Flesh and Blood Foundation

Blessed with the talent of the "Demonic Lord Tai Sui."

Yang An firmly believed that even the most worthless Colorless Divine Phase and White Divine Phase, when enhanced tenfold, would wield extraordinary power!

They would never lose to the Yellow or Blue Grade Divine Phases!

Moreover, his own breakthrough had no bottleneck restrictions.

As long as he kept devouring resources, he could grow indefinitely.

Holding such a heaven-defying talent to rewrite his fate,

what could those lofty big shots doing their “Desperate Heaven Passage” possibly do?

Yang An was confident that as long as he could survive and had enough time to develop, sooner or later he would punch a hole right through this world!

Sooner or later, he would wipe out Lin Yeping!

Sooner or later, he would grind that bitch into the dust!

Without hesitation, Yang An asked Li Yan, “Forget joining the noble families—it’s too deep and easy to drown in. Brother-in-law, is there any martial arts school or sect near Yunzhou that teaches Divine Phases?”

Seeing Yang An’s determination,

Li Yan nodded approvingly.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “There are schools and sects that teach Divine Phases, but, Erlang, brother-in-law thinks you should continue studying for now.”

Continue studying?

Still studying in this xuanhuan world?

Yang An was utterly speechless—speechless to the extreme.

Suppressing his urge to complain,

he reasoned with Li Yan emotionally and logically, “Brother-in-law, I do want to study, but I’ve already failed the exams three times in a row. Even if I pass, what good would it do? Without true ability, I’d just be bullied sooner or later.”

“Brother-in-law, strength is the foundation!”

“Otherwise, sooner or later we’ll run into people like Lin Haowang and Wang Gou'er again. We were lucky to escape this time, but who can guarantee we’ll have such luck next time?”

Li Yan naturally understood what Yang An meant.

He patiently explained, “Erlang, don’t be anxious. When I say continue studying, it’s not what you think.”

“What do you mean, brother-in-law?” Yang An was a bit confused.

Li Yan guided him gently, “I told you earlier that Divine Phases are graded. Mixed Phases have no future, and the Yellow, Blue, and Purple grades that can ascend to Spiritual Phase are almost all controlled by noble families and big sects.”

“If you want to learn these three types, you have to join them.”

“Since you have to serve them anyway, why not choose the biggest noble family? After all, it’s best to enjoy the shade of the tallest tree. So, Erlang, which do you think is the biggest noble family and sect in Great Xia?”

In an instant,

Yang An was enlightened and extremely excited, “The biggest noble family is the royal clan—the Qin family! And the biggest sect is the Great Xia dynasty itself!”

“You really are the smartest in our family, Erlang.”

Yang An suddenly understood the truth he had pondered over for more than ten years. Li Yan sighed with emotion and then continued, “Now you should understand why you need to study. For ordinary commoners like us to rely on the royal clan and the court, the only way is through the imperial exams.”

Yang An: …

Having been poisoned by the Five-Day Heartbreaking Gu, he thought silently to himself:

Actually, brother-in-law,

relying on the royal clan and court doesn’t necessarily require the imperial exams.

For example, out of sheer necessity, I’ve already thrown in my lot with a certain extremely nasty princess within the royal family...

Li Yan said nothing to contradict him.

Yang An focused his thoughts and asked with curiosity, “So, what my brother-in-law means is that after passing the imperial examinations, not only can one become an official, but they might also inherit the divine physiognomy teachings from the court and advance in martial cultivation?”

Li Yan smiled mysteriously. “Have you ever heard of the Jiansheng?”

Yang An naturally knew about it.

The Guozijian was the highest academy established by the Great Xia, and students enrolled there were called Jiansheng.

Li Yan continued, “What many don’t know is that besides the civil academy focused on governance, the Guozijian also houses the Martial Academy that teaches divine physiognomy and martial arts.”

“The Martial Academy?”

Yang An had never heard of such a thing before.

Li Yan chuckled, “It’s normal that ordinary folks like us don’t know about it. Your brother-in-law only learned about it while serving in Yunzhou, from a general.”

Then, he went on to explain the origins of the Martial Academy in detail.

“Legend has it that when Emperor Gaozu unified the realm, he wiped out half of the martial world’s factions and regional warlords, confiscating all their divine physiognomy secrets and treasures, which were then stored in the Guozijian.”

“To that end, the Martial Academy was established within the Guozijian.”

“Those divine physiognomy treasures are incredibly precious, some containing complete sequences of mystical formulas. If they were to leak, it would shock the entire world.”

“That’s why the Martial Academy is never open to ordinary commoners.”

“Only two types of people can enter the Martial Academy.”

“First, the children of military heroes who have proven themselves on the battlefield, or the offspring of officials ranked fifth grade or above.”

“Second, to keep the military clans in check, Emperor Gaozu specially authorized poor but talented students admitted to the Guozijian who meet the second-tier standard of Blood Flesh Foundation to have a chance to enter the Martial Academy. Once admitted, they can study the physiognomy arts and receive cultivation resources!”

Hearing this, Yang An was overjoyed.

In fact, what made the ‘Demonic Lord Taishui’ truly terrifying wasn’t just the tenfold power boost, but the first two points.

‘Heaven-Sent Demonic Lord’ could upgrade infinitely as long as resources were available!

‘Fierce God’s Might’ allowed mastery of any technique!

A place like the Guozijian, backed by the Great Xia and overflowing with secret manuals and resources, was the perfect environment for him.

His only concern was that he was already bound to Princess Anle.

If he joined the Guozijian and aligned himself more closely with the court, would that deepen his ties with her...

But he couldn’t worry about that now.

When Li Yan mentioned that one needed to meet the Blood Flesh Foundation standards to enter the Martial Academy, Yang An hurriedly asked, “Brother-in-law, what exactly is Blood Flesh Foundation? How does one qualify for the second tier?”

Li Yan replied, “To condense divine physiognomy, one needs sufficient blood energy. The process of refining and strengthening this blood energy is called Blood Flesh Foundation.”

He was careful, knowing Yang An had never been exposed to martial cultivation before.

To make sure he understood, Li Yan patiently explained, “Generally speaking, Blood Flesh Foundation is divided into three tiers.”

“The third tier Foundation is achieved through the simplest physical training to enhance blood energy. When strength is honed to its limit and undergoes transformation, a third-tier Foundation cultivator’s stamina and strength can increase by roughly two hundred jin. They can only manifest colorless or white divine physiognomy. Additionally, these third-tier cultivators will find their blood energy declining after age forty, gradually losing the ability to use physiognomy powers.”

Yang An nodded in understanding.

No wonder Wang Gou’er had to consume black dog’s blood to activate his physiognomy. And that Zheng Huaiyi, who hadn’t even awakened his physiognomy, was torn apart by him.

Li Yan spoke with a hint of pride, “The Imperial Academy requires a Second Rank Foundation Establishment, which is achieved by first completing the Third Rank Foundation, then consuming a top-grade eighth-rank spiritual herb infused with extreme medicinal power to strengthen one’s bones. With this, a Second Rank Foundation cultivator can increase their strength by roughly five hundred jin.”

“A Second Rank Foundation cultivator can refine two types of divine manifestations: Yellow and Blue. Moreover, freed from the limitations of aging and the depletion of vital energy, they can wield the power of their divine manifestations until the day they die.”

“Brother-in-law has a Yellow Grade divine manifestation, so he must be a Second Rank Foundation cultivator. He’s really impressive!” Yang An smiled, catching the pride in Li Yan’s voice.

Li Yan nodded proudly.

“If a Second Rank Foundation cultivator can boost their strength by about 500 jin, what about the First Rank Foundation?” Yang An asked curiously. “How much strength does the First Rank give? And how is it achieved?”

Li Yan replied, “The requirements for the First Rank Foundation are extremely harsh, usually only noble families’ descendants can attain it. After completing the Third and Second Ranks, one must obtain the essence blood of a peak seventh-rank ferocious beast, refine its quintessence, and fuse it into their body to be considered complete.”

“Those who achieve this level of foundation cultivation—”

“Have almost unlocked all their potential. Their arms possess the power to lift a thousand jin, and they qualify to condense Purple Grade divine manifestations, making them virtually invincible among their peers.”

Yang An chuckled.

Although he hadn’t started foundation establishment yet, his strength was already over three hundred jin. Taking into account his innate talent, [Destined to Offend Tai Sui], which triples his base power, he already had over a thousand jin of strength—comparable to those First Rank Foundation prodigies from noble families.

And if he activated his Killing God talent—

His combat power would soar tenfold.

His strength would reach three thousand jin.

Those First Rank Foundation prodigies would basically be no more than one punch each.

Yeah, invincible among his peers.

Li Yan didn’t know this, and thought Yang An was just admiring those noble family prodigies.

His dark, long face suddenly broke into a sly smile.

Leaning close to Yang An, he said, “No matter how poor we are, we can’t be poor in martial arts. No matter how hard life gets, we can’t let the kids suffer. Er Lang, rest assured, your brother-in-law might have a way to help you get First Rank Foundation!”

Yang An’s heart stirred at those words.

If he could achieve First Rank Foundation, then after activating [Tai Sui] mode, wouldn’t his strength surpass ten thousand jin? Those noble prodigies, before condensing their divine manifestations, would be no match for him in a head-to-head fight!

But Yang An didn’t let a smile creep onto his face.

Knowing his family’s situation, he said with a smile to Li Yan, “Brother-in-law, don’t try to show off. The traces of seventh-rank ferocious beasts are hard to find—deep in the forbidden zones of Yunling Mountain, you might not encounter one even in ten years.”

To avoid hurting Li Yan’s pride,

Yang An comforted him, “Brother-in-law, have you forgotten I have triple combat power? I don’t need to go to such lengths. Just reaching Second Rank Foundation like you is enough for me to get into the Martial Academy.”

“You’re not enough at your age with just Second Rank Foundation,”

Li Yan shook his head. “Flesh and blood foundation establishment is the source of martial arts. Only by taking this step steadily can the path ahead be smoother.”

“And the best age to establish foundation is before ten years old.”

“That’s when you can maximize the potential in your body. After that, every year you delay, the effect weakens by a bit. Er Lang, we’ve already started far too late compared to others. If you want to go far, you must reach First Rank Foundation.”

“Seventh-rank ferocious beasts are hard to find, but your brother-in-law has a way.”

"Does Erlang still remember Zheng Shoutian, the hunter Zheng?"

Yang An replied, "Of course I remember."

Zheng Shoutian was more than ten years older than Li Yan. He was one of the few good friends Li Yan had, and also the best hunter in Yunzhou.

Li Yan said, "Zheng Shoutian became the top hunter in Yunzhou not because he was the strongest among hunters, but because he mastered a rare and unique skill. Once he activates it, his aura completely disappears! He can remain hidden for days on end."

"With this skill—"

"He dares to venture into forests others fear to enter, and he boldly explores forbidden zones where no one else dares to go. Because of that, this old guy knows the hiding places of many fierce beasts."

"As long as he's willing to help—"

"He can definitely catch a seventh-grade fierce beast for you to use in your Foundation Establishment."

After hearing his brother-in-law’s words,

A first-grade Foundation Establishment no longer seemed impossible.

Yang An felt a surge of excitement.

If he could really reach first-grade Foundation Establishment, that would mean a strength of a thousand jin. And after unlocking tenfold power, that would be ten thousand jin! That would scare the hell out of that bitch! Let her see what real power is! Hahaha!

Li Yan was even more excited than him.

He was as if worried all the fierce beasts in Yunling Mountain would run away, and he said eagerly, "This matter can’t be delayed. Erlang, you stay home and study for the imperial exams. I’ll go find Zheng Shoutian right away to discuss this."

"Alright, I’ll follow your lead, brother-in-law!"

Before leaving,

Yang An reminded Li Yan, "By the way, brother-in-law, my sister has always been against me practicing martial arts. You must keep this a secret. Don’t tell her about this!"

Li Yan patted his chest and promised, "Don’t worry, this is just between us. You can count on me!"

Just as the two of them mentioned Yang Ning,

She hurriedly rushed in holding Manman, "Erlang! Erlang! Is Manman sick? I made her two pots of porridge, and she finished both but still says she’s not full!!"

Looking at Manman, who still had bits of millet stuck to the corners of her mouth,

Yang An tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "Sister, it’s nothing. She just went hungry as a kid. Don’t we still have plenty of black eagle meat? I’ll smoke some into jerky and slice a few pounds for her to eat later."

"Is it okay for her to eat so much meat?"

Yang Ning looked at Manman in disbelief.

Manman blinked and looked back at her.

The two exchanged glances for a moment.

Seeing Manman lick the millet crumbs clean from her lips and still looking hungry, Yang Ning nodded hesitantly, "Alright then..."