *Soul Capturing Technique*.’
The *Five Poison Technique* required a large amount of poison to aid in Cultivation. But since the Pigeon Red Mushrooms he tried to plant wouldn’t grow, he had to forage for them in the mountains. Now that he had used up his existing stock, Jiang Che could no longer practice it.
For now, his Skill Level in this Poison Technique was stuck at Entry Level.
As for the two incomplete manuals, the *Beast Taming Technique* and the *Soul Capturing Technique*...
...they were missing far too much content. Since Jiang Che wasn’t an expert in these fields, he couldn’t possibly deduce the missing sections, making them impossible to practice.
’Looks like my only options are the *Shadow Tracing Step* and the *Flowing Light Saber*.’
After some thought, Jiang Che decided to practice the *Shadow Tracing Step* first.
You can’t deal damage if you’re not alive, after all.
In the future, if he ran into a Force Integration Level enemy he couldn’t beat, at least he could escape.
Thinking this, Jiang Che began to carefully look through the Secret Manual.
Since he had a foundation in Qinggong, Jiang Che quickly grasped the knack and reached the Entry Level that very night.
[Shadow Tracing Step Entry Level (1/100)]
After finishing his practice, Jiang Che ate some Top Grade Exotic Beast Dried Meat, washed up, and went to bed.
...
Jiang Che had a very realistic dream.
In the dream, he returned to his previous life.
It was a morning during the summer vacation after the college entrance exams.
The chirping of cicadas drifted in from the trees outside his window.
He was sleeping soundly.
Several classmates suddenly arrived downstairs on their bicycles.
"Jiang Che, get up!"
"Come on, let’s go game!"
Jiang Che groggily got dressed and followed them straight to the internet cafe.
That day, they played until nightfall.
When they got hungry, they each ordered a serving of stir-fried noodles to be delivered to their stations.
That day, they won a lot of games.
Jiang Che even got a pentakill once.
Everyone laughed happily.
After logging off, they went out for a late-night snack.
They ate grilled skewers and drank Coke.
They started reviewing their matches, reliving the brilliant plays they’d made that day.
...
"So it was a dream..."
Jiang Che stared at the familiar wooden beams of the ceiling, feeling a sense of loss.
He rubbed his eyes, discovering the corners were damp.
Thinking back on the dream, he realized it was a day that had actually happened in his past life.
He suddenly recalled a famous meme from his previous life.
"You think it’s just another ordinary day.
"Only years later do you realize it was actually the best day of your life.
"A day like that will never come again."
Jiang Che couldn’t help but sigh.
"I took it for granted back then..."
He rolled out of bed and suddenly realized that his Qi Blood felt different from usual!
"Hm?"
He focused his senses, discovering that his limbs and torso were now brimming with an incredibly vigorous Qi Blood!
"This is... the Iron Skin Realm?!"
Jiang Che exclaimed in delight.
He walked into the courtyard and threw a heavy punch at the Big Iron Bell.
CLANG—
The eight-hundred-pound Big Iron Bell was actually sent flying by a single punch!
It flew more than ten meters before it stopped.
Jiang Che rushed over and found an inch-deep Fist Seal on the Big Iron Bell’s surface!
’This...’
Jiang Che was stunned.
Even the Big Iron Bell had been damaged like this.
He couldn’t imagine how devastating it would be if that punch landed on a person!
Next, he activated the Heart of the Black Abyss.
Instantly, a massive, incredibly burly, two-and-a-half-meter-tall Black-armored Giant appeared with a thunderous crash!
Jiang Che clenched his fists, feeling an unprecedentedly powerful force!
’I wonder if I can beat a Force Integration Martial Artist in this state...’
An eagerness for action stirred in Jiang Che’s heart.
He hadn’t forgotten about personally investigating Li Yuanwai’s Mansion!
However, according to the information about the Blood Spirit Sect revealed by Liu Hai and Li Rushan, there was bound to be a Force Integration Level expert there!
Previously, he hadn’t been strong enough, so all he could do was cultivate diligently and build up his power.
Now that he had broken through, it was time to investigate!
However, he quickly calmed down.
’I should probably find someone at the Force Integration Level to fight first, to test out my strength.’
’Li Rushan? Situ Xuan? Master?’
But he quickly shook his head.
If he was going to test himself, he needed to test his absolute limits.
Which meant testing his strength after his Transformation.
But he couldn’t reveal his Transformation, his ultimate trump card, to any of them.
It wasn’t that they would necessarily harm him,
but this Ability was just too unique.
It could easily arouse the curiosity of the powerful.
He knew for a fact that in this world, there were Cultivators!
If word accidentally got out and he was captured for research, it would all be over.
After thinking for a while, he finally decided to go to Moon Viewing Mountain and find a Force Integration Level Black Beast to test his strength against.
A Black Beast might not know any Cultivation Techniques,
but their power, defense, and the unique Strength possessed by a Force Integration Martial Artist were all comparable.
At this thought, his heart burned with excitement, and he decided to take the Deodorizing Powder and some bait up the mountain.
Back in his room, Jiang Che saw the calendar on the wall and suddenly realized that today was the day his master had mentioned—the day of the sparring match with the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall!
’Oh! I almost forgot about that!’
Jiang Che shook his head, got dressed, and headed for the Martial Arts Hall.
But, just as he stepped out the door, a blurry image suddenly appeared before his eyes.
In the image, two people, stronger than the Peak of the Iron Skin Realm but not yet at Force Integration, rushed out to assassinate him!
This was a warning from his upgraded [Omen] ability!
