Third Tier Medicine Crafting and Black Bear Strength

"The Blood Poison Qi Breaking Powder can make even ordinary high-level Entering Martial Masters collapse upon smelling it. Yet this fellow inhaled quite a bit and is still breathing. He's quite resilient."

Lin Zhao had already taken the antidote for the Blood Poison. Once the medicine entered his body, he could refine it with his Internal Breath, granting him lifelong immunity and preventing him from being harmed by it.

He ordered his men to cripple the strong man's limbs, then had a physician carefully bandage his wounds. After that, he bound him with layers of Fine Steel chains, even fitting a Fine Steel shackle around his neck. Such a tough nut couldn't be allowed to die easily.

Even a clay figurine has some spirit. Now, he was too lazy to investigate the mastermind behind this. His only thought was to raze the stronghold of that group, the "Night Raven Tower."

This strong man could subdue Zhao Tieying in a few moves, so he must be a leader within the organization. Perhaps he could pry some secrets from him.

After returning to his residence, Lin Zhao had the assassin thrown into the deepest part of the dungeon and then rushed to the physician's quarters.

Zhao Tieying had sustained a penetrating wound to his abdomen. With current medical skills, his chances of survival were slim.

As he entered the inner room, Lin Zhao saw Zhao Tieying lying on the bed, his face as pale as paper, his breathing so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Lin Zhao reached out and placed his hand on Zhao Tieying's wrist. The fingertips were still warm, and his heart settled slightly.

"Can he still be saved?" Lin Zhao's voice was hoarse and heavy.

The physician rubbed his hands, his face full of difficulty. "Young Master, I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate. For injuries like this, it ultimately depends on Lord Zhao's own physical foundation and Internal Breath."

"Whatever medicinal ingredients are needed, just name your price. As long as it can save his life, any amount is worth it." Lin Zhao paused, then continued, "I've already sent someone to Yingtian Prefecture to send word and try to invite imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to take a look. I've heard there's also a Daoist priest at the White Cloud Temple in the capital who understands secret medical theories. Surely, they can find a way."

With that, he turned and left. While folk medicine was crude, when it came to pills refined from rare medicinal ingredients, it was still the Imperial Hospital or Daoist sects that possessed them.

These pills required heaven-and-earth treasures for refinement. For example, the "Crimson Scale Pearl," which could help condense Internal Breath, was one such ingredient.

However, such prescriptions and ingredients were mostly controlled by the government. The Imperial Hospital called them "Imperial Secret Pills," and ordinary people couldn't even get a glimpse of them, let alone purchase them.

Although he was reluctant to deal with the government, for Zhao Tieying's sake, he had no choice but to brace himself and ask for help.

As for Daoist Zhang from the Celestial Masters' Manor next door, his mind was only filled with power struggles, and he understood nothing about medical theory. Naturally, there was no need to seek him out.

Autumn of the 24th Year of Jiajing.

After a month of recuperation, thanks to his own robust physique and the nourishment of precious medicinal ingredients, Lin Zhao's injuries were no longer a major concern.

He touched the armor on his body. There were still fist-shaped indentations on the armor plates, and he couldn't help but feel fortunate. "Fortunately, I was wearing armor. Even with Internal Breath protecting my body, an extra layer of protection is always safer. This principle of 'layered defense' is similar to how martial artists in the jianghu practice Hard Qigong."

During his recovery, his internal energy cultivation had never stopped.

The Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique was on the verge of reaching the fifth tier. What surprised him even more was that the Black Bear Strength had also progressed from the introductory level all the way to the third tier.

This Breathing Technique specialized in strengthening the body. Its cultivation difficulty was similar to the Mystic Wolf Breathing Technique, and the required auxiliary materials were simple and direct: the essence blood of Northern Black Bears. The stronger the bear's strength, the better the medicinal effect.

For him, this was like "having a fish in his own pond." Besides three Mystic Arm Snow Apes, his residence's back courtyard also housed Northern Black Bears.

They were all powerfully built. He took a little essence blood from them in rotation daily, which didn't harm the bears' lives and could be used for his cultivation.

The speed at which he cultivated lower-tier internal energy was now vastly different from before. If he fully utilized auxiliary materials, he could advance a common internal energy to the third tier in a month, and reach the fourth tier within three months, which was not a problem.

As the Black Bear Strength broke through the third tier, Lin Zhao felt his strength increase again. When he swung his fist, it even produced a faint whistling sound.

"As expected, it's an internal energy technique that specializes in strengthening the body. The saying 'every trade has its specialty' is absolutely true."

In addition to his internal energy, his Medicine Crafting had also quietly reached the third tier.

When he had previously refined the Blood Poison Qi Breaking Powder, he had already noticed that this skill had considerable potential and was by no means a common, crude craft. Just like Martial Arts Blacksmithing could continuously improve, Medicine Crafting also had higher-level realms.

"With third-tier Medicine Crafting in hand, I can now try to refine the two secret agents that accompany the Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique." Previously, due to his lack of skill and fear of wasting precious materials, he had never dared to attempt the "Thousand Mechanism Blood Poison" and "Xuanji Blood Spider." Now, he finally felt confident.

After dealing with matters of internal energy and medicine crafting, Lin Zhao once again went to visit Zhao Tieying.

Over the past month, he had spent five thousand taels of silver to purchase a "Pulse Renewing and Qi Solidifying Pill" from the Imperial Hospital in Yingtian Prefecture. He had also invited an old Daoist priest to perform acupuncture and conditioning, and Zhao Tieying's injuries had finally stabilized.

"Young Master, rest assured. Lord Zhao's breathing has stabilized. However, to recover his former strength, he will need slow recuperation and medicinal soups to warm his Internal Breath." The physician hurried forward to report when he saw Lin Zhao enter.

Lin Zhao walked to the bedside and saw that Zhao Tieying could now barely open his eyes. A great weight lifted from his heart.

However, he still worried about whether Zhao Tieying could fully recover. If he could cultivate a more profound internal energy in the future, perhaps he could use his own Internal Breath to help him clear his meridians. But he didn't know if Zhao Tieying could wait until that day.

After confirming that Zhao Tieying was no longer in mortal danger, Lin Zhao's expression turned grim, and he walked alone towards the residence's dungeon.

The depths of the dungeon were cold and damp. The torches stuck in the stone walls flickered, casting a cold light on the Fine Steel chains.

The assassin from the "Night Raven Tower" had his琵琶骨 pierced by chains and was nailed to the stone wall. His body was covered in wounds, his face as pale as paper, but his eyes still held a fierce glint.

Seeing Lin Zhao approach, the assassin spoke with a hoarse voice, struggling to get the words out, "Since you have captured me, why do you not kill me?"

"If killing you could make Uncle Zhao wake up, I would make you die ten thousand times." Lin Zhao sat on a stone stool in the dungeon, holding a piece of fragrant roasted lamb in his hand, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather.

"You scoundrel! You used poison to ambush me!" Tie Shan, nailed to the stone wall by chains, roared, veins bulging on his neck.

"Isn't this method learned from you rats?" Lin Zhao took a bite of the meat, chewing with relish. "You're an assassin, so why pretend to be a righteous martial artist? What kind of decent person in the jianghu would do such a sneaky thing?"

His tone shifted, and his gaze swept over the aura on Tie Shan's body. "Judging by your internal energy style, it seems like a high-tier body-tempering technique practiced in noble households. Could you be a bastard son of some Earl who, unable to inherit family property, resorted to becoming an assassin?"

These words struck a nerve with Tie Shan.

He struggled violently against the chains, the Fine Steel clanging against the stone wall with a harsh sound. "You're the bastard son! My Ai family disciples, even if born out of wedlock, are a hundred times better than you, a country bumpkin!"

Lin Zhao's heart stirred.

The Ai Family – that was the Earl's manor that guarded the Iron Scale Marsh in the north. Their family crest was the "Iron Crocodile." Legend had it that an Iron Scale Giant Crocodile once resided deep within the Iron Scale Marsh, and an ancestor of the Ai Family gained the title of Earl for slaying the demon king crocodile.

This family had been famous for generations for their "Iron Crocodile Body Tempering Technique." Most of the clan's disciples were brave and fierce individuals. It was no wonder Tie Shan's physique was so formidable, and he had achieved such cultivation before the age of thirty.

It seemed he was ostracized due to his status as a bastard son and, having no place in the clan, had defected to the "Night Raven Tower."

Regardless of how Tie Shan came to be, Lin Zhao only wanted to pry the mastermind's identity from him.

He had people bring out torture instruments. Branding irons and clamps were laid out on the floor, but Tie Shan gritted his teeth and endured, only saying he didn't know who the mastermind was.

Only when he was on the verge of death from the torture did he intermittently reveal some internal information: "In Night Raven Tower... only the five Lords can access the core... they are known as the 'Night Raven Lords'... I am under the 'Mystic Shadow Lord'... he is a Grandmaster Warrior in the Heavenly Gang Realm whose Internal Breath has reached the seventh stage... no one has ever seen his true face..."

As for anything else, no matter how they interrogated him, Tie Shan refused to say another word.

Lin Zhao looked at his vacant eyes and knew further questioning was useless—Zhou Bo'an had been right; the assassins at the bottom had no access to information about their employers.

He sighed inwardly, I'm still too weak. If I had the influence of a Heavenly Gang Realm Grandmaster Warrior, I could directly investigate the residences of suspicious nobles. Why would I need all this trouble?

In the dungeon, Tie Shan suddenly used his last bit of strength to roar, "Kill me! Give me a quick death!"

Lin Zhao stood up and drew the Dragon Vein Mystic Iron Dagger from his waist.

Since he couldn't get anything out of him, keeping him alive was a potential threat.

The dagger sliced across Tie Shan's neck, and blood splattered onto the stone wall.

After Tie Shan died, he had someone drag the body away to be burned—in the flames, a ferocious phantom image of an Iron Crocodile flashed and disappeared. This was a sign that the Ai Family's Body Tempering Technique had reached a certain level. Lin Zhao stared at the flames, his expression growing even more somber.

A few days later, tenant farmers discovered a scrawny war horse at the border of the territory. The horse was still wearing tattered barding armor. They immediately presented it to Lin Zhao.

He examined it carefully. The war horse was merely malnourished; its skeleton was very strong, clearly a superior steed capable of carrying weight and charging. Lin Zhao surmised it must have been Tie Shan's mount, which had run off after being startled that day.

In a hidden compartment of the horse's tack, Lin Zhao found a cloth bag. Inside were three thousand taels of silver notes, several packs of dry rations, a yellowed copy of the Night Raven Treasure Scroll, and a Night Raven mask—identical to the one confiscated previously. It seemed Tie Shan was also a follower of the "Netherworld Martial Venerate."

The treasure scroll still recorded the Bone Softening Technique, not the Iron Crocodile Body Tempering Technique he had hoped for, which left him slightly disappointed.

"What is this?" At the very bottom of the bag, a rolled-up piece of parchment caught his attention.

He unrolled it to find a map of Northern Great Ming, marking the mountains, rivers, roads, passes, and post stations from Zhenbei Prefecture to Jizhou.

Although the drawing technique was crude and the details not very precise, Tie Shan was able to find Qixia Valley with it, indicating that the key locations would not be wrong.

What surprised him even more was a red dot marked in ink in the corner of the map, with the words "Night Raven Tower Stronghold" next to it.

The annotation mentioned that this stronghold was located in an abandoned garrison on the outskirts of Zhenbei Prefecture. It was permanently staffed by three high-level Entering Martial Masters who served as instructors for the assassin apprentices and were responsible for contacting the spies lurking within the city.

"It's time to settle the score for the three assassination attempts." Lin Zhao pointed at the red dot on the map, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

However, he did not act immediately. His Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique had not yet broken through the fifth level. Facing three high-level Entering Martial Masters now, he might not have absolute confidence. He had to improve his cultivation first.

He harbored another concern: the Mystic Shadow Master among the "Five Night Raven Masters" was a master in the Heavenly Gang Realm. If news of Tie Shan's failure reached him, would he personally come to silence them?

With his current strength as a mid-level Martial Master, he was no match for him at all.

"I must go all out to break through!" Lin Zhao immediately issued an order, and the territory entered a state of wartime martial law. Additional sentries were posted at the city gates, and all those entering or leaving had to present their travel permits. When tenant farmers worked, a squad of soldiers accompanied them. Everyone in the manor was strictly checked for unfamiliar faces—the people from Night Raven Tower were skilled in the Bone Softening Technique and could alter their appearance. Ordinary guards would find it difficult to identify them, so layers of defense were necessary to reduce the risk.

Autumn of the 24th Year of Jiajing, when the wheat fields were golden.

The tenant farmers of the territory were busy harvesting wheat. In the blacksmith shop, the furnaces still burned brightly, and armor plates piled up like mountains on the anvils.

However, Lin Zhao, who was supposed to be supervising, had become a "hands-off manager." Except for checking on Zhao Tieying's injuries daily, he spent all his other time in the quiet room, cultivating diligently.

He had already refined the "Thousand Mechanism Blood Poison" and "璇玑 Spider Poison" using his Third Tier Medicine Crafting skill. His poison reserves were sufficient, and he had no other distractions—for him, nothing was more important right now than advancing his Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique to the fifth stage.

In the quiet room, black mist swirled. Three Qi Seeds rotated slowly in his Dantian. With each breath, his Internal Breath became more profound and solid.

He knew that only with sufficient strength could he truly control his own destiny and make "Night Raven Tower" pay the price.