Exotic Bone Chaos!

Zhenyuan Escort Agency, Martial Arts Pavilion

"Want to learn the Dragon's Roar Spear Technique? You need merit. Hmm, your merit is zero."

Jiang Yuan walked out of the Martial Arts Pavilion, glanced around, then headed straight for the mission hall without hesitation.

This was the fourth day of Jiang Yuan's attempt to conquer the Third Life.

Three consecutive days of attempts had allowed Jiang Yuan to survive longer and longer in the Third Life, but the price was that the number of simulated-life attempts he could make each day had decreased.

Three days of slaughter and training had brought Jiang Yuan considerable achievement in the three battlefield killing arts, and he had begun to adapt to the battlefield.

The three battlefield martial arts were quite practical in battle, worthy enough of those sixty Points.

And now, he had encountered a bottleneck.

He needed the aid of a spear technique.

The long spear was the king of weapons on the battlefield.

Although Jiang Yuan could kill with a blade or sword as well, neither was suited to the battlefield. With a spear technique, he could unleash far greater power, and the crucial point where he had been stuck could be smoothly overcome.

Though the Army Formation Spear Art was suited for the battlefield, it still fell short by a degree. Moreover, Jiang Yuan's attainments in spearwork were insufficient. Training for such a short time simply could not raise his spearwork attainments, whereas quickly obtaining martial arts attainments through the simulator was an entirely different matter.

Jiang Yuan now needed respectable spearwork attainments. Ordinary people could never acquire such attainments in a short period of time, but Jiang Yuan possessed Martial Arts Enlightenment Cards.

As long as he had a suitable method, Jiang Yuan could achieve mastery at lightning speed.

And among spear techniques, the Zhenyuan Escort Agency's Dragon's Roar Spear Technique was undoubtedly the most suitable.

Unfortunately, it required merit.

The mission Jiang Yuan had taken last time to conceal his tracks had long since been returned and abandoned.

And now, Jiang Yuan needed merit.

Merit could only be earned by escorting shipments or accepting missions.

The Zhenyuan Escort Agency wielded great power, and its business had expanded from escort work into something akin to mercenary work.

Naturally, it never lacked missions.

After considering it for a long time, Jiang Yuan chose a mission to assist the City Yamen in destroying a mountain bandit stronghold with considerable influence.

It was said to possess considerable strength, but in truth, its strongest bandit was merely at the Late Qi and Blood Stage.

In ordinary places, a Late Qi and Blood Stage martial artist would already count as a powerhouse in their own right. Yet for some reason, these bandits had foolishly established their stronghold beside the town nearest to Haiyuan City.

The merit reward was just right, and the distance was close. It was the most suitable mission for Jiang Yuan.

As for those ghosts and goblins spying on him from the shadows—

A scornful smile appeared at the corner of Jiang Yuan's lips. This was the perfect chance to drag them all out. His strength had advanced by leaps and bounds with each passing day; even he no longer knew how powerful he would be if he erupted with his full strength.

He no longer needed to hide and conceal himself as he had in the beginning. Even if the rats in the dark made no sound, they were still exceedingly irritating. He might as well seize this chance to root them out.

Unless those people sent experts above the Transformative Force realm, Jiang Yuan had nothing to fear.

Jiang Yuan took the mission token and walked out of the escort agency.

Inside a residence somewhere in Haiyuan City.

The residence's owners, a family of three, sat blankly around the dining table, their eyes vacant like those of zombies.

The family of three had pale faces, their lips trembling faintly.

Streams of white vapor slowly drifted out from their bodies, turning into thin currents that poured into the mouth and nose of a black-clothed man behind them.

"Hmph! Our lord sent us to infiltrate Haiyuan City, not for you to suck away people's yang energy!"

"I know what I'm doing."

"You know shit. Back in Qihe Village, how much blood essence did you suck from mortals? You even drew an investigation from the town."

"Those trash could have been slaughtered as soon as they arrived. If the intelligence had not been wrong and that brat had gone out to do missions, why would we have stayed in that godforsaken backwater for so long?"

Conversation sounded within the room, but the voices were chilly and inhuman.

"Hm? That brat has left again. We can make another move." The sleeves of the two black-clothed men hung low. A black gleam seemed to flash across one man's chest, as though he had received some message.

"That brat finally dared to come out! I'll tear him apart with my own hands!"

"Be cautious. That brat may have noticed our existence."

"What is there to fear from a mere Qi and Blood Martial Artist?"

"Call Lord Han as well."

"Hmph!"

The two figures transformed into black water and seeped into the ground, vanishing without a trace. Only the family of three remained in the room, their bodies already stiff, clearly breathing out more than they breathed in.

Jiang Yuan rode alone along the road, a blade case strapped to his back. The reddish-brown steed beneath him was exceptionally magnificent.

He had not ridden a horse before because he had been concealing his tracks, but things were different now.

He looked at the scenery around him. In his previous life, such pristine pastoral landscapes had been rare indeed.

Warm sunlight caressed Jiang Yuan, and a sense of comfort rose within him.

Jiang Yuan's expression remained calm. Suddenly, he gently tugged the reins and looked at the two black-clothed men standing rigidly in the middle of the road ahead.

A curve tugged at the corner of Jiang Yuan's lips.

Bang!

Jiang Yuan casually caught a deformed claw. With his five fingers interlocked with it, the gesture almost resembled an intimate exchange between young lovers.

Except the claw Jiang Yuan held was covered in rotting flesh and even reeked of stench, while a crimson glow flickered faintly over Jiang Yuan's hand.

It collided with the poisonous vapor from the claw, vapor capable of corroding steel, producing a sizzling sound.

Jiang Yuan clenched his hand slightly, and the claw in his grasp turned to ash.

Jiang Yuan looked at the black-clothed man trembling before him and smiled.

"This strength! You're not Jiang Yuan! Who are you?!" The black-clothed man trembled as he let out an incredulous wail.

On the ground, a humanoid shape could faintly be seen beneath a black robe, but it made no sound.

"Who else could I be? I'm Jiang Yuan." Jiang Yuan spoke blandly. At the same time, the muscles across his body tensed slightly. Crimson light flashed and vanished, and he crushed the black-clothed man's other attacking arm as well.

"Who are you people?"

"How dare a yellow-haired child act so arrogantly!"

Amid the fight, the remaining black-clothed man revealed the deathly pale face beneath his hood.

Strangely, the features on his face had almost entirely vanished. He was, astonishingly, a faceless man!

Jiang Yuan ignored this oddity and said calmly, "You aren't afraid of me because you are relying on that Transformative Force expert beside you?"

Though the faceless man had no expression with which to show his shock, Jiang Yuan could still sense it.

Jiang Yuan looked toward the side of the road, where a tall, sturdy man dressed like an ordinary martial artist had appeared at some unknown point.

He looked no different from the common martial artists who roamed the martial world, yet his qi and blood were restrained, returning to simplicity. These were unmistakably the traits of a Transformative Force expert.

A blue glint flashed in Jiang Yuan's eyes. In his vision, strange blackish-red currents swirled around the man's body.

What was this...

But this man should also be a martial artist. Such bizarre traits were not something ordinary martial artists could possess.

Jiang Yuan kicked the faceless man aside and looked at the burly man with faint puzzlement. "You are also a martial artist, sir. Why do you serve these ghosts and goblins?"

"Hahaha! Lord Han is here. You are doomed!" The faceless man on the ground shakily climbed to his feet and shouted arrogantly at Jiang Yuan.

The burly man said nothing. His robes billowed despite the absence of wind as he suddenly charged toward Jiang Yuan.

The figure rushing toward him grew larger in Jiang Yuan's eyes. Then, a cluster of flames abruptly ignited within his pupils.

Crimson flooded his pupils, while a flame-shaped mark formed from two entwining red lines appeared on Jiang Yuan's forehead. The qi and blood around his body turned crimson, crimson like fire.

His Exotic Bone erupted, yet it was somewhat different from before.

Great Sun Blazing Fire Bone, chaos!

With the aid of the system's methods, Jiang Yuan's utilization of his Exotic Bone could not be underestimated.

Only now was Jiang Yuan truly wielding the full power of his Exotic Bone.

The Heavenly Gifted Martial Artists had given this state a name: Exotic Bone Chaos.

"You are quite good, but since you met me, your ending has already been decided!"

Jiang Yuan caught the burly man's fist in one hand. A brilliant smile reflected in the man's contracting pupils.