Talent and Aptitude Soar

Qi and Blood Power was a unique force found only on the Xuanhuang Continent. It was similar to the blood within a human body on Earth, but far more powerful than ordinary human blood.

Qi and Blood Power could transport oxygen throughout the body, expel many impurities from within, and efficiently deliver nutrients to every organ and tissue. It was one of the human body's cores, effectively linking every part of a warrior's body.

Therefore, once Qi and Blood Power underwent a transformation, it would inevitably drive a transformation of the warrior's entire body. This transformation was called Body Transformation, and also Marrow Cleansing.

As roughly one-tenth of the Qi and Blood Power within Song Ankang's body transformed, every part of his body began to transform as well. His skin, flesh, tendons, bones, internal organs, marrow... all became increasingly resilient.

His strength, speed, reactions, five senses... all grew more powerful, and even his mental will received a certain degree of improvement.

In just several dozen minutes, Song Ankang's overall physical qualities had risen by more than ten percent, and his total combat strength had soared by a great margin.

Only one-tenth of his Qi and Blood Power had transformed, yet it had brought such immense improvement. As more and more of it transformed, just how much could Song Ankang's strength increase?

Moreover, the further Qi and Blood Power transformed, the greater the difficulty—and the greater the benefits it brought to a warrior. If nothing unexpected happened, once all the Qi and Blood Power in Song Ankang's body had completed its transformation, his overall strength would increase severalfold at the very least, vastly surpassing the gains from any previous minor realm.

Worthy indeed of the Blood Replacement Realm. It truly could cleanse marrow and transform the body, bringing earth-shaking changes to a warrior's strength.

This realm could even improve a warrior's Talent and Aptitude to a certain extent. The more formidable the cultivation art and the stronger one's foundation, the greater the improvement in Talent and Aptitude.

This was the only realm within the Body Refining Great Realm capable of improving Talent and Aptitude, and one of the few realms in a cultivator's lifetime that could do so.

He had cultivated the Seventh-Rank High-Grade divine art, the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture, could absorb its side effects through the Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance, and had the Form Concealment of the Heaven Concealing Earth Absorbing Art to solidify his cultivation foundation. Thus, Song Ankang gained astonishing benefits from this Body Transformation and Marrow Cleansing, with his Talent and Aptitude increasing by several tens of percent.

That number sounded somewhat exaggerated. After all, other warriors generally enhanced their Talent and Aptitude by only around five percent in this realm, or even less. Those who could reach more than ten percent were exceedingly rare.

But that was because their Talent and Aptitude had already been exceptional to begin with. Though they improved by only around five percent, that was comparable to Song Ankang's ten or twenty percent increase, or perhaps even more.

Song Ankang's Talent and Aptitude had been too poor, which was why the improvement appeared somewhat exaggerated. In truth, even after the increase, his Talent and Aptitude was merely about the same as an ordinary person's. At last, he had escaped the rock-bottom state of being worse than even an ordinary person.

Even so, Song Ankang was already very satisfied.

That night, Song Ankang, whose strength had surged and whose combat power now rivaled that of an ordinary First-rate Warrior, was in high spirits. He had Qiushi prepare a lavish feast, intending to enjoy himself properly.

During the meal, Song Ankang specifically told Qiushi and Jiang Yunhe that his strength had broken through. Neither Qiushi nor Jiang Yunhe found this surprising. After all, he had taken so many pills lately and eaten quite a bit of precious Medicinal Cuisine. It was perfectly normal for his strength to rise so quickly.

Besides, because Song Ankang's Talent and Aptitude was somewhat poor, this rate of improvement even seemed a little slow.

The two of them did not know that Song Ankang had done far more than merely reach the Muscle Tendon Realm. He had already entered the Blood Replacement Realm, and his combat power now steadily surpassed Jiang Yunhe's.

While Song Ankang feasted amid laughter and song, in Tongxin Town several miles from Chaoyun Manor, the little tailor Zhao Qiang seemed to have encountered something fortunate as well.

He had drunk a little too much at a friend's home that evening, so it was rather late by the time he left. Though his friend tried his utmost to persuade him to stay and rest there, since night had fallen and it was easy to encounter danger outside.

Recently, people had been disappearing one after another in Tongxin Town. Many said it was the work of Demonic Creatures and Ghosts. Not long ago, even Song Ankang, the Capital's Foremost Filial Son, had been attacked by a Female Ghost in Tongxin Town.

It had happened in broad daylight. Had the guards at his side not been powerful, the Capital's Foremost Filial Son would likely have been finished then and there. It was clear that Tongxin Town had been far from peaceful lately.

But the little tailor, drunk as he was, refused to listen. He insisted on leaving his friend's home, claiming that he had been born bold and overflowing with yang energy, so ordinary Demonic Creatures and Ghosts would never dare touch a hair on his head.

Seeing that the little tailor was adamant and could not be persuaded, and that his home was not far away, his friend could only let him go.

After leaving his friend's house, the little tailor Zhao Qiang staggered along, humming a little tune under his breath. "My pretty foe, you long to kill me, and today at last you came. So delighted, you cling to me in your robes and embrace; from head to toe, you are piled high with charm."

"An embrace scatters sorrow, a hug dispels gloom. Even if we cannot share a bed and pillow, it is enough for you to stand awhile before me."

The more the little tailor sang, the more excited he became, until he gradually began to skip and hop. But at that moment, a sudden splashing sound came from nearby, startling him awake.

A chill ran through the little tailor's entire body, sobering him slightly. He looked toward the source of the sound and thought, It's so dark already. Who could be busy by the river? Could it be Demonic Creatures and Ghosts?

At that thought, the little tailor wanted to leave, but he could not suppress the curiosity in his heart. With the alcohol rushing to his head, he inexplicably took several steps forward.

Only after drawing nearer did the little tailor discover that the source of the noise was a woman. Since it was so dark, he could only vaguely make out her outline, but her figure was quite lovely. She was washing her hair by the river.

Seeing that she was a slender young woman and did not seem inclined to come over and bite or claw him, the little tailor thought that she ought to be human, not some Demonic Creature or Ghost.

Moreover, this was in the center of Tongxin Town, with many residents nearby. If anything seemed wrong, he could simply shout for help.

The little tailor relaxed and stepped closer. Calling out to the woman washing her hair, he asked, "Miss, it's so late. Aren't you afraid of encountering Demonic Creatures and Ghosts when you come out to wash your hair?"

"Just now, my parents forced me, insisting that I marry Wang Mazi from the east of town. But Wang Mazi is far too ugly, and I truly do not wish to marry him. My parents beat me because of it, and now I'm covered in dust, with my hair especially filthy. I simply could not sleep, so I had no choice but to come out and wash my hair."

The woman by the river spoke in a soft, weeping voice, and tears actually began to fall, making the little tailor unable to resist feeling sorry for her. He took several more steps closer. "Miss, don't be sad. I've seen that Wang Mazi too. He truly is far too ugly—how could he possibly be worthy of you? You did nothing wrong. Your parents are the ones being excessive. But why are they so determined to make you marry Wang Mazi?"