Chapter 39: Chapter 35: The First Lock The sun sets in the west, marking dinner time. Liu Jun was too busy with the affairs of the second team to personally deliver the treasure meat. After experiencing the villagers’ riot, he dared not entrust others casually, nor let his grandson take risks, so he entrusted Vice Captain Zheng Weimin to come. Su Lin opened the door and welcomed him in, but before he could pour water, Zheng Weimin had already placed two food boxes on the table and turned to leave. "Uncle Min, why don’t you sit down and rest for a while?" Seeing his neck sweaty and collar soaked, Su Lin knew he must be exhausted. "No, I still have things to do." Zheng Weimin shook his head in refusal and then said: "There’s also something I need to tell you. Your sister-in-law came by after you left and said that she unlocked the Tendon Lock last night. She left the remaining two meals of treasure meat for your wife." "Ah?" Su Lin was very surprised, "Wasn’t it agreed..." Zheng Weimin waved his hand to interrupt, "I’m just here to relay the message." After saying this, he hurriedly left. Su Lin stared at the meat food boxes on the table and fell into silence. Su Tongxi had just hauled a bucket of water to Su Lin’s room for him to wash after training. Finishing her chores and heading downstairs, she saw him lost in thought and couldn’t help but ask: "Brother Kirin, what’s wrong?" Su Lin pointed at the two food boxes on the table: "My sister-in-law said she unlocked the Tendon Lock and left the remaining treasure meat for you." "Ah? How is this right? I, I need to tell her we don’t need it now?" Su Tongxi instantly became nervous, feeling undeserving of it. Su Lin pondered for a moment and shook his head: "Forget it, since she delivered it, just accept it. Your talent was delayed for two years, it’s a good opportunity to catch up quickly." He smiled encouragingly, "Didn’t you see the look in Grandpa and Second Uncle’s eyes yesterday? It’s clear they hope you’ll grow quickly and become my shield." Su Tongxi, hearing this, tightly clenched her little fists, eyes firm: "I surely will!" She glanced at the food boxes and sighed softly: "Sister Yaxin may seem cold but has a warm heart, she’s a good person. It’s a pity Brother Su Qin left too early, leaving their mother and daughter to depend on each other, quite pitiful. The latter half of life, who knows..." She suddenly realized it was inappropriate to say such things and quickly stopped talking. Being a daughter-in-law of the Su Family, remarks about remarriage shouldn’t come from her mouth. Su Lin scratched his head, truly feeling the kindness beneath his sister-in-law’s cold exterior. Whether it was her staunch support when he clamored about gambling his life, or the current gesture of gifting the meat, he owed her greatly. The joke he made out of dissatisfaction with her indifferent attitude last time was indeed somewhat excessive to a widowed sister-in-law. ... Having decided to accept the meat, Su Lin and Su Tongxi began preparing for cultivation. Unlocking the Genetic Lock for the first time in life, tension and anticipation inevitably lingered in their hearts. Su Lin was especially excited. There was a time he utterly rejected the destiny of crossing over, but as a man, who hasn’t fantasized about becoming a martial arts master wandering the eaves? The food box was opened, and an exotic aroma filled the room. Having had a few meals, Su Lin had developed some resistance. But for Su Tongxi, it was her first time; the aroma made her throat tighten, and her stomach growl even louder. Her face blushed instantly, shyly glancing at Su Lin, fearful he might hear the embarrassing sound. However, Su Lin’s attention was entirely captured by the words "breakthrough realm" at the moment. He picked up the food box, holding chopsticks, and as usual, wolfed it down like a beast chewing peonies. After finishing in a few bites, he looked over at Su Tongxi, who was still delicately nibbling with small bites. This time, the body’s reaction was entirely different upon consuming the treasure meat! Boom! The already overflowing Qi and blood now resembled a thundercloud charged with violent electric energy, flashing lightning and rumbling instantly! The treasure meat particles brimming with strong activity acted as a fuse, igniting the surging particle torrent within! Qi and blood surged more intensely and swiftly until the energy accumulated to a peak when the pounding began! Heat! Su Lin felt as if he stood amidst ten thousand thunderclaps, his skin sizzling and itching, burning yet cold! Unbearable! Extreme pain enveloped every inch of his skin! Su Lin bit his tongue fiercely, the sharp pain keeping him awake, although his movements were sluggish, he resolutely started Dawn Breathing Technique Pile Skill again. As the breathing rhythm matched the cultivation technique’s operation, the excruciating pain slightly alleviated. His pores suddenly dilated, trickling out dark gray filthy threads from them, with faint bioelectric light visible to the naked eye. Then, all his hair stood on end! The torment continued for over ten minutes. His pores began to contract, tightly closing. Touching Su Lin’s skin now, anyone would be astonished by its silk-like smoothness but robust toughness like old leather! Tendon Lock, broken! At the moment of unlocking the first Genetic Lock, Su Lin underwent a transformation akin to rebirth. The human body isn’t isolated; a pull on one part affects the whole! Using the body’s qi and blood to impact and break through the skin’s genetic shackles, he completed a leap of evolution in mere moments. The skin that first evolved also started to send feedback to other parts of the body. Flesh first bore the brunt, refined by active particles, laying the foundation for the next stage of evolution. Muscle strength surged wildly! Next came the tendons, bones, internal organs... Every organ in the body enjoyed the benefits of the evolution to varying degrees. The heart pumped vigorously, pumping out stronger blood. As time passed, Su Lin finally adapted to the body’s drastic changes, and the boiling blood gradually calmed. When he opened his eyes again, the dim lamp inside the room had been lit. "Hoo————" Su Lin exhaled a long breath, feeling an indescribable sense of ease and lightness as if relieved of a heavy burden. He looked down at himself, apart from the filth covering him, he immediately noticed the vast improvement in his vision! Outside was enveloped in darkness, inside only one lamp lit, dim light. Yet in Su Lin’s eyes, everything was clear as day! Without bending, he could see fine thread-like scratches on the floor, its clarity resembling a magnifying glass! He reached for the food box on the table, his fingers barely touching the wooden edge, exerting slight force, and with a "crack," the box cracked open! Su Lin’s eyes gleamed with brilliance, wanting to test more things for strength, but then came noises from the stairs. Looking up, he saw Su Tongxi coming down after her bath. She cried excitedly, "Brother Kirin, you finally recovered!" Her voice was full of concern. Su Lin: "..." The joy brought by the breakthrough as Superman was swiftly doused half. He asked weakly, "Did you... unlock the Tendon Lock?" "Yes, I did!" Su Tongxi nodded, "Seeing you still not moving, I’ve been worried for long." "...When did you unlock it?" "About an hour ago." Su Tongxi thought for a moment. Su Lin instinctively glanced at the clock on the wall—it was seven-sixteen. In other words, after eating the treasure meat, Su Tongxi took only two to three minutes to complete the process of breaking through the Tendon Lock?! ...Is this normal? Or rather... Was it normal for him to take such a long time? "..." "Damn, you Hanbao!! Dare to shatter the Daoist master’s Dao heart!" Su Lin first ruthlessly rubbed Su Tongxi’s small face, then kissed her little mouth red, finally getting up to take a shower. He felt somewhat dispirited. After coming downstairs, he began dealing with the neglected safe house upgrade, doors and windows, walls, decomposition station, materials all supplied by Grandpa. As for upgrading to Level 3 Safe House, in addition to accumulating enough Shadow Core, it also required a large amount of materials, worth approximately 40 silver coins. He was poor.