Hu Qi slowly exhaled, a puff of Dirt Energy escaping his lips and nose.

In that instant, a terrifying gust of air materialized out of nowhere, causing the various furnishings in the room to start shaking.

Only then did Hu Qi notice the strange changes in his body.

He realized his body had grown much larger than before.

The moment he shifted slightly, the solid wood bed frame let out a strained CREAK.

A thought stirred in Hu Qi’s mind, and he quickly stood up from the bed.

But in the next moment, his head hit the ceiling directly.

This was a mid-to-high-end hotel. To create a more spacious and comfortable atmosphere, the ceilings were about three meters high.

Yet now, his head was touching it. He couldn’t even straighten his back completely. It seemed his true height was now around three and a half meters.

Noticing this change, Hu Qi turned his head to look at his reflection in the windowpane.

It was the image of a tall and burly Young Man. His hair had already grown to his shoulders, and just standing there, he looked like a giant elephant.

The muscles on his arms and legs bulged like coiling horned dragons, radiating a terrifying power that was intimidating to behold.

He reached out and gently stroked the surface of his skin, faintly sensing an invisible, translucent layer of hard keratin.

’Not bad, just a bit inconvenient!’

Hu Qi’s lips twitched as he looked at his new physique.

Then, the Twisted Light enveloped him, and his body began to shrink rapidly, soon returning to his original height of about 1.78 meters.

Looking at the clothes on his body, which were now nothing more than strips of fabric, he couldn’t help but grimace. With no other choice, he reluctantly put his old clothes back on.

After taking care of that, Hu Qi’s gaze fell upon the panel before him.

---

[Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill△ (Elephant Heart Chapter First Layer) | Traits: Crimson Sun Flame Fire First Layer, Demon Elephant True Power First Layer]

[Dream Eye: Mirror Person, Bone Shattering Hammer, Blood Red Rope]

...

[Modification Points: 12468 (49%)]

...

The panel had indeed undergone significant changes.

The most obvious one was that the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill had successfully broken through from the Essence Element Chapter Ninth Layer to the Elephant Heart Chapter First Layer.

This Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill was an Inheritance Secret Martial Art originally created based on the Traits of a Demon Elephant.

After the Essence Element Chapter, it was divided into three more Chapters: Elephant Heart, Demon Soul, and True Body.

In terms of Secret Martial Artist levels, these corresponded to Qi Dao Grandmaster, Refining God Venerable, and the Void Realm, respectively.

And the Elephant Heart Chapter, as the name implied, focused on imitating and constructing the heart of a Demon Elephant.

The source of a Demon Elephant’s power was its heart, which continuously supplied it with sufficient strength.

At this moment, he could feel that as this Demon Elephant Heart contracted, his blood became tinged with a faint golden color.

This allowed his terrifying physique, which had already reached the limit of a Martial Arts Family, to slowly begin improving once again.

Additionally, in the Traits section, the Yang Fire Trait had become Crimson Sun Flame Fire—the faint golden flame—which was far more powerful than the previous Yang Fire.

Elephant Power had become Demon Elephant True Power, representing an enhancement in his strength and physique.

From the "First Layer" designation after them, it was easy to see.

These two Traits would grow even stronger as his Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill advanced.

Not only that,

with the construction of the Elephant Heart,

it meant Hu Qi’s Life Level was beginning to transform toward that of a true Demon Elephant.

A situation like last time, when he’d consecutively devoured three Dream Eyes,

causing the dark power contained within them to interfere with him, would not happen again.

Furthermore, Hu Qi could also feel that this body could now absorb the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy from his surroundings.

The difference was that this absorbed Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was primarily used to nourish and strengthen his physical body and restore his stamina.

It would be difficult to use this Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy to execute the complex techniques of a Qi Dao Grandmaster.

However, this didn’t mean he was now weaker than an ordinary Qi Dao Grandmaster.

Quite the opposite.

With his current physique and strength alone, Hu Qi was confident he could slap a Secret Martial Artist who had just entered the Qi Dao Grandmaster Realm to death with a single blow.

Of course, the number of Modification Points consumed for this upgrade was also substantial.

It had cost a full three hundred points, comparable to the cost of advancing one layer in the Refining God Realm.

He collected his thoughts.

Hu Qi frowned slightly and began to silently organize his thoughts.

’I came to this world with only one goal from the very beginning: to use the Spirit Seed Technique to forge a Spirit Seed, which would in turn nourish my body and strengthen my essence.’

’I just never expected the path to the Extraordinary in this world to be so unique, even somewhat twisted.’

’From the looks of it, it seems the only way to obtain Extraordinary Power in this world is by controlling a Dream Eye. There’s no other way.’

’And if I want to continue getting stronger with the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill I’m cultivating, I must obtain enough Modification Points and Dream Eyes.’

’But the occurrence of a Nightmare is completely unpredictable. Getting a Dream Eye is easier said than done.’

Furthermore, to learn more about this world, Hu Qi had already decided to leave this place and go explore other areas.

But before that, he still had a few things to do.

...

「A few days later.」

The weather was clear, and warm sunlight spilled onto the streets, bringing a pleasant warmth.

Across from Qishan City First People’s Hospital was a coffee shop called ’Feiyu’.

The glass door of the coffee shop was polished until it was transparent, allowing a clear view of the interior. Several vibrant green plants were placed at the entrance, their tender leaves swaying gently in the breeze.

「Inside the coffee shop.」

At the counter, the coffee machine hummed periodically. A female barista with short hair and a black uniform kept her head slightly lowered, her hands skillfully grinding coffee beans as a rich, mellow aroma gradually filled the air.

The display case was filled with all sorts of desserts. The cakes and cookies were tantalizing in color, looking mouth-watering at a glance.

At the moment, the shop wasn’t very crowded.

In a corner booth, Hu Qi was sitting lazily, leaning back against the sofa.

Though his appearance was the same, his strength had increased. After his body had been cleansed and reforged, the lines of his face had been subtly refined and adjusted, making him look even more masculine and handsome.

His aura had also changed noticeably.

As he sat there, his every move exuded a unique charm, naturally attracting occasional admiring glances from the opposite sex.

However, Hu Qi paid this no mind at all, simply sipping his coffee and remaining lost in his own thoughts.

Just then, the crisp chime of a small bell suddenly rang out, breaking the tranquil atmosphere of the coffee shop.

In the next moment, three figures walked in one after another.

The one in the lead was a young woman in a black trench coat.

She had a neat bob, the ends of her hair curling slightly inward, giving her an exceptionally sharp and carefree look.

The black trench coat was perfectly tailored with clean, straight lines, free of any wrinkles. The belt at her waist was tied casually, adding a touch of effortless grace.

She wore a pair of simple, black straight-leg pants that fell perfectly over her black ankle boots. Her whole outfit was clean and sharp, a refreshing sight.

After stepping into the coffee shop, the woman’s gaze first swept across the room before landing directly on Hu Qi’s location.

Then, she strode over with a steady gait and calmly sat down in the chair opposite him.

As for the other two, they were tall and burly with noticeable bulges at their waists. After entering, they sat at an adjacent table, a short distance away from the pair.

"Why do you look like this now?"

Hu Qi ignored the other two men. He took a sip of his coffee, a strange look in his eyes as he asked the woman in the black trench coat before him.

"This body’s identity belongs to the upper echelons of this world’s society. It will help me establish a better foothold here."

The woman in the black trench coat—Ouyang Shuokong—showed a faint smile and spoke softly.

"It’s just a physical vessel, after all. As long as it helps me achieve my goal, what does a little change matter?"

Her tone was calm and composed, as if this were all perfectly normal.

Hearing this, Hu Qi couldn’t help but nod slightly. He felt more and more that this Ouyang Shuokong truly had the right mindset—a promising talent, and quite similar to himself in some ways.

Indeed, as long as the ultimate goal could be achieved, what did a small price matter?

After all, they were both old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years.