The training ground at the Blackwood estate.
More than twenty strong men were still tirelessly practicing the Yi Jin Jing.
The fact that they could not perform the entire sequence of movements had become their greatest torment.
They felt that they had failed the trust and attention Aron had given them.
If the youngest among them, James, could succeed, there was no reason why they could not.
Driven by such thoughts, the burly men grimaced in pain, but still gritted their teeth and stubbornly continued.
They did not take into account the fact that James possessed the Accelerated Healing Factor and did not have to fear injuries caused by performing movements that exceeded the limits of the human body.
They only thought that they had not tried hard enough.
Aron did not try to stop them.
After all, he could heal their injuries.
As long as they did not explode into pieces like the young genius described in the records of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, his ability to restore flesh, bones, and life energy was their safest protection.
“Master! A letter has arrived for you from the United States of America.”
A guard ran over from afar and respectfully handed him a thick envelope.
The letter had arrived from New York, and the sender was Jimmy Holden.
When he opened the envelope, Aron found, besides two sheets of written paper, more than ten property deeds.
He unfolded the letter and began reading line by line, while the corners of his lips gradually lifted.
“To the powerful Mr.
Blackwood,
Greetings, respected and mighty Mr.
Blackwood!
In order to fulfill my promise as quickly as possible, Davis and I returned to New York by a special means.
When the elders of Clan Giovanni learned about our agreement, they nearly burned me at the stake.
However, the power you left inside my body proved to them that you are invincible.
Your satanic power is both a shackle and a protection.
While I was surrounded by flames, it absorbed all the fire around me.
The elders were terrified and deeply shaken by its strength, so after that everything proceeded without problems.
With the elders’ help, it took only half a day to prepare all the property deeds.
Elder Pallis even volunteered to use the special method of travel again to deliver this letter and the documents to you.
However, as far as I know Elder Pallis, he is greedy, selfish, and cowardly by nature.
He certainly did not dare appear before you.
He probably just threw the letter in front of the gate and immediately ran away!
For the sake of my loyalty to you, please forgive the old man’s rudeness.
His behavior does not represent the great Giovanni clan.
Finally, please send someone to New York as soon as possible.
Holden Pharmaceuticals is already prepared to produce penicillin.
As soon as the formula and production process arrive, we can begin manufacturing!
Your most loyal friend,
Jimmy Holden
December 22, 1845.”
After putting away the letter, Aron began examining the thick bundle of property deeds. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Each document bore the seal of the authorities of the state where the land was located, while his name had already been entered in the section for the owner.
Jimmy had arranged everything very carefully.
The vampires had even paid for the purchase of the land with their own money.
Even if he never developed those two hundred thousand acres of land in future wealthy and developed cities, by selling them a hundred years later he could earn tens of billions of dollars.
The United States of America, however, was currently going through an extremely unstable period.
Ever since gaining independence, there had been fierce debate over the abolition of slavery.
Plantations in the South were constantly expanding and demanding more slave labor, while the industrial capital of the North desperately lacked free workers.
The conflict between the North and the South was becoming increasingly serious and could trigger a civil war at any moment.
This period was obviously not suitable for development or construction on the purchased land.
If the two sides went to war, all invested money and materials would be lost.
Aron’s purchase of two hundred thousand acres of land represented an investment in the distant future.
Economic benefit was only one part of his plan, while the political reasons were even more significant.
When the cities expanded in the future and a large portion of the most valuable land belonged to the Blackwood family, their city governments would have to take its interests into account.
In this way, Aron would gain enormous political influence.
Although more than a hundred years remained until that point, only now could he purchase those lands without difficulty, while the authorities of the American states still did not place much value on the outskirts of their cities.
Aron had enough time.
Whether he relied on his own mutant ability or on the Wolverine version of the Accelerated Healing Factor awarded to him by the system, both could provide him with a long life and the ability to plan for the distant future.
Suddenly, excited shouts echoed from the training ground.
“I did it! I felt cosmic energy!”
Hearing the shout, Aron turned toward the gathered people.
James was sitting cross-legged on the stone slabs, his body twisted into a demanding posture.
He had crossed his arms over his shoulders, while his fingers formed a special sign.
Threads of strange energy descended from the sky and entered his body through the soles of his feet, his palms, and the point at the crown of his head.
“What are you shouting about? Where is this cosmic energy? I can’t see it at all!”
Marcus Hale opened his eyes wide.
He had almost completely exhausted and injured his own body, yet he still had not managed to sense even a trace of cosmic energy.
In his opinion, something with such an exalted name as cosmic energy had to cause some unusual phenomenon in heaven or on earth when a person sensed it.
However, there was nothing unusual visible around James.
“It really is cosmic energy!”
In the blink of an eye, Aron crossed dozens of meters and appeared beside James.
When he activated Gravitational Electromagnetism, multicolored cosmic energy appeared before his eyes as it entered James’s body.
Most of the energy would make a circuit through his body and then dissipate.
Only the green and white-gold energies remained inside, purifying his body and strengthening various organs and tissues.
The green energy radiated a powerful life force, while the white-gold energy was filled with incomparable sharpness and solidity.
However, James absorbed cosmic energy very slowly.
The reason was probably that his perception was not yet deep enough, so his connection with cosmic energy was unstable.
When they heard Aron’s confirmation, Marcus Hale and the others nearly collapsed on the spot.
It was devastating that a foreign child had succeeded before them, experienced adult warriors.
Even James himself had not expected that on the very first day of practicing the Yi Jin Jing, he would manage to vaguely sense the energy of the universe.
“Father, I did it! I can feel cosmic energy!”
Delight erupted in his heart.
When he heard his foster father’s confirmation, he moved his body slightly from excitement.
At that very moment, the sensation he had felt earlier disappeared, and the cosmic energy dispersed into the void.
Aron smiled.
After all, James was still a child and did not have enough self-control.
“While practicing, you must follow the natural flow and must not force yourself too much!”
Then he continued:
“Since you succeeded once, it will be much easier next time. If you pull a bowstring too tightly, it will snap. The same applies to training.”
“Go and have some fun with Victor. You need to relax.”
James thoughtfully lowered his legs from the demanding position, stood up, bowed, and headed toward the stables.
His half-brother Victor had been becoming increasingly violent for some time and had difficulty accepting orders and restrictions.
Because of that, he had been working as a stable hand for more than a year.
After watching James leave, Aron looked at the others.
The nine movements of the Yi Jin Jing that exceeded human limits had left numerous hidden injuries in their bodies.
Some had cracked energy channels, while others had internal bleeding or displaced and twisted bones.
Those old comrades were unbelievably stubborn.
They had suffered such serious internal injuries, yet had not uttered a sound and were still desperately trying to continue practicing.
If they had not been sustained by iron wills far stronger than those of ordinary people, someone else would already have been lying motionless on the ground screaming in pain.
Aron knew that they did not want to lose to anyone.
Especially now, after the youngest, James, had succeeded, their pride would not allow them to submit to fate.
He spread both arms, while his expression became solemn and peaceful.
The miniature star in his mind trembled slightly, and a rain of green light suddenly began falling from the void.
The people enveloped by the rain of light instantly felt the pain in their bodies disappear.
The hidden injuries caused by their violent training healed in an instant.
Even those whose energy channels had cracked and whose internal organs were bleeding needed no more than two or three seconds to recover.
After practicing the Yi Jin Jing, Aron controlled his mutant abilities more freely and precisely.
Most of the more than twenty people recovered completely thanks to the group healing, but the few with twisted bones presented a somewhat greater problem.
Healing alone could not correct improperly positioned bones.
Aron had to simultaneously use Gravity Manipulation, precisely return every bone to its proper place, and only then heal it.
“A miracle! The family head just performed a miracle before us!”
Everyone was stunned and looked at Aron with almost fanatical worship.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
One after another, the strong men, hard as steel, dropped to their knees and bowed to him with the greatest possible devotion.
In their hearts, Aron was no longer merely the leader they would follow for the rest of their lives.
He had become the only being they truly believed in.