Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

In the gloomy forest.

Four bodies were scattered haphazardly, like carelessly discarded dolls.

Their faces were twisted, frozen in expressions of terror from just before they died.

The blood, under the sunlight, displayed a sinister dark red, pooling into small streams on the ground, meandering along.

The air was thick with the iron-like stench of blood mixed with the putrid smell of rotting leaves.

Occasionally, a breeze would blow, but it couldn't dispel the heavy scent of blood.

The three surviving members of Lian Bing's team had their gazes tightly locked on Shen Qing, filled with confusion and suspicion.

They looked at him as if they were seeing some indescribable monster.

Lian Bing opened his mouth to ask something, but in the deathly still forest, he found he had no words to begin with.

He lowered his head to glance at Shen Qing, allowing the shock to spread through his heart.

After a while, under the gazes of the men, Shen Qing bent down, methodically searched the corpses, and collected their Silver and Qi Blood Pills, unashamedly pocketing them.

Lian Bing and his men did not stop him, finding it perfectly natural.

After confirming he missed nothing, Shen Qing took out a bright red Qi Blood Pill and held it in his palm.

He approached Lian Bing and asked, "Officer Lian, are these Qi Blood Pills actually of great use?"

Lian Bing, snapping to attention, respectfully bowed and truthfully replied, "This is a common elixir provided as part of our official salary by the government office; one Qi Blood Pill contains more Essence Qi than a bowl of tonic soup. We usually take one before cultivation to speed up the process. We also take one after feeling exhausted from a battle outside to revive our spirits."

"I see. I just went through a battle and used up quite a bit of energy; this will be good for replenishing."

Shen Qing looked at the Qi Blood Pill with interest for a few moments, then tossed it into his mouth, crunching it up.

It tasted a bit like a calcium tablet, with a hint of sweetness.

Gurgle!

Shen Qing swallowed it down and quietly felt the effects for a while.

At first, there was no apparent effect, but after a moment, he suddenly felt invigorated.

Here it comes!

Shen Qing sensed a faint herbal fragrance diffusing from his mouth as the Essence Qi from his bone marrow merged with that in the pill, spreading from inside out, continuously permeating and expanding,

This immense Essence Qi, along with his Qi-Blood, ran wild like a runaway horse, rushing through his meridians and continuously cleansing his flesh and skin.

Shen Qing noticed that the membrane created from refining the Dragon Roar Armor on his arm became even more crystalline and translucent, with the disseminating Essence Qi being locked within it.

His skin began to turn a visible shade of red, from afar, resembling a boiled shrimp.

Shen Qing knew this was the effect of the Qi Blood Pill.

He was delighted, guiding the medicinal essence through his meridians, repeatedly cleansing his body.

The effect of one Qi Blood Pill lasted for the duration of half an incense stick before completely fading.

Barely experiencing any sensation, it stopped. Shen Qing frowned slightly, feeling somewhat displeased.

Without hesitation, he immediately took out another Qi Blood Pill and swallowed it.

Shen Qing then felt his skin begin to tighten and harden, as if about to touch a separate layer, continually changing.

He understood that this was the result of his cultivation advancing under the effect of the Qi Blood Pill.

The first use of a Qi Blood Pill was extraordinarily beneficial for him.

After consuming two pills, Shen Qing still felt a deep hunger in his muscle and bone, far from reaching his limit.

"If that's the case…"

Shen Qing gulped down the remaining seven Qi Blood Pills in one go.

On the side, Lian Bing, upon seeing this, couldn't help but gape in astonishment.

He had never seen such a ferocious method of consumption.

Because he ate too many at once, a large amount of Essence Qi escaped from his orifices.

Shen Qing hurriedly covered his mouth and nose, continuously transforming the energy.

Time slowly passed, and at a certain moment—

Shen Qing suddenly heard a muffled sound by his ear, as if in an instant, he had violently broken through a barrier.

In his muscles and skin, something seemed to burst and shatter.

Following that, the muscles attached to Shen Qing's bones started to wriggle and slowly expand.

The flush on his skin faded like a receding tide, merging into the skin, and then everything abruptly stopped.

Shen Qing raised his hand to touch it, feeling a series of cold, hard touches.

"Did I just… complete the Skin Forging? Have I advanced to the Qi Cultivation Realm?"

Shen Qing's eyes sparkled with excitement.

He clenched his fists and moved his muscles and bones, finding that every action was filled with immense power.

His entire skin was as thick as cowhide and as hard as iron.

"As I suspected, the Skin Forging Realm was indeed the realm I was most likely to break through," Shen Qing murmured to himself, "With this strength and the Dragon Roar Armor, my defense must have reached a terrifying level."

He unclenched his fists, stood with his hands by his sides, and looked around, his face filled with immense confidence.

Lian Bing and Xiao Zhi and others did not know about the internal changes in Shen Qing at this moment. They only felt that his aura had subtly changed, seemingly becoming more... powerful... Explore new worlds at m,v l'e-m|p y r

Just then, a loud explosion sounded from the distant forest.

Shen Qing and his companions quickly looked towards the sound.

Lian Bing stood and blurted out, "Someone has spotted a tiger demon."

A flash of panic crossed his face.

Previously, he did not realize how terrifying the tiger demon was, but having seen the difficulty they had with ghosts, and now hearing about the tiger demon, he was like a frightened bird.

Shen Qing glanced at Lian Bing but said nothing.

He turned and looked at an old tree thick enough for two people to embrace, then kicked off the ground and rushed up the trunk to the canopy.

He looked towards the direction of the explosion, his eyes intense, "Eagle Eye!"

Whiz!

Images from the forest flooded into Shen Qing's mind. These images began to come together, forming an aerial view.

He clearly saw birds scattering in the woods in one area.

A tiger as big as a calf, with distinctive markings, was dashing through the woods, heading in his direction.

Shen Qing licked his lips and shouted to Xiao Zhi, "Give me the bow and arrows!"

Xiao Zhi beneath the tree heard him and hastily threw up the heavy bow with arrows.

Shen Qing caught it with one hand.

Hooking his foot around a branch, he steadied himself on the tree.

Under the hot, brilliant sun amidst the lush green mountains, Shen Qing slowly raised the heavy bow in his hands.

His arm stretched out, the muscles like tree burls swelling, their lines smooth, filled with explosive power.

Shen Qing took a deep breath, placed a heavy arrow on the bowstring, and pulled the string back.

As the bowstring was pulled to a full circle, a brief silence fell over the woods.

Shen Qing fiercely released his fingers, and the bowstring snapped with a thunderous sound.

The dark iron arrow tore through the sky, carrying a whistling wind and fierce momentum, and shot towards a spot in the distant forest in a perfect arc.

The striking tiger, focused on its path, suddenly sensed a chilling murderous intent, was shocked, and its fur bristled.

It had not yet understood what was happening when it saw a black light descending from the sky, heading straight for it.

Boom!

The moment the black light hit it, it was as if the entire forest shook.