Chapter 620: Success

Liam knew the sensation filling him far too well. It was the same monstrous strength that flooded every inch of his body whenever he used the Primal Urge and body-enhancing pills, but the practice’s experimental nature brought side effects.

The stimulant did remove Liam’s limiters, at least partially, giving him access to and increasing the physical prowess in his incredible flesh. However, it also affected unwanted functions.

Liam’s muscles spasmed uncontrollably. His body tensed and relaxed, triggering sharp, random actions that were nothing short of catastrophic when so much power backed them.

An earthquake took over the underground hall as its floor kept breaking, cracks rising toward the walls, eventually reaching the ceiling. Liam had merely slammed his hands down, but the hideout was already on the verge of collapsing.

Truth was, the hall had no chance of surviving. Liam knew as much. Despite the spasms, his mind was clear, fully aware of what Rachel had unleashed.

Branching experts were true powerhouses. They weren’t as physically strong as magical beasts, but Liam was an exception in that unleashed state.

Actually, Liam had proven he could overpower those theoretically physically superior creatures, meaning anything in his surroundings and beyond was in danger when he had no control over himself.

"G-et!" Liam forced himself to grunt through his unreliable throat. "Out!"

Rachel jumped in time to avoid the spasms that sent Liam’s arched back to the floor. Apocalyptic shockwaves blew, but they were chaotic, with devastating but short-range pressure. They hit Rachel, but the compound sphere of silver mirrors that had enveloped her barely flickered.

Nevertheless, while Rachel was fine, the same didn’t apply to the hall. Anything the shockwaves hit crumbled, the place’s structural integrity shattering beyond salvation. The ceiling and everything else collapsed, making no attempt to delay the cave-in.

Mere dirt couldn’t do anything against Rachel’s compound sphere. She rose through the hall’s collapse on top of her backup spear, her defensive magical item enabling a safe return to the surface.

There, Rachel kept rising, creating what she believed was a safe distance, before refocusing on the ground. Liam was being buried alive, but things ending there would be the best-case scenario.

Of course, the best-case scenario didn’t arrive. The devastation a branching expert was capable of couldn’t possibly stop at a mere underground hall.

Violent tremors ran through the area, with vast fissures opening everywhere. Soil erupted from seemingly random spots, as if a massive creature chained underground was struggling to resurface.

That wasn’t much different from the truth, but the underground monster wasn’t the one to resurface. The surface simply disappeared.

An even bigger fissure opened, one side moving like a wave, displaced to expose what lay beneath. Liam still hadn’t regained control, his trembling figure covered in dirt as more soil fell on him, ready to bury him again.

However, a violent spasm threw Liam’s arm to the side, and the entire area there exploded. A massive hole opened as the rocky soil either shattered into dust or flew away.

A kick came next, or at least what looked like one. Liam’s left leg forcefully straightened, hitting nothing, but the pressure it released displaced the soil, greatly expanding the hole he lay in.

Luckily, Rachel had wisely limited the amount of poison for the test. As intense as it was, its effects waned after two more violent spasms. Liam felt the monstrous strength abandon his body, as well as control returning.

The destruction alone pointed to a clear conclusion. The experiment had been an utter failure, and Liam had even more to confirm that.

As Liam sat up, pain flared all over his body with different intensities. Most of it was bearable, mere discomfort. Other spots, like his back, instead hurt far more, seemingly involving muscle damage.

Still, Liam’s right hand was the worst offender. Nothing looked broken, but his wrist, pinky, and ring finger had bent oddly, seemingly having dislocated.

And yet, satisfaction shone on Liam’s face. The experiment was undoubtedly a failure, but it also proved something else.

’It works!’ Liam cheered internally.

Liam’s goal was to replace the body-enhancing pill, and acupuncture had definitely replicated its effects. It was just a matter of perfecting the process now.

’I can even endure a bit more,’ Liam calculated from how little broken he was. ’But the poison needs work. I definitely left too much that shouldn’t be there.’

Liam brainstormed as his left hand went to his dislocated parts, ready to pop his wrist back into place, only for Rachel to stop him. She had hurried to his side, grabbing his healthy arm and pushing him down.

The damage from the experimental project wasn’t all Liam had suffered. Many needles had broken or dug deeper than they should, and Rachel prioritized getting them out.

Next came Liam’s right hand. Rachel popped everything back into place swiftly and almost painlessly, kissing its back before each maneuver, as if to warn him beforehand.

Normally, Liam would have stopped that trend at the first instance of soft wetness, but a strange vibe had surrounded Rachel. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere, deep in thought, and that state continued even as she moved to check his body.

"The stimulant is flawed and too thick," Rachel announced, seemingly to herself. "It also needs to be spread evenly. The reaction is too unstable when applied solely to the core."

Liam had been in a similar state too often not to recognize it. He could even ignore the Demoness when bursts of inspiration arrived, so he didn’t dare to distract Rachel.

"But to achieve permanent effects ..." Rachel continued. "Only proper Qi deviation can produce such results. I must alter how your body and meridians behave."

That sounded invasive, but Rachel was quick to reassure Liam.

"It can’t be sudden," Rachel said, shaking her head. "It must be a gradual treatment that ultimately culminates in that new behavior. However, the breakthroughs are bound to undo it."

’I see,’ Liam understood. ’It’s like what I’m doing with Grace.’

The treatment Rachel mentioned sounded similar to the improvements Liam had made and planned to continue to Grace’s cultivation. Still, instead of strengthening the sheer channels, Rachel would work on energy flows.

The limit was also different. Grace hit walls when her cultivation became too heavy for her average talent, while Liam had the very opposite problem. His body was so great that any tinkering would vanish in the face of the breakthrough’s transformative process.

’Well, she will stick around anyway,’ Liam thought. ’She can redo the treatment after each breakthrough. Since I use needles myself, I should have her teach me some of that acupuncture, too.’

Liam brainstormed, happy that things were progressing nicely. His hopes hadn’t been unfounded. Dealing with the hungry predator who had somehow lain on him was the only issue.

"What a man," Rachel purred, rubbing herself on Liam, as if wanting him to experience all her curves. "This is part of the treatment. Little Sister would never lie to her Honey."

’When did she even get there?’ Liam wondered, casually lifting Rachel from her belt and jumping, the fan appearing under his feet so that he could head for the other forbidden zone.