Chapter 6 Curse Prohibition, Tiger Demon Cloak_2
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Originally about six feet tall, he now gained an extra few inches, reaching a height of six-foot-one, yet his limbs and torso remained proportionate, as if his entire skeleton had grown sturdier by a fair margin.
And all these changes occurred in just one week, a true transformation that upended everything...
Cen Dongsheng looked at himself in the mirror with satisfaction.
With his closely cropped hair, the man in the mirror exuded an aura of intimidation just from his build and muscle contours; he gave off a vibe that warned others not to mess with him, like a martial arts expert standing on a dark boxing ring or a mercenary with battle scars; and if he used the powers belonging to a Forbidden Master in this state...
Cen Dongsheng focused his thoughts, and the True Qi within his body began to circulate through his meridians.
As the True Qi passed through, his muscles swelled to exaggerated proportions, and his already imposing physique seemed to expand even more, but the most significant transformation lay in his skin tone—his skin shimmered with a blue-gray metallic sheen, the veins in his hands bulging as if forged from steel.
He casually picked up a stainless steel washbasin from the bathroom sink and, with a slight exertion, turned it into a soft dough-like mass, kneading it into flat and round shapes.
"Hmm, this level is sufficient."
...
"It seems the plan needs some adjustments."
Cen Dongsheng thought as he took a cold shower.
His original strategies were twofold—strengthening his own power and securing a strong enough backer.
The conditions for the former had been temporarily met, and in the coming days, he no longer needed to roam around to enhance his abilities.
"A person's mastery of cursing prohibition is limited by their birth horoscope"—here, the birth horoscope referred to the "Heaven, Earth, and Humanity" Three Talents.
In short, an ordinary Forbidden Master could only grasp three types of cursing prohibitions suited to them; only the "Ancestor" level Curse Forbidden Master at the pinnacle could transcend their horoscope, escaping the limitations of the Three Talents; while with his current horoscope foundation, even supporting a single Class A curse prohibition was quite challenging.
Besides, Cen Dongsheng did remember several records regarding high-level cursing prohibitions and Forbidden Items, with some even involving incidents suspected to be of Special Grade, yet there was still some time before reaching that point in the timeline.
Strictly speaking, the current world was still in the "beginner's zone" phase.
Therefore, from the perspective of enhancing power, what he truly needed to do was focus on boosting the Power of the Tiger Demon and swiftly locating the remaining two so-called "Demons," to see if he could glimpse into the realm of Special Grade Curse Prohibition.
It certainly wouldn't be easy, considering that even the senior from the Exorcism Department hadn't been able to fulfill the vision, remaining only at the level of lip service.
As for his plans regarding the latter...
"I need to think about how to explain this to Sister Zhi Zhen."
Cen Dongsheng turned off the showerhead, dried his hair, and got dressed. In the mirror, his appearance was less intimidating, still retaining a hint of youthful freshness.
His relationship with An Zhi Zhen had reached a certain point; he felt it was time to take another step forward.
*
In the corridor leading to Sister Zhi Zhen's home, he noticed halfway through that she was right up ahead.
The woman with long black hair was pulling a suitcase with some effort, trying to haul it out of the room.
"This is..."
He glanced up at the door number to confirm it was "310" and not "316."
Cen Dongsheng approached, intending to offer help.
"Sister Zhi Zhen, let me help you."
"Ah...!"
An Zhi Zhen seemed startled, turning her head to see Cen Dongsheng's face.
"This room, too, is rented by Sister Zhi Zhen?"
He was a bit curious, trying to peek through the gap in the door. Inside was pitch black, with only a faint glimpse of a heap of glass containers on the table.
"Yes, it's just... very messy in there since I don't usually come by that often."
The woman admitted with a hint of embarrassment.
Cen Dongsheng then shifted his gaze to her hand-pulled suitcase, which seemed quite heavy.
"Where are you planning to go? Let me carry that for you."
"...No need, I think I'll just put it back."
An Zhi Zhen attempted to haul the suitcase back into the room, but it got stuck on the threshold momentarily.
Eventually, Cen Dongsheng reached out, effortlessly lifting the suitcase with one hand and placing it back inside.
Meanwhile, he caught a smell emanating from the suitcase, seemingly undeterred by its thick cover; furthermore, the air within the room carried a pungent odor.
"What smell is that?" Cen Dongsheng's nose twitched faintly, puzzled, "Is it... formaldehyde?"
It was reminiscent of those found in hospitals or biology labs.
Sister Zhi Zhen's shoulders trembled slightly, and she let out a faint sigh, softly explaining,
"This house was something I rented many years ago, mainly used for storing a mishmash of items, experimental supplies and such... Please don't mention it to anyone; it might scare the neighbors."
"I see."
Hearing her say this and recalling the scent of formaldehyde, Cen Dongsheng figured that specimens might be stored inside the room, and the suitcase likely contained items she intended to dispose of.
Considering her profession and hobbies, it wasn't all that surprising; it just seemed peculiar to use a residential unit as a storage place for them.
"Don't worry, I'm not that easily scared." He chuckled.
He didn't fear ghosts nor specters, and encountering corpses was an old tale. Some unfortunate souls had died horrifically and grotesquely due to ghostly antics.
Over time, it became a matter of acclimation; at the start of his career, he frequently had nightmares of dead bodies, and eventually, even maintaining a regular sleep schedule became a luxury. When he could finally rest, he slept with a heaviness akin to a log.
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