Northern Underworld Body Protection Art

In Tianshui City, at Xia Ping's home, the next morning, sunlight streamed in through the window, soft and gentle.

"Whoosh!"

Xia Ping sat cross-legged on the bed in his bedroom and let out a long breath. It almost seemed to take solid form, becoming a streak of white vapor. The true qi within him surged like ocean tides, filling his body with explosive strength.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and a frightening golden light shot out. A mysterious power flickered deep in his pupils, as if he could see straight through the void. After a night of cultivation—and a bottle of Golden Potion—his true qi had increased considerably. He was now stronger than the day before, and his strength continued to grow with every passing moment.

"Golden Potion really lives up to its name. The energy it contains is incredibly pure and abundant. Ordinary energy potions can't compare." Xia Ping's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

The previous night, he had absorbed a bottle of Golden Potion to aid his cultivation. By circulating the Pure Yang Indestructible Art, he had made astonishing progress. One night's cultivation alone had yielded as much as the previous three months.

That showed just how much the Golden Potion could help him.

But it was also extremely expensive. One bottle cost five hundred thousand Federal Coins, a price ordinary people couldn't afford. Only the super-rich could take it whenever they pleased.

"Luckily, I got forty bottles of Golden Potion on my trip to Black Moon City. This time, I really struck it rich." Xia Ping smiled faintly. He had originally gone to Black Moon City to buy Golden Potion.

But who could have guessed that such a dangerous accident would happen? He had nearly died in that city of sin. Fortunately, he had made it back safely and even acquired Golden Potion worth twenty million Federal Coins.

It was a huge sum. Even the money he earned from writing novels probably hadn't come in this fast.

Of course, this was a windfall—and stolen goods at that. He couldn't let anyone find out.

If word got out, people from the Black Bear Company would probably come knocking. The government might even hold him accountable and pursue legal charges. Then he'd be in danger.

Still, no matter what, he had returned safely and gained a great deal. In the end, that was a good thing.

"If I take another three or four bottles of Golden Potion and spend a month on it, I should be able to open my sixth meridian and break through to the Martial Apprentice Sixth Heaven." Xia Ping clenched his fist.

It would take a month because he couldn't take Golden Potion continuously. Too much of a good thing could be harmful, and the body could only absorb so much.

After each bottle of Golden Potion, he would need to spend a week training his body, fully digesting and absorbing its energy, and consolidating his martial foundation.

If he took too much at once, it wouldn't just fail to benefit his body—it could even damage his martial foundation and leave it unstable. Reaching the Martial Artist Realm, or an even higher realm, would then become very difficult.

"But is there really no way to improve the body's energy absorption rate?" Xia Ping's eyes flickered. Breaking through to the Martial Apprentice Sixth Heaven in a month was already fast, but he still felt it wasn't enough.

After all, the College Entrance Exam was only a little over four months away. If he didn't raise his cultivation as quickly as possible, he wouldn't be able to get a good score or get into a good university.

Suddenly, the system spoke: "Host, there is a way."

What?!

Xia Ping was startled. He hadn't expected the system to suddenly pipe up, but he quickly calmed down and immediately asked, "What way? Tell me!"

"There is a cultivation art called the Northern Underworld Body Protection Art."

The system replied, "It is an unparalleled body-protection art, immensely powerful. It can absorb the force and energy of enemy attacks and convert them into energy of your own."

"It can even use enemy attacks and beatings to damage the host's cells, muscles, bones, and other body tissues. Then, by circulating mysterious life energy to continually repair the damaged tissues, it can greatly increase the body's rate of energy absorption and make the host's physique much stronger."

"If the host cultivates this body-protection art and keeps sparring with others—getting beaten up in the process—then the excess energy in the body can be quickly digested, allowing the host to grow stronger."

The Northern Underworld Body Protection Art?!

Xia Ping's eyes immediately lit up. He could keep getting stronger by being beaten up, while also increasing his body's energy absorption rate. What a convenient auxiliary cultivation art. It was simply unbelievable.

He had never heard of such a wondrous cultivation art anywhere on Yanhuang Planet. But if this art was real, it would be the best possible aid for his cultivation.

Still, he forced himself to stay calm. "How many Hate Points does this art cost?" He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch—and that was even truer of the system he had.

"It costs one million Hate Points to redeem the complete art," the system replied.

Xia Ping's mouth twitched. "Just as I thought. How could such a powerful art possibly be cheap? I probably don't even have a fraction of the Hate Points I need." He looked a little helpless.

"No, no."

The system said, "That is the price for redeeming the entire manual. The host can redeem only the first level for now and get the rest later. This is a special offer for the host."

"You can do that? Isn't that just paying in installments?" Xia Ping's eyes lit up. With his current martial arts level, redeeming the entire manual would be a bit extravagant. The first level alone would be enough for his current cultivation.

"Tell me, how many Hate Points does the first level cost?"

The system replied, "Redeeming the first level costs three thousand Hate Points."

Three thousand Hate Points?!

Xia Ping asked, "Do I have enough Hate Points right now?"

"The host currently has a total of 2,600 Hate Points. He is 400 short," the system answered honestly.

Four hundred short?!

Xia Ping felt a little disappointed. Back in Black Moon City, he had killed quite a few members of the Black Bear Company and caused a huge uproar. Many Black Bear Company members hated him, earning him a good number of Hate Points. He had not only made up for the loss of the Invisibility Pill but even come out ahead, gaining a little extra.

But it still wasn't enough. He was short by four hundred.

"Right, tomorrow."

Xia Ping suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up. "Tomorrow is Monday, the day of the School Fighting Tournament. I'll represent my class, and countless students will be watching from below. It'll be the perfect chance to draw hatred."

The more people there were, the easier it would be to gain Hate Points. Tomorrow was his chance. With his talent for attracting hatred, getting four hundred Hate Points would be a piece of cake.

"And there's Zhou Tai'an."

Xia Ping clenched his fist. "I need to pay him back properly for what happened last time." A blazing fire burned in his eyes.