5: War God Body

Gu Changge looked up at the Disciples in the square. Just then, his eyes warmed slightly, and a strange power surged into them.

He knew this was the Eye of Illusory Breaking's effect manifesting early.

Immediately, information about each Disciple in the square appeared before him like a panel:

Name: Zhao Hu

Age: Sixteen

Talent: Low Grade Mortal Rank

Physique: Mortal Body

Comprehension Ability: Average

Heart-Nature: Honest and Naive

Name: Lin Wan'er

Age: Fourteen

Talent: Low Grade Spirit Rank

Physique: Mortal Body

Comprehension Ability: High Grade

Heart-Nature: Gentle on the outside, firm on the inside

Name: Wang Chen

Age: Seventeen

Talent: High Grade Spirit Rank

Physique: Mortal Body

Comprehension Ability: Average

Heart-Nature: Impatient and Impulsive

Gu Changge's gaze swept across the square. In the strange vision brought by the Eye of Illusory Breaking, the Aptitude and Physiques of the young men and women flowed like fleeting light.

High Grade Spirit Rank Lightning Spiritual Root, Peak Mortal Rank Sword Bone... Most were raw jade that could be carved, but none met the System's requirement for Saint-Grade Aptitude.

“Saint-Grade Aptitude is indeed rare,” he muttered to himself, preparing to withdraw his gaze, but his sight suddenly stopped at the edge of the square.

Name: Xiao Ruobai

Age: Fifteen

Talent: Emperor-Grade Aptitude

Physique: War God Body (Incomplete, Not Awakened)

Comprehension Ability: Heaven-Defying

Heart-Nature: Forbearing and Resilient

Gu Changge's pupils contracted slightly.

War God Body?

He had seen records of this Physique in ancient texts signed in by the System. It was the strongest Physique specializing in slaughter in ancient times. After reaching adulthood, it could shake gods and demons with its Physical Body and break all techniques with a single punch, a true Emperor-Grade Aptitude.

But the word “Incomplete” before his eyes was smeared on the Physique column like a stain, looking particularly glaring.

“System, why is this War God Body Incomplete?” he asked in his mind.

“Detected that the target was once ambushed by a Natal Gu, and his Innate Origin was damaged, leading to incomplete Physique development,” the System's voice remained calm. “It requires Innate Spirit Marrow to expel the toxins and the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill to complete the Incomplete Physique before it can be repaired.”

The young man lowered his eyelids, his long eyelashes casting a shadow beneath his eyes. Though only fifteen or sixteen, his back was as straight as a spear, exuding a composure unsuited for his age.

Gu Changge understood, his gaze falling on the cold light hidden in the young man's eyes.

This gaze was not like that of an innocent child, but rather like a blade tempered in blood.

Gu Changge stroked his chin, pondering.

Taking this young man as a Disciple seemed like a good choice. A War God Body, unlimited potential, and judging by his Heart-Nature, he wasn't the type to cause trouble.

However, he still hesitated.

Taking a Disciple meant an added responsibility, and he probably wouldn't be as leisurely as he was now.

His fingertips moved slightly, and the Eye of Illusory Breaking's vision quietly extended. Fragmented images of the young man's past flashed like a revolving lantern—

Xuan Province Southern Domain, Great Yan Dynasty.

The red candles in the Generals Mansion had not yet burned out, but the delivery room was filled with a strong smell of blood.

When General Xiao Zhan, covered in blood, burst in, he only saw his wife lying in a pool of blood, her breath gone. The infant in the swaddling clothes, however, miraculously opened his eyes, neither crying nor fussing.

That was the newborn Xiao Ruobai. Xiao Zhan was the guardian god of the Great Yan Dynasty, holding heavy troops and deterring all sides. However, his achievements overshadowed the emperor, making him a thorn in the emperor's side.

While he was away fighting, a secret order infiltrated the Generals Mansion. A silver needle, poisoned with a Natal Gu, silently pierced the pregnant woman's heart, making the fetus in her womb a target as well.

Perhaps by fate, the poisoned needle shifted slightly. Xiao Ruobai survived, but his Origin was corroded by the Natal Gu's Yin-cold Qi.

“Investigate! Investigate for me!”

Xiao Zhan's roar shook dust from the beams.

He was the guardian god of the Great Yan Dynasty, never losing a single one of seventeen fierce battles in the northern border. The long spear in his hand could suppress millions of barbarians, yet he couldn't protect his wife and child.

For the next three years, the Generals Mansion's secret agents spread throughout the court and the public. Everyone connected to the delivery room, from concubines in the imperial harem to important officials in the former court, was thoroughly investigated.

But that poisoned silver needle seemed to have appeared out of thin air. All clues eventually led to dead ends.

It wasn't until the deep autumn of the third year that the truth was finally learned from a dying old eunuch.

But by this time, Xiao Zhan no longer had the strength to overturn the table.

To prolong Xiao Ruobai's life, he had almost exhausted his military prestige, and the Spirit Medicine he sought everywhere had emptied his family's coffers.

The emperor, under the pretext of rewarding military merits, transferred his elite troops to the southern border, completely stripping him of his military power.

On the streets outside the mansion, there were more patrolling imperial guards than his own personal guards.

“Father...”

Three-year-old Xiao Ruobai coughed in his cradle, his small face turning purple.

The Natal Gu's Yin-cold Qi was slowly corroding his Meridians. Let alone Cultivating, even running and jumping were more strenuous for him than for ordinary children.

Xiao Zhan looked at his son's frail appearance, swallowing the bloody taste that had reached his mouth.

He took off his helmet, sealed the long spear that had drunk the blood of countless barbarians into the armory, and submitted his resignation the next day.

“Your Majesty, I, Xiao Zhan, am willing to retire to my fields and seek a doctor to prolong my son's life.”

In the Golden Imperial Hall, the emperor feigned reluctance for a few words, then immediately reclaimed his last military power.

Xiao Zhan thought that if he completely surrendered his power, the Imperial Dynasty would surely spare him and his son.

However, he was wrong.

When Xiao Ruobai was thirteen, the cold rain of deep autumn tapped against the dilapidated windows of the Generals Mansion.

A group of black-clad men, wielding standard long sabers, scaled the wall and entered. The Dragon patterns on their scabbards gleamed coldly in the night rain—that was the insignia of the Imperial Dynasty's personal army.

“Xiao Zhan, Your Majesty has decreed to send you and your son to the Yellow Springs.”

The leading general sneered, his long saber slashing towards Xiao Ruobai.

“You scoundrel!”

Xiao Zhan fiercely shielded his son behind him, meeting the blade with his bare hands.

He hadn't touched a weapon in years, but the War God's instincts from the northern border remained. He shattered the opponent's wrist with a single punch.

But there were too many black-clad men. Blades surged from all directions, quickly carving deep, bone-visible wounds on his back.

Finally, Xiao Zhan, risking his life, sent Xiao Ruobai out of the Great Yan Dynasty.

After ensuring his son's safety, Xiao Zhan closed his eyes, and a generation's War God thus met his end!

Xiao Ruobai looked at his father's corpse. For the first time, the thirteen-year-old boy knew what it meant to hate to the bone.

Those people not only killed his mother, killed his father, but also wanted to exterminate their entire family!

But he couldn't die.

Father used his life to let him live; he had to get revenge.

For the next three years, Xiao Ruobai became a refugee in the Xuan Province.

He went to the Blazing Fire Sect, where he was whipped out by the Disciple guarding the gate, who cursed him as a Low Grade Mortal Rank waste for daring to seek apprenticeship.

He knelt outside the Pill King Valley for three days and three nights, only to be told he was born Incomplete and would be difficult to achieve greatness... Mockery pricked his bones like needles, but hardship hardened his spine.

He learned to roll in the mud, learned to bow his head amidst ridicule, but his clenched fists never loosened.

He wanted to live, to become strong, strong enough to drag down those high and mighty Imperial Dynasty members one by one and grind their bones to dust!