Three Vials of Crimson-Scaled Python Heart's Blood

The notification about the tracking file did not stir much in Jiang Yuan's heart.

He had expected it.

There were risks, but it was also a layer of protection.

As long as his "Physical Kinetic Reversal" ability was officially classified, any astonishing feats he performed in the future would have a reasonable explanation.

The next afternoon.

Inside the private A-rank training hall the academy had specially opened for Shen Liuli.

Jiang Yuan and Shen Liuli stood facing each other.

This time, Shen Liuli had not used her alloy sword, instead switching to an ordinary wooden sword.

"I used up quite a bit yesterday, and my chest is injured," Jiang Yuan warned her in advance.

Shen Liuli nodded to show that she understood.

Uncle Zhou, the seemingly ordinary middle-aged butler beside her, stood at the edge of the training area with his arms folded, his expression intent.

"Begin." The moment Shen Liuli spoke, she moved.

She was incredibly fast. Her wooden sword turned into an afterimage as it stabbed straight at Jiang Yuan's face.

Jiang Yuan did not take it head-on. With a shift of his footwork, he easily dodged the strike.

The broken sword on his back remained sheathed. What he held was a standard-issue alloy sword provided by the academy.

Clang! Clang!

Crisp collisions rang continuously through the training hall.

Shen Liuli's swordsmanship was fierce and precise, every strike aimed at Jiang Yuan's openings.

Yet Jiang Yuan seemed able to predict her movements in advance, always blocking or dodging at the most crucial moment with the smallest possible movements.

In particular, when Shen Liuli feinted several times, attempting to lure out an opening in his chest, Jiang Yuan ignored her completely, as though he had seen through her intentions.

"Stop."

More than ten minutes later, Shen Liuli took the initiative to stop.

Her breathing was somewhat hurried, and her eyes were filled with confusion as she looked at Jiang Yuan.

"How did you know that strike was a feint?" she asked, voicing the doubt in her heart.

"Your force-generation habit," Jiang Yuan answered casually. "When you make a real attack, the heel of your left foot sinks an extra 0.3 centimeters. It's subtle, but enough to tell."

Shen Liuli froze.

She had never noticed that detail herself!

He had merely observed her through one fight, yet he had already figured out her habits so thoroughly?

At the edge of the training area, Uncle Zhou unconsciously lowered his folded arms, and his expression turned serious.

This kid's observation skills and combat instincts were simply terrifying!

"Miss's swordsmanship is already outstanding." Uncle Zhou slowly walked over. "But a martial artist's fighting isn't limited to weapons."

Before he finished speaking, his figure flashed, and he instantly appeared before Jiang Yuan!

Without using a weapon, he reached for Jiang Yuan's shoulder with a bare palm, carrying the robust blood and vitality unique to a Body Tempering Stage martial artist!

His speed and strength far surpassed those students from before!

He was testing Jiang Yuan's close-combat grappling ability!

Instead of retreating, Jiang Yuan advanced. Facing the incoming hand, his left hand shot out at an unbelievable angle.

His five fingers curled like snake fangs. Rather than blocking Uncle Zhou's palm, he struck later yet arrived first, precisely clamping down on Uncle Zhou's wrist joint!

Profound Heaven · Shattering Bone Hand—Snake Fang Thrust!

"Hmm?!"

Uncle Zhou's expression changed. A sharp, bone-piercing force surged through his wrist, as though he had been bitten by a venomous snake's fangs. Half his arm instantly went numb and weak!

The hand reaching for Jiang Yuan's shoulder immediately lost its momentum.

What shocked him even more was that Jiang Yuan's fingers merely twisted lightly.

A spiraling force penetrated the gaps in his wrist bones, making him instinctively want to let go and retreat.

If he had been holding a sword, that move would have already knocked it from his hand!

Uncle Zhou abruptly pulled back, shaking his numb wrist, his face full of disbelief.

"Profound Heaven · Shattering Bone Hand... You've practiced it for less than two days. How could you have reached this level?"

The essence of this grappling technique lay in the precise control of human joints and points of force.

Without tens of thousands of repetitions, it was impossible to use it as effortlessly as Jiang Yuan did.

"Maybe I'm just pretty talented at comprehending things," Jiang Yuan gave his usual all-purpose answer.

Uncle Zhou fell silent.

A monster!

This was beyond what the word genius could describe. He was an utterly unreasonable monster!

Shen Liuli, standing nearby, was equally shocked by the scene.

She took a deep breath and removed three sealed test tubes from her storage wristband.

Inside the tubes were three vials of ruby-red liquid, radiating astonishing energy fluctuations.

"These are three vials of heart's blood from a second-tier mutated beast, the Crimson-Scaled Python."

Shen Liuli pushed the test tubes toward Jiang Yuan.

"They've been purified and can be absorbed directly. They are extremely effective for Body Tempering Stage martial artists. A single vial costs over a hundred thousand on the black market, and even then, they're rarely available."

Jiang Yuan did not reach out to take them.

He knew these were not so easy to accept.

"This is additional payment," Shen Liuli said. "I have a new request."

"Go ahead."

"Starting tomorrow, increase our sparring speed during training from twenty meters per second to twenty-two meters per second."

Twenty-two meters per second!

That number already exceeded the speed data Jiang Yuan had publicly listed in the academy's records!

She was testing him, and forcing him to reveal more of his hidden cards.

"Fine."

Jiang Yuan barely hesitated before directly taking the three vials of Crimson-Scaled Python heart's blood.

To him, resources were far more important than concealing some insignificant strength.

With these three vials of heart's blood, the bottleneck after completing the first volume of the Nine Yang Divine Skill might finally loosen.

Seeing Jiang Yuan agree so readily, a barely noticeable smile finally appeared on Shen Liuli's face.

She liked dealing with smart, straightforward people.

That day's training came to an end.

After Jiang Yuan left, only Shen Liuli and Uncle Zhou remained in the training hall.

"Uncle Zhou, what do you think?" Shen Liuli asked.

Uncle Zhou did not answer immediately. Instead, he took out his personal terminal and rapidly swiped across it.

His terminal privileges were clearly extremely high, directly connecting to New Star Central Martial Academy's advanced martial arts technique database.

In the search bar, he entered two words.

"Snake Fang Thrust."