Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 575 - 7 Integration

Bao Buping kept his word, arriving on time at Li Yan’s not-yet-open bar three days later.

Accompanying him was a man in a suit with sallow skin and a wrinkled face, holding a black metal box in his hand.

Private transactions of Yan Fu points are quite traditional.

Apart from venues like auction houses, points must be traded face to face. Both parties have direct physical contact, and after the fairness of Yan Fu is upheld, the points are transferred into the personal data of the other party.

"The item you requested."

The sallow-skinned man placed the box on the table, which contained five golden syringes without any wrapping paper or instructions, each marked with a Gothic clock tower symbol.

[Big Ben Laboratories: Twelve Heritage Modulation Injection]

Category: Consumable

Quality: Rare

Increases the Awakening Degree of the user’s chosen heritage by 10%.

Each Yan Fu Traveler can gain a maximum of 100% Awakening Degree from this source.

Note: Final product of the Big Ben Model XII experiment.

"It’s not enough."

Li Yan withdrew his gaze.

The man looked around and then gave Li Yan an inquiring look.

"Don’t we need to change the location?"

"It’s no problem."

Upon receiving a positive response, the man pulled out a mottled blackwood dice cup from his bosom and plunked it down on the table, then gently tapped it.

As he lifted the cup, a myriad of objects in various colors shot forth from the tiny mouth of the cup, piling into a small, bizarre mound shimmering with strange luster.

"Perhaps you are aware of this—personal imprints are supported by the abilities of several potent Yan Fu Travelers. Although they are very reliable, high-ranking Travelers still have the habit of keeping their precious items to themselves."

Li Yan nodded his head.

As a fellow Yan Fu Traveler, initiating A Fleeting Glimpse without the other person’s consent is an impolite act and will surely be noticed.

However, with some other investigative abilities or an enhanced A Fleeting Glimpse, it’s a different matter.

Li Yan was indeed curious about what heritage this man possessed.

The man seemed to have sensed Li Yan’s interest and smiled softly, "My Proxy Heritage is Sword Immortal Lv Zu. In addition to magical swordsmanship, Lv Zu is also the founding master of the art of illusion."

Proxy Traveler.

"My name is Guan Bing, and I’m pleased to meet you."

He extended his right hand to Li Yan.

"You’re too kind."

After shaking hands with Guan Bing, Li Yan realized that Bao Buping had been silent from the beginning to end and had moved his chair further back, indicating that this Guan Bing held a higher status in the Wan’an Project than Bao Buping.

"Please, point out."

Li Yan looked at the small mound filled with bizarre items.

[Bodhisattva Nagarjuna’s "Fearless Treatise" Ten Verses]

Category: Exotic Item

Quality: Legendary

Readings: 10/10

The verses written by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, one of Tibetan Buddhism’s Two Excellences and Six Ornamentations, each reading increases the Awakening Degree of the user’s chosen heritage by 3%, or Water-type Yan Fu Heritage by 4%, or Dragon-type Yan Fu Heritage by 5%.

[Joyous Buddha Statue]

Category: Exotic Item

Quality: Rare

An esoteric Buddhist deity, approximately five inches tall, fashioned entirely out of gold. It harbors divine radiance.

Upon destruction, it can increase the user’s Awakening Degree of any heritage by 8%. Or 12% for Esoteric Buddhist heritages.

[Kui Xing Dough Effigy]

Category: Exotic Item

Quality: Fine

In the north, impoverished families mold offerings out of wheat chaff or steamed dough into various animals to worship Kui Xing, praying for bountiful crops and the safety of people and livestock.

Consuming it can increase the user’s Awakening Degree of any heritage by 5%. Or 10% for Celestial heritages.

Such were the things...

Li Yan calculated that he could gain an Awakening Degree of 200% from these items, but many of them could not be fully utilized. For instance, with several Kui Xing Dough Effigies, since Li Yan was not of the Kui Xing lineage, he could only obtain half of the Awakening Degree.

It was evident that the Wan’an Project had spent considerable effort to gather these items.

"Recently, a large number of people have started the Yan Fu trials, scouring everywhere for foreign objects that can increase the Awakening Degree. This has caused us quite a bit of trouble,"

Guan Bing said.

"Do I need to pay extra?"

Li Yan asked.

"No need, we still have that much credibility."

Guan Bing handed Li Yan a business card: "If you have business in the future, you can contact me directly."

Li Yan took the business card and traded the remaining forty-five thousand Yan Fu points to Guan Bing.

"Then, we won’t disturb you any further."

Guan Bing stood up to leave and suddenly, as if he’d just remembered something, asked, "Right, did Cha Xiaodao go to participate in the Yan Fu trials?"

Li Yan smiled without saying a word.

"Cha Xiaodao had a costly bet with someone previously, and I was the notary. The bet was on one of the party’s Yan Fu Heritage. Yan Fu’s fair bets don’t allow betting on lives. At that time, Cha Xiaodao lost miserably," Guan Bing said. "The other party has been in the Yan Zhao Club for more than half a year now. He has made it clear that he would never let Cha Xiaodao pass any Yan Fu trial. Did Cha Xiaodao mention any of this to you before?"

Li Yan shook his head.

"Then I think you should be concerned for your good friend."

"Thank you, I will."

"Under normal circumstances, Yan Fu travellers who don’t share the same heritage have a hard time meddling in other people’s Yan Fu trials. Fortunately, you are not a Proxy Traveler. If you are willing to pay, Wan’an Project can sell you some tools that allow you to enter other people’s Yan Fu trial fruits, as long as you have a certified contract indicating a companionate relationship or more."

"I appreciate the gesture, but it’s not necessary."

Li Yan declined Guan Bing: "Since Xiaodao hasn’t mentioned these things to me, it means he has his own plans, and I respect his decision."

"Then we’ll take our leave."

Guan Bing seemed to have only mentioned it in passing, and did not react to Li Yan’s refusal.

"Take care."

Li Yan saw off Guan Bing and Bao Buping.

He pulled down the shutter door. He took out the foreign objects worth fifty thousand Yan Fu points, one by one.

An Awakening Degree of 200% might sound like a lot, but Li Yan had only two options.

The first option was to complete the first two peak breakthroughs of Yun Zhongjun.

The second option was to complete only the first peak breakthrough of Yun Zhongjun and to initiate the Form of Wu Zhiqi.

Due to the existence of the "Seven Great Gun and Sword Arts," Li Yan’s need for various lineage forms was minimal. Even if it required a significant amount of energy or even lower his Awakening Degree, Li Yan’s use of Qilian Swordsmanship was evidently much more powerful.

Destiny Yak, which had already constructed three major frameworks, also allowed Li Yan to awaken many other Yak gene abilities during this enhancement process.

Li Yan understood that he had many cards in his hand but still needed to proceed with caution.

Horizontal enhancement wasn’t of much significance to him at this point. Even if Li Yan were to light up all of his Gene Map, the hodgepodge of gene abilities might not even match up to a single killing move of a Proxy Traveler.

A few days ago, Li Yan thoroughly assessed his various abilities, which is why he was determined to acquire the powers of Yun Zhongjun.

Whether it was Mo or Yang Sanjing, both had pointed out Li Yan’s deficiencies from different angles.

To summarize, it was eight words: Great potential, jack of all trades, master of none.

And Yun Zhongjun was the method Li Yan had thought of that could most quickly integrate his combat abilities.

"Your Yan Fu Heritage, ’Sleeve of Yun Zhongjun - Huacai’ Awakening Degree, has increased by 15%."

"During the process of increasing your Awakening Degree, you have ignited a new Yak gene ability: Rapid Freeze Vanguard."

"Your Yan Fu Heritage, ’Sleeve of Yun Zhongjun - Huacai’ Awakening Degree, has increased by 15%."

"..."

After a while.

With a strong sense of fullness and a surging power, Li Yan turned and walked into the bar’s basement. Although there were only a few steps, he walked for more than five minutes, his pace getting faster and faster until finally, a glimmer of light pierced the darkness ahead.

It was a boundless sea.

The South Seas passage.

Li Yan exhaled a misty breath with ice crystals and lept into the sea. A colossal whirlwind where the mist and sea met instantly swept over the calm sea surface...

He had one more month.