7: Pay to get stronger, deduction: Dragon Elephant Golden Bell!

On the outskirts of Qingyang City, a secluded, quiet, private courtyard.

Gu Yang had just rented this place. Although remote, its advantage was tranquility. No matter how much noise he made inside, as long as he didn't tear the sky open, no one would bother him.

At this moment, the stone table in the center of the courtyard was filled with a dazzling array of “supplements.”

Three golden-colored century-old Wild Ginseng roots, a jar of dark, pungent Tiger Bone Strengthening Paste, and a full fifty catties of stewed lean beef.

These items used up the five hundred taels of silver Gu Yang had just acquired. This was a true reflection of the saying, “Scholars are Poor, Martial Artists are Rich.”

“Let's begin.” Gu Yang, like a fierce tiger that hadn't eaten for days, grabbed the century-old ginseng root, worth a hundred taels, and crunched it down in a few bites, just like eating a radish.

Next came the Tiger Bone Paste, the beef... If an ordinary person engaged in such gluttony, they would have either died from overeating or from a fatal nosebleed due to excessive supplementation.

But Gu Yang's stomach was like a bottomless pit. No matter how much he stuffed in, the powerful digestive System would break it down into the purest thermal current in mere moments.

[High-energy substance ingested... Converting...] [energy points gained: 0.2... 0.3... 0.5...]

As the System notifications continuously sounded, Gu Yang's skin began to flush red, and visible white steam rose from the top of his head. The Vitality Qi and blood within his body surged like the Yangtze River, making a rushing sound.

A full Shi Chen passed. When the last piece of beef on the table was swallowed, Gu Yang let out a burp heavy with the scent of medicine.

He opened his Attributes Panel:

Name: Gu Yang

Realm: Savage Bull True Body (Perfection)

Martial Arts:

Savage Bull Strength (Perfection, Cannot be upgraded)

Golden Bell Shield (Incomplete first six stages, Not yet mastered)

Heart-Shattering Palm (Not yet mastered)

Iron Sand Palm (Not yet mastered)

Black Tiger Fist (Perfection)

Energy: 38.5 points

“Nearly 40 energy points...” A trace of fanaticism flashed in Gu Yang's eyes. This was a huge sum! A huge sum enough to completely transform him!

“System, first complete the Golden Bell Shield for me!”

[Consuming 5 energy points, the incomplete Golden Bell Shield is completed to Twelve Stages of Perfection!] A vast amount of Cultivation methods regarding the Golden Bell Shield instantly flooded Gu Yang's mind, as if he had diligently Cultivated it for thirty years.

“It's not enough... still not enough.” Gu Yang looked at the several independent Cultivation Techniques on the panel, and ambition surged in his heart.

Although Savage Bull Strength was decent, it was ultimately just a low-grade strength skill; and while Golden Bell Shield was a Hard Technique, it was merely a Mortal Absolute Skill. What he wanted was power that transcended the mortal Realm!

“System! Using Savage Bull True Body as the Foundation, Fusion with Golden Bell Shield! Deduce it for me!” “Even if all the energy points are used up, you must deduce the strongest Hard Technique for me!”

[Command accepted! Cultivation Technique Fusion in progress...] [Deduction beginning... energy points consumed: 10... 15... 20...]

Boom! Gu Yang's body trembled violently, and intense pain instantly swept through his entire body.

This pain was no longer as simple as muscle tearing; it felt as if countless small hammers were smashing every one of his bones, only to reforge them afterward!

Black Foul Blood began to seep out of his skin's surface—these were Impurities from deep within his Bone Marrow.

His originally dark golden skin now became a deeper hue, faintly revealing a purple-golden luster.

On his body's surface, a faint golden Qi Barrier was condensing. This was the Qi force of the Golden Bell Shield, yet it was Fused with the ferocity of Savage Bull Strength.

“Roar—” Gu Yang couldn't help but let out a low roar. The air behind him twisted, and faintly, the Phantom Image of a Primeval Dragon-Elephant appeared!

That was the ultimate symbol of strength!

[Deduction successful!] [New Cultivation Technique acquired: Dragon-Elephant Golden Bell Shield (First Layer)] [Special Effect: Dragon-Elephant Might (Possesses the strength of one Dragon and one Elephant), Golden Bell Body Protection (Reflects damage, Impervious to water and fire).]

Gu Yang gasped heavily, feeling the terrifying power within his body that seemed capable of bursting him open.

But he didn't stop. “Strike while the iron is hot! Again!” “Fusion of Black Tiger Fist, Iron Sand Palm, and Heart-Shattering Palm! Deduce for me the most vicious, most poisonous, and most violent Killing Fist Technique!”

[Consuming 10 energy points... Deduction in progress...]

This time, it was his hands. Gu Yang's arms instantly turned pitch black, which was the Poisonous Evil Qi of Iron Sand Palm; his fingertips were ghastly pale, which was the Yin Force of Heart-Shattering Palm; and his overall Aura was like a Demonic Tiger descending the mountain!

Three completely different Forces were perfectly Fused under the violent suppression of the Extreme Dao System.

[Deduction successful!] [New Cultivation Technique acquired: Great Dark Heaven Demonic Tiger Fist] [Special Effect: Demonic Tiger Evil Qi (Shakes the mind), Heart-Shattering Hidden Force (Ignores superficial defense, directly shatters internal organs), High-Temperature Poison Fire (Fist wind carries burning and Corpse Poison).]

Phew— The dust settled. At this moment, Gu Yang's appearance had undergone earth-shattering changes.

His height had soared to an astonishing 2.2 meters!

Standing there, he resembled an insurmountable iron tower.

His formerly bald head had grown an inch of short hair, standing upright like steel needles.

His skin was a deep, dark gold, and his muscle lines were no longer exaggeratedly bulging but had become taut and smooth, like dynamite compressed countless times.

The most terrifying feature was his eyes. Golden light faintly flowed within his pupils—a manifestation of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit being so powerful that they overflowed!

“The current me...” Gu Yang slowly clenched his fist, and the air in his palm was crushed, letting out a sharp crack.

He looked at the huge Bluestone Millstone in the courtyard, which was used for grinding soy milk. This millstone weighed three to four hundred catties and was incredibly hard.

Gu Yang didn't gather strength; he simply threw out a casual, light punch.

Without a sound.

The fist struck the millstone. The next second. Poof! It was like a lump of flour being scattered. The hard Bluestone Millstone did not shatter into pieces; instead, it instantly turned into stone powder covering the ground! A gust of wind blew, scattering it everywhere.

This was the might of the Great Dark Heaven Demonic Tiger Fist—extreme hardness leads to subtle softness! It directly vibrated the entire internal structure of the stone into powder!

“Viscera Refining Realm?” Gu Yang looked at the stone powder covering the ground, a cruel smirk curving his lips. “If I ran into a Viscera Refining Realm Martial Artist now, one punch from me would probably make him cry for a long time, wouldn't it?”

...At this very moment. Qingyang City, Demon Suppression Division Garrison.

The “Demon Seeking Compass,” responsible for monitoring Demonic Qi fluctuations across the city, suddenly began vibrating wildly! The red pointer was locked onto the direction of the city outskirts, even smoking black because it was spinning too fast.

“This is bad! There's a Great Demon!” “Vitality Qi soaring to the heavens! This Vitality Qi... is at least a Form Transformation Stage Great Demon!” The Director of the Demon Suppression Division, a middle-aged man wearing a Silver Brocade Robe, suddenly stood up, his expression changing drastically.

“The entire city is under martial law! Activate the City Protection Great Array!” “All Guards Ranked Copper Plate and Above, move out with me! Exterminate the Demon!”

The entire Qingyang City fell into chaos.

Meanwhile, Gu Yang, the instigator of all this, was bare-chested, rinsing the filth off his body with well water in the courtyard, humming an unknown tune as he washed, feeling absolutely fantastic.