Chapter 163: Break Through, Sixth Stage of Heaven!

"This Wu Gong is kinda interesting!"

Chen Mu used a card; his body trembled slightly, muscles and fascia quivered, and he gained a new Wu Gong.

"Hundred Transformations Body!"

As the name suggests, practicing the Hundred Transformations Body allows one to alter one's physique.

Bone shrinking! Disguise!

The skill card's recorded Hundred Transformations Body was only slightly accomplished—it could not yet shrink bones.

Only when the Wu Gong reaches great accomplishment can one shrink bones.

And this special Wu Gong, Hundred Transformations Body, leans toward technique and can be improved via cultivation cards to raise its Mastered Realm!

Chen Mu still had about ten cultivation cards left.

Perfect for the job!

"Good, good."

Chen Mu's lips curled upward.

Chen Mu had no interest in the post-heaven Wu Gong recorded on skill cards.

General fist and palm techniques of pre-heaven Wu Gong also held little interest—he kept them mostly as backups.

Only special Wu Gong like the Five Elements Spirit Transformation Scripture and the Hundred Transformations Body warranted cultivation to raise their Mastered Realm.

…

On the arena, the body-refining martial artists continued their duel.

Chen Mu sat watching until evening, when the gathering ended; he picked up two more Qi cards.

He never obtained a Strength Enhancement card.

Clearly, the requirements for picking up Strength Enhancement cards are higher.

Still, Qi cards were a decent harvest.

Return to the inn.

Chen Mu first took out ten cultivation cards and began enhancing the Hundred Transformations Body.

One after another, he used them; every muscle, fascia, bone, even his five viscera and six bowels, trembled, wrapped in Qi.

After using all ten cultivation cards, Chen Mu took out one more and used it—finally elevating the Hundred Transformations Body to Great Accomplishment, fully mastering it.

"Crackling~"

Bones shifted; Chen Mu's height shrank from nearly one meter eighty to one meter fifty.

Facial muscles and fascia quivered, rippling like water, his features rapidly transforming.

Within two breaths, Chen Mu became a completely different person!

Combined with "Vocal Imitation," he could impersonate others with uncanny realism.

After the fake skin mask shattered, he could finally "change faces" again!

"Crackling~"

Bones shifted, facial muscles rearranged—Chen Mu returned to his original form.

"Huh~"

He took a deep breath, calming his mind.

Chen Mu sat cross-legged, took out Qi cards, and used them one by one, driving the Duan Tianhe Scripture to circulate, converting it into his own Qi to break through to the Sixth Stage of Heaven.

His cultivation, already perfected, now surged forward in wave after wave under the push of newly added Qi.

Only two Qi cards—equivalent to one and a half years' worth of Qi—were enough to successfully Break Through Realm.

Hum~~~

His body trembled, his aura spiraled.

Pores opened, mist rose.

Chen Mu opened his palm; a strand of Qi extended outward, rising and falling on his palm—though gaseous, it felt heavy and dense.

Qi like mercury—Sixth Stage of Heaven!

At this realm, Qi had been refined repeatedly and underwent a qualitative transformation. When released, its lethality and destructive power far surpassed previous stages.

Push forward with full force.

Chen Mu used up all remaining Qi cards, reinforcing this qualitative change.

…

The next day.

Chen Mu checked out of his room and left Lingwu City.

His next destination: Wulong Prefecture.

When taking leave from Lu Tang, Lu Tang had introduced him.

In Wulong Prefecture's Town Martial Office, Lu Tang had an acquaintance—a fellow senior officer, a disciple of the Town Pacifier.

Such officers, backed by powerful patrons, came to the regions purely for training and prestige—reliable and trustworthy.

Wulong Prefecture was roughly two hundred li straight from Lingwu City.

Chen Mu strode swiftly.

Leaving the bustling Lingwu City, travelers on the road grew sparse.

Though Chen Mu appeared relaxed, his "Listen to the Wind" skill had already activated silently—every rustle and breeze within several li was within his perception.

Less than ten li beyond the city gate, entering a relatively secluded forest area, Chen Mu's eyes flickered slightly.

A faint, steady footstep—always maintaining a fixed distance—clung to him like a bone-deep parasite, having trailed him for some distance.

"Accidental companion? Or stalker?"

Chen Mu pondered, preparing to accelerate and shake off the pursuer.

Yet, the instant he sped up—

The aura behind him surged violently, its speed skyrocketing severalfold as it shot forward like a phantom.

A sharp, unhidden killing intent locked onto Chen Mu!

"Hm?"

Chen Mu frowned; this speed could not possibly belong to an ordinary Early Innate Stage cultivator.

Shhh~ Shhh~ Shhh~!

A piercing whistle of air rupture erupted.

Several dark, icy specks tore through the air at treacherous angles, striking straight for Chen Mu's back, neck, and other vital points.

Their speed was astonishing, silent and unseen—clearly specially crafted, terrifying projectiles!

Shhh~

Chen Mu, as if seeing behind him, twisted his body in a bizarre sidestep while the Star-Splitting Sword instantly unsheathed, spinning into a curtain of blades behind him.

Ding-ding-dang-dang!

A rapid series of sharp clinks sent sparks flying.

The dark projectiles were either deflected by the swordlight or grazed his sleeves, embedding deep into nearby tree trunks, instantly glowing with an eerie blue hue—clearly coated in deadly poison!

As the projectiles fell, the shadow was already upon him!

His movement was uncanny and unpredictable, slithering along the ground like a boneless creature, evading Chen Mu's backhanded slash, twin short daggers glinting with an eerie light stabbing straight for Chen Mu's waist and abdomen.

The techniques were ruthless and cunning—purely a fight-to-the-death style.

"Die!"

Chen Mu snorted coldly, the Star-Splitting Sword flashing like a bolt of cold lightning, striking precisely at the assailant's wrist.

The shadow seemed utterly astonished by Chen Mu's reaction and sword speed, yanking his hand back and twisting his body like an eel, barely avoiding the blade's tip, while his other hand's dagger slashed upward at an impossible angle toward Chen Mu's jaw.

Close-quarters combat—extremely perilous!

Chen Mu shifted his step, retreating slightly to evade this treacherous strike, yet his heart tightened.

This man's movement and killing techniques far surpassed the aura of his claimed Early Innate Stage realm—his style was too strange to be orthodox Wu Gong.

Just as Chen Mu prepared to unleash the "Sky-Struggling Sword" and finish him off, the black-robed man's eyes flashed a strange gray light!

Hum!

A formless, weightless yet razor-sharp mental force, like a drill, slammed violently into Chen Mu's mind.

This mental attack was exquisitely refined and vicious, designed to shatter the spirit—any ordinary Early Innate cultivator would have instantly lost consciousness, left defenseless!

Yet Chen Mu's mental strength, enhanced by the Soul-Boost Card, handled ordinary mental assaults with ease.

"Reverse Fate Knife"—mental blade form!

Chen Mu's eyes flashed clear light; invisible force gathered at his third eye, coalescing into a sharper, denser mental blade that met the incoming mental drill with a brutal slash!

"Puh—"

A silent collision erupted on the mental plane.

The black-robed man shuddered violently, grunted, his eyes wide with utter disbelief and terror, staggering backward—his spirit had been violently rebounded, suffering Heavy 【Injury】, blood seeping from all seven orifices.

His greatest weapon—the silent, invisible mental secret technique—crumbled before Chen Mu.

"Die!"

Chen Mu stepped forward, closing the distance instantly, his left fist clenched, hatred and Duan Tianhe true qi merging; the "Five Elements Soul-Transmutation Scripture" transformed it into explosive flame true qi.

Boom!