Stomach Unlocked Successfully, Gaining a Talent (Please Bookmark and Follow)

The stall owner said nothing.

Tan Dong sighed and quietly said to Zhao Ya beside him,

"Not long ago, dried earthworm meat sold for only two and a half taels of silver. Now it's risen to three taels. But there's no helping it—when it comes to goods like these, the sellers call the shots."

Then Tan Dong pulled out a crumpled banknote.

"I saved this from my usual spending money. I'd originally planned to use it to buy a round of wine with Courtesan Shi, but I'll lend it to you first."

The banknote was worth twenty taels, already no small sum for an ordinary person.

Zhao Ya felt a warmth in his heart. He knew this was probably all of Tan Dong's savings.

"No need. I brought plenty of money this time."

As he spoke, Zhao Ya took out a banknote and handed it to the stall owner.

"How much can this buy? I'll take it all!"

The stall owner accepted the note and carefully inspected it. Only after confirming it was genuine did he say,

"Fine. A hundred-tael Treasurelink Exchange note can buy thirty-three taels of dried meat. Since you're being so straightforward, I'll throw in another two taels."

The stall owner weighed out the dried meat, packed it up, and handed it to Zhao Ya.

After taking the heavy bundle of dried meat, Zhao Ya keenly sensed several more pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows.

He quietly said to the dumbfounded Tan Dong, "Let's go."

After leaving the ghost market, Zhao Ya and Tan Dong circled through the web-like maze of alleyways several times before finally shaking off the tails behind them.

By then, Tan Dong had figured things out. The look he gave Zhao Ya became rather meaningful.

"If you have something to ask, ask," Zhao Ya said as they walked.

"Last night, the Black Snake Gang..."

"I killed them," Zhao Ya admitted bluntly.

Tan Dong would find out about it sooner or later anyway, so it was better to be direct.

"Gasp!" Tan Dong sucked in a sharp breath.

"After I left?"

"Yes!"

Tan Dong gave Zhao Ya a thumbs-up.

"Impressive!"

The praise came straight from Tan Dong's heart.

To wipe out a gang that had run rampant through the neighborhood overnight, then go to work at the escort agency the very next day as if nothing had happened.

Tan Dong knew he could never match such restraint and composure.

"But you're just telling me this so easily. Aren't you afraid I'll spread it around?"

Zhao Ya smiled. "Who would believe it? Besides, even if someone did, who would stand up for a bunch of lowlife scum?"

Tan Dong nodded. "That's true."

Zhao Ya patted him on the shoulder. "All right, stop looking at me like I'm some murderous demon king."

"I killed the Black Snake Gang for only two reasons. First, they truly deserved to die. Second, I happened to be short on money."

Tan Dong looked at Zhao Ya with deep suspicion. The second reason was probably the real one, wasn't it?

But the matter had nothing to do with Tan Dong to begin with. If anything, his heart was filled with envy for Zhao Ya.

He could wipe out an entire household over a single reason. Was this the bearing of someone who had reached Great Accomplishment in Bone Tempering?

So enviable.

Tan Dong did not go home.

In his words, since Zhao Ya would not take the private savings he had painstakingly accumulated, he had to enjoy himself properly tonight.

He was going to the pleasure quarter to find Shi Xi, the recently popular courtesan, have some tea with her, and discuss the weather.

Naturally, Zhao Ya had no place meddling in such matters. He merely advised Tan Dong to act within his means and put his health first before heading home.

When he arrived, Tang Zuier was sitting guard by the table, half asleep, with a pair of scissors at hand for protection.

When she saw Zhao Ya return, she first let out a sigh of relief, then happily said,

"Brother Zhao Ya, you're back! There's still food warming in the pot. Do you want to eat now, or wait until after you finish practicing?"

After spending these days together, Tang Zuier knew that Zhao Ya practiced every night and had to eat a late-night meal afterward.

Seeing Tang Zuier's exhausted face, Zhao Ya smiled.

"No need. Save the food for breakfast tomorrow. Hurry up and go to sleep."

"Okay!"

Tang Zuier did not ask further. She obediently returned to her room to sleep.

Zhao Ya first put away the bundle containing the dried earthworm meat, then took out a strip and placed it in his mouth.

Soon, a stream of heat rose from his stomach and intestines, and the blood and qi throughout his body began to simmer slightly.

Zhao Ya let out a satisfied breath. In all these days, aside from the escort agency's midday meal, this was the first time he had felt full at home.

Taking advantage of his surging blood and qi, Zhao Ya went into the courtyard and began cultivating.

Sure enough.

After completing a set of the Eight-Part Vajra Art, the familiar notification finally appeared.

[Eight-Part Vajra Art proficiency increased by 3]

[Stomach unlock progress increased by 1%]

But then Zhao Ya felt his stomach and intestines grow empty again.

He took out another strip of dried earthworm meat and put it into his mouth, then began practicing the Five Tigers Fist and the Gale Saber Technique.

Half an hour later, Zhao Ya had finished all his training.

The moon was bright and the stars sparse, yet Zhao Ya was not sleepy in the slightest.

He took the lightness skill manual from his deerskin pouch and stood in the courtyard studying it carefully, pondering its contents.

Every so often, he would put down the book and try out a few movements in the courtyard.

In the days that followed, Zhao Ya went to the escort agency during the day to work and train in martial arts, and after returning home at night, he continued cultivating without pause.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

On this day, Zhao Ya stood in the courtyard practicing the Eight-Part Vajra Art.

This health-preserving martial art had already been practiced by Zhao Ya to an exquisite level. Every movement seemed effortless, yet concealed profound mysteries.

Finally, after he completed the last movement,

Zhao Ya felt a warm current erupt within his body. The sinews attached to his bones trembled slightly, becoming considerably tougher.

This was a sign that Tendon Transformation was on the verge of reaching Great Accomplishment.

Zhao Ya's attributes had also undergone earthshaking changes.

Name: Zhao Ya. Age: 16. Remaining Lifespan: 38 years

Skills: Eight-Part Vajra Art (Mastery 23/2000) Five Tigers Fist (Mastery 11/2000) Gale Saber Technique (Minor Accomplishment 13/1000) Lightness Skill Grass-Treading Flight (Entering the Hall 145/500)

But the greatest change was the unlock progress.

[Stomach unlock progress: 100%]

[Stomach successfully unlocked. Talent acquired: Food Essence]

Looking again at the human body silhouette, the mist over the stomach region had completely vanished, replaced by a warm glow.

Zhao Ya took out the last strip of dried earthworm meat and swallowed it.

The next second, he clearly sensed his stomach crushing and breaking down the dried earthworm meat, then absorbing every bit of its essence.

The entire process took only a few seconds. Then Zhao Ya felt the blood and qi within him grow stronger by another trace, leaving him deeply moved.

He had not expected the newly acquired [Food Essence] talent to be so powerful.

In just a few seconds, it completely digested a strip of dried earthworm meat rich in blood and qi. More importantly, the digestion was incredibly efficient, without the slightest waste.

Didn't this mean that as long as he had more and stronger meat, the rate at which his blood and qi increased would advance by leaps and bounds?

Zhao Ya's gaze could not help turning fiery.

At this rate, it would not be long before he completed Tendon Transformation and became a second-realm expert.

After all, only three months had passed since Zhao Ya reached Great Accomplishment in Bone Tempering.

If word of such speed got out, it would probably leave countless people stunned.

Other than martial arts prodigies born with martial physiques, no one had ever been heard of crossing two realms in such a short time.

Just then, the human body silhouette changed again. A faint gleam appeared where the heart was located.

[Heart unlock activated. Current progress: 0%]