She observed Liu Xing as he moved left and right, up and down. He flashed like blue lightning, creating explosions that rattled her ears. Though she couldn't follow his movements, Yang Liangyu realized that Liu Xing was always attacking the forehead of the abomination. It seemed he was trying to soften it, perhaps to pry it open. The five heads on its forehead were now reduced to one, the other four lying on the ground with wide, lifeless eyes.

As she watches the fight, Yang Liangyu inhaled deeply. It felt wrong to think about manipulating him. After all, he was a man who had helped her without asking for repayment. He had even helped her bury her grandmother. She owed him, and yet here she was, contemplating how to use him.

Still, she needed to do what was necessary to become strong and help the empire. If that meant seducing him, then so be it.

As the thought crossed her mind, her pale cheeks bloomed with color. Her heart began racing, not with anxiety, but with a pleasant, hopeful feeling. A small smile formed on her lips as she gazed tenderly at the blue blur now circling the abomination.

Yes, she thought, it was a good idea. For the empire, as well as for herself.

***

In the cultivation world, a fight was usually straightforward. Whoever had the higher realm would win. If a Lock Opening cultivator fought against a Core Splitting cultivator, the Core Splitting cultivator would emerge victorious. Even a difference of a single stage was usually enough to determine the winner from the start. But this was only true if you excluded the five great sects.

The five great sects possessed top-notch cultivation methods and techniques refined over thousands of years. Even now, improvements are still happening. While the rate wasn't exponential and the process was long and difficult, there was no doubt that the quality of disciples from the five great sects kept increasing.

That's why the sects guarded their secrets religiously. Even then, innovations always leaked out, making the cultivation world generally stronger now than it had been millions of years ago.

In one of the gardens of a small clan called the Wang clan, sitting in the middle of a serene garden accompanied by the night moon and stars, there was one who studied a leaked cultivation scripture from the Purple Moon Sect. His name is Wang Tao, and he was a genius that appeared once in ten thousand years. The elders and the clan leader had great hopes for him, and Wang Tao himself understood that he was born for greatness.

Wang Tao was now trying to memorize every word of the Wind and Earth Scripture. While he had mild dyslexia, making his reading speed slower compared to others, he had the iron will to endure. The Wind and Earth Scripture had both wind and earth affinities, and since he only had an earth affinity, this scripture wasn't the perfect fit for him. But there was no better scripture available, so as always, he endured.

After reading for several hours, Wang Tao closed the scripture and his eyes, trying to digest its meaning and cultivation method.

"Wind and earth are two separate elements, and yet they're intertwined," he mused. "Wind blows seeds to faraway lands, and the earth accepts them. Without wind, seeds, life, forests, trees, and flowers wouldn't spread. Without earth to accept them, there would be no life. The two elements work together with others to nurture life. But these elements aren't always gentle. The wind can uproot giant trees, and the earth can shake so the trees fall. Two elements that nurture life can also destroy it."

A sense of comprehension, as well as a cycling path, suddenly appeared in his mind. Wang Tao smiled, then he stood up.

Wang Tao was now eighteen, and while he was only at the Lock Opening realm third stage, he was nonetheless a genius. After all, he had lived his first seventeen years as a cripple and had only begun to cultivate about a year ago. While he couldn't participate in the Purple Moon Sect entrance exam, he believed that his genius would be recognized and he would be accepted as a disciple later.

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"With my newly awakened bloodline, I'll become a peerless genius," Wang Tao grinned. He had green hair the color of ancient trees, sharp eyes, two straight eyebrows that looked like fine swords, and skin that was smooth and healthy. In the city of Green Valley, he was considered one of the most handsome young men to ever live.

"One day, everyone will know my name. I'll be rich beyond belief, with more spirit stones than I can count. All the beautiful women will want me. And I'll have so much power, even the great sects will fear me. This whole world will be mine to enjoy. It'll be perfect."

Trying to quell his excitement and fantasies, he calmed his mind. Before all his dreams could become reality, he needed to endure and work hard. So, he prepared to cultivate.

He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and began to move.

First, he punched the air in front of him, creating a ripple that made the grass and several tree leaves around the garden dance. As he punched, he could feel the qi around him moving excitedly, and he absorbed it all into his body. He rotated his body and kicked. Again, the wind rippled, the leaves and grass swayed, and he absorbed the eager qi surrounding him.

He performed several dozen basic punches and kicks. His eyes were closed, his face a mask of seriousness. But inside, he felt giddy. He hated meditating and sitting for hours on end, so he had devised a simple method to cultivate while moving. The elders said what he had invented wasn't new and was usually inefficient, but he knew better. While it might not be novel, his method incorporated his bloodline, and it was three times faster than normal cultivation methods.

As he cultivated while practicing his kicks and punches, he began to submerge himself in a world of focus. His five senses shut out all distractions around him, and he greedily absorbed the qi in his vicinity.

His bloodline was both strong and subtle. Instead of giving him some unique ability, it granted him limitless endurance. Since a year ago, after he had nearly drowned himself and his bully in the river, he never slept, never felt hungry, never tired physically or mentally, never ran out of qi, and experienced other effects he could feel but couldn't describe. Even after a year, he was still exploring his bloodline, conducting experiment after experiment to unravel its mysteries.

He called this bloodline Unlimited Endurance.

When the elders learned about his bloodline, they nearly died from shock. After all, it was indeed a fearsome bloodline. One of the keys to becoming a strong cultivator was to have strong willpower, and his bloodline gave him an unlimited supply of it. Nothing could stop him as long as he kept moving and studying. Moreover, since he didn't need to rest, eat, or sleep, he had twenty-four hours a day to study and practice. This made his days twice as long as other people's.

But the true power of Wang Tao's bloodline lay in its effect on his mind. While others struggled with mental fatigue, loss of focus, and the psychological toll of endless cultivation, Wang Tao's mind remained eternally sharp and clear. No matter how long he studied or how intensely he practiced, his concentration never wavered.

"Truly, if this world is a story, then I am the main character!" He opened his eyes, punched the air as hard as he could, and shouted joyfully.

In his heart, there was no doubt about it. He even began to think that later, after he became an immortal, he would write a book about his journey. His book would become the one read by everyone in this world, and he would make laws to protect it so no one could plagiarize it. Anyone who did so would be severely punished! Even if they only copied the title, he would strike them down!

Wang Tao giggled like a child and kept cultivating while moving his body around.

This time, he didn't break his concentration just to shout. Now, he truly submerged himself in the world of focus, ignoring everything and absorbing qi with all his effort, trying to open the next lock so he could advance further.

As he cultivated, there came a time when the qi around him felt chaotic, as if a tornado of energy was blowing away most of the qi. But Wang Tao decided not to think about the reason and instead chased after the fleeing qi. After all, he was in the heart of his clan compound. Only elders could enter. Surely, there was no one in Green Valley capable of entering without being scolded and chased away by the elders. He felt like a king, with the elders as his guard dogs.

The chaotic qi persisted for several hours. While this made absorbing qi a bit harder, he successfully absorbed the energy around him. Eventually, the qi settled, and he began to absorb it more quickly.

As he did so, he suddenly felt his right foot grow heavy, as if something was tied to it. He ignored it for several moments, but when the heaviness persisted, he thought that perhaps his foot had caught on something. So he opened his eyes to check what was clinging to his feet.

When he saw a bloodied hand gripping his right ankle, Wang Tao blinked several times. The hand was white and wrinkled, yet its grip was strong. Red blood coated most of the fingers gripping his ankle, as if someone had dipped them into a pool of blood.