Chapter 34: New Life Transformation, From Nine to Eight

"For the next few days, you don't need to come to class for training; just peacefully accept your Mortal Body's Transformation."

Lao Liang smiled with relief; how could he not perceive the vigorous life force within Qin Shi, yearning to burst forth?

Like a sprouting branch, it only awaited the watering of sweet rain, the bathing in sunlight,

to grow vigorously upward, becoming a towering momentum.

"Unlike the steady progress of New Martial Arts breakthroughs, the Old Martial Arts path breaks the Physical Limit; each time is like welcoming a new life, so savor this wonderful taste well."

Hearing Lao Liang's words, Qin Shi's eyes lit up.

The rebirth brought by Nurturing Dragon Tendons was already surprising enough.

He thought it would end there, never expecting there would be a continuation.

"Drawing a card with a safety-net mindset, only to suddenly see golden light flash... what a beautiful thing."

Qin Shi rubbed his hands in anticipation; the great hardships he endured, the great suffering he suffered, were not in vain.

He had now broken through the Ten Point Threshold of life force; as long as he increased another two or three points.

The exam was set at Amateur Ninth Dan, practically a done deal.

That meant before school started, he still had huge room for improvement.

"However, the Mortal Body Transformation, the Second Rebirth, also has downsides. You must pay attention, Little Zhou."

Lao Liang suddenly changed the subject.

"What? If it's just preserving Yuan Yang, avoiding women, I think I have no problem!"

Qin Shi held his head high and chest out, righteous and awe-inspiring.

Following the Old Martial Arts faction's traditional style, they'd probably require disciples to maintain virginity, a pure yang body.

For him, no big problem!

After all, Dongxia isn't like his previous life; the internet is exceptionally developed, borderline succubi everywhere, disturbing people's Dao hearts.

You should know, the workers' children on Old Factory Street are still at the innocent stage of secretly watching yellow videotapes, viewing handicrafts as shameful; compared to the lustful atmosphere of the previous generation that was like a flood or fierce beast, it can truly be called simple and honest folk customs.

"That's not necessary; the Old Martial Arts faction aren't monks becoming monks, they don't emphasize this."

Lao Liang shook his head:

"It's just that during the New Life Stage, appetite increases; two boxes of Nutrient Paste a day might not be enough for you anymore.

After breaking the limit, your body needs to replenish energy, and the more the better.

Given the current situation, at least four boxes or more of Nutrient Paste are needed to satisfy..."

It's going to cost money?

Qin Shi's heart skipped a beat, instantly paining like a knife twisting.

Savings decreasing by a steady three hundred fifty-two yuan every day!

Who could withstand this!

"Old Factory Street's black market business isn't big; smuggled contraband and officially leaked high-energy food generally go through Yincheng.

Otherwise, I was thinking of getting some sent over for you.

During the New Life Stage, the better you eat, the more violently life force surges."

Lao Liang sighed; he hadn't saved much money these years either.

Before, thinking one person eating meant the whole family not starving, wages all went to expenses.

Finally deciding to take Qin Shi as a closed-door disciple, things became tight everywhere.

Truly like picking up a young child to raise, forced to earn milk powder money.

"Just a few boxes of Nutrient Paste, Master Liang needn't worry, I can afford it."

Qin Shi didn't have the shameless thought of continuing to live off his master; Lao Liang had subsidized him quite a bit, front and back.

Not being filial with gifts as a disciple was one thing, but turning around and cleaning out his master's savings.

If word got out, it'd be a laughingstock!

Leaving Zi Fu No. 9 Middle School, Qin Shi didn't go to Midnight Palace again, directly having Xie Yucheng help request leave.

Then, tearing up, he spent over a thousand yuan to purchase twelve boxes of Longxiang Ji Nutritional Ointment.

Returning to the shed house home, sitting on the bedroom bed, Qin Shi activated 【Muscle Memory】.

One-click entry into Grasping Qi Sensation, operating Small Heavenly Circuit training mode!

Exhale! Inhale!

That warm current circulated within his body, traversing blood, flesh, skin membranes, and the spaces between limbs and joints.

As Qin Shi's abdominal breathing grew more and more intense, the bedroom sounded like a bellows being pulled, whirring and whistling.

Outside the shed house, Lao Ya Qin Lan, who was cooking, looked full of worry:

"Second Brother, what are you doing in the room? Feels like you're going to lift the roof off."

Every forty minutes of Qi Circulation Qin Shi performed, his internal energy was thoroughly exhausted, every cell emitting intense thirst.

He was like a starving ghost who hadn't eaten for days, grabbing a box of Nutrient Paste and wolfing it down into his mouth.

Whatever terrible texture, bland taste, completely disregarded.

Only wanting to fill that bottomless pit of a stomach!

In under two minutes, that box of high-calorie Nutrient Paste was eliminated.

The extremely concentrated carbohydrates didn't provide Qin Shi with much satiety.

"Still hungry..."

He opened another box of Nutrient Paste, continuing to eat heartily, as if the sticky substance dogs wouldn't eat was some rare delicacy.

Just like that, he finished six boxes in one go, and that hunger sensation that kept impacting his brain finally disappeared.

"So sleepy."

After eating his fill, Qin Shi felt drowsiness wash over him; he pushed open the door to tell his youngest sister Qin Lan a word, then returned to his bedroom and fell fast asleep.

【Intermediate Achievement - Deep Sleep (5/30)】

Early the next morning, he slowly opened his eyes, ignoring the floating text information on his retina.

After briefly washing up, he continued training, then used nutrient paste to replenish the energy his body lacked.

"So this is the New Life Stage? Like a newborn baby, besides eating, it's just sleeping, as if by instinct."

Qin Shi immersed himself in the process of Mortal Body Transformation; his flesh and blood seemed full of vitality, flashing with a lustrous glow under Inner Vision State.

The red and white colors of his limbs and trunk grew richer, with quite high brightness, like high-power spotlights, almost enough to blind dog eyes.

Only organs like his brain, heart, and lungs were slightly dimmer, clearly inferior by a notch.

He summoned the Stele Panel; the data updated, refreshing downward—

【Anchor Point: Qin Shi】

【Growth Stage: Embryo】

【Progress: 0.011%】

【Monument Count: Deep Sleep (Intermediate), Muscle Memory (Intermediate), Overgrowth (Beginner)】

【Skill: Combat Retrospection, Inner Vision】

"No wonder the Old Martial Arts school longs so desperately for Body Limit Breakthrough. Just one day has passed, and I've already gained a bit of Qi Life Force."

"And this without doing anything, just eating and sleeping."

Qin Shi sighed; the Rebirth Transformation brought by breaking the limit was like some essential sublimation, making one utterly addicted.

He stared fixedly at himself in the mirror, line after line of leaping data quietly revealing the results.

Old Martial Arts Training Method Level 2 (5/30)

Old Martial Arts Fighting Method Level 1 (18/20)

Body 10.5→11.2

Spirit 10.1→10.9

"The feedback provided by such significant growth is indeed worth the pain of burning tendons several times."

Lao Liang miscalculated the amount of nutrient paste Qin Shi needed during his New Life Stage; possibly due to the blessing of Guo Sheng Zhang, he had better absorption and digestion capabilities than other creatures of the same kind.

He had to eat six boxes of nutrient paste every day just to satisfy his normal metabolism.

"This transformation will probably last about four days... meaning I'll have to spend over two thousand more."

Seeing his wallet constantly shrinking, Qin Shi couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency.

Even if he worked two part-time jobs, it was hard to make up for the ever-increasing expenses.

Who said diligence leads to wealth...

Qin Shi gritted his teeth; he couldn't very well work four part-time jobs, could he?

Even if Qi Life Force broke through the Ten Point Threshold, it couldn't withstand such intense squeezing!

"The money my sister left isn't enough to spend at all."

Suppressing the thought of getting rich quick, Qin Shi continued to wolf down nutrient paste, then endure the boring days of sleeping and dormancy.

After five days had passed, his youngest sister Qin Lan, who cleaned the house, washed clothes, and cooked at home, had already begun to suspect that her second brother had failed in a love confession, suffered heartbreak, and thus let himself go.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became; the expression in her eyes gradually turned resolute, as she prepared to single-handedly shoulder the burden of supporting the family.

Boom, an extremely muffled heavy sound reverberated!

Like a wooden mallet striking a great drum, it made the eardrums buzz and clamor!

"An earthquake?"

Qin Lan widened her eyes, hastily put down her pen, paper, and exercise books, and ran toward Qin Shi's bedroom.

The wooden door was blown by the air current into clattering noise, finally "Bang!" slamming onto the ground.

"Second Brother..."

Qin Lan gaped, looking surprised; only to see the shirtless Qin Shi surrounded by white mist, that was rolling heat formed by evaporating sweat.

This scene was simply like a special effects shot in an Old Era movie where the protagonist cultivates divine arts.

"Qi Life Force has reached its limit."

Qin Shi, sitting cross-legged with eyes closed, breathed calmly; a long and short white airflow stretched and contracted at the tip of his nose, like tiny swimming snakes.

The great progress of Old Martial Arts Training Method allowed him to grasp Qi Sensation, making the circulation more and more proficient; one Small Heavenly Circuit after another turned, releasing the surging heat within his body.

At first glance, it was like a human-shaped furnace!

Old Martial Arts Training Method Level 2 (14/30)

Old Martial Arts Fighting Method Level 2 (9/30)

Body 14.7→15.1

Spirit 14.5→14.9

"The combination of body and spirit is Qi Life Force; I've already broken through fifteen points."

The harvest from breaking the physical limit was too rich, simply like a dream."

Qin Shi was both surprised and delighted; he had never thought that developing Qi Life Force could be this easy.

In just a few days, he would be able to reach the passing standard of Amateur Eighth Rank!

"If ranked at Eighth Rank, the score bonus brought would be enough for me to enter first-rank academies like Heng University and Ke University."

Qin Shi suppressed his inner excitement, slowly gathering the boiling qi heat flow.

The abundant vitality contained in the Mortal Body gradually hid itself, like boiling water cooling and calming, returning to the flesh and blood.

He clearly perceived that his own strength had increased enormously, and his senses had become sharper.

His entire body's intensity seemed to have leapt upward!

"I remember Lao Liang saying that the minimum requirement for Hundred Aspects Momentum/Force tempering is twenty points of Qi Life Force."

Qin Shi spread his five fingers, recalling the four mysterious scenes of Wu Lin Huo Shan in his Brain Sea:

"This step is not far off."

……

……

ps: During the recommendation period, need to keep reading, placing a bowl to beg for Monthly Tickets~

(Chapter End)