Chapter Thirteen: The True Arm of the Qilin

The sky gradually darkened, and after an entire day of toil, his progress had increased by more than two hundred. Now, as night once again descended, with the experience of the previous evening, Yu Ge felt much more at ease, his expression calm and composed. In fact, as the night grew colder, he even gathered some scattered twigs from within the temple to kindle a small fire for warmth.

Of course, he did not let down his guard. The mystical runes and talismans within the temple did restrain those demonic and ghostly creatures, but they held no deterrent effect against ordinary wild beasts. At the edge of the faint protective glow above his head, a subtle yellow light flickered uncertainly.

Lying on a wooden plank inside the temple, Yu Ge gazed up at the roof, where through the gaps between the black tiles he could see bands of crimson tide, sometimes distinct, sometimes intertwined, his thoughts churning restlessly. He pondered what these sights might portend, and also considered the meaning behind the “sign-in” requirement for the achievement he had yet to fulfill before leaving.

Trapped here for an entire day, he had observed that despite the vastness of this world, his progress toward the sign-in remained stagnant. He could not fathom what truly constituted a sign-in in this place.

Achievement: “Miraculous Strength”
Completion requirement: Lift an object weighing at least one hundred jin to waist height at least one thousand times. Current progress: 1000/1000.
Reward: Unknown, available to claim.

Within the dilapidated, chaotic temple by day, Yu Ge sat on the ground, exhausted and sprawled out like a heap of mud, no longer caring about his posture. As he watched the progress bar in his mind fill at last, a smile of relief spread across his face.

Without hesitation, he claimed the reward.

In the next instant, the reward appeared before his eyes, leaving him momentarily stunned, his expression caught between joy and disbelief, a strange smile hovering on his lips.

Before he could react further, he felt a sudden heat surge in his right arm. Rolling up his sleeve, he saw the veins bulging, the blood vessels standing out in stark relief. Beneath the skin, his muscles writhed in a grotesque fashion, accompanied by an intense tingling ache, though the sensation faded as quickly as it came.

The transformation lasted only a dozen seconds before his muscles and veins returned to tranquility, gradually resuming their former appearance. He was no thinner, his muscles no more pronounced; he had not turned into a bodybuilder. It was as if nothing at all had happened.

Yet Yu Ge knew otherwise.

The reward for the “Miraculous Strength” achievement had been claimed, and it was a singular item: the “True Qilin Arm”.

True Qilin Arm
Description: Temporarily doubles the strength of the right arm for a quarter of an hour; cooldown period: twelve hours.

Such a reward left Yu Ge in a state of wry amusement—he had never expected anything so peculiar, so difficult to describe. Yet, he could not deny its formidable utility; being able to double his strength for fifteen minutes was a significant boost to his current abilities.

Moreover, this multiplier would apply to his future strength as well; as his power grew, so too would the might of the True Qilin Arm, rising inexorably. In the end, the increase would be terrifying.

To possess double the strength of an ordinary person was an immense burst of power. The only drawback, however, was that only his right arm could unleash this force—a limitation that left Yu Ge somewhat helpless at this moment, especially when compared to the Mountain Demon.

Zhao Ziming had once said that the Mountain Demon possessed boundless strength and a body as hard as iron; ordinary force could not harm it unless it was met with overwhelming power. Clearly, Yu Ge's present strength was not enough—only his right arm could break through its defenses. Killing the Mountain Demon would be difficult, though the Soul-Cleaving Blade he wielded, designed to counter specters, somewhat compensated for his lack.

Still, his advantage was slim, for the Mountain Demon was not alone; the mutated toad continued to lurk nearby, watching him with relentless, predatory eyes.

Although with the Soul-Cleaving Blade in hand, he had no fear of that mutated toad, this was but a minor advantage—a single weight on the scales. To truly prevail, he needed to face them one by one.

Peering through the cracks, Yu Ge observed the Mountain Demon and the toad prowling outside, rubbing his chin in contemplation. The Mountain Demon neither ate nor drank and had scarcely moved from its spot since the beginning. Yu Ge could only hope that the mutated toad would leave, granting him a brief window to eliminate the Mountain Demon first. Once the Mountain Demon was dealt with, the mutated toad would be of little concern.

Within the temple, Yu Ge sat along the edge behind the door, in a corner hidden from the old toad’s view. His Soul-Cleaving Blade lay unsheathed at his feet, emanating a cold, chilling aura.

Now, all he could do was wait—wait for the mutated toad to leave and not interfere.

Time passed slowly. After an entire day, Yu Ge had cultivated enough patience. Leaning against the back of the door to rest, he observed the outside world, his breath so calm and shallow it was nearly imperceptible.

After two or three hours, perhaps because it could not see any movement or figures inside the temple, or perhaps it was simply time to hunt, the mutated toad finally stirred. Its narrow, beady eyes swept across the temple’s exterior before it plunged headfirst into the dense forest, vanishing from sight.

Witnessing this, Yu Ge drew in a deep breath, silently estimating how far the toad had gone.

Ten… nine… eight…

Three, two, one!

Now!

With a thunderous roar, he burst through the temple doors, sending splinters of wood flying. Yu Ge charged out like a primordial beast unleashed!

At this moment, his right arm swelled and thickened, twice the size of his left, straining his sleeve to the limit. The bulging muscles were reminiscent of a legendary strongman’s. Even more astonishing, a dense pattern of interwoven lines appeared on the skin of his right arm, glimmering with a faint golden light—like the golden scales of a dragon from myth.

The surging power within told him this was no hallucination; his confidence soared.

Now was the time for action!

“Out of my way!” he bellowed.

Directly facing the Mountain Demon before him, Yu Ge’s eyes blazed with ferocity. Gripping the Soul-Cleaving Blade with both hands, he launched himself forward, raising the blade high and bringing it down with all his might!

The force behind the strike was so fierce that even the air howled in fury.

Sensing the commotion, the Mountain Demon’s body was soon shrouded in swirling black mist, yet it did not retreat. As the blade descended, a pair of jet-black, iron-hard claws shot out of the mist, meeting the blade head-on in a desperate block.

The clash rang out with a metallic shriek, sparks exploding in every direction.

In an instant, the razor-sharp blade crashed down upon the Mountain Demon’s claws like Mount Tai descending from the heavens, the sound of clashing metal piercing the air.

The Mountain Demon staggered, its feet sinking three inches into the earth, the black mist around it contracting and rippling outward, revealing its true, terrifying form with chilling clarity.

Yu Ge’s pupils contracted.

Eyes red as cinnabar, body like black iron—this was the Mountain Demon’s true visage!