Blue veins emitted a charming glow in the dark cosmos, connecting the two kidneys, curled up like a baby, with the azure "Mercury."
Guanyin looked and said, "It's about time."
The scene before them gave rise to a visual illusion—it wasn't "Mercury" nourishing the kidneys, but rather... the kidneys seemed like a pair of inflating pumps, forcefully filling the planet before them with air.
This was a manifestation of the kidneys being powerful to the extreme.
The blue veins dispersed into light, blending into the dark sky, as the kidneys, like two blue light spheres, leisurely returned to Li Changzhou's abdomen.
The wounds slowly healed, and with his eyes closed, Li Changzhou sat cross-legged in the void, experiencing the mystique following the cleansing of his five viscera.
All turbid qi within his body had vanished, vital essence surged, filling his viscera and permeating his limbs and bones, skin and hair, with his mind incredibly lucid.
The Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique had a simple name, "Eight-Nine" denoting the numbers, and "Mysterious" the enigma.
Indeed mysterious, Li Changzhou at this moment couldn't articulate the changes within him; by his instinct, the five viscera seemed like five large gears with his body akin to a seemingly ordinary machine possessing astonishing strength.
The gears now turned silently, each fulfilling their duties, but with a mere thought from him, as soon as the gears clicked together, it would be an unbounded power.
Li Changzhou slowly opened his eyes, his Divine Body exuding an awe-inspiring Divine Power, enhanced by his Supreme Immortal magical power that made his demeanor otherworldly.
"Having practiced twelve techniques of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique including two Divine Skills."
In terms of Realm, it meant becoming a Human Immortal, a Physical Body Immortal paired with the "Divine Body" of the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique."
"From today on, your Divine Body will no longer be time-restricted, but starting from the thirteenth technique, it's not going to be as easy as before."
Li Changzhou's physical body was already at the Human Immortal Level, but he had no orthodox methods for refining the physical body; it was like a magnificent machine that lacked enough fuel and could only roar into action for a few seconds at critical moments.
Now not only was it complete, but he also used the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique." The resources for refining his internal organs far exceeded those of any previous cultivator of the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique."
First was the limitation of the era;
While deities and Buddhas were numerous in ancient times, none could, like Li Changzhou, trivially find five big stars to refine their internal organs.
Second was the realm;
Others progressed from weak to strong step by step; even if they had big stars, they neither dared nor were able to use them to refine their bodies.
Li Changzhou already possessed the body of a Human Immortal and the Divine Body (which was different from the ordinary Physical Body Immortals who couldn't reproduce with females)—akin to the saint who created the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique," he too had a top-down perspective.
"Perhaps, you'll be the only one to master the seventy-two techniques and attain sainthood through the physical body," praised Guanyin, amazed by the power of his body.
Before the energy of the five viscera ran dry, with Li Changzhou's current transformation into the Divine Body—strength, agility, and endurance increased fiftyfold, combat instinct a hundredfold, and with superior healing abilities—he was definitely stronger than her Bodhisattva Golden Body.
"Forget about the seventy-two techniques for now; I haven't yet mastered 'Three Mountains,' and now 'Three Waters' is upon me."
The sixth Divine Skill, Three Mountains, encompassed Moving Mountain, Mountain Taking, Opening Mountain.
The twelfth Divine Skill, Three Waters, consisted of Sea Water, Weak Water, Blood Water.
Just take 'Sea Water'; the god Erlang was adept with the Three-pointed Double-edged Blade, combating at the realm of Human Immortal—his blade wound with nine strands of Water Qi as thin as hairs, each as heavy as the sea—putting the opponent numb after a couple of strikes, quickly decreasing their reaction speed.
Li Changzhou intended to practice with the Emerald Bee Sword, but ultimately he abandoned the idea, deciding to rely on his body alone to face the enemy.
Because time was crucial and even with the Wisdom Pearl, he only initially mastered 'Sea Water,' producing two strands of Water Qi.
Raising his Fist Seal, one punch was enough; it wasn't about hitting the opponent, the fists alone released boundless oceans with each blow, a single wave from a distance sufficient to suffocate a Human Immortal.
As for 'Blood Water,' there was no need to practice; it was a harmful Divine Skill where one's own blood is evaporated to augment tenfold combat power.
"It's still not enough," Guanyin reminded, "Innumerable beings within the Divine Will Great Wall and more Divine Wills than the stars in the sky. Despite your strength, you could be countered. Be cautious in the upcoming competition."
"That's where you're mistaken. Since we don't have information on the opponent, taking the initiative is the best strategy. Regardless of their 'Divine Will,' a Storm of punches will stupefy them," Li Changzhou stated.
"Perhaps that's the reason I lack talent in physical cultivation," Guanyin concluded.
"Bodhisattva, you at least have the body of an Earth Immortal, and you're still saying you lack talent?" Li Changzhou vanished into the cosmos.
◇
Si Star.
This was a beautiful planet, small, not even as big as the Moon, yet also vast, for only Si lived there.
Clouds could be stepped on, allowing one to ascend to the heavens by walking;
The rainbow worked as punctually as the Sun at sunrise, an everlasting view;
Babbling brooks with gorgeous gemstones and crystals scattered about and wildflowers creeping across the land, seemingly endless.
Li Changzhou had no time to observe the finer details of the scenery; only three hours remained until the end of the first-stage race selection competition, with the official contest starting in three hours as well.
"How is it going?" Li Changzhou stepped onto the balcony and asked Turquoise Pool.
Turquoise Pool lounged on a recliner with her left hand under her head and her right hand holding a glass of exotic fruit juice. Her already long legs appeared even more exaggeratedly lengthy due to her reclined position.
At Li Changzhou's question, she flipped her left finger and produced an information storage card.
"There's too much to gather. Qian Xia and I haven't even blinked once, and we've only managed to collect some information about a few of the highly-favored races," she said.