Chapter 168: Chapter 153: Stacking Giant Strength, Gathering Medicinal Materials

The [Illusionary Appearance Shifting Demon Technique] was the fifth Demon Technique Lin Changheng now possessed!

Following the [Poison Transformation Demon Technique], [Fire Extinguishing Demon Technique], [Earth Escape Demon Technique], and [Red Sky Profound Flame], this one was more of a support technique.

But it was also extremely important. ’After all, how can you navigate the Cultivation Realm without a few alternate identities? It’s just too dangerous!’

Pleased, Lin Changheng casually stored away the remaining forty-eight portions of Red-eyed Fire Demon Essence Blood.

He was still a long way from the two hundred portions he needed, and with no telling when he’d be able to gather them all, he decided to postpone the Spirit Stealing for now.

If the Red-eyed Fire Demon belonging to that senior from the sect were to advance to Tier Two, a single portion of its Essence Blood would be equivalent to two current portions, which might speed up the collection process.

He then turned to the large quantity of earthy-yellow Mountain-moving Ape Essence Blood remaining in the chest. Without a word, Lin Changheng connected with his Primordial Cauldron and began the Spirit Stealing.

[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

[Mountain-moving Ape Treasure Seed · Second Layer]

...

[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

[Mountain-moving Ape Treasure Seed · Third Layer]

...

With two successful Spirit Stealings in a row, the Treasure Seeds solidified one after the other. At Lin Changheng’s mental command, both seeds were plucked and absorbed into his body.

[You may continue to Refine into the Demon Race Lifebound Talent: Giant Strength]

Naturally, Lin Changheng chose to refine it.

...

[Giant Power Technique: Spiritual]

...

[Giant Power Technique: Tongming]

Having experienced the infusion of the Giant Strength talent before, Lin Changheng was prepared. He bent his knees slightly, his feet gripping the ground firmly.

"BOOM!"

A profound change suddenly swept through him. His muscles pulled taut like steel cables, and veins bulged beneath his skin like coiling dragons. The very rush of his blood seemed to create the sound of a storm.

Then, a muffled boom erupted within him, a sensation like being crushed by a collapsing mountain. His bones began to creak and groan, as if on the verge of shattering.

One had to remember, he was no longer weak. He now possessed a Tier Two physique, comparable to a Demon Beast of the same tier!

And yet, he still felt as if he were being crushed under a great mountain, struggling to breathe.

An incredible thought surfaced in his mind. ’Could it be? Is the enhancement from the Giant Power Technique a proportional increase based on my body’s current strength?’

’That’s the only way it could be this powerful—powerful enough to make my Tier Two body feel this much pressure!’

Instead of being alarmed, Lin Changheng was delighted.

Just moments before, he had been worried that the Treasure Seed’s enhancement would be a fixed value based on his strength during the very first Spirit Stealing.

’If that were the case, it would be practically useless!’

’Luckily, it wasn’t a fixed bonus, but a dynamic, real-time enhancement!’

Lin Changheng looked down at his palm and slowly curled his fingers—

CRACK! A sonic boom erupted from his grip, and the force gusting between his fingers carved shallow lines into the ground. He then tried to lift his foot, but before he even applied any real force, the stone tile beneath him shattered into dust with a CRUNCH, as if he were standing on soft sand.

’This isn’t a proper test...’

Unsatisfied, Lin Changheng’s gaze fell upon a block of Black Profound Stone in the corner of the courtyard. It was an extremely hard material often used as a Trial Stone, likely left behind by a previous tenant. He ambled over, placed his open palm on the stone, gathered his strength, and pressed—

BOOM!

The entire block of Black Profound Stone instantly exploded, sending fragments flying like rain. And yet, his palm was completely unscathed, as if it were not made of flesh and blood but were a divine weapon, tempered a thousand times over.

[Utility: A moderate 60% increase in strength, skilled mastery of the Power Transmission Technique]

[Utility: A major 90% increase in strength, profound mastery of the Power Transmission Technique]

’After refining the Giant Power Technique to the Tongming level, my strength has been boosted by a total of nearly double! It’s truly worthy of its name. And with my profound mastery of the Power Transmission Technique, I can apply my power more effectively, control it with precision, and I won’t have to worry about struggling to adapt to this sudden surge in strength...’

Lin Changheng quickly grasped the implications.

As the saying goes, brute force overcomes all artifice. For someone at Tier Two of Body Refining like him, the Mountain-moving Ape’s talent was a perfect fit.

...

「Six months later.」

Lin Changheng had since helped another six Foundation Establishment Cultivators refine Tier Two Elixirs. By carefully managing the ensuing gossip, he felt he had built up sufficient fame and credibility.

He then had Deng Changsheng spread a piece of news:

"A certain Cultivator is looking for partners to gather the Medicinal Materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill. They plan to ask Alchemist Lin to perform the refining, and after some initial discussion, it seems Alchemist Lin is open to the idea..."

Oftentimes, an idea won’t even cross people’s minds unless it’s explicitly mentioned. But once the seed is planted, it’s impossible to ignore.

The spread of this news immediately caused quite a stir.

Some thought the cultivator who proposed this was incredibly audacious. While Alchemist Lin’s skills in the Alchemy Dao were superb—he could reliably refine Tier Two Genuine Pills and was highly regarded by many Foundation Establishment Cultivators—he had only been a Tier Two Alchemist for a short time. He almost certainly had no experience refining a Foundation Establishment Pill. Weren’t they just letting him use their precious materials for practice?!

Besides, the Medicinal Materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill were incredibly precious and difficult to collect. This seemed far too reckless.

This viewpoint proved very popular, winning the approval of most patrons at the Spirit Wine Tower.

"Well said."

"That’s right!"

"If I had the materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill, I’d definitely choose an Elder Alchemist who’s been at Tier Two for years. At least I’d have some peace of mind."

...

For several days, those who held this opinion argued passionately. But in reality, they were just the loudest voices in the room; none of them actually possessed Foundation Establishment Materials.

They were just making noise for the sake of it, adding nothing of value.

The ones who actually possessed Foundation Establishment Materials, however, were already carefully mulling over the possibility.

In fact, some had already come to pay Lin Changheng a visit.

The reason for this was that refining a Foundation Establishment Pill required an alchemist to not only preserve the Medicinal Properties but also split the full Medicinal Power into three separate, manageable portions so that a Qi Cultivation Cultivator could absorb it perfectly. This raised the demands on an Alchemist’s skill and control to a whole new level.

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