Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

He looked down at his legs.

The moment the words "divine speed" appeared, his muscles began to twitch.

Starting from the calves, then the thighs, then the waist and abdomen, then the back, like an invisible wave surging upwards, wherever it passed, the muscles contracted, bulged, and then pressed down, becoming tighter and more intricate, and the outline of his body became a whole circle clearer than before.

Chen Ping looked down and watched the muscles on the back of his hand wriggle under the skin, the tendons between his knuckles compressed into bundles, and his skin stretched taut from the inside out.

Next up is the large tendon buried under the skin and flesh.

He could clearly feel the thick veins in his legs stretching wildly.

It is longer than when the tendons are fully refined, as tough as a full moon bowstring and as hard as refined steel.

At the same time, the bones also begin to feel heavier.

It felt like lead was being slowly poured into your bones, sinking from your very marrow. When you stepped on the ground, you could really feel your body becoming heavier.

Chen Ping reached out and pinched the bones in his left hand. It felt like he was pinching a piece of iron rod—hard, heavy, and uncomfortable.

Using the faint light of day, he raised his arm.

The rough skin texture is shrinking rapidly, and the pores are closing.

The skin appears thinner, yet it retains a remarkable resilience.

I pinched down hard with my fingernail, but it didn't even leave a white mark; it bounced back instantly.

Finally, there's Qi and Blood.

The qi and blood in the dantian began to surge, like a stagnant pool being stirred and slowly coming to life. As it flowed, it carried an unprecedented sense of weight. The qi and blood became more condensed and surged along the meridians to the extremities, thoroughly soaking the newly transformed muscles, bones, and tendons. Once, twice, three times, with each soaking, the feeling of tightness deepened.

Chen Ping didn't move; he just stood there, letting his body do the work on its own.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects in the distance.

I don't know how much time passed, but the wriggling sensation slowly subsided.

Chen Ping slowly closed his five fingers.

The knuckles clicked, the sound deeper than before, like hardwood striking hardwood.

His body had become noticeably stronger, with tighter skin, denser muscles, and heavier bones. He took a deep breath, and his blood and qi flowed from his dantian, through his tendons, throughout his body, a fraction faster and smoother than before.

A line of small print flashed across my retina.

[Skill: Swiftness]

[Effect: Allows for free movement of the body, and enables prolonged walking without fatigue.]

Chen Ping stared at the eight characters for a moment.

The body moves at will.

He took a deep breath and glanced down at the wooden stake in the corner of the yard.

The thought just popped into my head.

He didn't feel himself moving; the moment the thought crossed his mind, he was already in front of the wooden stake. His feet landed silently, and his body didn't even sway, as if he had appeared out of thin air.

The fist was thrown the instant the figure appeared.

All the muscles and bones in his body throbbed with energy.

Nearly 90% of his Qi and blood surged towards his fist with the force of the collapsing stone, like a tidal wave, fast and uniform.

boom!

The ironwood stake was shaved in half by that punch, the broken pieces jagged, wood chips flying everywhere, the fragments hitting the courtyard wall with a crackling sound.

Chen Ping looked down at his fist; his knuckles were red, his skin was taut, and the area between his thumb and forefinger felt faintly numb.

He raised his head and stared intently at the half-finished wooden stake.

Suddenly, he smiled.

At first, it was just a muffled thud that couldn't be suppressed in my chest, but then the excitement of breaking free of constraints became impossible to hold back.

"Hahahahaha!"

Hearty laughter echoed through the deathly silent courtyard!

With a surge of pent-up fervor and exhilaration that had been suppressed for more than half a year, the sparrows nesting under the eaves were startled and fled in a flurry.

Having lived in this chaotic world where life is as worthless as grass for so long, this is the first time he has felt so excited and so passionate because of the transformation of pure power!

The next instant, his figure vanished from the spot.

Appearing on the left side of the wooden stake, a heavy punch lands! Appearing on the right side, another slam! Appearing directly behind in a blind spot, yet another punch!

Appearing on the right, then another blast, appearing directly behind, another punch.

His fists rained down like a storm, each punch sending splinters of wood flying and creating a continuous crackling sound.

In just a few breaths, he smashed the wooden stake into dust, leaving wood chips scattered all over the ground.

Chen Ping withdrew his fist and stood still.

I still feel like my blood is burning hot.

He raised his head and looked out of the courtyard gate.

With a slight thought, he took a step forward.

He was already five steps away on the street, the night breeze was cool, but it couldn't dispel the burning passion in his heart.

One more step.

Six steps away.

Under the cool moonlight, he looked down and glanced behind him.

Only a faint afterimage remained behind him, as if someone had stood there for a moment before vanishing with the wind.

Chen Ping walked down the long street with his hands behind his back.

Without a sound beneath my feet, the courtyard walls, stalls, and tree shadows on both sides of the street flashed by in my field of vision, and in five breaths I had already covered a hundred steps.

He stopped.

A night breeze blew from the end of the street, lifting a corner of my clothes.

Chen Ping stood in the moonlight and felt the flow of qi and blood within his body.

Minimal.

It's just a little bit different from the feeling of my tendons being tense and my blood and qi being forced to the extremities when I used to practice walking. It's like night and day.

Back then, after walking for an hour, the tendons in my legs would ache as if they were about to break, and it would take half a day to replenish my qi and blood. Now, after walking a hundred steps, my qi and blood are stable, my heartbeat is not fast, and my breathing is not erratic.

He was silent for a moment.

The tension that had been building up in his chest due to the chaos of the world finally eased for a moment.

When the liver is fully satisfied and complete, it signifies transformation.

He stood in the moonlight for a moment, then remembered what Liu Laoguo had said that morning, and turned to walk towards the wine shop at the end of the street.

The town of Qingkou is much quieter at night than during the day. Most of the shops along the street are closed, with only a few still lit up. The dim yellow light shines through the cracks in the doors, turning the ground into a thin golden line.

The streets were sparsely populated, with only a few people occasionally hurrying by carrying lanterns, their steps quick, their heads down, avoiding eye contact.

Chen Ping walked past the entrance of an alley and paused for a moment.

The alley was dark, and nothing could be seen in the depths, but a faint, chilling aura seeped out from within, less intense than what was felt in the courtyard during the day, but undeniably present.

He stood there for a moment, then looked away and continued walking forward.

When the wine shop owner saw him enter, he looked up from behind the counter, recognized him, and deftly took a jar of yellow wine from the shelf, tied it with hemp rope, and handed it to him: "Master Chen, the usual?"

"Um."

Chen Ping paid the copper coin and carried the wine jar back home.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Liu Laoguo was just coming in from outside, carrying a pipe in his hand, walking with his head down, and almost bumped into Chen Ping.

He looked up and paused for a moment.

His gaze lingered on Chen Ping's face for a moment.

"This is the first time I've seen you so happy," Old Liu said slowly. "What, did you find a gold mine?"

Chen Ping remained silent.

Liu Laoguo said "Oh," then looked down at Chen Ping, his expression changing slightly before letting out a soft "Eh."

"Have you gotten more muscular?" He squinted and leaned closer to look. "Your skin seems a bit fairer too."

Old Liu stared at him for a moment, his gaze moving from his shoulders and back to his face, and then back again.

The originally well-fitting training jacket was now stretched tight around the shoulders and back, the cuffs were slightly cramped, and the fabric at the chest was slightly bulging.

My skin is a little whiter than before, but it has a firmer texture and is no longer the dullness I had when I was tanned at the dock.

The lines between his eyebrows and eyes became firmer, adding a touch of sharpness.

His lips moved, as if he wanted to ask something.

He then turned his head away.

"I'm going to cook."

He carried his pipe and walked towards the kitchen, his back view unhurried.

Chen Ping stood in the yard, swept up the sawdust, gathered it into a pile, and poured it into the ash bucket in the corner.

After sweeping, he took the wine jar from under the eaves and placed it on the stone table.

"Uncle Liu, your wine is here."

Liu Laoguo's voice came from the kitchen, muffled but with a hint of satisfaction: "Understood."

The sound of pots and pans clattering together rang out, unhurried and gentle.

Chen Ping sat down at the stone table and looked up at the sky.

The moonlight was bright and clear.

He repeatedly and thoroughly analyzed and solidified the effects of the divine speed in his mind.

To be invisible and formless within five steps is beyond the scope of skill, but no matter how strong the skill is, it is just empty talk if you have never seen blood.

He wasn't sure if Lian Zang could see through it, or if he could react to the difference between Ming Jin and An Jin in that one step.

This can only be understood by seeing bloodshed.