There were no evil corpses or regular bodies that morning.

It was normal that they didn’t retrieve Zhang Tong’s body; gangs typically had their own disposal methods.

With no work, Ivy trained relentlessly.

“Is this an illusion? My absorption rate is faster than usual,” Ivy thought, increasing her intake of iron beads during her training.

[Iron Eater: Rank 1]

[Consumable Iron Types: 1]

[Absorbable Metal Properties: 1]

[Currently detected iron type—Common cast iron, absorption rate 39.7%.]

[Absorbed properties: ? ?]

Within a short time that morning, her absorption rate had increased by one percent. Two upward arrows flashed on her retina.

“[Absorption rate ↑↑]”

“Normally, I can absorb and digest 0.5% in an hour. Today, in the same amount of time, the increase is 1%. So, my absorption rate is double today?” Ivy easily deduced.

“There’s no reason for a spontaneous doubling of the absorption rate, so it must be…”

Ivy clenched her fist. The bandage on her sleeve, covering her wound, was stained crimson.

Ivy suddenly understood, a wave of elation washing over her. “[Blood Frenzy] isn't just activated during combat, but also during training?!”

Although her wounds had been bandaged, she had still lost blood, and it hadn’t yet been replenished. Her body hadn’t yet regenerated that lost blood, which meant [Blood Frenzy] was still active.

[Blood Frenzy]: All your attributes will increase exponentially as your HP decreases. If your base attributes are high enough, you could slay gods in a blood frenzy.

Ivy reread the [Blood Frenzy] skill description.

“A doubling of attributes isn’t limited to combat. Daily training also falls under that category, right?”

“Of course, it counts! Why wouldn’t it?”

“Meh, that last line about slaying gods skewed my judgment,” she muttered, her heart pounding. She finally understood the correct way to activate [Blood Frenzy]. It wasn’t about slaying enemies in combat but through daily self-cultivation… self-harm.

No one could fight and kill every day. Even martial arts fanatics couldn’t.

But daily training was something every martial artist had to do.

“[Blood Frenzy]’s description misled me. Otherwise, I could have already maxed out Rank 1 absorption rate, maybe even exceeded it,” Ivy thought, regretting the ten days she had spent training at full strength. She felt utterly foolish.

Stolen novel; please report.

She hadn’t expected that [Blood Frenzy] not only worked with [Feast] but also synergized with [Iron Eater]. The two skills complemented each other perfectly.

“Fine, it’s not too late to start,” Ivy gritted her teeth, motivating herself. “I’ll make up for the lost progress. I won’t sleep until I reach 50% absorption rate today.”

An hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Three hours passed.

Lunchtime arrived.

Ivy reluctantly stopped training. [Current absorption rate: 42.7%].

The coldness had now spread to her left thigh. The muscles in her left thigh had swollen due to bone growth, though it was still slightly smaller than her right thigh.

Ivy and Wang Jian went to the cafeteria for lunch.

On the way, Ivy suddenly said, “The Qinglang Gang questioned me today.”

Wang Jian looked down at his phone, replying vaguely, “Oh? What did they ask?”

Ivy: “More or less the same questions they asked you.”

The conversation ended there. During lunch, Wang Jian was unusually quiet, burying his head in his food and occasionally glancing at his phone.

Ivy sensed Wang Jian’s unease, as if his attention was completely absorbed by his phone.

It doesn’t seem like he betrayed me. Otherwise, he’d be more concerned about the Qinglang Gang’s questions and would have asked me more details, Ivy thought, casually glancing at Wang Jian’s phone screen.

It was a new group chat created after their class reunion.

Ivy had forgotten about it, so she wasn’t in the group.

So, the new group only excludes me, Ivy thought, recalling the familiar feeling of having multiple work chat groups with colleagues in her previous life.

Normally, someone in Ivy's position might suspect that they were being isolated and gossiped about.

Ivy, however, didn’t care. She was uninterested and ate her meal calmly.

Wang Jian betrayed someone in that new group chat. Who could it be? La Tap? A dropout suddenly joining the outpost and giving his classmates parting gifts does seem unusual. Whatever. It's none of my business, she thought.

After lunch, Ivy returned to the incinerator.

During the lunch break, Ivy did three more sets of physical training.

[Absorption rate ↑↑]

[Current absorption rate: 43.7%]

Her left leg was now fully hardened, both legs perfectly symmetrical. Only her left arm, buttocks, and head remained. Well, not her head—there was no bone in that area; it was just soft tissue.

“I’ll be able to fully harden my skeleton today.”

Excitement surged through Ivy. She wanted to rip off the bandages and tear away the blood-soaked gauze.

But she decided against it. That would be self-harm, and more importantly, she didn’t want to impede muscle growth by deliberately losing blood. The injury to her right arm was already significant.

“I might try getting some needles from the hospital later,” she thought. “I need a way to control blood loss without causing injuries.”

Wang Jian didn’t show up in the afternoon, either visiting his father or skipping work.

Ivy didn’t care. She was completely focused on the satisfying increase in her absorption rate. The double arrows were intensely stimulating.

Three more evil corpses arrived. Two black beads were found—one large, like an apple seed, the other small, like a pea.

“My luck has also surged today,” Ivy thought, putting the beads in her pocket.

Even though Wang Jian wasn’t around, she wouldn’t keep the bead he was supposed to get.

If it was a rule they’d established together, she wouldn’t break it.

Ivy incinerated the evil corpses, packaged the ashes, and continued training until the end of her shift.

She left promptly, her bike wheels spinning.

She had planned to visit a martial arts school after work to sign up for classes. Her martial arts experience was limited, and she needed combat training.

Martial arts schools provided opportunities for simulated combat. She hadn't been able to afford it before, but now, with over ten thousand yuan saved, she could easily afford it.

But all she wanted to do was go home and focus on reaching 50% absorption rate tonight. Other plans could wait.

Except… she needed to buy a prepaid phone card. She had to contact Ma Wei and ask about the "lame man."

Her bike tires screeched against the ground as she dismounted.

Ivy ran up the stairs, went home, devoured her dinner, and locked herself in her room.

She checked her phone: 3/25, 8:43 PM.

[Current absorption rate: 45.4%].

Tonight would be a historical moment…