This World's Goal

"Help! Help!" Ning Yutan cried out in surprise.

She tightly grabbed Li Ji'an's clothes and dodged around him repeatedly.

She had just entered Bone Tempering, possessing a strength of a thousand catties, while Ning Sujin and Li Ji'an were both at Muscle Compaction Perfection, with a combined strength of five hundred catties at most.

However, Ning Yutan had focused solely on advancing her internal arts, neglecting external martial arts, leaving her like someone guarding a treasure mountain but unable to enter.

Ning Sujin had clearly practiced some superior movement technique, weaving and dodging, utilizing her internal strength to its absolute limit.

"Slap!" A crisp sound followed.

"I'll fight you to the death!" Ning Yutan arched her back, covering her buttocks, which Ning Sujin had slapped heavily, with one hand while pushing at Ning Sujin with the other.

Unfortunately, martial arts realm did not equate to strength. Without practicing external martial techniques, she possessed the strength of early Bone Tempering but couldn't even touch Ning Sujin.

"Hiss~ Ouch, ouch, ouch, let go." After her push missed, Ning Sujin grabbed her right ear with one hand.

In her surprise, she reached for Ning Sujin's hand gripping her ear with one hand, while pushing at Ning Sujin, who was close in front of her, with the other.

"Ah! Wrong, wrong, my ear is coming off, Sister, I was wrong." Then Ning Sujin grabbed her left ear.

At this point, Ning Yutan completely gave up. She quickly used both hands to protect her ears, begging for mercy.

"Hmph!" Ning Sujin stopped, glaring coldly at Ning Yutan before turning her gaze to Li Ji'an, who was watching the spectacle.

Li Ji'an watched calmly, his eyes filled with envy.

He was very interested in the movement technique Ning Sujin had just displayed.

Although his triple life's accumulated spiritual power had allowed him to sense things more keenly than others in addition to his extraordinary comprehension when he was at Shangyi County Martial Arts Academy, he still couldn't track Ning Sujin's real-time position when she performed that movement technique.

This showed how masterfully the technique utilized internal energy.

"Li Ji'an? Second in the entire manor?" Ning Sujin's expression softened slightly.

Li Ji'an smiled and nodded.

"Hey, he's my Junior Brother now, he has nothing to do with you, don't get any ideas about him," Ning Yutan suddenly interrupted, declaring ownership.

"En?" Ning Sujin's cold eyes swept over.

Ning Yutan instinctively flinched, afraid to meet her gaze, but the next second, she mustered her courage and glared back, "You don't believe me? Then ask him if he's with me? I'm even going to reward him with snacks my mother made, are you jealous?"

"Childish!" Ning Sujin scoffed, turning to Li Ji'an, "Do you want to learn a movement technique?"

Ning Yutan immediately jumped up, "You're going to teach an outsider your Su family's ancestral movement technique just to snatch him from me? Junior Brother, don't listen to her. If you learn her family's movement technique, the Su family will definitely kill you. Come here quickly, we're on the same side, and I'll share all my good food with you from now on."

"Who told you I only know one movement technique? Li Ji'an, come with me. I have several unclaimed techniques for you to choose from," Ning Sujin explained herself.

"Don't believe her, come here, the snacks my mother makes are priceless."

Looking at the two girls on either side, Li Ji'an smiled wryly.

Girls of fourteen or fifteen, from noble families, who hadn't experienced hardship, their thoughts and knowledge were limited. They were still children.

Without overthinking, Li Ji'an turned and pushed the door open, leaving the two young girls looking at each other in the breeze outside.

With his experience from three lifetimes, especially his modern urban life before his transmigration, he understood the playful argument between Ning Yutan and Ning Sujin. He had a relatively accurate judgment of their personalities, temperaments, and the conflict between them.

They were merely using him as a tool for competition.

They probably didn't even see him as a person, but rather as a prop in their rivalry.

Of course, in such a situation, he could also leverage their competitive spirit to his advantage, play both sides, gain benefits, or build relationships.

Indeed, establishing a connection with Marquis Dingyuan's manor could provide significant security for his next life's childhood.

If he could enter the manor at the age of eight in his next life and grow up there, his Bone Structure would undoubtedly be better.

But that would require sincerity and mutual trust.

He wouldn't feel at ease relying on relationships built through manipulation.

Furthermore, his current life's childhood development was good, he had entered Body Tempering early, his Vital Energy and Blood were abundant, and barring any accidents, living to seventy or eighty was not a problem. Rejuvenation would be at least after fifty, so he had plenty of time.

Therefore, regarding accumulating resources and relying on others for his next life's childhood, he preferred to let things happen naturally. If he met someone trustworthy like his Senior Brother, someone whose true nature he could discern through the test of time and build genuine trust with, that would be the right path.

His attitude was: no forcing, no initiative, no refusal, just go with the flow.

He would never put all his eggs in someone else's basket; self-reliance was the ultimate support.

After all, for ordinary money, power, or even divine martial arts manuals, one might find old friends who wouldn't be tempted, but once the mystery of longevity and Rejuvenation was involved, not only old friends but even one's own sons and parents couldn't be trusted.

Moreover, his biggest goal in this life was to become an Immortal Seed and verify the existence of immortals. He wasn't in a hurry to plan for his next life.

As for practicing external martial arts... in this situation, if one needed to rely on external martial arts for self-preservation, they were already at a disadvantage.

The martial world wasn't just about fighting; adapting to the environment, going with the flow, avoiding conflict, building good relationships, not making enemies, not standing under a crumbling wall, and choosing the right side were the considerations for Li Ji'an, who possessed the "Rejuvenation" cheat.

Warfare was dangerous and brutal; was he a person who sought out fights?

In such a world, the imperial court, which controlled the vast majority of martial arts resources, was the strongest power. As long as there was hope of becoming an Immortal Seed highly valued by the court, the court would naturally protect him.

Even if he had to practice external martial arts for self-preservation, he would wait until he was thirty and had completely lost the possibility of becoming an Immortal Seed.

Therefore, practicing external martial arts was not the top priority. The key was to focus on internal arts and body tempering, aiming for Blood Transformation Perfection before twenty, or Marrow Cleansing or even Organ Refining before thirty.