Chapter 4

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Hmm…”

As the saying went, hurt yourself first and then hurt others later. It wasn’t just a casual remark. As the fist technique was activated, Song Ankang felt his entire skin starting to hurt. Faint traces of blood appeared under his skin.

“Boom…”

Song Ankang threw a punch, which made quite a loud sound. He ruthlessly knocked over the wooden dummy in the training room. The power was impressive. It was comparable to the attack of a Flesh Realm martial artist, or even stronger.

However, Song Ankang didn’t have it easy delivering such a powerful punch. Every part of his body was aching, and many parts of his skin were beginning to crack.

Even though he really wanted to punch again, his body was in so much pain that he couldn’t take it anymore. Song Ankang collapsed to the ground, feeling the pain all over his body. He almost fainted.

“You have used the Seven Wounds Demonic Sutra. Because of the side effects of the Seven Wounds Demonic Sutra, your entire body’s membrane has been damaged… The Life-Defying Heavenly Manual has taken effect. It is currently absorbing energy from the outside world and is about to transform into a side effect. Please wait a moment!”

Looking at the notification on the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual, Song Ankang’s face was filled with bitterness. ‘Friend, don’t be so deceitful!’

Right now, his entire body was aching. He urgently needed the help of the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual, but in the end, the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual needed to replenish its energy. Why didn’t it say so earlier? It wouldn’t be too late to use the Seven Wounds Demonic Sutra’s fighting style after the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual stored enough energy.

Not only that, but the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual was a wondrous treasure that could travel through the myriad worlds of the universe. Shouldn’t it store an endless amount of energy?

A piece of notification from the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual appeared in Song Ankang’s mind just as he thought of that. It turned out that the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual was a mystical item that could grow. It was fused with Song Ankang the moment it was born, and it didn’t have time to grow.

Song Ankang was the first and only man that had the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual!

In the future, the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual would grow as Song Ankang’s strength increased. For the time being, it didn’t have the ability to store energy on its own. The speed at which it absorbed external energy was also because Song Ankang’s strength was too weak.

When the side effects were small, the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual would be able to absorb energy from the outside world while converting the side effects into positive effects. If the side effects were large, then the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual’s ability to store energy would be triggered. It would require a certain amount of time to absorb and accumulate energy, and then display a corresponding effect.

However, as Song Ankang’s strength increased, the Fate-Defying Heaven Manual would also increase. In the future, it would slowly gain more functions and the speed at which it absorbed external energy would also increase.

Only then did Song Ankang realize what was going on. He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had fused with the original owner’s soul and absorbed the side effects of the Seven Wounds Demonic Sutra’s cultivation method, increasing his mental strength by quite a bit, he would have fainted from the pain.

An unknown amount of time passed. Just as Song Ankang was about to fall asleep, an unknown source of energy appeared out of nowhere. It healed Song Ankang’s injured skin at an extremely fast speed and began to temper his skin.

“The Fate-Defying Heaven Manual has accumulated enough energy and is beginning to play a role… your wounds are being healed, your blood vitality is increasing, your skin is strengthening!”

A few hours had passed, and Song Ankang was numb from the pain. The Fate-Defying Heaven Manual was finally beginning to take effect.

Song Ankang cried tears of joy. His strength increased, a smile appeared on his face as he felt the pain that quickly disappeared.

With the feedback from the side effects, Song Ankang’s realm quickly broke through the Skin realm.

The path that other cultivators needed months, or even longer to walk, Song Ankang only used two days and was about to break through.

Song Ankang heaved a sigh of relief. At that moment, he heard someone knocking on the door again. “Young master, are you inside? It’s already so late. Why haven’t you returned to your room to rest?”

It was already late at night. Song Ankang was surprised. He got up and was about to open the door when he saw some red marks on his clothes. They were the marks of blood seeping out of his skin.

Song Ankang quickly took off his training clothes and wiped off the blood on his body. He changed into another set of clothes and opened the door, revealing Qiu Shi’s anxious face. “Young master, what are you doing? Why have you been in the training room for so long? Are you still unwilling to give up and still want to try out your cultivation path?”

“That’s right. Even though my talent is a little lacking, hard work does not disappoint. As long as I work hard, I believe I can still master something,” Song Ankang said with a smile.

Even though Qiu Shi wanted to tell him that he had tried many times and had always returned disappointed, she looked at Song Ankang’s bright eyes and said, “Alright, I’ll treat it as a pastime. But you have to be careful, don’t hurt your body.”

“Don’t worry, I know.” Song Ankang nodded and walked towards the nearby bedroom.

Qiu Shi relaxed and skipped along beside Song Ankang. She looked very happy. “Instructor Jiang should be back tomorrow. When the time comes, Instructor Jiang will bring me to the storeroom and ask Liu Yuanqing for the five-year ginseng.”

“It’s a pity that this isn’t our Tang Family’s mansion. If it was in the capital, we might be able to get some 100-year-old ginseng from Eldest Miss to nourish Young Master. Eldest Miss is very concerned about the Young Master.”

The two buns on Qiu Shi’s head bounced slightly with movements. It could be seen that her master was in a good mood, and her tender and fair little face was glowing in the dark night.

This was actually his personal chambermaid. Song Ankang could basically determine her life and death. He couldn’t believe it even as he thought about it.

When they arrived at the bedroom, Qiu Shi swiftly tidied up the room for Song Ankang. The room was neither dirty nor messy. It was obvious that Qiu Shi had already cleaned up during the day and was only a little tidying up to do.

Qiu Shi helped Song Ankang take off his clothes and shoes quickly. Song Ankang was not used to it. He had never been served like this before, and his partner was a young girl who could captivate anything.

“Young Master’s body seems to have gotten stronger and your complexion is rosier. If I had known that the effects of ginseng and medicinal cuisine were so good, I would have nourished you earlier.”

After taking off his clothes and shoes, Qiu Shi ignored Song Ankang’s objection and began to carefully untie his hair so that he could sleep more comfortably. “What happened to the Young Master today? You feel weird. Don’t move around, Young Master. You will be fine soon.”

Song Ankang calmed down hearing Qiu Shi’s words. The memories of the host body and Qiu Shi together appeared in his mind. He tried his best to imitate Qiu Shi so that people wouldn’t suspect him.

Qiu Shi began to unbutton her clothes after Song Ankang lied down. Song Ankang was still a little anxious even though his heart was thumping away. According to his memory, Qiu Shi hadn’t slept with the host body yet. What was she doing?

“It’s so hot in the summer. It’s only just begun and it’s already so hot. How are we going to live? The drought this year is getting worse.”

Qiu Shi stopped halfway through the buttons. Only then did Song Ankang heave a sigh of relief. He thought they were going to sleep together, but unexpectedly… Song Ankang felt a little tinge of regret for some reason.