Su Yunwan, the Leaky Padded Jacket!

Before dawn, at the darkest hour, the underground passage of Entrance Seven was filled with weary snores and the muffled groans of the wounded.

Lin Ming sat cross-legged in a corner, surrounded by an extremely faint, nearly invisible dark-golden glow. It was the outward manifestation of the qualitative transformation in his blood vitality and life essence after the awakening of the Indestructible Asura Body.

He silently circulated the basic breathing technique, experiencing cultivation in a way completely different from before.

His blood vitality surged through his meridians, denser and heavier than ever, as though what flowed through him was not liquid but molten dark-golden iron.

With every breath, some imperceptible strange energy in the air seemed to be naturally absorbed by the Indestructible Asura Body, merging into his blood vitality and nourishing his bones, muscles, flesh, and organs.

His injuries were recovering at an astonishing speed. A numb, itchy sensation came from his broken ribs, which had already healed more than halfway.

Immortal Foundation... Lin Ming came to an understanding. This passive ability alone gave him survival potential and cultivation talent far beyond those of the same rank.

He summoned the system panel.

[Current Kill Points: 41215]

More than forty thousand points looked like a lot, but Lin Ming knew that as his realm rose, his consumption would only grow greater.

These Kill Points had to be spent carefully.

He did not rush to allocate them. For one thing, he needed to keep some in reserve in case of emergencies.

As dawn gradually broke, the sounds of changing shifts and preparing defenses echoed within the fortress.

Lin Ming finished regulating his breath and moved his body. His bones crackled loudly, brimming with strength. He picked up the Silver Frost Spear leaning against the wall and gently stroked its cold, smooth shaft.

With an A-rank weapon in hand, the feeling of wielding it like an extension of his own arm and sharing a connection with it was indeed far beyond that of his previous piece of junk.

"Lin Ming!"

A crisp yet somewhat urgent voice rang out. Su Yunwan was still wearing her dark-green combat uniform, her high ponytail immaculate, though faint dark circles beneath her eyes showed that she had not rested well the previous night.

She strode over quickly, carrying an exquisite alloy briefcase.

"Major Su." Lin Ming nodded in greeting.

"Here, the things you asked for." Su Yunwan placed the briefcase before Lin Ming and neatly opened its combination lock.

The case was divided into two layers. Two jade slips of different colors lay side by side in the upper layer. One was sky-blue, the other earth-yellow, and both emitted fairly strong blood-vitality fluctuations.

The lower layer held only an ancient dark-golden scroll. Neither leather nor silk, its surface was patterned with dragons and elephants. No energy leaked from the scroll itself, yet it gave off a feeling of mountain-like weight and ancient desolation.

"These two are incomplete martial technique jade slips." Su Yunwan pointed at the upper layer, anticipation and a trace of nervousness in her eyes.

"The sky-blue one contains a fragment of the B-rank movement technique, Dragon Roaming Step. Only the general principles and incomplete descriptions of the first three steps remain. The earth-yellow one is a fragment of the B-rank defensive martial technique, Immovable Mountain Seal. It only has the hand-seal method and part of the blood-vitality circulation routes. The most important visualization diagram and the method for unifying inner force are missing. I collected both of them years ago, but unfortunately, I was never able to complete them or cultivate them."

She paused, looking at Lin Ming with blazing eyes. "Can you... see whether it might be possible to derive them?"

Lin Ming picked up the two jade slips and pressed them against his forehead, lightly touching them with his mental power. Instantly, a vast amount of incomplete, blurry, and even contradictory information flooded into his mind.

An ordinary person would only have been left dizzy and confused by such information, but in Lin Ming's mind, the system notifications rang out almost at the same time.

[Detected information on the incomplete B-rank martial technique Dragon Roaming Step. Consume 1000 Kill Points for analysis and basic derivation?]

[Detected information on the incomplete B-rank martial technique Immovable Mountain Seal. Consume 1000 Kill Points for analysis and basic derivation?]

"I can derive them." Lin Ming set down the jade slips and gave a definite answer, though his tone remained calm. "It will take time."

"Really?!" Su Yunwan's beautiful eyes instantly lit up. In her excitement, she subconsciously grabbed Lin Ming's arm. "That's great! How long do you need? One day? Two days? Or..."

"We'll see." Lin Ming did not give an exact time. He could hardly say the system could finish it instantly. "The results may not be perfect. They could differ from the original versions."

"That's fine! As long as they can be used and the general framework can be completed!"

Su Yunwan waved her hands repeatedly, unable to hide her excitement. The ability to derive incomplete B-rank martial techniques was even more heaven-defying than she had imagined! She felt more and more certain that her investment had been the right gamble.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, then carefully held up the ancient dark-golden scroll from the lower layer. Her expression became incomparably solemn.

"This is the first four levels of my Household's inherited A-rank breathing technique, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art."

She handed the scroll to Lin Ming, her voice serious. "This technique was obtained by an ancestor of the Su Household through a fortunate encounter. Although it only has the first four levels, its power is boundless. The blood vitality cultivated by it is like dragons and elephants—vast, heavy, and unending. It is especially suited for prolonged battles. And... it seems to have an extremely powerful tempering effect on the body's foundation."

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Su Yunwan looked at Lin Ming and earnestly warned him, "I decided on my own to lend this technique to you for reference. You must be careful and never pass it on to anyone else. Also, do not rush your cultivation. Take things step by step and build steadily. If you feel any discomfort, stop immediately!"

Lin Ming accepted the scroll. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, with a strange texture that was both warm and resilient.

He opened the scroll. There were no words upon it, only ancient, profound visualization diagrams and dark-golden blood-vitality pathways that flowed as though alive.

Just looking at it made a thick, desolate, power-filled aura wash over him.

"You're just giving me an A-rank breathing technique?" Lin Ming raised his head and looked at Su Yunwan, his gaze somewhat strange. "Does your Household know?"

Su Yunwan's pretty face reddened slightly. Then she lifted her chin and said in a deliberately casual manner,

"What's there to fear? It's not like they can beat me to death. Besides, this is called an investment! You understand investment, right? I'm betting on your potential! Once you master it, just remember to look out for me."

She made it sound easy, but Lin Ming could see a trace of unease and determination in her eyes.

Privately passing on an inherited A-rank breathing technique was a grave crime in any lineage. Su Yunwan was taking an enormous risk by doing this.

Yet she had still done it. That courage and determination to invest in him stirred something in Lin Ming's heart.

"Alright." Lin Ming did not say much. He merely put away the scroll solemnly.

"I'll remember this. Once I've derived a rough version of these two martial techniques, I'll give them to you along with some insights from the derivation process."

"Mm!" Su Yunwan nodded forcefully, a bright smile appearing on her face as if a great burden had been lifted. But then, as though remembering something, her expression turned serious. "Oh, there's one more thing I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"South River Base City's Military District Grand Tournament starts next month," Su Yunwan said.

"The Military District Grand Tournament?" Lin Ming raised an eyebrow slightly. He had never heard of it.

"Yes. It's a tradition within the military districts of Dragon Nation's major base cities. It is held once a year and open to all young martial artists under twenty-five in the military districts. Its purpose is to select true geniuses and give them focused training."

Su Yunwan explained in detail.

"The competition is divided into multiple war zones. In the end, the top ten from each base city will be determined and receive generous rewards. And the champion of every base city will gain a precious slot to directly join Peak Martial Arts Hall and become one of its core disciples!"

Peak Martial Arts Hall!

Core disciple!

Lin Ming's pupils contracted slightly. He knew that name all too well. It was Blue Star's number one force, and its master was Blue Star's universally acknowledged strongest expert—the Martial God, Ye Lingyun!

Peak Martial Arts Hall had inspectors stationed in all eighteen base cities of Dragon Nation. Their status was extraordinary and their authority immense. To some extent, they could even influence a base city's decisions.

Becoming a core disciple of Peak Martial Arts Hall meant rising to the heavens in a single step. One would receive the best resources, the finest instruction, and an unimaginably powerful backer!

"How old are you this year?" Su Yunwan asked.

"Eighteen."

"You meet the age requirement perfectly!" Su Yunwan's eyes grew even brighter. "I already registered you! As a Blade Camp member, you'll be entering through the recommendation channel within the Guard Army system."

"You registered me?" Lin Ming glanced at her. This woman certainly moved fast.

"Of course! How could we miss an opportunity like this?" Su Yunwan said as if it were obvious.

"With your current strength, staying in Blade Camp is a waste. Staying in the ordinary Guard Army is also a waste! You should be on a bigger stage! A core disciple of Peak Martial Arts Hall—that is where you belong! They have the best techniques and resources, the fiercest competition, and they can help you grow faster!"

She paused, then added,

"Besides, becoming a core disciple of Peak Martial Arts Hall will automatically qualify you as an inspector candidate. In the future, you might even have the chance to oversee a base city's inspection authority. The status is highly prestigious. More importantly, Peak Martial Arts Hall's influence spans the entire world. Its information channels and resource network are unimaginably vast. They might be of help to you in the future..."

Her last words carried deeper meaning, as though she were hinting at something.

Lin Ming fell silent. Su Yunwan was right. Joining Peak Martial Arts Hall was a shortcut to the heavens.

Not only would it grant him the best environment for growth, it would also give him unimaginable authority and resources. It would undoubtedly be an enormous help to his future revenge plans.

"What are the rules of this tournament?" Lin Ming asked. "Can people be killed?"

Su Yunwan froze. Clearly, she had not expected Lin Ming to ask that. Looking into his calm, unruffled eyes, where sharpness lay hidden, she suddenly understood something.

This guy was treating the tournament as a battlefield too.

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