Immortal Refiner

With his hands clasped behind his back, Li Qing slowly turned to face Headmaster Zeng, who stood in the doorway clad in golden armor.

”Young man, what’s your name?” Zeng Jinbao sized Li Qing up and down, already guessing his purpose.

”Li Qing, my name remains unchanged!” Li Qing replied, meeting Zeng Jinbao’s gaze head-on, completely forgetting the false name he had given a young girl from the Nine Lotus Sect.

Zeng Jinbao chuckled softly. ”A young Inner Strength Martial Artist eager to challenge the world’s top experts, hoping to quickly reach the Divine Intent Realm... I’ve seen plenty like you.”

”Young man, take my advice: go back and cultivate further before returning. The Hundred Battles Realm is a crucial stage. If you fail midway, it becomes incredibly difficult to reach the Grandmaster Realm.”

Divine Intent Realm!

So, Transformed Strength Grandmasters were also known as Divine Intent Realm Martial Artists in the Jianghu Martial World.

This was the first time Li Qing had heard of this term. He silently committed the three words to memory.

In truth, the collective term for the three Martial Dao Realms is quite apt. The Tempered Body Realm and Hundred Battles Realm clearly indicate what Martial Artists at those levels must do.

Outer Strength is tempered in the Tempered Body Realm, while Inner Strength must endure a hundred battles in the Hundred Battles Realm. The three words ”Divine Intent Realm” might even hold secrets related to Grandmasters.

Li Qing smiled and replied, ”Headmaster Zeng, there’s no need to worry about setbacks along the way. My only fear is that living too long might dull my ambition.”

”If I were to merely survive in this world, I’d likely never reach the Grandmaster Realm, and that would be a great regret.”

At these words, Zeng Jinbao’s expression darkened slightly. He remembered his own youth, when he had first entered the Inner Strength realm and dreamed of defeating all Inner Strength experts in the world, soaring through the ranks to become a Transformed Strength Grandmaster.

Unfortunately, his first opponent had been far too formidable. Defeated and disheartened, he had decided to accumulate experience before re-emerging.

Sadly, that accumulation had stretched on for years. Time passed, his Vital Energy waned, and his peak had long since faded.

In the end, he even missed his only chance to advance to Grandmaster.

Looking at the now-triumphant Li Qing, he saw only his younger self in the past—filled with regret and remorse.

”Come, young man. After today’s battle, you’ll see that my advice was right,” Zeng Jinbao took a deep breath and assumed his most familiar martial stance: the Golden Armor Art!

Li Qing, however, unfastened the Peerless Hammer from his back. To everyone’s surprise, he simply dropped the hammer to the ground without reaching for it.

Bang!

The heavy Peerless Hammer slammed into the ground with a dull thud, causing many disciples in the audience to flinch.

What an absurd weight!

”What? You’re not using a weapon?” Zeng Jinbao frowned, feeling slighted by Li Qing’s apparent disrespect.

Li Qing shook his head. ”If you don’t use a weapon, neither will I.”

He added silently to himself:

In a battle between equals, if my opponent isn’t using a weapon, it would be too unfair to use the Peerless Hammer.

It wasn’t that Li Qing looked down on Headmaster Zeng’s Golden Armor Art, but he knew the destructive power of his Peerless Hammer all too well.

Even if Zeng Jinbao had truly honed his physical body to the point of being as solid as molten gold and cast iron, a single blow from his hammer would likely leave him either dead or severely wounded.

A Peerless Divine Weapon was not to be trifled with.

”Hmph, young man, don’t you dare regret your choice today!”

With that, Zeng Jinbao advanced, his steps steady and powerful. He maintained the Golden Armor Art’s stance as he moved, each step causing his skin to gradually harden further.

In an instant, Zeng Jinbao’s skin had taken on a lustrous sheen, resembling gold and jade.

”Excellent!”

Li Qing roared, finally abandoning all restraint. He surged his Vital Energy throughout his body.

Boom!

Anyone standing nearby could now hear the torrent of Vital Energy within Li Qing’s body surging like a raging river, a truly astonishing sound!

To think that at just twenty years old, his Vital Energy had already reached such a terrifying level of potency.

In the years to come, Li Qing’s Vital Energy would continue to surge. By his late twenties, when he reached his peak, how absurdly powerful would his Vital Energy become?

Fierce Tiger True Intent Diagram! Tiger Form!

Li Qing struck the Tiger Form. With each tremor of his Vital Energy, the muscles beneath his skin bulged grotesquely, threatening to burst through his clothes.

”Tiger back, bear waist”—those four words perfectly described Li Qing at that moment.

Having mastered the Fierce Tiger True Intent Diagram, he was now a humanoid beast!

Zeng Jinbao watched this scene, his expression shifting. A flicker of fear flashed in his eyes.

Such overwhelming momentum... could this kid really be just an early-stage Inner Strength Martial Artist?

He began to doubt his assessment of Li Qing, but Li Qing gave him no time to ponder.

A faint Tiger Force coalesced around Li Qing. With a sudden lunge, he adopted the stance of a fierce tiger pouncing on prey, rapidly closing in on Zeng Jinbao.

Tiger Palm!

Boom!

The force of Li Qing’s palm sliced through the air, each finger contorted into a terrifying claw.

Golden Armor Shakes the Mountain!

This was a variation of the Iron Mountain Strike. Zeng Jinbao slightly lowered his shoulder and charged forward, colliding fiercely with Li Qing, who was leaping towards him.

Clang!

Li Qing’s tiger claws landed on Zeng Jinbao’s shoulder. He had held nothing back with this move, unleashing his already formidable power and even employing the Inner Strength method of force generation.

The terrifying Internal Strength surged past Zeng Jinbao’s pale golden armor, invading his flesh like a raging storm and tearing apart his iron-hard body.

Having taken Li Qing’s tiger palm directly, Zeng Jinbao’s expression changed dramatically. Intense pain flooded his mind.

”Hiss!”

He gasped, shocked by the ferocity of Li Qing’s strike.

Li Qing’s palm also throbbed slightly. The force of the blow had felt like striking solid steel, the recoil constantly stimulating his palm.

However, Li Qing immediately ignored the pain.

Taking advantage of Zeng Jinbao’s momentary pause to catch his breath, he launched a relentless assault.

Boom!

Tiger Fist! Tiger Palm! Fierce Tiger Claws the Heart!

In an instant, every part of Li Qing’s body transformed into a weapon, his attacks raining down on Zeng Jinbao like a torrential downpour.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The rapid, muffled sounds of combat echoed through the Golden Armor School. Waves of Inner Strength erupted, leaving all the disciples watching dizzy.

This is what it’s like when Inner Strength Martial Artists clash? It’s terrifying!

Compared to them, the disciples felt like frail children. A single blow from these experts could easily prove fatal.

So tough!

This was Li Qing’s first thought, stunned by the defensive power of his opponent’s Golden Armor Art.

The opponent’s defense was no longer like a turtle’s; it was more like an ironclad turtle!

But Li Qing grew more excited with each strike. Using Shadow-Seeking Footwork and the Light Silk Leg Technique, he moved with incredible speed, making it impossible for Zeng Jinbao to mount an effective counterattack.

Finally, Zeng Jinbao seized an opportunity. During a momentary opening in Li Qing’s offensive, he thrust out a palm with all his might.

Li Qing simply grinned in response, meeting the attack head-on with his own palm strike.

Boom!

Their palms collided, unleashing a terrifying surge of Inner Strength. Their clothes instantly shredded and burst apart.

After trading a palm strike, Zeng Jinbao staggered back six or seven steps before barely regaining his balance.

Li Qing, on the other hand, only retreated a step or two before stopping.

”Hahahaha, exhilarating!”

Bare-chested, Li Qing wiped the sweat from his brow and charged forward again.

This time, he prepared to unleash his long-cultivated Golden Body Technique.

Combining it with the Fierce Tiger True Intent Diagram’s various scattered hand techniques might yield unexpected results.

Without hesitation, Li Qing grunted and activated the Golden Body Technique.

His skin instantly hardened. Though still only at the second layer, his physical strength was far from matching Zeng Jinbao’s Golden Armor Art. Yet the technique’s enhancement to his body was still astonishing.

”Come again, Headmaster Zeng!”

Watching Li Qing charge forward, Zeng Jinbao’s expression turned grim. He cursed inwardly.

This kid’s strength was simply too ferocious. He couldn’t imagine what he’d been eating to grow so strong. Even with his fully mastered Golden Armor Art and the armor he wore, defending against Li Qing’s attacks still caused him considerable pain.

The hand that had just clashed with Li Qing’s palm was now numb, as if it had lost all sensation.

”Hah!”

It was too late to call a halt. Li Qing had already closed in, radiating an intense aura of danger.

The next moment, when Zeng Jinbao took Li Qing’s first punch head-on, his eyelids twitched violently, and his heart pounded in terror.

Bang!

The punch landed like an exploding bomb, sending a shockwave that made his heart leap in his chest.

Soon, faint cracks appeared on the surface of his iron armor.

Having just experienced the perfect synergy between the Golden Body Technique and the Fierce Tiger True Intent Diagram, Li Qing’s eyes lit up with excitement. He roared, his eyes blazing as he charged at Zeng Jinbao again.

”Roar!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Golden Iron Tiger Fist, a barrage of ferocious blows, rained down on Headmaster Zeng’s iron turtle-like defenses.

At that moment, Li Qing’s hair had come loose, cascading around his shoulders. His disheveled appearance, combined with his terrifying muscles and slightly bloodshot eyes, transformed him into a true humanoid tiger of unparalleled ferocity!

The disciples watching from all sides trembled slightly.

The disciple who had mocked Li Qing earlier was so terrified his legs went weak. His gaze at Li Qing was like he was staring at something utterly terrifying.

Finally, Headmaster Zeng’s iron turtle shell couldn’t hold out any longer.

”Stop! Stop! Young man, stop! Don’t hit anymore! This old man can’t take it!”

It wasn’t for any other reason than that Headmaster Zeng could clearly hear and see the obvious cracks appearing in his golden-iron armor.

If the beating continued, the armor would shatter completely. Without that protection, he would almost certainly be beaten to death by Li Qing.

No, he would definitely be beaten to death!

(End of the Chapter)

📚 Read [IR] on Patreon.com/AnubisTL – Up to c158. [+2/+3.5k]

☕ Support me and Read Ahead for just $5/mo.

🎯 Translated [2] Novels [745k+] Words and counting!