Beginner Specialty: Blood Strengthening!

The two women beamed with joy.

"Good child, what a truly grateful child you are!"

The harmonious atmosphere of the family did not last long before it was shattered by a hurried, booming voice. The owner of the voice was in such a rush that the first shout was still outside the door, while the second was already inside.

"Yo, eating, are we? I've certainly come at an inconvenient time!"

The man who entered was short and thin as a monkey, with sunken cheeks, upturned whiskers, and dark, bruised bags under his eyes. Yet, in his hawk-like gaze, there flickered a cold, piercing light.

"Master Qin, to what do we owe this visit?"

Madam Li hurriedly stood up, offering a fawning smile.

Master Qin's gaze swept over the group before landing fixedly on Li Pingsheng's face. He smiled without warmth:

"Just passing by and remembered your family owes the Black Water Gang sixteen taels of silver. I'm simply here to offer a reminder—don't you dare delay, or the consequences will be more than you can bear."

Madam Li nodded repeatedly, her wrinkles bunching together as she forced a laugh:

"How could we! Our Pingsheng is a genius with top-tier bone structure. He'll be joining the Azure Cloud Martial Hall in five days, and we'll surely have the silver by then."

Master Qin did not press the matter further, acting as if he were truly just passing by, and turned to leave with his two burly henchmen.

Once they turned the street corner and the Li Family shack was out of sight, a look of uncertainty flickered in Master Qin's eyes.

"Is the information reliable?"

The henchman leaned in and whispered:

"The bone-reading master at the Azure Cloud Martial Hall said that Li Pingsheng's top-tier bone structure was merely a result of medication causing a surge in his blood and qi, which misled the master's judgment."

Master Qin stroked his whiskers and flicked his sleeve viciously.

"I thought a nest of maggots had birthed a true dragon, but it turns out to be just another stinking maggot!"

The loan to the Li Family had been issued by him. If it couldn't be collected, he would have to cover it himself. To him, sixteen taels of silver was no small sum; it was enough to make his heart ache for quite some time.

"Then how about—"

The henchman made a gesture of kidnapping.

"No rush."

Master Qin waved his hand, the cold light in his hawk-like eyes intensifying.

"Let this family dream their daydreams for a while longer. Collecting the debt early would only ruin my reputation!"

Back at the shack.

The Li Family's warm atmosphere had been disrupted by Master Qin's sudden visit. Madam Li and Second Aunt finished their meal quickly and returned to their work, as if they had completely forgotten that lingering sense of unease.

From the moment Master Qin entered to question them, to his departure, and then to the silent labor of Madam Li and Second Aunt, a full stick of incense had burned, and no one had asked Li Pingsheng a single word.

They didn't even ask, "Pingsheng, are you really of top-tier bone structure?"—not even for their own peace of mind.

Because they were a family—Grandfather, Father, Second Uncle, Mother, Second Aunt, and little sister—they trusted him, so they didn't need to ask.

Yet, it was precisely this trust that made Li Pingsheng's head spin and his chest tighten, his expression turning ghastly.

He could not bear the weight of this trust.

Suddenly...

A small hand slipped into his clenched fist.

Li Pingsheng looked down to see Yunmei blinking her large, watery eyes, whispering obediently:

"I sold the hair ornament Mother bought me for the New Year to A-Mao. I traded it for three candies. Once Brother eats them, he won't worry anymore. Brother is the best; you will definitely succeed."

A-Mao was a neighbor's child, and that hair ornament was the only piece of jewelry Yunmei had owned since birth.

Li Pingsheng opened his palm to reveal three lard candies wrapped in rice paper; they were indeed a rare and precious treat.

Just as he was about to peel one to pop into Yunmei's mouth, the little girl quickly covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she giggled and ran away.

Back in his room.

Silence and dimness enveloped Li Pingsheng.

The fishy, damp air clung to his skin, feeling exactly like the despair that Master Qin and the Black Water Gang had brought upon the Li Family.

He peeled a lard candy and popped it into his mouth.

Li Pingsheng curled his lips into a silent, mirthless smile.

He wasn't smiling because the candy was good—it was greasy and cloyingly sweet, hardly a delicacy.

He smiled because of the illusory pattern of ink-wash clouds unfolding before his eyes.

[Li Pingsheng]

[Martial Arts: None]

[Talent Specialty: Primary--???]

[Talent Potential: 1.1]

"Please select your specialty."

In an instant, the illusory ink-wash cloud map was violently scattered, transforming into a figure roughly the same size as Li Pingsheng. It appeared semi-transparent, as if its bones and meridians were composed of countless ink-colored stars.

This illusory shell was divided into four regions, corresponding to four dimensions: [Slaughter], [Vitality], [Divine Sense], and [Mystic Gate]—which were the four basic attributes of attack, survival, spirit, and technique in the traditional sense.

At the same time, a specialty was flickering within each dimension.

Li Pingsheng looked at them one by one:

[Slaughter--Primary Specialty: Light Body], [Vitality--Primary Specialty: Blood Strengthening], [Divine Sense--Primary Specialty: Enhanced Cognition], [Mystic Gate--Primary Specialty: Synesthesia].

Once enough Talent Potential was accumulated, he could continue to light them up; the primary specialties were also linked to higher-level specialties along their respective upgrade paths.

For now, the nutrition accumulated from eating and drinking well over the past half-month had converted into enough Talent Potential to light up only one.

This golden finger is unaffordable without money.

Potential was a broad concept, and physical potential was only a part of it. Eating nutrient-rich meat and drinking Blood Strengthening Powder both increased physical potential, and if he encountered body-refining martial arts in the future, those would also increase his physical potential.

Everything, however, had one prerequisite: he needed money.

Growth-type golden fingers tested one's ability to snowball, and the choice of initial talent was crucial.

Li Pingsheng did not hesitate for long and chose:

[Vitality--Primary Specialty: Blood Strengthening].

[Dimension: Vitality]
[Level: Primary]
[Blood Strengthening: Qi and blood like a wolf; the physical body is vigorous, enhancing physique, endurance, healing speed, resistance to fatigue, and establishing a solid foundation.]

There was only one solution to the Li Family's dead end: Li Pingsheng had to pass the bone-testing examination and enter the Azure Cloud Martial Hall.

Since his qi and blood could interfere with the test the first time, it would work again this time.

Although he still possessed inferior root bones and would certainly face a difficult path once inside the martial hall, all his worries were predicated on the necessity of staying alive.

Entering the Azure Cloud Martial Hall meant he could survive.

After [Blood Strengthening] was lit up, a dark line extended to another specialty.

[Primary Talent--Tiger Bone: The tiger walks as if sick; upon unlocking this talent, root bones transform into superior root bones.]

A raging fire burned in Li Pingsheng's eyes.

Who said root bones couldn't be changed?

It only required two potential points.

With nothing to do during the day and unable to help his family with their money-making chores, he fortunately set up his stance for the Health Preservation Stance in the courtyard, practicing his punches slowly and firmly as taught by the martial hall master.

Compared to before, after lighting up the primary specialty [Blood Strengthening], he clearly felt his physique had grown much stronger. His qi and blood surged through his meridians like a river; as he threw a punch, his sleeves billowed, and the sound of rushing blood echoed in his ears.

[Talent Potential +0.01]

After finishing one round of the Health Preservation Stance, Li Pingsheng was drenched in sweat. Seeing the text flash across the panel, his heart filled with joy.

As long as he practiced martial arts, he could increase his physical potential, and that potential could in turn trigger specialties to assist his training—a perfectly virtuous cycle.

He practiced three more times until his body was exhausted and his limbs were sore, only then did he stop.