Chapter 45: Beast Veins

The power behind Su Hao's full-powered punch was so overwhelming that Bald Liu almost believed he had already reached the beginner master level.

Rubbing his smooth, bald head, Bald Liu sighed, "Your Blood Qi still feels like that of an Elite warriors, but the sheer quantity is astonishing. This kind of explosive power—I've never seen it in any high-level Elite Warrior."

Su Hao nodded and said, "My father always said I was naturally gifted, so having a bit more than others is probably normal."

Bald Liu could only reluctantly accept this explanation.

Su Hao then added, "There really is a huge gap between Elite warriors and masters. That punch just now was my strongest that I can muster, yet I couldn't even break through Teacher Liu's defense."

Bald Liu nodded, "That's because Master-level power isn't something humans naturally possess. It was derived from studying fierce beasts. The reason fierce beasts are so much stronger than humans is that they possess a special structure that we lack."

Su Hao summarized, "So, what you're saying is that beasts have something inside them that we humans don't?"

Bald Liu said, "Exactly. We call this structure within beast's "Beast Veins". Beasts are born with them, but humans aren't."

"So, to advance to Master level, all you need to do is embed an artificial Beast vein into your body?"

Su Hao suddenly understood.

However, Bald Liu added, "But it's not as simple as you think. You need to meet two conditions to succeed."

Su Hao asked, "What are the two conditions?"

"First, you need to obtain a complete Beast Vein. Second, you must successfully engrave it into your body."

The first condition stumped Su Hao because this was the first time he'd even heard of "Beast Veins," and he had no idea where to get one. So, he asked, "Teacher Liu, where can I find a Beast Vein?"

Bald Liu smiled and said, "There are four ways to obtain a Beast Vein. First, someone could give it to you—either through inheritance from your father or someone else. Second, you could spend a large sum of money to buy one on the black market. Third, as an academy student, you could learn one from the academy's archives. Fourth, you could hunt wild fierce beasts in the wilderness and extract one yourself. Since you're a student, you can simply choose the third option—select a Beast Vein from the academy's collection. But, you'll have to pay for it."

A cold sweat broke out on Su Hao's forehead. For someone who was always tight on money, the mention of payment made his heart race. He cautiously asked, "How much?"

Bald Liu chuckled, "Relax. It's much cheaper than the black market. You only need 5 gold crowns. Didn't you win 10 gold crowns from Warden Jin Datong when you enrolled? If you haven't spent it all, now's the perfect time to use it."

Su Hao let out a sigh of relief. Over the past six months, he had been focused on studying and hadn't spent much. Aside from a few customized gadgets, he still had 9 gold crowns left, more than enough. If the price had been 20 or 30 gold crowns, he would've been in trouble.

Bald Liu continued, "On the black market, the lowest price for a Beast Vein starts at 20 gold crowns, and that's for a weak one."

Su Hao gasped.

Bald Liu then spoke sternly, "Once you learn a Beast Vein from the academy, you are forbidden from sharing or selling it to others. If you do, the academy has the right to "revoke" it."

Su Hao nodded, "Understood."

Su Hao then asked, "And the second condition—how do I engrave the Beast Veins into my body?"

Bald Liu rubbed his bald head, smiling proudly. "This is where the real challenge lies. Just having a complete Beast Veins doesn't mean you'll succeed in engraving it onto your body.

"Beast Veins are, after all, naturally part of beasts, not humans. If you try to imprint one onto a human body without modification, it won't work.

"You have to first analyze the core of the Beast Vein, then adjust it according to your body's specific conditions. Only by tailoring it to fit your personal physiology can you successfully create a new Blood Qi network. That's when the engraving is truly successful."

Su Hao nodded in understanding. "I see. So advancing to Master will take some time."

Bald Liu agreed, "Indeed. Depending on a person's comprehension, the process can take anywhere from one to five years, sometimes even longer. If someone has great comprehension and a bit of luck, they can succeed within a year. But if not, the time could drag on indefinitely.

"However, don't be too optimistic. Even with a Beast Vein and plenty of time, many Elite Martial Warriors spend their entire lives unable to find the right configuration for their body, and thus fail to engrave the Beast Vein.

"So, Xiangwu, whether you succeed in advancing to Master level will depend on your own efforts."

Su Hao nodded, "I understand. Thank you, Teacher Liu."

"Did you bring the money?" Bald Liu suddenly asked.

Su Hao nodded. He always carried his money with him. If it got stolen, It would be a disaster.

Bald Liu patted his shiny head, waved his hand, and said, "Come with me. I'll take you to choose a Beast Vein."

….

Su Hao soon followed Bald Liu to the third floor of the Lingyun Library. After a brief greeting with the librarian, they entered a private room.

Bald Liu pulled down a large wooden box from one of the giant cabinets. When he opened it, there were many scrolls inside.

Bald Liu casually picked one up and said, "This is a Beast Vein. Each scroll here contains a complete Beast Vein. All of the academy's scrolls are stored here. You can choose any one you like. For example, this one I'm holding is labeled 'Strength.'"

"What that means is that if you choose this Beast Vein and successfully engrave it, not only will you advance to a Master, but your Blood Qi will gain the attribute that enhancing raw strength. You'd be able to lift a house with ease in the future."

Bald Liu picked up another scroll, "This one is labeled 'Jump,' which boosts your jumping ability. With it, you might eventually be able to leap through the air like a flea."

"This one is labeled 'Hardness,' a defensive Beast Vein..."

"This one is 'Control,' which increases your control over Blood Qi..."

"This one is 'Shaping,' which enhances the malleability of your Blood Qi..."

"This one is 'Burst,' which boosts your Blood Qi's explosive power..."

"This one is 'Phantom...'"

"Burning, Corrosion, Freezing, Camouflage, Coordination, Numbness, Perception, Adhesion, Recovery, Healing, Rotation, Penetration, Giant..."

In total, there were 33 different Beast Veins.

With so many choices, Su Hao was momentarily overwhelmed. He decided to ask, "Teacher Liu, what Beast Vein did you choose?"

Unbeknownst to Su Hao, it was generally considered rude to ask other Master Warriors about their Beast Veins. However, Bald Liu didn't intend to hide anything from him. He replied, "I chose 'Rotation,' which I learned from here. But in the future, don't casually ask others about their Beast Veins. Only reveal yours to teammates you trust. Keeping it secret gives you an extra card to play when needed."

"I understand, Teacher Liu." Su Hao immediately nodded and then asked, "Can I choose two or three Beast Veins?"

Bald Liu shook his head, "No, more than one would cause conflicts, and our bodies can't handle that."

Su Hao understood and sat cross-legged on the floor, carefully reading the labels on each scroll. Whenever he had a question, he would ask Bald Liu for clarification.

After some thought, Su Hao pulled out a specific Beast Vein and handed it to Bald Liu, saying, "Teacher Liu, I've made my choice. I'll take this one."

Bald Liu had been curious about which Beast Vein Su Hao would eventually choose. When he saw Su Hao's selection, he was momentarily stunned. He reconfirmed, "Are you sure about this? This Beast Vein is extremely complex, and very few people have ever successfully engraved it. Plus, it doesn't have strong offensive capabilities. According to those who have succeeded, it only grants a perception range of about twenty meters. It's almost useless. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"

Su Hao nodded seriously, "Yes, I'm sure. This one suits me best."

Seeing his determination, Bald Liu didn't press further. He had given his advice; now it was up to Su Hao to decide. Whether he succeeded or failed didn't really matter to him. If Su Hao succeeded, that would be great. If not, it wasn't his concern.

Handing the scroll back to Su Hao, Bald Liu said, "You'll need to pay 5 gold crowns now. For the next year, you can come to the third floor to borrow the scroll and attempt to engrave the Beast Vein into your Body. After a year, you'll have to pay an additional 1 gold crown each year to keep renting it."

Su Hao's eyelid twitched as he thought to himself, 'The academy sure knows how to make money.'

He took the scroll and slowly unrolled it. The label on it read: Perception!