Beginner Specialty: Light Body!

Instructor Wu's face was grim. He stared fixedly at Li Pingsheng, then glanced at the cracked ground beneath his feet, his heart filled with shock.

How could a weakling possibly possess such immense strength?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

He grabbed Li Pingsheng's wrist, his fingers pressing firmly against the pulse point.

Li Pingsheng secretly activated Blood Strengthening, causing the blood and qi within his body to spiral out of control, rampaging through his meridians like a madman.

Instructor Wu's brows knitted into a knot.

The pulse beneath his fingers felt thick and robust at the first touch.

But upon closer inspection, this surge of blood and qi was chaotic and completely unbridled.

It slammed against his narrow, fragile meridians as if it might burst them at any moment.

"So that's how it is..."

Instructor Wu let go, the shock on his face replaced by disdain.

He shook his head.

"You have good natural talent, but it's a pity. Your meridians are born narrow and brittle; they simply cannot withstand such overbearing blood and qi."

"By forcing it just now, the surge has already damaged the roots of your meridians."

"From now on, every time you use this brute strength, you will damage your meridians further, eventually leaving you a cripple with shattered channels."

"Forget about ever reaching the Skin Refining stage in this lifetime."

"Just be a humble guard; you might live a few more years that way."

The newcomers who had been calling Li Pingsheng "Senior Brother Li" yesterday now looked at him with entirely different eyes.

"I knew it. How could there be such an easy top-tier talent? Turns out he's just a hollow shell."

"What a waste. All that strength for nothing; he's a short-lived ghost."

"Senior Brother Zhao and the others are the only real geniuses worth counting on."

Li Pingsheng couldn't be bothered with their idle gossip and returned to his small courtyard on his own.

The next morning, it was time to distribute resources.

Instructor Wu stood with his hands behind his back, watching the disciples line up to receive their pills and monthly stipends.

When it was Li Pingsheng's turn, he didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, casually grabbing a grey, dusty sack from the side and tossing it onto the ground.

With a thud, a few grains of rice mixed with sand spilled out from the opening.

"The martial arts hall does not support useless people."

"Your meridians are ruined; any resources given to you are a waste. This is your share for the month. Take it and go."

The surrounding disciples looked at him as if he were a joke.

Li Pingsheng picked up the sack, said nothing, and turned to leave, his back looking somewhat distracted.

Instructor Wu watched him go, his lips curling into a cold sneer.

Li Pingsheng returned to his courtyard, tossed the sack of grain mixed with sand aside, and headed straight for the Mission Hall deep within the martial arts hall.

The Mission Hall was bustling with people, with disciples picking out missions in small groups.

Ignoring the strange looks cast his way, Li Pingsheng walked straight to the board where the missions were posted.

His eyes scanned the high-paying missions one by one before finally stopping on a wooden plaque.

The plaque read: Patrol the Outer City slums, seven days, reward two taels of silver.

The Outer City had always been chaotic, frequently plagued by gang warfare and even rumors of demons; it was extremely dangerous.

Disciples from the inner courtyard wouldn't even glance at a mere two taels of silver.

Ignoring the looks of the people around him who thought he was a fool, Li Pingsheng reached out and plucked the wooden plaque from the board.

The Deacon Zhang who was registering the missions was a middle-aged man, and he was startled when he saw this, quickly trying to dissuade him.

"Junior Brother Li!"

"What... what are you doing? In your condition, patrolling the Outer City is just asking for death!"

Li Pingsheng cupped his fists toward him, forcing a bitter smile onto his face.

"Deacon Zhang."

"I understand the rules of the martial arts hall. I have to survive; my family is counting on me."

"Since there is no hope for my martial path, I might as well use what little strength I have left to contribute to the hall and earn some money for my family."

Deacon Zhang looked at him, sighed, and ultimately said nothing more, picking up his pen to record his name.

The news reached Instructor Wu's ears very quickly.

Instructor Wu was in the middle of teaching Zhao Ming and his lackeys how to punch, and upon hearing this, he let out a cold laugh.

"Outer City patrol?"

"A death-seeking fool. If he wants to go out there and die, let him."

He waved his hand, too lazy to give Li Pingsheng another thought.

Li Pingsheng changed into coarse cloth garments and exited the Inner City without a hitch.

Passing through the tall, thick walls and stepping into the Outer City, he was immediately assaulted by the air, thick with a chaotic mix of stenches.

Avoiding the eyes of everyone from the martial arts hall, he returned to the alley entrance of his old family home, pausing for a brief moment to cast a seemingly casual glance around.

The peddler at the alley entrance hadn't packed up despite the approaching darkness, his eyes constantly darting toward this direction.

The man drinking tea at the shop across the way had been nursing a single cup for an hour, his gaze practically glued to the gate of his courtyard.

Black Water Gang informants.

Li Pingsheng pretended not to notice and pushed the door open to enter.

After comforting his worried family, he lied, claiming he was doing well at the martial arts hall and that the patrol was simple, telling them not to worry.

Afterward, clutching the last of his silver scraps, he slipped into the chaotic black market of the Outer City under the cover of darkness.

He stopped in front of a butcher's stall piled with bloody, mangled chunks of meat. It reeked of rot; this was the lowest-grade wilderness beast meat, riddled with impurities.

Li Pingsheng slammed all his silver scraps onto the chopping block.

"I want all of this."

Midnight.

In the cellar of the Li Family old home, Li Pingsheng sat cross-legged before a small mountain of foul-smelling meat.

He grabbed a chunk and shoved it into his mouth, pushing Blood Strengthening to its limit. His stomach forcibly pulverized the flesh that no normal person could digest, squeezing out wisps of pure blood-qi to feed his entire body.

The following days.

By day, he was nothing but a cripple from the martial arts hall on the streets of the Outer City.

He deliberately acted exceptionally weak under the noses of the Black Water Gang informants so they wouldn't grow suspicious.

Black Water Gang branch.

A martial artist was reporting to Master Scar.

"Master Scar, that brat is truly finished. I saw him patrolling with my own eyes; he wheezes after a few steps, and a strong gust of wind could knock him over."

"The news from the martial arts hall is correct. His meridians are shattered; he's already a waste."

Master Scar stroked the scar on his face, grinning hideously.

"Good!"

"Very good!"

"A mere waste dares to touch my Black Water Gang's people."

"Strike when the time is right."

"Tie up his entire family for me."

"I want him kneeling before me, watching his family die one by one!"

On the seventh night of his patrol, a torrential downpour began.

In a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the city, Li Pingsheng stood shirtless in the freezing rain, frantically holding the Health Preservation Stance. Sweat mixed with rainwater, and visible white steam rose from his body.

The blood-qi within him had long since boiled, scouring his entire body over and over again.

Talent Potential: 0.99

Just a little more.

Li Pingsheng's eyes were bloodshot. He let out a low growl from his throat and slammed his legs down, causing the ground beneath him to sink instantly.

It was done!

Talent Potential: 1.0

Without a moment's hesitation, he made his choice.

Slaughter--Primary Specialty: Light Body

With a hum, Light Body lit up, and a dark line connected it to another specialty.

Primary Talent--Wind Treading: Ride the wind as if walking on flat ground. Move as fast as lightning at high speeds.

Li Pingsheng felt his bones vibrate. A chill shot up from his tailbone, surged along his spine into his limbs, and finally burrowed into the meridians of his legs.

His entire body felt significantly lighter.

He lifted his foot and set it down gently.

The stagnant water beneath his feet didn't even splash.

Li Pingsheng's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, and he vanished from his spot in an instant.

In the dark alley on this rainy night, a shadow leaped rapidly between walls and rooftops without making a single sound.

Landing without a whisper, departing without a trace.

At this moment, on the roof of the Li Family old residence, that Black Water Gang martial artist was squatting in boredom.

Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind brush past his back.

He instinctively turned his head to look, but aside from the rain, there was nothing there.

"What a hellish night..."