4: Second awakening, peak of blood

The next day, the sun was high in the sky.

The dazzling sunlight streamed onto the bed, and Lu Ming, whose stomach was rumbling, opened his eyes.

Xu Youyou and Xu Lulu’s beautiful faces looked a little haggard, with tear stains at the corners of their eyes, and their delicate skin still showed some red marks.

A trace of pity flashed in Lu Ming’s eyes.

Looking at the 6 kindling points on the system, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

Damn it, I was set up by capital!

Until he officially started cultivating last night, he always thought he had a legitimate system.

He had thought of countless possibilities for obtaining kindling.

But he never expected the way to obtain kindling to be so absurd... and interesting... However, during cultivation, he had to trigger a critical hit to get one kindling point, and Lu Ming, still in the skin-refining stage, almost couldn't endure it.

Seeing that the Twin Sisters were still fast asleep, Lu Ming didn't intend to wake them.

He carefully pulled out his arm, which was being held tightly by Xu Youyou and Xu Lulu.

Unexpectedly, this tiny movement still woke them up.

Xu Youyou’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and her hazy sleepy eyes opened first. Seeing Lu Ming’s face so close, her cheeks instantly flushed.

She instinctively shrank back into the quilt, but bumped into Xu Lulu, who had also woken up beside her.

Thinking of last night's madness, the Twin Sisters looked at each other guiltily, their ears burning red.

“You’re awake? Weren’t you quite bold last night?”

Lu Ming smiled gently, reaching out to smooth the messy hair from Xu Youyou’s forehead, his movements natural and intimate.

“Sleep a little longer? I’ll go prepare breakfast.”

Xu Youyou bit her lip, clutching the corner of the quilt with her small hand, and whispered, “I’ll get up and make you breakfast right away.”

Although she and her sister had already repaid their kindness last night.

But Xu Youyou did not become arrogant because of his favor; instead, she became even more cautious.

If Lu Ming grew tired of them because of this, they would truly have nothing left.

Seeing her so well-behaved and sensible, Lu Ming couldn't help but lightly tap her nose, then kissed each of the Twin Sisters on the cheek.

“Alright, you two were exhausted last night, so get some good rest. I’ll make breakfast!”

Lu Ming’s words were full of doting affection.

The Twin Sisters secretly exchanged another glance.

A sweetness instantly spread through their hearts, sickly sweet, like the candied haws their father used to bring home.

When they looked up again at his chiseled face, the tenderness in their eyes bloomed like peach blossoms.

“Ding, Xu Youyou’s favorability has increased to 50 (Deep Affection), Kindling quantity * 2!”

“Ding, Xu Lulu’s favorability has increased to 50 (Deep Affection), Kindling quantity * 2!”

“Huh? Favorability increased, and the amount of kindling obtained can be doubled?”

Lu Ming’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the two sudden notifications from the system.

Meanwhile, Xu Youyou, as if she had discovered some shocking secret, a hint of fear and shyness flashed in her eyes.

“Husband, wait a moment…”

...Half an hour later.

“Xu Youyou Emotion + 1, Kindling + 2”

“Xu Lulu Emotion + 1, Kindling + 2”

...“Wine and women have made me so haggard; I’ll quit drinking tomorrow!”

After the two mischievous little gluttons got up, washed up, and made breakfast, Lu Ming shook his head in a daze.

There were various ways to acquire kindling, but the prerequisite was whether he could endure it.

However, there was good news too.

After all this time, with the unremitting efforts of the Twin Sisters, he finally gathered 10 kindling points!

Host: [Lu Ming]

Cultivation: [Blood Qi Second Layer]

Talents: [Mining Expertise] (One-star), [To Be Unlocked 0/10] (Two-star)

Mental Power: [Two-star 0/10]

Lu Ming rubbed his hands excitedly.

Compared to mental power, the most important thing right now was to improve his strength first.

Whether it was the disappearance mentioned by Old Man Liu, or the extraordinary individuals lurking in the dark, coveting the Xu Twin Sisters, all made him feel a strong sense of crisis.

Moreover, even if his mental power was improved, he currently didn't have enough funds to pursue being an artifact smith.

After only a brief consideration, Lu Ming decisively chose to upgrade his talent.

“Kindling - 10, obtained Two-star Talent: Nine Yang Divine Body (Unique)”

“Talent Effect 1: Immune to All Evil, all sinister things will be incinerated upon contact, and evil forces will crumble upon touch!”

“Talent Effect 2: Thousand Jun Strength!”

“It’s actually a dual-effect talent!”

Lu Ming felt a thunderous roar in his mind, and a hot current shot up his spine to the top of his head.

His originally shriveled body, like a parched land receiving sweet rain, faintly glowed, as if countless golden grains of sand were surging and condensing.

He subconsciously circulated the Body Tempering Art, and actually heard subtle “crackling” sounds from his body. Every breath he took carried a sharp whistling sound.

As he breathed, the blood qi factors in the air condensed into clouds, rushing towards him.

At this moment, his absorption rate of blood qi factors reached an astonishing 100 times!

In just a moment, Lu Ming began to feel a tingling sensation in his skin, and his originally fragile skin gradually solidified.

But that wasn't all.

Although the absorption of blood qi had slowed down after cultivating to the perfect skin-refining stage, the mysterious hot current of the Nine Yang Divine Body still surged madly into his limbs and bones.

Flowing through his meridians, wherever it passed, his bones, which had only been slightly warm, began to feel scorching hot.

Lu Ming felt every inch of his bones undergoing tempering. Initially, it was a fine tingling, which then turned into a sharp stinging pain, as if countless steel needles were piercing him simultaneously.

Finger bones, wrist bones, arm bones... The hot current flowed up his arm, spreading to his shoulder blades, and then to his spine.

When the hot current reached his skull, Lu Ming’s body emitted a thunderous sound, as if something had been completely shattered.

The stinging pain deep within his bones gradually receded, replaced by an indescribable feeling of fullness.

He excitedly threw a punch, and the air actually produced a “pop” sonic boom, and the wooden table by the bed cracked in response.

“Bones roaring like thunder, fist wind whistling like a gale, capable of splitting stone tablets with bare hands!”

“This... I’ve reached Blood Qi Ninth Layer already?”

Experiencing the feeling of cheating for the first time, Lu Ming was still a little incredulous.

One must know that the Nine Extraordinary Realms—Blood Qi, Kaiyuan, Qi Movement, Sky Soaring... each realm is divided into nine layers, with each layer representing a new heaven.

The original owner was stuck at Blood Qi Second Layer for over ten years, and he finished it in a few minutes?

Even more exaggerated, under the second effect of the Nine Yang Divine Body, his physical strength directly reached a Thousand Jun Strength, almost catching up to Kaiyuan First Layer!

He had crossed an entire major realm!

If a two-star talent was already so abnormal, what about a three-star talent?

Lu Ming dared not imagine it.

So, in the coming days, he would have to make the Twin Sisters suffer a bit more.

After all, the kindling required to advance a two-star talent to a three-star talent had increased to 100 points!

After the excitement, Lu Ming finally regained his rationality. Looking at the shattered table, a hint of heartache flashed across his face.

There was nothing he could do; he was truly too poor now.

With Youyou and Lulu, his Twin Sisters, the monthly rent had increased to five thousand yuan.

And all he had left was the nine hundred yuan congratulatory gift Old Liu gave him last night.

“The Law Enforcement Team will come to collect the payment by next week at the latest. I must find a way to get some money!”

“I remember the Law Enforcement Team seems to be recruiting people. With my current strength, I could give it a try.”

Lu Ming’s eyes flickered.

In his previous life, he was a top student at the police academy, so joining the Law Enforcement Team would be returning to his old profession...