Lu Changsheng snapped his eyes open. Blood qi rumbled through his body, and the blood within his veins surged like a rolling tide. His physique strengthened with each passing mont.
This marked the sixth round of marrow transformation and blood replacent. With this, his strength should be equivalent to sixty cauldrons. He imdiately invoked his Status Panel to check his condition.
[Status Panel]
Host: Lu Changsheng
Perception: 683 (Hidden Dragon in the Abyss)
[Skills]
Celestial Treasure-Refinent Secret Technique: First Layer
Threefold Waves: Second Wave
Blood Crystal Secret Technique: Perfection
Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension: Second Level
Divine Dragon Transformation: Second Transformation
Nine-Character Thunder Chant: Perfection (Incomplete)
It seed that he had pushed the Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension to the second level, and the Blood Crystal Secret Technique to Perfection. That was impressive enough, but the most crucial advancent was his strength reaching the threshold of sixty cauldrons.
Lu Changsheng's current strength was the equivalent of undergoing six rounds of marrow transformation and blood replacent.
By activating the Second Transformation of the Divine Dragon, his strength would be doubled, reaching one hundred and twenty cauldrons. If he then stacked the Second Wave on top of that, his strength would rise by fifty percent, reaching a staggering one hundred and eighty cauldrons, thus surpassing the Hundred Cauldrons Stage.
Divine Dragon Transformation definitely has an upper limit to how much it can strengthen the body, and the sa must be true with the Threefold Waves. I just don't know where that limit lies.
A sharp glint flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes. He knew there had to be an upper limit to any enhanced secret technique or martial art. And yet, it seed he had yet to reach that limit, even though he could now break past the Hundred Cauldrons Stage. Beyond that lay only the Thousand Cauldron stage.
I wonder how far the Prefectural Yan has progressed in its investigation of that demonic martial artist.
Lu Changsheng suddenly recalled the matter of the demonic martial artist. An entire month had passed, and yet he had not heard of any significant updates, as though that so-called demonic martial artist had vanished from the world.
Of course, he was aware this was no simple issue. Judging from previous patterns, a new batch of corpses would erge roughly every month, and this discovery had actually been made exactly a month prior.
The matter remained under official investigation, and in terms of inquiry and pursuit, the authorities unquestionably possessed greater strength than he did. Lu Changsheng only needed to wait in silence.
At that mont, the Nanyang Prefectural Yan, joined by martial artists from various local powers, had already reached a public coffin hall[1]in the southern quarter of the city.
"Master Constable, this is it, the public coffin hall of the Lin Clan. They have maintained it for a hundred years, gathering the corpses of those who have no one to claim them. Things have been chaotic lately. Many unclaid corpses have turned up, and they have all been sent here," a night watchman explained.
"Is there anyone guarding the coffin hall?" Constable Liu asked.
"There used to be, but a few months ago, Old Zheng, who watched over the place, died of illness. Then an Old Wang ca, saying he was willing to guard the coffin hall. He even asked for no wages, just two als a day."
The night watchman clearly understood these affairs well.
"Tell about Old Wang," Constable Liu demanded.
"Well... What is there to say? Old Wang keeps to himself. I tried talking to him a few tis, but he barely said anything. All I know is that he seems to be from another place, a refugee who fled to Nanyang Prefecture. Being old and frail, he cannot do any heavy work, so as to not starve, he volunteered to watch over the coffin hall."
Constable Liu nodded thoughtfully. "An outsider..."
In truth, Constable Liu had already traced nurous leads to the coffin hall of the Lin Clan. Every clue and every trail pointed here, which was why he had summoned so many Organ Refinent martial artists from across Nanyang Prefecture to accompany him. This coffin hall was clearly suspicious, and this Old Wang, an outsider serving as its caretaker, was doubly so.
Constable Liu turned back to the night watchman. "Go and call Old Wang out."
The watchman swallowed nervously. Though he was a re guard, even he could tell from this show of force that sothing was wrong with the coffin hall, and that Old Wang might be at the heart of it. Not daring to question the order, he reticently went into the hall, his knees trembling.
He timidly glanced around before calling out, "Old Wang..."
His call was t with eerie silence, which was heightened by the heavy stench of death.
Creak...
The silence was shattered by a creak. The night watchman stiffened, cold sweat trickling down his back. As he turned around, he spotted a figure slowly rising from inside one of the coffins. The ghastly sight made him tremble uncontrollably
"Yes? Were you looking for ?" asked the corpse.
The watchman stood frozen for a mont, unable to utter a word. But after taking a better look, he exhaled in relief.
"Ah... Old Wang, why are you sleeping in a coffin?!"
"Why? Because it's warr, of course."
"Uh..." The watchman was baffled.
However, Old Wang was right. There were no blankets in the coffin hall, and nights got quite cold here. Naturally, one would have an easier ti sleeping in one of the coffins.
"Anyway, please co with . The master constable wants to see you."
With that, the watchman led Old Wang out of the coffin hall. As they stepped out, every gaze fell on the old man.
"Old Wang, how long have you been guarding the coffin hall?" asked Constable Liu, his expression grave.
Old Wang glanced at him. "I think it is about six or seven months. I do not rember very clearly," he said calmly.
"Six or seven months?" Constable Liu compared the dates in his mind, and suddenly, he felt a jolt in his chest. That ti fra matched the ergence of the corpses exactly.
"Do you stay in the coffin hall every day? Have you gone out at all?"
"No. I receive no wages and own nothing. Where could I go? There's nothing for to do but to stay here and keep these poor people company."
1. In Chinese, (义庄/ yìzhuāng) is not a graveyard nor a permanent burial ground. It is a temporary place used to store bodies or coffins for people who died far from ho, had no family to claim them, or needed to wait before a proper burial. Here's an image of what such a place looks like. ☜
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