Chapter 227 - 36: Second Transformation

Chapter 227: Chapter 36: Second Transformation

Lin Yan gazed at the stretch of river and nodded.

"You’ll have a twenty-man patrol team under you. Two of them are at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, and the rest are Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists. Those two at the Fourth-Time are waiting for you right here. They’re all Martial Artists from families subordinate to our Lin Family."

Lin Mingye explained their backgrounds to Lin Yan, then turned and called toward the door, "Come in."

The door flap was lifted, and two figures walked in.

"This is Zhou Chuan. He’s at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing and has been patrolling this river for five years."

Lin Mingye gestured to a man in his thirties on the left. The man clasped his fist toward Lin Yan and grinned. "Young Master Yan."

"This is Zhao Tong. Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. He’s been here for three years."

Zhao Tong was leaner in comparison, with a steady gaze. He also clasped his fist in a salute to Lin Yan. "A pleasure to meet you, Young Master Yan."

Lin Yan nodded in acknowledgment. His gaze lingered on their faces for a moment as he committed them to memory.

"Alright, I’ll let Zhou Chuan and Zhao Tong tell you the rest. They’ve both been stationed in the East River Domain longer than either of us. I only got here two days before you. It’s a shame... If I’d known, I would’ve made sure to arrive after you."

Lin Mingye’s words confused Lin Yan. "Brother Ye, what do you mean by that?"

"I got here early, so Uncle Shouzhi assigned me to stay here and act as the liaison for all of you. If you had arrived before me, this job would’ve been yours. Then I could be out patrolling the river, maybe even get a chance to run into some Water Bandits. But stuck here..."

Seeing Lin Mingye’s pout and bored expression, Lin Yan couldn’t help but smile.

’So young.’

Even if he himself had arrived first, the patrol duty would have still fallen to him, while Lin Mingye would be stuck handling communications at Gourd Mouth.

The reason was simple. After accepting the mission, he had made a point to learn that Uncle Shouzhi, the True Gang Realm powerhouse sent by the clan to oversee the operation, was from the main branch—the same branch as Lin Mingye.

After exchanging a few more words with Lin Mingye, Lin Yan left Gourd Mouth with Zhou Chuan and Zhao Tong. They headed for their assigned river section, where a small outpost was located.

"Young Master Yan, the accommodations are a bit crude. Would you like us to have someone fix them up?"

"No need. This will do."

The outpost consisted of several stone houses on an earthen slope beside the riverbank. The stone house that Zhao Tong and Zhou Chuan had prepared for him was at the highest point, and they had even gone to the trouble of building a courtyard wall with stones.

After setting down his belongings, Lin Yan patrolled the river section under the guidance of Zhou Chuan and Zhao Tong. He met the other Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists and familiarized himself with the patrol schedule.

In the mornings, Zhou Chuan led a team toward Black Water Bay and returned at noon.

Then, Zhao Tong would lead a team to patrol toward Gourd Port, returning in the evening.

Lin Yan joined the patrols for two days before ceasing to participate. It wasn’t that he was lazy; rather, it was customary. As long as nothing happened, a Blood Exchange Realm powerhouse like him was not expected to go out on daily patrols.

Three days later, Lin Yan met with Uncle Shouzhi. The older man offered a few words of encouragement and caution before departing.

And so, seven peaceful days passed. On this particular day, Lin Yan returned to his courtyard after finishing his morning meal.

The Martial Arts Tree inside him was now infinitesimally close to eight feet tall. It was time to break through to the Blood Exchange Second Transformation.

...

The morning wind howled as the river surged below.

Lin Yan sat cross-legged in the open space before his stone house, facing the East River.

He took out a medicine vial and poured one of the few remaining Bodhi Pills into his mouth.

The Elixir dissolved the moment it entered his mouth. The mass of Qi Blood within him, which he had compressed countless times, began to churn. As Lin Yan circulated the Eight Desolates Dragon Elephant Force, the Qi Blood from his Eight Meridians crashed relentlessly into his Dantian like a torrential waterfall.

The Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation was a process of repeatedly compressing and refining one’s Qi Blood.

The process was like tempering steel; there were no shortcuts, only patient, grinding effort.

One Circulation, Two Circulations, Three Circulations!

Lin Yan’s Dantian gradually grew hot, and the heat eventually spread throughout his entire body. This was not a scorching heat, but a warmth that emanated from the very depths of his marrow.

As the river wind blew over him, all the pores on Lin Yan’s skin opened. His veins bulged, and a faint crimson-gold luster could be seen flowing within them—the color of Qi Blood compressed to its absolute limit.

The moment the mass of blood was compressed to its limit, a continuous series of cracks erupted from Lin Yan’s vertebrae, sounding like rolling thunder.

His Stone Waist Thunder Spine Root Bone activated once more. A searing current shot from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head. His entire spine felt like a fully drawn bowstring as the Qi Blood within him continued to compress manically.

Lin Yan gritted his teeth, the Mantra of the Dragon Elephant Force echoing endlessly in his mind.

Eight Meridian Passage, One Turn, One Layer of Heaven.

Blood like mercury, Qi like a rainbow, with the Dragon Elephant’s might, power to pierce the heavens.

BOOM!

The pale golden mass of blood in his Dantian suddenly erupted like a volcano, exploding into countless streams of pale golden blood that surged back out along his Eight Meridians.

The newborn Qi Blood was denser and hotter than it had been at the First Transformation. Wherever it passed, the inner walls of his meridians were coated with a faint golden layer.

A terrifying Blood Gang now surged from his pores, forming a layer of Gang Qi nearly twice as thick as it was at the First Transformation. As it circulated, faint phantoms of a Dragon Elephant flickered in and out of existence within the bloody aura.

Blood Exchange Second Transformation, complete!

Lin Yan did not rise immediately. He sat there quietly, feeling the Qi Blood surging through his body like a great river and the Blood Gang flowing silently beneath his skin.

After a long moment, he finally raised his right hand. Three streams of Sword Gang lit up on his fingertips.

Unlike during the First Transformation, these three streams of Sword Gang were deeper in color and more condensed in substance.

The Four-Phase Condensing Gang Sword was a fusion of Blood Gang and Sword Intent, with Blood Gang serving as its foundation.

The stronger the Blood Gang, the greater the power the Sword Gang could unleash.