"Huh?" Sun Yunlong, who had been thrown to the ground and was completely disoriented, stared blankly along with everyone else in the hall. They hadn't understood.
"Sigh." Shen Lang sighed and said, "Don't you feel a little bloated? Can't you feel your stomach gurgling and rumbling? If you hadn't recklessly used your Spiritual Power earlier, it might not have been a big deal. But now…"
Sun Yunlong subconsciously touched his stomach. The next moment, his face soured. He shot to his feet and dashed toward the end of the hall.
His speed was more than twice as fast as when he had charged at Shen Lang!
'Tsk, that's the second person today. Life isn't easy for them… But why did they have to provoke me? I'm actually a really kind person.' Shen Lang turned around with a slight frown, glanced at the men lying on the floor, then shifted his gaze to the people hiding in the distance. He said, "Let's make a bet. I bet that guy… Sun Yunlong, right? Once he gets to the latrine, he won't be able to come out for at least four hours. If he does, I lose fifty Gold Coins."
"HISS!" A collective gasp echoed through the hall.
"That's vicious. That guy is just too vicious. Sun Yunlong is going to have diarrhea until he collapses from exhaustion…"
"Damn it, didn't you all say he was a good-for-nothing? How can a good-for-nothing be this strong? Even if it were us, we might not have been able to dodge those moves just now!"
'Thank God I was smart enough not to say anything bad about him, otherwise…'
Shen Lang swept a cold gaze over the crowd, said nothing more, and entered the Cultivation Chamber with some difficulty, closing the door behind him.
To the outsiders, his previous movements had seemed as smooth and effortless as flowing clouds and water. But only Shen Lang himself knew the strain it had taken.
Although he had been cultivating diligently in the Phoenix Mountain Range all these years, his inability to accumulate Spiritual Qi and use it to cleanse his meridians and forge his body meant his physical strength was far inferior to his peers.
The few punches and kicks just now had looked easy, but in reality, they had pushed him to his limit.
If another troublemaker had shown up, he really wouldn't have been able to handle them.
Now, sitting on the floor, Shen Lang took a heavy breath and frowned.
He could only use this Cultivation Chamber for three days. The time was too short, and how to conduct his Cultivation had become a difficult problem.
In the War Emperor's memories, he was practically a grandmaster of all professions.
The Artifact Refining Dao, the Alchemy Dao, Talisman Making… he was an expert in them all.
But in Shen Lang's view, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Some people could achieve the Dao through Artifact Refining, others through Alchemy. It all depended on an individual's opportunities and talent.
But on the path of Cultivation, throughout a Martial Artist's entire life, not even one in ten could achieve Great Success in a single art.
'Even if someone was exceptionally brilliant, there's no need to cultivate oneself into an all-powerful jack-of-all-trades!'
Artifact Refining or Alchemy—these pursuits were even more difficult than Martial Arts and consumed far more time and energy.
After all, a Martial Artist's lifespan was limited.
Only by cultivating to a relatively high Realm could one gain a lifespan of a thousand years or even longer.
'Otherwise, you study Artifact Refining, you study Alchemy, you study Arrays… and before you've even figured out Artifact Refining, you reach the end of your life… What a tragedy that would be!'
Shen Lang had already resolved himself to one thing: he would focus on Martial Arts!
He would ascend to the Martial Arts Peak!
Only immense power could bring him a sense of security and allow him to protect his family and friends.
Now that he had those memories, he possessed experience from all sorts of Realms, so he didn't need to spend too much effort on that front.
However, the question of how to cultivate, and which Cultivation Technique to use, had him stumped.
'Even the War Emperor, when faced with that enormous face in the Void, was still no match for it. He seemed completely unable to resist… which means he still wasn't strong enough.'
'But what I fear more is whether I'm fated to walk the same path as the War Emperor!'
'Cultivating diligently only to fail in the end—and fail miserably at that…'
'Anyone who knew their fate would end like that would be devastated.'
'The Cultivation Techniques from the memories were undeniably powerful. But even though he was so powerful, didn't the War Emperor who practiced them still die a mysterious death in the end?'
'I must forge a completely new path. Otherwise, fate might just repeat itself…'
'My body is too weak. The most urgent task now is to absorb the abundant Spiritual Qi in this Cultivation Chamber and raise my Cultivation a bit. I just don't know if that Tai Chi Diagram Martial Soul will actually be of any use.'
Having vaguely made his decision, Shen Lang shook his head hard, scattering his thoughts.
He calmed his mind and began trying to control the Tai Chi Diagram in his Pill Sea.
This time, the Black and White Qi instantly turned violent, darting about chaotically like swimming dragons!
Under the impact of this strange and powerful Energy, countless sealed meridians were all blasted open!
In a short time, all of Shen Lang's hundred meridians were clear!
One after another, a series of profound Vein Gates, including the Void and Zuyao, were burst open in a single, powerful surge!
During this process, Shen Lang's body would at one moment emit smoke, convulsing uncontrollably as if struck by lightning, experiencing all sorts of agony!
And in the next moment, he would feel an indescribable pleasure coursing through his body, making him want to shout for joy and dance around!
Heaven and Hell constantly switched places in this strange state…
Yet, even as his consciousness blurred, even through the soul-deep, excruciating pain, Shen Lang kept his jaw clenched and didn't make a sound!!
The soul-tearing agony left him dizzy for a long while before it gradually subsided.
'What a bizarre thing. A normal Martial Soul couldn't possibly have this kind of effect. To think it opened so many of my Vein Gates at once, and in such a short time, it forcibly raised my physical strength by this much…' Shen Lang opened his eyes, which were filled with shock.
Without even taking the time to wipe away the blood, he quickly focused his mind again, controlling the Black and White Qi and slowly circulating it along his meridians.
Although the pain was extreme, the benefits were self-evident. After just one Circulation of the Tai Chi Diagram, his hundred meridians were cleared, and they had already become much tougher and more resilient.
'If I keep cultivating like this, won't I not even need to practice those Body Refining Divine Techniques from my memories?'
After cultivating like this for more than two hours, Shen Lang, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, finally reached his limit and stopped, his eyes lifeless.
His whole body trembled unceasingly as if he had a fever, and his complexion was somewhat terrifying.
"Tai Chi Diagram, stabilize!"
Shen Lang formed a Hand Seal and activated the Heart Method from the Sleeping Arhat Skill that absorbed nature's spiritual energy.
The Black and White Qi spun rapidly in his Pill Sea, once again forming the Tai Chi Diagram.
However, under the influence of the Sleeping Arhat Skill, a small vortex rapidly formed around the Tai Chi Diagram.
The small amount of Spiritual Power in Shen Lang's body was uncontrollably drawn into the vortex, flowing toward his Pill Sea!
Not only that, but the situation outside his body was even more terrifying…
Spiritual Power raged around him, forming an immense vortex.
The air inside the Cultivation Chamber suddenly began to fluctuate. Streams of abundant Spiritual Qi materialized out of thin air, eventually coalescing into streams of faintly tangible, light-blue Energy.
This tangible, light-blue Energy howled and swirled above Shen Lang's head before being pulled by the vortex on the Tai Chi Diagram and frantically crashing into his body.
The impact from the Energy formed by the massive amount of Spiritual Qi didn't make Shen Lang's body tremble. Instead, it was as if it had crashed into a bottomless black hole, and was bizarrely devoured by him.
Violent Energy fluctuations spread rapidly through the Cultivation Chamber like ripples, only to be deflected back by the chamber's Array barrier.
His entire body was like the center of a whirlpool.
And at this moment, Shen Lang was like a black hole emitting an infinite suction force, completely devouring the incredibly dense Spiritual Qi within the Cultivation Chamber!
If any outsider were to witness this terrifying rate of absorption, they would likely be struck dumb with shock on the spot.
How could something like this possibly be accomplished by someone at the Power Martial Realm Second Heaven?
Even the Cultivation of a Qi Martial Realm expert didn't cause such a commotion!
This strange Cultivation continued for three full days.
Suddenly, Shen Lang's eyes flew open, and a sharp, brilliant light shot out from his dark pupils.
In that instant, the slightly dim Cultivation Chamber became much brighter…
'All the meridians below the Qi Martial Realm have been cleared, and the Spiritual Power in my Pill Sea has reached its limit. The next step is to compress all the Spiritual Power into a liquid state and break through to the Qi Martial Realm.'
'It's a pity. Power Martial Realm Ninth Heaven is still a little too weak to deal with Shen Jianfeng. However, my physical strength has changed dramatically in these three days.'
'My body's current strength should be around the level of the Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven. This Black and White Qi is truly amazing…'
'When the Black and White Qi strikes the meridian blockages, it's too domineering. The barriers at the ends of many meridians seemed to have become very fragile even before the impact. Could it be because of that mysterious green liquid? I'll have to study it properly later.'
No one would believe that in just three days, Shen Lang, who had been stuck at the Power Martial Realm Second Heaven, had advanced by leaps and bounds, soaring directly to the Power Martial Realm Ninth Heaven!
Moreover, his physical strength had reached the level of the Qi Martial Realm!
By now, his Pill Sea had formed, and all the Spiritual Power in his body had gathered and fused together.
A strange sensation spread through his body, allowing him to feel the increase in his strength and giving him the faint illusion that he was in control of everything.
"BEEP… BEEP…"
A continuous, long tone suddenly sounded from inside the Cultivation Chamber. His Contribution Points had been used up, and it was reminding him to leave.
'I have to find a way to get some more Contribution Points.' Shen Lang stood up with a wry smile and walked out.
Stumbling and reeking of a foul odor, with bloodstains still on his face and the corners of his mouth, he walked out of the Cultivation Hall in this sorry state.
His appearance didn't surprise anyone. There were plenty of people in the Cultivation Hall who looked just like that.
But as soon as he stepped out the main gate, Shen Lang froze…
At the entrance of the Cultivation Hall stood a young girl in a red dress.
The girl was no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with skin fairer than snow. She had a few small bells hanging on her clothes and two small golden bells on her wrist. Whenever the wind blew, the bells all over her body would DING-A-LING-LING incessantly.
"You're finally out."
The girl looked at Shen Lang and smiled faintly, revealing two lovely dimples.
And her laughter was as clear and pleasant as a silver bell.
Behind her, Lin Feng and Su Hen had pained expressions on their faces and were frantically trying to signal him, gesturing for him to run for his life.
"I've been waiting for you for three days. You finally decided to show yourself…"
Within that crisp and pleasant voice was an inexplicable chill as Xue Dangdang's gaze swept over Shen Lang like the blade of a knife.