Chapter 149 - 113: The Fused Iron Cloth Shirt, An Eye-Opener

Chapter 149: Chapter 113: The Fused Iron Cloth Shirt, An Eye-Opener

"No wonder my kidneys couldn’t handle it when I took an extra Profound Essence Pill a few days ago. So that’s why!"

Su Chen suddenly realized the truth as he recalled what had happened earlier.

Initially, he had wanted to take two Profound Essence Pills a day, but after a single attempt, he had completely abandoned the idea. One pill was well within his tolerance, but after taking a second, he felt a distinct, intense sense of rejection and pain radiating from his kidneys.

If his internal organs hadn’t been tempered by the Iron Cloth Shirt’s power for a long time, the two pills might have completely destroyed his kidneys. This also made him realize that his plan to accelerate his progress by consuming two Profound Essence Pills at once was simply unfeasible.

Previously, he hadn’t understood why the Profound Essence Pill burdened only his kidneys. It wasn’t until this stream of power appeared that he realized the Profound Yuan Technique was specifically designed to temper the kidneys.

Saying it was "specifically" designed wasn’t entirely accurate, either. Just like the Iron Cloth Shirt, both techniques could actually temper all five major internal organs, but each had a primary focus. For instance, the Iron Cloth Shirt primarily tempered the lungs, while the Profound Yuan Technique focused on the kidneys. As for the other internal organs, they were merely strengthened in passing, receiving far less refinement than the primary target.

"That means different powers temper the internal organs to varying degrees. Some are suited for the lungs, while others are better for the kidneys. It all depends on the cultivation technique. This perfectly aligns with what Master said about power attributes."

Su Chen recalled Hong Ming’s explanation of power. Different cultivation techniques produced powers with different attributes. When paired with the tempering of internal organs, the concept became much clearer and easier to understand.

"The Iron Cloth Shirt belongs to the metal element and primarily tempers the lungs. The Profound Yuan Technique belongs to the water element and primarily tempers the kidneys. That leaves the heart, liver, and spleen. Could I learn three other cultivation techniques of different attributes to specifically temper the remaining organs?

"After all, this kind of targeted tempering is far more effective. If the techniques are of a high enough tier, I might truly achieve internal organs as tough as iron and virtually indestructible. That would be immensely beneficial to my martial arts journey.

"Besides, I have the Mixed Element Skill, so I don’t have to worry about powers clashing. Even in the worst-case scenario, I can just level up the Mixed Element Skill and condense a few more streams of Mixed Yuan Power to link all these other powers together, neutralizing any conflicts!"

This sudden realization made Su Chen’s blood pump with excitement. If he really practiced five cultivation techniques of different attributes, his total power reserves alone would vastly exceed those of any martial artist at his level, let alone his actual combat prowess.

However, once he calmed down, he realized that this grand vision might be nearly impossible to achieve. It wasn’t an issue of whether he could cultivate them, but rather the sheer difficulty of finding high-quality cultivation techniques.

Of the two techniques he currently practiced, setting aside the Iron Cloth Shirt, the Profound Water Technique was acclaimed as the number one cultivation technique of the Profound Water Sect. It was a well-known name throughout the entire Qinzhou martial arts world. Finding another cultivation technique of a similar caliber with a different attribute would be exceedingly difficult.

"So what if it’s difficult? I have to at least try," Su Chen murmured to himself, his expression resolute.

Giving up before even starting wasn’t in his nature. At worst, he would just take his time; an opportunity would surely arise eventually.

Having thought things through, Su Chen focused entirely on testing the power of the Profound Yuan Technique. It didn’t take long for him to discover its two main characteristics.

The first was its ability to accelerate the circulation of other powers, thereby increasing the efficiency of tempering his internal organs. Su Chen already knew this, so it came as no surprise.

The second was that when used, it generated an oscillating force. Much like a real current of water, it crashed wave after wave, surging endlessly and continuously. It was somewhat similar to the multiple impacts of the Iron Cloth Shirt’s power, but it emphasized a prolonged, continuous flow. Its effectiveness scaled directly with the user’s total power reserves.

For Su Chen, this was like adding wings to a tiger. His internal power reserves were already far greater than those of an ordinary Internal Martial Artist. With the Profound Yuan Technique, defeating average Internal Martial Artists would essentially take nothing more than a simple slap.

Take the man in black who intercepted him at the Black Market, for example. With the enhancement of the Profound Yuan Technique, Su Chen could have completely shattered the man’s internal organs in just a single move. It was genuinely terrifying.

While Su Chen was overjoyed by his newfound strength, Heqiu’s investigation uncovered a new clue.

Someone had accidentally stumbled upon Duan Feng’s corpse.

Heqiu was called to the scene. Frowning slightly, he stared at what was left of Duan Feng—only half of a body remained. The corpse looked as though it had been gnawed on by a wild beast. It was a mangled, bloody mess, mutilated beyond recognition. Had the face not retained a few of its original features, no one would have been able to identify it as Duan Feng.

"Hmm? This blade wound..."

Heqiu stared at the gash on Duan Feng’s neck, his pupils suddenly contracting. Feeling a bit uncertain, he examined it closely for a few moments before a smile crept onto his face.

"It’s the same person!"

He recalled the two blades used to kill Yu Xian; one of them perfectly matched the wound on Duan Feng’s body. This meant that Duan Feng’s killer was likely the very same person who had murdered Yu Xian.

With this deduction in mind, Heqiu immediately had someone lead him to where the body was found. He hired the best hunter near Qingxi Town, and after searching the area for two days and two nights, they finally uncovered a hidden cave.

Seeing the faint footprints inside the cave, Heqiu was elated. After comparing the tracks, he quickly reached a conclusion.

The killer who murdered Duan Feng and Yu Xian was the exact same person. He carried two weapons: a steel saber and a custom-made blade.