Chapter 233: Chapter 208: Flawless
In just a week, that remnant consciousness had been pushed to its limit.
Finally.
Zhao Xuanqi’s consciousness suddenly coalesced, intertwining with that wisp of remnant consciousness.
BOOM!!
His consciousness blurred, and then it was as if he had entered a new world—a pure white space.
The space was empty, containing nothing but a single, small figure huddled in a corner. The figure’s eyes were lifeless. It sat on the ground, body hunched, hugging its knees and trembling uncontrollably, as if terrified of something.
TAP! TAP! TAP!
His expression calm, Zhao Xuanqi walked slowly, step by step, toward the figure.
As Zhao Xuanqi drew closer, the figure trembled more violently. But it did not flee—or rather, it had nowhere left to run.
Finally, Zhao Xuanqi stood before Zhao Qi, looking down at his trembling form.
Zhao Qi slowly lifted his head, and a flood of emotions surprisingly appeared in his hollow eyes.
Fear, indignation, anger, pain...
His life had ended before it had even begun, his body usurped by an unknown soul. How could his lingering instincts ever be at peace?
Facing the threat of annihilation, this wisp of his remnant consciousness seemed to have momentarily cast off its confusion and regained its senses.
Just as he thought Zhao Xuanqi would use brute force to utterly shatter him, he was suddenly stunned.
Standing before him, the tall figure of Zhao Xuanqi slowly bent down and extended a hand toward him.
"Rest easy. Leave this body to me. I will make it stand at the very pinnacle of the world’s Martial History."
Zhao Xuanqi spoke calmly, but his voice carried an indestructible confidence and majesty.
Zhao Qi was taken aback, his entire body trembling slightly. Zhao Xuanqi’s words seemed to have struck a deep chord, and the sense of resonance between them grew ever more intense. He slowly raised his hand and touched Zhao Xuanqi’s palm.
WHOOSH!!
His figure dissolved like a phantom, disintegrating inch by inch until he vanished completely.
But before he dissipated, he left behind one final sentence.
"Take care of my sister."
Then, everything vanished like mist.
The disintegrating motes of light surged into Zhao Xuanqi’s spirit, and the entire pure white space began to crumble like a shattered mirror.
All the spiritual power released by the collapse flowed into Zhao Xuanqi.
At that moment, the remnant consciousness of Zhao Qi, which had lingered in this body since the reincarnation, finally vanished completely. Zhao Xuanqi’s will became the body’s absolute master, with no barrier between them ever again.
「Back in reality, inside the secret chamber.」
SNAP!!
Zhao Xuanqi, who had been sitting with his eyes tightly shut, suddenly snapped them open.
He could clearly feel that, in this very moment, everything was different.
His Spirit felt as if it had shed heavy shackles, becoming incredibly light and nimble. Everything around him seemed exceptionally vivid and clear.
Most importantly, his perception and control over his body had changed.
His Spirit naturally enveloped his body, splitting into what felt like innumerable threads that seeped into every single cell, reaching the very depths of his being.
As his consciousness spread, he could faintly perceive it all: his skin and fascia, his organs, his bones, his blood vessels, and even every single cell.
It was all laid bare before him, as if right before his eyes.
The art of introspection, of seeing the true self.
With a single thought, he could stimulate every cell, forcing it to unleash extraordinary potential. He could also precisely control every wisp of energy, targeting each cell for specific modification and reinforcement.
He had become the complete master of this body.
This sense of control almost made him feel as if he were back in his past life. However, the degree to which this body had been modified and strengthened was still a far cry from his previous one.
HUMMM!!
Inside the secret chamber, Zhao Xuanqi’s Spirit spread out, and wisps of silver brilliance emanated from his body. This was not the light of an aura, but a truly tangible light produced by his Spirit influencing the magnetic field.
The silver light spread to envelop his body, gradually taking the form of a silver Qilin.
No longer shackled by the black mist, the Qilin form was divine and majestic, fierce and full of Overbearing Fury, so lifelike it seemed on the verge of turning from illusion to reality.
Perfect and flawless.
The Qilin form enveloped his body without any terrifying presence or shocking fluctuations; all its power was contained within the manifestation.
But this very restraint and control was what made it truly terrifying.
Still, it was as immovable as a mountain; in motion, it was as terrifyingly fierce as a raging sea.
He slowly extended one of his hands.
CRACK! CRACK!!
A series of cracks echoed from the bones and muscles in his hand as it began to rapidly transform. Parts of it swelled, muscles writhed, and its shape changed drastically. In the blink of an eye, the human hand had become the limb of some Exotic Beast, remarkably similar to the claw he possessed in his Qilin form.
His hand was now almost as large as half his chest, looking utterly disproportionate and giving it a bizarre appearance.
This was the result of his body’s cells undergoing a massive mutation.
CRACK! CRACK!!
Then, as his consciousness enveloped his hand, another series of cracks sounded out. The massive, monstrous hand rapidly shrank, its mutated cells returning to their normal state.
This time, however, there was no pus or blood seeping from his pores—the usual byproduct of necrotic, mutated cells. There was no harm done at all.
This was the effect of his consciousness having near-perfect control over his body, able to command the profound changes within his cells.
Zhao Xuanqi slowly rose to his feet.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!!
Cracking sounds rang out in succession from all over his body. His arms, thighs, chest, and back mutated one by one before reverting to their original state. If anyone had been there to witness it, they would have been shocked beyond belief, certain they were seeing a legendary monster.
Next, Zhao Xuanqi’s body continued to change. His entire frame shrank drastically, his height and build reduced by nearly half. Muscles and sinews folded, organs and bones contracted, and in an instant, he had transformed from a robust man into a dwarf.
Then, his body stretched and returned to its original form once again.
Such control over the body had already reached a truly profound and mysterious realm.
This was the state of Harmony, the pinnacle of the Hundred Beasts Fist. It was a state defined by the body’s myriad transformations, gathering the strengths of a hundred beasts into a single vessel.
Harmony, the power to change as one wills.
The Martial Dao, when cultivated to Zhao Xuanqi’s level, was like the legendary Seventy-Two Transformations or the Ruyi Dao Skill—it had long since transcended the bounds of common logic.
It was precisely because of this ability that he was able to evade all sorts of pursuit in his past life. With his ability to change his shape and disguise himself, he could become a different person in an instant.
’The issue with my will is finally resolved. Reaching the state of Harmony was merely a natural consequence.’
’However, this body still has a long way to go to reach the peak I attained in my past life. That is when the real difficulty will begin.’
’The Divine General realm, the Heavenly Human Limit... those are realms I never reached in my past life. That is the true peak I must challenge.’
’And the secrets hidden within this reincarnation... I am finally qualified to truly see this world for what it is.’
Zhao Xuanqi muttered to himself as he pushed open the stone door and walked out of the secret chamber.
With Zhao Qi’s remnant consciousness dispersed, the hidden spiritual threat was completely eliminated, and his strength once again took a quantum leap.
However, it was not enough. He still had not reached the peak of his past life.
But there was no point in staying in the secret chamber any longer. He now needed more resources to begin a new round of strengthening for this body.
News of Zhao Xuanqi emerging from his seclusion instantly spread throughout the Martial Arts Association. It even reached the ears of the various unaffiliated practitioners from the Martial Arts Realm currently staying in Jinmen.
And with Zhao Xuanqi’s return, some of the Martial Arts Association’s postponed plans could finally be set in motion.
For example, the long-delayed victory banquet.
Only this time, the banquet would be far more than a simple victory celebration. It was set to be a grand event for the entire civilian Martial Arts Realm.
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