Growth-type Wondrous Item

"Mm..."

The saying that one must first hurt oneself before hurting others was no empty phrase. As he unleashed the fist art, Song Ankang felt the skin all over his body begin to ache, with a faint flush of blood emerging beneath it.

"Boom..."

Song Ankang threw a punch, producing a considerable crash as he viciously knocked over the wooden training dummy in the Training Room. Its power was quite impressive, rivaling—perhaps even surpassing—the attack of a Muscle Tempering Realm martial artist.

However, throwing such a powerful punch had not left Song Ankang unscathed. Pain coursed through every part of his body, and the skin in many places had faintly split open.

Though he wanted to throw another punch, the pain in his body was simply unbearable. Song Ankang collapsed dejectedly onto the floor, feeling agony surge from every corner of his body. He nearly passed out.

"You have activated the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture. You have suffered the side effects of the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture. Your skin throughout your body has been damaged... The Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance is taking effect. It is absorbing external energy and will soon convert the side effects. Please wait!"

Looking at the notification on the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance, Song Ankang's face twisted in misery. Come on, brother, don't screw me over like this!

His entire body was aching, and he desperately needed the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance to save him. Yet it needed to replenish its energy first. Why had it not said so sooner? Song Ankang could have waited until it had stored enough energy before using the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture's combat techniques.

Moreover, the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance was a wondrous item capable of traveling through All Heavens and Myriad Worlds. Should it not have stored limitless energy?

The moment that thought crossed his mind, a message from the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance appeared directly in Song Ankang's mind. It turned out that the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance was a Growth-type wondrous item. It had fused with Song Ankang the instant it was born and had not yet had the chance to grow.

Song Ankang was the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance's first man, and perhaps its only man!

In the future, the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance would grow alongside Song Ankang as his strength increased. For now, it did not possess the ability to store energy on its own. Its slow rate of absorbing external energy was also because Song Ankang was far too weak.

When the side effects were minor, the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance could absorb external energy while converting the side effects into beneficial effects. Only when the side effects were severe would it trigger its energy-storage function, requiring a certain amount of time to absorb and accumulate energy before producing the corresponding effect.

However, as Song Ankang's strength increased, the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance would improve as well. It would gradually gain more functions, and its speed of absorbing external energy would rise with the tide.

Only then did Song Ankang understand what was going on, and he could not help but smile bitterly. Had he not fused with the original owner's soul and absorbed the side effects of practicing the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture, thereby greatly strengthening his mental will, he would likely have passed out from the pain.

Who knew how much time passed? Just as Song Ankang was about to fall asleep, an inexplicable energy appeared out of nowhere. It healed his injured skin at tremendous speed, then began tempering it.

"The Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance has accumulated sufficient energy and is beginning to take effect... Your injuries have been healed. Your vitality and blood are increasing. Your skin is strengthening!"

What time was it already? Several hours must have passed. Song Ankang had been in so much pain that he had gone numb, and only now had the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance finally begun to work.

Song Ankang wept tears of joy. Feeling the pain swiftly vanish without a trace, along with his steadily increasing strength, he broke into a smile.

With the feedback from this wave of side effects, Song Ankang's cultivation quickly reached the pinnacle of the Skin Tempering Stage.

A path that other cultivators needed months, or even longer, to traverse had taken Song Ankang only around two days. He was already on the verge of breaking through.

Song Ankang let out a breath. Just then, he heard knocking outside once more. "Son-in-law, are you in there? It's the dead of night already. Why haven't you gone back to your room to rest?"

It was already late at night? Song Ankang was surprised. He got up to open the door, only to notice reddish marks on his clothes—the traces left behind by blood seeping through his skin.

Song Ankang hurriedly took off the clothes he had worn for training, wiping the bloodstains from his body with them as well. After changing into another outfit, he opened the door and found Qiushi's little face filled with worry. "Son-in-law, what have you been doing? Why have you stayed in the Training Room for so long? Don't tell me you still haven't given up and want to try walking the path of cultivation again?"

"Of course. My Talent and Aptitude may be a little lacking, but kung fu does not fail those with determination. As long as I work hard enough, I believe I can still cultivate something," Song Ankang said with a smile.

Though she wanted to say that the Son-in-law had tried many times already and always returned disappointed, Qiushi did not say it when she saw the brightness in Song Ankang's eyes. "All right, then. Treat it as a pastime, but Son-in-law, be careful. Don't injure yourself through training."

"Don't worry. I know." Song Ankang nodded and headed toward the nearby bedroom.

With her worries set aside, Qiushi skipped happily along at Song Ankang's side. She looked quite delighted. "Instructor Jiang should be back tomorrow. When he returns, I'll have him take me to the storeroom to demand five-year-old ginseng from that Liu Yuanqing."

"Too bad this isn't our Tang Family residence. If we were at the capital residence, we might even be able to ask the Eldest Miss for some hundred-year-old ginseng to properly nourish Son-in-law. The Eldest Miss cares deeply about Son-in-law."

The twin maid buns atop Qiushi's head bounced lightly with her movements, showing just how good her mood was. Her tender, fair, childlike face even seemed to glow in the darkness.

This was actually his Concubine Maid. Song Ankang could basically decide whether she lived or died. Even now, he found it a little hard to believe.

Once they reached the bedroom, Qiushi nimbly tidied up the room for Song Ankang. The room was neither dirty nor messy, clearly having been cleaned by Qiushi during the day. She was merely making a few minor adjustments now.

She soon finished tidying up and naturally helped Song Ankang remove his clothes and shoes, making him feel somewhat unaccustomed to it. He had never been served like this before, and the one serving him was a girl whose beauty made fish sink and geese fall.

"Son-in-law's body seems to have grown sturdier, and his complexion is much rosier too. If I'd known the ginseng Medicinal Cuisine worked so well, I should have nourished Son-in-law sooner."

After removing his clothes and shoes, Qiushi ignored Song Ankang's objections and began carefully undoing his hair tie, so that he could sleep more comfortably. "What's wrong with Son-in-law today? You feel rather strange. Don't move around, Son-in-law. I'll be done soon."

Hearing Qiushi say this, Song Ankang obediently settled down. Scenes of how the original owner had interacted with Qiushi in the past surfaced in his mind, and he did his best to imitate him so as not to arouse suspicion.

After serving Song Ankang into bed, Qiushi began unfastening her own clothes. Though his heart stirred slightly, Song Ankang also became a little anxious. According to his memories, Qiushi had never shared a bed with the original owner. What was she doing?

"It's so hot in summer. It's only just begun, yet it's already this hot. How are we supposed to get through the rest of it? This year's drought is getting worse and worse."

Qiushi stopped after undoing only half her buttons, finally allowing Song Ankang to breathe a sigh of relief. He had thought they were going to share a room. Who would have thought... For some reason, Song Ankang felt a faint little regret.

A regret, huh? You all had your hands hovering over the favorite button, yet regretfully didn't press it. Dear readers, don't be like that. This little newbie didn't tease you in this chapter.