Ning Xin raised her right breast up with her left hand and grabbed the knife stuck deep into her chest before pulling it out and tossing the knife to the ground with a clang. The metal almost touched her heart.

Her target was just too good, slipping that dirty thing right between her ribs.

As a future wife, it was her duty to learn anti-assassination. While the husband works the day and protects her from external threats, the wife protects and keeps a safe and clean home. Preventing their husbands from being assassinated in the night was her duty.

This was the fifteenth assassination attempt on her.

As some of the Nings used two mental states, they were prone to assassinations at certain times. This was a great weakness whenever they were in their rest or less combative state.

Every Ning was slightly different, not all of them were like her where their 2 states were locked behind a rest and combat state. Some even had dozens of mental states but mostly 2 to 3. It was more common for them to split their states between a warrior, mage or a close-range and ranged fighter or between elemental sets rather than a rest and combat state.

In this sense, she was an oddball for giving herself a pure rest state that introduced so much weakness. However, this wasn't looked down upon because it made her combat state even stronger in relative terms to her rest state.

Her Intuition and advantages of being the granddaughter of a Divination mage helped protect her in her rest state anyway.

Ning Xin was acutely aware of when danger was coming. But only for herself.

The anti-assassination training as a bride-to-be was supposed to train her to protect someone else by her bedside.

The Xengs, all other clans who had people close to age as her, went around this problem by giving a pillow the enchantment she was supposed to protect.

But they didn't even need that.

Seeing the stab wound heal, her rage had nowhere to go or aim towards because she didn't even see who attacked her. Quickly, she switched back to her rest state to heal the wound faster.

The knife was special and so were the skills put behind the attack. She couldn't transmute against it and she couldn't regenerate the wound. Her blood, fully in her control, would still leak and bleed.

Before the week, she had barely bled much in her life. Against the blood spiders, against the heat-sink bats, she would get cuts and a few pokes.

Unlike Ebony, she didn't do self-harm training besides burning herself. Excessive bleeding wasn't a familiar feeling. Burns was a different story altogether.

'It hurts…' Her emotions were only sad at how Ebony did this and worse to himself so often. She never felt much pain from his emotions but she didn't want him to feel this again. Not for either of them.

Once her mental state settled in, her blood bubbled and her flesh regenerated within a minute.

'So slow…' She frowned at how slowly her wound healed. They kept finding a different way to overcome her body's healing or her magic anti-bleeding.

The worst part was that she wasn't even sleeping when a knife almost reached her heart. She couldn't even protect herself much less the enchanted pillow.

She manipulated her blood from the table and floor and tossed it out the window to water her grandmother's flowers. At least they stood to gain from her blood loss.

The Nings liked her to a worrying degree, she could feel that. They simply express themselves oddly. But the same couldn't be said for the other clans. Especially the younger ones. They may not be seventh generation like her but their ages weren't too far from Sister Jing.

Every one of the Xengs married or gave birth at different ages after all.

Shi Ling of the fifth generation for example had been hanging around the Ning compounds recently. She was a radiant girl. Too radiant.

Ning Xin only felt glee and excitement from her at all times. Infectiously happy.

She was the complete opposite of those girls from the Zhao, Shang and Guo clan. They disliked her with a passion and Ning Xin's ambushes were their doing. This most recent knife was done by the fifth generation Zhao girl, Zhao Mei.

The three of them in charge of conducting this training for her might think she didn't know who it was from with their advanced mana veiling but she knew what they felt of her. Zhao Mei probably disliked her the most. Her grandmother was the daughter of a Ning and a Zhao.

None of the older generations truly disliked Ning Xin, there was a lot of disgustingly sweet worry but no disgust aimed at her. These younger members were a bit different. Especially those who were still masked.

They probably misunderstood the older generations 'dislike' for mixed bloods. The Xengs didn't care about mixed blood. They were self-disgusted about producing a weaker generation. That was why her grandmother was not well-looked upon for giving birth before resolving the differences in strength.

'So stupid.' She shook her head and placed the book about stat-raising meals. She was able to make it so that no bloodstains remained so that was good. It was a borrowed book after all.

To date, she recorded that she gained over a thousand points in stats from consuming food and blood. However, it seemed redundant all things considered. According to the book she was forced to read in that boring library that she could access, even if her stats were to increase twice their current amount as long as a different race was born with higher baseline trait allocation to Strength a single point of their stat might be worth 3 or 4 of hers if not far greater like the Shi Clan.

This allowed her to understand why the Elcrians were so physically weak compared to her even if she had the same age or level, or even the same stat value. Being born 'superior' was not a figure of speech to them. Merely a fact.

Through the virtue of having a very accurate gauge of herself, possibly thanks to her Intuition. She could tell that with her current Physique this consumption ability of hers would allow her to raise her individual stats to a maximum not more than 2.2 times her base stats. If her original Strength stat was at 2500, it likely wouldn't go past 5500 no matter how much good food she ate.

It was not easy to pull stats out from her meals. Not until she begun eating food here in Xiaoya. Out of the thousand points she received since decades ago when she got this Physique, around 300 points were received in the past few months. She was eating well, really well. Even vegetables here were giving her stats.

The physical book, "You are what you eat." she was reading last night explained more about a person's diet and how it affected them over time. Every living creature that consumed some form of sustenance for energy typically strengthens themselves. Everyone, even without her Physique technically gets stronger by eating too. Unclassed generally expels some of this useful stuff as waste of their body but the more evolved one was, the less waste there was. They might not see a growth in their stat values, but their Physiques generally continue to be refined.

The differences between a warriors strength and a mages strength gets very obvious the older and more evolved even if say, they had the same baseline trait at birth and for some reason had the same stat value. Exercise and Skills play a role, but diet was just as crucial.

Living longer, eating more, exercising more. Slowly but surely, all living creatures were growing. Depending on their racial, genetic traits and evolutionary baseline every individual starts to get weaker at different ages but that is when they hit their decline, natural old age.

Ning Xin might have gotten her Physique to show a rise in stat value but this likely came at a cost. Her Baseline might not be improving as much in comparison but she would still digest and incorporate more nutrients and potential faster and better. She wouldn't need decades or hundreds of years of consuming highly evolved or high-quality ingredients to get the same effect others would.

Receiving unwarranted hate because she was born under the 3 Great Clans but not having the power to back it up was unfortunate. However, she really couldn't care less about how much dislike the three of them were showing her.

At least Shi Ling was sweet.

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Shi Ling was older than Kong Jing, 86 years of age to be specific. That Sister Jing of hers was not quite 20 years her senior so Shi Ling was quite a bit older than both of them.

Being more than twice her age and a member of the Shi Clan, Ning Xin had learned what pure physical limit was for a human body.

Unlike the other girls, Shi Ling gave her proper sparring and tips against unseen threats.

The Shi were utterly ridiculous.

Giggling at her enhancements while overpowering her without any mana or life force enhancements was something Ning Xin wasn't expecting.

The exuberant girl put a crack on Xin's mask with pure physical prowess. An unenhanced flick with an "oops."

Ning Xin didn't even know that was possible. Her mask had taken hits from the Altarbound Kin's Emperor without so much as a scratch.

Her body took on melting temperatures without so much as a lick of mana protection. Ebony had to actively use mana stabilisation and icy flames to cool himself down.

Lightning shocks go right through her body. Xin couldn't feel any mana latch on or deal damage.

Wind and sharp attacks weren't blocked by skin…Shi Ling's delicate and smooth skin made her sharps slide away upon contact.

This was true even when she stood there and allowed Xin's Sword Art to build up to…to no end. Xin finished using her energy storage before she managed to land a proper hit on the older sister.

The greatest similarity between her and Ebony was probably the uncanny ability to predict all her movements. As if they were reading the future despite Xin being the one with a related ability of Intuition.

She understood close-range battle better than most. Definitely better than Xin herself but it was hard to say if she was any better than Ebony in this regard.

Ning Xin entered the bathroom, a safe spot to undress and check her body. They were vindictive. 'I better not have any scars left over…' Exceedingly worried, she took a shower to cleanse her body and mind while frowning over the scars over her body.

She never truly understood women who liked their scars, warrior or not. Athena explained that the female warriors see them as a mark of valour, Xin only saw it as a proof of weakness and a reminder of failure.

There was one between her breasts, where her sternum was crushed the other day. It was the worst one that wasn't fading soon.

The woman, Shang Au, used air magic. She was the most violent one, a single spell cut through her roof, chest, bed and floor. Since the Nings were the ones who gave word of the wife-to-be training, the aggression was welcomed. Merely tradition.

Whatever the Fortification was behind the skill or element, it prevented healing and the wound continued to fester. The latest wound between her ribs was healing slowly but it didn't appear like it would leave a permanent mark. At least her heart shifted aside in time.

Xin wasn't sure what Guo Xue did but she was reasonably certain it was her work that prevented Xin's Intuition or bullet time from activating in time.

They came every morning for training together with Shi Ling, so she could easily read their emotions to sense out who the biggest troublemaker was.

Guo Xue was the most silent, her emotions were numbed in a similar way to Ebony which made it even easier for Ning Xin to read.

"I hate it here." Red spat.

"Mmm." Black replied.

"Ahhuh, when is my man gonna get me out." Red swung her legs in the air. She was lying upside down with her blood wings carrying her body.

"Mine." Black let water run through her wounds as if it could wash the insult away.

"La la la. Can't hear you. You held me back, I would've beaten him. I could've augmented myself further if it wasn't for little ol Wyrmie. You are his but I didn't agree to that. He is mine." Red swam around with gentle pats of flames.

"Same thing." Black scrubbed and scrubbed, the wisps of flames rubbing their wrath into her actions.

"Not a single part of you thinks that is the same thing." Red spread her wings out and flew away.

Black smashed her fist onto the surface of the tub's water and stood up. The water evaporated before it splashed around.

"You hate it here but it's the best place for us now. Our unmarred body didn't last a day here. Whether it was under your command or mine."

"Shut up and get to eating. I'm hungry. Unlike you lucky and lazy wretch, I have to hold this bastard back." Red went back to work and roasted the disgusting maw that ate, ate and ate.

Black paid no heed to Red and touched her chest. The grumbling quietened down.

This was their biggest secret right now.

Altarbound Kin?

Symbol of Might?

She could give that up.

But this thing she consumed on Teheil, was her greatest benefit.

She painfully hid this fact from Ebony for years since he found her again. Although there was a good chance her Grandmother knew about it, her gut feeling told her this was her secret alone.

'I'm going to have to tell him soon.' The entire reason her Intuition got her into the unknown and invaded the Altarbound Kin's community was for this creature.

Starving Abyssal Tapewyrm.

If it wasn't for this, she wouldn't have lost control of her body to the High Priestess.

Even after chewing and crushing the creature to bits, it was still fighting back.

Back then.

Right now.

And who knows how long more it would fight back without a complete body.

"Nothing personal Wyrmie. I just hunger for you as much as you hunger for me." Black patted her chest. The Tapewyrm regenerate its body, only to be broken down by blood, fire and pulses from her Core Skill.

Again and again.

Its seemingly endless energy had regenerated like this for almost a decade now. Of course, it also stole some of the food Ning Xin ate but she still had to eat. It used to be in her stomach, but it crawled to her heart by her guidance. It was the only place in her body strong enough to suppress Wyrmie.

The Tapewyrm was dying out, only having the capability to summon a mouth. That had been the case since she found the dying creature. It was just a maw with teeth somehow surviving far deeper than where Ebony found his gravity cube.

Its ravenous hunger was second to none. Ning Xin and perhaps the phoenix blood in her challenged that notion.

The Tapewyrm had long been digested by Xin, and a portion of its gluttony had long been incorporated into Xin. Her Physique mutated by her machinations, by her Intent. There was no longer any mind or soul in its maw. Just pure, mindless organic gluttony.

Ning Xin had received its death notification the moment she fried the maw in her wok and chewed on the crispy treat. But its biological body revived itself and continued to send a mindless hunger into Xin's mind.

Red and Black reckoned that whatever the creature was, it was trying to revive. Even without a mind or soul.

Although she didn't think it was possible, it was what her Intuition was telling her. The creature was trying to revive organically. Perhaps it had a method to get a soul back?

It was precisely because it was dead, without a mind or soul that Xin was sure that even her Grandmother didn't know about it.

The older Ning's emotions didn't betray the fact either. All the Nings talked to her about were about the Blood Realm and refining her blood during or before her next evolution. In addition, was fire and mind elemental ingredients that she would need. There was no mention of the gluttonous nature in the Phoenix essence.

So Black and Red obediently stayed and ate whatever the older ladies fed her. Every meal was some Ancient monster meat or even higher-grade vegetables.

Not being able to stockpile energy wasn't a huge issue. There was too much aggression and training to bother with.

She cannot let her future husband be taken away to be locked up underground again.

If some scars and measly pain can prevent that. Then so be it.

She just hoped that wouldn't make him dislike her…

Black trembled at the thought. Imagining him feeling disgusted when he looked at her marred body sent a shock down her very being.

"Hey! You come in and pacify this thing. Let me out." Red yelled while Black was stuffing her face with food given by her great-great-great grandparents. There was no lack of food around.

"Just rest, we just completed training so you must be tired." Black swallowed.

"Tired? I already gave that job to you. Let. Me. Out." Red retorted.

It was true that Red doesn't feel exhaustion so Black should've expected that.

"What do you want to do?" Black knew what Red wanted. They were the same person but the thoughts were running at bullet time and made her thinking feel like she was talking to herself.

"Anti-assassination training. That means removing the threat." Red sliced the maw into individual teeth.

"...You are right. Don't give me more scars or I'll keep you here next time." Black realised that was what she should've done from the start while pushing the last bite down.

"Hah, and I'm going to find you in tears when I return. Continue learning how to seduce my man harder while I do all the dirty work. If he doesn't like you anymore for some scars then forget him." Red incinerated the fleshy regeneration.

"You know how hard we've already been trying. He's like a rock." Black placed her utensils down and washed her hands while leaving the dishes in the sink.

"No use lying to me, you can feel him admiring our body all the time. Try harder, don't want to fail our duties now do we?" Red smiled widely, running her wet hands through her hair to push it back.

Stepping out the door, there was no need for an address. Wherever her feet bring her would be where her target was.

Gut feeling was sufficient.

No tracking required.

If all's fair, attempting to burn a few clan houses down shouldn't be an issue.

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