Immortality begins with exchanging talent attributes.

Looking at the manual in his hand, Zhou Yan didn't stand on ceremony this time and put it directly into his pocket.

"Thank you, sir!"

Lu Qingshuang nodded slightly, turned around, and walked towards the exit of the Blackwater Gang's headquarters, casually saying:

"Come with me."

"yes!"

Zhou Yan followed.

Shen Heng was left standing there alone, his face gradually darkening.

……

The night was dark, with only a few rays of moonlight shining through.

The residents nearby had already been awakened by the loud noise, but no one dared to come out.

Walking through the quiet alley, the sounds of the Black-Clad Guards searching the area behind me gradually faded away.

"Zhou Yan, you've practiced twice?"

Lu Qingshuang's cold voice suddenly rang out in the darkness.

coming.

Zhou Yan paused in his steps.

After revealing his full strength, he was certain that Lu Qingshuang would ask this question, and he had been thinking about how to explain it along the way.

He pondered for a moment and then said:

"Yes, it's not that I intentionally concealed it from you, sir. It's just that Senior Mo gave me a few Qi and Blood Pills last time, and I only managed to break through yesterday by sheer luck."

"Qi and Blood Pill?"

Lu Qingshuang paused, turned to look at him, and her eyes, shining brightly in the moonlight, seemed to see right through people's hearts.

Everyone has secrets. I won't deliberately pry into yours, but don't treat people like fools.

Zhou Yan's expression remained unchanged, but his heart sank slightly.

Lu Qingshuang said calmly:

"Although the Qi and Blood Pill is effective, it is not effective enough to enable someone who was only at the first level of cultivation a few days ago to enter the second level in just a few days."

Zhou Yan's mind raced.

Damn.

  

Is he about to be exposed? Why did no one suspect anything when he read novels about it in his past life?

Just as he was thinking about how to make amends, Lu Qingshuang continued:

"You should have mastered the Body Tempering Technique within three months, right? You've already reached the pinnacle of the first stage, but you've also learned a martial art that conceals your aura."

Zhou Yan was slightly taken aback.

Lu Qingshuang looked at him, her tone calm.

"No wonder, when I checked your cultivation level last time, I found your skin to be exceptionally tough. Was it the 'Turtle Breathing Technique' that Senior Mo taught you? You and Senior Mo have known each other for a long time, haven't you?"

To be honest, Zhou Yan was stunned at that moment. Fortunately, it was dark, and he kept his head down so that the other party could not see his interesting expression.

Can a person's imagination really be this strong?

However, since the other party had already come up with a reason for him, he naturally had no reason to expose it.

Zhou Yan's face immediately showed just the right amount of admiration.

"This... you guessed it, sir. You are truly quick-witted and insightful. My admiration for you is like a surging river, ever-flowing..."

Lu Qingshuang glanced at him.

Don't give me that.

Zhou Yan immediately shut up.

"Enough with the nonsense. Zhou Yan, you're talented. I can tell you seem to have some resistance to our Black-Clad Guards, but I won't force you."

She paused for a moment.

"But Qingzhou City is too small and won't be good for your future development. After I finish dealing with things here in a month, I will return to the prefectural city. I hope you can come with me. You have one month to consider it."

After saying that, Lu Qingshuang turned and walked away alone.

Based on the recent series of events, her suspicion of Zhou Yan gradually turned into a kind of admiration.

Bold yet meticulous, and with considerable talent, Chen Lie's death in the line of duty has left her with no one else to rely on. If this young man could come with her and be properly trained, he would undoubtedly become a valuable asset.

Of course, it doesn't matter if they don't come; the Black-Clad Guards have no shortage of talent.

……

Looking at Lu Qingshuang disappearing into the darkness, Zhou Yan felt a mix of emotions.

Although this woman is a bit aloof, she actually has a good heart and is quite generous to herself.

Working under someone else's authority is not necessarily a bad thing.

Although it's a bit dangerous, the monthly salary of the Black-Clad Guards must be substantial, and there's also a chance to obtain advanced martial arts techniques.

And he hadn't forgotten that he only had a little over five years left to live.

What could be more "dangerous" than approaching the end of one's lifespan?

Thinking of this, he raised his hand, and the panel appeared.

[The power of nine oxen and two tigers (blue) has been fused. Fusion requires six hours.]

"Merge!"

The moment the thought crossed his mind, a reaction even more intense than when he fused with copper skin and iron bones suddenly occurred.

Underneath the prison uniform, his muscles began to contract continuously, and a series of soft cracking sounds emanated from deep within his bones.

It felt like something was slowly squeezing into his flesh and bones.

"Why is the reaction so strong this time? There wasn't much of a reaction when we fused with the Hundred Auras last time!"

Cursing inwardly, Zhou Yan gritted his teeth, enduring the strange sensations in his body, and headed home, choosing his direction.

Throughout the journey, he used "Hundred Changes of Breath" to suppress the changes in his body, making him appear no different from an ordinary person.

Ever since he discovered the true use of "copper skin and iron bones", he has been wondering if "ever-changing aura" also has other hidden functions.

During this time, he has been consciously or unconsciously studying this talent.

However, one thing after another has happened these past few days, leaving him no time to calm down and explore carefully.

As soon as he arrived at his doorstep, Zhou Yan trembled slightly as he took out his key and was about to insert it into the lock.

boom!

A tremendous force slammed into his back from behind.

The immense impact caused Zhou Yan to smash open the courtyard gate, crash into the yard, roll on the ground, and finally stop after hitting a pile of firewood against the wall.

The stack of firewood suddenly tipped over and landed on him.

"You're back so early?"

A rough, hoarse voice rang out from outside the courtyard.

"Luckily I arrived early."

A burly figure strode into the courtyard.

The man was tall, his face was covered with a black cloth, and he was carrying a heavy iron hammer.

After he entered the room, he first glanced in the direction of Zhou Yan, who was buried under the firewood.

Seeing no response, he gave a disdainful laugh.

He then looked around the courtyard, seemingly searching for something valuable.

After taking a full-force blow from him, what chance did he have of surviving?

Just as he was thinking this, the next moment...

Whoosh!

A sound came from behind him. He raised his eyebrows and turned around to look.

The target, who should have been hammered to death, slowly straightened up, head bowed, and a deep voice came from behind.

"You broke my door."

He looked somewhat surprised, but didn't seem to care too much. If one blow wasn't enough, then two would do; it would only take a few. He walked over, saying as he went:

"Kid, why are you making things difficult for yourself?"

But the other party seemed to have been stunned and repeated the same sentence again.

"You broke my door!"

"Heh, a door?"

A sinister smile spread across his face.

His arm muscles bulged, and he swung the giant hammer in a half-circle, aiming straight for the opponent's head.

Zhou Yan stood still, without dodging.

He simply raised one hand.

boom!

The hammer struck the palm of his hand.

A dull thud echoed in the courtyard.

The burly man's cold smile, hidden behind the black cloth, froze instantly.

The other person raised their head slightly, and a pair of calm, bloodshot eyes looked over.

His gaze was calm, but for some reason, a feeling of fear suddenly welled up in his heart.

He strained his arm, trying to pull the hammer back.

But suddenly, an immense, overwhelming force came from his arm.

The giant hammer slipped from his hand instantly, and the hammer handle rubbed two bloody marks directly onto his palm.

A sharp pain struck.

But before he could even cry out in pain...

next moment.

Click!

With a sound of bones grinding together, his gaze suddenly spun around.

Before he died, he had a lot of dirty words he wanted to say.

"Damn it, can't the mission information be a little more accurate?! Is this supposed to be a training exercise?"

boom.

The body of the burly man wielding the hammer lay in the courtyard.

Zhou Yan looked at the corpse, his hands trembling slightly.

It wasn't fear, but rather the stimulation generated by the fusion of talents.

"Who the hell sent this? The Blackwater Gang has already been wiped out, who else would want to kill me?"

Zhou Yan was furious.

This is endless. What did he, a mere prison guard, do to deserve this?

However, the blow the other party had just delivered actually made him feel quite better.

This feeling made him worry that he might have masochistic tendencies.

Gritting his teeth, Zhou Yan searched the corpse thoroughly and found a small wooden plaque and a money bag. Without having time to examine them closely, he hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder and turned to leave.

After a while.

After throwing the body into the same drainage ditch as before, Zhou Yan quickly returned home.

He propped the door panel up against the gate with two sticks, deciding to leave it like this for the night, since he couldn't sleep anyway in his current state.

It was getting late, and the physical activity of forging his body was too intense, but the energy generated by fusing his new talent was constantly tormenting him.

So he started practicing his collarbone grappling technique in the yard.

There was nothing he could do; the stimulation he was experiencing made him completely indifferent to the newly acquired manual, "Tiger Subduing Fist."

The only way to relieve the restlessness in the body is to practice grappling techniques.

As time passed, a hint of dawn gradually appeared.

I glanced at the time on the panel.

There are four hours left.

Zhou Yan stopped what he was doing, picked up the meteor hammer beside him, and thought that now that it was daylight, it shouldn't disturb the neighbors anymore.

……