Compared to the dazed Pei Yan, Friedrich himself was even more shocked. As a member of the demon race, such damage should not have been enough to make him howl miserably. But the sudden harm caught the previously confident Friedrich completely off guard, causing him to cry out in pain amidst his agony and astonishment.

"You silly boy, what are you standing there for? Keep attacking!" Elder Lin, who was sitting cross-legged on the grass with a cigarette in his mouth and wearing new clothes he took out from his storage ring, shouted urgently at the stunned Pei Yan.

Upon hearing Elder Lin, Pei Yan immediately understood that Elder Lin had a hand in this. Without hesitation, he blurred into motion to close in on the enemy. Friedrich, who was baffled by his own body's sudden state, dared not face Pei Yan's onslaught and hurriedly retreated.

Dodging left and right in a sorry state, Pei Yan relentlessly pursued him. After carefully examining his condition and confirming he was still at his peak state, Friedrich finally couldn't contain his nature. He spun around, this time not to punch back. His right hand trembled, and a longsword appeared in his grasp, which he swung experimentally towards the advancing Pei Yan.

Sparks flew through the air as the light sword clashed with the longsword. After several exchanges, Friedrich did not detect anything unusual. Overjoyed, he unconsciously increased the force in his arm to counterattack. But as soon as his magic power infused his arm, a sharp pain erupted from his arm. Looking down, he saw the entire right arm's scale armor cracking, muscles turning outward, and blood gushing. The longsword slipped helplessly from his grip, crashing to the ground.

In that brief moment of distraction, Pei Yan wouldn't let such a good opportunity go. Seizing the moment, he swung his light sword upward from below Friedrich's armpit, where it soared skyward. Immediately, Pei Yan stepped forward, delivering a knee and elbow strike to his opponent's chest.

In a fit of rage, Friedrich swung his left fist to counterattack. Pei Yan did not dodge, hardened his face with steel resolve, and met Friedrich's fist head-on. Creak! The sound of bones breaking ensued as the fist, which should have sent Pei Yan flying, just like the right arm, cracked and hung weakly.

Thud! Pei Yan's knee solidly hit Friedrich's chest. Just as he prepared to unleash a series of attacks, he didn't expect this high-ranking demon race member to be so fierce. After the attack, instead of retreating, Friedrich arched his body, brought his head next to Pei Yan's head, and opened his maw full of sharp teeth to bite down on Pei Yan's neck.

If one were to select Pei Yan's weakest defensive spot, his neck was undoubtedly one of his major vulnerabilities. With his vital point clamped in Friedrich's jaws, Pei Yan's ferocity was equally aroused. Without retreating, he withdrew his knee, employing one hand to resist Friedrich's head and the other on his chest, as blue light flared with each rapid-fire micro electromagnetic cannon shot out.

Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of explosions echoed from the battlefield. As the smoke cleared, the two staggered backward. Pei Yan clutched his neck, looking at the deep bite marks, feeling fortunate that he didn't choose to struggle wildly. Otherwise, even if he didn't die, he might have had a chunk torn off.

Compared to Pei Yan, his opponent appeared much more disheveled. Friedrich no longer bore any resemblance to the elegant demeanor he had upon arrival. Covered in blood, with numerous scars, the crystallization on his head and chest had severely peeled away. The protective scale armor was mostly shattered, exposing flesh underneath. While the left arm had begun to heal, his right arm was regenerating slowly.

"Old fool, what did you do to my body?" Blood dripped from Friedrich's fingertips to the ground. He raised his head to look at Elder Lin, who sat cross-legged in the distance, and asked.

From the recent exchange, he had already figured it out. Although Pei Yan's offensive was fierce, it was entirely bearable. The current situation wasn't due to the opponent's strength. The problem lay within his own body, and after considering it, the issue stemmed from his prior engagement with this old man.

"I have no obligation to tell you. You're as good as dead today, but there are still many demon race members here whose allegiances are unclear. Do you think I would reveal the secrets of my technique to everyone?" Elder Lin replied, exhaling a puff of smoke and tapping the ash from his cigarette.

Upon hearing this, Friedrich tilted his head back. With a wave of his left arm, a black halo centered on him, enveloping the three on the grass. He then commanded sternly, "I've set a silence barrier; tell me the answer!"

Elder Lin looked up at the black halo hovering above, feeling the power it contained, and then looked down at Friedrich, shaking his head helplessly, "Meridians!"

"Meridians?" Friedrich asked, bewildered.

"Yes, you can understand it as the channels where internal energy flows in your body. My ability allows me to perceive the meridian flow in everyone and control it. I can manipulate meridians to enable rapid self-healing or even regeneration. I can enhance my body by manipulating meridians, and I can alter the flow and output of internal energy in my opponents," Elder Lin explained.

He paused, bent at the waist, and continued, "Before engaging with you, I was worried that demon race meridians might differ from humans and that my ability might not work. However, it turned out your meridians indeed differ from ours. Because of this, I had to tinker a bit more to figure out the pattern of your internal energy flow."

"What did you do?" Friedrich pressed on with a furrowed brow. Pei Yan, equally eager to learn the truth, halted his attack and quietly listened to Elder Lin's account.

"Not much, I just injected some power into your meridians and opened the gate to the restrictions, stimulating your energy to constantly expand," Elder Lin said, glancing at the now-knowing Pei Yan and then the still-confused Friedrich. "A person's meridians are like conduits with an upper limit they can bear. Metahumans and cultivators can gradually expand this conduit through training and ascension to accommodate more, thus absorbing and utilizing more internal energy."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan nodded in agreement. While absorbing the Crimson Plague, he recalled being unable to move due to energy congestion in his meridians causing intense swelling pain.

Returning to his explanation, Elder Lin continued, "I forcibly opened the valves in your body meant to protect your meridians, allowing uncontrolled, unlimited expanding energy. Though your meridians could withstand it for a short time, over time..."

At this point, Elder Lin looked at Friedrich, whose face had turned extremely unsightly, and extinguished his cigarette butt, "Now your meridians are as thin as paper, with the slightest force they will shatter from within before you can harm your enemy."