Heartbeat Sound

Jin Youzhen's heart was in turmoil.

It was said that the Vermilion Fruit possessed the power to bring the dead back to life.

If Jin Youxi were to wake up, she would be finished.

At that moment, the Father of Jin Youxi also chimed in:

"Dad, I know you dote on Youxi."

"But the Vermilion Fruit is too important for our family."

"With Kunlun's gates now open, the entire world has turned against Great Xia."

"Great Xia will surely stop auctioning the Vermilion Fruit publicly."

"Its value will only skyrocket from here."

Grandpa Jin was furious.

He could tolerate his eldest son's persuasion,

but for his second son—Youxi's own father—to say such things?

Did he truly value a single Vermilion Fruit over his daughter's life?

At that moment, Grandpa Jin felt nothing but utter disappointment toward him.

Then, the Elder Brother of Jin Youxi, his youngest grandson, spoke up:

"Grandpa, the Vermilion Fruit is becoming priceless—I heard it’s already worth fifty million per fruit, and even then, no one’s selling."

"Youxi is just a waste—she doesn’t deserve to use it."

Waste?!

Grandpa Jin could hold back no longer.

With one slap, he sent Jin Youxi’s brother flying.

"Who dares call Youxi a waste?!"

"You’re the real wastes!"

"Youxi may have poor aptitude, but at least she had the courage to follow my footsteps and seek knowledge in Great Xia!"

"And what about all of you?"

"Proud of your so-called talent, living in luxury, yet your cultivation can’t even match a lowly family guard!"

"When I sneaked into Great Xia back then, I had no money—I dug through trash for scraps, sold junk to pay for tuition, and still became a Martial Sovereign!"

"Look at yourselves—how dare any of you call someone else a waste?!"

Seeing Grandpa Jin’s rage,

no one dared to speak another word.

Yet the thought of their family’s precious Vermilion Fruit being wasted filled them with silent resentment.

Jin Youzhen quietly turned to leave,

but Grandpa Jin’s voice thundered once more.

"Take one more step, and I’ll break your legs."

"And the rest of you—not a single one leaves."

"Guard them!"

With his command,

dozens of bodyguards surrounded Jin Youzhen and her followers,

leaving them utterly panicked.

"Grandpa, this really has nothing to do with me!"

Grandpa Jin didn’t even glance her way.

He turned back to the hospital room, waiting for the vault staff to deliver the Vermilion Fruit.

He knew full well how invaluable it was now.

Back then, he had bought three at thirty million each.

One healed his old wounds.

One was gifted to secure his family’s future.

The last had been kept for emergencies—until today.

With Kunlun’s gates open, the world sought to crush Great Xia’s dragon veins.

Even their own homeland, Korea, had joined the fray.

Getting another Vermilion Fruit from Great Xia would be near impossible now.

That made this last one all the more precious.

Returning to the room,

Grandpa Jin froze.

His granddaughter, who had been on death’s door, now showed faint breaths, her chest rising and falling.

Shocked, he stepped closer to check.

There was no mistake—she was breathing.

Faint, but unmistakable to the eyes of a Martial Sovereign.

As time passed,

Jin Youxi’s breathing grew steadier,

and even her pulse began to flicker.

Grandpa Jin couldn’t comprehend it.

How was this possible?

Her Ren and Du meridians had been shattered—how could they repair themselves?

Some of those acupoints were even death points!

In all his years,

Grandpa Jin had never witnessed anything so unnatural.

He hadn’t even heard of such a thing.

Gradually, Jin Youxi's breathing grew deeper and more rhythmic.

Her heartbeat became increasingly powerful.

The rise and fall of her chest was now visibly pronounced.

Grandpa Jin stood by her side, utterly transfixed.

As a Martial Sovereign,

he could sense Jin Youxi's blood and qi circulating faster and faster,

flowing along an unusual meridian pathway.

Grandpa Jin was certain that his granddaughter's transformation was linked to some extraordinary martial arts technique she had learned.

What followed was nothing short of astonishing.

He watched as her injuries slowly healed before his eyes.

With each passing moment, the sound of her heartbeat grew stronger,

thumping like a drum.

Thump!

Thump!

The powerful rhythm left the old man utterly stunned.

Soon, the Scarlet Fruit was delivered by his assistant.

Without hesitation, Grandpa Jin tried to feed it to Jin Youxi.

But her lips remained tightly sealed.

To his further shock,

he noticed her skin was peeling—

a layer of dry, dead skin forming over her face and hands.

He considered forcing her mouth open to crush the fruit inside,

but seeing her current state,

he hesitated.

He sensed that his granddaughter was undergoing a critical transformation.

It was best not to interfere.

If her condition worsened, he would act immediately.

And so, Grandpa Jin kept vigil for an entire day.

Outside the ward, the others waited just as long, their stomachs growling with hunger.

Grandpa Jin had barred anyone from entering,

fearing any disturbance might disrupt Jin Youxi's process.

By now, Jin Youxi's face was unrecognizable,

completely encased in a thick layer of dead skin,

resembling a cocoon.

Her heartbeat roared like thunder,

so loud that even those outside the room could hear it clearly.

Elder Brother of Jin Youxi whispered,

"What is that sound? It sounds like a heartbeat."

Father of Jin Youxi immediately scolded in a hushed tone,

"Nonsense! No one's heartbeat could be that loud."

Nearby, the Eldest Son of Jin Jin Family sneered,

"Such ignorance. This is the effect of the Scarlet Fruit.

Anyone who consumes it experiences this."

As midnight approached,

the people outside the ward could no longer stay awake.

The Eldest and Second Sons of the Jin Family dozed off in reclining chairs.

They had considered bringing in beds,

but feared Grandpa Jin's wrath if they made too much of a scene.

Meanwhile, Jin Youzhen and her subordinates grew increasingly uneasy.

The unnatural heartbeat filled them with dread.

One martial arts master among them even contemplated making a run for it.

Inside the ward,

Grandpa Jin remained at his granddaughter's side,

utterly bewildered by her transformation.

Then, he noticed something even more bizarre—

Jin Youxi's blood and qi were intensifying.

Alarmed, he hurried to the door.

"Bring me a Blood-Qi Monitoring Eyepiece!"

His assistant immediately made the call,

and soon, a brand-new device was delivered.

When Grandpa Jin put on the eyepiece,

he was stunned to see Jin Youxi's blood-qi level at 56 points—

a normal range for an ordinary person, nothing remarkable.

But moments later,

the digital display flickered.

Both her maximum and current blood-qi levels rose to 57.

Grandpa Jin was astounded.

Her blood-qi was truly increasing!

As time passed—how long, he couldn't tell—

the numbers on the eyepiece climbed steadily,

reaching 99 points.

The next moment,

Grandpa Jin witnessed his granddaughter break through the Martial Disciple realm with his own eyes.

Lying motionless on the hospital bed, she advanced just like that.

Yet, it didn’t end there—her vitality continued to rise steadily.