Chapter 4: Erlang Shen Yang Jian (Request Follow)

“Inhale~ Exhale~”

Years of standing-pile practice allowed him to quickly adjust his breathing and enter the state.

Coupled with the breathing method inherent to the standing-pile technique, Lin Qi soon felt waves of warmth rising from his waist, surging rapidly through his body.

Streams of qi and blood wandered through his body; muscles, bones, vessels—all came alive, like a furnace refining his flesh.

Recalling the key points of Hunyuan Zhuang in his mind, his muscles trembled, his chest rose and fell with each breath, his whole body grew hot, his skin reddened.

Fatigue, aching, tingling…

The stifling air and physical discomfort tormented Lin Qi’s spirit.

“Drip~”

Sweat dripped from his forehead like beads, quickly soaking through his short-sleeved shirt.

Hold on, hold on!

Lin Qi gritted his teeth and endured, emitting a “crack-crack” sound.

He was now like a long-distance runner, clinging to a single breath.

Once he gave up, all his effort would be wasted.

He didn’t know how long had passed; his consciousness grew hazy, clinging to willpower alone.

On his panel, the template field had changed.

【You have completed a valid training session. Template progress reached 100%.】

【Template: None (99.9% + 0.1%)】

…

The moment progress reached 100%!

“Boom~”

In an instant, Lin Qi’s mind went blank.

“Ahh!!”

His consciousness plunged into darkness—a void, where only a tattered golden banner lay silent.

But at that moment, the banner suddenly trembled, radiating brilliant golden light that illuminated the entire mental space.

Golden patterns flowed across the banner, exuding boundless mystery and brewing power capable of annihilating all.

“Boom~”

The banner trembled again; in an instant, dozens of dazzling golden orbs erupted, circling the banner.

Soon, one of the golden orbs shot forward, transforming into a massive scroll.

Vast mountains, rugged rocks, strange forests, eerie trees.

A cold, stern youth stepped forward, his countenance like jade, his frame towering, like a celestial god.

Clad in battle armor, wielding a divine weapon, a third eye on his brow, he released hawks and hunting dogs, blocking and surrounding, hunting demons and monsters deep within the wild mountains.

The scroll unfurled endlessly, golden light spreading, shrouded in mysterious aura: hunting demons in the mountains, capturing dragons and slaying serpents, splitting mountains to save his mother…

Telling tales of legend.

After an unknown length of time, the stern youth suddenly raised his head, stepped out of the scroll, his body swelling, golden light pouring forth as his third eye shot a beam of gold.

“Boom!!”

Lin Qi’s consciousness was instantly struck by the golden light…

【Template: Erlang Zhenjun · Yang Jian (Fusion Level 1%)】

“This is…”

Lin Qi snapped back to awareness, gazing at the panel—its template field had changed drastically; “None” was now “Erlang Zhenjun.”

Below it appeared the words: “Fusion Level 1%.”

The next second, a torrent of information surged into his consciousness.

“The higher the fusion level, the greater your martial talent. At 100%, you fully possess Erlang Zhenjun’s talent.”

Lin Qi processed the information, a glimmer of understanding appearing in his eyes.

Simultaneously, his spirit trembled—Erlang Shen?!

Erlang Shen—a figure from mythology, folk tales, novels, comics, films, and TV dramas.

He bore countless titles: Erlang Zhenjun, Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun, Chuanzhu Di Jun, the Hunter God…

Innately gifted, immensely strong, boundless magical power, indestructible spiritual soul, flesh made holy…

Utterly powerful—a perfect warrior.

Lin Qi could hardly contain his excitement—this was Erlang Shen, a celestial being, the strongest among the third-generation disciples of Yuanshi Tianzun in myth.

Even just 1% of his talent would make him a genius in others’ eyes.

“Ahh!!”

As he thrilled, a mysterious energy surged into his body—suddenly, searing pain exploded through him.

“Crack-crack~”

His bones shattered in an instant, twisting his face in agony.

This was the template’s talent transformation!!

Lin Qi realized—the fusion process was also a bodily transformation, a reshaping.

To avoid worrying his parents, he struggled to pull his dirty martial arts uniform from his backpack, twisted it into a ball, and bit it between his teeth.

“Crack-crack!!”

“Aaaahhh!!”

Pain—so much pain!

Bones shattered, muscles torn, tingling, itching—the agony of standing-pile training paled in comparison.

Gene optimization—his entire body was being remade; tendons, bones, muscles, constitution undergoing a revolutionary transformation.

Lin Qi writhed on the ground like a caterpillar, sweat mingling with dust.

He didn’t know how long he held on—then lost consciousness.

Three hours later, 11:30

“Whirrr~”

Amid the stifling heat and the whirring fan, Lin Qi slowly opened his eyes.

The previous scene flashed in his mind—he was still shaken; the pain had been unbearable, worse than death itself, worse than the ten tortures.

“Huh~”

Finally over.

As he rose from the floor, he caught sight of himself in the wardrobe mirror—dusty, sticky with sweat, nauseating.

“Gurgle~”

The next instant, a sound reached his ears—intense hunger surged into his mind like a thunderclap.

“Water, food!” Lin Qi quickly opened his drawer, swallowed all remaining red Qi-capsules, then devoured several blocks of compressed biscuits—the snacks he ate after training to stave off hunger.

He ate them one by one; in moments, they were all gone.

He opened the fridge, grabbed a drink, and gulped it down frantically—three bottles, then kept eating.

Gazing at the fruit and leftover dishes in the fridge, he began wolfing them down.

After eating, Lin Qi felt deeply satisfied.

But suddenly, an odd odor drifted through the air.

“Sniff~ Sniff~”

“What’s that smell? Ugh?”

Lin Qi smelled a foul stench, like decades-old sludge from a sealed sewer.

And it came from his own body—his skin was coated in grime and sweat, with streams of black liquid oozing out: metabolic waste.

!

Ten minutes later

Lin Qi stepped out of the bathroom, feeling utterly refreshed as he collapsed onto his bed, as if reborn.

“I’m alive!”

Gazing at the ceiling, he felt the contentment of a full belly.

Lin Qi felt his entire body light and free, as if his sinews and marrow had been purified.

Before he could ponder further, fatigue and sleepiness washed over him—he fell into slumber.

…

The next day, September 2

“Ding-ding!”

Lin Qi opened his eyes, turned off the alarm as usual, and sat up on the bed.

The first thing he did was check the panel.

【You have awakened the Erlang Shen · Yang Jian template. The higher the fusion level, the greater your talent.】

【Having fused Erlang Shen’s talent, your body has transformed; your talent and comprehension have improved.】

【Your stomach’s digestive capacity has been enhanced.】

…

【Name: Lin Qi (17)】

【Profession: Martial Artist】

【Template: Yang Jian (Second Son of Heaven) — Integration Level: 1%】

【Vitality: 5.3 → 5.4】

【Martial Art: Hunyuan Stance, Tiger Form Fist (Minor Mastery), Basic Spear Technique】

【Fist Technique: Stage One, 80%】

【Spear Technique: Stage One, 60%】

【Body Movement: Stage One, 57%】

……

Lin Qi silently stared at the template entry for Yang Jian, and despite his calm mind, he could not suppress a surge of excitement.

Integrating Yang Jian’s talent, even just 1%, had strengthened his physical potential and comprehension.

He stood up, stretched his body, and felt boundless energy surging from within.

Although his vitality had only increased by 0.1, he felt it was due to insufficient resources.

If he could consume enough vitality potions and other resources, his vitality would skyrocket.

He also noticed his body had become lighter and faster, all fatigue and soreness vanished.

Lin Qi clenched his fist; power flowed from his waist — better than ever before.

The integration of this talent had not only reshaped my body; in novel terms, it had remade my sinews and marrow.

“And it even relaxed my muscles — I don’t need physical therapy anymore, saving me a fortune.”

After muttering to himself, he stepped out and went to the bathroom to wash up.

“Ssshh~”

While brushing his teeth, Lin Qi stared at his reflection and was startled.

“I’ve grown taller!”

Lin Qi was astonished to find subtle changes in his height and physique.

His shoulders had broadened, his muscle definition sharpened.

After washing up, he went to the living room and checked the height mark on the wall.

“One meter seventy-eight!”

He had grown two centimeters — Lin Qi was delighted.

In this era, martial artists with adequate nutrition were on average ten to twenty centimeters taller than a few decades ago.

The average height for male martial artists had even surpassed one meter ninety, pulled upward by some who exceeded two meters.

“Little Qi, you’re up? Have breakfast.”

Fang Huiyi brought out buns and steamed bread and placed them on the table.

“Mom, your health hasn’t fully recovered — you should rest more.”

Lin Qi sat down with his black coffee.

“It’s fine, I know my body best. Don’t worry. Eat more.”

Fang Huiyi said dismissively.

Lin Qi looked at the portion on the table — twice his usual amount — and began devouring it.

He was truly starving.

A few minutes later, all the buns and steamed bread on the table were gone.

“I’m off to school.”

“Be careful!”

Fang Huiyi watched Lin Qi leave, her face growing weary again. She glanced at the bedroom: “Let Ah Zhen sleep longer.”

Then she turned back to the kitchen to prepare Lin Zhen’s breakfast.

……

(End of Chapter)