13. The Mysterious Silver Marking

“It’s not that, I’m just not sure if the human body can withstand the blood of the Golden Crow, so I dare not take it recklessly...” Qi Lingshan explained.

This was her only concern; she didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. It would be best if someone could experiment first, so they could determine the effects with certainty.

This major research required practical testing. If the analysis succeeded, they would no longer worry about food.

With such a massive Golden Crow carcass, it could sustain them for a whole year.

“Senior sister, how about I give it a try?” Lin Fan thought for a moment. With the Jade Void Breathing Technique, he should be able to swallow the fresh blood. If he were to die from the experiment, it would save the senior sister some trouble.

Besides, he believed that senior sister could successfully analyze the Golden Crow’s blood.

“No! You should focus on healing your injuries!” Qi Lingshan became stern again.

“Junior brother, I think you’re capable. Ling Shan saved you, so you should at least have some conscience,” Fan Yijun said encouragingly, glancing at him.

“Mind your own words!” Lin Fan retorted.

“What’s the matter? Are you afraid I’ll steal your junior brother? Don’t worry, anyone who can be stolen isn’t really yours,” Fan Yijun pouted.

“Rested enough? Let’s continue the analysis!” Qi Lingshan said, leading the way off the deck.

After she left, Fan Yijun approached Lin Fan and whispered, “Lin Fan, this is a drop of Golden Crow’s fresh blood. We’ve only analyzed one percent of it. If you really want to help Ling Shan, drink it.”

Fan Yijun then produced a glass vial containing a drop of orange-yellow blood and handed it to Lin Fan.

Qi Lingshan would never have expected that Fan Yijun would dare to bring a drop of Golden Crow’s blood to him right under her nose. If she knew how bold Fan Yijun was, she would surely be furious.

“Why? Afraid to even hold it?” Fan Yijun’s face twisted with mockery. She had just praised Lin Fan for having a conscience but now saw he was all talk and no action.

Qin Fen beside them was so frightened he dared not breathe, staring blankly. The phrase “viper woman” popped into his mind—perfect to describe Fan Yijun.

Perhaps it was exactly what Fan Yijun intended: using Lin Fan as a test subject. From her perspective, a severely injured wreck was of little value. It was better to contribute to the research.

“Do you think Huang Dongshan will let you off? Ling Shan really misjudged you,” Fan Yijun sneered as she tried to take back the vial. Suddenly, a pair of strong hands grasped the glass.

It was Lin Fan’s hands. Fan Yijun looked at him, but his face was expressionless, showing no sign of anger.

“Dr. Fan, don’t think you can provoke me and then swallow the Golden Crow’s blood. As I said before, I can be the first to try,” Lin Fan said calmly. He had already seen through Fan Yijun’s ill intentions. Such petty tricks couldn’t anger him. Over the years, he had gained some insight.

He had told Qi Lingshan from the start that he would be the first to ingest it, or else he wouldn’t have boasted so boldly.

Only she could have thought to use Huang Dongshan’s pressure to force Lin Fan to surrender.

And that remark about Ling Shan misjudging him made Lin Fan very displeased.

“Sorry, I’m doing this for everyone’s sake. If you don’t drink it, Ling Shan will have to experiment herself...” Fan Yijun’s eyes flickered nervously, like a child caught doing something wrong.

After speaking, she hurried away.

Senior sister experimenting herself? That was possible.

Lin Fan watched her retreating figure without blame; she didn’t want Ling Shan to take risks. He sighed softly.

“Senior sister really is foolish...” Lin Fan hadn’t anticipated how dangerous the situation was. The greatest threats were still Huang Dongshan and the food problem. He wondered how Qi Lingshan had managed these past days.

“Lin Fan, are you really going to drink the Golden Crow’s blood? It’s a mythical divine beast; legend says the sun itself is the Golden Crow transformed,” Qin Fen said quietly. He hadn’t spoken the whole time out of fear that Fan Yijun would force him to drink it. He lacked the courage.

It was like being asked to jump off the ancient nine-level warship.

He was terrified!

Who knew if the blood contained poison... or something worse...

Drinking this was like drinking poison, and an unknown one at that.

When Fan Yijun presented the vial of Golden Crow blood, he was too scared to even breathe.

“No choice!” Lin Fan smiled bitterly, holding the glass bottle. He could feel the radiating heat—it felt like drinking it would perforate his stomach.

“Maybe you should just forget it. I think that wicked girl Fan Yijun just wants to force you to drink it. She’s up to no good! We still have options. Maybe the ancient ship will stop, and we can return to Earth,” Qin Fen said quickly, trying to persuade Lin Fan not to listen to Fan Yijun.

“Didn’t you say before that the ancient ship would stop in the underworld?” Lin Fan’s expression was strange.

“I think Chen Cun Yuan was right... Anyway, it’s better to have faith than none at all,” Qin Fen scratched his head awkwardly.

“Anyway, listen to me—don’t drink that stuff...”

“Don’t worry, I won’t gamble with my life.” Lin Fan understood Qin Fen’s good intentions. After accepting the Golden Crow blood, he began to meditate and cultivate.

Qin Fen breathed a sigh of relief, afraid Lin Fan might not think it through and drink the blood.

Having just eaten, Lin Fan regained some strength; he wasn’t as weak as before. His breathing gradually steadied, reaching a state akin to turtle breathing—deep, continuous, and calm. This was because Lin Fan felt the vigor of his life source.

Cultivation was the constant excavation of the source, like discovering a spring of life nourishing the entire body.

Suddenly—

Lin Fan sensed a second transformation. A silver vein emerged in the center of his left palm. This silver vein could only be seen through internal observation. It slowly grew, passing through layers of acupuncture points and meridians, emitting a faint silver glow. The shape resembled the Big Dipper, or perhaps the Southern Dipper—a mysterious pattern he couldn’t decipher.

As the silver vein appeared, the scabs on Lin Fan’s wounds began to fall off, revealing skin as white and delicate as a newborn’s, moist and elastic.

At the same time, Lin Fan felt the strength in his left hand increase significantly—stronger even than his right hand.

Lin Fan wasn’t left-handed, yet his left hand now surpassed his right in power. This change was truly astounding.

“Whoosh!”

Once the silver vein formed, Lin Fan’s breathing became even more prolonged. A single breath could be stored in his body for a full minute. The Jade Void Breathing Technique operated more smoothly, drawing external energy into his body and finally into the silver vein.

After the first silver vein developed, a second one slowly sprouted, like seedlings growing vigorously.

Time passed. When Lin Fan opened his eyes again, Qin Fen beside him was already in a deep sleep.

The ancient ship sailed over a sea of blood. There was neither night nor day—only a perpetual dim mist. Preliminary estimates suggested Lin Fan had been in meditation for seven or eight hours.

“I actually grew three silver veins!” Lin Fan was astonished. He had never heard of the human body growing silver veins before, not even from Wu Xuzi. What did this mean? He was already surpassing the old master.

The greatest effect of the silver veins was tripled strength! Lin Fan’s previous maximum strength was about 200 jin, but now he felt as if his body had limitless power!

Even facing the Purple Spirit King, he was confident!