leonardwarren Chapter 11 Thunderous Skin
Chapter 11 Thunderous Skin
Since we've decided to bake it...
So Yang Jin found some dry, rotten wood and moss, and quickly lit a small campfire with a tinderbox.
Skewer pieces of earthworm meat from the stone with a sharpened wooden stick and roast them over a fire.
Flames licked at the grayish-brown pieces of meat, making a sizzling sound.
To Yang Jin's surprise, the fishy smell in the meat gradually faded as the moisture evaporated and the surface charred, and the meat pieces emitted a strange aroma that mixed minerals, soil, and something similar to roasted mushrooms.
Bake until the outer skin is crispy and the inside is cooked through.
Yang Jin blew on it, tentatively tore off a small piece, and chewed it in his mouth.
The texture... is a bit chewy, like overcooked squid, but softer and more bouncy.
The taste was definitely not good; it had an earthy and astringent mineral flavor. He put the meat in his mouth, swallowed only a little bit of the meat juice, and waited for a while. He did not feel any poisoning or discomfort.
"It's edible!"
He decisively swallowed the meat in his mouth.
Then, a warm current quickly rose from my stomach and spread rapidly to my limbs and bones!
This warm current feels different from the feeling when absorbing the essence of the earth veins. The essence of the earth veins is more like a cool and moisturizing energy, while this warm current is full of vigorous vitality and a burning sensation of blood and qi!
It was as if he had eaten not insect meat, but a small piece of burning charcoal. This charcoal directly entered his blood, causing his blood and qi to boil slightly!
[Essence of the Earth +0.8] (From the residual essence in the flesh and blood of the Stone Carving Earthworm)
[A slight increase in Qi and blood, nourishing the body.]
Shan Ding provided feedback.
0.8 points of Earth Vein Essence is comparable to more than a dozen high-quality minerals!
And this feeling of surging blood and energy is real and tangible.
Yang Jin could feel that the fire of qi and blood in his dantian was like having a handful of dry firewood added, burning even more fiercely, and the sensation of it penetrating his skin was also significantly enhanced.
This effect is more than ten times better than the pheasant that Shi Gong hunted!
"This is the effect of the alien beast meat!"
Yang Jin's eyes were frighteningly bright.
Without further hesitation, he roasted and ate the rest of the earthworm meat.
A-Tu, standing to the side, was so envious he could cry.
But without Yang Jin's order, it dared not steal anything and could only eat the internal organs...
Yang Jin quickly reacted... As waves of warmth swept over him, he immediately activated the Demonic Ape "Rooting" technique, guiding this vigorous blood and qi power, combined with the still-exhausted earth vein essence, to fully impact and nourish his entire body's skin and membranes.
He can "hear" the sound of blood and qi flowing under his skin, and he can "feel" the skin membranes slightly warming and vibrating, becoming denser and tougher.
The previously blocked and obstructed areas were instantly broken through, flowing like the Yellow River.
After a long while, he opened his eyes and slowly finished his practice.
A glint of light flashed in his eyes and disappeared in an instant.
He could sense that he was still some distance away from truly breaking through to the Skin Refining Realm, but it was just like a woman pursuing a man—he was only one thin layer away from achieving his goal!
This is not only the consumption of the earth's essence, but also the most direct replenishment of qi and blood brought by the flesh and blood of the earthworm that chiseled the stone!
If even a lowly rock-drilling earthworm living underground can have such an effect, what about more powerful beasts?
Perhaps we don't need to wait for the storm to pass.
Relying on the Demonic Ape Viewing the Mountain Map, the essence of the earth veins, and... hunting these underground beasts, perhaps he can truly forge his own path of body tempering, a path filled with bloodshed and savagery!
The Body Refining Realm is very strong!
Then I'll break through to the Bone Refining Realm, a whole realm above you, and see how you fight me then.
Crushing each other in terms of realm... wait, that's not right!
Yang Jin suddenly snapped out of his daze, shaking off the thoughts that had clouded his mind.
Putting aside whether he can break through two major realms from martial arts apprentice to reach the Bone Refining Realm in such a short time.
Even if one could truly reach that level, would one really be able to kill Zhao Kun, who was in the Flesh Refining Realm?
Martial arts! Martial arts!
It's not just about the level of one's cultivation, but also about the foundation of one's martial arts... He has brute strength, but without martial arts skills and combat experience, it's all for naught.
He was really rash just now.
Beast meat... it's good, but it seems a bit too much for my brain.
However, Yang Jin didn't care about that. All he wanted to do now was eat more exotic beast meat to quickly increase his combat power.
He looked into the dark mine tunnel, then at the remains on the ground that Ah Tu had eaten.
"A-Tu, our hunt... has begun."
......
Shi Jian neatly stacked the last bundle of firewood in the corner of the courtyard wall, straightened his slightly aching back, and his cloudy eyes subconsciously glanced at the tightly closed wooden door of the old house.
Inside the door, the cellar entrance was still completely concealed, and even he himself almost believed that a boy who had escaped death had never been hidden there.
The mountain wind swirled with withered leaves, passing by the low earthen wall and bringing a touch of early winter chill.
It was so quiet, so quiet it made my heart clench.
Shi Jian knew that this calm was just the last respite before the storm.
Sure enough, that afternoon, unsettling footsteps broke the silence of the old house from outside the wall.
Four or five people came and surrounded a man wearing a half-new silk shirt, but with his chest open, revealing dark chest hair.
The man had a long face, slanted eyes, and a habitual downward turn of his mouth. He was none other than Ma Liu, a notorious local ruffian and lackey of the Sun family in Black Mountain Valley.
The men following behind him were all idle, nosy, bullying thugs from the village.
"Hey, old man Shi, busy at work?"
Ma Liu casually pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate, his slanted eyes scanning the surroundings before finally settling on Shi Jian's face with a forced smile.
Shi Jian put down his wood-chopping knife, his face expressionless. "Ma Liu, a rare guest. What brings you here?"
"It's nothing serious." Ma Liu swaggered over, his gaze like a hook, scraping every inch of the old house's doors, windows, corners, and even the floor. "It's just that kid Yang Jin... oh, now I should call him that 'thing,' he's turned into a zombie and escaped from the hanging burial cliff. Old Man Shi, you've heard about it, haven't you?"
"It's all over the village, it's hard not to know about it."
Shi Jian's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.
"Hehe, good to know."
Ma Liu leaned closer, his breath reeking of lingering alcohol. "Everyone in the village says that you, Old Man Shi, were quite close to Yang Sanmu back in the day. That Yang Jin, with no relatives or friends, where else in this Black Mountain Valley could he hide besides your old house?"
The implication was blatant suspicion.
Shi Jian raised his cloudy eyes and glanced at Ma Liu: "I don't understand what you're saying. Everyone in the village saw Yang Jin being carried up the cliff and his coffin sealed. I'm just an old man with one foot in the grave, how would I know anything about corpse transformation or hiding?"
"Old man, stop playing dumb with me!" Ma Liu's face darkened, and a thug behind him immediately chimed in, "That's right! Someone saw smoke coming from your old house a few days ago, thicker than usual! If you didn't shelter that evil spirit, who else could it be?"
Shi Jian's heart tightened slightly, but he didn't show it on his face: "When people get old, they are afraid of the cold. Is it against the law to light a fire to warm themselves up?"
"Start a fire?" Ma Liu sneered, cutting to the chase. A cunning glint flashed in his slanted eyes. "Fine, you say start a fire, then start a fire. But, for the safety of our entire village, and to clear your name, Old Man Shi, of suspicion... we need to go inside and check. What if that evil spirit is hiding in this dilapidated house of yours?"
Before Shi Jian could answer, Ma Liu waved his hand, and several thugs barged into the house.
Shi Jian gripped the handle of the woodcutter's knife tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white, but he eventually loosened his grip.
Obstruction will only confirm suspicion.
He silently turned away.
Ma Liu snorted smugly and swaggered into the old house with his men.
The interior was simple and shabby, and one could see right through it.
A few thugs pretended to rummage through drawers and cabinets, making the billiard balls rattle, and roughly pushed aside the old tables and chairs.
"Boss, there seems to be some fresh soil on the ground?" A sharp-eyed thug squatted in front of an old wooden cabinet in the corner, which was just above the cellar entrance.
Shi Jian handled it very well, sprinkling old soil and grass ash, but the subtle traces could not escape the eyes of those who were deliberately looking for trouble.
Ma Liu's eyes lit up, and he took a few steps forward, forcefully pushing open the heavy old wooden cabinet.
The cabinet legs scraped against the ground with a harsh screeching sound, revealing the smooth stone slab underneath.
"Yo ho! The cellar!" Ma Liu's face broke into a sinister grin, as if he'd caught someone red-handed. He glanced back at Shi Jian, who stood in the doorway, his face ashen. "Old Shi, you've hidden it well! What, is there treasure hidden inside, or... something shady?"
Shi Jian's lips moved, but he didn't speak; he just looked.
"Open it!" Ma Liu shouted.
Two thugs stepped forward and, with all their might, managed to pry open a crack in the heavy stone slab.
A chilly aura, a mixture of earthy, musty, and faint wormwood scents, wafted out.
Ma Liu covered his nose, signaled his men to move the stone slabs completely aside, then held up a tinderbox that he had somehow pulled out and peered into the dark cave entrance.
The firelight illuminated the space below.
It was empty, damp, and covered with a thick layer of dust. In the corner, there were piles of rotten, unidentifiable junk.
There were no beds, no trace of life, and not even a hint of fresh human presence.
Only the herbal powder that Shi Jian had specially prepared to mask the scent shone with an unnatural grayish-green hue under the firelight.
Ma Liu's smile froze.
Undeterred, he ordered his men to search the area thoroughly again.
The result remained the same.
"Damn it, really not?"
Ma Liu grumbled as he left, his face looking rather grim.
He had made a promise to Young Master Sun, saying he would definitely find a clue, but now he had come up empty-handed.
"Ma Liu, all done with the investigation?" Shi Jian's voice rang out at the door, still calm. "Should we take this old man's bones apart and check him too?"
Ma Liu's face turned red and then pale. He glared at Shi Jian fiercely, knowing that he was not going to get away with it today.
His eyes darted around, and he put on a sinister expression again: "Old Shi, don't be so smug. Even if that kid didn't hide here, he won't escape! Master Sun has already invited Instructor Zhao Kun from the Iron Bone Martial Arts School in town! He's a true expert in the Flesh Refining Realm, the kind of guy who can kill a bull with one punch! He'll arrive by tomorrow at the latest!"
He leaned closer to Shi Jian, lowered his voice, and threatened viciously, "When Instructor Zhao arrives, no matter if Yang Jin is a man or a ghost, whether he's hiding in a rat hole or crawling into a mountain crevice, he'll be dragged out and torn to pieces! Then, anyone who dares to hide... hmph, Instructor Zhao's fists don't discriminate!"
After saying that, Ma Liu spat and left with his men, cursing and slamming the door.
The old house returned to silence, leaving only the ransacked belongings and the lingering arrogance in the air.
Shi Jian slowly walked into the house, silently straightened the overturned tables and chairs, and carefully put away the scattered and broken household items one by one.
Finally, he walked to the cellar entrance, looked at the dark opening, and after a long while, let out a long sigh.
In that sigh, there was weariness, anger, and even deeper worry.
He bent down and painstakingly covered the stone slab again, then slowly moved the old wooden cabinet back to its original position.
After doing all this, he walked to the niche where the simple mountain god tablet was enshrined, took out half a damp incense stick from the corner, lit it with the oil lamp, and stuck it into the broken bowl full of incense ash.
Wisps of smoke rose, blurring the old man's deeply lined face.
"Brother Sanmu..." Shi Jian said in a low, hoarse voice, as if he were whispering to an old friend, "Don't worry. As long as these old bones of mine are still here, I will definitely... protect Xiao Jin for you."
Having no children and a life of loneliness, Yang Sanmu's selfless protection was one of the few warm memories in his heart.
Now, this affection, this sense of responsibility towards the son of a deceased friend, may be the last thing worth burning in his aging life.
……
Deep inside the abandoned mine tunnels.
The campfire had long since died out, leaving only a few embers flickering with a dark red light.
The air was filled with the aroma of scorched meat and a faint earthy smell.
Yang Jin sat cross-legged, his upper body bare, his skin flushed an unnatural red in the dim light, fine beads of sweat constantly seeping out, only to be quickly evaporated by the high temperature of his body.
His chest rose and fell slightly, each breath unusually deep and long, as if pulling a giant bellows.
Inside his body, the blood and qi flowed like boiling water, roaring and surging through his blood vessels, making a gurgling sound that only he could "hear".
That was not the sound of ordinary blood flowing, but a surge of powerful blood and energy.
What's even stranger is the surface of his skin.
Upon closer inspection, beneath the tight membrane, it appears as if countless tiny "earthworms" are wriggling and undulating.
That's not muscle twitching, but rather the surging and impacting of blood and qi to their fullest extent beneath the skin!
Each impact tightens the membrane, making it more dense and subtly revealing a texture similar to rough leather.
Occasionally, when the flow of Qi and blood reaches a certain point and the impact is particularly intense, it may even produce extremely subtle yet exceptionally clear muffled sounds of "poof" and "thump," like muffled thunder rolling deep underground, or like a tough leather drum being gently struck.
This is the sign that you are about to break through to the Skin Refining Realm—Skin Membrane Thunder Sound!
When the body is full of Qi and blood, it permeates the skin and membranes, causing a qualitative change that makes the skin as tough as leather.
When the flow of Qi and blood resonates with the vibration of the skin to a certain extent, this unique sound will be produced, which means that the threshold of the Skin Refining Realm is right in front of you!
Yang Jin slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint seemingly flowing deep within his pupils.
He picked up the remaining small piece of roasted, fragrant earthworm meat from beside him, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.
As the flesh and blood entered his stomach, the familiar burning sensation of blood and qi rose again, quickly merging into the already surging torrent, making the surging under the skin even more intense.
"Skin Refining Realm..." he murmured to himself, feeling the surging power within his body and the increasingly thinning barrier, "Almost there."