Chapter 24

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Chapter 24: Let Me Teach You the Way of Basketball

Giving up on oneself, oh no, it’s about making mistakes and sticking to them. This is the method Bai Qige thought of to deal with Long Aotian when they meet, as he would go berserk due to the Imbecility Aura and Myriad Illusions Sky Slash’s strange powers.

What happened next is hard to describe—things like muscle hugs, muscle holds, muscle crushes, exploding biceps, and full-power muscle training methods were quite extreme.

"Oh dear, young people really can’t handle it! After just a little training, they can’t bear it anymore!"

Twenty minutes later, Bai Qige let out a sigh of pity, while Long Aotian lay on the ground, foaming at the mouth, his limbs twisted, many joints dislocated, his face pale, twitching, and had fainted. Honestly, seeing Long Aotian like this made Bai Qige feel a little guilty.

"Hmm, I actually feel guilty? I’m awake now? So, as long as Long Aotian is unconscious, the effect of his talent will weaken or disappear? This is quite an important discovery! Since I’m awake, let’s get to work!"

Bai Qige called Long Aotian out, not just to trick and gather information, but also for other plans. He then took out a syringe he had prepared and started drawing blood, stopping after a lot was drawn. He followed the usual routine, using Long Aotian’s phone to call for an ambulance, and then Bai Qige floated away.

Instead of going to Daxiong’s house, he returned to his own home. Once there, he found some pots and bowls to pour Long Aotian’s blood into, filling a large soup bowl. Seeing this amount surprised Bai Qige, and he wondered if he had drawn too much. By the way, how much blood is safe to draw? Back in the Middle-earth World, he was always worried about others bleeding too little and never paid attention to these details.

"Forget it, I can also give him a blood transfusion at the hospital, he shouldn’t die! Let me think, what did that mysterious Medicine Pill Master say about extracting the powers from mutated bloodlines? Right, steam it first, while repeatedly refining it with True Qi."

Because of his bloodline, Long Aotian’s training method mutated, leading to a great improvement in his skills. This kind of thing isn’t too rare in the diverse races of the Middle-earth World. According to Earth’s biology, most species have reproductive isolation, but in a high martial arts alternate world like this, they completely ignore science. The most exaggerated example Bai Qige saw was a tree spirit and a mixed spirit forming a couple and having a whole bunch of children.

Hmm… The Tree Clan is a life form evolved from plants, its main body is a big tree, and it can run and jump, so it can be called a tree person. The Spirit Clan, on the other hand, is made of mineral spirits, simply put, they are stone people. When a tree person and a stone person marry, they give birth to many strange life forms that are half stone and half plant. In Earth terms, they are a fusion of silicon-based life and carbon-based life. When Bai Qige first saw them, he couldn’t help but shout, "What kind of strange creature is that?" After understanding the situation, Bai Qige was puzzled about how a stone person could make a big tree pregnant.

In this situation, we can see how brutal and unscientific the issue of cross-species reproduction in the Middle-earth World is. Constant cross-species breeding will always lead to some distorted and mutated beings with strange talents and bloodline powers, which then cause changes in their abilities. If the changes are harmful, it’s needless to say, but if they are beneficial, it usually leads to great advancements in power.

Although the Middle-earth World has a backward civilization, the natives are not fools. They have naturally noticed that bloodline power can affect abilities and have gradually researched some methods to gain the power of mutated bloodlines. After three years of traveling in the Middle-earth World, Bai Qige met many people, including a Medicine Pill Master who studied these matters. She paid a high price for various materials of mutated bloodlines. For a time, Bai Qige worked under her, earned some rewards, and learned about mutated bloodlines. He was quite interested in trying the beneficial mutation that happened to Long Aotian, after all, that mutated Heart Sutra really packed a punch.

As for the issue of reduced intelligence, Bai Qige felt that his intelligence was off the charts, and trading a bit of that for power seemed quite worthwhile. Of course, the specific situation would depend on whether there was a way to extract the bloodline from Long Aotian and blend it into his own use.

Bai Qige divided that bowl of blood into ten parts and then began his experiment. He turned on the gas stove, simmered it on low heat, and placed his hand on the pot, channeling True Qi into it, wrapping the blood, and repeatedly tempering and refining it. According to the Medicine Pill Master, if he wanted to extract the power from the mutated bloodline, the best way was to use various specialized instruments and methods to separate the impurities based on the characteristics of the bloodline. He would refine the mutated power using various rare materials and finally concoct it into a dan, making it a top-quality bloodline elixir. One dose could cleanse the body and transform one’s essence. If he didn’t have those conditions, he could settle for a less sophisticated method, like finding a wild place and starting a campfire to begin.

After heating it on low until a strong blood smell filled the air, he refined it with True Qi for a while, then switched to high heat. He added a spoonful of soy sauce, green onions, garlic, and aged vinegar. After hesitating for a moment, Bai Qige tossed in two hot peppers.

This was not a necessary step, but according to the Medicine Pill Master, adding some seasoning could effectively remove the blood smell and make it more palatable, as blood really doesn’t taste good. After cooking for a while, with the blood nearly dried up, only half-solid, half-liquid blood remained at the bottom of the pot, just enough for one spoonful. Bai Qige smelled it and frowned, the smell was truly awful. Holding his nose like he was taking medicine, he gulped it down quickly, and the strange taste was hard to describe.

Afterward, he didn’t feel any change. Bai Qige opened the Fate Interface, and a message flickered in the information bar, "You have consumed the crudely refined blood residue; it seems to have had a slight effect, gaining a momentary state of mental excitement, lasting ten seconds."

"Could you just say it failed? Why go on about it?" Bai Qige mumbled. He vaguely sensed that while he was refining the blood, he not only failed to remove the impurities but also didn’t extract the power contained in the blood; instead, he had removed the power and nourished the impurities. However, he did not mind because he knew he was never a genius; his life was already filled with setbacks and failures.

But it is precisely because of this that he longs for success more than anyone else!

The second attempt at alchemy began. He calmed his mind, followed his feelings, made slight adjustments to his methods, and then, as expected, he failed. Bai Qige frowned slightly; it seemed that if he continued like this, all ten samples would likely fail.

"Pay Experience Points to maximize the enhancement of what I already have!"

In the Middle-earth World, Experience Points are like a universal elixir, a Dragon Ball with limitless possibilities, a wish spell that can perfectly realize every thought and desire. As Bai Qige spoke, the Experience Points on the Fate Interface quickly decreased, and an inexplicable power suddenly emerged, taking control of Bai Qige’s body and mind, and then he began refining once again.

One hand was placed on the temperature control of the gas stove, continuously adjusting the heat, while the fingers of the other hand touched the warming blood, True Qi being infused at a steady rhythm.

Bai Qige gazed at the blood, his consciousness drifting as if separating from his body, peering into reality from a higher dimension. The blood sample rapidly enlarged in his vision, and his awareness delved deep into it; he clearly saw the "impurities" and "power" within the blood.

Within the thick, crimson blood, there were tiny, almost insignificant golden sparkles, which could only be called dots of pure power, revealing the "truth" of the Long Aotian bloodline mutation.

Infusing True Qi to separate the impurities, he used the essence of his life energy, True Qi, to nurture and strengthen the golden sparkles. When Bai Qige came to his senses, the blood had dried up, and in the pot, there was only a small glob that shimmered faintly gold, a Blood Bead existing between liquid and solid.

Bai Qige quickly swallowed the Blood Bead, feeling a warm sensation in his body, and began to circulate the Heart Sutra. Then he looked at the information bar on the Fate Interface: [You have consumed a basic mutated blood pill (remnant) that contains dragon bloodline; it seems to have had a certain effect on your body!]

The result was quite good. The power of the mutated bloodline, even when refined, cannot be used lightly. There is a chance of rejection. At this moment, this hint shows that Bai Qige and Long Aotian’s bloodlines at least did not show any strong rejection reaction, which is the most basic requirement for gaining bloodline power.

Then he looked again. This time, the modification cost 20 Experience Points. This is a delicate number; it may seem much, but compared to the two thousand points Bai Qige currently has, it is not too much. Breaking through the Second Level of Heart Sutra to reach the Third Level of Basic Heart Sutra only cost 100 points of experience. This value made Bai Qige deeply understand that breaking through bottlenecks is indeed the best way to use Experience Points; anything else would be a waste.

"But now I can afford to waste!" he murmured. After extravagantly spending Experience Points to make modifications, that feeling still lingered in Bai Qige. But because of this, he knew that achieving perfect modification was still a distant goal for him.

Only after meeting the standards of technique, mental and physical condition, True Qi manipulation, and proficiency, can one truly reach the realm of perfect refinement. However, Bai Qige did not have the leisure to practice this, so he decisively continued to waste Experience Points to refine the remaining eight portions of blood.

[You have consumed a Beginner Mutated Blood Pill (fragment) containing dragon blood, which has a certain effect on your body: all attributes +1. It seems to have slightly affected the nature of True Qi!]

After consuming the third perfect Blood Bead, Bai Qige gained an all-attribute +1 bonus. As he moved slightly, his bones cracked, and a tingling, pleasant sensation spread through his body. This was the joy brought by continuous strengthening and evolution of life.

"Long Aotian’s bloodline is indeed quite extraordinary!"

Even though he temporarily improved his refining method to perfection using Experience Points, without other ingredients to pair with it, just relying on the insignificant bloodline power in the blood, gaining an all-attribute +1 effect after consuming three beads is impressive. According to the Medicine Pill Master, the bloodline level is already quite sharp. If this were known in the Middle-earth World, Long Aotian would probably have been captured by some big-shot and used in alchemy by now.

Bai Qige kept consuming the remaining five Blood Beads. However, surprisingly, five messages flashed by, all indicating a certain effect on his body and a slight impact on the nature of True Qi, with no further improvement in physical quality.

He opened the Fate Interface and saw a strange new label (affected) added after the Dragon-slaying Alliance Basic Heart Sutra. Bai Qige thought for a moment and understood that it was probably because the amount was too little to cause a change in the skill.

However, Bai Qige was not afraid. He was a rich person with two thousand Experience Points, not worried about spending them. With a wave of his hand, he decided to directly use the Experience Points to forcefully mutate the Basic Heart Sutra, and suddenly a large virtual interface appeared before his eyes.

[To completely mutate the Dragon-slaying Alliance Basic Heart Sutra by combining it with dragon blood, it requires 1500 Experience Points. Do you want to proceed?]

In an instant, Bai Qige woke up from his rich dream and awkwardly selected no. Experience Points have many uses; how could he waste them here?

After thinking, Bai Qige said to himself, "It’s okay, with Long Aotian, this big bloodbag around, I will surely collect enough soon. But wait, have I become a primitive person who drinks blood raw?"

In the hospital, Long Aotian, who was being talked about, sneezed several times. He thought the window was open and pulled his blanket tight around him.

"Long Aotian, if you have anything to say, please contact our police immediately!" A police officer left helplessly, while Long Aotian looked even more helpless. This was his second visit to the hospital, and it was the same hospital again. He had been hospitalized twice in a row with quite strange injuries, which shocked the doctors. They wondered if he was in some kind of danger, like being chased by gangsters, or if he was trying to commit suicide by jumping into the gorilla cage at the zoo, which made the latter guess quite popular.

The hospital called the police, and when the officer came to ask questions, Long Aotian naturally wouldn’t say that he was injured by his master in the name of training. He stammered and brushed it off, and the police officer had no choice but to leave.

Coincidentally, the hospital room Long Aotian was in happened to be the same single room on the twelfth floor from last time. Every five minutes, he looked towards the balcony, fearing that the Wet Dream Muscular Monk would appear again from that spot, but luckily, his worries did not come true.

Before long, many people learned that he was in the hospital. They hurried to see him and made a fuss until evening. The last ones to arrive were a few members of the basketball club and Tang Jiaorong.

"Proprietor, you are really amazing! I heard you played basketball with that Li Huaian again! I hope it’s not another team of NBA players, right?"

Mugang Xian, the vice president of the basketball club, asked curiously. Long Aotian took the apple that Tang Jiaorong had peeled, took a few bites, and hesitated about the question. He had learned skills from Master Wet Dream and then met Ye Hui, stepping into the darker side of this world and discovering many truths. That Li Huaian is a member of the Supernatural Organization; if he wanted to play basketball, he really didn’t know what kind of teammates he would find.

Maybe a team of Psychics!? Just thinking about this made Long Aotian feel a little headache, as he didn’t know how to explain it to Mugang Xian. Seeing Long Aotian’s strange silence, everyone’s expressions became odd. Last time, Long Aotian got involved with a spoiled rich kid, and they helplessly faced a team of NBA players on the basketball court. Would they encounter a group of white NBA players this time?

If a match like that really happened, they probably wouldn’t have the courage to step onto the Canglan Academy basketball court again or continue hanging around Long Aotian’s basketball club because they were scared that next time they might face the NBA Dream Team.

"The meaning of life lies in constantly challenging powerful beings, thus creating one’s own glory. So, there is no need to panic or fear. As long as your punches are strong enough, all fears and uncertainties will be swept away! Amitabha, I am Elder Wet Dream of Lanruo Temple. Greetings to you all!"

The old monk in a flowing robe walked out onto the balcony and saluted the crowd with his palms together. At that moment, the reactions from everyone were very different. The members of the basketball club looked excited, and so did Tang Jiaorong, but Long Aotian’s response was completely different. His face turned pale, and he couldn’t help but wrap himself in the blanket, trembling slightly, appearing as if he was suffering from severe psychological trauma.

"I won’t waste more words. Besides practicing martial arts and sincerely worshiping Buddha, I love playing basketball. I heard my disciple say he will compete against a strong opponent in basketball again, and I can hardly contain my excitement. However, with my basketball skills, it would be unfair to play easily, so I’m thinking of changing my role to that of a basketball coach, passing on my lifelong skills. I wonder if you are interested!"

"Coach, please allow me to bow to you!" Mugang Xian had a moment of inspiration and immediately knelt down to pay his respects, while other members of the basketball club also realized and joined in the bowing. Only Long Aotian remained silent, covering his face with the blanket as if he saw nothing.