Mr. Ming narrows his eyes.
"Why?"
Merin's smile doesn't fade. "There is no reason. I have simply come to help you."
The old man studies him, searching for deceit, but finds only calm certainty.
"What kind of help?"
Merin lifts a hand, letting a ripple of energy shimmer between his fingers. "Your problem lies in instability. Some who drink your potion lose themselves to madness, others retain control. I can teach you how to stabilise the transformation—by aligning the shift at the level of the cells."
A ripple of shock passes through the cavern. Even the researchers glance at one another in disbelief.
Mr. Ming's gaze sharpens. "What is your name, stranger?"
"You can call me Yu Feng," Merin replies smoothly.
Silence stretches for a moment, then the old man nods slowly. "I do not understand why you would aid us… but thank you."
Merin's smile deepens. "Then allow me one request in return. I want to see the divine bone—the source of your potion."
At those words, Mr. Ming stiffens. His gaze flicks briefly to Fu Jian, suspicion flashing in his eyes. Did he betray us? Did he reveal everything?
But Fu Jian is still kneeling, trembling, eyes wide with fear and confusion.
After a long pause, Mr. Ming waved his hand.
"Come with me."
The crowd parts again, and Merin follows the elder deeper into the cavern. The air grows colder, heavy with ancient pressure. At last, they step into a sealed chamber, the walls lined with glowing ice.
At its centre lies a massive bone—half-buried in a slab of frozen rock. A leg bone, larger than a man's body, faintly radiating power that makes the very air tremble. Its surface glows with faint runes etched by time itself.
Merin's eyes narrow, a flicker of genuine interest breaking his calm mask.
"The divine bone," Mr. Ming says, voice hushed. "From this, we forge the potion of transformation."
Merin steps closer to the colossal leg bone, its surface glowing faintly with runes etched by time. His hand rises, steady and unhurried.
"Don't touch it," Mr. Ming warns sharply. "It will transform your body."
Merin glances at him, calm. "It's fine."
His palm presses against the cold surface. Instantly, power surges into his flesh. His veins throb, his bones ache, and his muscles twist as though something ancient is rewriting him. Merin's expression doesn't change—only his eyes narrow slightly as he studies the sensation.
So that's why…
For the first time, he understands why, even after completing the jade bone and marrow change, his body had failed to truly transform into a Jade Spiritual Body. The final key wasn't in refinement alone—it was in metamorphosis.
He lets the divine bone's energy wash through him, merging its wild transformation with the structure of his jade body technique. Slowly, his form shifts.
Snow-white fur sprouts, but it glimmers faintly, like polished stone. Claws extend, jade-bright and razor-sharp. His eyes glow green, luminous with spiritual light.
Before the stunned crowd, Merin stands transformed—a towering werewolf, yet not like the others. His body radiates stability, strength, and the serene shine of jade.
Gasps echo in the cavern. Even Mr. Ming, who has seen countless failed transformations, stares in awe.
Then, as calmly as he changed, Merin wills the transformation back. The fur recedes, claws retract, his frame shrinks, and jade light dims until only the human youth remains. He takes one of the spare robes hanging by the cavern wall, drapes it over himself, and turns.
"I've obtained what I came for."
He starts toward the exit.
"Are you leaving already?" Mr. Ming asks, his voice quiet, almost reluctant.
Merin glances back. "Yes. You should, too. Take your people and go elsewhere. The Ice and Snow Palace has already sent more elders. They won't spare this place."
Mr. Ming exhales, nodding in heavy acceptance.
Merin leaves the cavern.
…
When he enters the inn's lobby some time later, the air is heavy. His fellow disciples sit across from the Ice and Snow Palace elder and disciples. The conversation halts as all eyes turn to him.
Yu Lei frowns. "Where were you, Junior Brother?"
Merin answers casually, "Out of the city."
But the elder of Ice and Snow Palace doesn't let him pass so easily. His gaze sharpens. "You've completed the transformation of your body into a spiritual body."
The hall falls silent. His fellow disciples stare at him wide-eyed.
The elder continues, voice heavy, "It cannot be hidden. Those who have transformed draw spiritual energy into their bodies without effort… and you are brimming with it."
Merin inclines his head. "Yes."
Then, almost to himself, he murmurs, "I finally understand how to complete the transformation."
Outside, snow begins to fall again, the storm mirroring the storm his words leave in the hearts of those present.
Merin takes a seat, calm as ever. "What's the meeting about?"
Yu Lei looks at him. "We're thinking somebody in the City Lord's mansion has a connection with the demons. Each time we investigate, we come back empty-handed."
Merin nods slowly. "So you all suspect the City Lord's mansion is involved."
They nod.
"Then what's the next step?" he asks.
The elder of Ice and Snow Palace replies, "Some of us will keep an eye on the mansion and feed them false information, while the rest will go out to search and kill the werewolves roaming outside the city."
Yu Han lowers his head, voice tight. "Isn't there any way to bring them back to normal?"
The elder shakes her head. "Their minds are broken. They cannot return."
The words settle heavily over the group.
After the plan is finalised, they wait until the storm subsides, then divide into two groups. Merin joins the team tasked with hunting the werewolves outside the city.
They clash with several packs—battles brutal but one-sided—and days pass in snow and blood. When they gather again at the inn's lobby, exhaustion shadows every face.
"They may have already left the area," the elder says at last.
The others nod, voices subdued with agreement. For two days, they have not come across a single werewolf.
It's then that Wang Zishan speaks, his tone cautious. "Elder, could you tell us a safe way to cross the Frostmore Mountains?"
The elder's expression shifts, and a heavy silence follows. Finally, she exhales.
"You're going to Wu State, aren't you?"
They nod.
Her gaze hardens. "Then you should know—the Wu State was destroyed a few months ago."
Yu Lei's brows knit. "Destroyed? How… why?"
Wang Zhen presses, voice tight. "Elder, what happened to Wu State?"
The elder's eyes darken. "Demons did it. The whole state fell under their attack."
Silence spreads among the group, heavy as the snowstorm outside.
The elder studies them quietly. "Are you still going?"
Merin and his fellow disciples exchange glances, each one understanding the weight of the decision. At last, together, they nod. "Yes. We are going."
Some time later, the elder and the disciples of the Ice and Snow Palace take their leave.
When the inn grows quiet again, Wang Zishan turns to the others. "We should send a message back—that the Spirit Bead may already be in the hands of demons."
They nod in agreement.
Behind the inn, snow crunches under their boots as they gather in the courtyard. Forming a tight circle, they link their Qi together. The energies intertwine, flowing into the centre until a Jade Crow takes shape. Its body glimmers with faint light, its wings stirring the air, and with a piercing caw, it feels almost alive.
They imprint their message into the crow's body, then release it into the sky. With a flap of shining wings, it vanishes into the distance.
Yu Lei turns to Merin, eyes narrowed with both awe and curiosity. "Yu Feng… your Qi must be more than five hundred turns."
When their Qi linked, they had all felt it—the vast ocean of energy pulsing inside Merin's body.
Merin answers calmly. "It increased quickly after my body transformed into a Spiritual Body."
Wang Zishan leans forward, tone earnest. "Junior brother… could you give us some advice?"
Merin nods once, his gaze steady. "I can. The Jade Spiritual Body is not just muscle or bone—it is marrow, breath, and Qi working as one. Each stage sharpens you, but the key is to find the rhythm, the pulse, the ripple that binds them together…"
And as the snow falls around them, he begins to explain.
After answering their questions, Merin excuses himself and returns to his room.
He closes the door behind him, silence wrapping the space. Snowlight seeps faintly through the window, casting pale shadows on the floor.
Sitting cross-legged, he lets his breath settle, his spirit sinking inward.
Inside, his body no longer feels like it once did. The Jade glow of his bones and muscles pulses steadily, refined and unyielding. But intertwined with that brilliance is something else—the primal essence of the wolf, wild and ancient, coiled within his marrow.
His Qi flows, sharper and heavier, yet flexible as though it can stretch and compress at will. When he channels it, he feels two distinct patterns—the crystalline stability of Jade and the surging ferocity of the wolf.
Merin flexes his hand. For a moment, jade-green claws shimmer faintly over his fingers before receding back into smooth skin.
His reflection in the water basin shows the same—a human face, but his pupils faintly glimmer like polished jade, hiding the feral edge beneath.
"This body…" he murmurs inwardly. "Not just Jade Spiritual Body anymore… but something more."
The ripple of power vibrates in his chest, whispering of a path beyond the limits of the technique he was given.