Heaven-Defying Comprehension!

In an instant, the glowing red panel above Yuan Manzhi's head transformed into a dazzling beam of crimson light, shooting into Jiang Tian's brow like a burning arrow.

Jiang Tian took a deep breath and summoned his own panel.

[Host: Jiang Tian]

[Lifespan: 16/20]

[Realm: Manifest Energy]

[Mastered Martial Arts: Five Animals Creation Play (Subtle) (96+/1000)]

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

[Momentum: Tiger in a Cage, Deer in the Snow, Bear in the Cave]

[Trait Points: 10989]

Ten thousand points!

A single red trait had provided him with a full ten thousand trait points!

Jiang Tian's eyelids trembled slightly, his eyes filled with irrepressible joy.

With this, both his purple traits—Comprehension and Bone Structure—could be upgraded to red.

However, amidst his delight, a trace of confusion rose in his heart.

Mystic Ice Body?

Did such a trait even exist in this world? He had never felt any chill when standing near Yuan Manzhi before.

Moreover, the four characters "Mystic Ice Body" sounded exactly like the special physiques found in the fantasy novels of his past life...

But wasn't this a low-martial arts world?

He recalled how the common folk described the Heavenly Fire Sect, using terms like "Immortal Sect" and "Immortals," which he had previously dismissed as mere exaggeration.

But now, it seemed...

A storm of shock surged through Jiang Tian's heart.

Could it be that the realms beyond Transformation Energy... were truly the stuff of legendary immortals?

"Hiss—"

At the mere thought of this possibility, Jiang Tian couldn't help but gasp.

If immortals truly existed... then with this trait system, perhaps he could...

He didn't dare to continue that train of thought.

Considering that upgrading a purple trait to red might trigger drastic changes, Jiang Tian didn't rush to do it at the martial hall, deciding to wait until he returned home that night.

When he arrived home that evening, Jiang Tian froze the moment he stepped through the door.

His older brother, Jiang Minghai, was sitting at the table sipping wine, with a small dish of peanuts and a plate of braised pork set before him.

His complexion was much better than it had been a few days ago; ever since he took the healing pills Jiang Tian brought back, his pale face had finally regained some color.

More importantly, the lingering sorrow between his brows had vanished into thin air following the death of Li Kun.

"Little Tian!"

Seeing Jiang Tian return, Jiang Minghai waved him over and called out loudly, "Come, have a drink with your big brother."

"Alright." Jiang Tian agreed with a smile.

It seemed his brother was truly happy.

With a thought, Jiang Tian triggered the system panel to appear above Jiang Minghai's head.

[Realm: Manifest Energy]

His injuries had mostly recovered, and his fallen cultivation realm had returned to its peak.

"Little brother, how has your fist training been these days?" Jiang Minghai took a sip of wine, his eyes flickering with a smile.

His injuries were fully healed, and his Manifest Energy cultivation had returned.

Logically speaking, with his own Manifest Energy realm, he should be able to clearly discern the strength of anyone below that level.

Yet, he found that he couldn't see through his younger brother's cultivation at all!

Not only that, but several strange events had occurred in the city over the past few days.

The entire family of Zhang Qingfeng in the south of the city had been brutally murdered.

Zhang Qingfeng was the very man who had invited his brother to the poetry gathering.

The scene was gruesome, and all the silver in their home had been looted.

As for the healing pills and medicinal herbs Jiang Tian had brought home, he had made a rough estimate—they were worth at least four hundred taels of silver.

Four hundred taels, no less.

He knew Yuan Long, the master of the Five Animals Martial Hall.

Even if his brother had superb comprehension, given Yuan Long's temperament, it was impossible for him to bestow such a large sum of money.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

And with the death of Li Kun added to the mix...

A bold hypothesis quietly took shape in his mind.

Could it be that his younger brother was responsible for all of this?

Therefore, he decided to make a move to test this brother of his, whom he found increasingly inscrutable.

"Xiaotian."

Jiang Minghai called out, a flash of killing intent suddenly crossing his eyes.

Energy surged in his palm as he lunged forward, reaching out to grab Jiang Tian by the throat.

If Jiang Tian was truly capable of those feats, he would at least be at the level of Manifest Energy.

When a martial artist at the Manifest Energy level faces a life-threatening crisis, energy will involuntarily manifest around their body; it is an almost instinctive reaction.

He even deliberately filled his eyes with killing intent to make the act more convincing.

However.

His hand touched Jiang Tian's neck with ease.

Throughout the process, there was nothing unusual about Jiang Tian.

Jiang Tian's face turned pale, his eyes filled with fear and confusion, as if he had been frightened: "Big Brother, what are you doing?"

"Oh." Jiang Minghai retracted his hand, offering an awkward, sheepish smile. "It's nothing, I've had a bit too much to drink. I didn't scare you, did I, Xiaotian?"

"A little." Jiang Tian scratched his head.

He had already sensed that his brother wanted to test him, so he had prepared in advance, suppressing the surging energy within his body so tightly that not a single trace leaked out.

He knew what his brother was suspicious of—nothing more than the mysterious origins of those healing pills and medicinal herbs.

He figured that after this test, his brother shouldn't harbor any more doubts.

Still, just to be safe, he would go talk to Yuan Long tomorrow to get their stories straight.

"Come, Big Brother will toast you to apologize!"

"..."

The two drank until late.

It wasn't until his sister-in-law, Bai Zhiruo, came to urge them several times that Jiang Minghai reluctantly set down his glass.

He ended up dead drunk, and it was Jiang Tian who carried him back to his room.

To make a Manifest Energy martial artist drink to this extent, one could only imagine how much pressure Jiang Minghai had been under during this period.

Back in his own room, Jiang Tian locked the doors and windows, took off his shoes, and sat cross-legged on the bed, taking a few deep breaths to calm his aura.

Then—

Add points!

[Trait: Superb Comprehension (Purple) → Heaven-Defying Comprehension (Red) (1+/100000)]

In an instant, it felt as if something had exploded inside Jiang Tian's mind.

"Boom—!"

His consciousness was violently pulled beneath a vast, boundless starry sky.

Billions of stars adorned the ink-black curtain of the universe; some were as bright as the sun, others as dim as dust, some rotated slowly in the distance, while others streaked across the horizon trailing long tails of light.

Those stars cast down their radiance, like strands of silver silk, pouring into Jiang Tian's mind from all directions.

Every single strand was cleansing his brain...

One day.

One year.

Ten years.

A hundred years.

Time lost all meaning here.

He did not know how much time had passed before Jiang Tian's consciousness suddenly returned to reality.

He felt as though a hundred years had passed, yet in truth, only the time it takes to brew a cup of tea had gone by.

The moment he opened his eyes, a trace of vicissitude flashed across them, and the depths of his pupils seemed to reflect billions of galaxies, so profound that they were bottomless.

"Heaven-Defying Comprehension?"

Jiang Tian blinked, the strange phenomenon in his eyes slowly dissipating until his gaze returned to normal.

He felt that his comprehension was now beyond the power of words to describe.

With that thought, he jumped off the bed.

He assumed his stance and threw a punch.

The moment the punch landed, his understanding of the Five Animals Creation Play surged forth like a bursting dam.

Everything suddenly became clear, and the true intent behind every move was as vivid as if it had been carved into his heart.

[Beep! You possess an Innate Martial Bone and Heaven-Defying Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +23!]

Jiang Tian's pupils constricted slightly.

It had jumped from nine to twenty-three, an increase of fourteen points!

He took a deep breath to suppress the excitement in his heart and looked at his remaining trait points.

There was still quite a lot left.

"Add points!"

[Trait: Innate Martial Bone (Purple) → Martial Dao Sacred Body (Red) (1+/100000)]