Lin Ye's transformation was astonishing.

  But Xia Li could also tell that Lin Ye just had overly vigorous blood energy that urgently needed release.

  "Fight me? Sure."

  Xia Li extended his hand, grabbed Lin Ye's fist, and threw him directly out of the bamboo house. Then he immediately followed out to spar with Lin Ye.

  Lin Ye appeared to have some martial arts foundation—and not a low one. His boxing and kicking actually required Xia Li to activate Heaven Chip assistance just to keep up.

  This sparring match wasn't a life-or-death struggle, so Xia Li didn't use spiritual energy or telekinesis—just his body's natural strength.

  The two thus began their flesh-pounding combat. Lin Ye seemed to have gone berserk, as if his body contained inexhaustible power, constantly pressing the attack.

  Xia Li's fighting stance was primarily defensive—various force-deflecting and redirecting techniques that made the power Lin Ye directed at Xia Li ultimately return to himself.

  After about the time it takes three incense sticks to burn, having exchanged several hundred moves, Lin Ye finally calmed down. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and his powerful blood energy even formed a phenomenon—like a column of smoke rising from the top of his head.

  "Thank you, Brother Xia!"

  Lin Ye bowed deeply to Xia Li.

  "What's your situation now?"

  "I've achieved the Blood Smoke phenomenon—the mark of mastering blood energy cultivation."

  "Then what's my blood energy at?"

  Xia Li was curious about how far he'd progressed in martial arts. Hearing this, Lin Ye seemed reluctant to speak. Xia Li naturally noticed Lin Ye's awkwardness.

  "Very low?"

  "Mm... Although you've reached Martial Aperture Opening, you haven't really cultivated the Meridian Opening realm, let alone the Blood Energy realm."

  "I see. That's normal though—my energy is limited, and I can't excel at everything."

  Xia Li wasn't going to focus too much on martial arts right now. Being a notch above those cultivators who didn't practice martial arts at all in physical fitness was enough.

  After all, he currently wasn't a complete flesh-and-blood body. He could consider martial arts later when his body was fully restored.

  Other things aside.

  On Earth, the Golden Body realm above Soul Transformation had a process of rebuilding one's golden body. At that point, as long as a single drop of blood remained, one could restore their flesh-and-blood body.

  So for Earth cultivators, it wasn't that body refinement was unaffordable—prosthetics were just more cost-effective before Golden Body realm.

  You've tempered your body for ten years? Think you can match my alloy prosthetic in a collision?

  "That's reasonable. Specialize in one path first; other paths can be supplemented later. Someone like me who cultivates three paths simultaneously has it rough—the resources I consume are ten, even a hundred times what others need. Sigh..."

  Lin Ye shook his head. Hearing this, Xia Li very much wanted to punch him in the head. Humble-bragging, was he?

  "Let me see the level of your Blood Smoke!"

  With that, Xia Li activated his telekinesis. His entire body floated slightly, telekinesis instantly gripping Lin Ye and invading his body through every opening.

  That vigorous blood energy was directly suppressed until it flowed like lead and mercury. Lin Ye's heart couldn't pump blood; its beating rapidly slowed to near-stopping.

  "Brother Xia... I was wrong..."

  "Wrong, wrong..."

  "You're amazing, you're strong..."

  Lin Ye struggled with all his might, but no matter how he struggled, it was futile. He now had a feeling that if Xia Li wanted...

  He'd be directly crushed by Xia Li's invisible force.

  After Xia Li withdrew his telekinesis, Lin Ye half-knelt, panting continuously. His gaze toward Xia Li now contained a hint of reverence.

  Though they were friends, friends also had some competition and comparison—at minimum, they had to determine who was the big brother and who was the little brother.

  Now it seemed the big brother was definitely Xia Li.

  "Brother Xia, how is your spiritual force so powerful? This could already harm Nascent Soul cultivators!"

  "It can. I've already killed a Nascent Soul."

  "What?"

  Lin Ye's expression showed shock. This was too terrifying—Foundation Establishment killing Nascent Soul in reverse?

  Although Xia Li's spiritual force was indeed formidable, capable of binding and harming Nascent Soul, actually killing one was another matter entirely.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  What kind of subpar Nascent Soul had Xia Li killed?

  It couldn't have been one of those demonic path false Nascent Souls refined from someone else's Nascent Soul, could it?

  "Believe it or don't. Here are the weapons you wanted."

  Xia Li snapped his fingers, and four briefcases flew out from his phase ring. Lin Ye immediately came to the briefcases, his expression extremely excited as he opened them one by one.

  "Good, good, good."

  "This one's good too."

  "That one's also good!"

  "Anyway, they're all good!"

  He picked up a gun and examined it repeatedly, his movements gentle as if caressing a beloved, afraid of hurting the gun.

  If...

  These guns had artifact spirits, had souls, they would probably be overjoyed at this moment.

  "How is it? Satisfied?"

  "Nothing more to say—you're my real brother from now on!!"

  Lin Ye directly claimed kinship, wanting to write Xia Li into the family genealogy that very night.

  "The specifications of these weapons you can test yourself. Each one's killing power is Golden Core standard—you can use them confidently until Golden Core realm. When your realm is higher, there'll be better ones."

  "There are better ones?"

  Lin Ye immediately stood up, eyes shining as he stared at Xia Li.

  "Does Brother Xia have any on you? Could this little brother have a look?"

  "That's fine, but once you see them, you'll only feel worse. You sure you still want to see?"

  "I want to see!"

  Lin Ye couldn't wait to see the truly good stuff. Although he understood Xia Li wasn't refusing to give him the good ones—it was that his realm wasn't high enough.

  But getting a preview would give him more motivation during cultivation, helping him strive harder to obtain them sooner.

  "Take a look then. I don't have many personal items—just one gun, one blade."

  Xia Li brought out Night Cleaver and Sirius.

  After Lin Ye saw them, his gaze could no longer leave the blade and gun. He even became flustered, not knowing which to look at longer.

  "Elegant... exquisite... absolutely beautiful!"

  "I actually want to kill and rob now..."

  "I suddenly understand that feeling of absolutely needing to obtain something once you fall for it... morality... justice... none of it matters!"

  Lin Ye spoke his true thoughts without reservation.

  Xia Li wasn't surprised by this.

  He'd long seen that Lin Ye had some issues. This guy had a touch of fetishism—not the kind that fancied objects others had used, but purely loving exquisite, powerful items.

  Someone like Lin Ye would probably fall in love with an artifact spirit in the future.

  "Then cultivate harder. When you reach Golden Core, I'll exchange these in my hands for yours."

  "It's a promise! Also, Brother Xia... these two items must be very expensive, right? If taken to auction, at least a million spirit stones!"

  "The blade might not sell for that much—I estimate around three hundred thousand."

  "But this gun could definitely fetch over a million!"

  Lin Ye did have good taste. It wasn't that the blade's forging level was lacking; rather, cold weapons in the cultivation world had already been developed to their fullest. This blade, though extraordinary, was just so-so in comparison.

  But the gun was different!

  It was an unprecedented new weapon, exceptionally exquisite and powerful, with extremely high premium potential.

  "Then I'll charge you half price—five hundred thousand spirit stones."

  "That cheap?!"

  Hearing Xia Li would only charge him five hundred thousand, Lin Ye thought that calling him brother really wasn't in vain!

  "Mm... We're brothers, so of course you get the bro price."

  Xia Li's expression remained unchanged, but internally he thought: Lin Ye actually considers five hundred thousand cheap? Just how many spirit stones does this guy have?

  Could he be a walking spirit stone mine?

  Then don't blame your bro. Times change—before, he'd worried about brotherhood and hadn't wanted to rip off his little bro, but now that his little bro was richer than him by who knows how much, shouldn't he receive some assistance?

  Little bro, your bro's also poor!

  Given the brotherhood between them, only marking up a few times was already being very honorable.