Yuan Long's thoughts crashed and churned like storm-tossed waves. His lips were dry, and his throat itched.
It took him a long while to steady himself. Then he spoke with forced calm. "Mm, not bad. You've got the same level of comprehension I had back in the day."
Jiang Tian's mouth twitched.
That old man really knew how to pat himself on the back.
Once he reached Transformation Energy, he'd have to see what color the old man's Comprehension trait was.
"Enough." Yuan Long waved a hand. "Go out and practice. Starting today, you can come here and collect one Blood Vitality Pill every day."
After a pause, he added, "If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me."
"Understood." Jiang Tian cupped his hands and took his leave.
He opened the door, and the moment he turned around, almost every disciple in the courtyard fixed their gaze on him.
All sorts of looks—envy, jealousy, scrutiny, flattery, defiance...
Jiang Tian's expression stayed the same. None of those gazes could shake his composure.
His eyes swept casually over everyone's heads.
Almost every one of these Body Tempering Realm disciples had a green trait. Only a rare few didn't.
One person had three white traits. Jiang Tian had never seen that combination before.
He extracted them one by one.
Then he walked to a quiet corner, sank his hips, and settled into his stance.
[Drip! You have Innate Martial Bone and Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9!]
[Drip! You have Innate Martial Bone and Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9!]
[Drip! You have Innate Martial Bone and Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9!]
Although the skill's experience gain had dropped from 11 points to 9 after it leveled up, it seemed the lingering effects of those ten Blood Vitality Pills were still with him. Jiang Tian didn't feel tired at all. His spirits were high, and he was full of energy.
Before, he'd needed to rest after practicing for a little while. Now, he didn't feel tired at all.
At this rate, he could bring the Five Animals Creation Play to mastery within three days and break through to Hidden Energy along the way.
After Hidden Energy came Manifest Energy, and after Manifest Energy came Transformation Energy.
He was getting close.
Before he knew it, it was lunchtime.
"Junior Brother Jiang!" Zhang Ergou called to him. "Take a break. It's time to eat."
"Sure." Jiang Tian relaxed his stance and walked over to where the food was being handed out.
The line was long.
But strangely, the closer he got, the more the disciples ahead of him scattered to either side, like little fish in a pond fleeing a big fish, automatically opening a path for him.
Jiang Tian paused in surprise, then calmly walked forward.
Among them were plenty of Hidden Energy and Manifest Energy disciples. Quite a few had higher cultivation than he did.
But they weren't making way for the Jiang Tian standing before them.
They were making way for the Jiang Tian he would become.
The person handing out lunch was none other than Yuan Long's daughter, Yuan Manzhi.
When Yuan Manzhi saw Jiang Tian approaching, a faint blush quietly rose on her usually expressionless, icy face.
The blush vanished in an instant, and she quickly returned to normal. But her gaze softened noticeably when she looked at Jiang Tian, completely unlike the way she looked at anyone else.
Jiang Tian took it all in.
So it really had been Yuan Manzhi eavesdropping outside while he spoke with Yuan Long.
"Here's your lunch."
Yuan Manzhi handed him a porcelain bowl piled with rice, topped with greens and several pieces of glistening braised pork. It looked delicious.
"Thank you, Senior Sister." Jiang Tian took the bowl and went beneath the eaves, where it was cool, then lowered his head and ate.
He'd only taken a few bites when a shadow fell over him.
Jiang Tian looked up and saw Li Batian's face, plastered with a false smile.
Li Batian held a fine food box in his hands. Its lid was half open, and a rich, meaty aroma wafted out—far more tempting than the food in Jiang Tian's bowl.
"Junior Brother Jiang," Li Batian said with a grin, squatting down. "Do you like the food here at the Martial Arts Hall? Want to try some of what I brought? I've got chicken, duck, and fish—everything."
As he spoke, he opened the lid all the way and presented the box to Jiang Tian.
Just as he'd said, it was packed with chicken, duck, and fish, neatly arranged and gleaming with oil.
A flicker passed through Jiang Tian's eyes, a hint of mockery barely noticeable.
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He looked up, a guileless smile on his face. "Oh, then give it all to me. This portion isn't enough for me anyway."
"Huh?"
Li Batian's mouth twitched sharply, and even his eyelids jumped.
That kid Zhou Mu had at least made some polite small talk with him yesterday. But Jiang Tian just came right out and demanded the whole lot?
If he gave it all to him, what would he eat?
This country bumpkin...
But then again, it might be for the best.
Someone who gave in to their appetite probably had stronger desires in other areas, too.
And someone with desires was easy to manipulate.
"Sure! No problem!"
Li Batian cheerfully set the food box in front of Jiang Tian, then glanced at the lackey beside him and ordered, "Go get me a serving of food."
"Right away!" The lackey scampered off.
Jiang Tian finished the food in his bowl in a few quick bites, then picked up Li Batian's food box and dug in.
He bit into the chicken leg with a loud crunch, grease running down his chin.
Nearly everyone in the courtyard saw it.
Not just the disciples—even Yuan Long, watching quietly from a grand armchair in the distance, had his eye on them. He frowned slightly, then smoothed his brow again, his thoughts unreadable.
The softness that had just appeared in Yuan Manzhi's eyes faded at once.
In the corner, Zhou Mu glared at Jiang Tian, eyes bloodshot, his teeth grinding as though he were chewing Jiang Tian's bones instead of his food.
"It was all supposed to be mine... all mine!"
He clutched his chopsticks until his knuckles turned white.
Since arriving at the Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Tian had never eaten anything this delicious.
At home and at the hall, the food was always bland, with hardly any oil or salt. He'd been so sick of it that birds could have flown out of his mouth.
At last, this lunch hit the spot.
After eating, he took a brief breather, then went back to practicing his punches.
[Drip! You have Innate Martial Bone and Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9!]
[Drip! You have Innate Martial Bone and Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9!]
[Drip! You have Innate Martial Bone and Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9!]
He was in the middle of an energetic practice when a soft, sweet voice rang in his ear.
"Senior Brother Jiang, you've been practicing for so long. Why don't you have some water and rest a bit?"
Jiang Tian glanced sideways. It was none other than that green-tea schemer, Tan Hongyu.
Tan Hongyu was also at the Body Tempering Realm. He'd extracted her traits a while ago.
She had one green trait and one white trait. That white trait could not have suited her better...
[Affectation (white)]
Not far away, Zhou Mu's eyes grew even redder.
He'd just gotten tired from practicing and wanted to chat with Tan Hongyu for a while. But who would've thought that the moment she saw him coming, she'd turn around and head straight for Jiang Tian?
"It's only Body Tempering. I can do that too!" Zhou Mu gritted his teeth and punched a wooden post, his knuckles beading with blood.
"Senior Brother Jiang?" Tan Hongyu called again, her voice even sweeter.
But Jiang Tian acted as though he hadn't heard her. He kept practicing, his fists whooshing through the air, without even lifting his eyelids.
The disciples around them watched, their snickers rising and falling, buzzing into Tan Hongyu's ears like mosquitoes.
"Tan Hongyu flirts with Zhou Mu, then turns around and flirts with Jiang Tian."
"Tsk, tsk, what a..."
Her face turned crimson in a flash.
She bit her lip and was about to speak again.
Jiang Tian suddenly stopped punching and turned to look at her.
His gaze was icy, but there was a teasing smile in his voice. The mixture of cold and warmth was strangely unsettling.
"Junior Sister Tan."
He tilted his head, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Don't you have lanterns to admire tonight? Why waste your energy over here with me?"
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