Chapter 304: Chapter 302: Joining "How is this possible!" "Oh, my God!" The aliens were all dumbfounded, unable to believe that someone in the world could withstand cannonballs barehanded. Could it be that martial artist had reached an inhuman level? "Retreat, retreat!" the alien leader cried out in fear... In reality, Lou Yi opened his eyes. A massive amount of energy from between heaven and earth entered his body, continuously enhancing his physical form, including bones, organs, blood, and even his brain and nerves. All his cells were transforming and being reborn at a rate millions of times faster than usual. This included his True Strength, whose total amount was also increasing. ’Screech!’ The eagle deep in his mind roared excitedly. Recalling the martial artist techniques from his memory, Lou Yi focused his energy. In a trance, he seemed to merge completely with the eagle. For a moment, the eagle’s golden eyes suddenly shot out a cold light, displaying a calmness and wisdom never seen before. At that moment, all the muscles, joints, and even the True Strength in his lower Dantian were clearly reflected in Lou Yi’s mind, granting him detailed and complete control over them. He mobilized the True Strength, dividing it into five equal parts. Then he channeled it to his right-hand fingers, making the fingertips emit a blinding red light. ’Swish! Swish! Swish!’ Five beams of red True Strength shot out simultaneously, instantly creating five extremely deep holes in the cave wall beside him. The equidistant spacing of the holes showed Lou Yi’s ultimate control over True Strength. ’From a rifle to a machine gun.’ ’With Divine Control of Qi, the stronger the Divine Sense, the more adept the control over True Strength.’ ’Extreme Fist has ascended to the Realm of Perfection, with basic strength increased by three thousand catties, reaching fifty-three thousand catties. Under the current physical strength conditions, this is quite remarkable.’ Having advanced the Extreme Fist, Lou Yi remained unsatisfied and shifted his focus to magic: Corpse Control Technique (Great Success 0/5000) → Corpse Control Technique (Perfection) Rain Technique (Proficient 0/1000) → Rain Technique (Minor Achievement 0/6000) Once again, a large amount of cool energy flowed into his body from heaven and earth. This time, the energy was enhancing the eagle in Lou Yi’s mind, his Divine Sense. The eagle’s size expanded by a full third before stopping, reaching nearly five feet tall. The most direct effect was sharper senses and a quicker mind. If he quieted his mind, he could even hear the sound of his fellow disciples snoring inside the cave halfway up the mountain. And he could control the True Strength even more freely. The True Strength no longer simply fired in a straight line; it could move in arcs or parabolas, with greater stealth and mobility. Lou Yi looked at the Attribute Panel: Name: Lou Yi Age: 20/130 Realm: Four Aperture Martial Artist (500/600), Iron Skin Martial Artist (374/600), Qi Cultivation 0 Level (346/600) Cultivation Techniques: Yellow Extreme Breathing Technique (Second Stage, Perfection), Skin Refining Technique (Proficient 0/1000+1 Leech Glue), Profound Yin Technique (Skillful 0/1000+Moonlight Dew) Skills: Lou’s Axe Skill (Perfection), Extreme Fist (Perfection), Light Body Technique (Great Success), Secret Skill: Dragon Piercing Technique - Fragment (One) Magic: Corpse Control Technique (Perfection), Rain Technique (Minor Achievement 0/6000), Sword Control Technique (Not Initiated) Talents: Petrification (Great Success 0/10000+1 Ice Soul), Swift (Skillful 0/100+1 Celestial Silkworm Silk), Disguise (Skillful 0/300+1 Earth Vein Spirit Marrow), Tenacious (Proficient 0/1000+1 Spirit-devouring Vine), Venom (Initiated 0/20+1 Bone Decay Grass), Control (Skillful 0/120+1 Yanpo Mushroom), Fireproof (Initiated 0/30+1 Hundred-Year Phoenix Tree Core), Wind Stabilization (Initiated 0/30+1 Cyan Sky Feather) Energy: 16858 Thus far, martial arts skills have reached their peak. Fist techniques perfected, axe skills perfected, Lou Yi can now be considered a Martial Arts Grandmaster. The same goes for magic. Rain Technique isn’t of much use for future development; no need to upgrade indefinitely, an opportunity must be found to exchange it for a Combat Technique. Lou Yi hasn’t forgotten; he still has a chance for a free magic spell exchange, which he’ll use once he breaks through to Qi Cultivation Layer One. The next focus is finding the key items to advance Skin Refining Technique and Profound Yin Technique. The Corpse-Driving Sect’s rule preventing outer disciples from leaving for three years gives Lou Yi a stable period for growth. When he can finally leave, his power will undoubtedly have reached unimaginable heights. ... The day after the quarterly assessment. Rong Xuejian came to find Lou Yi, saying there was finally movement at the Four Seas Association. Hall Master Zhang Li wanted to see him, offering him an opportunity. Lou Yi understood that Zhang Li must have received the news, that he had again topped the quarterly assessment, which prompted this swift reaction. Following Rong Xuejian, Lou Yi met with Hall Master Zhang Li of the Four Seas Association. The Hall Master is the lowest position in the Four Seas Association; above them are the Incense Master and Squad Leader, but the power they wield is considerable, enough to recommend alliance members for entrance, usually without rejection by the Headquarters. Zhang Li was also a young man in his twenties, not very tall, with a full beard. Most notably was his prominent forehead, which occupied almost half his head. Seeing his deep blue Daoist robe, Lou Yi knew he was a True Disciple. ’A Hall Master who’s already at the late-stage Qi Refining, what about the Incense Master and Squad Leader?’ Lou Yi felt a chill. The foundation of the Four Seas Association might be even stronger than he had imagined. Zhang Li stood with his hands behind him, his expression indifferent. A dark grey Iron Corpse ’bang bang bang’ walked out from behind him. This Iron Corpse was much taller than the one Lou Yi encountered with the cow-grass boy Su Pei before, standing nearly eight feet tall. The black lines on its body were more complex, as if they were constantly flowing. Zhang Li said blandly, "Junior Brother Lou, Junior Brother Rong has been recommending you, saying your close combat skills are quite strong, able to contend with the Iron Corpse. However, my Iron Corpse has been tempered with Thunder Technique, different from others, it’s power exceeds thirty thousand catties. As long as you can withstand three moves, then..." Before he finished speaking, a shadow flashed before his eyes. ’Boom!’ It seemed Lou Yi had stomped something into the ground, with only two dark grey arms waving upwards occasionally, striving desperately yet to no avail. "Senior Brother, what three moves were you talking about?" Lou Yi showed a confused look on his face. Zhang Li’s face twitched, he waved his hand: "No problem, you passed. In our Four Seas Association, early-stage Qi Cultivation disciples are rarely considered, especially those with lower-grade spirit roots like you." "But I’m willing to take a gamble. This year I have one special recommendation opportunity, hope you keep up your bold and aggressive momentum, don’t let me down." "Thank you, Senior Brother!" Lou Yi clasped his hands with a smile, then relaxed his foot that was pinned on the Iron Corpse’s head. The Iron Corpse seemed to have some autonomous intelligence; after standing up, it threw a punch at the back of Lou Yi’s head! ’Boom!’ Then, it flew backward without resisting, soaring at least a hundred yards away. "Such a strong body." Zhang Li gave Lou Yi a profound look. As for his Lifebound Corpse’s condition, he wasn’t worried at all. The Iron Corpse was almost invulnerable to blades and bullets, more so because Lou Yi hadn’t used lethal force. Two days later, Lou Yi received the Alliance Member Token from the Four Seas Association. The token was made entirely of silver metal, without a name, only a number; Lou Yi’s was ’Huang Twenty-Eight.’ Becoming a member of the Four Seas Association, one could share the resources within the association. Of course, it wasn’t free; one needed to use silver or items of equivalent value for trading and purchasing. However, compared to the Corpse-Driving Sect’s official demands for contributions and cultivation restrictions, this was already considerably convenient. After joining the Four Seas Association, Lou Yi stated his needs for Leech Glue and Moonlight Dew and was willing to offer sufficient silver for purchase. Hall Master Zhang Li helped him submit the request, telling him to await the news. ...