Chapter 43

"Thank you, Lord Prefect."

Jiang Ping'an clasped his hands in a salute. The resources provided by the other party would greatly benefit him.

Even though the other party had ulterior motives, he was still very grateful.

"Haha, stinky wood, wait for me to awaken and then I'll beat you up!" Meng Jing shouted happily.

She had just learned that her talent had not been fully developed, and she would definitely become even more powerful in the future.

Jiang Ping'an did not react much. Talent and bloodline were things that could not be envied.

He had known from a young age that the world was unfair. Although he would envy those with good fortune, he would not wallow in self-pity or become dispirited.

A maid led Jiang Ping'an away and arranged for him to stay in a quiet side room.

This was just an ordinary house, but it was more luxurious than the mansion in Lianshan County. Wooden buildings stood tall, grand, and majestic, with profound runes faintly glowing.

"You will stay here temporarily. Go to the cafeteria for meals. In three days, you will be taken to the back mountain, where you will train and be evaluated. Rest well; there might be a battle in three days."

"Thank you, sister."

Jiang Ping'an expressed his gratitude.

The maid smiled. She had received many geniuses before, and few of them had thanked her.

She added, "There is an array diagram on the table. Inject spiritual energy into it to activate it, and inject more to deactivate it."

"This array can form a barrier to prevent others from intruding and disturbing your cultivation, and it can also gather surrounding spiritual energy to speed up your cultivation."

"My mount is still outside. Could you trouble you to take care of it for me?" Jiang Ping'an asked.

"Sure, just let me know if you need anything." The maid smiled and left.

Just as Jiang Ping'an was about to close the door, a figure suddenly squeezed in and punched his face.

Jiang Ping'an quickly raised his arm to block.

"Bang!"

Jiang Ping'an was hit and took several steps back.

"What, you're not even a Martial Artist yet." Ma Wei looked disdainful.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Ping'an frowned, his fist hurting, and looked at the person who had suddenly attacked him.

This person was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a plump build. He held a chicken leg in one hand, and his mouth was full of oil.

"My name is Ma Wei. You can call me Brother Ma. Although you're not yet a Martial Artist, you can participate in the evaluation, so you must be a genius. Be my little brother, and I'll protect you."

Ma Wei said proudly. He had seen other geniuses with followers, and he felt inferior without any.

So he planned to take on a couple of followers.

After finishing his meal, he saw a new kid and came to test him out.

"No." Jiang Ping'an refused directly.

He still needed to cultivate and had no interest in being anyone's follower.

"Do you know who I am? Do you know where I'm from? I'm a genius from the Ethereal Sect!"

Ma Wei lifted his chin even higher.

"The Ethereal Sect?"

"Right! Yes, that Ethereal Sect!" Ma Wei's eyes were full of pride.

"Never heard of it."

Jiang Ping'an said honestly.

Ma Wei: "..."

What kind of bumpkin is this? He hasn't even heard of the Ethereal Sect.

The Ethereal Sect was the sect that assisted the founding emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty in establishing the empire. The sect's history was even older than the Great Xia, and its status was supreme.

"Anything else? I need to cultivate."

Jiang Ping'an thought time was tight, and there was a lot to learn: the Body Dominance Technique, the Earth Piling Technique, the Supreme Fist...

"You bumpkin! If you don't become my follower, no one will protect you. In three days, you'll definitely get beaten up!"

Ma Wei felt very embarrassed. A genius from the Ethereal Sect was ignored.

Jiang Ping'an saw that the other party wasn't leaving, so he placed his palm on the table and injected spiritual energy.

A black barrier quickly appeared, bouncing Ma Wei out.

"Ouch~" Ma Wei fell, and the chicken leg in his hand dropped to the ground.

Ma Wei was furious. "Brat! You don't know what's good for you! Wait, in three days, I'll beat you to death!"

Being kicked out of the room, Ma Wei felt very embarrassed.

In the past, who would dare treat him like this in the Ethereal Sect?

Jiang Ping'an really didn't know the barrier could bounce people out.

But before he could say anything, Ma Wei stormed off.

Jiang Ping'an shook his head helplessly, not understanding the other party's behavior.

Perhaps it was the different living environments. His survival philosophy was to avoid trouble and not easily make enemies.

But these people's survival philosophy was completely opposite; if they didn't align with him, they had to be eliminated.

Maybe it was the environment that shaped people.

Jiang Ping'an no longer thought about it, closed the door, and sat on the cultivation cushion.

He took a Blood Spirit Pill and a healing pill he had just bought, then stimulated his blood qi to cultivate the Body Dominance Technique.

The blood qi in his body surged, and a faint sound of flowing water could be heard inside.

Previously, in Lianshan County, he had practiced for nearly a month to circulate the blood qi in his body by two-thirds.

This time, he intended to complete one full circulation of the Body Dominance Technique.

The vast blood qi surged in his veins, and with the assistance of spiritual energy, the circulation was extremely smooth.

However, blood still seeped through his skin, and large beads of sweat rolled down his hair.

Jiang Ping'an gritted his teeth, his breathing becoming chaotic.

No matter how painful it was, he had to cultivate the Body Dominance Technique. Only by doing so could he catch up with those geniuses and advance further in the path of cultivation!

Due to the Earth Piling Technique, his cultivation speed increased, but the pain still lasted a whole day, and his body was stained red with blood.

His body was destroyed and rebuilt, destroyed and rebuilt...

As the Body Dominance Technique began to circulate, his body underwent a tremendous transformation.

"Boom~"

With a loud boom, it was as if a river had opened, and the sound of rushing water surged in Jiang Ping'an's body.

A purple-golden light flickered on his body, and the blood that flowed out was evaporated and solidified.

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Ping'an's weak face.

Finally, he had completed one full circulation of the Body Dominance Technique. Subsequent circulations would be much easier.

The blood qi in his body surged, unceasing.

The strength of a Body Cultivator lay in the vast blood qi. Old Li had once said that some powerful Body Cultivators could burn an ocean with a single drop of blood, with heat comparable to a star.

Of course, Jiang Ping'an was far from that.

He had just completed one full circulation of the Body Dominance Technique, far from mastering it completely.

Once he mastered the first level of the Body Dominance Technique, the flow of blood in his body would be like a river, and he might even hear the sound of thunder.

Currently, the sound in his body was like a stream.

Even so, he could feel his strength had increased tenfold.

This successful circulation of the Body Dominance Technique also allowed him to enter the ranks of Martial Artists without using a realm-breaking pill.

The next step in cultivation was to open the acupoints in his body.

The biggest difference between a Martial Artist and an ordinary martial practitioner was that a Martial Artist could open acupoints on their body to unleash potential.

Opening ten acupoints would make one a mid-level Martial Artist, and opening twenty would make one a high-level Martial Artist.

Each acupoint opened would increase the blood qi in the body. Opening thirty acupoints would allow one to advance to the next major realm, the Blood Core Realm.

Strictly speaking, Martial Artists had no distinct realms, but they were divided into low, mid, and high levels for convenience in measuring strength.

Jiang Ping'an took a healing pill and went to the bathtub to clean the blood off his body.

"Wood! Wood! Open the door quickly!"

Not long after he entered the bathtub, there was a loud knocking on the door.

He only knew one person here, and it had to be Meng Jing.

Jiang Ping'an stimulated his blood qi to evaporate the moisture on his body.

He changed into clean clothes, walked to the table, injected spiritual energy to deactivate the barrier, and opened the door.

Seeing Jiang Ping'an, Meng Jing put her hands on her hips and laughed, "Haha, Wood, I've awakened a very powerful talent and am now a Martial Artist!"

She didn't know why, but she particularly wanted to share this news with him.

"Congratulations." Jiang Ping'an smiled.

"What, so calm? Don't you want to ask what talent it is?" Meng Jing was a bit disappointed.

"Whatever the talent, there will always be someone with a stronger talent. You must remain humble and diligent, taking one step at a time in your cultivation, and not be greedy..."

"Okay, okay, why are you so nagging like my dad?" Meng Jing covered her ears, not wanting to listen.

Jiang Ping'an shook his head helplessly. This little girl was still so mischievous.

Meng Jing pulled Jiang Ping'an's hand, "Come, let's go eat. The maid sister said there are many sweets in the cafeteria."

No matter what talent she had awakened, her greedy nature remained unchanged.

Meng Jing skipped to the dining area, her ponytail bouncing.

It might have been mealtime, as there were many people there.

A few young men and women with astonishing auras were particularly noticeable, standing out from the crowd.

But when Meng Jing entered, she immediately drew the attention of these people.

"Look! That girl is the one who caused the heavenly thunder phenomenon not long ago!"

"I heard she has a Thunder Spirit Body, the bloodline of the ancient Thunder Family!"

"The Thunder Family! That ancient family?"

Jiang Ping'an had heard the thunder while cultivating but hadn't paid much attention. Hearing the discussion around him, he realized it was Meng Jing who had caused it.

Controlling thunder? So terrifying?

At that moment, a young man in a golden robe walked over, exuding an aura of a superior, and with a very handsome appearance.

He smiled at Meng Jing, "Miss Meng, I am Feng Yuchen, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. My father is the patriarch of the Dragon Profound Sect, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator."

"Three thousand years ago, a senior in our family obtained a strand of dragon bloodline, and I have already activated it."