Chapter 152 - 113: A New Water Demon

Chapter 152: Chapter 113: A New Water Demon

Lu Jing’an slowly concluded his form and let out a long, turbid breath.

The breath was as focused as an arrow, piercing the air for over three feet.

Only then did it slowly dissipate into the cold night air, like an invisible wisp of smoke.

Lu Jing’an looked down at his own hands.

Silken moonlight spilled onto his fingertips. His skin was still fair.

But now, a warm, subtle luster seemed to flow just beneath the surface.

The texture was as fine as newly set snow, as if carved from the finest white jade.

Lu Jing’an slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles clicking softly, like pearls tapping against jade.

Beneath his skin, it felt as if a great river was awakening, its power surging and swelling.

A roiling, turbulent current!

His strength was more than double what it had been before the breakthrough.

"Glazed Jade Body..."

Lu Jing’an murmured, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes before receding into their depths.

Most people in the world held a great misconception about the Muscle Refining Realm.

’Most believe that achieving Perfection in this realm means tempering one’s muscles until they are hard as iron and immovable as bedrock.’

’However, what that method actually refines is Dead Flesh.’

’What I have just tempered, however, is true Living Flesh.’

’The difference between the two is just like something from my past-life memories...’

’...the difference between those hulking bodybuilders from the gym and the laborers who toil for years on construction sites.’

’The bodybuilders have chiseled, blocky muscles, and their hardness and density might be astounding.’

’But when it comes to endurance, resilience, and the kind of practical Power that comes from constant toil, they’re no match for the laborers.’

’That is the world of difference between Dead Flesh and Living Flesh.’

And for a Martial Cultivator like Lu Jing’an, the difference was as vast as that between the clouds and the mud.

True Living Flesh had to be a balance of hard and soft, able to transform at will.

When facing an enemy, it could become as firm as an iron wall, impenetrable to blades.

When channeling Power, it became as resilient as an ox-tendon whip.

It could twist the body’s entire strength into a single cord, unleashing it with devastating force and multiplied might.

But the vast majority of Martial Cultivators in the world only ever managed to refine Dead Flesh.

This wasn’t just a matter of limited perspective; the inheritance of a Cultivation Technique was of paramount importance.

Even if someone knew the secret, without a corresponding Secret Skill to guide them, they could only sigh in helplessness.

Practice complete, Lu Jing’an stepped back into the tub, still filled with medicinal steam.

The medicinal broth now offered little benefit to his physique, but it still helped nourish his tissues and pacify his qi and blood.

As the warmth enveloped him, a thought stirred in Lu Jing’an’s mind.

He summoned the attribute panel that only he could see to examine the specific changes from his breakthrough.

[Name]: Lu Jing’an

[Attack]: 82

[Defense]: 75

[Agility]: 40

[Spirit]: 69

[Energy Points]: 52

[Cultivation Technique: Omitted to keep from padding the word count. If you’re interested, you can go back and check...]

[Entries: Same reason as above. If you all want to see them, leave a comment, and I can edit them in later!]

The improvements this time were significant.

The Agility attribute, in particular, had jumped by 15 points.

This was logical. The Skin Refining stage focused on surface Defense, offering limited help to one’s Body Skill and speed.

But the tempering of flesh and blood directly related to the flexibility of the muscles and tendons and the flow of qi and blood.

A large increase in Agility was a natural result.

His gaze shifted down to the status of his Six Harmonies Fist.

[Six Harmonies Fist (Great Success) +]

The faint "+" symbol after it meant it could still be upgraded.

Lu Jing’an mentally tried to select it, and the required Energy Points immediately appeared: 110!

Lu Jing’an’s expression didn’t change. He understood.

’The cost is so high because my Muscle Training hasn’t yet allowed the Six Harmonies Fist to truly reach the state of Perfection within Great Success.’

’I’ll have to wait until my Bone Cultivation is complete and I’ve fully mastered the Four-direction Force.’

’If I add the points then, the cost will be much lower.’

Closing the panel, Lu Jing’an casually picked up the stack of intelligence summaries from the low table by his bed, which had just been delivered today.

Although Lu Jing’an had been living in seclusion for the past few days, the Lu Family’s long-established network of informants still delivered a daily, organized summary of the happenings in Yin Mountain County and even the Provincial City.

The intelligence on Yin Mountain was meticulous, while the news from the Provincial City was comparatively general.

After all, the Lu Family’s foundation in the Provincial City was still rather shallow.

Lu Jing’an first scanned the intelligence report from the Provincial City.

A palpable sense of grim conflict rose from the pages.

The traditional civil official faction, led by the Hu Family, was being pushed back step by step by the Bai Family Warlord’s forces. They were overstretched and on the defensive.

Though not on the verge of immediate collapse, they lacked the strength to counterattack and could only struggle to hold their ground.

If not for the legitimacy and balancing power still held by the Central Government, the Bai Family Army would have likely marched into the city long ago, and the Hu Family would have been powerless to stop them.

In times of turmoil, political power grows from the barrel of a gun. It has always been so.

"At this rate, the Hu Family... probably can’t hold out for much longer," Lu Jing’an murmured, his fingertips lightly tapping the paper.

The reason Lu Jing’an hadn’t rushed to push forward with the decapitation strike was precisely that he had figured out a key point.

’I could think of such a swift and decisive plan.’

’So how could the Bai Family, entrenched in the Provincial City with countless experts and prodigies under their command, be completely unaware of the possibility?’

’Therefore, I just need to wait and see, letting the Bai Family make the next move on the chessboard themselves.’

’Of course, if the time comes when I truly need to act, I won’t hesitate.’

Entrusting his fate entirely to others was not in Lu Jing’an’s nature.

Putting down the Provincial City dossier, Lu Jing’an picked up the intelligence report on Yin Mountain County and began to read it carefully.

In truth, with his Cause and Effect with Sound ability, Lu Jing’an could have easily perceived most of the movements within Yin Mountain County just by spreading his awareness.

However, Bai Lang was an expert of the Inner Breath Realm with a keen Spiritual Sense.

Lu Jing’an was unwilling to reveal this trump card so easily before the final battle.

The deeper it was hidden, the greater his chances of victory.

His eyes scanned the report, line by line.

The first few entries were mostly news of businesses and shops secretly switching their allegiance to Bai Lang.

Lu Jing’an’s expression was calm, completely unperturbed.

’With the Bai Family pressing down like a mountain, if we can’t overcome this disaster, the Lu Family itself will need to find an escape route. The actions of these fence-sitters are utterly insignificant.’