Sunday, 9 p.m, the moon flowed like water.
After stepping into October, the weather had begun to turn cool.
Pei Jinye stepped out of the martial arts arena's main gate, exhaling deeply, his martial robe billowing in the wind.
Under the lamplight, his originally pale skin had taken on a healthier hue, much more robust than before.
Unbeknownst to him, several days had passed since his arrival at the Bronze Association.
With the help of "Drawing Blood Art", his understanding of vitality had deepened significantly, and he had now successfully broken through the 2-card barrier.
But unfortunately, he hadn't yet managed to touch the transcendent realm.
Pei Jinye knew that being anxious was useless; he could only methodically improve his vitality and physical strength.
It had to be said that he was much stronger now than he was three days ago.
The night lamps tainted the air with a yellow hue, and the cool breeze swept up a few fallen leaves alongside the corridor.
Pei Jinye was about to leave when he suddenly paused, as if on a whim, a strange feeling suddenly emerging in his heart.
"Wait, this is!"
Pei Jinye's heart leapt with joy.
That sensation had come again!
He hurriedly looked around, following the feeling in his heart, step by step toward the adjacent corridor.
Three li behind the martial arts arena was a publicly accessible forest, within which stood a small pavilion; rarely visited by anyone, it was now overgrown with weeds. In the dim night and hazy fog, it looked somewhat eerie and sinister.
Pei Jinye made his way along the wall, which bordered the forest, and at this moment he had walked beyond it.
Indeed! At the corner, a small white orb of light was emerging, exceptionally conspicuous in the night.
Pei Jinye was delighted, hastily trying to touch it.
But he suddenly stopped.
From amidst the sound of the wind, some indistinct voices were carrying over...
He lifted his head. The voices were coming from within the forest. Were people still having a late-night conversation?
...
"This thing is very effective..."
"Finish as soon as possible..."
"The target has taken the bait recently, just let me stoke the flames a bit more... but won't the Chang surname discover this?"
"Don't worry, he's going to be busy from now on, no time to pay attention to you all..."
...
After hearing these broken pieces of conversation, Pei Jinye realized something was amiss. He gradually lowered his stance to avoid being seen and slowly reached out to touch the orb.
After making contact, he didn't dare to investigate during such a time and could only slowly back away... Once the voices were no longer audible, he retreated all the way to the martial arts arena before walking quickly and silently away.
Three minutes later.
A figure appeared at the corner of the wall, looking around.
Then another figure, even taller, emerged from the mist and spoke in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
The earlier individual said gravely, "Something feels off, as if there's the scent of someone else. This matter cannot be discovered, otherwise with the abilities of the Jiang family, this plan will never succeed."
Seeing this, the taller figure quickly formed a seal with both hands.
"Retrogression."
A halo of light emerged from under his feet.
A dense network of silver threads appeared, quickly forming a scroll as time began to rewind, playing back the recent events in the vicinity.
In the scroll, a blurry figure emerged from the darkness and squatted at the corner.
In an instant, the two men exchanged looks, both seeing the shock and fury in one another's eyes.
"There really is someone! Can you get a clearer view?" the companion asked anxiously.
The tall man shook his head, "This is as far as I can go right now."
"Damn it, find him quickly!"
The two figures dashed away rapidly, one in each direction.
Ten minutes later.
The two men met, their faces filled with astonishment.
"Couldn't find him!"
"Who could it possibly be!"
"Judging by the clothing on him... although it's blurry, it's definitely the attire of an outer sect disciple from the Bronze Association!"
"Prepare to leave tonight at any moment. I'll keep an eye on the Jiang family's movements. If there's no activity, it's possible that the other party just stumbled upon this by accident..."
"No matter what, we must find him! If the Jiang family finds out, we'll be in trouble."
"I understand. I'll get rid of him as soon as possible!"
...
The light rail train roared through the tunnel.
Pei Jinye calmed himself, still unaware that his swift departure had saved him from a potentially fatal predicament.
However, he was also unclear who the target mentioned by the other party was.
Moreover... if the other party was transcendent, then he definitely did not want to get involved. Would he, a normal person, go looking for death? His elderly parents were at home, who would protect them?
"Fear of death is natural for humans."
"Ultimately, it all comes down to being too weak..."
Pei Jinye sighed in his heart.
Then he gathered his thoughts and began to check his attribute panel.
——
[Name]: Pei Jinye;
[Extraordinary Genes]: Psychic Class (2/3) (Fused Genes: 0);
[Vitality Value]: 2.01;
[Stamina]: 1.1-2.17 (average value for normal people 1)
[Skill]: Basic Breathing Method (Minor Achievement 5.2%); Blood Guiding Art LV1 (Beginner 50.27%);
——
Pei Jinye took a deep breath.
"The second fragment is in my hands!"
"Just missing the last one now!"
"What exactly triggers this condition?"
Sitting on a bench with his eyes closed, Pei Jinye contemplated, recalling everything that had happened over the past few days.
"Could it be!"
Pei Jinye suddenly startled.
"Is it because of the vitality?"
If he remembered correctly, when vitality broke through 1.5 'k', the [Stamina] orb had just appeared in the Bronze Association; afterward, at 1.75 'k', the proficiency orb appeared.
When vitality broke through 2 'k', a new [Psychic Class Fragment] orb appeared.
So the next time...
"Is the trigger value 2.25 'k'?"
Pei Jinye's eyes shone slightly.
Now, each time he practiced the "Blood Guiding Art", his vitality value increased inconsistently, with an average gain of 0.2 'k' daily.
If he could enter concentration, he would gain even more.
Of course, all these were still just his speculations.
At 10:10 PM, after Pei Jinye returned home and took care of his hygiene, he went back to his little partition and began to practice in a cross-legged position.
Indeed, after obtaining the Psychic Class Gene Fragment, entering concentration had become much easier.
...
Outside the window, the cold night wind howled past.
Inside the room, a figure was maintaining a mysterious state, inhaling once and exhaling nine times.
This time, Pei Jinye did not know how long he had been asleep.
But in his spiritual world, the scene of all things reviving appeared once again, and Pei Jinye distinctly felt that his mental state had been greatly optimized.
It was so the first time, and so again the second time.
It seems that by the third time, when the three fragments fully merge, that would be a qualitative evolution!
When Pei Jinye awoke, it was already past one in the morning.
He forgot when he started entering concentration, but it must have been... nearly two hours?
"Can this duration still increase?"
A bit surprised, he pulled up his attribute panel.
This time, with the boost of the Extraordinary Gene Fragments, the [Vitality Value] soared by 0.7 'k'.
Pei Jinye's heart skipped a beat.
The vitality value column clearly displayed: 2.71 'k'!
Getting up and walking to the window,
the night breeze lifted the bangs on Pei Jinye's forehead, and he began to attempt sensing the whereabouts of the third Psychic Fragment.
...
"Is there any movement on the Jiang family's side?"
"Not at the moment."
"Could it be a deliberate ploy to confuse us?"
"That possibility isn't ruled out... Has that guy from the Bronze Association been found?"
"There are too many alleys in Hibiscus Lane, I can't check them all at once."
"We must catch him!"