Transformation

When Jiang Tian returned home that evening, he lay down on the bed but didn't hurry to sleep. Instead, he summoned the system panel.

He planned to spend all the attribute points he had saved up that day.

He hadn't added points at the Martial Arts Hall because he was afraid someone might notice something strange. To be safe, he had decided to wait until he got home.

[Host: Jiang Tian]

[Lifespan: 16/17]

[Realm: None]

[Martial Arts Mastered: None]

[Traits: Average Bone Structure (Green) (290+/500), Innate Wisdom Root (Blue) (27+/1000)]

[Attribute Points: 710]

After Jiang Tian had practiced Post Standing for a while, Bai Ergou had chatted with him briefly.

From their conversation, Jiang Tian had learned that the two most important things in martial arts training were bone structure and comprehension.

Bone structure determined your lower limit.

Some people with excellent bone structure could reach the Manifest Energy realm at the very least.

Comprehension, on the other hand, determined a person's upper limit.

In the early stages of martial arts training, bone structure was especially important. Judging from Yuan Long and the other disciples' attitudes that day, this much was crystal clear.

With that in mind, Jiang Tian didn't hesitate. He put all his points into his bone structure.

[Trait: Average Bone Structure (Green) → Excellent Bone Structure (Blue) (500/1000)]

The instant the panel appeared, Jiang Tian's eyes flew wide open, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

Every bone in his body trembled faintly. A tingling, aching pressure welled up deep within his joints, as though countless tiny ants were gnawing and crawling through them.

He clenched his teeth and fought with all his might to keep from crying out.

Before that sensation had even passed, waves of cold and heat swept over him in turn. When he was cold, it was as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; when he was hot, it was as if he'd been thrown into a furnace. The two extremes alternated, accompanied by a pain that felt like he was being torn apart.

He felt as though every bone in his body were a lump of iron being hammered over and over.

One moment, it was tossed into a blazing furnace and heated until it glowed red-hot. Then an invisible sledgehammer pounded it mercilessly, shaping it. Once the hammering was done, it was plunged into icy water with a hiss, white vapor billowing up.

The process repeated again and again.

Throughout it all, Jiang Tian could clearly feel his bones growing sturdier and thicker, and even his blood vessels and meridians becoming more resilient... It was like a "transformation"!

He didn't know how long it lasted, but at last, the long "transformation" came to an end.

Jiang Tian slowly opened his eyes.

In the dim room, his clear black-and-white eyes shone with striking intensity, like two cold stars flaring in the night. His gaze was bright and sharp.

"Whew—"

He exhaled a breath of foul air and felt the changes brought by the upgraded trait.

His bones were sturdier and thicker, and he seemed to have grown a little taller.

He swung his legs off the bed and stood barefoot on the floor, sizing himself up. By the measurements of his previous life, he must have been a full six feet tall by now.

When he had first transmigrated, his predecessor had been under five foot seven and as skinny as a bamboo pole.

Good thing he hadn't added points at the Martial Arts Hall. If someone had seen this transformation right in front of them...

Just then, a foul, fishy stench slowly crept into his nostrils.

Jiang Tian looked down. At some point, a layer of sticky black liquid had appeared on his body, like thick motor oil smeared over his skin, giving off a strong stench.

"Ugh, it stinks!"

He waved a hand in front of his nose, hurried out of the room, and went to rinse off in the courtyard.

It was still chilly in the early spring night.

A few days ago, he would have hunched his shoulders even with clothes on. Now, standing bare-chested in the courtyard, he hardly felt cold at all.

A thin wooden board covered the water vat in the corner of the yard. Jiang Tian lifted it and saw a thin layer of ice inside.

He swung his fist down. With a crack, he smashed through the ice, scooped up a dipperful of cold water, and poured it over his head.

The icy water ran down his back, making him shiver, but it felt wonderfully refreshing.

He had just wiped his face when a hushed conversation came from inside the house.

"...Minghai, are you really going out of town to suppress bandits? That's the Poison Wolf Gang's stronghold. After all these years, has a single campaign against them ever succeeded? Has anyone ever made it through without getting hurt? I say you should speak to the magistrate!"

"Don't go..."

"I understand what you mean. But as a Squad Leader in the City Patrol Division, how can I disobey orders?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Your husband isn't an idiot. Why would I charge headlong into danger? Nothing will happen."

The Poison Wolf Gang?

Jiang Tian's gaze sharpened.

He knew a little about the Poison Wolf Gang.

It was a bandit den entrenched between Blackwater County and neighboring Red Peak County. It was no small outfit, and it had several strongholds along the border between the two counties.

As the number of refugees had grown over the past few days, the gang had grown stronger along with them.

It was like a thorn lodged in the hearts of both counties.

Leave it alone, and sooner or later it would lead to disaster. But dealing with it wasn't easy either. All those strongholds were up in the mountains, easy to defend and hard to attack, and every campaign demanded a major effort.

Every year, the two counties joined forces to suppress the bandits. After a month or so of commotion, they would call it quits with more thunder than rain.

But in previous years, it had always been the troops stationed outside the county seats who were sent to suppress the bandits. Why had the City Patrol Division been called in this year too?

Jiang Tian furrowed his brow slightly. Something felt off, but he couldn't say exactly what.

The City Patrol Division answered to the county magistrate. They were the county magistrate's own troops.

The garrison troops, meanwhile, answered to the Thousand-Household Office. They were proper imperial soldiers. The two forces generally kept to their own duties and rarely got mixed up with each other.

"Forget it. I should get some sleep."

Jiang Tian shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

Even if he spotted something amiss, there was nothing he could do to change it.

Besides, his big brother had martial arts to protect himself and was a Squad Leader, not some common soldier sent into the thick of battle. What could possibly happen to him?

The next day, it was still dark.

A faint streak of dawn had just appeared on the horizon when Jiang Tian was jolted awake by a sound.

It was his big brother, Jiang Minghai, getting dressed and strapping on his saber.

A moment later, footsteps stopped outside his window.

Jiang Tian was about to get up and put on his shoes when his big brother's voice came first, low, as if he were afraid of waking someone:

"Xiao Tian, while I'm away... take good care of your sister-in-law for me."

"It's freezing out. Stay inside and sleep a little longer. You'll need your strength to practice martial arts, so get some rest."

Jiang Tian hurriedly shoved on his shoes and flung open the door as fast as he could.

The courtyard was empty. His big brother was nowhere to be seen.

Cold wind rushed in, making the door creak.

Jiang Tian stood in the doorway, stunned for a moment, his thoughts churning.

Jiang Minghai had given him a warmth he had never known in his previous life. Coupled with the blood ties flowing through this body, it made him clench his fists.

"Don't worry, big brother."

He answered firmly in his heart. "I'll take good care of sister-in-law."

Steadying himself, Jiang Tian pushed down his churning emotions and began practicing Post Standing in the courtyard.

There was still some time before the Martial Arts Hall opened, so he could only practice in the yard.

Although there was no wooden post, simply standing still could still circulate his blood and energy. It was better than nothing.

For some reason, a vague unease lingered in his heart.

Part of it was the urgent problem of his dwindling lifespan; part of it came from the refugees he had seen the day before. And then there was the Poison Wolf Gang... All these things came together, leaving him with a feeling he couldn't put into words, a deep sense of unease.

Great turmoil was coming.

The most urgent thing was to improve his realm as quickly as possible.

Only then could he gain a foothold in this chaotic world.

"Whew—"

Jiang Tian exhaled a breath of foul air. His face was flushed, and white vapor rose from his head like he'd just stepped out of a steamer.

"Breakfast is ready."

His sister-in-law's voice came from the kitchen, still cool and distant.

"Coming!" Jiang Tian replied, heading toward the kitchen.

He had barely taken a step.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Someone rapped on the wooden door.

"Tian! Tian! Are you home?"

There were at least two or three people outside. Their voices were urgent, and their pounding on the door was so loud and hurried that it rang out sharply through the early-morning alley.

Jiang Tian frowned, searched his memories for a moment, then went over and lifted the latch.