Strength Wanes, Must Cultivate Blood Path. The Hong Chen Siblings Come Seeking Medicine!

Huo Yuhao stood at the main gate of the Body Sect, his head tilted back and his mouth hanging open in an "O" shape.

It was big enough to stuff a city-sized Supreme Ham Sausage into.

The Body Sect was nestled within a ring-shaped valley, surrounded by peaks with a flat plain in the center.

Looking up from the valley floor, the side of every mountain facing the sect was completely exposed.

No trees, no grass, no soil.

The bare rock faces were densely studded with steel spikes, with deep and shallow grooves crisscrossing them like a rock-climbing training wall magnified countless times.

A few scattered, shirtless soul masters were climbing with intense passion.

"I call this—solo climbing."

"Hey, you... that guy over there, come here."

Xu Qing shouted at a burly man who was pumping iron:

"This is a newcomer brought in by the old man. Look after him."

With that, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot.

Only Huo Yuhao remained, dumbstruck.

"Hahaha! The Young Master is truly powerful; even his travel is this swift."

BOOM—!!!

Xu Qing retracted his fist, exhaled slowly, and looked at the high-tech device snatched from the Sun Moon Empire.

It was a soul guidance device used to calculate a soul master's data.

You only needed to strike it with all your might, and it would calculate your stats based on pre-programmed data.

The accuracy was much higher than his own estimates.

It resembled a stone pillar, but it was thick enough for several people to wrap their arms around, and it stood twice as tall as Xu Qing—roughly three point six meters.

Creak, creak—

The soul guidance device emitted a sound of being pushed to its limits, and the speaker inside produced a stuttering, synthesized electronic voice.

"Demon King Xu Qing... Gender: Male... Bone age: Eleven years old... Soul power fluctuation... fifty... sixty... level forty."

"Height: 180 centimeters. Weight... one hundred... two hundred... seventy-five kilograms. No soul bone fluctuations detected."

"...Glitch... glitching..."

"Uh, Brother Xu, this is the last soul guidance device in the sect. The person in charge at Mingde Hall won't take gold soul coins anymore."

Ano rubbed his bald head, looking helplessly at the smoking machine and the indifferent Xu Qing, then said cautiously:

"Brother Xu, they want our protein powder formula and priority purchasing rights for the injections."

"Elder Jin has been holding them off because these things are your... what was that word again? I forgot."

"Intellectual property rights."

Xu Qing said calmly. In his past life, he was a professional veterinarian; researching these things was a piece of cake.

After all, those foreign bodybuilders were injecting themselves with veterinary drugs.

In a low-martial arts world, weren't these veterinary drugs just training supplies with negligible side effects?

They were more potent than the Mystic Water Pill and cheaper. Although the effect was only seventy percent, how much you could use depended entirely on the soul master's physique.

You inject yourself when you're weak, the toxins slowly metabolize, and then you become stronger.

You can take more injections, your metabolic capacity increases, and you become even stronger...

Therefore, three years ago, when the Body Sect—a sect viewed by the outside world as nothing but brutes—suddenly announced with great fanfare that they had developed a new drug.

And when it was proven effective, the shockwave it sent through the outside world was immense.

"Right! That's it, intellectual property rights. These things are all your intellectual property rights, Brother Xu. How to sell them, who to sell them to, and how much to sell them for—it's all up to you."

Ano seemed to remember something; his thick hand slid down his smooth, bald head and slapped onto his other palm.

"Mingde Hall informed us a few days ago that they were sending people over to discuss the details. Calculating the time, they should be arriving soon."

Beep, beep, beep, beep—!

A series of chimes rang out. Ano pulled out a square soul guidance device, read the message, and whispered:

"They're here! Brother Xu, let's head over quickly. After all, Mingde Hall is our main buyer for these things."

Xu Qing waved his hand, walking away with a carefree air without looking back.

"You go talk to them. Sell them the most basic supplements and powders. You guys have already developed a tolerance to them anyway, so it's a good chance to clear out the excess inventory."

"I won't go; I'm still busy. Oh, and tell them to send over a few more soul guidance devices that can actually take a beating."

Xu Qing thought to himself:

In my normal state, I could probably kill an average Spirit Ancestor with a single punch, provided I use my Martial Soul Avatar.

That would be the two-fold combat power boost from my silver-grade secondary awakening, combined with a ten-fold strength amplification from going all out.

Add to that the control of my indomitable will.

I could unleash blood-path techniques against a high-tier Spirit Emperor with a Martial Soul of high rank.

One punch, a mist of blood.

Tsk... it's a pity I can't use both of my Martial Souls at the same time.

I'll have Elder Yi look into it another day.

Sigh, the road ahead is long and arduous; I am still too weak.

Whoosh—!!

A green figure suddenly appeared!

Xu Qing's hair stood on end in fright, his back arched instantly, his toes dug firmly into the ground, and he poured all his strength into his conviction before twisting his waist and throwing a punch!

"BOOM—!!"

"Holy crap! You old geezer! You'll scare someone to death! What if I had killed you with that punch?"

"Heh, hahaha, I forgot, I forgot. I didn't expect such a big reaction from you, kid."

Du Busi pulled back the palm he had used to catch the punch and hid it behind his back. It was glowing faintly red, and his heart was churning like a stormy sea.

This kid's first spirit skill definitely isn't just a two-fold boost!

It's at least four-fold!!

Phew... In that case, my Body Sect might be able to participate in the tournament ahead of schedule...

One year is enough. The glory of Shrek will inevitably be crushed into dust by the Body Sect!

"Tsk, I have a feeling you're up to no good, old man."

Xu Qing looked at Du Busi, muttering to himself.

It couldn't be that lovesick girl, could it...

"My precious disciple, come with your master for a trip!"

Du Busi's large hand, like an iron pincer, pressed firmly onto Xu Qing's shoulder, but the mountain-like pressure couldn't make him change his expression.

Rip—!!

Space tore open, and the two figures vanished, leaving only Ano behind.

"Uh... Brother Xu is truly worthy of being the future sect master..."

He looked at the floor where Xu Qing had been standing; it was already cracked.

The stone, which hadn't changed through a hundred years of wind and rain, had been broken for the first time by two footprints.

The Council Hall.

The two people Xu Qing least wanted to see had arrived after all.

Two white-haired youths, a boy and a girl.

One had heterochromatic eyes—one blue, one green—and a face seven parts as handsome as Xu Qing's. He stood with his head held high and chest out, looking straight ahead.

The other had icy blue eyes, lively and nimble, but her cheeks were slightly flushed as she stared unblinkingly at the youth following behind Du Busi.

"Hahahaha!! Heaven did not give birth to me, Xiao Hongchen! The path of alchemy is like a long night through the ages!"

Xiao Hongchen was still as chuunibyou as ever, unable to help himself. He pointed his index finger at Xu Qing, the battle intent in his eyes no longer able to be concealed!

"Xu Qing, the only other opponent in this era who can keep up with my pace. It's been a long time; your handsomeness has finally reached three parts of mine."

"Stupid brother! Can you stop blocking me!?"