Chapter 911: Two Ends

In Anyang City, at the Ling residence.

After a day and night of relentless work, Ling Hongfeng finally returned to his bedroom and collapsed onto the soft couch.

The current family head of the Ling family was filled with deep regret.

He had once been a carefree young man, indulging in food, drink, and gambling, without a worry in the world. As the legitimate son, the allowance from his father and the covert support from his mother were more than enough for his extravagant lifestyle.

How had he suddenly lost his mind and seized his elder brother’s position for himself?

Now, the responsibilities of managing a large clan weighed heavily on him, stripping away the freedom and joy he once enjoyed.

Just last night, the ancestral hall had caught fire, killing the uncle who was responsible for guarding it. This incident not only caused chaos but also drew harsh criticism from the clan elders.

Some even told him to his face that compared to his brilliant elder brother, he was nothing but a waste!

Ling Hongfeng almost spat out blood on the spot.

He truly regretted his decision!

For the past six months, instead of enjoying life, he had barely slept peacefully.

Every night, as soon as he closed his eyes, he saw visions of his brother, drenched in blood, coming to claim his life, and his nephew, sword in hand, ready to strike him down.

His guilty conscience had turned into a relentless nightmare!

Yet, the allure of holding the family’s power was something he couldn’t let go of.

“Ah~”

Ling Hongfeng sighed heavily.

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside the couch, startling him: “Ah!”

“It’s me.”

The other person smiled slightly, “Sorry to scare you.”

The person who had suddenly appeared was a middle-aged man, thin, with a sinister look that made his forced smile feel quite eerie.

“Manager Zhang!”

Regaining his composure, Ling Hongfeng secretly cursed and said with a dissatisfied tone, “Could you please knock before entering next time?”

This middle-aged man was the new manager of the Ling residence, brought in by Ling Hongfeng after he assumed the position of family head.

His ability to control the Ling family was largely due to this gloomy middle-aged man’s efforts.

But Ling Hongfeng felt no gratitude towards him at all.

On the surface, he was the master, yet in reality, Manager Zhang was the true power behind the throne of the Ling family!

“Got it.”

Manager Zhang answered casually, then asked, “What happened at your family’s ancestral hall?”

“How would I know!”

Ling Hongfeng replied impatiently, “The officer who came to investigate, Head Sun, said it might have been caused by an accidental ignition, and the old fool who died showed no signs of being harmed by others.”

A fierce glint flashed in Manager Zhang’s eyes as he spoke slowly, “It’s been almost a year and you still haven’t found what Master wants. Do you know what the consequences will be?”

Ling Hongfeng’s face changed, and he said with a trembling voice, “I have been searching diligently. You’ve seen the hidden chamber in the residence; it only contains some gold, silver, and jewels, and most of it has already been taken by you.”

“The technique manuals for the Bloodshed Wheel have always been in Ling Hongyun’s possession. How would I know where he hides them?”

He felt deeply wronged.

Manager Zhang said with a sinister tone, “Ling Hongyun must have another secret storehouse. That small amount of treasure is barely enough to fill a tooth gap; are these the only things accumulated by your Ling family over hundreds of years? Impossible!”

Ling Hongfeng frowned, “But I truly don’t know. My mother and the clan elders are also unaware. By the way…”

He asked, “Has that little brat been found?”

Ling Hongfeng and Ling Hongyun were half-brothers, and he considered his nephew Ling Zhiyuan a thorn in his side!

“Master has already entrusted the Qiankun Building to investigate.”

Manager Zhang replied lightly, “I believe his whereabouts will be found soon.”

“That little brat surely knows the true secret storehouse!”

Ling Hongfeng suddenly became excited. “Finding him is the right approach!”

“We’ll see,” Manager Zhang said disdainfully as he glanced at Ling Hongfeng. “We don’t need your guidance in our work.”

If it weren’t for the concern about the reactions of other families in Anyang City, his Master would have devoured the Ling family long ago. There wouldn’t be a chance for this fool!

But that’s fine too; it was only a matter of time.

Ling Zhiyuan.

Manager Zhang narrowed his eyes, his gaze becoming dark and profound.

At that moment, Wang Chen was unaware that someone was thinking of him. He was fully focused on comprehending the techniques of the fourth realm of the Bloodshed Wheel.

Wang Chen had already cultivated to the peak of the third level of the Bloodshed Wheel, just one step away from condensing the Thief Swallowing wheel.

However, he had previously lacked the method for a breakthrough, so he was stuck and unable to advance.

Now that he had obtained the original manual, that breakthrough would happen tonight!

The previous 895 words had already been firmly etched in Wang Chen’s mind.

He sat cross-legged, urging the Life energy within him, beginning to condense the Thief Swallowing wheel.

The Thief Swallowing wheel, also known as the Heart Wheel, gathers Life energy at the heart to form a wheel, and its difficulty and danger undoubtedly exceed the first three wheels by a large margin.

As time passed, the amount of Life energy gathered in the heart region increased, and a new bloodshed wheel gradually began to take shape.

At the same time, his potential value dropped rapidly.

The consumption of Life energy increased exponentially!

Wang Chen could already feel a pinching pain in his heart, and his left chest felt swollen as if something was about to break through his flesh and fly out—this was characteristic of the wheel condensing.

But at this point, Wang Chen felt a sense of difficulty in continuing.

Without hesitation, he reached for a ginseng root, bit into it, and ate it.

This ginseng wasn’t the most precious kind at five hundred years old, but it was still a valuable treasure at two to three hundred years old, capable of being a protective charm for smaller families.

Yet at this moment, it was merely a resource for Wang Chen to replenish his potential value!

As he swallowed the old ginseng, its powerful medicinal effects quickly spread, swiftly absorbed by his stomach.

【Potential +1】【Potential +1】【Potential +1】…

The effect of this old ginseng was evident, and in just a moment, Wang Chen’s potential value began to rise.

This allowed Wang Chen to steadily maintain the supply of Life energy, promoting the formation of the wheel!

Although he could directly invest potential points for a breakthrough, doing so wouldn’t be as effective as now; only through enduring tremendous difficulties and obstacles could he gain the deepest insights and mastery of this technique he was practicing.

A valuable old mountain ginseng was completely consumed by Wang Chen.

For an ordinary person or even a low-level warrior, finishing such a large old ginseng in one sitting would likely lead to spitting blood and death.

But Wang Chen felt no ill effects; instead, he appeared spirited, with a captivating glow in his eyes.

The next moment, he trembled as a circle of the bloodshed wheel emerged beneath the skin over his left chest, then quickly disappeared.

Wang Chen exhaled deeply, a relaxed smile appearing on his lips.

He succeeded!

【Technique: Bloodshed Wheel (Thief Swallowing): 0/400】

He successfully condensed the Thief Swallowing wheel, officially stepping into the fourth level of martial artists—the martial general level!