40: Breakthrough

“Cough, cough, but at least this time I didn't die in vain!”

Coughing out traces of black blood, Gu Chang’s face showed a strange smile, because his Bottleneck, which had been unyielding, had finally loosened!

With that, Gu Chang grabbed the extremely peculiar venomous snake in front of him, then collapsed to the ground, rapidly losing all signs of life.

【Martial Dao achieved, murderous intent solidified, the path of a Martial Artist lies in killing and discipline!】

【This Reincarnation evaluation: Grade D Superior】

【This Reincarnation reward: 10 Reincarnation Points】

【You already have 34 Reincarnation Points, you can use Reincarnation Points to exchange for: Mist Mountain Iron Snake Corpse (20 points) Profound Iron Battle Armor (12 points) Fine Steel Long Spear (6 points) Current Cultivation (10 points)】

“Mist Mountain Iron Snake? As expected, it’s not an ordinary species; it actually requires 20 Reincarnation Points to exchange.”

One must know that the actual weight of this venomous snake was far less than that of the Ferocious Tiger and the Savage Ox, at most only three hundred catties, yet its exchange price was similar to the previous two exotic beasts.

However, despite what was said, it still needed to be exchanged. The only trouble was that the venom of this snake was truly terrifying, and if one wasn't prepared, they might suffer.

“There’s a water tank in the cabin; I can put it in the water tank, then seal it up, and use it after my strength has a Breakthrough.”

Soon, Gu Chang thought of a suitable method, so he went directly to the large water tank and proceeded with the exchange.

Throughout the entire exchange process, Gu Chang chose to hold his breath. Only after sealing the venomous snake inside the water tank did he leave the kitchen to breathe again.

“Bang! Splash~”

At the same time, to be safe, Gu Chang directly leaped into the river and washed his body thoroughly. This way, any toxins that might have gotten on him would be washed away.

After doing these things, Gu Chang returned to his bedroom and re-entered the Reincarnation World.

The most effective way to safely utilize the Mist Mountain Iron Snake was, of course, to attempt it within the Reincarnation World.

However, this time he made more preparations. Not only did he prepare antidotes in advance, but he also made himself a simple breathing filter and wore leather gloves, a mask, and other items.

After completing these preparations, Gu Chang once again entered the depths of Da Wu Mountain, heading directly to the location of the Mist Mountain Iron Snake.

“Hiss hiss hiss~”

“Swish swish!”

“Bang!!!”

“Crack!”

“Hmph!”

The most terrifying aspect of the Mist Mountain Iron Snake was its venom; besides that, its defensive capability was also formidable, but it wasn't particularly powerful otherwise.

This time, with targeted measures, Gu Chang killed it with almost no mishaps, and he himself suffered no damage. The faint toxins diffused in the air had little effect on him after being filtered by the breathing filter.

“The key to the Marrow Refining Realm is to use various Heaven And Earth Treasures to stimulate the fragile internal organs, strengthen the meridians, temper the bone marrow, and enhance the entire body.”

“The loosening of my Realm that I felt before was actually due to the stimulation of my internal organs by the Mist Mountain Iron Snake’s venom.”

“It's just that too much venom was inhaled at the time, causing the strengthening effect on my internal organs to simply not keep up with the destructive power of the venom.”

“This time, what I need to do is use an extremely small amount of venom to slowly stimulate the internal organs, then continuously enhance the strength of the internal organs, thereby Breaking through the barrier and reaching the Marrow Refining Realm.”

Gu Chang was no longer a novice who had just started practicing martial arts; he was already thoroughly familiar with some basic theories of the Martial Dao.

After a simple recovery, Gu Chang immediately began to try.

He first moved about ten steps away from the Mist Mountain Iron Snake corpse, then removed his breathing filter and slowly began to inhale the air containing toxins.

When he felt a slight discomfort in his body, Gu Chang immediately put on his breathing filter, then quickly left this canyon and went to an open area, where he fully circulated his Cultivation Technique and internal Qi, constantly stirring his Qi and blood to temper his entire body to resist the toxicity within him.

After a full half an hour, Gu Chang finally opened his eyes again.

“Phew! As expected, this method is correct!”

When he successfully strengthened his lungs and viscera, the toxins in his body had also been expelled. At this moment, he only felt that his entire breathing capacity had greatly increased, and continuing would surely bring even greater improvement.

“Continue! Once I’ve tempered my lungs and viscera, I shouldn’t have to fear the toxins in the air anymore!”

Without any hesitation, Gu Chang once again ran into the canyon to inhale the toxin-laden air, then continued to practice his Cultivation Technique, constantly tempering his body.

After repeating this action nine times, the strength of his lungs and viscera directly ascended a step. The faint toxins diffused in the air were basically ineffective against him now.

So Gu Chang immediately chose to take the snake corpse with him. Next, he would return to the camp to continue his Cultivation.

A few days later, Gu Chang’s camp once again welcomed the middle-aged scholar he had seen last time. The other party’s tone and demeanor were still the same as before.

“I am here by the order of Xuan King, and I hope the Village Lord can understand!”

The other party’s demeanor was arrogant, and although there was no direct threat in his words, the hidden meaning was self-evident.

“To be honest, I don’t understand. I just want to live a quiet life in these mountains. Does Xuan King not agree even to that?”

Gu Chang had just finished his Cultivation and seemed a bit weak at the moment, but his words were filled with a certain sharpness.

“No, Xuan King…”

The middle-aged scholar was about to say something more, but suddenly he felt as if he had been targeted by some primeval beast!

Gu Chang, who had originally looked somewhat weak, now seemed like a fierce tiger that had opened its eyes, or a giant python poised for attack.

The powerful aura belonging to the Marrow Refining Realm began to spread outwards from him, and anyone within a ten-zhang radius felt their hair stand on end, as if they would be crushed into a bloody pulp in the next moment!

This was the instinctive fear of a creature facing its natural predator, and even more so, the unbearable pressure that ordinary people felt in the presence of a powerful Martial Artist!

“……”

The scene suddenly became unusually quiet. Whether it was the middle-aged scholar, the two Iron Skin level guards accompanying him, or the soldiers under Gu Chang’s command, all looked at Gu Chang with an incredulous gaze.

“Cough cough, I’m sorry, I just had a Breakthrough!”

“I can’t control this power perfectly yet, so I’ll take my leave first.”

Gu Chang coughed lightly twice, covering his mouth, then briefly explained to them before gracefully departing.

It wasn't until Gu Chang had left that the middle-aged scholar's face gradually changed from shock to ashen.

Finally, he wanted to say something, but all his previous confidence became extremely pale in the face of absolute strength.

The reason was simple: a Martial Artist of the Marrow Refining Realm was absolutely the core of an army. A Martial Artist of this level was simply a war machine; if they unleashed their full power, even thousands of soldiers would not be enough for them to kill!

If Gu Chang were still at the Refining Bone Realm, then Xuan King would definitely dare to dispatch a Marrow Refining general to enter the mountain alone and kill him.

But now Gu Chang himself was a Marrow Refining expert, so he might even escape against multiple Marrow Refining generals. If he truly escaped, then Xuan King would never sleep soundly again!

For true powerhouses, no matter who they are, they are always courted and befriended, not driven to a dead end, forcing them to become mortal enemies!

So the middle-aged scholar understood that this plan would probably fall through. In fact, Xuan King might even have to specially send gifts to apologize, and even publicly declare that from now on, Da Wu Mountain would be Gu Chang’s territory.

Thus, the middle-aged scholar quickly departed; few people cared about this anymore.

Li Ergou and the others, after a brief moment of shock, awoke to a state of ecstasy!

They knew better than that middle-aged scholar how difficult it was to Breakthrough to the Marrow Refining Realm. Didn't they see that among the ten of them, the strongest was only at the Iron Skin Realm?

Now that they had a Marrow Refining expert as their backing, let alone other places, they could definitely walk sideways within Da Wu Mountain!

So, after the news spread, several camps under Gu Chang’s command all fell into a joyous celebration.

Only the area around Gu Chang’s room remained quiet; no one dared to disturb him at this time, fearing it might affect his Cultivation.

“After being diluted a thousand times, the destructive effect of the venom on the stomach and intestines has finally disappeared!”

“Now I have initially completed the strengthening of my five internal organs and six viscera. Next, I can consume a large amount of supplements and increase the venom concentration until the Mist Mountain Iron Snake’s venom is completely ineffective.”

After inhaling the venom became ineffective for him, Gu Chang began to extract the venom, then dilute it with water, and then consume this toxic water to continuously stimulate his body. Now he had finally fully stepped into the Marrow Refining Realm.