Chapter Eleven: The Difficulty of the Origin Blood Realm, Chaos, and the Extreme Seal's Changes: Fortune Meat, Evolvable Branches

"Won't you invite me in to sit for a while first?"

Li Qianqian smiled. Only then did Qiu Tongdan slap her forehead and laugh. "Look at my memory! Come on, let's have tea. I just had someone buy some pastries from Zhou's Pastries. We can try them together."

The two of them then entered the residence.

Qiu Tongdan was very tall, a full 1.8 meters, and looked sturdy. She had a squarish face, and when she walked, she strode with the bearing of a tiger. If you didn't look closely, you might think she was a man.

She wasn't as pretty as Li Qianqian. At a glance, she was clearly someone who practiced martial arts.

Standing beside her, Li Qianqian, who was 1.75 meters tall,

looked like a delicate little bird.

"Qianqian, I'm so jealous of you. You have great bones, you're beautiful, and your figure is amazing. Even though you practice martial arts, you never get bulky. The parts that should be big are big, and the parts that should be slim are slim. I'm so jealous."

Qiu Tongdan was brazen enough to reach out and pinch Li Qianqian's backside.

She exclaimed in admiration.

A few dark lines crossed Li Qianqian's brow. She sighed. "Xiao Ni, you're just as shameless as ever."

Qiu Tongdan asked curiously, "Qianqian, I can't see through you anymore. Don't tell me you've cultivated to the Origin Blood Realm?"

At that, envy appeared in Qiu Tongdan's eyes.

The Origin Blood Realm was a level countless people dreamed of reaching. Only after attaining it could one truly be called a martial artist.

In Black Cloud County, only those who reached the Origin Blood Realm counted as truly important figures!

And just how old was Li Qianqian? She was already on the verge of reaching that realm. Her future was boundless.

"I've only just barely touched the threshold. I've been quietly practicing my breathing technique and nourishing my Blood Membrane lately. I'm still a very, very long way from that step."

Li Qianqian shook her head, longing flickering in her eyes. "If I could find some Treasure Blood, perhaps I could speed up the formation of my Blood Membrane and enter the Origin Blood Realm sooner!"

In the Blood-Tempering Realm, one condensed qi and blood.

In the Blood-Coagulation Realm, one condensed purer blood energy!

Martial artists in the Origin Blood Realm had to construct a Blood Membrane inside their bodies out of their blood energy. Only after forming a Blood Membrane could they truly be considered Origin Blood martial artists.

Once the Blood Membrane was formed, a martial artist underwent a complete transformation, tempering and refining their body. The Blood Membrane condensed Origin Blood as dense as lead. At this level, an ordinary Origin Blood martial artist could wield a basic strength of around a thousand catties. The Blood Membrane that formed within the body could temper their muscles and bones, as well as protect their entire body.

As long as the Blood Membrane didn't run dry, even if they stood still and let a Blood-Coagulation Realm martial artist hack at them, they wouldn't suffer any real harm!

Only those who reached the Origin Blood Realm could be called martial artists.

And she was still a very long way from that step!

"Treasure Blood..."

Qiu Tongdan murmured. Even with her family's wealth, she wouldn't dare dream of something like Treasure Blood.

"How have you been lately? How far have you gotten in your cultivation?"

Li Qianqian changed the subject. Qiu Tongdan shook her head. "My father's been ill, hasn't he? I've been managing the family's businesses lately, so I haven't had time to practice martial arts. At most, I've just kept the qi and blood in my body from weakening. But making any progress is difficult."

She sighed deeply.

When she was in her teens, she had been sent to the Fist Academy to study martial arts.

Her bones were only average, but her family was wealthy. After studying and cultivating for many years, she had finally reached the Blood-Tempering Realm. Getting any further was difficult.

Lately, she had been learning how to manage the business from her parents, and had gradually set martial arts aside. It was good enough that she had maintained her cultivation at the Late Blood-Tempering Stage.

Practicing martial arts was no easy thing!

The two of them sat in a waterside pavilion, savoring pastries from Zhou's Pastries and chatting for a while.

Only then did Li Qianqian speak. "Xiao Ni, I remember your father's been arranging for you to take in a live-in son-in-law lately, hasn't he? There's a young man who recently joined the Fist Academy. He's quite handsome, diligent, and honest. Would you consider meeting him?"

At the mention of this, Qiu Tongdan's expression fell.

She clearly had no desire to find a live-in son-in-law.

But seeing that Li Qianqian had gone out of her way to speak on his behalf, she reluctantly agreed to meet him once.

Qiu Tongdan had already decided to find an excuse to turn him down tomorrow.

"Three days to finish the order? I'll come by and take a look then. If everything's fine, you can deliver it."

Shi Wen walked out of the blacksmith's shop.

He couldn't help feeling increasingly moved.

Practicing martial arts really was a bottomless pit!

Never mind the everyday food and supplements.

Just ordering a custom iron post and iron sand for practicing the Iron Whip Leg had cost three taels as a deposit. Every part of martial arts cost money!

It really wasn't easy to become a martial artist.

"It's getting late. I should head back."

As he watched the sun sink toward the horizon,

Shi Wen pondered a few things, then got up to leave.

But he noticed a commotion ahead. A jumble of noisy voices rushed into his ears.

He stared toward it, his brows drawing together.

A large crowd came down the street in the distance. Long pennants and banners fluttered in the wind. A Daoist riding in a sedan chair carried chunks of meat in a bag and tossed them to either side. A great swarm of people surged forward to fight over them!

The Daoist had a goatee and a lean face.

He looked easygoing enough, but his narrow eyes were as sharp as knives.

Behind him, many men in Daoist robes kept order. All around them were poor folk from the bottom rung of society, cheering him on.

Every time the goateed Daoist tossed out a chunk of meat, many people rushed to pick it up from the ground.

The sky had darkened.

The Daoists carrying the sedan chair, the man tossing out meat, the poor people scrambling for it, and the strange sounds of musical instruments...

The scene carried an eerie atmosphere.

Shi Wen felt an indescribable oppression. He hurriedly hid by the blacksmith's shop entrance and let the crowd pass first.

The mass of people surged past him. Shi Wen kept his head lowered as he sat on a small stool at the entrance of the blacksmith's shop, not looking at anyone.

"The shackles of the world are but a dream; without form, without appearance, without a self!"

"The poor divine their fate, the rich burn incense; upside down and topsy-turvy, they ask about yin and yang. If you do your own duty well, why need Immortal Mother grant you a remedy?"

"Immortal Mother needs no three sticks of incense. A kind heart and good thoughts bring good fortune..."

The goateed Daoist at the head of the group sat in the sedan chair. His voice seemed to possess a bewitching magic, stirring the desires deep within people's hearts.

Shi Wen didn't dare listen.

The scene was noisy and chaotic. Poor folk scrambled madly for the chunks of meat, shrieking hysterically.

Someone must have kicked it.

A chunk of meat the size of a red date appeared at Shi Wen's feet. It was square, bright red, and looked no different from ordinary dried meat.

Shi Wen picked it up curiously and examined it, but couldn't see anything unusual.

He was just about to throw it away when a line of text suddenly appeared on the Extreme Seal in his palm.

[Contaminated Fortune Meat, evolvable branches: 3]

[1, Fish-Dragon Fortune Meat: Contains a wisp of extremely faint and pure Fish-Dragon Precious Blood. Consuming it may nourish the body (1h)]

[2, Hell Demon Skull Black Disaster Dragon Fish Meat: A chunk of meat contaminated by the erosion of the Hell Calamity's origin. Consuming it will bring unexpected changes (100 years)]

[3, Red-Flowing Demon Flame Calamity Fire Dragon Fish Meat: A chunk of meat contaminated by the erosion of the Flame Calamity's origin. Consuming it will bring unexpected changes (100 years)]

[Please select an evolvable branch...]

Seeing this, an odd look flickered in Shi Wen's eyes.