159: Chapter 159 Heavenly Blessing and Prosperity Reappear

Jiang Mo's leg injury was more severe than Qin Ce had anticipated.

When the splint was removed, the lower leg was swollen and shiny, covered in bruises beneath the skin, with some areas already turning black.

Jiang Mo leaned against the edge of the bed, gritting his teeth without making a sound, but the beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed the limit of his endurance.

Qin Ce crouched down and lightly pressed his fingers along the shinbone. The feedback from Nine-Star Insight was even worse than he had expected—not only was there a fracture, but there was also internal bleeding in the marrow cavity, two severed meridians, and a lingering trace of dark-attribute energy entrenched deep within the wound, like a hibernating snake, motionless but refusing to leave.

"Where did this dark energy come from?" Qin Ce asked.

Jiang Mo's voice was a bit hoarse. "An Iron-Spine Wolf. Its claws carried poison—no, not poison, but dark energy. Once it's forced in, it can't be pulled out. The military doctor said to wait for it to dissipate on its own. It's been half a year, and it hasn't."

Qin Ce didn't ask any more questions.

He took a deep breath, and the energy within his body began to circulate.

This time, he didn't call upon the wind-attribute energy of the Qingluan; instead, he used Reborn.

The circulation path of Reborn was different from that of ordinary energy.

A Beast Tamer's Pet Beast energy doesn't travel through meridians; rather, after contracting a fierce beast, it is replicated within the human body by the energy channels of the beast.

However, Reborn travels through the human's own meridians, which is why the energy it forms has its own unique characteristics.

That energy spread along Qin Ce's arm to his palm and then flowed into Jiang Mo's body.

Jiang Mo's body gave a sudden jolt.

He felt it.

The energy was like warm water, starting from his lower leg and slowly spreading upward.

It wasn't burning or irritating; it was a deeper warmth that seeped out from the gaps between his bones.

Before this warmth, the dark energy entrenched deep in the wound melted away silently, like snow meeting the warm sun.

The internal bleeding dispersed, the swelling subsided, and the severed meridians reconnected bit by bit like spring branches.

Jiang Mo's eyes grew red.

He lowered his head, looking at his leg that had been numb for half a year, his lips trembling.

Qin Ce didn't look at him; he kept his eyes closed, focusing entirely on controlling the output of energy.

He discovered that the energy of Reborn could not only repair his own body and his Pet Beast's body but was also effective when channeled into someone else's body under the precise control of spiritual power.

Although the effect wasn't as significant as when used on himself—only about a third of the efficacy—with Tianlu's assistance from the side, the entire process went much more smoothly than he had anticipated.

Tianlu crouched at Qin Ce's feet, its golden eyes half-open and half-closed, while the nine-colored light on its antlers flickered softly.

The 'Turning Evil into Auspiciousness' of Nine-Radiance Spiritual Wisdom stripped away and transformed the remaining negative states in Jiang Mo's body bit by bit.

These stubborn hidden injuries, which even military doctors were helpless against, receded slowly like the ebbing tide under the pincer attack of the two powers.

Half an hour later, Qin Ce withdrew his hand.

The swelling in Jiang Mo's leg had subsided, the skin had returned to its normal color, and most of the bruising had vanished.

He tentatively placed his foot on the ground and stood up. First gently, with his toes touching the floor, then his entire sole, and then slowly shifting his weight over bit by bit.

He took three steps.

Every step was slow, every step was shaky, but there was no falling, no sharp pain, and not even any obvious discomfort.

Jiang Mo stood there, looking down at his leg, his shoulders trembling.

Qin Ce took a pen and paper from nearby, wrote down a list, and handed it to him. "This is the cultivation method and movements for the Rong Character Formula of the Seven Kills Chaos. Go back and practice it. Practice every day, and after you're done, I'll come and transfer energy to you. Within a week, your injuries will be completely healed."

He paused and then added, "If you practice it well, it won't just be a recovery. Your Origin Potential will increase."

Jiang Mo took the list, his hand shaking.

His lips quivered several times, and his voice sounded as if it were squeezed from his throat: "Origin... increase?"

He had never heard of such a thing.

Increasing Origin Potential was a legendary feat in the entire Federation.

A person's potential is innate; the grade of their Soul Talisman, their compatibility with Pet Beasts, and their talent for cultivation are basically set from the moment of awakening.

What can be done afterward is only to realize this potential, not to increase it.

Yet Qin Ce spoke so casually, as if he were saying the weather was nice today.

What Jiang Mo didn't know was that the combination of Reborn and Seven Kills Chaos was the core of this.

Without the energy repair and support of Reborn, practicing Seven Kills Chaos would only result in self-harm.

But if both are present, every repair after self-inflicted damage is a slight increase in origin.

Over time, quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

And this kind of increase cannot be taken away, learned, or replicated by others.

Because the energy of Reborn is something only Qin Ce possesses.

Jiang Mo looked at Qin Ce, his lips moving.

He wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

His leg had been injured for half a year, his Pet Beast was dead, his Soul Talisman had withered, and everyone thought he was useless.

He felt the same way himself.

He thought his life was over.

Then this young man came; he had been here for three days, and he had given him a leg and was even offering him a future.

Jiang Mo braced himself against the wall and slowly knelt down.

Not on one knee, but on both.

His forehead pressed against the floor, and his voice was muffled, sounding as if it came from underground: "Captain, from now on, my life belongs to you."

Qin Ce looked down at him and didn't help him up.

His voice wasn't loud, and it was very flat: "Loyalty is shown through actions, not words. Go down and call Lei Gang up."

Jiang Mo knelt on the floor for a few seconds, then stood up and slowly walked out of the room.

His back was much straighter than when he had arrived.

It wasn't because his leg was better, but because something in his heart was propping him up.

Qin Ce stood where he was, looking toward the door, saying nothing.

Tianlu crouched at his feet, yawned, and then suddenly stood up.

Its ears pricked up, its eyes brightened, and the nine-colored light on its antlers shone several times brighter than before.

It ran to Qin Ce, tugged at the hem of his clothes with its mouth, and then shook the bell on its chest.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

The sound of the bell wasn't loud, but it was crisp, like someone striking a bell far away, the sound lingering.

Qin Ce looked down at Tianlu, not reacting for a moment.

He had seen Tianlu shake the bell before, but it had just been ordinary movement without any energy fluctuations.

This time was different.

With every shake of the bell, a faint silver-gray ripple spread out from the mouth of the bell.

Those were fluctuations of Spatial Energy.

Qin Ce suddenly remembered—Tianlu had a once-a-week chance to draw treasure by communicating with an Alternate Dimension.

This was the 'Heavenly Fortune Transforming Wealth' talent that came with it when it transformed from a Minghuo into a Tianlu; once a week, it could obtain an item from an Alternate Dimension.

There had been no movement before, so he thought it was because Tianlu's level was too low and it hadn't been activated yet.

It seemed now that it wasn't that it hadn't been activated, but that the time hadn't come.

...