Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 97 - 88: Transforming Force Becomes Pill, Flying Snow Wounds! (Third Update)

More than half a year ago, back when the Torrential Rain Spear Technique reached perfection, and Su Mu possessed only five perfect Martial Arts powers within, the rivers of power in his body had already begun to show signs of evolving toward solidified power.

Not to mention the Eighth Grade Bone Forging Realm—even Seventh Grade Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artists would almost only focus on cultivating one or two Martial Arts, one weapon technique, one fist-and-foot technique or Cross-Training Martial Arts, with other Martial Arts serving only as supplement. Zhou Tiande and Black Insect Elder were both such examples.

An inch of time is an inch of gold. Whether time or a person's energy, both are limited. Only when a Martial Arts is cultivated to its depths—until perfection—does it birth a unique kind of power.

Yet, now, Su Mu, in the Eighth Grade Bone Forging Realm, had a full nine paths of power within. This was no realm achievable solely by effort!

"Compared to half a year ago… the power within my body has almost doubled again!"

Su Mu felt the nine distinctly different powers surging inside him; half a year's time swept quickly past his mind, and a strong sense of achievement welled within—his past six months' effort was not in vain.

As a coolness surged at the center of his brow, Su Mu instantly entered the state of Soul Incarnation.

The fusion of Incarnation and introspection allowed him to see the condition inside his body even more clearly. After more than half a year, the once spring-water-smooth river of power flowing through his meridians now surged and roared like a great autumn river under Torrential Rain.

Driven by power, Su Mu's qi and blood began to boil; the heart beneath his chest pounded like a war drum, the rushing qi and blood thundered like rain—so vast and mighty.

As he advanced into Transforming Force, Su Mu felt as if he himself was the iron billet on the Forging Platform; the Transforming Force within was the Forging Hammer, thousands of strikes forging his power.

A year later, he advanced even further.

Su Mu sensed his body of flesh and blood transforming into a great furnace itself; this time, it was his power that became the iron billet to be forged, while the surging qi and blood was a roaring blaze, burning and hammering the inner power.

"From outside to inside, the body as a great furnace, qi and blood as flames,… Transforming Force refined into Pill!"

Su Mu held no Martial Arts secret manual about the Fourth Refining Force; this understanding he had groped out himself in the past half year, relying on the terrifying Comprehension of Hidden-Dragon Level.

The young man silently recited his insights over and over in his heart, while his mind swiftly skimmed through his previous three Refining Force breakthroughs.

"Transforming Force into Pill… this path is not wrong!"

Resoluteness in Su Mu's eyes grew ever firmer. He took a deep breath—feeling the furnace not yet fierce enough, so he spurred his qi and blood to the utmost limit.

Swish swish swish!

In the cold wind, the sound of Torrential Rain grew ever louder. Every inch of Su Mu's skin was flushed red from the blazing qi and blood; in the courtyard, it seemed as if a high furnace had been erected, the scorching heat distorting the surrounding air.

Then the intense heat spread outward, melting the snow accumulated on the old pagoda tree into water that poured down.

Sizzle, sizzle.

When the melted snow hit Su Mu's body, it was instantly evaporated into mist.

The body Su Mu had forged through Five Animals Qigong, Three-in-One Body-Strengthening Soup, Iron Sand Palm, Vajra Body, and Third Bone Forging now displayed its true worth; his powerful physique allowed Su Mu to let loose completely.

He mobilized his qi and blood to continuously smelt, hammer, compress, and solidify the nine streams of power within!

When the rivers are compressed to their utmost, a single speck, less than a grain of rice in size, of solidified power condensed in the dantian at his lower abdomen. With this 'grain' appearing, the great rivers of power transformed now had a backbone.

The rivers of power roared at this moment, circling and coiling itself about that tiny 'grain', resembling nine dragons coiling a pearl—entwined, clinging together, ever generating, never ceasing.

In this process, the true 'Dragon Pearl' was thus born—one faint golden power pill, not quite as big as a baby's fist, thus condensed.

Whew!

Su Mu exhaled a long breath, which remained solid and undispersed, like a stream of white steel shooting several feet afar, the scorching breath melting the falling wind and snow into water.

Breath emptied, Su Mu slowly opened his eyes; a strong joy appeared on his face.

A year since Transforming Force, by relying on his own Comprehension, he had forced open the road above Transforming Force. Thus, his already vast power grew even further—completing the Fourth Refining Force.

With a thought, the power pill in his lower abdomen began to rotate, and his qi and blood surged; the previous sound of Torrential Rain now transformed into the mighty roar of crashing waves upon the shore.

"Power transmuted into pill—after my Fourth Refining Force, my control over qi and blood has reached an entirely new level. At a thought, qi and blood surge forth, utterly at my command!"

Su Mu entered introspection, carefully experiencing the mysteries after this round of refining force.

Now, the rivers of power that had surged through his body were all gone, condensed into a single power pill; seeing the now empty meridians, Su Mu felt somewhat unaccustomed for a moment.

"The Golden Core formed from my entire body's power… from now on I'll call it the Strength Golden Core."

The next instant,

Su Mu tried to stir the Strength Golden Core in his abdomen. Humm—Golden Core trembled, as if a Flood Dragon of power roared and surged out to sea from within.

The Flood Dragon coiled through his limbs and a hundred meridians, then formed a ball, containing unprecedentedly mighty power. At that moment, Su Mu was struck with insight: at any time, he could detonate this surge.

Just imagine—if such power was detonated, how terrifying would its force be?

"Swallowing the Golden Core—the fate is mine, not Heaven's… let's test its power!"

Su Mu glanced around the courtyard, pausing briefly on the old pagoda tree. Noting its wounds, he decided not to torment the tree this time.

At once, his gaze landed on a few rocks in the corner of the yard—stones he had used in Vajra Body training early on, which were superfluous to him now.

He strode through the wind and snow, goose-feather snowflakes swirling, but none truly landed on Su Mu; all were flicked away by a force before touching him.

The wind and snow could not touch him.

At this moment, Su Mu did not actively stir the power within; this invisible force was naturally formed as the Strength Golden Core revolved, as natural as breathing.

Arriving before the stones, Su Mu pressed one lightly with his hand; as the Strength Golden Core in his abdomen trembled, the power-dragon coiled and clasped the pill in his palm.

The next instant—

The power exploded.

Boom!

The stone instantly shattered into several pieces; where his palm touched it, the pill's explosive force blew ash to the wind.

Seeing this, even Su Mu himself was astonished—this press involved no Martial Arts, neither fleshly strength nor extra qi and blood, it was just a light touch, nothing more.

Yet just this single thread of power's detonation blew apart a fifty-jin solid stone into dust. If this palm were struck upon flesh—it would be truly terrifying.

"Each strand of power forged and gathered into the Golden Core… this Fourth Refining Force shall thus be called Pill Force."

The youth was quite satisfied with the force after the fourth refinement, and named it Pill Force.

After shattering the boulder with a palm, Su Mu felt some lingering excitement. His gaze settled on the swirling snow above.

He inhaled lightly.

Su Mu stretched out his arms, tracing circles as in Tai Chi. Immediately, some invisible force tugged all the snowflakes within a yard around him to gather closer.

His hands did not directly touch the snowflakes; the Pill Force, invisible, gathered all the falling snow into a ball as large as a human head, then compressed it down to fist-size.

The wind and snow kept falling, the snowball in the youth's hand growing larger, until it was half as tall as a man.

As Su Mu opened his arms wide, the rotating snowball exploded; the dispersing waves of Pill Force turned into a gale, shaking the old pagoda tree's branches violently, as if battered by a tempest.

Even more appalling were the marks left on the bluestone bricks beneath Su Mu, scars like Sword and Blade strikes, clearing a vacant area within a yard's radius.

"Pill Force—what terrifying lethality!"

Su Mu was shocked again; leaving such marks on bluestone, if he wished, a flying snow infused with Pill Force could easily kill!

An ordinary Refining Power Martial Artist without armor defending their body, even if not killed by such a strike, would suffer grievous injuries.

With Pill Force infused—even flying snow can wound the enemy!

Compared with previous Transforming Force, Pill Force extremely compresses and solidifies the user's power so that all power is condensed in one pill. Upon detonation, such explosive and destructive force far surpasses what Transforming Force can achieve. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Now, Su Mu was confident: If Zhou Tiande, Black Insect Elder, and other Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artists he had killed before were revived—even combined, they would not be his match.

Facing any one of them alone, he was sure he could kill them with a single blow. This was not arrogance; his certainty stemmed from his own formidable strength.

As for Bone Forger Martial Artists below Muscle-Enhancing level, even without using Pill Force, Su Mu could crush them easily.

After verifying the wonders of Pill Force from his Fourth Refining Force, Su Mu focused his mind and opened his attribute panel.

[Name: Su Mu (16 years old)]

[Life span: 280 years]

[Skill: Five Animals Qigong (Perfection), Tiger Subduing Fist (Perfection), Rock Shattering Fist (Perfection), Startled Sparrow Step (Perfection), Gale Fist (Perfection), Torrential Rain Spear Technique (Perfection), Iron Sand Palm (Perfection), Iron Whip Leg (Perfection), Vajra Body (Small Success 85%), Melting Gold Technique (Small Success 55%), Small Faceless Transformation Technique (Small Success 89%), Calligraphy (Small Success 34%), Alchemy (Small Success 21%), Medical Skill (Small Success 93%), Gu Technique (Small Success 91%), Artifact Refining (Entry-level 38%)]

[Comprehension: 50 (Hidden-Dragon Level)]

A glance at Su Mu's current panel showed that he now had as many as eight arts at perfection; holding ten Martial Arts in total, with seven perfected and three at Small Success.

His Comprehension had increased considerably in the past half year, rising by a full six points, now reaching a formidable fifty.

His life span too had increased by thirty years accordingly.

But, as Comprehension kept growing, especially after breaking through forty to Hidden-Dragon Level, a Ninth-Grade Martial Arts cultivated from scratch to perfection now only increased Comprehension by two points.

Su Mu also noticed that after his Third Bone Forging, the medicinal effect of Black Jade Tiger Bone Ointment had dropped precipitously, with only seventy percent left now.

"Getting the prescription was definitely the right choice!"

Now, with Alchemy at Small Success and the recipe in hand, even with a thirty percent drop in medicinal effect, he could bear it. The Fourth Bone Forging was not delayed—just slowed down.

These past six months, Su Mu timed his trips so that every three months he took a task at the Demon Slayer Bureau; though these two missions were against rather obscure targets, they did not stir much commotion in Qingyun City.

"Ninth-Grade Martial Arts now do little to raise my Comprehension; at least it'll take Eighth Grade, or ideally a Seventh Grade Martial Arts."

"Three Second-Level Rewards can be exchanged for one Eighth-Grade Martial Arts. At present, only one reward remains—first get the Demon Subduing Fist… the fusion of Rock Shattering and Gale Fist is nearly done…"

"After fusing, I'll have another powerful Eighth-Grade Martial Arts. Besides, as I now wield Pill Force, Eighth-Grade Martial Arts won't necessarily fall short of Seventh Grade in my hands—so there's no rush."

Su Mu's thoughts raced. Compared to acquiring Seventh-Grade Martial Arts, he cared even more about another issue.

"Third Bone Forging took half a year; Fourth Bone Forging will likely take more than a year… It's time to prepare for Seventh Grade breakthrough."

"Better first take a trip to the Demon Slayer Bureau. Hope I can get the necessary pill for Yijin."