Chapter 54: Hard Cultivation: The First Flesh Transformation

In the valley, the sun rose and the moon set, winter passed and summer came.

Su Chen became utterly immersed in the cultivation of the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Axes, completely oblivious to the passage of time.

Each day, aside from the bare minimum of seated meditation to restore his magic power, all his time was devoted to practicing the axe.

At the center of the valley, a figure wielded a massive axe, darting and dodging, swinging relentlessly.

Every swing of his axe carried an unstoppable, domineering will.

The axe’s edge sliced through the air with a dull roar, as if capable of tearing open space itself.

The ground was already riddled with countless holes and crisscrossing fissures; the entire valley’s terrain had been forcibly reshaped by him.

At first, Su Chen could barely manage the first form.

Later, he gradually grasped its secrets.

He realized that the most crucial element of this axe technique was not the amount of strength, nor the precision of the forms.

It was the “will.”

That supreme will, originating from Pangu, the primordial force that cleaved heaven and earth!

As long as he seized that “will,” the power of the axe technique would multiply exponentially.

As his understanding of the axe technique deepened, he gradually unlocked the subsequent forms.

After three years of arduous cultivation, Su Chen finally comprehended the first six forms of the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Axes.

These six forms grew progressively harder to master, each more domineering than the last.

With each form he unlocked, it was as if he had opened a door to a new world.

His understanding of power and his insights into flesh cultivation were rapidly advancing.

Of course, this process was filled with hardship.

This axe technique placed an enormous burden on the flesh.

After each training session, Su Chen felt as if his body were about to fall apart, every inch of him aching.

Torn muscles and groaning bones were commonplace.

For an ordinary cultivator, such severe injuries would require at least ten to fifteen days to recover.

But Su Chen discovered a startling phenomenon.

The more severely he was injured, the faster he recovered!

Moreover, after each recovery, his flesh became tougher and more resilient than before.

This was because, as he continuously practiced the axe technique, the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Axes drew celestial Sha qi from the constellations, continuously refining his flesh.

That pure Sha qi acted like the most efficient catalyst, relentlessly stimulating every cell within him, driving the deepest level of transformation and evolution.

His muscles grew denser, brimming with explosive power; his bones hardened, glowing faintly with a jade-like luster.

His blood thickened, flowing like molten lava, pulsing with immense blood qi.

Recently, Su Chen noticed his height had increased slightly; his overall physique now appeared taller and more balanced than before.

Though outwardly he still looked like the same slender Daoist priest.

Only Su Chen knew what terrifying flesh lay hidden beneath his robes.

“It’s about time…”

On this day, after completing one full round of the first six axe forms, Su Chen sheathed his axe and stood still.

He could clearly feel his blood qi had boiled to its peak.

Muscles, bones, meridians, internal organs…

Every part of his body had reached its limit at this stage.

To advance further in flesh cultivation, he must undergo a complete transformation!

Over these three years, the celestial Sha qi drawn and accumulated through constant practice of the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Axes had reached a critical threshold.

It was time for his first flesh transformation.

“Come on!”

In Su Chen’s eyes flashed a resolute gleam.

Without hesitation, he raised his Kai Shan Axe once more.

This time, he no longer practiced each form separately.

He linked the first six forms together in a seamless, flowing sequence.

All six forms, executed as one!

As Su Chen perfectly completed the first six forms of the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Axes,

His flesh connected with the constellations, drawing down a torrent of celestial Sha qi that surged into his body.

This vast influx of celestial Sha qi triggered the accumulated Sha qi within him; the two powerful forces resonated, exploding instantly within his body.

“Ughhhhh!”

An indescribable agony swept through his entire body.

Su Chen couldn’t help but let out a pained roar.

He felt as if his body were being burned inside a colossal furnace, every inch of flesh and bone ignited.

His skin began to crack inch by inch; thick, foul-smelling black blood seeped from the fissures.

These were the deepest impurities and toxins within him, forcibly expelled under the cleansing force of the celestial Sha qi.

“Crack… crack…”

He could even clearly hear the sound of his bones shattering and reforming.

The pain was a thousand times worse than being sliced by a thousand knives.

Even with Su Chen’s iron will, he nearly fainted from the agony.

“Hold your spirit!”

Su Chen silently recited the Calming Mantra, forcing himself to remain conscious.

He knew this was the most critical moment.

If he lost control, if his spirit faltered, the raging celestial Sha qi would instantly spiral out of control, ravaging his body and destroying it.

He used the methods from the Hunyuan Golden Core True Scripture to guard his Primordial Spirit.

Simultaneously, he fiercely guided the wild Sha qi, channeling it through the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Axes’ method to refine his flesh.

Time stretched unbearably long in this moment.

Every minute, every second, was torture for Su Chen.

After what felt like an eternity, the soul-rending agony gradually began to subside.

In its place came an unprecedented sense of ease and power.

Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.

He looked down at his body.

His previously cracked skin had fully healed, leaving not even a scar.

The new skin was as white as jade, fine and smooth, yet possessed astonishing resilience.

Beneath the skin, his blood qi surged ceaselessly, his muscles and bones like divine iron forged in fire.

Slowly, he raised his right hand and clenched it gently.

A sharp, crisp explosion rang out in the air.

Even the surrounding space seemed to warp slightly from the force of his grip.

“Is this the power after transformation?”

Su Chen reveled in the surging, overwhelming strength within him—the terrifying power that could punch through a mountain—and felt immense joy.

He felt his flesh’s strength had increased by at least tenfold compared to before!

Su Chen believed that even without using any magic power, merely with this body, he could effortlessly crush demons of the same realm.

He even dared to challenge a demon king of the Earth Immortal level!

“Awesome!”

Su Chen couldn’t help but let out a thunderous roar to the heavens.

The roar shook the sky, shattering the clouds above into fragments.