Blood Sensing Realm

Jiang Ran quickly scrolled through the screen, finding the section for Feng City.

The Feng City Safe Zone was a circular area with a 20-kilometer radius, centered on the Feng City government building.

Jiang Ran did a quick mental calculation.

The edge of the safe zone was about 15 kilometers from home.

From his current position, it was even farther—over 30 kilometers.

"Relocation plan..."

Jiang Ran muttered to himself.

As he had expected, the Federation reacted quickly, already implementing organized management.

Gathering survivors, establishing strongholds, collecting resources, and gradually exploring.

It was the most logical strategy.

But Jiang Ran had no intention of heading to the safe zone.

At least not now.

A safe zone meant rules, meant control, meant his actions would be restricted.

In contrast.

Acting alone carried higher risks, but also greater freedom.

He could explore and grow stronger at his own pace.

Jiang Ran closed the official post and shifted his attention to the comment section below.

That was what he really wanted to see.

Sure enough, the comments were already exploding.

"Finally, some organization! I'm heading to the safe zone right now!"

"Watch out, upstairs. I tried going from the north side of the city yesterday and ran into three waves of monsters. Almost died... I suggest teaming up."

"Anyone want to group up? I'm near Zhongshan Road, have a weapon (kitchen knife), looking for reliable teammates!"

And amidst these discussions.

Jiang Ran found the information he was looking for.

"Has anyone seen those... glowing people? I was hiding in a supermarket yesterday and saw a guy covered in golden light punch a monster flying over ten meters!"

"I saw one too! Over at East Lake Park, a woman holding a glowing sword, moving so fast it was like a movie!"

"Transcendents are already appearing... Does the government know? Will they recruit them?"

"Of course they know. Didn't you read the notice about resource collection efficiency? I bet the safe zone has a way to trade monster materials for stuff, maybe even a method to become a Transcendent!"

"Please let me latch on! Any Transcendent big brother willing to take me in? I'll listen and do odd jobs!"

Jiang Ran skimmed quickly.

Sure enough, he wasn't the only one who had obtained a Myth inheritance.

And some were already acting openly.

This was both good and bad for him.

The good news was that the public emergence of Transcendents would gradually reveal information about the supernatural—exactly what Jiang Ran needed most.

The bad news was that competition for resources would be fiercer.

Those Spirit Crystals, Seeds of Return to Void, items...

Everyone would be fighting for them.

Humanity was already adapting, organizing, and contending.

And what Jiang Ran had to do was grow stronger as fast as possible in this flood of Myth Revival.

Soon, after gathering the information.

Jiang Ran stood up and stretched his limbs.

During the battle in the early hours of last night, he had left his compound bow and Tang Dao on the rooftop. The situation was critical, and he had no chance to retrieve them.

Originally, Jiang Ran planned to find some suitable weapons.

But after pulling up his Profession Panel, he abandoned that idea.

[Profession: Martial Monk Lv.1 (47/100)]

[Profession Basic Skill: Dragon-Tiger Fist Lv.1 (43/100)]

[Golden Bell Shield Lv.2 (25/200)]

[Eight-Step Cicada Chase Lv.2 (8/200)]

[Profession Core Skill: Buddha's Wrathful Vajra Lv.1 (6/100)]

Jiang Ran's gaze lingered on Dragon-Tiger Fist and Golden Bell Shield for a few seconds.

These two skills had gained the most experience.

Dragon-Tiger Fist in particular had skyrocketed from an initial 2 points of experience to 43 points.

And Golden Bell Shield had gone from 0 points to 12.

Jiang Ran understood instantly.

The Martial Monk class skills, just like the Mixed Martial Artist's combat techniques, gained experience most efficiently through actual combat.

Moreover, the stronger the opponent, the faster the experience grew.

That Mother Spider last night had strength far beyond ordinary monsters, so a single battle had netted him a massive amount of experience.

With this realization, Jiang Ran had a clear plan in mind.

He needed combat.

He needed to find powerful opponents.

He needed... to hunt.

"Then let's start from here."

Jiang Ran took a deep breath, walked to the edge of the rooftop, and looked down at the street below.

Morning light spilled across the empty city, and in the distance, faint roars of monsters echoed.

He leaped down, and just before landing, Eight-Step Cicada Chase deftly absorbed the impact, letting him land steadily on the street.

Then he set off, walking toward the direction of the roars.

His pace was neither fast nor slow.

Behind his calm eyes lurked a restless excitement.

The hunt begins here.

Meanwhile.

City Bureau building, first-floor lobby.

Xia Xuan, Zou Yue, along with Zhou Ming and three other team members, had finally made it back.

The city bureau was located at the edge of the officially designated Safe Zone.

The streets nearby had been cleared in advance, so the number of monsters was much lower.

But even so, retreating all the way from the High-Tech District, they had fought several skirmishes.

Now everyone was wounded and exhausted.

"We finally made it..."

Zou Yue let out a long breath, her hand gripping the gun trembling slightly.

Not from fear—from sheer physical exhaustion.

Zhou Ming's face was pale. Along the way, he had witnessed multiple battles and helped carry ammunition, and now his legs felt like jelly.

"Register first, then find the medical team to treat the wounds."

Xia Xuan said in a low voice, leading the way toward the lobby entrance.

But the moment they stepped inside, they all froze.

At least thirty or forty people were gathered in the lobby.

There were uniformed police and soldiers, as well as ordinary citizens.

Everyone's attention was fixed on a young man in the center.

He looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wearing a dirty windbreaker, his hair disheveled, but his eyes were bright.

What drew the most attention were his hands.

At this moment, his hands were emitting a faint golden light.

"...and that's it," the young man was saying, his voice excited. "Yesterday, near East Lake Park, a monster was chasing me. In a panic, I jumped into the lake. At the bottom, I touched a glowing stone..."

He raised his right hand, palm up.

A fist-sized ball of golden flame materialized out of thin air, floating an inch above his palm.

The flame pulsed gently, radiating a warm aura.

"The moment I touched the stone, a supernatural power appeared in my mind... it's called Gilded Flowing Light. I practiced all night, and now I can barely activate it."

With that, he suddenly swung his left hand forward.

Whoosh!

The golden flame shot out as a streak of light, flying five or six meters before slamming into a sandbag in the corner of the lobby.

Thud!

The sandbag swayed slightly, a small patch of its surface scorched black.

"No way..."

Gasps of amazement rippled through the crowd around them.

After all, this was a living, breathing example of the supernatural happening right before their eyes.

Xia Xuan and the others stood at the edge of the crowd, quietly watching the scene.

Their expressions were a little strange...

Especially Xia Xuan, whose gaze lingered on the scorched mark on the sandbag.

Then he looked at the faint flame in the young man's palm.

And then, unbidden, last night's scene surfaced in his mind...

The black-clad youth descending from the sky, one fist slamming into the Mother Spider's head.

The crimson blood-qi pillar soaring into the heavens, the Vajra Phantom glaring with fury.

The monster's head bursting open like a watermelon.

The power of that punch...

Xia Xuan silently estimated.

If it were the young man's divine ability before him, striking the Mother Spider, it probably wouldn't even burn through its carapace.

Let alone blowing its head apart with one punch.

The few team members beside him exchanged silent glances, the same strange look flickering in their eyes.

They, too, were recalling that scene from last night.

In comparison...

The power the young man before them displayed was indeed decent.

In the eyes of ordinary people, this was already an unbelievable supernatural ability.

But in the eyes of Xia Xuan's team, who had witnessed true, terrifying combat power...

The gap was too vast.

Like a firefly compared to the bright moon.

High-Tech District, Kaiming Street.

The setting sun dyed the street a dark red.

A figure drenched in blood was slowly walking down the middle of the road.

Neither hurried nor slow.

His black hoodie was already soaked through with bloodstains.

A mask covered his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

His gaze was calm, even carrying a hint of... lingering satisfaction?

On any normal day, someone striding so boldly down the center of the street would have monsters lurking in the surrounding buildings swarming out to tear him to shreds.

But now.

Behind those shattered windows along the street, in the shadows.

One by one, gray-green monsters poked their heads out, their dark yellow vertical pupils fixed on the figure in the street.

They crouched low, their claws scraping restlessly against the ground.

Low hisses escaped their mouths.

But not a single one dared to charge out.

Because...

Their kind on this street had already been killed too many times by that person today.

From morning till dusk.

This human in the black hoodie, as if tireless, had roamed the streets of the High-Tech District.

When he encountered a lone monster, one punch killed it.

When he ran into groups of three or five, it was still one punch each.

Without exception, every head burst apart.

This slaughter had gone on all day.

He had nearly cleared out half the monsters in the entire area.

The ones left now were all the ones who had hidden away the moment they saw him from a distance.

They instinctively understood...

This human is different from the others.

Very dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

Jiang Ran walked down the middle of the street, clearly sensing the gazes cast from the buildings on both sides.

But he paid them no mind.

Nor did he have the energy to actively hunt down these hidden creatures anymore.

Because right now, he was truly too exhausted.

Ever since waking up that morning, Jiang Ran had left his hiding spot and begun actively seeking out monsters to kill.

He hadn't deliberately searched for Seeds of Return to Void or other treasures.

It was simply combat.

Using Dragon-Tiger Fist, Eight-Step Cicada Chase, and Golden Bell Shield.

He repeatedly tempered every skill of the Martial Monk profession in actual battle.

When tired, he found a relatively safe place, absorbed Spirit Crystals, and circulated the Blood-Qi Circulation Method to recover.

Once his Blood-Qi was mostly restored, he went out hunting again.

And so the cycle continued.

Nourishing battle through battle.

By the end of the day, over a hundred monsters had died by his hand.

But the price was...

The continuous drain on his stamina, spirit, and Blood-Qi.

Even though Jiang Ran had a strong will and his physical constitution far exceeded that of ordinary people thanks to Blood-Qi nourishment, he was now nearing his limit.

"I need to rest..."

Jiang Ran muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping over a café by the street.

He pushed open the glass door and walked inside.

The café was empty.

Jiang Ran walked to the innermost corner, sat down with his back against the wall.

This position allowed him to see both the door and the windows—a standard defensive spot.

He pulled off his mask, stained with blood and grime, and let out a long breath.

Then, from the tactical pouch at his waist, he took out the Heavenly Net Pouch.

With a slight thought.

Rustle...

Two or three dozen gray-white Spirit Crystals spilled onto the table.

These were the spoils from his last wave today.

Jiang Ran was now well-versed in cultivating with Spirit Crystals.

One by one, the Spirit Crystals turned into gray-white powder.

The pores on Jiang Ran's body slightly opened, and a faint white vapor rose from the top of his head.

His Blood-Qi steadily grew, his bones and tendons continuously strengthened.

But just as the last Spirit Crystal turned to powder...

His Blood-Qi did not slowly settle down.

Instead, it began to gradually boil...

"Hm?"

Jiang Ran's eyes snapped open, a flicker of shock in his gaze.

He immediately focused all his effort on guiding the rampaging Blood-Qi within him.

But this time, the Blood-Qi refused to obey.

It flowed through his body faster and faster.

Boom!!!

Jiang Ran felt a deafening roar in his mind.

As if something had been breached.

The next moment, the boiling Blood-Qi surged like a burst dam, rushing along a brand-new pathway.

The total amount of Blood-Qi swelled at a visible rate.

Doubling, tripling...

It finally stabilized at around three times the original!

The surging blood and qi gradually calmed, flowing back to his dantian.

Jiang Ran slowly opened his eyes.

Deep in his pupils, a faint crimson light flickered and vanished.

He lowered his head to look at his own hands.

A faint jade-like luster shimmered on the surface of his skin, with veins faintly visible beneath, as if molten lava were flowing within.

He clenched his fist.

Crack, crack, crack...

His knuckles popped, the sound crisp and forceful.

His pure physical strength was at least twice as strong as before!

More importantly...

He could clearly sense that his control over the blood and qi within his body had reached an entirely new level.

With a mere thought, the blood and qi moved as if they were an extension of his will, instantly surging to the designated area.

Could this be...

The true Blood Sensing Realm!?