Attempt, Part 1

The Martial Arts Practice Field at the Aloeswood Palace.

Zhang Rongfang lifted an Iron Lock with one hand; it was something he used to train his arm strength.

One weighs 1,000 jin, so two would weigh 2,000 jin.

But in his hands, it felt a little lighter than usual.

Although it wasn't much, the feeling was definitely there.

He gently tossed the Iron Lock into the air, watching it tumble, spin, rise, and then fall.

Puff.

He caught it precisely with one hand and gently placed it on the ground.

"Then comes speed."

He looked at the far end of the Martial Arts Practice Field, where a heavy metal doll was quietly reflecting the pale golden sunlight of dawn.

Laugh.

Zhang Rongfang stomped his foot, and he shot out like an arrow.

A strange feeling quickly welled up in his heart.

His straight-line speed was also slightly faster than yesterday!

At his level, every improvement in his body would be precisely perceived by himself.

Moreover, with the time interval shortened to just one day, even the slightest progress can be clearly felt within such a short period.

Upon arriving at the location of the metal doll, Zhang Rongfang slowed down, stopped, and stood still.

"The rest don't need testing; the crucial strength and speed have both been enhanced. This Blood Flesh Completion talent is truly terrifying."

He originally thought the Attribute Panel would awaken some kind of talent trait like super hearing or super sense of smell, but he never expected it to be such a cruel and evil talent.

Yes, after seeing the prisoners in that cell being drained of their blood and killed by him.

He then realized that this ability to Blood Flesh Completion was very similar to the abilities of some vampires and Zombie he had heard about in his previous life.

The difference is that he is not afraid of sunlight, nor is he a ghost; he is just an ordinary human being.

With a sigh, Zhang Rongfang went to look at the other Daoists in the Martial Arts Practice Field again.

In a corner, some Daoist priests were also diligently honing their martial arts skills.

He glanced over and noticed that these dozen or so people also emitted a faint fragrance.

However, it was much lighter than before.

"Huh?" Suddenly Zhang Rongfang's gaze stopped as he saw a 'familiar face'.

One of them who was actually practicing martial arts was the Big Beard priest he had met before.

The guy was muscular and was sparring with someone.

Zhang Rongfang slowly approached, stopped at a certain distance, and quietly watched them exchange moves.

This time, even though it was the same person, the fragrance emanating from the Big Beard Daoist priest had become much weaker.

Such a big change happened in less than an hour.

Zhang Rongfang now understands that this cannot be an external problem; the problem must lie within himself.

'Is it because I just took drugs from a prisoner?' That was the only answer he could come up with.

It was clearly the same person, but the fragrance I smelled had faded considerably.

Then consider the literal meaning of the name "Blood Flesh Completion".

Zhang Rongfang suddenly had a guess.

Perhaps, the meaning of "Blood Flesh Completion" is actually about "replacing genes"? Optimizing all of humanity's best genes to their fullest potential.

The fragrance I smelled was probably the scent emanating from the superior genes in the other person that made them superior to me.

He deduced it that way.

When I first unlocked this ability, my genes were probably more optimized than those of an average person.

So everyone looks delicious to me.

After consuming it from another person, most of the normal genes were compensated for and optimized, so the fragrance became less strong.

This guess is very reasonable.

'If we speculate in this way, then once my Blood Flesh Completion the remaining numbers and reach a certain quantity, it's very likely that there will be no further growth. At that point, this talent will be considered to have reached its full potential.'

After drawing a conclusion, the next step is to find a way to verify it.

Zhang Rongfang's heart stirred.

'If I were to drink human blood directly in the Dungeon of the Aloeswood Palace, the sensation it would cause would be too great.'

Even if I did this for a righteous reason, I would still be misunderstood as evil.

Too many people only look at the surface and ignore the underlying essence.

'Therefore, I must act covertly.'

His eyes gleamed as he began to think about how to strike discreetly.

And which faction should be targeted?

"Daozi."

At this moment, a Daoist priest hurried over and bowed to him.

"What is it?"

"Two of our government officials have just been attacked and are now missing. They were both on their way to the government office for their roll call when the incident happened," the Daoist priest quickly reported.

"Two people were attacked? And they were official officials?" Zhang Rongfang frowned.

In Citong, this was the first time since his power and influence had grown so strong that someone had dared to lay a hand on a member of the Aloeswood Palace.

Moreover, they always target officials with official positions; ordinary people and those with ordinary power wouldn't dare to do that.

Without thinking, Zhang Rongfang immediately thought of a possibility— the Western Sect.

If he could wipe out the Sea Gazing Temple, then the experts of the Western Sect might also dare to secretly target Aloeswood Palace.

As long as I don't get caught or investigated, that's fine.

"Go to the Prefectural Office and file a case, requesting Official Messenger and constables to assist in the investigation," Zhang Rongfang said in a deep voice.

Although we don't expect the authorities to find anything, we still need to make our stance clear.

"Yes!"

The Daoist priest bowed respectfully, stepped back, and left.

Zhang Rongfang watched him leave, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

Since we're going to find people to experiment on anyway, why not use Western Sect and Golden Wing Tower who came to us? Killing them would be a waste anyway, so we might as well make use of them on an inconspicuous small ship in Citong.

Deep inside the cabin, the Copper Arm Chan Master Kong He held his staff in one hand, his brows furrowed as he stared at the two Aloeswood Palace stewards he had captured.

The interrogators pressed them relentlessly, but the two men knew nothing, and whatever they did say was utterly unreliable.

This left him feeling frustrated that he had gained nothing.

With two crisp snapping sounds, the two stewards lost their breath completely.

After they could no longer provide any valuable information, they lost their usefulness and were killed on the spot.

"Grand Initiation Master, look at the few people around the Aloeswood Palace. Even if they are the managers, they can't get close to the core."

"Perhaps only those most trusted by Zhang Ying know the most," a fat, Fat Monk from the Western Sect reminded them.

"Who are the most trusted people in the Aloeswood Palace? Do you know?" Copper Arm Chan Master Kong He asked impatiently.

"This subordinate really does know," the Fat Monk grinned, perking up.

"The Aloeswood Palace itself has a complex personnel structure. Because it rose too quickly, it absorbed many unemployed martial arts experts from outside in order to establish its power and strength."

However, these people are of mixed backgrounds, and some are even spies for other forces.

Therefore, the only people truly in charge of the Dao Palace's operations were a dozen or so individuals trusted by Zhang Ying.

Among these dozen or so people, Sun Chaoyue and Zhang Zhenhai, two women, were particularly prominent.

Copper Arm Chan Master Kong He, was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Two women? Are they pretty?" He immediately made the connection.

"Very beautiful," the Fat Monk said with a smile. "Sun Chaoyue has a good temperament and a voluptuous figure. Zhang Zhenhai has a slender and graceful figure and a natural fragrance. Both of them are excellent Ming Consort."

"I like it." Copper Arm Chan Master Kong He smiled with satisfaction. "Do you know their route of entry and exit? I'll do it myself. We'll interrogate them after we've had our fun."

He had been traveling a long way and had accumulated a lot of frustration in his heart, so now he could finally relax.

"That's simple. These two usually live in a house at the foot of Chen Xiang Mountain, and occasionally they have to go out to resolve some religious disputes and cases for the Guardian Teaching Office."

"So as long as you're quick enough, you can easily catch someone halfway through the journey," the Fat Monk explained.

With the skill of the Copper Arm Zen Master, capturing someone would be incredibly easy.

"Alright, let's go now!" Copper Arm Zen Master immediately became enthusiastic.

"Yes."

The two left the cabin one after the other and went up to the deck along the walkway.

The Fat Monk began to arrange for people to investigate his whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Copper Arm Chan Master Kong He disembarked, put on a black robe, and began to idly stroll around the streets near the ship, eating and drinking.

What he didn't notice was that some of the street vendors selling snacks and barbecue unconsciously glanced at him out of the corner of their eyes.

A vendor secretly handed out a hastily written Paper Scroll scrap paper while serving food to a customer.

The Paper Scroll was slipped into the sleeve of a customer who was eating, who then pretended to go to the toilet.

One guest got up and left, leaving his seat amidst laughter and jeers from his friends.

By this time, information about the Copper Arm Chan Master Kong He had quickly spread.

Meanwhile, Kong He was waiting for the Fat Monk to collect information on Sun Chaoyue and Zhang Zhenhai's whereabouts.

Before long, he dropped the mutton skewers he had finished eating and hurried back to the boat by himself.

The sky gradually darkened.

On the way back to the boat from the street, there was a stretch of road without the lanterns of the shops.

The sky was devoid of moonlight, only covered with patches of cumulonimbus clouds, creating a gloomy and hazy atmosphere.

The wind rustled through the roadside trees, making a mocking sound, like a group of whispering people standing there, arms around each other in the shadows.

Kong He carried a jar of wine in his hand and slowly walked back, humming a little tune.

Snap

Suddenly he stopped and looked up ahead.

On the beach ahead, at the boundary between light and shadow, stood a burly figure draped in a black cloak, completely concealing his head and body.

The wind tugged at the hem of the cloak draped over the figure, revealing instead a pair of straight, javelin-like legs beneath.

The other person was standing sideways, gazing at the undulating sea in the distance.

They seemed to be passersby, just like him, out for a stroll and to enjoy the scenery.

Kong He didn't think much of it and continued walking towards his destination ship.

In Great Ling, all male martial artists are not thin or weak.

What's the point of someone who's skinny if they can't generate power? Even those who prioritize speed and explosiveness have streamlined muscles. They're not skinny at all.

He continued forward.

The two gradually drew closer.

What do you think people live for?

Suddenly the Black-Robed Figure spoke up and asked.

Kong He paused, looking at the other person with a puzzled expression.

"Are you talking to me?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"Besides me, there's only you here. What do you say?" the Black-Robed Figure said calmly.