Chapter 556

Thud, thud!

As vibrant life gradually spread to his limbs, every cell in his body,

Xu Xiang’s heart, once like an aging tractor on the verge of breakdown, regained its strength.

Splash, splash.

His flowing blood transformed from a nearly dried-up stream into a mighty river, carrying oxygen and nutrients to every part of his body.

Externally, Xu Xiang’s complexion turned ruddy, his breathing grew steady and powerful,

and the deep wrinkles on his forehead, long etched by enduring pain, smoothed out considerably.

The veins on his bony neck and arms no longer writhed like earthworms.

Zhang Chulan and the others stared, spellbound, at this scene before them.

Even the legendary immortal art capable of reviving the dead and restoring flesh to bones could not surpass this.

Zhang Chulan, who had always known Zhang Jie was unfathomable, remained calm; but Xu San and Xu Si were plunged into deep doubt.

As friends who had known Zhang Jie for years, didn’t they know exactly what level he had been before?

To say Zhang Jie was merely an ordinary yiren might be an underestimation.

But to claim he was exceptionally outstanding also didn’t fit reality.

In internet terms, Zhang Jie was simply average—mid-tier talent at best.

How could such a little brother suddenly become this powerful?

‘Could it be that Ah Jie has awakened his innate supernatural ability?’

Xu San pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and made this guess in his mind.

Although all who wield qi are uniformly called yiren,

in reality, yiren can be further classified,

primarily into innate and acquired yiren based on whether their abilities are innate:

Some are born extraordinary, possessing supernatural abilities without learning or training—these are called innate yiren.

For example, Xu San himself wields mental force, making him an innate yiren.

Also, the previously captured Lu Liang and Xia He,

one possessing the Ming Hun Art passed down in the Lu family, the other able to control lust,

plunging others into boundless desire—both are classic examples of innate yiren.

Others, though lacking innate abilities, possess the talent to cultivate Qi,

and through sect scriptures, develop supernatural powers—these are acquired yiren.

Research suggests that the various secret techniques in the yiren world today

were likely developed by ancient sages who awakened innate abilities,

discovered the patterns of supernatural powers, and thus established the path of acquired cultivation.

Of course, this does not mean innate yiren are stronger than acquired yiren.

Innate yiren, having awakened their abilities, already possess specific qi circulation pathways,

making it difficult to learn acquired techniques—for example, Xu San himself never mastered his family’s secret art,

leading innate yiren to often be highly specialized; once their innate ability is neutralized, they easily fall.

Take Xia He as an example: if someone resists her control over lust,

any adult yiren could easily defeat her.

Since the ancient yiren sages forged the path of cultivation,

innate yiren still hold a place in the yiren world,

yet the strongest elites are almost always acquired yiren who cultivated themselves.

The most typical figure is naturally the Grand Master Zhang Zhiwei,

who has held the top spot in the yiren world for over half a century,

leaving countless yiren heroes helpless and hopeless.

If anyone claimed his innate ability was invincible, Grand Master Zhang would simply use his palm to show him

the weight and depth of the Golden Light Spell and the Five Thunder Orthodoxy passed down by the Tian Shi Sect.

That said, in terms of mystery and depth, innate abilities often surpass acquired ones.

For instance, Xu San knew that the Tian Xia Hui, headquartered in Z City in North China,

had its chairman Feng Tianyang’s eldest daughter, Feng Shayan, also an innate yiren—her awakened ability was spatial!

Had Feng Shayan’s ability been stronger, allowing her to teleport her entire body,

instead of just parts like her fist to deliver a hundred-paces divine punch, she could have achieved dimensional leaps and dimensional suppression.

In Xu San’s view, Zhang Jie had likely awakened his own innate ability,

one exceedingly rare and synergistic with his cultivated powers.

Although innate abilities usually awaken in youth,

there are still cases of awakening in adulthood or even old age.

……

Zhang Jie had no idea Xu San had already spun a series of wild theories about his ability.

Had he known Xu San’s guess, he would have shouted, “Brother San, brilliant!”

After all, his abilities came from other-world Zhang Jies,

and those other Zhang Jies were unquestionably the same person as him.

To say his current powers are an awakened innate ability is not at all excessive.

As for the origin of all this—the Shared Space?

emmmmm…

Perhaps among the infinite innate abilities, there exists one that allows the awakened to connect with their counterparts from other worlds,

communicate, share, and mutually advance?

Zhang Jie did not know Xu San’s wild speculation—he was now wholly focused on Xu Xiang.

Even at his current realm, prolonging another’s life was no simple task.

To defy heaven and alter fate, to extend life, borders on defying heaven itself—how could it be easy?

Humming.

The miniature planet formed from his solidified spiritual force in his upper dantian spun at high speed,

its mysterious silver patterns blurring beyond recognition.

This meant he had poured nearly all his focus into it.

And the origin of this miniature planet was, of course, the Consumption:

After he broke through to the Planetary-level martial artist using the Ten-Thousand-Year Willow Heart,

he traveled deep into the Amazon rainforest to undergo a trial at an alien ruin,

succeeded, and obtained the method to break through to Planetary-level Spiritual Mind Master,

becoming a Planetary-level Spiritual Mind Master, his strength advancing further.

At this point, he was nearly invincible on Earth,

granting him a preliminary sense of security after being driven to paranoia by the harsh environment.

Of course, this preliminary safety was far from satisfying,

for after achieving invincibility comes enemies from beyond the heavens: soon, the greatest crisis of the Consumption era would arrive—

the Golden Horned Beast, which had killed Luo Feng once and nearly ended the cosmic tyrant’s rise.

After that, the Nolans, a noble family of the Karo Empire, a vassal state of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, would come to Earth,

aiming to seize the “ownerless” Earth and enslave all its inhabitants.

The crises of Consumption came one after another, without end,

and if one’s strength did not outpace the growth of threats, it would mean doom for all.

The threat of death and spiritual annihilation loomed before him;

and if captured by the Nolans, who lived by slave-hunting, it would be worse than death.

Consumption Zhang Jie could only respond: the revolution is not yet complete—he must strive harder…