War God Physique

Gu Changge raised his eyes to look at the disciples in the square. Just then, his eyes felt slightly hot as a strange power surged into them.

He knew that this was the effect of the Delusion-Shattering Divine Eye manifesting early.

Instantly, the information of every disciple in the square appeared before his eyes like a status panel:

[Name: Zhao Hu]

[Age: Sixteen]

[Talent: High-grade Mortal Level]

[Physique: Mortal Body]

[Comprehension: Average]

[Disposition: Honest and straightforward]

[Name: Lin Wan'er]

[Age: Fourteen]

[Talent: Low-grade Spirit Level]

[Physique: Mortal Body]

[Comprehension: Superior]

[Disposition: Gentle on the outside, strong on the inside]

[Name: Wang Chen]

[Age: Seventeen]

[Talent: High-grade Spirit Level]

[Physique: Mortal Body]

[Comprehension: Average]

[Disposition: Impatient and impulsive]

...

Gu Changge's gaze patrolled the square. In the bizarre field of vision brought by the Delusion-Shattering Divine Eye, the talents and physiques of the young boys and girls flowed like fleeting light.

A high-grade Spirit level Lightning Spiritual Root, a peak Mortal level Sword Bone...

Most of them were unpolished jades that could still be carved, but none of them gave him the urge to take them in as a disciple.

He muttered in his heart and was about to withdraw his gaze when his line of sight suddenly paused at the edge of the square.

[Name: Xiao Ruobai]

[Age: Fifteen]

[Talent: Emperor Level Aptitude]

[Physique: War God Physique (Incomplete, Unawakened)]

[Comprehension: Heaven-Defying]

[Disposition: Enduring and Resolute]

Gu Changge's pupils shrank slightly.

War God Physique?

He had seen records of this physique in the ancient texts he received from the system's sign-in. It was the paramount physique dedicated to slaughter in the ancient era. Once fully matured, one could shake gods and demons with their physical body alone, and shatter all laws with a single punch. It was undeniably an Emperor level aptitude.

However, the word Incomplete before him seemed particularly glaring.

"System, why is this War God Physique incomplete?"

He asked in his mind.

"Detected that the target was once secretly plotted against by a Life-bound Gu worm. His innate origin was damaged, leading to the underdevelopment of his physique."

The system's voice remained flat. "It requires Innate Spirit Marrow to expel the toxins, and a Nine-Revolution Golden Pill to mend the incomplete physique before it can be fully restored."

The young man's eyelids were lowered, his long eyelashes casting a shadow under his eyes. Despite being only fifteen or sixteen years old, his back was as straight as a javelin, exuding a heavy steadiness that did not match his age.

Gu Changge understood. His gaze fell upon the young man's eyes, which harbored a cold gleam.

This look did not belong to an inexperienced child, but rather resembled a blade quenched in blood.

Gu Changge stroked his chin, calculating in his heart.

Taking this young man as a disciple seemed like a good choice. The War God Physique had limitless potential, and judging by his disposition, he wasn't the type to stir up trouble.

However, he still hesitated a bit.

Taking a disciple meant taking on an extra responsibility. He feared he wouldn't be able to be as carefree as he was now.

His fingertips twitched slightly, and the field of vision of the Delusion-Shattering Divine Eye quietly extended. Fragmented scenes of the young man's past flashed by like a revolving lantern—

The Southern Region of Xuanzhou, the Great Yan Dynasty.

The red candles in the General's Manor had not yet burned out, but the delivery room was filled with the heavy stench of blood.

When the Zhenguo Great General, Xiao Zhan, barged in covered in blood, he only saw his wife lying in a pool of blood, completely devoid of breath. Miraculously, the infant in the swaddling clothes had his eyes wide open, neither crying nor fussing.

That was the newly born Xiao Ruobai. Xiao Zhan was the guardian deity of the Great Yan Dynasty. He held massive military power and intimidated all directions, but his merits outshone his master. Feared by the Emperor, he became a thorn in the sovereign's side.

Taking advantage of his absence while fighting a war, a secret order infiltrated the General's Manor. A silver needle quenched with the poison of a Life-bound Gu worm silently pierced the heart of the woman in labor, making the unborn child in her womb a target as well.

Perhaps it was the will of heaven, but the poisoned needle deviated by half an inch. Xiao Ruobai's life was spared, but his origin was eroded by the dark and cold energy of the Life-bound Gu.

"Investigate! Investigate this for me!"

Xiao Zhan's furious roar shook the dust off the roof beams.

He was the guardian deity of the Great Yan Dynasty. He had fought seventeen fierce battles in the Northern Borders without a single defeat. The long spear in his hand could suppress millions of barbarians, yet he could not protect his own wife and child.

Over the next three years, the secret agents of the General's Manor spread throughout the court and the public. From the concubines in the inner palace to the important ministers in the outer court, anyone who had the slightest connection to the delivery room was thoroughly investigated.

But that poisoned silver needle seemed to have appeared out of thin air. All clues were completely cut off in the end.

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

But by this time, Xiao Zhan had long lost the strength to flip the table.

In order to prolong Xiao Ruobai's life, he had almost exhausted his prestige in the military, and the spiritual medicines he sought everywhere had emptied his family's fortunes.

Under the pretext of rewarding military merits, the Emperor transferred the elite troops under his command to the Southern Frontier, cleanly stripping him of his military power.

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

"Dad..."

Three-year-old Xiao Ruobai began to cough in his cradle, his little face turning purple from holding his breath.

The dark and cold energy of the Life-bound Gu was eroding his meridians bit by bit. Let alone cultivating, even running and jumping was more strenuous for him than for ordinary children.

Looking at his son's frail appearance, Xiao Zhan swallowed back the taste of blood that had reached his mouth.

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

"This subject, Xiao Zhan, is willing to take off his armor and return to the fields, to seek medical treatment and prolong the life of my son."

In the Golden Throne Hall, the Emperor hypocritically urged him to stay for a few words, then turned around and took back his last bit of military power.

Xiao Zhan thought that as long as he completely handed over his power, the royal family would eventually let him and his son off.

However, he was wrong.

When Xiao Ruobai was thirteen years old, the cold rain of late autumn beat against the dilapidated window lattices of the General's Manor.

A group of men in black, holding standard long sabers, vaulted over the walls and entered. The dragon patterns on their scabbards gleamed coldly in the night rain—that was a mark exclusive to the royal family's personal army.

"Xiao Zhan, His Majesty has decreed to send you and your son to the Yellow Springs."

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

"You dog!"

Xiao Zhan fiercely shielded his son behind him, meeting the blade barehanded.

He had not touched a weapon for many years, but the instincts of the Northern Borders' War God were still there. With a single punch, he smashed and broke the opponent's wrist.

But there were too many men in black. Blades surged from all directions, quickly slashing open wounds deep enough to show bone on his back.

In the end, Xiao Zhan risked his life to send Xiao Ruobai out of the Great Yan Dynasty.

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

Looking at his father's corpse, the thirteen-year-old boy learned for the first time what it meant to hate down to the marrow of his bones.

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

But he could not die.

His father had traded his life for him to survive; he had to get revenge.

For the next three years, Xiao Ruobai became a refugee on the lands of Xuanzhou.

He went to the Raging Fire Sect, only to be whipped out by the gatekeeping disciples, who cursed him as a low-grade Mortal level piece of trash who dared to come and seek apprenticeship.

He knelt outside the Pill King Valley for three days and three nights, only to wait for a single sentence: naturally incomplete, difficult to achieve greatness...

Mockery pierced into his bones like needles, but the suffering hardened his spine.

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

He wanted to survive, to become stronger, strong enough to drag those high and mighty members of the royal family down one by one, crush their bones, and scatter their ashes!