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nThe meeting had been adjourned.

nAll the Elders had left, except Liam and Usan who remained behind.

nUntil the two week period, there was nothing for Liam to do.

nAnd with one arm, things were… difficult.

nHe couldn’t fight, train too hard or forge intricate things without both his hands.

nSo…

nLiam would take this time to work on the Triumvirate Body.

nBut for that, he needed test subjects.

n2 weeks was not enough time to make a specialized technique like that.

nBut at least he could begin with the basics.

nBy now, Elder Jax had already finished setting up the Ravenous Leash chains.

nThey could now work for humans.

nOver all, that was the gist of what Liam told Usan.

nUsan slightly furrowed his brows when he heard Liam’s plan.

nBut Liam reassured him that he was only using ‘criminals’ as his test subjects.

nOnly then did Usan agree.

n…As if all of them weren’t criminals.

nNevertheless.

nLiam commanded Jargon to capture several groups of bandits and bring them back to him. Alive.

nEnthusiastically, the man agreed and ventured out with several Shadows and Acolytes.

nUntil they came back, Liam spent his time practicing with his Transfiguration.

nExpel was one branch of Transfiguration.

nIf Liam could Expel something from his body, surely he could Admit something?

nMaybe add another arm to his body?

nIt just so happened that Usan’s arm was given back to him by Myriad Brush as a ‘gift’.

nAnd Usan hadn’t patched it on his body yet.

nSo, Liam simply asked Usan for his arm.

nIt was evident from his face that Usan felt unnerved by the request.

nBut he complied anyway, on the condition that Liam gives him back the arm.

nLiam agreed and took the arm.

nIn his quarters alone, Liam picked up Usan’s arm and placed it on his shoulder.

nThen, he tried to connect the limb to his shoulder using tendrils of flesh.

nOn his command, the arm slowly fitted into place.

nLiam’s eyes widened as he slowly felt the nerves of his body and Usan’s arm connect!

nHe had gained feeling in that arm!

nBut it was extremely faint and numb.

nAnd as Liam continued practicing with it, he quickly realized that it wasn’t getting any better.

nIt was too faint and distant, and no matter how deeper his tendrils of flesh interweaved with the arm, it didn’t change.

nMaybe it was because of the difference between the two Ranks?

nUsan’s arm was Rank 5, after all.

nBut after finding a spare Rank 2 arm (somehow laying in the storage room), Liam connected it with his body.

nIt was the same.

nThis meant that Liam’s Transfiguration was not yet strong enough to add parts to his body.

nBut it did confirm the ability.

nAdmit did exist!

nIn several ways, this was perfect.

nOnce Admit was usable, Liam could simply add it to his body, then Expel it without losing any important body-part!

nAt the same time, Liam could just add small pieces of flesh into his body to increase his muscle mass.

nThat way, he could churn out more strength into his attacks and defenses.

nNot only that, but this solved something else.

nThe Shifter could change its bodily structure and even imitate abilities of other creatures.

n…Could Admit do something similar?

nLiam was getting excited just thinking about it.

nIt simply filled in too many blanks as an ability.

n…But it was locked.

n‘Maybe once I get into the upper-tier of Rank 3 Blood, the connection will get better.’

nFinally, Jargon brought back more than 75 cultivators after a week and a half.

nThere was more, but he’d already killed off those that weren’t of the same cultivation level as Liam was.

n53 cultivators.

n53 test subjects.

nA special underground basement was set up for these specific experiments.

nIf anyone saw the inside, they’d be amazed to see how clean and tidy the place was.

nIn fact, it was very similar to the high-class hospitals back on Earth.

nHowever, there were strange containers filled with viscous liquids and cylinders here and there.

nBut there was something eerie about the place too.

nMainly, the black chains that were lodged into the ground besides the patient’s chair.

nWhy would a patient need to have their neck, arms and legs chained?

n***

nLiam inspected the state of the 53 cultivators that Jargon brought up.

nThey were a bit beaten and bruised, but they were in one piece.

nMost of all, they were pissed and vigilant.

nBut they couldn’t do anything.

nA few Elders gave them stern gazes, which instantly melted away their hostility.

nBut some were actually excited.

nAfter all, the Temple just won a massive tournament.

nMaybe in exchange for working with them for a day or two, they could receive something back?

n‘Hopefully the chains work as intended,’ Liam thought.

nOne couldn’t have his victim running away, could he?

nLiam entered the room the bandits were being held in.

nWith a nonchalant look, he gestured for a random bandit to follow him into the basement.

nThe man looked on edge, his breathing erratic with sweat dripping on his face.

n“Don’t worry. I’m just doing a few light tests,” Liam reassured. Then, he took out 3 giant ‘Ora’ Stones and threw them to the man.

n“You can have another three by the end of the procedure.”

nThe man’s attitude instantly changed, along with everyone in that room.

nWith a wide smile, the man entered the basement.

nWhen he saw the chains, he felt a bit scared.

nBut he agreed and strapped himself in nonetheless. 𝒃𝒆𝙣𝒐𝒗𝙚𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝒎

nAs soon as Liam put the inscribed chains on him, the man’s eyes faded out of focus, and he slowly lowered his head.

nAs though he had powered down.

nLiam smiled.

nThen, he started cutting into the man’s head with some sharp tools.

nThe man didn’t react at all, his head still down.

nAt the same time, Liam applied his mental waves.

nLiam was attempting to ‘extract’ the mental sphere from the mind.

nSuddenly, the man’s mental sphere cracked and shattered!

nThe man slumped over, dead.

n‘Damn it. Too much force.’

nLiam took out a pen and paper and started to write on an inscribed notebook:

n‘Subject No. 1 has failed. Excessive force must be lowered when dealing with the mental sphere extraction.’

nUsing his dark flames, Liam cleansed the entire place of the cultivator’s presence, before writing on his notebook again.

n‘Beginning with Subject No. 2.’

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