Blood Exchange Bead, A First Blood Exchange!

Dead. Just like that, Gao Yucheng was dead. Moreover, his eyes remained wide open—he died with grievance, unable to close them in peace. He seemed utterly unable to fathom how, after calculating every contingency, he had still ended up dead in the end. At that moment, Gao Zhanhu also opened his eyes. He had witnessed with his own eyes Gao Yucheng being slain by the mysterious figure. He parted his lips as if wanting to say something, but in the end, spoke not a word. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—in an instant, he understood everything. Calculate as one might, who could have foreseen that an "oriole" was lurking in the shadows behind them? The newcomer was, of course, Lu Changsheng. He had shadowed those five martial artists all the way to this underground secret chamber. Yet the five of them had remained completely oblivious. From beginning to end, Lu Changsheng had witnessed this tragic violation of human morality: a younger brother slaying his elder brother, and a son turning upon his father. Lu Changsheng bent down and picked up the Blood Exchange Bead from Gao Yucheng's hand. On the surface, the bead showed nothing extraordinary. However, the reason he had struck was precisely this Blood Exchange Bead! The bead appeared capable of helping a martial artist attain the Divine Strength Realm. Such a treasure could only be found by chance, not sought, so Lu Changsheng had naturally been tempted. What was more, the Gao family members were hardly virtuous people either; like those five martial artists, they were all birds of a feather. Stowing away the Blood Exchange Bead, Lu Changsheng gripped his dagger and turned his gaze toward the five martial artists sprawled on the ground. The five men shuddered all over, an ominous premonition creeping into their hearts. "Since Your Excellency has already obtained the Blood Exchange Bead, please show mercy. We are..." The five were just about to declare their identities. *Swish.* Lu Changsheng's figure vanished in an instant, followed by a flash of white light. The five martial artists convulsed violently, blood pooling across the floor, before their breath slowly ebbed away. Dead. Before they could even reveal their identities, the five martial artists were slaughtered by Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng had no interest in hearing who they were. For some people, killing them was enough; learning their background would only bring trouble. Lu Changsheng crouched down again to thoroughly search the corpses. This fine habit was not something to be abandoned. Unfortunately, the five carried nothing on them. Lu Changsheng slowly rose to his feet and turned to look at Gao Zhanhu. Now, only Gao Zhanhu remained. "How do you use the Blood Exchange Bead?" Lu Changsheng asked abruptly. "Your voice..." Hearing Lu Changsheng speak, Gao Zhanhu's eyes snapped wide. As if realizing something, his voice trembled: "It's you..." Evidently, Gao Zhanhu had guessed Lu Changsheng's identity. "Hahaha! To think I invited the wolf into my own home!" "You came for the Blood Exchange Bead, didn't you?" "So be it. Killing those five was for the best anyway. You will only take the Blood Exchange Bead and will not seize Gao Family Fort—a small blessing amidst misfortune." "I'll give you the method to use the Blood Exchange Bead. You only need to cut an open wound on your body and press the Blood Exchange Bead into it. The bead will naturally melt over time and merge with your blood." "I still have a younger son and a daughter. I hope you will spare them. They know nothing." A hint of pleading shone in Gao Zhanhu's eyes. "I only want the Blood Exchange Bead," Lu Changsheng said after a long pause. *Swish.* In the next moment, Lu Changsheng's dagger lightly drew across Gao Zhanhu's throat. There was no way Lu Changsheng would spare Gao Zhanhu, because Gao Zhanhu had already deduced his identity. As for Gao Zhanhu's younger son and daughter, Lu Changsheng had never even laid eyes on them, so he naturally wouldn't do anything to them. Gao Zhanhu clutched his throat, quickly falling still. Lu Changsheng searched Gao Zhanhu's body, but found nothing either. And so, he began opening the secret chambers one after another. Inside the chambers were piles of supplies—grain, ironware, suits of armor, weapons, and more. Lu Changsheng had no interest in any of these; what he sought were martial arts methods and techniques. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no martial manuals or techniques in the chambers. What Lu Changsheng wanted most was a Divine Strength Realm technique. Even though he could not yet reach the Divine Strength Realm, gaining some advance understanding of it would still bring him immense benefits. Alas, there was no Divine Strength Realm technique in the secret chambers—or perhaps it was stashed in a more concealed location that Lu Changsheng could not find. After searching for a while without success, Lu Changsheng gave up. He left the underground secret chamber and closed its entrance doors behind him. The chamber was exceedingly secluded; only the successive fort lords of Gao Family Fort knew of it. Even if the Gao family noticed that Gao Zhanhu, Gao Yucheng, and Gao Yuzhi were missing and mounted a massive search, they likely wouldn't find this place anytime soon. Afterward, Lu Changsheng returned to his quarters. He could even hear the breathing of several apprentices and his master, Wu Jing, from the adjoining room. Their breathing was steady and even, clearly indicating they had fallen into a deep sleep. Only then did Lu Changsheng rest easy. He was in no hurry to sleep. Instead, he retrieved the Blood Exchange Bead from inside his robe. The Blood Exchange Bead appeared to be made of some unrecognizable material. Holding it in his grip, he felt a faint, cool sensation. Since this Blood Exchange Bead was a supreme treasure, Lu Changsheng did not want to delay, lest unforeseen complications arise in the dead of night. Lu Changsheng drew his dagger directly and bared his arm. He made a gentle slice. *Chrr.* A gash opened on his arm, and blood flowed freely at once. Lu Changsheng immediately placed the Blood Exchange Bead onto the wound. A wondrous scene unfolded. Upon contact with the fresh blood, the Blood Exchange Bead actually melted at a rate visible to the naked eye. It seemed to dissolve into his blood, coursing through his blood vessels and spreading through his entire body. Lu Changsheng closed his eyes, attentively experiencing the effects of the Blood Exchange Bead. He could vaguely sense a chilly aura gradually adhering to the area around his heart. *Thump, thump, thump.* With each beat of his heart, that icy aura emanated outward, swiftly flowing across his entire body. As this cold aura continued to spread, Lu Changsheng could clearly feel impurities being expelled from his body bit by bit. He even circulated his qi and blood slightly. *Boom.* His qi and blood actually began rising again—it was utterly incredible. One had to know that Lu Changsheng's qi and blood had already reached its utmost limit. Logically speaking, unless he advanced to the Divine Strength Realm, it should have been impossible for it to increase any further. Yet the fact was right before him. Having used the Blood Exchange Bead, his qi and blood, which had reached its ceiling, was actually capable of rising once more. Still, Lu Changsheng also vaguely understood the reason. *Advancement to the Divine Strength Realm requires opening the life-and-death gateway, altering marrow and exchanging blood, and shedding one's mortal frame.* *However, relying on the Blood Exchange Bead allows one to 'exchange blood' directly, equivalent to completing half of altering marrow and exchanging blood in advance.* *With the Blood Exchange Bead, reaching the Divine Strength Realm truly becomes much easier.* The Blood Exchange Bead inside his body was indeed a supreme treasure; no wonder so many people fought over it. Judging by the current speed and efficiency of the blood exchange, Lu Changsheng would need at least a month to complete the process entirely. And over the course of that month, Lu Changsheng's physical constitution would also improve across the board along with the blood exchange. This was shedding one's mortal frame in another sense. Lu Changsheng then attempted to cultivate the Cold Ice Tempering Bone Technique. He discovered that his efficiency in cultivating the Cold Ice Tempering Bone Technique had also increased substantially. Even though there was no ice and he had not consumed any medicinal cuisine, the efficiency had genuinely improved. *The most critical point about the Blood Exchange Bead is that it doesn't seem to hinder me from altering marrow and exchanging blood again when I open the life-and-death gateway in the future.* *In other words, if I open the life-and-death gateway later and alter marrow and exchange blood, it will effectively amount to a second blood exchange.* *Each blood exchange will bring a qualitative leap to my physical constitution. Once I reach the Divine Strength Realm, having undergone two blood exchanges will make my strength far surpass peers of the same rank!* Lu Changsheng was thoroughly pleased. This trip to Gao Family Fort had yielded immense gains!