Chapter 33

Dust缘 Pavilion? This little kid doesn't want me to go to Dust缘 Pavilion? I remember Ren Tiancang once reminded me that it would be best to visit Dust缘 Pavilion!

Tang Yan found it a bit strange, but the most important thing right now was... collecting rent!

The spiritual energy in his meridians was being drawn, and a very small part of it stimulated the surrounding purple patterns. Instantly, a subtle pain appeared in his mind, similar to the reaction in the Life Spring Pool.

Tang Yan continued to try, using a slightly larger amount of spiritual energy, which resulted in a more intense pain. As the spiritual energy increased, the pain felt like being pricked by countless needles, but faintly, a vague consciousness began to emerge in his mind.

Without hesitation, Tang Yan surged his spiritual energy throughout his body, impacting all the purple patterns in his meridians and acupoints. His mind buzzed, and the pain suddenly vanished. All the purple patterns shifted slightly, and this extremely subtle movement linked them all, forming purple stripes that ran through his entire body. His major and minor meridians shone brilliantly, as if they had been divinized!

Demon Spirit Meridian!

The spirit meridian of ten thousand demons, a great technique of ancient battles.

Choose a life-bound demon beast, refine its essence and spirit, and integrate it with your body to gain its great power and transform into its true form.

A deep, resonant sound echoed in his mind, and the inheritance-like imprint was clearly imprinted in Tang Yan's mind, and he quickly grasped it.

The sound was brief, quickly ending, and the unusual feeling dissipated, everything returning to calm. However, the inheritance did not stop, and a series of intentions were engraved in Tang Yan's mind.

Tang Yan sat cross-legged, striving to accept the sudden inheritance.

The spirit meridian activated within his body was called the Demon Spirit Meridian, a miraculous spirit meridian inherited from ancient times.

According to the method of inheritance, by consuming the essence and spirit of a certain demon beast, one could gain the powerful abilities of that demon beast. When the spirit meridian was fully activated, one could even transform into its true form.

During the inheritance process, several awe-inspiring scenes appeared in the depths of his mind, showing massive creatures roaring to the sky, like mountains.

That roar shook the heavens and earth, and that howl made the mountains and rivers silent.

The overwhelming might made the heavens and earth change color.

The demon beast chosen for consumption was designated as the life-bound demon beast. One could only choose one type of demon beast to consume in this lifetime, and it could never be changed. The stronger the chosen demon beast, the more terrifying the future achievements would be!

This was absolutely a heaven-defying spirit meridian, far more powerful than the Tang family's spirit meridian. However, all special things came with strict conditions. The strength of the Demon Spirit Meridian lay in the demon beasts it could consume. To consume a powerful demon beast, one must have the necessary qualifications and physical constitution.

The Demon Spirit Meridian had countless categories, which could be classified into grades, from first to ninth grade.

A first-grade Demon Spirit Meridian could consume a first-grade demon beast, a second-grade Demon Spirit Meridian could consume a second-grade demon beast, and so on. A seventh-grade Demon Spirit Meridian could consume a seventh-grade demon beast, comparable to a saintly existence, known as the Saint Grade. An eighth-grade Demon Spirit Meridian could consume an eighth-grade demon beast, known as the Emperor Grade. A ninth-grade Demon Spirit Meridian could consume a ninth-grade demon beast, but... so far, no ninth-grade existence had been discovered on the Qitian Continent, and there were no such powerful beings. It only existed in ancient times, known as the Imperial Grade!

Each type of Demon Spirit Meridian required a corresponding powerful constitution when consuming a demon beast.

For example, a fifth-grade Demon Spirit Meridian had the right to consume a fifth-grade demon beast, but during consumption, it required a constitution strong enough to resist the backlash of a fifth-grade demon beast's demonic energy. Otherwise... one would die from internal explosion! If one had a fifth-grade Demon Spirit Meridian but was concerned about the constitution not being strong enough to resist the backlash, one could consume a fourth-grade or even a third-grade demon beast, but this would be a waste of the spirit meridian's potential.

Tang Yan was shocked by the terror of this spirit meridian. The strength and fear of demon beasts were well-known. If one could transform into their form and possess their abilities while maintaining human intelligence, the danger would be doubled.

The massive figures roaring to the sky in the depths of his mind left a deep impression on Tang Yan.

What grade am I? Tang Yan was both shocked and eager to know his spirit meridian's grade and what level of demon beast he could consume.

"Tang Yan, are you inside?" Tang Qiong's voice came from outside the door.

Tang Yan was startled out of his contemplation, tidied up a bit, and got up to open the door: "Uncle Tang Qiong, is there something?"

Tang Qiong looked around the room: "Just now... were you alone?"

"That's right."

"Were you sleeping?"

"Yes."

Tang Qiong glanced at Tang Yan, not continuing to ask, and walked into the room, dryly saying: "Let's talk business."

Tang Yan closed the door: "What's the matter?"

"Everything you can say." Tang Qiong's eyes, always carrying a hint of ferocity, swept through every corner of the room. He had clearly sensed a special aura and sound inside, as if someone was talking.

"I..." Tang Yan understood that Tang Qiong was here to investigate. Since he had no relatives in his previous life and had never trusted anyone, he had long prepared a fabricated reason to get by.

But... seeing Tang Qiong's cold and fierce face, a sense of security and warmth involuntarily arose in his heart.

Was this warmth from the memory of the Second Young Master?

In the memory of the Second Young Master, his days in the Tang family were not easy. Although Grandfather doted on him, others were cold and hateful. It was precisely because of Grandfather's excessive indulgence that he, who was already unpopular, was always envied and hated by other family members.

His father was often busy with family affairs, and his mother had died in childbirth. Although Grandfather doted on Tang Yan, he was often in seclusion for cultivation. In the vast family, the only person who could truly talk to or scold Tang Yan was this Tang Qiong, who was entrusted to protect him.

For a long time, Tang Qiong was a god-like existence in the Second Young Master's heart, the most reliable and trustworthy guardian.

"Uncomfortable? Or are you looking for an excuse to hide something?" Tang Qiong sat by the wooden table, his attention on a small pile of ashes. He pinched it between his fingers, feeling it carefully.

Feeling the unusual emotion in his heart, Tang Yan sighed inwardly. Fine, since you trust him so much, I'll continue to protect this familial bond for you: "Actually, I still don't know exactly what happened. In the forest, I was persecuted by Yang Ruyan and Li Shouze and thrown into a deep pond."

"Yang Ruyan?" Tang Qiong's eyes turned cold, the scar on his face twitching, making him look even more ferocious: "I knew she wouldn't give in easily, but I didn't expect her to be so ruthless!"

"You know? What do you know?"

Tang Qiong glanced at Tang Yan, dissatisfied: "Isn't it because of you, kid? To marry Yang Ruyan, you even got Grandfather involved. Grandfather was preparing to personally propose to the Yang family. If there were no accidents, the Yang family would give Grandfather face, and the marriage would be settled. I think Yang Ruyan must have gotten the news in advance and, unwilling to accept it, took extreme measures."

Tang Yan suddenly understood. No wonder that girl hated him so much and tried to kill him repeatedly. It was because of this.

But thinking about it, Grandfather really doted on the Second Young Master, even personally proposing to the Yang family, disregarding his own dignity.

"Continue!"

"At that time, I was pretending to be dead. After they left, I struggled to escape. I was almost out of strength and about to sink again, but I unexpectedly saw a floating green flower in the deep pond. Then... I swallowed it in a daze..." Tang Yan slightly altered the truth, keeping only the main points.

The Second Young Master had his own emotions, and he had his own secrets, secrets that would always be protected.

"Green flower? Describe it in detail!" Tang Qiong frowned, speaking succinctly, as if unwilling to waste a single word.

"I didn't see it clearly, and I don't know how I swallowed it. I felt like my whole body was on fire, and then..." Tang Yan raised his hand, and a green flame appeared at his fingertips.

"Green flame?" Tang Qiong reached out to touch it.

"Be careful!"

"No problem!" Tang Qiong's fingertips moved, and the green flame drifted to his palm, enveloped by a scorching flame.

"Can you detect anything?"

Tang Qiong carefully felt it until the green flame completely dissipated. He then extinguished the scorching flame, frowned, and pondered for a moment before shaking his head. He then placed his hand on Tang Yan's head, and a warm sensation instantly spread throughout his body.

Tang Yan did not resist but secretly concealed the 'Life Mist' in his dantian.

After a thorough examination, Tang Qiong said, "You must have consumed some strange herb that transformed your meridians. When you return, ask Grandfather to give you a comprehensive check to ensure there are no hidden dangers."

Tang Yan leaned forward, "Uncle Tang Qiong, my meridians have recovered, and I've completed the baptism. I want to turn over a new leaf and study martial arts seriously. What do you think?"

Tang Qiong looked at Tang Yan's bright smile, feeling a bit relieved, and nodded, patting his head, "I think it's fine. Do you need help?"

"Of course." Tang Yan grinned, thick-skinned, "The Flame Technique!"

"Of course. With your identity and qualifications, you can cultivate the Flame Technique. Besides the Flame Technique, there are also the Shadow Wing Technique, the Magma Technique, and the Fierce Technique, the three major martial techniques of the Tang family, which you can also cultivate."

"Really?" Tang Yan was elated. The Second Young Master knew nothing about the Tang family's martial techniques, only hearing about the Flame Technique from Tang Ying. He never expected there to be three other major techniques!

"The Tang family has four major martial techniques: Flame, Magma, Fierce, and Shadow Wing. They are all peak-level spirit techniques, extremely rare combined techniques. When all four techniques are used together, they can match a ground-level technique."

Among the direct descendants of the family, those who are recognized can cultivate the Flame Technique. If they make outstanding contributions, they can cultivate the Magma Technique. As for the Fierce Technique and the Shadow Wing Technique, they require Grandfather's personal favor and direct instruction.

Tang Yan smiled brightly, "Grandfather has always favored me. I should be able to learn all four techniques, right?"

Tang Qiong shook his head helplessly, "Greed is a bad thing. Start with the Flame Technique and progress step by step."

Tang Yan felt a surge of excitement. Having seen Tang Ying perform the 'Double Strike,' he was already eagerly anticipating this technique. "Give me the technique first, I'll start studying it."

"No rush. We'll leave the Divine Spring Town tonight, and you can learn on the way."

"Okay, great!!" Tang Yan temporarily put the Demon Spirit Meridian aside. He couldn't experiment with it until he fully understood it. If it turned out to be just a first-grade spirit meridian, the consequences of blindly consuming a demon beast could be disastrous. According to the inheritance, the consequences could be either death by internal explosion or becoming a half-human, half-demon monster, losing one's self.