Chapter 28 Night Tour of the Longjiang River, the Red Gauze Finally Completed

Late at night, on the outskirts of Longnan City.

This was a tributary bay of the Long River, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, with only the turbulent river water shimmering under the moonlight.

Reeds grew thickly on both banks, and the surroundings were quiet and deserted, making it the perfect 'secluded training' spot Li Ang had meticulously chosen.

Li Ang stood on a reef by the bank, the night wind rustling his hair.

He looked around, confirming once more that there were no surveillance cameras or pedestrians, then slowly removed his clothes.

Under the moonlight, the young man's body was exceptionally well-built, with symmetrical muscles, presenting an extremely taut and streamlined feel. Every line seemed to contain explosive power capable of tearing apart tigers and leopards.

Li Ang changed into black swimming trunks, took a deep breath, and circulated his Qi and blood slightly within his body, dispelling the chill of the night wind.

"Whoosh—"

With a soft sound, he leaped, like a white fish, silently submerging into the cold river water.

The moment he entered the water, a bone-chilling coldness assailed him from all directions, but this did not make Li Ang retreat. Instead, it made his mind clearer than ever before.

He held his breath and dived along the current until he reached a large rock at the bottom of the river, where he sat down cross-legged.

"It's time to completely bid farewell to the past. System, add points!"

He silently recited in his mind, and the long-awaited light screen reappeared.

[Rewards to be extracted: Martial Arts Realm]

Description: Contains the Peak cultivation of Ninth Stage of Qi and Blood (Crimson Gauze Realm), the Profound Water Spirit Body reshaped by the dimensional secret treasure 'Heavenly River Lotus', and the Acquired Water-elemental Ability.

"Extract!"

As his thought landed, an indescribably vast energy instantly exploded within Li Ang's body!

Boom—!!!

If extracting the Seventh Stage before was like a small stream flowing in, this time, it was like the Milky Way pouring down!

The first thing to change was his blood.

Within his originally crimson blood, countless tiny blue light dots suddenly emerged.

These light dots were like living spirits.

They furiously devoured the last bit of medicinal toxins and Impurities remaining on the blood vessel walls, injecting a vibrant and spiritual power into every cell.

Immediately after, an anomaly occurred.

Behind him, where he sat cross-legged, the dark and silent riverbed suddenly glowed with a faint blue light.

The river water automatically parted, and a giant, crystal-clear 'heavenly river water lotus' phantom slowly emerged.

It gently swayed in the turbulent current, each petal seemingly condensed from the purest Water Element Law, and a heart-palpitating sacred aura emanated from its stamens.

Even at the bottom of this murky river, it remained unstained by the mud, so pure that one dared not look directly at it.

As the water lotus fully bloomed, countless blue streams of light peeled off its petals like ribbons, gently coiling around Li Ang's body, and finally seeping into his pores little by little.

Li Ang's skin began to undergo a qualitative change.

It took on a warm, jade-like texture, faintly shimmering with water.

That was the Profound Water Spirit Body, reshaped by the dimensional secret treasure!

The river water seemed to be summoned, rushing towards him furiously, not to drown him, but to cheer as it merged into his body, becoming a part of his strength!

"Gurgle gurgle..."

Li Ang subconsciously opened his mouth, and the cold river water poured in.

This time, there was no suffocating pain.

The power named Profound Water Spirit Body formed a microscopic filter between his throat and lungs.

The oxygen in the river water was instantly stripped away, directly merging into his blood.

He breathed underwater as naturally as he did on land!

And this was just the beginning.

The most drastic change occurred in his Dantian Qi Sea.

The originally turbulent Qi and blood, surging like wolf smoke, instantly seemed to be injected with a softening agent upon contact with this water-elemental power.

That 'restless Qi' that could not be compressed no matter what, was slowly smoothed out, liquefied, and refined.

The Qi and blood spun wildly in his Meridians, then suddenly contracted, transforming into a layer of red gauze, as thin as a cicada's wing yet tough, clinging tightly to Li Ang's body surface.

Ninth Stage of Qi and Blood—Crimson Gauze Cloaking!

Moreover, faint blue light flowed within this layer of Crimson Gauze—that was the fusion of Profound Water and blood-fire, combining both rigidity and flexibility!

"Is this... the power of the Ninth Stage?"

Li Ang opened his eyes, and deep within his originally dark pupils, faint blue ripples flowed.

He gently clenched his fist.

Bang!

The surrounding water pressure was instantly pushed away, forming a vacuum bubble.

An unprecedented sense of power filled his entire body.

At this moment, he even felt he could break the river current with a single punch!

"Let's try the ability."

With a thought, Li Ang made a grasping motion in the Void Realm with his right hand.

Splash!

The turbulent river current paused for an instant, then gathered in his palm, forming a rapidly spinning water ball.

"Go!"

He waved his hand casually.

The water ball shot out like a cannonball, exploding dozens of meters away at the riverbed, stirring up a towering column of water, and even stunning several unlucky large fish.

"Controlling water is effortless, and its power is even greater than I imagined."

Li Ang swam freely in the water.

Now, he not only faced no resistance in the water but his speed was doubled.

He was like a fish that had truly transformed into a Dragon, darting through the depths of the Long River. That feeling of freedom and control swept away the gloom that had accumulated in his heart these past few days.

After swimming for half an hour, Li Ang surfaced and lay on a smooth reef, eroded by the river water, allowing the cool river water to wash over his body.

Looking at the cold, bright moon above, the excitement from his Breakthrough gradually cooled in his eyes.

He began to plan his next steps in his mind.

First, talent exchange.

He opened the System panel, looking at the 300 destiny points and the rows of entries in the [Talent Library].

[Passerby A (Green)], [Social Awkwardness (Blue)], [Tireless Teacher (Green)]...

But his gaze finally settled on a blue entry—[Blade Path Genius (Blue)].

"System, how many points are needed to exchange for [Blade Path Genius (Blue)]?"

[Talent Exchange Price List is as follows:]

[Gray Talent: 20 points]

[White Talent: 50 points]

[Green Talent: 150 points]

[Blue Talent: 500 points]

[Purple and above: Insufficient authority, not yet unlocked]

Seeing that a Blue Talent required 500 points, Li Ang frowned.

But then, the System popped up another notification.

[Detected that the host temporarily obtained this talent before, activating 'first-time binding discount', current price: 250 points.]

"250 points... Although it's still expensive, it's definitely worth it!"

Li Ang didn't hesitate.

"Although my Basic Saber Technique has reached Major Achievement, that was painstakingly grinded out over more than ten years in the simulator."

He knew very well that he wasn't a true Blade Path Genius. To cultivate the Basic Saber Technique to Perfection in the future, and even comprehend his own killing moves, hard work alone wouldn't be enough; he needed the enhancement of talent.

"Exchange!"

[Exchange successful. You have consumed 250 destiny points.]

[Exchange successful. You have consumed 250 destiny points, and the permanent talent [Blade Path Genius (Blue)] has been bound. Remaining destiny points: 50.]

The moment the talent was bound, Li Ang felt his understanding of 'blade techniques' instantly elevate by a level.

Second, concealment and development.

"Ninth Stage of Qi and Blood, Crimson Gauze Cloaking, plus an Acquired ability... this is too conspicuous."

Li Ang frowned.

At school, he had to continue maintaining the persona of a 'Qi and Blood Seventh Stage' Genius.

"For now, just like in the simulation, I'll temporarily use the characteristics of the Profound Water Spirit Body to hide the red glow of the Crimson Gauze beneath my skin."

"But this is still not safe enough. I need to find a sophisticated Breath Concealment Technique in the black market."

He tried to mobilize the water-elemental power within his body, transforming it into an extremely thin, transparent water film to cover the Crimson Gauze.

Indeed, the originally conspicuous red light gradually faded under the refraction of the water film, eventually leaving only a subtle, profound aura.

"Feasible!"

Third, and most importantly—the Heart-Eroding Cult.

Thinking of that Soaring Realm Expert wearing a ghost mask, whose strength was unfathomable.

In his simulated memories, the immense power with which the opponent could effortlessly manipulate Origin Opening Realm Martial Artists still weighed on him like an insurmountable mountain, almost suffocating him.

That sense of despair from the suppression of a higher life level made him subconsciously clench his fists.

He calmly analyzed the situation.

"The Heart-Eroding Cult's true target should have only been Liu Xiyue from the beginning. I was only temporarily added to their 'hunting list' because I performed too brilliantly in the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination."

"This means... I haven't entered their sight yet!"

The enemy is in the open, I am in the dark.

This was his greatest advantage!

"Confronting a Soaring Realm Expert? I'm not worthy yet."

Li Ang stood up from the reef, his bare upper body gleaming like jade under the moonlight.

"Eat one bite at a time, walk one step at a time."

"Since I know what will happen two years from now, I can completely plan ahead."

"Moreover, I can obtain more information in subsequent simulations."

"For example, find a way to remind Teacher Wu to pay attention to that female teacher named Liu Qing."

"Or even... if it really comes to an irreversible point, in the simulation, I can just transfer schools and take the College Entrance Examination in another city."

Li Ang's thoughts suddenly became clear.

Who said he had to meet force with force? Using intelligence advantage to pull the rug out from under them was the best strategy.

Of course, the prerequisite for all of this was still strength; increasing his Martial Arts Realm in the simulation was the fundamental goal.

"Now, I need to maintain the persona of a Qi and Blood Seventh Stage young Genius at school and deal with the final joint examination.

And while I'm at it... go to the black market to find some good things, preparing for the next simulation."

He put on his clothes and disappeared into the night.