Swoosh!
Gu Chen's figure flashed, ghostlike, as he moved close and caught the soul crystal securely in his hand.
"You..."
The few Vajra Stage martial artists from the Evil Heart Sect instantly turned pale.
"Roar!"
At that moment, the late-stage Ghoul Minotaur let out an angry roar and charged straight at Gu Chen, bulldozing his way forward, its two sharp horns aiming directly at him.
Seeing this, Gu Chen decided to gauge its strength and reached out with his palm to grasp one of the bull's horns. At that moment, Gu Chen felt an overwhelming force from the other side. Caught off guard, he stumbled backward five or six steps.
"What tremendous strength!" Gu Chen was inwardly shocked. If he were to talk about physical strength alone, at this stage, where he was impervious to both fire and water, he was indeed no match for the Minotaur before him.
He had always been the one to overpower others with his physical strength. Since coming to this world, this was the first time Gu Chen had lost in a contest of strength, although his opponent was but a ghoul.
It should be noted that Gu Chen's current strength was already over a hundred and fifty thousand catties. As one's strength grew, it became increasingly difficult to make advances. The fact that Gu Chen had reached his current level was largely thanks to the enhancement provided by the Superior Martial Skill, the Golden Bell Shield of Tiger's Roar and Dragon's Cry.
Even so, in the test of strength just now, Gu Chen was inferior. It could be foreseen that this Minotaur ghoul might well possess a strength of two hundred thousand catties.
What concept was that?
In Gu Chen's previous life, that was a hundred tons of force!
What a formidable strength!
The reason why the third level of the Vajra Stage is called "Body of the Savage Dragon" is precisely this. Martial artists reaching this stage experience an explosive increase in physical strength, and calling them humanoid tyrannosaurs is no exaggeration.
And the Savage Dragon, in the ancient times of the Nine Provinces before the Human Clan existed, was synonymous with strength.
However, as the heavens and earth gradually evolved, the terrifying species from the ancient era have all but vanished, leaving only sparse records on certain scrolls, with no other traces to be found.
A Vajra Stage martial artist that reached the "Body of the Savage Dragon" level could, with just their physical strength, easily raze cities to the ground, without even mentioning their cultivation.
But reaching this level is extremely difficult; in the vast Nine Provinces, among the many Vajra Stage martial artists, fewer than one in ten could achieve this.
This shows just how difficult it is to cultivate the physical body to the Vajra Stage.
If we put aside Gu Chen's cultivation, he might not be a match for this Minotaur ghoul.
It was clear that within the Evil Heart Sect, this ghoul was a heavyweight figure. If nurtured a little, it might very well advance to the fiendish level, on par with a Human Clan martial artist of the Gang Qi Stage.
Of course, the people of the Evil Heart Sect were already doing so.
Although he was not a match for it in a contest of pure strength, once Gu Chen mobilized the vigorous inner energy within his body, the ghoul started to falter.
The life form of a ghoul is extremely peculiar; though made of energy, when gathered together, it feels no different from a solid body.
Crack!
As the mighty inner energy surged within Gu Chen, his palm became as hard as metal, and with one forceful move, he broke off one of the Minotaur ghoul's sharp horns.
Seeing this scene, the martial artists from the Evil Heart Sect became even more fearful, with several of them harboring thoughts of fear.
Even if they were all at the Vajra Stage, Gu Chen was far too fierce, not on the same level as them at all.
After all, in the deep mountains and old forests, there were not many people around, and having just released such a terrifying aura, not even beasts would dare to approach.
The very next moment, as Gu Chen's mind moved, his status panel appeared before his eyes.
Name: Gu Chen
Martial Arts: Golden Bell Shield of Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl (minor achievement), Burning Vein Finger (complete, can be extrapolated), Phantom Traceless Step (complete), Astonishing Swan Swordsmanship Skills (complete), Great Vajra Fist (complete), Condensing Pulse Sword Wave (complete, can be extrapolated), Four Extremes Propping Heaven Fist
Internal Skill: Pure Yang Wuji Gong
Cultivation: 464 years
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Stage: Early Vajra Stage
Achievement Points: 122
Looking at the achievement points on the panel, Gu Chen's mind moved, and his thoughts turned into a tendril that reached out and gently tapped on the panel. At that moment, a full fifty-two achievement points vanished.
Simultaneously, as the large number of points disappeared, in the Martial Arts section, Golden Bell Shield of Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl also directly advanced from minor achievement to complete mastery.
Although Gu Chen had been prepared, he hadn't expected that reaching complete mastery with Superior Martial Skills would require so many achievement points.
Boom!
At that moment, as a wealth of related martial arts experiences surged in his mind, Gu Chen's body also shook, and his Protective Golden Bell automatically emerged.
With the Golden Bell Shield of Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl reaching complete mastery, the bell's shadow was extremely close to solidification, and the virtual images of the dragon and tiger became more realistic, roaming up and down along the Protective Golden Bell.
Roar!
As the Protective Golden Bell gently rippled, a distant sound of bell tolling echoed, accompanied by the reverberation of dragon's roars and tiger's howls, permeating the forest. It lingered atop the mountainside, buffeted by strong winds and resounding for a long time.
At this moment, the many fierce beasts on the mountain bowed their heads, trembling, worshipping in the direction of Gu Chen, as if on a pilgrimage.
At the same time, the villagers in the surrounding villages also heard this remote and magnificent bell toll, along with the majestic sounds of the dragon's roars and the tiger's howls, resembling the worship of a deity; they knelt down in veneration, bowing towards the mountain, prostrating themselves over and over, while murmuring prayers.
Located in the midst of the mountains, Gu Chen naturally did not know all this; at this moment, he only felt his flesh, tendons, bones, and membranes once again undergoing enhancement. His veins were stretching, and impurities were continuously expelled through his pores, his flesh becoming more crystal clear, and so were his bones and organs.
Even as time passed, the five viscera and six bowels within Gu Chen's body, along with his bones, began to reveal a faint black gold sheen.
This was the second level of the Vajra Stage, Iron-Cast and Copper-Poured!
Once this level was reached, the martial artist achieved a body as tough as iron and steel, wholly integrated. At the same time, it seemed as if Gu Chen's pores were closing and his skin became exceptionally smooth and clean, greatly increasing his body's defensive power.
The density of bones and muscles were all improving in succession, and even Gu Chen's physical strength further enhanced, approaching but not yet reaching two hundred thousand catties.
At Iron-Cast and Copper-Poured, reaching this level made Gu Chen's entire aura extremely restrained. Simultaneously, his flesh, bones, viscera, and bowels all condensed into one, becoming tougher than even a thousand times hammered fine steel.
With this realm achieved, common attacks, even those penetrating his body, struggled to harm him anymore, his body unified as one, any casual strike could unleash peerless physical power.
Gu Chen's control over his physique also reached an unprecedented level, with every inch of his flesh under his command, capable of unleashing even greater strength.
At the same time, Gu Chen's whole body, in a certain sense, preliminarily transcended the category of flesh and blood, appearing as if constructed of steel.
This enhancement did not stop there; it was just the beginning of Gu Chen's ascent to a body of iron and steel. With the Golden Bell Shield of Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl reaching complete mastery, his power also climbed to a new height, harboring inexplicable wonders.