Simple and Unadorned

Early the next morning.

Lin Zheyu practiced the Golden Goose Skill in Liang Song's courtyard all morning.

Under Master Liang's guidance, his understanding of the Golden Goose Skill deepened by several degrees.

Perhaps because he was about to leave, when Lin Zheyu asked whether there were any formulas with stronger medicinal effects, Liang Song directly gave him two.

One could be used at the Viscera Refining Realm, while the other could only be used at the Qi and Blood Realm.

Lin Zheyu directly skipped over the Viscera Refining Realm formula and began studying the Blood Enriching Bone Strengthening Soup.

Blood Enriching Bone Strengthening Soup could nourish the body's blood and qi and strengthen one's qi and blood. Its medicinal potency was extremely domineering; if anyone below the Qi and Blood Realm used it, it would damage the very foundation of their body.

That evening, Senior Brother Han Mo came again.

The two sparred in Liang Song's courtyard for over an hour. Thanks to Senior Brother Han Mo's wholehearted efforts, Lin Zheyu gained no small amount of insight into fighting opponents armed with cold weapons.

After spending the past few days together, he had come to understand Senior Brother Han Mo a little better.

He was an "honest man," with an upright and unyielding air about the way he conducted himself.

"Enough. You two should rest. Don't train too late."

Liang Song stopped Lin Zheyu, who was still preparing to continue his assault.

This lad trained with ruthless intensity. He was already panting so hard he could barely catch his breath, yet he kept launching attack after attack at Han Mo.

But it was precisely because of this ferocity and perseverance that Liang Song admired him so much and had taught him the Golden Goose Skill.

Lin Zheyu stopped and braced himself against the wall, gulping down breaths.

"You really are ruthless with yourself, kid!" Han Mo sighed.

Under the moonlight, dozens of bruises covered Lin Zheyu's body, all of them inflicted by Han Mo's blunt blade.

"The outside is in chaos. Who knows when the Rebel Army will attack their way in? While things are still relatively peaceful and comfortable, raising our strength is what matters most."

"What does this little pain amount to?" Lin Zheyu grinned.

After resting for a while, the two bade Liang Song farewell and left.

Under the moonlight, they walked together.

"Don't leave the city casually these days. Things are chaotic outside, and bandits run rampant," Han Mo said.

"Has the Rebel Army made another move?"

"Mm. Anyi City has fallen as well, and another wave of Refugees has arrived outside the city." Han Mo nodded, his face carrying a trace of worry and pity.

Songyi City could only take in a limited number of Refugees. Over this period, it had long since reached its limit. The Refugees were all settled outside the city, where conditions were extremely crude.

The weather was growing colder and colder. Every morning during patrols, he saw quite a few Refugees frozen to death.

"Mm, I understand."

Lin Zheyu nodded. He rarely left the city, and had never even been to the Outer City.

His daily life was simple: home, the Tea House, Master Liang's home. Occasionally, dragged along by Jia Yanyong and the others, he would visit the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion. That was all.

After returning to the courtyard, Lin Zheyu stripped off his clothes and continued training.

It had been several days since he last broke through his body's limits. His Essence, Qi, and Spirit had once again been nurtured to their peak state.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Deep into the night, banging sounds echoed from the courtyard.

Even though the wooden post was wrapped in thick, worn clothing, the sounds were still somewhat loud as they reverberated through the yard.

Luckily, there was no one around his little courtyard, and it was some distance from the others. Otherwise, people would have come knocking to complain about the disturbance.

More than an hour later.

Lin Zheyu lay on the ground, gasping heavily.

Heaven Rewards Diligence

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 6

Skills:

Wild Bull Fist (Mastery 4%)

Golden Goose Skill (First Layer 39%)

Turtle Breathing Technique (Second Layer 26%)

Early the next morning.

He rose early, but did not go to Liang Song's home today.

Lin Zheyu took the formula for Blood Enriching Bone Strengthening Soup to the Medicine Shop to purchase ingredients.

The ingredients for Blood Enriching Bone Strengthening Soup were not easy to buy. He visited several Medicine Shops before gathering them all. One batch of ingredients cost a little over ten taels of silver in total.

"It's really expensive. One batch costs as much as ten batches of ordinary medicinal soup."

Lin Zheyu muttered, his heart aching at the expense.

He suddenly felt that the hundred-odd taels of silver he had saved up was not much at all. It was only enough to buy a dozen or so batches of ingredients.

After returning home, he took out the ingredients for the three batches of Blood Enriching Bone Strengthening Soup he had bought and placed them all into the medicine pot to simmer.

He first had to test how effective it was. If one batch of medicinal soup was not as potent as an ordinary one, it would not be worth the cost.

Chopping firewood, lighting the fire, simmering the medicinal soup.

Lin Zheyu simmered it five times in all, extracting every last trace of medicinal potency from the ingredients without leaving behind a single drop.

A rich Medicinal Scent drifted through the courtyard.

"This stuff is much more bitter than the medicinal soup from before!"

Lin Zheyu took a small sip, and his face immediately scrunched up. It was terribly bitter.

Holding his breath, he poured the medicinal soup down his throat in one gulp.

An intense wave of scorching heat immediately surged through him.

"This medicinal potency is fierce!"

Lin Zheyu was astonished. The moment the medicinal soup entered his stomach, he felt the scorching heat.

If a few more minutes passed, he would probably start spurting blood from his nose.

He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and sent out a thought: Use 3 units of Source Power to improve the Turtle Breathing Technique.

In an instant, mysterious energy surged forth, guiding the medicinal potency within the soup through his entire body.

His mind entered a special state as he began a long period of cultivation, his comprehension of the Turtle Breathing Technique growing ever deeper.

Lin Zheyu's body also underwent tremendous changes.

Although his strength and speed did not increase, the sinews, flesh, and skin all over his body became increasingly compact, while his aura grew more restrained.

Of these changes, the Five Internal Organs received the greatest strengthening.

As the Turtle Breathing Technique improved, under the effects of its breathing method, Lin Zheyu's Five Internal Organs were further strengthened, carrying him through more than half the path of the Viscera Refining Realm.

Huff.

Huff~~~ huff~~~

His breathing became increasingly long and unhurried, and even the beating of his heart slowed.

With the subtle adjustments of that mysterious power, the density of the muscles throughout his body increased further.

Though his strength had not increased by much, from his outward appearance, his entire body seemed to have shrunk by a fraction.

Lin Zheyu's aura fell again and again, becoming smooth, simple and unadorned.

The sharp edge he had tempered through martial arts gradually disappeared as well. He now looked even more like an ordinary scholar too weak to truss a chicken.

A few breaths later.

Huff...

Lin Zheyu let out a long breath of Turbid Breath and opened his eyes.

Heaven Rewards Diligence

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 3

Skills:

Wild Bull Fist (Mastery 4%)

Golden Goose Skill (First Layer 39%)

Turtle Breathing Technique (Third Layer 0%)

"I've finally reached the third layer. Even if I raise my strength to the Qi and Blood Realm now, Master Liang won't be able to see through my true strength."

A faint smile appeared on Lin Zheyu's face.

He could finally raise his strength without restraint.

After carefully examining his condition, Lin Zheyu discovered that when he operated the Turtle Breathing Technique at full force, he looked like a frail scholar who had never practiced martial arts.

Even the skin on his body had become much smoother. His fists, which had grown rough from martial training, now looked almost the same as before he had ever practiced martial arts.

"It actually has this effect!"

Lin Zheyu was greatly amazed.

If he cultivated the Turtle Breathing Technique to the completion of the third layer, would his skin not become even softer and smoother than a woman's?

After studying the improved Turtle Breathing Technique for a while, Lin Zheyu gradually began to feel heat rising in his body.

"The medicinal potency from those three batches of soup I just drank is still remaining, and there seems to be quite a lot left."

Lin Zheyu thought to himself, somewhat delighted.

The continuous scorching heat radiating from within his body proved that a considerable amount of medicinal potency remained—more than a Bone Forging Realm martial artist like him could bear.

As expected of something that cost ten taels of silver per batch. The money had been well spent.