Jade Marrow

"I wonder how much stronger I've gotten," Guan Ning thought eagerly.

Guan Ning went back upstairs, rinsed off, and checked the records on his Communication Watch. Sure enough, there were a pile of call requests and messages.

Some were from people he didn't know. They were invitations to join their groups. Guan Ning didn't even bother looking at them—he deleted them all with one tap and blocked the senders.

Others were from people he knew, like Uncle Zhong and Aunt Qian. They wanted to know how things were going for him at the Training Camp. After all, Guan Ning had essentially betrayed a friend, and Uncle Zhong had given him a thorough scolding.

"Never mind. I'd better not reply just yet. Sister Ruo will probably help me out. I'll get in touch with them in a few days."

There were also messages from other Training Camp members. Aside from a few asking what had happened, the only messages left were from Chu Qiang and John McClain.

When he saw Chu Qiang's message, Guan Ning was delighted.

"Junior Brother Guan Ning, the Jade Marrow you asked for will arrive tomorrow. I'll contact you then. But you didn't handle this very honorably."

Seeing Chu Qiang's words, Guan Ning could already guess what he'd be dealing with over the next few days. It would pass soon enough.

If Chu Qiang's message had surprised him, John McClain's left him completely baffled.

After receiving Nicole Berg's warning on the 28th, John McClain had been agonizing over how to earn Guan Ning's forgiveness.

He knew he could offer him time in the Ancient Civilization Gravity Room, but he couldn't bear to give it up. He'd been trying to think of something else that might sway Guan Ning.

But when he saw that Guan Ning had betrayed Luo Feng and received a Hundred Billion Bounty, his expression immediately darkened.

"Guan Ning would even betray Luo Feng, someone he got along well with. What wouldn't he do?"

Clearly spooked by Guan Ning, he hurriedly tried calling him. When the call wouldn't go through, he sent a message instead—

"Senior Brother Guan Ning, I was out of line the other day. I hope you'll be the bigger man and forgive me. I'm willing to trade this month's trial tower time in the Ancient Civilization Gravity Room for your forgiveness."

Guan Ning was utterly confused by the offer. As far as he remembered, his issues with John had already been settled. Why was John offering him such a generous gift now?

If Guan Ning had known about Nicole Berg's conversation with John, he wouldn't have been so puzzled.

He didn't know why John was making the offer, but there was no reason to turn down a gift.

John was quite capable, ranking 91st. He had two hours of access. How could Guan Ning pass up such a tempting offer?

He immediately sent a message accepting.

After taking care of that, he put on his training clothes and headed for the Nine-Story Tower.

Although it was past one in the morning, there were still people at the Nine-Story Tower. The trial tower and Gravity Room were open at all hours except for an hour at noon.

Guan Ning was heading for the Training Room inside the Nine-Story Tower. It had machines specifically designed to measure strength, capable of testing even a high-level War God. Guan Ning couldn't break one yet, but he was itching to test his strength.

The basement was a complete mess. He'd already called the Training Camp's cleaning department, and they would clean it up thoroughly. All it cost him was a little money.

That's right—a little money. The 100 billion from the Dragon Blood and Jade Marrow came from the "Hundred Billion Bounty." The Limit Martial Hall had given him 5 billion in activity funds, and he'd spent 1.5 billion on the Mist Sword. He still had a full 4 billion left. A mere hundred thousand or so was nothing to him now.

That's right, a mere hundred thousand. The Training Camp believed in self-reliance. If you wanted to hire the cleaning department, you couldn't even dream of it without a hundred thousand or so.

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

He went to a Training Room on the third floor and turned on the lights. Standing before the Punch Strength Tester, Guan Ning threw a punch. His fist struck the target at supersonic speed, like a cannonball, and the resulting sonic boom came a moment later.

"50,436 kg!" Guan Ning's face lit up. "I went from 17,200 to 50,000 kilograms—a full 33,000-kilogram increase. I nearly tripled my strength."

"Once I add the Jade Marrow, I'll definitely reach War God level. There are still three months until the Life and Death Adventure. Maybe I can actually reach Intermediate War God level by then. The trip to Mist Island will be even safer."

"Bang, bang..."

Guan Ning was thrilled. He casually unleashed a flurry of punches at the target with both fists. Thud! Thud! Thud! A series of low, heavy impacts rang out as numbers flashed across the Punch Strength Tester's screen: "50,123 kg, 50,439 kg, 50,276 kg, 50,389 kg..."

Guan Ning threw dozens of punches before finally stopping.

The numbers varied, and Guan Ning knew it was because his strength had suddenly increased so much that he couldn't control it precisely. As long as he trained hard, he'd soon be able to keep it steady.

After confirming his strength, Guan Ning began practicing swordsmanship in the Training Room, getting used to his suddenly increased power as he went.

On May 1, since Guan Ning had ranked 86th the previous month, his schedule was the same as in April: he trained at the Training Camp on odd-numbered days and hunted monsters for battle points on even-numbered days.

"Beep!"

Guan Ning was practicing swordsmanship in the simulated Gravity Room when his Communication Watch rang.

"May I speak to Mr. Guan Ning?" a deep voice asked.

"This is Guan Ning. Who's calling?" Guan Ning saw an unfamiliar number and, hearing the caller's fluent Huaxia accent, had a pretty good idea.

"Hello, Mr. Guan. I'm in charge of the Huaxia Military's operations in Hongning Base City. The item you bought has arrived at the entrance, but we can't get in. When would you be able to come pick it up?"

The man's voice grew noticeably more animated. He could guess what was inside the safe. The previous night's events had caused a huge stir, and practically every martial artist knew about them. The item in the safe had to be the Jade Marrow, worth 30 billion.

How could he not be excited at the thought of the Jade Marrow inside? He'd even been tempted to steal it, but with a War God right beside him, he wouldn't dare make a move.

"I understand. I'll be right there." Guan Ning knew the Jade Marrow had arrived. His eyes lit up, and he hurriedly wiped away his sweat before rushing out in his training clothes.

"Isn't that Guan Ning? Why's he in such a hurry?"

"Who cares? Better to stay away from someone who stabs people in the back."

"Exactly. I never thought he'd be that kind of person. You can't judge a book by its cover!"

Everyone who saw him along the way had something to say, each with their own opinion. Some people who'd planned to get to know Guan Ning changed their minds.

Guan Ning heard them talking. All he could do was smile wryly at their wariness, then shrug it off. In a few days, all this talk would die down.

He hurried to the entrance, where two people were already waiting. One was a fat man, a sly glint occasionally flickering in his eyes. The other was thin and frail-looking, but the aura he gave off was on par with Teacher Feng Mu's. He was unmistakably a War God-level martial artist.

"Mr. Guan, hello. I'm Hua Wenqing. This is War God Sick Blade Jia Xing. He was responsible for escorting your delivery."

The plump, middle-aged man introduced them.

"Group Leader Hua, War God Jia, sorry for the trouble," Guan Ning said politely.

"Mr. Guan, there's no need to be so polite. It's my honor to serve you."

Hua Wenqing was clearly a smooth talker. His words were so pleasant that they put people at ease. You couldn't help but admire the skill.

War God Jia Xing said little. He handed Guan Ning the safe and left at once.

Guan Ning stared after him, stunned.

"Mr. Guan, please don't take it to heart. War God Jia Xing is rather withdrawn. I hope you'll forgive him."

Seeing Jia Xing turn and leave, the chubby Hua grumbled inwardly. Still, he had to explain. He couldn't let the talented young man standing before him develop a rebellious attitude toward him or the Huaxia people because of this.

"It's fine. I feel bad that War God Jia had to make the trip. Group Leader Hua, please remember to thank him for me."

Guan Ning didn't mind. Everyone had their own personality, and he wouldn't expect everyone to revolve around him.

"I'll be sure to. Well, Mr. Guan, we won't keep you any longer."

Hua Wenqing smiled warmly.

"Take care, Group Leader Hua." Guan Ning nodded politely.

In the basement, Guan Ning opened the small carrying case. Inside was a wooden box, holding a test tube secured with foam. Within it rested a single drop of milky-white liquid, gleaming like jade.

It was called a drop, but poured out, it would be about the size of a knuckle.

"So this is the Jade Marrow?"

The original story had mentioned Jade Marrow many times, but never explained its effects or how to use it. That had made Guan Ning quite curious.

He opened the instruction booklet beside it. The Jade Marrow was taken orally. All he had to do was drink it.

"I wonder how much stronger the Jade Marrow will make me."

Guan Ning wondered to himself, then swallowed it in one gulp.

The Jade Marrow was as smooth as jelly. Not a trace stuck to the test tube; every last bit went into his mouth.

As it passed down his throat and into his stomach, waves of heat welled up in his lower abdomen, then swept through his entire body.

This heat wasn't like the scorching flames of Dragon Blood. It was more like the sunlight on a winter's day—warm, gentle, and slowly tempering his body.

The Jade Marrow's power gradually merged into Guan Ning's body, and black impurities slowly surfaced on his skin.

Two hours later.

At last, the Jade Marrow's power had been completely absorbed. Guan Ning hurried to take a shower and wash himself clean, then went to a small training hall in the Nine-Story Tower.

He clenched his fist and immediately felt the astonishing power within his body.

"My strength has increased quite a bit. I wonder if I've broken through?"

"Huh? The Jade Marrow can improve my skin, too!"

Guan Ning raised his hand and examined it closely. He realized his body had changed again. His skin, tanned bronze by the Dragon Blood, looked darker and more powerful, but it now had a delicate sheen, smooth as water.

"This is really something... Still, at least I haven't turned into a pretty boy."

Looking at the changes to his body, Guan Ning couldn't decide whether they were good or bad!