66: Mid-stage Body Refinement Realm!

The South City Courtyard.

Li Qing's original body suddenly opened its eyes on the bed.

Deep in his pupils, there seemed to remain the darkness of the riverbed and the fear of the Iron-Toothed Crocodile before its death.

A majestic and pure surge of flesh and blood energy was continuously feeding back from the void, washing through his limbs.

It was the life essence of a Third Tier Fierce Beast!

The drop of ferocious beast essence blood swallowed by the Clone had fed back!

Crack!

Crack, crack!

Li Qing only stretched his body slightly, and his joints let out a series of explosive pops like roasting beans.

He felt his muscles, fascia, and even bone marrow being deeply transformed and strengthened by an energy far exceeding that of ordinary medicinal power.

Driven by this energy, his original body's martial arts cultivation broke through the shackles of the Early Stage Body Refining without any Bottleneck, steadily stepping into the Middle Stage!

He looked down at his hands.

The blood beneath his skin surged like mercury, filled with explosive power.

This was the benefit of the Clone devouring essence blood!

This was also the benefit of the Clone devouring essence blood.

It provided many benefits to the original body.

If not for the nourishment of the ferocious beast essence blood.

The current Li Qing would still be far from the Middle Stage of Body Refining.

He stood up; the clothes that fit well last night were now stretched tight, with the shoulders and cuffs showing signs of being too short.

Overnight, his height had increased by a few centimeters, now reaching 1.73 meters, and his figure had become more upright and solid.

This growth speed was terrifying.

Li Qing walked to the table and picked up a teacup as usual, his fingers subconsciously applying a bit of force.

"Crack!"

The hard clay teacup was instantly covered in cracks in his hand and turned into a pile of shards.

Li Qing's brow furrowed slightly.

Strength... it had grown too quickly.

After all, this was his own strength.

Not the Strength of One Dragon added by a talent.

A talent that could be turned on and off at will!

It seemed he still needed to get used to it.

He pushed open the door; the morning streets were unusually quiet, permeated with a chilling Aura.

In the direction of the distant city gate, squads of armored City Guards were inspecting pedestrians coming and going, the atmosphere heavy.

The city was sealed.

The City Lord's Mansion's actions were faster than he had imagined.

With a calm gaze, Li Qing carried a large fish and walked steadily toward the Iron Bone Martial Arts School.

At times like this, it was all the more important to act as usual.

An ordinary youth who reported to the martial arts school on time every day wouldn't attract attention.

In the courtyard.

Li Qing casually picked up a wax wood spear used for practice.

As soon as he held the spear, he felt a sense of discord.

Too light.

According to Xiao Chen, the strength of the Early Stage Body Refining reached a thousand jin.

The Middle Stage ranged from 2,000 to 4,000 jin.

Yet he might be close to ten thousand jin.

Was it the effect of the essence blood that had transformed his Physique?

Amidst his doubt, Li Qing brandished the wax wood spear.

It was like an adult picking up a piece of straw.

He lowered his waist into a horse stance and thrust the spear, not using any Internal Energy, only pure physical strength.

Buzz!

The spear did not make the expected sound of breaking through the air; instead, the shaft itself let out a violent tremor of being overburdened, emitting a wail!

The air in front of the spear tip was compressed by this Great Strength, forming a visible white airwave.

On the ground, a shallow mark was even plowed out by the strong wind brought by the spear tip.

Li Qing looked at the wooden spear in his hand.

Several clear cracks had appeared on the spear shaft.

He had only made a simple thrust, and this tough practice wooden spear was already nearly ruined.

His current strength had already exceeded the endurance limit of ordinary weapons.

"B-Big Brother Li!"

Xiao Chen, along with several children from the martial arts school, had just opened the door when they saw this terrifying scene.

His mouth opened involuntarily, his eyes filled with shock.

What did he see?

A single thrust had cracked that tough wax wood spear.

And sensing the Aura on Li Qing.

If he wasn't mistaken, was it the Middle Stage of Body Refining?

Whose martial arts practice is this fast??

Xiao Chen's throat felt dry.

He remembered that just a few days ago, Li Qing's strength was only "a bit stronger."

He had no martial arts Realm of his own.

A change every day?

Then wouldn't it be the Late Stage of Body Refining tomorrow?

Waves surged in Xiao Chen's heart; he was shocked and fearful, yet incredibly fanatical.

He had never seen such a terrifying talent.

He hadn't even thought of it!

Li Qing was like a bottomless pit; he could always refresh the limits of Xiao Chen's cognition.

Following such a person, why worry about the Iron Bone Martial Arts School not flourishing?

And why worry about not being able to sweep through Jinling City?

He even began to suspect if Li Qing was a peerless Genius cultivated by some hidden Sect, out for worldly experience.

Otherwise, how could such a Prodigy-like growth speed be explained?

The children were trembling with fear from that invisible Aura, hiding behind Xiao Chen with pale faces.

They only vaguely felt that this usually gentle Senior Brother before them...

...at this moment seemed to have transformed into a towering, insurmountable mountain, emitting a powerful sense of pressure just by standing there.

Li Qing nodded to them.

Then he withdrew his spear and stood, looking down at the slightly bent shaft covered in fine cracks, his brow furrowed.

It seemed he had to adapt to this strength as soon as possible.

Otherwise, in a real battle, any weapon in his hands would be one-time use... Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Jinling City Lord's Mansion.

Rockeries, flowing water, pavilions, and towers—it should have been an elegant and tranquil place.

At this moment, however, it was filled with a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere.

In the air, there seemed to remain a faint smell of blood and burning.

City Lord Zhuang Bai, dressed in a black brocade robe, stood with his hands behind his back in the pavilion at the center of the lake.

His back was as upright as a mountain, exuding great majesty.

His face was cold, his eyes slightly closed, and a persistent gloom was gathered between his brows.

"Reporting to the City Lord."

A middle-aged man in green official robes bowed outside the pavilion, his voice trembling.

He was the Captain of the Guard of the City Lord's Mansion, responsible for daily defense and city security.

"The River-Shaking Thunders have all been deployed. We have searched the hundred-mile stretch of the Qiu River... for a day and a night."

"What is the result?"

Zhuang Bai's voice rang out; he wanted results.

The Captain of the Guard knelt with a thud, his head buried deep.

"In response to the City Lord, besides some fish and shrimp killed by the shock, there is... no sign of that Spirit Beast."

"Not even a single piece of debris was found."

Inside the pavilion, there was dead silence.

Zhuang Bai slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes were as deep as an abyss, with two clusters of cold flames flickering within.

"No sign?"

He repeated, his tone terrifyingly calm.

"That Spirit Beast could kill Old Qian's Track-Seeking Sparrow from a distance, annihilate the Water Ghost Team, and even scare Lin Feng of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall into abandoning his school and fleeing."

"How could mere River-Shaking Thunders harm it in the slightest?"