Chapter 99: Breakthrough Blood‑Replacement! Golden Body Resolve!

The next day.

Sanhe Gang, Gathering Hall.

A group of figures gathered inside the main hall.

"Sir, reporting to the boss, we have wiped out all the Shark Gang's undercover agents, and even Lan Chenhao and a few others were beheaded."

A gang member in yellow robes knelt on one knee, his face full of reverence.

"Who did it?"

Huang Tianba's expression hardened, and murderous aura burst from his body.

To covertly control the Shark Gang without attracting the authorities, his methods have always been extremely secretive, but he did not expect them to fail.

Using Yue Wenting's methods, it was clearly impossible.

"It was Patrol Envoy Lu Zhangsheng."

The man spoke cautiously.

Under Huang Tianba's overwhelming pressure, his body tensed.

"I understand."

Huang Tianba's eyes were filled with apprehension.

Since the opponent rose rapidly and climbed the ranks within the DemonSubduingOffice, he no longer wished to clash with them directly.

Moreover, with his early-stage blood‑replacement strength, he might not be able to suppress the opponent.

Furthermore, a year ago people speculated that Lu Zhangsheng might soon fall into the hands of the Yuhunshi.

Unexpectedly, XiaoTiansi's subordinates fell one after another, yet the opponent thrived, becoming more vigorous.

This made the Sanhe Gang members feel deeply uneasy.

"Boss, after this person completes the blood‑replacement breakthrough, might they come seeking revenge against us? We must guard against it."

A middle‑aged man spoke anxiously.

The two sides have long been bound by a feud, with almost no chance of reconciliation.

"Later I will draft a secret letter and send someone to deliver it outside the city..."

Huang Tianba's expression turned cold, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

They all knew their boss seemed to have connections with external forces.

Any enemy the Sanhe Gang could not handle would soon be exterminated.

For over twenty years, the Sanhe Gang has risen in this way.

……

In the following period, the clashes outside the city still did not cease.

The government and the cult bandits fought fiercely around the main road and the town.

A large number of cultists gathered around several towns, and the conflict seemed poised to intensify further.

Noon.

Inside the inner city, in a courtyard.

"Lu Zhangsheng, the Patrol Envoy, these cult bandits won't try to attack the county seat, will they?"

Tong Yuhua raised an eyebrow.

Through intelligence from the DemonSubduingOffice, she had also learned a great deal.

Outside the city, a massive crowd gathered; there must be some startling move.

Lu Zhangsheng's eyes flickered: "The opponent is unlikely to attack the county seat for now; the Xuanjia troops inside the city are no pushover, and long spears and hard crossbows are a nightmare for ordinary cultivators."

"However, we cannot rule out that they intend to besiege the towns outside the county seat, gradually eroding official authority."

Since a year ago, when he saw the Black Mountain thieves frantically mining outside the city, he had been suspicious.

The opponent's extraction of so much iron ore must be for forging weapons or arrows.

He feared that the group had prepared this years ago.

"Alas... it seems the great war between both sides will escalate again; I hope you and I can survive the turmoil."

Tong Yuhua let out a soft sigh.

"When the older generation of strong ones intervene, our strength is not great; in crisis we must still watch over each other and help."

"That is natural."

Lu Zhangsheng gave a faint smile.

He did not decline her goodwill; she has always been quite clever, and her speed is not lacking, so she has a good chance of surviving.

The two often go on patrols outside the city together, and their friendship has deepened.

After a brief exchange, Tong Yuhua stood up and left.

After lunch, Lu Zhangsheng headed toward the Zhen Yao Si Office.

He passed the buildings lining the streets and arrived before a great hall of the DemonSubduingOffice.

Now he has earned considerable merit, and plans to visit Cangjingge to see if there are any rare techniques.

After mastering speed, strength, and defense to the pinnacle, some exotic auxiliary techniques can also compensate for his shortcomings.

Lu Zhangsheng stepped into the hall, and beside the front table sat a white‑robed elder.

With his current strength, he could finally sense the other's cultivation level faintly.

It was probably around the later stage of blood‑replacement.

Lu Zhangsheng bowed, passed the elder, and walked toward the second floor.

"Tap tap tap..."

Arrived at the second floor, saw Xing Zhaolin lying on a chair, snoring loudly.

Sensing the movement, Xing Zhaolin opened his heavy-lidded sleepy eyes.

Seeing this, he quickly jumped up.

"It turns out Lord Lu has arrived; what cultivation method do you need? I'll fetch it right away."

Xing Zhaolin wore an obsequious smile.

He is merely an ordinary staff member of the Demon Subduing Office, watching Lu Zhangsheng rise from obscurity step by step; his current status is now beyond his reach.

In just a few short years, thinking of this he couldn't help but sigh.

Lu Zhangsheng gave a faint smile, took out a silver ingot, and handed it over.

"Lord Lu, I dare not accept your silver."

Seeing this, Xing Zhaolin waved his hands repeatedly, his face bitter.

He also felt fortunate that he had not offended Lu Zhangsheng back then, being merely greedy for wealth.

"I will surely find a time later to return the silver."

He thought to himself.

"I require a copy of an esoteric mystic arts manual; do you have one here?"

Lu Zhangsheng smiled, put away the silver, and did not press further.

Given his status, the other party certainly would not dare act rashly.

"Esoteric mystic arts?"

Hearing this, Xing Zhaolin furrowed his brows.

Such techniques are extremely rare; the Bone Shrinking Skill from last time was one of them.

He began to recall carefully.

After a moment.

Xing Zhaolin quickly walked to a dusty corner, took two sealed ancient books from a broken rack.

Then he approached Lu Zhangsheng, took out the secret manual and handed it over.

"These are the only two low-grade secret manuals."

Lu Zhangsheng received the secret manual and examined it closely.

【Sound Wave Skill】, 【Hypnosis Technique】.

The technique names are extremely simple, just the most ordinary skills.

He immediately began to flip through them.

After a moment, he understood some of the principles of these two techniques.

One is similar to mental suggestion, effective only on ordinary people with weak will.

The other is a sound-based method; however, due to the low level of the technique, it is almost useless.

For hundreds of years, hardly anyone has practiced them.

"I will take these two techniques."

Lu Zhangsheng spoke lightly, then picked up the manual and walked downstairs.

At the old man's place he backed up the manual, offered four Small Merits, and then left.

Returning home.

Lu Zhangsheng immediately began cultivating.

He intended to first develop this mental skill through deduction to test it.

He also had some plans for leaving the city soon, and this mental skill was just what he needed.

Soon after.

This 【Hypnosis Technique】 was quickly mastered.

"Add points."

Lu Zhangsheng clicked several times, directly raising it to the level of divine transformation.

It took only a dozen or so contribution points.

"Deduce."

He immediately clicked the deduction button behind.

"Hum..."

A wave of vague fluctuation descended once more into the depths of his mind, as if a supreme sage were creating a technique.

Not long after.

【New technique deduction completed, please name it.】

"Soul Confusing Technique."

Lu Zhangsheng slowly uttered those words.

Then he again consumed a small amount of contribution points, raising it to divine transformation.

Then he began a second deduction.

"Hum..."

Countless inspirations flickered in his mind.

After a moment. 【New technique deduction completed, please name it.】

A prompt sound echoed deep in his mind.

"Great Soul Confusing Law."

Lu Zhangsheng settled on the technique's name.

During the simulation, he understood the function of this technique: it can cause warriors to lose their mind, and its effect is quite strong.

Of course, it also depends on the target.

With his own strength, using it against some ordinary Bone-forging Warriors still has a very high chance of success.

Having this mysterious technique, his subsequent plans can proceed smoothly.

…

Time drifts slowly.

In a flash, more than ten days pass.

Lu Zhangsheng's days pass rather calmly; each day, aside from occasional out‑city patrols with Tong Yuhua, he trains martial arts at home.

His resources are steadily rising, and it shouldn't be long before they can be upgraded again.

At the same time, that mental technique has also been verified by Lu Zhangsheng.

Some cultists were directly confused by him, and no secret in their hearts could be hidden.

After several tests, Lu Zhangsheng discovered that early‑stage Bone-forging Warriors have only about a ten percent success rate.

Refining Meat warriors have over eighty percent, except for those with unusually steadfast minds.

This is only the technique's entry level; if raised to the top tier, the success rate would likely increase greatly.

With the aid of this secret art, Lu Zhangsheng cleared several cult strongholds, and his contribution points surged rapidly.

According to the DemonSubduingOffice's internal rules, anyone who wishes to challenge the FuduDianZhu position must have twenty thousand contribution points.

After years of missions, Lu Zhangsheng now has roughly ten thousand points in hand.

For ordinary people, obtaining contribution points is not easy.

Slaying a fully‑realized Bone-forging yields only one hundred contribution points.

Slaying a Refining Meat warrior yields even fewer.

There are also daily guard missions and patrol missions that grant some contribution points.

Of course, Lu Zhangsheng's killing of several Yuhunshi has not yet been exposed.

If those are added, the assessment for FuduDianZhu is not far off.

The goal for Lu Zhangsheng to become FuduDianZhu within three years draws nearer, and everything develops steadily.

While Lu Zhangsheng was pondering, a sudden impulse arose in his mind.

Lu Zhangsheng hurried into the house and projected the thought into the strange beast.

Looking around, it was still that Spirit‑Jade mine cave.

After extensive Ant Tribe excavation, the cave's area expanded more than tenfold.

Lu Zhangsheng lay on the rubble, staring at the strange beast corpse before him, lost in thought.

The beast was covered in purple‑gold, shaped like a gigantic centipede, and looked rather fierce.

These days, during excavation he often encounters this strange beast called the Purple‑Cold Centipede.

This beast is a fourth‑tier strange beast, whose territory lies within the Spirit‑Jade vein.

Amid the Ant swarm's slaughter, a few Purple‑Cold Centipedes were also killed.

Just now, Ant Queen's warning echoed in Lu Zhangsheng's mind: a massive Ant swarm died, likely encountering trouble.

He is determined to obtain the Spirit‑Jade here; it is also his chance to breakthrough his blood renewal, and he cannot abandon it.

Lu Zhangsheng sprang up and rushed toward the cave entrance.

He proceeded along the dug tunnel and soon arrived at a small cavern.

His gaze swept.

He saw a massive Ant swarm besieging a purple‑golden centipede, with many Ant Tribe corpses around; the scene was quite grim.

Lu Zhangsheng's eyes hardened, and he charged forward like lightning.

"Crack..."

He swiftly reached the centipede's back, and a claw suddenly lunged out.

It directly sliced through the opponent's hard armor, spilling dark‑green fluid everywhere.

"heehee..."

The Purple‑Cold Centipede began to howl violently, its body rolling on the ground, and soon its breath ceased.

This fourth‑tier centipede was directly slain by Lu Zhangsheng's ambush.

Then, Lu Zhangsheng crossed the Ant swarm and reached a massive stone wall.

A huge piece of Spirit‑Jade was embedded in the boulder.

Lu Zhangsheng hurriedly swung his claw, excavating the Spirit‑Jade completely.

【Discovered a medium Spirit‑Jade piece, absorb?】

"Absorb."

"Source Energy Points +5."

"Source Energy Points +5."

…

Lu Zhangsheng watched the Source Energy Points rise quickly, which made him quite pleased.

Soon, the entire Spirit‑Jade was fully absorbed.

Open the panel.

Source Energy Points: 1200.

Lu Zhangsheng sensed that the next simulation is not far off.

However, this Spirit mine belongs to the Purple‑Cold Centipede's territory; there are likely many more fourth‑tier strange beasts, so he must hurry to excavate.

If a Fifth‑rank Beast King exists, that would be troublesome.

Lu Zhangsheng felt a bit urgent, and immediately began directing the ant swarm to dig toward the depths of the spirit ore.

In the next few days, Lu Zhangsheng personally took action, and spirit jade was continuously gathered.

The Source Energy Points in his hand were also rapidly increasing.

During that time he also encountered some Fourth‑rank centipedes, all of which Lu Zhangsheng easily killed.

All the corpses were used to feed the ant swarm.

With the nourishment of abundant high‑rank exotic beast meat, the Ant Queen showed faint signs of another breakthrough.

At the same time, because they were getting closer to the vein's core, the chance of encountering Purple‑Cold centipedes grew increasingly frequent.

This forced Lu Zhangsheng to be even more cautious.

…………

Half a month later.

Late night, silent as water.

Lu Zhangsheng stood in the center of the courtyard, high‑above moonlight spilling over his body as if he were wrapped in a layer of silver radiance.

He opened the panel.

Source Energy Points: 2400.

Looking at the resource points in his hand, breaking two thousand for the first time gave him considerable satisfaction.

The simulation buttons behind several skills had also lit up, finally allowing another breakthrough.

"Simulate."

Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated, and immediately clicked the simulation plus sign behind the 【Silver Arm Technique】.

The Source Energy Points decreased by two thousand.

"Hum…"

A vague wave descended again, as if countless ancient sages were lecturing in his mind, immensely grand.

Immediately, Lu Zhangsheng's body began a violent Metamorphosis, massive qi and blood surged within, and golden radiance sprouted across his surface.

It was filled with a sense of mystery.

【After ten years of simulation, gathering the strengths of many families, you finally simulated the path behind the Silver Arm Technique…】

【A new technique is being generated, rename it?】

Crisp Prompt Sound rang through his mind.

Lu Zhangsheng slowly opened his eyes, as if a fine gleam flickered within them.

He lowered his head to examine his own body.

He saw his arms and chest displaying golden stripes, the original silver stripes having completely vanished.

【Golden Body Decision】.

Lu Zhangsheng directly named the new technique.

"Technique recording…"

Realm: Blood Transfusion Early Stage.

Technique: 【Golden Body Decision】 (Introductory).

Note: Blood Transfusion‑level technique, can greatly purify internal qi and blood; after cultivation to the limit, golden radiance spreads over the whole body, making defense extremely strong.

Lu Zhangsheng clenched his fist, a tremendously powerful sensation surged to his heart.

After this successful breakthrough, his power increase was huge, making him a strong figure throughout the Blood Transfusion realm.

Even some late‑stage Blood Transfusion warriors he was not at all afraid of.

Then Lu Zhangsheng tested his defense and footwork again.

Sure enough, his speed and defense were further enhanced, and his strikes became more domineering.

With the realm breakthrough, his overall strength continued to improve in all aspects.

Next, he planned to sequentially simulate several techniques such as sword methods, then rush to achieve Blood Transfusion completion.

Now the conflict between the two forces grew ever more intense; the day of decisive battle could erupt at any moment, and he dared not relax.

……

The next day, at dawn.

When Lu Zhangsheng stepped into the great hall of the DemonSubduingOffice, he found the atmosphere somewhat tense.

The three FuduDianZhu wore rather solemn expressions, and the many figures below the stage also had somewhat gloomy faces.

Among them were also many senior‑generation strongmen.

Lu Zhangsheng strode over to Tong Yuhua's side and stopped.

(End of chapter)