Person Near Death!

"Mm~ little brother, go easy!"

Inside the rehabilitation room at the Hai City branch of the Destiny Bureau.

Shen Tingxue lay facedown on the treatment bed and let out a muffled groan.

Her white top outlined the smooth lines of her back, and two straight calves showed beneath the hem.

"Got it, sis."

Gu Yuan said the words, but his hands didn't ease up in the slightest.

This woman was so fussy.

She was a Body Tempering Realm martial artist. When she went out on missions for the Destiny Bureau, she wouldn't even furrow her brow when someone slashed her. Yet now, she was making a fuss over a back massage.

His hands slowly pressed down along both sides of his cousin's spine, his fingertips precisely kneading each meridian point.

Shen Tingxue buried her face in the crook of her arm and fell silent.

A dull ache shot from her lower back all the way to the back of her head.

Her cousin's fingertips carried the coolness unique to an Ice-type Dao Foundation. Each press sent a faintly chilly stream of qi and blood seeping into her meridians.

It felt wonderful—so wonderful that even though she was a Body Tempering Realm martial artist, she couldn't bring herself to complain while her cousin, who had just turned eighteen, worked on her.

"Xiaoyuan, how come your hands are getting stronger and stronger?"

"Doesn't that prove I haven't been slacking off during training at school?"

As he spoke, Gu Yuan's gaze lifted subtly.

In his field of vision, a line of blue text floated above Shen Tingxue's head.

[Attribute: Benevolent Hands]

[Acquisition Condition: Give the attribute's holder a full-body massage 10 times]

[Current Progress: 9/10. Accumulate ten points to obtain the attribute. (Can only accumulate once per day)]

Beneath the text, a pale-blue progress bar glimmered faintly. At its end was the label 90%.

Gu Yuan looked away and continued working down her back.

Ten days ago, Gu Yuan had started seeing a line of text above everyone's heads, but acquisition conditions appeared beneath the attributes of only a handful of people.

It was because of this attribute that, for the past nine days, he'd shown up at the treatment room on time every day to serve as his cousin's unpaid labor.

Each massage let him squeeze one point of attribute enhancement out of the progress bar.

Strength, speed, qi-and-blood perception.

After nine days of accumulating them, his physical abilities had quietly improved by a great deal.

Today was the tenth session.

"Sis, your legs."

Gu Yuan walked to the end of the bed and lifted Shen Tingxue's right foot.

He pressed his thumb against her right Achilles tendon.

[91/100]

The progress bar in his vision gave a small jump.

Gu Yuan focused again, gathering qi and blood at his thumb and kneading with steady pressure.

[92/100]

[93/100]

"Hiss—"

Shen Tingxue drew a sharp breath, then swallowed the words "go easy" before they could escape.

She could feel a stream of chilly qi and blood forcefully burrowing into her calf, flushing away the blockages built up in her meridians from high-intensity combat.

"Xiaoyuan," she suddenly said, her voice tightening a little. "Your qi and blood... feel different from yesterday."

"Maybe it's because I switched breathing techniques." Gu Yuan brushed it off casually.

Shen Tingxue was quiet for a few seconds, then stopped asking.

She knew her cousin too well. He'd hardly ever told the truth in his life.

He'd awakened an A-grade Ice-type Dao Foundation at sixteen, making him a true prodigy.

Now, at just eighteen, he had reached the third level of the Blood Tempering Realm. He was also one of the top ten students at a prestigious high school.

Gu Yuan's hands moved to her calf, pushing upward along the meridian lines.

[94/100]

[95/100]

[96/100]

Of course it felt different. The qi-and-blood perception he'd gotten for free over the past nine days had taken his control over his own qi and blood to a whole new level.

Before, it had been like a shotgun. Now, it was a sniper rifle. How could they possibly feel the same?

[98/100]

[99/100]

Gu Yuan pressed his thumb against the final group of acupoints on the back of her thigh.

[100/100]

Countless pale-blue specks of light suddenly scattered before his eyes, then gathered again a second later, coalescing into a brand-new line of purple text.

[Attribute acquisition complete!]

[Attribute obtained: Saint Hand Pulse Clearing]

A massive flood of information poured into his mind.

Gu Yuan closed his eyes and quickly processed it.

[Effect 1: Hand of Holy Healing. Your hands carry the "Holy Healing" attribute, accelerating the healing of any wound you touch.]

So he really was committing to a career as a masseur, huh?

[Effect 2: Meridian Clearing. You can actively clear your own meridians, permanently increasing your cultivation efficiency.]

[Effect 3: Eye of Meridians. You can see the flow of meridians within all living beings.]

[Effect 4: Ice Skin. Your Ice-type Dao Foundation resonates with the attribute, increasing the purity of your qi and blood.]

Gu Yuan lowered his head and looked at his hands.

The qi and blood that his own chill had slowed from being absorbed now surged wildly through his meridians.

Qi and blood coursed through his entire body.

He was at the peak of the third level of the Blood Tempering Realm, just one step away from breaking through and becoming a true martial artist.

He didn't even need to deliberately use his breathing technique; his qi and blood completed a full circulation on their own.

His meridians were unobstructed, without even a trace of resistance.

"...Sis."

"Hm?" Shen Tingxue was still resting her head on the pillow, her voice languid.

"Massage is done. Let's call it a day. Take me home."

Shen Tingxue turned her head slightly and pushed herself up from the bed.

She looked back at Gu Yuan.

"Are you coming again tomorrow?"

Gu Yuan screwed the cap back onto the massage oil and casually grabbed a tissue to wipe his hands.

"Whenever you're free, sis."

A free source of attribute points—he'd be an idiot not to come.

Shen Tingxue nodded, got off the bed, and put on her jacket.

"The soreness in my legs is mostly gone now." Shen Tingxue stretched.

"What do you want for dinner? It's my treat."

"Whatever. As long as it fills me up." Gu Yuan answered casually. His mind was full of excitement over obtaining the attribute. Who cared what they ate?

The two walked out of the treatment room side by side.

The hallway smelled of disinfectant. Several martial artists came toward them, supporting one another.

Each had a black [Injury] attribute floating above their head.

Gu Yuan activated the [Eye of Meridians].

His vision changed instantly.

The walls, lights, and floor all lost their color, and the martial artists became translucent human silhouettes.

Inside those silhouettes, densely packed red and blue lines crisscrossed.

The burly man leaning on a crutch at the far left had three severed meridians around his right knee. The flow of qi and blood came to a complete stop there.

The thin man in the middle clutching his arm had intact meridians in his left arm, but his qi and blood were pitifully weak.

A pain stabbed through Gu Yuan's head, and he shut off the [Eye of Meridians].

It took too much out of him.

The two walked out of the Destiny Bureau's main entrance.

The evening breeze blew past, carrying the distinctive salty dampness of Sea City.

Gu Yuan looked away and walked with his cousin toward the off-road vehicle parked by the roadside, climbing into the familiar car.

Shen Tingxue started the engine and pressed down on the accelerator.

"Xiaoyuan, how's your preparation for First High School's league after the school year starts?"

Shen Tingxue asked as she turned the steering wheel.

Hearing his cousin's question, Gu Yuan leaned back against the seat, his expression turning solemn.

Ten days ago.

Just as Gu Yuan had gained the ability to see attributes above people's heads, Haicheng No. 1 High School announced the competition.

The top three contestants would get to go to the provincial capital and receive guidance from a Core Condensation Realm expert.

It was when the school announced the news that he saw the attributes above the heads of the three strongest students at the school change to—[Person Near Death]!