Daqian, the seventh year of the Mingjing era. The twenty-second day of the tenth month. Night.

The North City Military Camp was shrouded in deep silence. Only a single candle flickered within the Government Office, illuminating Chen Sheng’s imposing figure.

He slowly relaxed his posture, and the faint golden luster surrounding his body receded like a tide, sinking into his solid musculature.

The muscles on his bare upper body were smooth and well-defined, as if they contained explosive power. Exhaling a long, turbid breath, Chen Sheng sat down cross-legged and let his mind sink into his sea of consciousness.

[Basic Saber Skill Perfection (282/2000)]

[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique: Great Success (999/1000)]

[Fishing Toad Force Secret Technique: Minor Achievement (54/500)]

[Minor Achievement of Demon-Slaying Triple Extremes Blade (391/500)]

Ever since obtaining the Spirit Marrow Gu, he had been completely focused, pouring all his energy into breaking through his bottleneck and even setting aside his training in other Cultivation Techniques. After training relentlessly day and night, he had finally pushed his Golden Bell Body Refining Technique to the very edge of the Bone Forging stage.

He was just one final step from opening the door to a higher realm.

Chen Sheng did not rush. He calmed his mind and regulated his breathing for a full two hours. Only when his mind was completely tranquil and his qi and blood had settled did he solemnly take out the sandalwood treasure box.

He opened the lid. Inside, the jade-white Spirit Marrow Gu lay quietly.

With a calm gaze, Chen Sheng circulated his Inner Breath without hesitation. A slight Force stirred in his palm, and with a nearly inaudible POP, the rare Gu Insect instantly transformed into a mass of warm, viscous white paste that emitted a faint, yet curiously fresh, scent.

He carefully spread the paste, rich with immense life essence, evenly over his body’s vital points and major acupoints.

At first, he only felt a cool sensation. Then, the paste seemed to come alive. As if it had a mind of its own, it began to seep through his pores in wisps, bringing with it an indescribable, tingling sense of nourishment.

This was how the flesh-and-blood essence of the Spirit Marrow Gu was used—direct and potent, far from the gentle method of waiting for the Spirit Marrow Liquid to form.

With his preparations complete, Chen Sheng’s expression turned solemn as he once again assumed the Starting Posture Pile Skill of the Golden Bell Body Refining Technique.

His movements were no longer confined to fixed stances. Instead, he had mastered and integrated all the Pile Skills he had learned, and now he practiced them one by one, his motions gradually accelerating from slow to fast.

As he moved, his joints emitted a series of soft, harmonious pops. His entire body felt like a precisely-tuned machine, and his qi and blood began to surge with increasing speed.

Realm-Breaking Marrow Transformation—it happens tonight!

A sharp light flashed in his eyes, his will as firm as iron.

As he intensified his Cultivation Technique, the Spirit Marrow Gu essence on his skin seeped into his body at an even faster rate, merging with his own qi and blood. In the candlelight, his skin began to emit a faint, translucent sheen, as if being cleansed and tempered from the inside out.

Time passed quietly in the silence.

Chen Sheng was completely immersed in sensing the changes within his body.

He could clearly feel the acupoints all over his body lighting up and expanding one by one, like stars. Every inch of his muscles and bones vibrated at a high frequency, emitting a hum that only he could hear.

His qi and blood surged through his Meridians like a great river, crashing against the invisible barrier.

This was the critical phenomenon for breaking into the Marrow Transformation Realm—the "Resonance of Muscles and Bones, the Furnace of Qi and Blood"!

After an unknown amount of time, the Spirit Marrow Gu essence on his skin was completely absorbed and refined, leaving not a single drop. In its place was an immense power that had built to a crescendo within him, ready to erupt!

Deep within his consciousness, it felt as if something had been violently broken through.

[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique: Perfection (1/2000)]

The instant the progress bar changed, Chen Sheng’s entire body shuddered violently.

An unprecedented surge of power instantly swept through his entire being, filling every last meridian.

The previously subdued, faint golden luster suddenly erupted. The Golden Light was far more brilliant than before; if he deliberately maintained it, his skin could take on the color of golden bronze.

After undergoing extreme compression and refinement, both the quality and quantity of his qi and blood had transformed, becoming immensely powerful.

With just a slight circulation of his Force, his muscles and bones would resonate on their own, emitting a low, powerful thrum, as if being forged and tempered a thousand times over.

The Marrow Transformation Realm—an insurmountable barrier that had stopped countless Martial Artists—he had crossed it today in a single step!

The benefits of breaking the realm went far beyond this.

His physical body grew denser and more solid through the tempering. Moreover, under the transformative vibrations, some of the impurities and toxins from the Elixirs he usually consumed were forced out of his pores, bit by bit.

Late-stage Foundation Establishment, Marrow Transformation Realm—success!

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes, a sharp, blade-like light held deep within his pupils. He let out a long breath, tinged with impurities, and finally, a smile of pure, unrestrained joy spread across his face.

’Finally... I did it!’

From his transfer out of the Border Army, through all his careful planning, his forbearance, and his bitter training—up to this very day, he had finally reached a new level of mastery and joined the ranks of Changshan County’s top martial experts.

From now on, within Changshan County, he couldn’t say he could act with impunity. But unless he fell into a meticulously planned deathtrap set by multiple experts of the same realm, keeping him there against his will would be next to impossible.

"No wonder Marrow Transformation Martial Masters can dominate a region..."

Chen Sheng felt the surging power within him—a power many times greater than what he possessed at the Bone Forging stage. He muttered to himself, savoring the various wonders that came with his advancement.

He casually waved a hand forward, and a crisp, explosive crack echoed through the air.

Next, he spread his legs slightly, sank into a horse stance, and pressed a single palm forward into the air. At his mental command, an invisible Force flowed out, causing the air about a foot in front of his palm to emit a faint hum.

This was not the "True Qi Emission" that only Innate Experts could achieve, but the unique hallmark of a Marrow Transformation Martial Master—"Excessive Force"!

He gently struck the edge of the sturdy wooden table beside him with his palm.

With a soft THUD, a clear handprint was left on the tabletop. Around the Palm Seal, the wood grain had cracked into a fine spiderweb pattern. This was a sign that, having just entered this realm, his control over his suddenly augmented Force had not yet reached perfection.

Intrigued, Chen Sheng raised his hand again, shaking loose two strands of his hair. He then circulated his Force. The two nearly weightless strands of hair floated bizarrely about an inch above his palm, suspended and motionless.

Not a fly could land, not a feather could be added!

This was the most prominent sign of meticulous Force control at the Marrow Transformation Realm.

After a few tests to familiarize himself with his explosive new strength, Chen Sheng slowly recalled his power. His turbulent emotions gradually subsided, and his gaze returned to its usual calm and profound depth.

Ever since the assassination attempt on his way to his new post, he had almost never fought anyone with his full strength. He mostly relied on strategy and ambushes, or used the circumstances to weaken his opponents before delivering a decisive blow.

As a result, even he himself found it difficult to accurately estimate what level his combat strength could now reach if he went all out.

But he was sure it wouldn’t be weak.

Although the Buddhist Sect’s top-tier Golden Bell Body Refining Technique was difficult to cultivate, once mastered, the boosts it provided to physical defense and strength far surpassed those of ordinary Cultivation Techniques of the same realm.

And when supplemented by his Basic Knife Technique, which had reached Perfection, and the fierce Demon-Slaying Triple Extremes Blade, which was at Minor Achievement...

Chen Sheng lightly clenched his fist, his knuckles popping softly. A faint impulse to test out his new moves arose within him.

But he quickly suppressed the thought.

’On the path of the Martial Dao, one must guard against arrogance and impatience.’

’A great increase in strength is gratifying, but it’s even more important to remember that ’steadiness’ comes first.’

’Why fight with brute force when I can win with strategy?’

’If I can take a shortcut and achieve my goal at the lowest cost, why insist on a head-on clash and add unnecessary risk?’

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