Chapter 357: Strengthening Before Departure

"Same person, different fates; clearly I am also Zhou You, yet I still have to run about and toil!"

The avatar projection 'Lu Zhigang' complained endlessly, as he was out in the wilderness working in coordination and blowing in the cold wind.

The main body, however, was enjoying leisure in Zhou Family Village, living a good life, accompanied by a little beauty, and refining little Secret Medicines—having a grand old time! He even received orders to infiltrate Gongliang City to scout for news of the Five Birds and Kunpengzi.

The mastermind behind the fall of Gongliang City this time is definitely Kunpengzi; there is no doubt about it.

Aside from his Bewitching Seal Script, who else could manipulate such terrifying anomalies comparable to a powerful Martial Master?

Organizing a massive rebel army and displaced people, making countless refugees endure hunger to participate in the siege, and even mixing in a large number of martial artists—only Bewitching could achieve this through subtle influence.

According to Zhou You's estimation, Kunpengzi is currently in the vicinity of Gongliang City, and the Five Birds might also have been invited by him.

Such an insidious and terrifying opponent must be dragged out from the darkness.

Therefore, the Lu Zhigang persona was brought online in a hurry.

Before setting off, he made sufficient preparations and took inventory of the equipment on his person.

Three pieces of Blood Qi Divine Weapons, five Hunger Pouches filled with supplies, and several Poison Nests containing Golden Money Scorpions, Witch Beasts, and a Fist Intent Puppet... As for helpers, the Golden Money Scorpions are one hundred percent trustworthy, the Witch Beasts are not yet tamed, and the Fist Intent Puppet?

Zhou You weighed the Poison Nests a few times, a figure landed, and the Fist Intent Puppet appeared once again.

Upon seeing the puppet, Zhou You gasped; it was too ugly.

The Poison Nest lives up to its name, carrying a faint toxicity itself; although it can store living things, ordinary flesh and blood cannot withstand it, so he generally only uses it to carry exotic insects.

It was only as a last resort that he used the Poison Nest to trap the Fist Intent Puppet, but unexpectedly...

The appearance of the Fist Intent Puppet, originally a middle-aged martial artist with an ordinary but dignified face, had become pitted and scarred because it had been trapped in the Poison Nest for too long and suffered from toxic corrosion, with all its hair and eyebrows fallen out.

It was equivalent to being disfigured; even an old acquaintance would not recognize it if they met face-to-face.

Even if Liu Fengji met it again, he would not recognize that the ugly person before him was once one of the three high-level martial artists of his Personal Guard.

Furthermore, the blood qi within the puppet had long since become unrecognizable.

The brand condensed from blood qi used by the Witch Clan's powerful martial masters for control had already been worn away by more than half through the devouring and transformation of the Blood Qi Gu.

Zhou You incubated Blood Qi Gu day and night, successively implanting eight of them, with one entrenched in each of the four limbs, and two each in the heart and brain.

The Blood Qi Gu were devouring at every moment, converting it into Zhou You's blood qi, subtly vying for control of the Fist Intent Puppet.

Although there is still a long time to go before success, initial results have already been seen.

Zhou You can control the puppet for half an hour, utilizing the strength of a high-level martial artist; once this time is exceeded, it must be returned to the Poison Nest for recuperation, otherwise the puppet will go berserk and attract the attention of the Witch Clan's powerful martial masters.

A high-level martial artist going all out for half an hour—just thinking about it feels terrifying; this is his greatest trump card for this trip.

However...

Zhou You still felt uneasy; that old rascal Kunpengzi has one insidious trick after another, so he must be on guard against him.

True terror stems from the unknown!

Therefore, Zhou You must collect enough information to be sure of escaping unscathed from Kunpengzi's territory.

"Name: Zhou You.

Blood Qi: 1780.

Lifespan: 112.

Occupation: Martial Master.

Experience Points: 185500.

Level: Primary Martial Master (Tiger-Crane Dual-Action Fist), Primary Martial Master (Seven Step Poison Sand Palm), Primary Martial Master (Five Blessings Palm Fist Record)."

After a period of accumulation, he now has 180,000 Experience Points, which he had been saving and not using, just for this moment.

Zhou You did not hesitate and began to consume Experience Points.

"Experience Points -15000, mastered Seven Step Poison Sand Palm skill, Poison Evil Condensing Teeth, Ten-Step Absolute Kill." The skill is named Condensing Teeth, implying a poisonous snake spitting its fangs, lethal and dangerous, compressing the poison evil until it is as solid as substance to be thrown as a hidden weapon; it is a guaranteed kill within ten steps, and the hit rate drops beyond ten steps.

This technique targets the powerful physical bodies of fellow martial artists and is their nemesis.

It is said that for fist techniques at the Martial Master level, since the enemies are all of the same rank, the skills are biased toward breaking the defenses of a Martial Master's body, and Condensing Teeth is one of them.

Correspondingly, where there is a spear, there must be a shield; since there are techniques specifically for breaking a Martial Master's physical defense, there are naturally those that enhance physical defense.

The Mixed Origin Iron Garment that Zhou You mastered is one such defensive fist technique from the City Gate Guard.

"Experience Points -30000, Mixed Origin Iron Garment Lv2 → Lv3."

Zhou You took a deep breath; the body of the Primary Martial Master was comprehensively improved, making him a standout among those of the same realm.

After upgrading to the Lv3 realm, a fist martial arts term for measuring physique appeared... Multiplier Steel.

Zhou You's current defensive power is 1x Steel, approximately equivalent to the strength and toughness of steel, with a value of about 1:1.

"Experience Points -40000, Mixed Origin Iron Garment Lv3 → Lv4."

After upgrading to Lv4, this value jumped to 1.5x Steel.

If it weren't for the remaining Experience Points having other uses, Zhou You would have definitely upgraded it another level to see the reinforcement limit of the current realm.

A physique of 1.5x Steel is a comprehensive evaluation of the physical body.

Generally speaking, the epidermis in contact with the outside world has the strongest hardness, and the strength decreases the further one goes into the body.

Zhou You's surface defensive ability has already reached a value of 2x Steel, and even his weakest internal organs have 1x Steel.

This means that ordinary Blood Qi Divine Weapons are useless against him, unless they are fused with the remains of a powerful anomaly or a powerful martial master.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Zhou You punched fiercely, the air exploded, and the surrounding wilderness echoed incessantly.

The enhancement of his physique did not mean his body became rigid and hard; on the contrary, it became more flexible and agile, and his output became smoother and more powerful.

With a slight movement of his thoughts, large patches of bumps rose on his skin, like snake skin covering his body, shimmering with a dark blue and yellowish metallic luster.

The secret technique of the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm: Thousand Snake Ten Thousand Scale Garment!

Relying on the strength of his physical defense, this secret technique exceeded its original shackles, and its power could be called terrifying.

When attacked by a strong enemy, he can not only defend and rebound, weakening the damage caused by the opponent's attack, but even turn the tables, as the scales become sharper than blades, cutting the enemy's body.

This secret technique is both offensive and defensive, and it also carries a highly toxic attribute; once unleashed, enemies would never dare to approach.

"Name: Zhou You.

Qi and Blood: 2100.

Longevity: 112.

Occupation: Martial Master.

Experience Points: 0.

Level: Primary Martial Master (Tiger-Crane Dual-Form Fist), Primary Martial Master (Seven Step Poison Sand Palm), Primary Martial Master (Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record).

Skills: Tiger-Crane Dual-Form Fist Lv41, Seven Step Poison Sand Palm Lv11 (Attributes: Corrosion, Stealth, Zhangduhuaxue), Ice Marrow Lv2, Zhou Family Lv3, Base Lv10/v10, Lv3, Wen Lv17, Lv3, Lv19.

Cultivation Methods: Tiger-Crane Jiaodie Technique Lv11 (Silver), Boneless Heart Method Lv11, Transcendent Profound Heart Secret Manual Lv1, Heaven-Reaching Yuan-Nurturing Technique Lv2, Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record Lv11.

Ultimate Moves: Three-Turn Technique Lv2, Tiger Lv6, Poison Lv4, Feather Qi Lv2, Primordial Iron Garment Lv3. Talent: Hunger Lv2.

Armory: Void Mask (Flesh Magic Treasure) - False Identities: First Lu Zhigang, Second Yan Ping, Faceless Copper Puppet (Calculating), Baile Tianluo (Repairing).

(End of this chapter)