My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

Although Lin Yue was confused, he reached the exit, gritted his teeth, and pushed his Black Mountain Force to its absolute limit. He cast layers of spear shadows, knowing he couldn’t hold out for long. But every moment he could buy for Liang Cheng counted.

Meanwhile, Liang Cheng did something that made Lin Yue’s skin crawl: he voluntarily withdrew a portion of his Protective True Qi, allowing a wisp of Blood Force to seep into his body!

"Argh!"

A bone-deep agony instantly swept through him. The Blood Force rampaged through his meridians, madly corroding his Qi Blood True Qi. But Liang Cheng gritted his teeth and endured, simultaneously circulating his Broken Wave Technique at maximum capacity. He enveloped the wisp of Blood Force with his pure True Qi, forcibly driving it to the surface of his skin to merge with his Golden Armor Barrier.

SIZZLE...

The faint golden luster on his body flickered erratically as the Blood Force and the Golden Armor Barrier ground against and eroded one another. With each clash, the Golden Armor Barrier grew a fraction more solid!

At this moment, as if struck by inspiration, Liang Cheng began to actively guide more Blood Force into his body—staying within the limits of what he could endure, of course.

This was playing with fire, but the payoff was astonishing. The Golden Armor Barrier flickered erratically under the Blood Force’s corrosion. Every time it neared the brink of shattering only to stubbornly reform, it grew even more condensed.

Liang Cheng could feel it. ’If not for my perfect foundation—the Beginner Level of the Stone Armor Skill’s Golden Armor Realm—a gamble like this would have already ended with my meridians severed and my death.’

And yet, his Golden Armor Realm, originally at the Beginner Level, was rapidly advancing in just a dozen breaths’ time.

"He’s insane..."

Lin Yue watched from the tunnel entrance, his heart pounding in his chest. But he had also figured it out. Liang Cheng was using this bizarre Blood Force to temper his Hard Skills.

’To be able to do something like this... his mastery of Hard Skills must be far beyond my own.’

’The younger generation is truly to be feared. He is indeed worthy of being a True Inheritor of the Martial Arts Academy!’

At this moment, he felt that there might truly be hope for Dongshan Mine’s desperate situation.

Finally, through their combined efforts, the tide of Blood Force began to recede. By the time the last wave swept past, the faint golden luster on Liang Cheng’s body had become as rich as a tangible substance, with a hint of metallic texture flowing across it.

[Stone Armor Skill (Golden Armor): Great Success (1357/10000)]

He exhaled a turbid breath.

Golden Armor Realm, Great Success!

He had skipped right past the Beginner Level and Minor Success, advancing directly to the Great Success Realm. This alone showed just how dangerous the altar’s Qi Blood was. If they hadn’t held it back, Dongshan Mine would have likely been doomed.

’However, while the Blood Force condensed by this altar is sinister, it contains a boundless essence of Qi Blood. At its core, it’s an incredibly pure form of energy. If it could be refined with an orthodox method, it would be a powerful supplement.’

But the last Guardian from the Fire Worship Sect, seeing things turn against him, had already vanished. Just then, Lin Yue staggered and collapsed to the ground, coughing up another mouthful of black blood.

Liang Cheng caught him. "Thank you, Patriarch Lin."

Lin Yue shook his head, gasping for breath. "I should be the one thanking you, Town Guardian. Dongshan Mine would have been lost without you. Please, clear this area out soon. If we let it be, it’s bound to cause trouble again."

Liang Cheng nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the sound of urgent footsteps from outside the cavern. Looking toward the mine entrance, he saw Chen Ping charge in with a troop of soldiers from the Martial Preparation Hall, all fully armored and looking alert.

Seeing the carnage within the cavern, Chen Ping’s pupils constricted. He strode forward and dropped to one knee. "Town Guardian! Patriarch Lin! Your subordinate has arrived late!"

His gaze swept over the two Guardian corpses on the ground, then to the scattered ore, and finally settled on Liang Cheng—specifically, on the golden sheen on his skin that had yet to fully fade.

Liang Cheng watched him calmly. "Captain Chen, your timing is perfect. Clean this place up. Don’t let anyone else enter."

Liang Cheng’s eyes narrowed. ’From the altar’s detonation until now, only a short time has passed. For Chen Ping and his fully-equipped men to arrive... their timing is a little too perfect.’

Chen Ping’s expression remained unchanged. "Your subordinate obeys."

Liang Cheng looked to Lin Yue. "Patriarch Lin, your injuries are severe. Should I escort you out first?"

Lin Yue nodded. As Liang Cheng helped him up and turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of Chen Ping’s gaze out of the corner of his eye, lingering on the ruined altar for just a moment too long.

「By the time they walked out of the mine, the sky was already starting to brighten.」

Outside the mine, Zhao Yuan had indeed arrived with a large detachment of his Personal Guard. Seeing Liang Cheng drenched in blood but otherwise looking unharmed, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Senior Brother!"

Liang Cheng waved him off. "I’m fine. The cavern has collapsed, and there are some sinister things down there. Send reliable men in. Chen Ping is already below. Have them gather everything, seal it in crates, and transport it back to the Guardian Station. I want to inspect it all personally."

"Yes, sir!"

He turned back to Lin Yue. "Patriarch Lin, you should first recover at the Guardian Station. I will notify your son to come and retrieve you."

"Thank you." Lin Yue gave a wry smile.

"However, Patriarch Lin... shouldn’t you be giving me some kind of explanation?"