Marriage?

Zhang Qingfeng frowned slightly, the smile on his face freezing for a moment.

"Brother Xiao Shan, five Blood Vitality Pills... that's one hundred and fifty taels of silver!" He counted on his fingers, "I only asked you to teach him a lesson, break his hands and feet so he can't practice martial arts or hold a pen anymore, not to commit a capital crime."

"I don't care," Xiao Shan said.

"If it's not one hundred and fifty, I'm not taking the job."

Zhang Qingfeng gritted his teeth and tentatively held up three fingers: "One hundred and thirty, how about that?"

Xiao Shan frowned and, without another word, stood up to leave.

The chair was shoved back violently by him.

"Wait!"

Zhang Qingfeng grew anxious, grabbed Xiao Shan's sleeve, and lowered his voice.

"Brother Xiao, let me tell you, that kid's sister-in-law is gorgeous. That figure, tsk tsk, with curves in all the right places—you won't find another like her in all of Blackwater County..."

"Is that true?"

Xiao Shan whipped his head around, his eyes instantly turning heated.

"Why would I lie to you?" Seeing that he was interested, the corners of Zhang Qingfeng's mouth curled upward. "If she isn't as beautiful as I say, you can come find me afterward, and I'll make up the twenty taels for you."

"Deal!"

Xiao Shan agreed immediately, the greed in his eyes practically overflowing.

Watching his impatient demeanor, a smug and sinister smile appeared on Zhang Qingfeng's face.

That day, Jiang Tian had punched his nose crooked; even now, he still had a plaster on his bridge, and he didn't dare walk too fast—even a slight jolt made him gasp in pain.

He had to have his revenge!

Martial arts? What's the use of martial arts? Is it as useful as silver?

He should have been studying properly instead of seeking death by practicing martial arts! And he even dared to injure his face, which he was so proud of!

Xiao Shan had been in the Body Tempering Realm for some time now; dealing with a kid who had only been at the Martial Arts Hall for a few days should be as easy as pie, right?

Zhang Qingfeng raised his wine cup and downed it in one gulp, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

Martial Arts Hall.

With an entire bottle of Blood Vitality Pills in his stomach, the sense of emptiness within Jiang Tian was finally filled.

The warm current transformed from the medicinal pills surged through his limbs and bones, like a spring flood hitting a dried-up riverbed, nourishing every meridian and every bone inch by inch.

The blood and vitality in his body became full again, more than twice as thick as before.

His physical body had undergone earth-shaking changes during the breakthrough process; his muscles were firmer, his bones denser, and even his skin had become somewhat tougher.

This feeling was somewhat similar to when his Innate Martial Bone trait upgraded, yet it was also different.

The evolution of his bone structure was a fundamental reconstruction, while the breakthrough was a transformation that came naturally once the conditions were met.

Jiang Tian did not rush to open his eyes.

He knew that many people must be surrounding him.

Let's check the panel first.

If Transformation Energy could extend one's lifespan by sixty years, then the Body Tempering Realm... it should at least extend it by a year or two, right?

[Name: Jiang Tian]

[Lifespan: 16/17]

[Realm: Body Tempering]

[Martial Arts: Five Animals Fist (Minor Achievement) (1+/500)]

[Traits: Innate Martial Bone (Purple) (446+/5000), Superb Comprehension (Purple) (1+/5000)]

"Sigh—"

Jiang Tian sighed in his heart.

The lifespan column still read "16/17."

In other words, he still had less than a year left to live.

However, he quickly recovered his composure.

He had broken through to the Body Tempering Realm in three days; reaching the Transformation Energy realm within a year might not be impossible.

He had that much confidence.

Thinking of this, he slowly opened his eyes.

What met his gaze was a dense circle of heads.

Almost all the disciples in the Martial Arts Hall had gathered around, packing the area behind the big tree so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.

Every face was etched with different emotions: shock, jealousy, surprise, envy, disbelief...

What a display of the myriad states of life.

At the very front of the crowd, closest to him, was naturally the master of the Five Animals Martial Hall, Yuan Long.

At this moment, Yuan Long's expression could no longer be described by the simple word "shock."

In his eyes, which were clear but slightly clouded with age, two flames seemed to be burning; he stared at Jiang Tian as if he had just laid eyes on a stunning, unclothed beauty.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Jiang!"

Li Batian was the first to react. His eyes flickered, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he forced down the terror in his heart, plastering a smile across his face.

"Body Tempering in three days! A genius! Truly a genius!"

While he spoke words of congratulations, his mind was already racing.

If he could bring this Jiang Tian under his wing... wouldn't the position of the next Li Family head be his for the taking?

He must be recruited.

At any cost.

With Li Batian taking the lead, the others also chimed in, their congratulations rising one after another.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Jiang!"

"Senior Brother Jiang is truly a talent gifted by the heavens!"

"Body Tempering in three days, unheard of!"

Interestingly, most of the people here had been in the martial hall longer than Jiang Tian, yet they all addressed him as "Senior Brother Jiang."

Just as the crowd was still chattering, a voice suddenly exploded.

"Listen up!"

Yuan Long slowly turned around to face the crowd, his gaze indifferent and his expression more serious than ever before.

"No one is to speak a word of what happened today to anyone outside."

"If I hear even the slightest whisper, no matter which family you are a young master of, or how prominent your background is, I, Yuan Long, will not let you off."

The moment the last word fell, an aura belonging solely to a master of Transformation Energy erupted.

An invisible wave of air swept outward from Yuan Long, kicking up a circle of dust from the ground and pressing down on everyone's chests until they felt stifled, barely able to breathe.

A few disciples with lower cultivation levels turned pale on the spot.

"We obey your command!"

"We obey your command!"

The crowd responded in unison.

"Alright, disperse." Yuan Long waved his hand.

The crowd gradually thinned, but several gazes still lingered on Jiang Tian, whether intentionally or not.

Li Batian, Cai Yuming, Tan Hongyu... and Zhou Mu.

Zhou Mu stood at the edge of the crowd, watching Jiang Tian follow Yuan Long toward the inner courtyard. He quietly clenched his fists, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, lost in thought.

The spotlight—that should have been his.

Yuan Long had personally fed Jiang Tian at least ten Blood Vitality Pills just now, right?

When he was eating with Li Batian yesterday, he learned just how precious those things were—a single pill cost thirty taels of silver!

Thirty taels!

Zhou Mu licked his dry lips.

Jiang Tian followed Yuan Long into a room in the inner courtyard.

The room was simply furnished: a desk, a chair, and a large character for "Martial" hanging on the wall, written with vigorous, flowing ink that seemed to pierce through the paper.

Yuan Long stood with his back to him and said without turning his head, "Close the door."

Jiang Tian did as he was told.

The moment the door shut, the light in the room dimmed.

In the blink of an eye, Yuan Long turned around and was already right beside Jiang Tian.

The speed was so fast that Jiang Tian hadn't even seen him move.

Just like last time, a large hand reached out, roaming over Jiang Tian's arms, ribs, back, and spine.

However, this time Jiang Tian felt no pain; instead, he felt a tingling sensation, as if a gentle force was probing something within him.

"Tiger Bone, Mantis Leg, Ape Arm..."

Yuan Long muttered as he felt around, his voice growing increasingly urgent. His fingers rubbed repeatedly over certain bones, as if confirming something extraordinary.

"Grade A Bone Structure!"

"It really is a Grade A Bone Structure!"

He suddenly stopped, looked up, and stared at Jiang Tian's face, his brows knitted into a tight knot.

"Could I have misjudged it that day?"

"Impossible... absolutely impossible!"

Yuan Long muttered to himself, his expression shifting uncertainly as he frowned one moment and widened his eyes the next.

A moment later, his gaze suddenly grew distant, and he mumbled in a voice so low that only he could hear: "Could the kind of... evolvable root bone that Master Yuan spoke of really exist?"

Evolvable root bone?

Jiang Tian kept his expression neutral, but he felt a slight shock inside.

Could such a thing truly exist in this world?

"Kid."

Yuan Long suddenly reached out and slapped Jiang Tian heavily on the shoulder, staring at him with burning eyes.

"Are you willing to marry my daughter?"

"Huh?!"

Jiang Tian's eyes went round in an instant, and his face flushed bright red.

Marriage?

What the hell?

He had assumed Yuan Long called him over to discuss cultivation or to interrogate him about his root bone, but it turned out to be this?

The moment Yuan Long spoke those words, Jiang Tian's ears twitched, and he faintly heard a flurry of panicked footsteps outside the room, moving from near to far, as if someone had just run away.

"Master Yuan." Jiang Tian swallowed hard, his voice turning slightly hoarse. "You... you aren't joking, are you?"

"I am not joking."

Yuan Long shook his head slightly, his eyes looking incredibly serious.

"Then let me ask you, is my daughter beautiful?"

Jiang Tian paused, and the face and figure of Yuan Manzhi involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

An oval face, peach-blossom eyes, a slender waist, a shapely chest, and especially that tear mole at the corner of her eye... yes, she was indeed quite beautiful, and her figure was perfectly curved.

But that face was always icy, as if someone owed her eight hundred taels of silver.

Jiang Tian couldn't quite figure out what this old man Yuan Long was up to, so he gave a bitter smile and said, "Master Yuan, I haven't had any thoughts of getting married..."

Before he could finish.

Yuan Long extended a palm, spread it out in front of Jiang Tian, and said something with a deadpan expression that nearly made Jiang Tian bite his tongue.

"Then pay back the money."