Chapter 491: Endless Transformations, Visitors from the Provincial City


    Zhou Hu left the Huang family estate, his face still clouded with unease.


    “Do you think the death of the Huang family’s young master is rted to that Qi Yuan?” he asked the constable walking beside him, his tone contemtive.


    The deaths of the asylum director and Huang Yanshou could easily be connected.


    “Perhaps it is,” the constable replied.


    At that moment, a short, robust middle-aged constable hurried over. “Sir, Qi Yuan is missing from the asylum.”


    “It seems he really is connected to this,” Zhou Hu muttered, frowning, then shaking his head.


    Even if there was a connection, it was none of his business.


    “I wonder, what level of strength does the person the Shen family sent to Ninghe County possess?”


    Zhou Hu could only hope they had sent a Weapon Master of the <em>Xuan</em> rank.


    But realistically, this seemed impossible.


    The Shen family, while a prestigious n, could hardly afford to spare a Xuan-rank Weapon Master for such a minor matter in a backwater like Ninghe County.


    A Xuan-rank Weapon Master was a one-person army: sharp as a tiger, unstoppable like an elephant, and divine as a dragon.


    Such a master could face hundreds of heavily armored soldiers in formation—and break through them alone.


    Why would such a fearsome war machine ever be sent here?


    Qi Yuan simply wasn’t worth it.


    As for Di-rank Weapon Masters, they were even more terrifying. A single one could sway the oue of small-scale wars.


    At the inn, Qi Yuan stretchedzily.


    Over the past few days, he and Chen Kangbao had scoured Ninghe County in search of Specters to kill.


    Finally, he had leveled up to 30.


    “I feel... strange. It’s as if I’ve reached the equivalent of the Foundation Establishment realm, but mybat power doesn’t seem to match that of the Immortal World’s Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    “Could it be because this world’s rules are different?”


    Qi Yuan pondered the matter but soon dismissed his theory.


    “I have no proper frame of reference,” he mused.


    For instance, if he could punch with a force of one <em>jin</em>, what if, in this universe, a stone weighing one <em>jin</em> was heavier than an entire star in the Immortal World?


    Or what if, despite appearing to be less than two meters tall, his size rtive to this universe meant he wasrger than a sun in another?


    Such possibilities weren’t entirely far-fetched.


    “In this world’s power system, I’d probably qualify as a Huang-rank Weapon Master now,” Qi Yuan spected.


    Ninghe County did have a few Weapon Masters, albeit weak ones. Qi Yuan had secretly observed them before.


    Based on their performance and without factoring inbat experience, levels 1 to 29 roughly corresponded to Fan-rank Weapon Masters.


    Levels 30 to 59, he guessed, aligned with Huang-rank Weapon Masters.


    Each 30 levels seemed to represent a major tier, with 10 levels marking early, mid, andte stages within each tier.


    “Who would’ve thought I’d awaken a major skill this time?”


    In the Moonwatch Continent, Qi Yuan had gained minor skills every ten levels and a major skill every thirty levels.


    These included abilities like Overbearing Strength, Sky-Cleaving de Art, and Radiant Death.


    Here, none of the minor skills had awakened.


    However, upon reaching level 30, Overbearing Strength, one of his major skills, had returned.


    Additionally, Qi Yuan had awakened a new skill:


    Endless Transformations!


    As the name suggested, it was a shape-shifting ability.


    By activating it, Qi Yuan could transform into anything, just as Immortal World cultivators could. He could even be something as mundane as a de of grass.


    While this skill might seem trivial in the Immortal World—where high-level cultivators could transform at will—it was extraordinary in this realm.


    “Based on Qi Yuan’s memories, even Di-rank Weapon Masters in this world can only change their appearance or restructure their bones.


    “But with Endless Transformations, I could be literally anything—given sufficient power.”


    In this world:


    <ul>


    <li>Xuan-rank Weapon Masters were elite forces of a faction.</li>


    <li>Di-rank Weapon Masters were regional overlords.</li>


    </ul>


    The Ning Kingdom was weak, controlling only three provinces.


    Each province had about seven prefectures.


    Jining Prefecture was part of Jiang Province, which now had only three prefectures remaining. The others had been ceded to the Moshang Kingdom.


    With the Ning royal family’s waning power, they hadn’t produced a Tian-rank Weapon Master in years, leaving them unable to suppress the powerful noble ns and sects.


    Any n or sect boasting a Di-rank Weapon Master was a juggernaut in the Ning Kingdom, capable of challenging the royal family—albeit cautiously.


    In Jining Prefecture, one of the nine noble families was the Shen family, which had a Di-rank Weapon Master.


    “Endless Transformations!”


    Qi Yuan activated his skill.


    In an instant, the room’s atmosphere shifted, and he transformed into arge kitchen knife.


    If any Di-rank Weapon Master had seen this, they would have been shocked beyond belief, finding it utterly iprehensible.


    Chen Kangbao, munching on a steamed bun, stared at the knife with a confused expression. “Master, why did you turn into a kitchen knife?”


    For him, the sight of Qi Yuan transforming was unsurprising—after all, his master was a divine being incarnate.


    “I’m role-ying as a kitchen knife,” replied the knife, which had sprouted a mouth.


    The scene resembled a crude special effect from a low-budget video.


    “It seems I’m still too weak. I can only transform into things of a simr size.”


    Qi Yuan sighed.


    Had he been stronger, he could’ve turned into a cell nucleus inside an enemy. At that point, they’d never be able to find him.


    Still, the ability to transform into a kitchen knife was a boon—it would make role-ying much easier.


    “I can transform into a knife... but could I also be <em>Shenlin</em>?”


    The thought struck him suddenly.


    Qi Yuan had no idea what Shenlin truly was, but with Endless Transformations, he could at least take its shape.


    He activated the skill once more.


    Suddenly, a profound and overwhelming aura filled the air.


    Qi Yuan’s thoughts cleared as whispers and murmurs flooded his ears. It was as though tens of thousands of monks were chanting simultaneously.


    Though most of the voices were faint and iprehensible, one stood out.


    It was the soft voice of a young boy:


    “People in Hongyun Vige keep dying. God, please protect me!”


    Following the voice, Qi Yuan’s gaze extended outward.


    In Hongyun Vige, a young boy named Li Xiaodan knelt before a crude deity statue in a dpidated house.


    Suddenly, he shivered as he sensed the statue’s eyese alive, staring directly at him.


    The sensation was eerie and sent chills down his spine.


    “Am I imagining things? Or…?” Li Xiaodan cautiously eyed the statue, filled with apprehension.


    Suddenly, the statue emitted a faint red light.


    A cold, emotionless voice spoke:


    “I am not a god. Do not worship me.”


    “Ahhh!”


    Terrified, Li Xiaodan screamed and fled the house.


    In the distant Central Lands of the Luocha Kingdom, chaos erupted in the royal court.


    “<em>Shenlin?!</em>”


    “Didn’t it shatter into countless fragments and get thrown into the Yellow Springs and zing Tomb?”


    “How can its aura resurface?!”


    “Is the Judgment Society trying to revive it?!”


    “Send someone to Ning Kingdom immediately! Luocha has no need for gods—only a king!”


    Meanwhile, in a dark corner of the court, an emaciated old man knelt, tears streaming down his face.


    “God’s aura... Could it be? God lives again?”


    His posture was devout, trembling with reverence. He was like the most loyal of believers.


    “God... it has been a hundred years. The world has forgotten your name.”


    “Allow this old servant to offer his blood... to rekindle Shenlin!”


    That day, warriors from the royal court and ascetic Weapon Masters from the Judgment Society began their journey to the Ning Kingdom.


    Qi Yuan deactivated Endless Transformations, his eyes filled with curiosity.


    “A statue? Hongyun Vige?”


    He pieced together a few guesses about Shenlin’s identity.


    “Master,” Chen Kangbao said reverently, “just now, it was as if you descended to this world like a god.”


    “Are there Specters in Hongyun Vige?” Qi Yuan asked, recalling the boy’s prayer.


    “I’ll investigate at once,” Chen Kangbao replied.


    “No need. Whether there are or not, we’ll head there tomorrow.” Qi Yuan waved it off casually.


    Specters might terrify ordinary people, but Qi Yuan had no fear.


    The next morning, Qi Yuan was awakened by loud banging at his door.


    He yawned groggily. “Who is it?”


    The door burst open, revealing a tall woman with an icy expression and a sword case strapped to her back.


    Her long legs, powerful and striking, seemed capable of crushing someone to death.


    Her frosty demeanor filled the room as she entered.


    “Zhi Shuang? It’s you?” Qi Yuan eximed, startled.


    “Did youe here to help your young master dress? Everyone is equal—there’s no need for such formalities.”


    Zhi Shuang’s arrival sent a chill down Qi Yuan’s spine.


    She was the Shen family’s eldest daughter’s maid, but no ordinary servant—she was a Weapon Master.


    Back when Qi Yuan had married into the Shen family, his bride had been absent from the wedding ceremony, with Zhi Shuang standing in her ce.


    Zhi Shuang’s gaze was frosty, her expression colder than the steel of her sword. As she stared at Qi Yuan, there was both disdain and suspicion in her eyes.


    The man before her—casual, indifferent, and even teasing—felt like apletely different person from the cowardly, groveling "groom" she remembered.


    “Master Qi, Miss Shen has heard about your... escapades in Ninghe County. She’s deeply disappointed,” Zhi Shuang said icily. “She has instructed me to hear the truth from your own lips.”


    “Are you referring to that widow’s incident? I didn’t do it.” Qi Yuan’s tone was t, his expression unreadable.


    “Master Qi, you’ve let everyone down!” Zhi Shuang’s icy stare intensified. “Uncle said he saw you with his own eyes—forcing yourself on that widow. When he tried to stop you, you kicked him. The scar on his forehead is still there!”


    On her way to Ninghe County, Zhi Shuang had met Uncle Zhong and heard the entire ount. The more she learned, the more contempt she felt for Qi Yuan.


    “That thick-browed and honest-looking guy... dared to frame me?” Qi Yuan muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. He was about to let the matter slide when it hit him—he was supposed to be ying the role of the Shen family’s live-in son-inw.


    If he wanted to fulfill his mission, he couldn’t appear indifferent.


    In an instant, his demeanor shifted. He dropped his head slightly and adopted a pitiful expression, his tone meek and pleading: “Sister Zhi Shuang, I’ve been wronged! Someone’s framing me!”


    As expected, the progress bar for his role-ying task nudged forward.


    He nced at Zhi Shuang’s strong legs, briefly considering throwing himself at her feet to beg. But on second thought, he discarded the idea.


    After all, she had traveled all the way from the provincial city to Ninghe County, likely without much rest. Her feet must be sweaty and odorous. He didn’t want to risk the smell ruining his appetite.


    Zhi Shuang, however, seemed utterly unimpressed by Qi Yuan’s theatrics. The glimmer of disdain in her eyes deepened as she snorted, “Why would Uncle Zhong lie about you? Master Qi, if you could just own up to your mistakes, perhaps Miss Shen would still think you had a shred of integrity!”


    “It was Wang Kaixuan!” Qi Yuan suddenly interjected.


    His voice carried conviction, and for a moment, Zhi Shuang’s expression wavered.


    She frowned deeply. The name Wang Kaixuan gave her pause—this wasn’t a name Qi Yuan would dare throw around lightly. If nothing else, it indicated that there might be more to this situation than met the eye.


    “Master Qi,” she said, her tone softening ever so slightly, “you’ll have to return with me to the provincial city. Miss Shen will look into this matter herself.”


    “Can’t it wait a few days?” Qi Yuan asked, testing her resolve.


    “No!” Zhi Shuang replied sharply. Her tone brooked no argument.


    The urgency in her voice left no room for negotiation. She intended to escort Qi Yuan back to the Shen family estate as soon as possible, then head to Yeshan Lake for her next mission.


    Qi Yuan hesitated. With his current level of strength, he still had tasks toplete in Ninghe County, particrly the trip to Hongyun Vige.


    “Sister Zhi Shuang,” he tried again, this time inflecting his voice with exaggerated pleading, “I just need a little time...”


    Zhi Shuang’s reaction was immediate. A sh of disgust crossed her face as she replied coldly, “No!”


    Before Zhi Shuang could react, Qi Yuan moved.


    “Fine,” he murmured, almost apologetically.


    Then, in a blur of motion, he struck.


    Zhi Shuang’s expression froze, her body copsing to the ground with a dull thud.


    Standing over her unconscious form, Qi Yuan let out a resigned sigh.


    “Now it’s fine, isn’t it?”


    From the doorway, Chen Kangbao appeared, still chewing on a half-eaten steamed bun. His eyes flicked briefly to Zhi Shuang’s motionless body, but his expression remained calm—as though such scenes were a daily urrence.


    “Master, the matter of Hongyun Vige has been investigated. We can leave whenever you’re ready,” Chen Kangbao said casually, crumbs falling from his mouth.


    “Good,” Qi Yuan replied, nodding.


    “Are you leaving her here, Master?” Chen Kangbao asked, gesturing to Zhi Shuang.


    “No. She’s unconscious and defenseless. If someone drags her off into the woods, it’ll ruin her reputation—and mine along with it. She’ll have toe with us.”


    “Carrying a woman around might make us look suspicious, don’t you think?”


    “She’s not a woman. She’s my weapon,” Qi Yuan replied with a smirk. “Besides, I don’t have a proper weapon yet, and her physique seems... sturdy enough.”


    With that, Qi Yuan activated his Endless Transformations skill.


    A momentter, Zhi Shuang’s body shimmered and morphed.


    In her ce was now a massive spear.


    The weapon gleamed with a cold, silvery light, its sharp edge exuding a deadly aura.


    Chen Kangbao blinked, momentarily caught off guard.


    “Master, you’re... carrying a human weapon?”


    “Of course. A top-notch spear like this? It’d be a waste to leave her behind,” Qi Yuan said, gripping the spear lightly.


    As he hefted the weapon, he chuckled to himself. “I’ll have to be careful, though. Don’t want to identally cross any lines.”