He's Been Targeted?

"What did he find out? And what about me could be worth going to such lengths..."

Chen Han's pupils suddenly contracted. "That's it!!! My talent—in other words, my proficiency panel. Someone discovered my true strength and learned that my combat power had risen to an almost heaven-defying level in such a short time."

Outsiders only knew him as a Dark Force martial artist. Even Chen Qiuyu, who had dealings with him for mutual benefit, only knew that he had just reached Transformation Force.

That could be explained by talent, but now he had reached the peak of Transformation Force. That was different. He had likely gained some kind of fortuitous opportunity.

"Forget it. Let's put this matter to rest."

Supernatural powers existed in this world, so all kinds of bizarre methods naturally existed too. No matter how carefully he covered his tracks, there was no such thing as a wall without cracks.

The reward was generous, but Chen Han didn't want to take a gamble. He never would.

Chen Han lingered at the teahouse for a while longer before disappearing into the crowd and leaving Black Lion City.

In the cave, Chen Han plunged one hand into a jar. A sticky, squelching sound came from within.

After rummaging around for a while, Chen Han pulled out something bloody, about the size of a fist and reeking of blood.

It was the heart of a hundred-year-old Exotic Beast, which he had swiped from Qing Xue's shop in the Black Market.

A heart from a hundred-year-old Exotic Beast was essential to reaching the Steel Sinew Iron Bone stage of the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique.

The heart was an organ that supplied blood, and the key to driving blood through the entire body. As a result, the blood and vitality it contained were much richer than those in ordinary flesh.

A few days ago, Chen Han had only tried a small bite, yet his whole body had grown feverishly hot, and his sweat had come out streaked with blood. It had been absolutely miserable.

Although this stuff sold for a high price, few people sold it. That was because it was far too nourishing for ordinary people to withstand.

"According to the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique manual, I only need to eat one a month. But I wouldn't dare eat the whole thing in one sitting. If I did, I'd probably bleed from every orifice and be burning with rage."

"That's why I have to take a bite every few days and get used to it slowly."

"It's been six days now, and the blood and vitality in my body have finally been consumed by my practice of the Health Preservation Technique. You could also say they've been refined."

So Chen Han needed to take another bite now, to ensure his proficiency in the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique kept rising steadily.

With that thought, Chen Han hesitated no longer. Fighting back his nausea, he took a hard bite out of the sticky Exotic Beast heart in his hand.

Mm... Chen Han even sucked the membrane that he couldn't bite through into his mouth.

Suppressing his body's instinctive revulsion, he chewed hard twice, then swallowed it whole.

Before long, he felt as if a ball of fire were blazing in his stomach. Thin tongues of flame slithered like little snakes into his limbs and bones, scorching him relentlessly.

Chen Han's skin turned an unnatural red. Sweat streaked with blood welled up again, and visible waves of heat rose around him. At last, he couldn't hold on and dropped to his knees.

"This is already better than last time. At least I can still spare some thought to think..."

Thinking back to the last time, he had writhed on the ground for several hours before coming to his senses and regaining enough strength to stand up and practice the Health Preservation Technique.

Chen Han's mind remained incredibly calm. Gritting his teeth, he forced his aching body to its feet and began to practice.

······

In the blink of an eye, two days passed.

Black Lion City.

"No, not him. Why isn't it him..."

Blood Yin Child sat at the front of the hall, looking down at the crowd of Transformation Force martial artists bowing before him. His expression was grim.

After he and the Xuanyuan Family in the city had spread false information last time, many Transformation Force martial artists had immediately come to sign up. He had been delighted, convinced that the man called Chen Han would be among them, unable to resist the temptation.

But things hadn't gone his way. After "selecting" each of them one by one, he still hadn't found Chen Han.

"Two hundred and fifty taels of silver a day. Even a wealthy family like the Chen Family would be tempted. People from their Lineage came, too, so why wasn't Chen Han among them?"

Blood Yin Child muttered to himself. "Did Chen Han sense something? That can't be right. He's still so young. How could he be so cautious..."

"My lord."

At that moment, a subordinate came to report.

"Come in."

"My lord, I've gathered all the information on Chen Han."

Blood Yin Child narrowed his eyes. "Speak."

The subordinate then reported everything he had found. The truth was more or less as he'd said: after Chen Han returned to his Lineage, all news of him had ceased. The next time anyone heard of him was when he went missing.

"Are you sure this information is reliable?"

"My lord, absolutely. An inside man in the Chen Family told me personally."

Blood Yin Child's expression shifted. "The inside man—do you mean the one called Chen Lei?"

"Exactly, my lord. Your wisdom is boundless. Ever since you defeated him with ease last time, he's admired you immensely. By now, he's completely devoted himself to the Black Mountain Gang."

Blood Yin Child gave a satisfied chuckle. "Good, very good. You've handled this matter well. You may go."

After the subordinate left, Blood Yin Child's gaze grew slightly more solemn.

"It seems this boy really did sense something. This young man is no simple character... Even my personal intervention came to nothing."

Chen Han wasn't with his Lineage, and no one could find him. There was no point trying to lure him in when he couldn't even be found. This... put Blood Yin Child in a difficult position.

As Blood Yin Child pondered, a smile suddenly appeared on his face instead. "Chen Han, you're making me more and more interested in you. I can hardly wait to eat your flesh and drink your blood."

Another six days passed.

Deep in the mountains, outside the cave, Chen Han stood as still as a pine, holding his breath and focusing his mind. The area around him was silent, save for the cries of a few birds and insects by the mountain stream.

Before him lay a boulder that had rolled down from halfway up the mountain. It stood taller than a man, measured about twenty feet across, and weighed more than eight hundred pounds.

With a bang, Chen Han stepped sideways, hooked both hands beneath the boulder, and heaved upward with all his might.

At first, the boulder didn't budge. Gradually, Chen Han began to exert himself, and the stone started to tremble. In the end, he lifted the entire boulder off the ground.

Though he'd raised it only a finger's breadth, it was already an astonishing feat for a young man in his twenties.

If Chen Feng, the head of the Chen Family, had seen this, he would probably have adopted him as his godson on the spot.

But after two breaths, Chen Han couldn't hold on any longer and let go. The boulder crashed down with a dull thud, making even the ground tremble.

Chen Han opened his hands and stared at them in a daze. Then, suddenly, his face lit up with delight.

His punching power had reached the astonishing level of a thousand pounds! But that didn't mean he could exert a thousand pounds of force.

Compared with a thousand pounds of punching power, being able to sustain eight hundred pounds of force was clearly far more terrifying.

"Too fast. This is way too fast."

It wasn't just other people—even Chen Han himself felt that his progress was too rapid.

No wonder Blood Yin Child was so obsessed with him.

Chen Han had now fully digested the blood and vitality from that bite of the heart. It was time to head into the city again.

Chen Han put on his shirt, tidied himself up, and once again disguised himself before entering Black Lion City.

This time, he chose a different teahouse. Before long, he heard a piece of news from a group of people chatting nearby. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, but soon his expression turned grave.