Immortality begins with exchanging talent attributes.

Zhou Yan smiled broadly and clasped his hands in greeting:

"Brother Dao, what brings you here? What's this...?"

"Ha, pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth."

Scarface chuckled, interrupting Zhou Yan, and slowly walked to a stone stool at the entrance of the alley and sat down.

"Young Zhou, I've already taken good care of you since I only arrived today. It's time for your Zhou family to pay back the money they owe."

Zhou Yan's heart tightened; what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

Scarface, a Blackwater Gang deacon!

The Blackwater Gang is one of the gangs in Qingzhou City, specializing in loan sharking and protection money collection.

Before his death, Zhou's father had spent all his savings and had nowhere else to borrow from in order for Zhou Yan to be able to take over his job smoothly. So he had no choice but to borrow some money from the scarred man.

Now, what news have they heard that they've come to collect the debt?

"Brother Dao, my father promised you he would lend you ten taels of silver, to be returned in a year. There are still more than half a year left..."

Zhou Yan smiled flatteringly, but was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"That's true, but it depends on the situation. Your father didn't say you wouldn't even pass the assessment."

Scarface sat on a stone stool to the side, picking at his ear, his face full of sarcasm.

"You didn't even tell me about something this important beforehand. What if you died? Where am I supposed to get the money?"

"You're joking, Scarface. I, Zhou Yan, am definitely not the kind of person who borrows money and doesn't pay it back."

And who told you I wouldn't pass the assessment? That's utter nonsense.

Zhou Yan's expression was calm, and his tone was resolute.

Scarface glanced at Zhou Yan, and seeing that Zhou Yan looked calm and composed, not like he was lying, he hesitated.

Although the other party was just a low-ranking prison guard, he was still a government official. If the other party could pass the test, it was not appropriate to force him too much.

He glanced at his underlings behind him and gave them a meaningful look.

The tall, thin thug behind him immediately understood, took two steps forward, and shouted loudly:

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"Zhou kid, stop talking nonsense. Look at you, all sickly and weak, practicing martial arts?"

Without saying another word, he punched Zhou Yan in the chest.

Zhou Yan instinctively raised his arm to block.

The two arms collided.

A crisp "snap" sounded.

It was the sound of bones colliding, and Scarface and the others were all waiting to see Zhou Yan scream in agony.

Zhou Yan remained standing there with his hand raised, without moving an inch, while the henchman cried out in pain, took two steps back, clutched his fist, and sat down on the ground with a thud.

Seeing this, another henchman shouted.

"You're asking for death! You dare to hide a weapon?" He then drew a wooden stick from his waist and swung it fiercely at Zhou Yan.

In his opinion, this young man surnamed Zhou must have some kind of iron weapon hidden in his sleeve, otherwise it would be impossible for him to be unharmed.

The blow came swiftly. Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed. Lacking any fighting experience, he only had time to tilt his head before the wooden stick slammed into his shoulder.

With a bang, the wooden stick broke.

The force came, and Zhou Yan's body swayed, but the expected excruciating pain did not come.

Zhou Yan only felt a slight pain in the skin and flesh of his shoulder, and then that was it.

"..."

"..."

There was a moment of silence.

Once he came to his senses, Zhou Yan raised his hand, brushed the wood chips off his shoulder, and looked calmly at his stunned underling.

The younger brother was still in the swinging stance when he inadvertently met Zhou Yan's gaze.

A nameless sense of fear arose spontaneously.

For a moment, even the household registration book, which had been cracked by the excessive force of the wooden stick, did not react.

The two remaining henchmen exchanged a glance, both seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes and their heads filled with question marks.

"It's fake, isn't it?"

"This kid isn't a good-for-nothing. Is he going to move some corpses?"

"Alright! What are you doing? Brother Zhou is a member of the county government, how dare you lay a hand on him?"

Scarface suddenly spoke up, stood up, and slapped away the underling who was still standing dumbfounded in front of Zhou Yan.

"Useless trash!"

The slap sent him flying more than two meters away, crashing into the stone walls on either side before coming to a stop, where he was completely knocked unconscious.

Zhou Yan's pupils contracted.

That scarred man's strength is extraordinary; he's definitely a martial artist!

Scarface revealed his sinister smile again, his scars on his face contorted in a terrifying manner, and slowly said.

"Brother Zhou, the kids are ignorant, please don't take it to heart. I'll teach them a lesson later."

"But the money still needs to be repaid. How about this: we agreed that you would borrow ten taels and repay fifteen taels after one year. Now I'll give you another month. After one month, you will repay me thirteen taels, including the principal and interest."

"Thank you for your understanding, Scarface. I will personally deliver the money to you in a month."

Zhou Yan cupped his hands in greeting, feeling a slight sense of relief.

Scarface gave Zhou Yan a deep look and said:

"Well done, Brother Zhou, your kung fu is pretty good. Let's go!"

He then turned and beckoned everyone to walk out of the courtyard gate.

Several henchmen supported each other, followed Scarface with their heads down, and remained silent.

"Take care, Brother Dao."

Zhou Yan saw the group off with a smile.

He watched Scarface and his companions walk away until their figures disappeared at the alley entrance.

Zhou Yan's smile slowly faded, knowing that he had passed this hurdle, but new problems were about to arise.

money!

He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and muttered to himself.

"Damn it, I never thought that even after transmigrating, I'd still have to pay off a loan."

However, the brief exchange just now gave him a better understanding of his new talent.

This "copper skin and iron bones," which were not yet fully integrated, had already made his skin and bones exceptionally tough; when a wooden stick was hit, it didn't even break his skin.

Although it was partly due to those two rascals not knowing martial arts and not being strong, compared to my former self, I have changed a lot.

……

Back home, Zhou Yan closed the front door.

I looked up at the sky and estimated that it would be noon.

He hasn't eaten since last night, and his body is already undergoing a transformation. He had just exercised, and he was starving.

He strode to the kitchen, cooked the remaining brown rice, and then, relying on his memory, went to the bedroom and took out all the money hidden under the bed. He counted it and squinted.

Three taels of silver.

While Zhou Yan was in prison, his monthly salary was eight qian. In addition, his father left him some money after his death, and the original owner of this body saved up three liang by living frugally.

After learning about his situation yesterday, he even planned that if he were really sent to the Corpse-Dragging Cave, he would find a way to get money and escape.

Although there's a high probability we can't escape, we can't just wait to die.

But things are different now.

He can now practice martial arts.

But practicing martial arts requires eating meat, and eating only brown rice and vegetables is simply not enough to meet the body's nutritional needs.

Gritting his teeth, Zhou Yan took out one tael of silver from his purse, went out to a street shop, and spent a lot of money to buy some meat, brown rice, eggs, and other food.

……

At noon, Zhou Yan, having eaten and drunk his fill, sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, his eyes fixed on the panel above his hand.

After a while.

【Fusion is complete! 】

[Talent Attribute: Iron Skin and Bones (Green)]

Your skin is cast in bronze, your bones in iron. Among the eighteen bronze statues, you deserve a place.

Age: 16

[Remaining lifespan: 10 years and 2 months]

The moment the talent fusion was completed, a vast and powerful force swept through his limbs and bones.

Zhou Yan suddenly stood up and, with his hands out of control, tore his tattered clothes apart.

His originally thin and frail body underwent constant expansion and contraction of muscles.

Wisps of white heat billowed from the pores of his body, carrying with them dark impurities accumulated within.

A series of aching and stinging pains came, no longer the slowly increasing pleasant sensation, but rather strangely unbearable.

Zhou Yan gritted his teeth and subconsciously swung his fists and feet, involuntarily unleashing the body tempering techniques from his memory.

Once, twice, three times...

After countless attempts, he unleashed a final punch into the air ahead.

"Snapped!"

A loud bang suddenly erupted, the force of the punch was as sharp as a long whip cutting through the air, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.

The sudden sound startled Zhou Yan slightly. His chest heaved as he breathed heavily, slowly withdrawing his fist, his eyes filled with shock.

Silently feeling the warm current that had suddenly appeared within my body.

What is this?

After a moment's thought, his eyes widened suddenly, and he whispered incredulously:

"Could it be... that I can sense the flow of qi and blood?"

Martial arts training is incredibly difficult!

Ordinary people, without the right method, will find it difficult to even get started, even if they practice diligently for months.

But right after he fused with his talent, in that short period of time, he directly skipped over the initial stage that the original owner had been seeking but could not achieve, and reached the minor completion stage!

I sensed the flow of Qi and blood!

fast!

It's incredibly fast!

It is important to know that sensing the flow of Qi and blood signifies that one has officially entered the path of martial arts.

Is this the true value of a green talent?

Zhou Yan blinked, feeling the faint flow of qi and blood within his body, then clenched his fist tightly and threw another punch.

...