On Green Serpent Lake, Lin Zheyu sat in a small boat. A gentle breeze rocked the vessel lightly. A vast surge of mysterious energy coursed through his body, drawing in the spirit power and Baleful Yin force from the demonic spirit stones. The moment the Baleful Yin force entered him, sharp sizzling sounds erupted as thick black smoke rose from his body. At the same time, a faint golden glow began to shine from within him.

After a few breaths, Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes. Brilliant golden light gleamed within them, and a look of delight spread across his face.

"An unexpected gain!" Lin Zheyu exclaimed softly.

Under his control, the muscles across his body shifted and writhed, and sparse golden, profound runes emerged on his skin. Lin Zheyu could not understand any of them. They were unlike the few formation patterns, restrictions, or ritual scripts he knew.

My skin has become tougher. My strength has improved slightly, and my recovery has only seen a minor boost. These runes seem similar to those of a living corpse. They can push my defense to an extremely high level.

The Seven Fiend Body Refining Technique was a method for creating living-corpse demon puppets. The runes it produced were known for their powerful defensive effects, which were entirely within Lin Zheyu's expectations. What he had not expected was that while the consciousness space restored his body, it had also transformed the eerie runes formed by the technique into golden ones.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 131]

[Skills: Primordial Concealment Technique (Perfection), Primordial Thunderfire Pill Technique (Perfection), Soul-Chasing Step (Third Stage: 100%), Seven Fiend Body Refining Technique (First Stage: 38%)]

Lin Zheyu studied the data in his consciousness and thought to himself, 1 unit of Origin Force only raised the Seven Fiend Body Refining Technique to 38% of the first layer. To reach the Perfection of the sixth stage, I'll probably need 40 or 50 units. And this is just one technique. If I want to bring multiple techniques to Perfection and integrate them to create the strongest Primordial Golden Body, it will likely take several years.

Only by raising a technique to Perfection could he gain a deeper understanding of it and fully grasp the changes it brought.

"Let's continue." Lin Zheyu exhaled softly. With a flip of his hand, five more spirit stones appeared in his palm. 1 unit of Origin Force had just consumed roughly one spirit stone.

Use 10 units of Origin Force to cultivate the Seven Fiend Body Refining Technique.

As the thought was transmitted, his mind blurred for an instant. A vast surge of mysterious energy swept out, carrying the energy from the spirit stones into his body. In an instant, Lin Zheyu was enveloped in an extremely dense Baleful Yin force. The surrounding temperature plummeted, and the nearby green water snakes seemed to sense danger. Flicking their tongues, they vanished without a trace.

Strange sizzling sounds echoed from within Lin Zheyu's body. Under the influence of the mysterious energy, the Baleful Yin force rapidly eroded his physique. One eerie rune after another formed, flickering with a dim, ghostly glow.

Within Lin Zheyu's veins, his blood surged like waves, radiating a dazzling golden light. Under the influence of the mysterious energy, that light flowed into the eerie runes. The ghostly glow faded as the runes transformed completely into golden ones.

Six days later, on Green Serpent Lake, Lin Zheyu had remained there the entire time. Nestled deep in the mountains, the lake was quiet aside from the green water snakes. Almost no one came to disturb it, making it ideal for secluded cultivation. Over these six days, aside from using Origin Force to improve his techniques, he spent the rest of his time studying the body-refining techniques he had recently acquired.

Pure Immortal Dao body-refining techniques conflicted somewhat with martial cultivation. They required subtle adjustments before they could be practiced. Some could not be cultivated even after Lin Zheyu modified them and could only serve as references. Fortunately, special demon techniques like the Seven Fiend Ghost Manual and Ninefold True Demon Body posed little difficulty for martial artists.

At dawn, dense mist blanketed the entire lake. Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged on the boat, his body radiating brilliant golden light. Countless golden runes flowed through him, interweaving into complex, mysterious, and powerful patterns. They seemed to form a single whole, pulsing as if breathing, releasing a subtle rhythmic fluctuation that continuously tempered his muscles, skin, and bones.

Lin Zheyu exhaled a long breath of turbid air. The breath condensed into a sword and pierced through the dense mist over the lake.

"It's finally done. Just two techniques have consumed 117 units of Origin Force and 418 demonic spirit stones. That's quite a high cost." Lin Zheyu shook his head slightly.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 15]

[Skills: Primordial Concealment Technique (Perfection), Primordial Thunderfire Pill Technique (Perfection), Soul-Chasing Step (Third Stage: 100%), Seven Fiend Ghost Manual (Fifth Stage: 100%), Seven Fiend Body Refining Technique (Sixth Stage: 100%)]

He looked at the data within his consciousness. During this period, he had used 20 units of Origin Force every day to cultivate his techniques. The strain on his mind had been immense, leaving no time to push beyond his limits.

After six days, he had consumed over 100 units of Origin Force, leaving only 15. Only then had he brought both the Seven Fiend Ghost Manual and the Seven Fiend Body Refining Technique to Perfection. This was largely because the two techniques shared strong similarities in certain aspects, making it much easier to cultivate the latter stages of the Seven Fiend Ghost Manual. Otherwise, the Origin Force consumption would have been even greater.

However, Lin Zheyu felt that the hundred-plus units of Origin Force had been well spent. After bringing both techniques to Perfection, he experienced something entirely different. He gained new inspiration for the Primordial Golden Body. He realized his earlier vision had been too conservative. His body trembled slightly as brilliant golden light burst forth. Countless dense golden runes surfaced across his skin, lending him a faint, inexplicable sense of sanctity.

Lin Zheyu clenched his fist and slammed it against his chest. A dull thud echoed, yet he felt nothing. With both techniques reaching Perfection, his defense had reached an unimaginable level. Even he did not know how far it had risen. It was certainly stronger than those two barbarian experts from before.

I don't have enough demonic spirit stones. Only fifty-six left, and this is just two techniques. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Cultivating body-refining techniques required enormous amounts of energy, far more than other methods. If Lin Zheyu wanted to bring more techniques to Perfection, the required energy would be unimaginable. With this in mind, he formed new plans. His strength had improved significantly, and with his superb movement techniques and powerful defense, he now had sufficient means to protect himself. It was time to venture into the demon god barrier and explore.

Before that, however, he needed to accumulate more Origin Force and enter the immortal market to acquire stronger demon techniques. Compared to ordinary Immortal Dao body-refining methods, these demon techniques would provide greater improvements to his strength.

Bang!

Lin Zheyu tapped lightly with his toe and vanished from the boat. His movement was fluid as he skimmed across the lake's surface, landing on the shore after a few leaps.

***

In Wuling City, Azure Tide Pavilion sect grounds.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle!"

"Greetings, Martial Uncle!"

"Martial Uncle, you've finally returned!"

Upon returning to the sect, the disciples all greeted Lin Zheyu respectfully. At that moment, Huang Youwei jogged over from afar and arrived at his side with excitement.

Lin Zheyu looked Huang Youwei over and said with a smile, "Hm? Kid, you're about to condense true intent?"

Although Huang Youwei still appeared carefree, his aura had subtly changed. Within his robust presence lingered a faint, bloodthirsty killing intent. It seemed that after this period of tempering, he had improved and grown steadier.

"Heh, I'm a genius after all!" Huang Youwei grinned smugly. In front of Lin Zheyu, he revealed his usual carefree and youthful side.

Lin Zheyu patted his shoulder and asked with a smile, "Well done. Now tell me, what do you need?"

"Martial Uncle, that's too distant. Isn't it normal for a disciple to miss you after so long?" Huang Youwei said.

Lin Zheyu chuckled. He did not believe a word of it.

"Martial Uncle, please put in a good word with Martial Aunt Gu Ye for me. I want to ask her for a few days off," Huang Youwei said quickly.

"You brat. Your strength has improved. Go tell her yourself. Gu Ye will agree," Lin Zheyu said with a snort.

"If she would agree, that'd be great. It's because Martial Aunt won't agree that I came to ask you," Huang Youwei muttered.

Lin Zheyu shrugged. "Handle it yourself. I can't help you with this."

"Ah, don't go! Martial Uncle, you have to help me with this!"

Ignoring Huang Youwei's shouts behind him, Lin Zheyu returned to his residence. He washed up and changed into a fresh set of clothes. After learning that Huang Baizhong had returned, he headed to the sect hall. It had been a while since they last met, and it was time to pay his respects.

"Disciple greets Master. Hm? Master, you're injured?"

In the hall, Lin Zheyu froze, his brows knitting together. In his perception, Huang Baizhong's aura was subdued, his blood qi was weak, and a cold, sinister presence lingered within him.

"It's nothing. I was injured while hunting yaos and demons. A period of rest will be enough. How has your cultivation been lately?" Huang Baizhong shook his head and smiled at Lin Zheyu.

"It's going very smoothly. Compared to the Primordial Wuji True Technique, the Heaven Shattering Dominance Flash is much easier," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"You brat... Your senior brothers and sisters have all made their plans. They've either joined the Demon Suppression Army or the City Guard. What about you? What are your plans?" Huang Baizhong asked.

The sect was the sect, and joining these forces did not conflict with it. The sect was more like a family, while joining those organizations was akin to taking a job, with the Great Wei providing cultivation resources and pay.

"My strength is still lacking. I'll think about it in a few years," Lin Zheyu replied.

"In a few years... The situation in Great Wei will grow more chaotic in the coming years. You'd do well to take on more missions with the City Guard or the Directorate of Celestial Observation to exchange for resources to strengthen yourself," Huang Baizhong said softly, shaking his head.

Right now, he felt that without reaching the Grandmaster realm, one was nothing but an ant. In a few years, when chaos deepened, and all kinds of yaos, demons, and ghosts emerged, anyone below the Martial Innate realm would be no different from ants.

"Yes, I understand," Lin Zheyu nodded.

After discussing some sect matters and receiving guidance on cultivation from Huang Baizhong, Lin Zheyu took his leave.