Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine, Stone Skin Minor Accomplishment Realm!

Zhang Baizang smiled faintly. "Because only the Inner City offers hope. No matter how well you do in the Outer City, in the eyes of the Inner City's powers, you're nothing but a mud-legged peasant. To say nothing else, the Outer City has no High-grade Martial Arts, nor does it have martial arts beyond the Blood Changing Realm. Skin Tempering, Bone Refining, Tendon Refining, Blood Changing, and Viscera Refining—these are the Five Realms of the Physical Body. If you remain in the Outer City, the limit of your entire life will be Blood Changing City."

"I understand!" Li Changsheng said.

Zhang Baizang continued, "Now that you understand the importance of an Inner City Residency Slot, perhaps you want to enter the Inner City yourself. But let me tell you, without sufficient backing and strength, entering the Inner City would not be a good thing for you. My Zhang Family has some influence in the Inner City, and some of our elders live there as well. But you have nothing. Once you enter the Inner City, your final fate will be to forge weapons for some faction forever, with no resources to speak of. If you stay in the Outer City, at least you still have a rather respectable position. I know your identity and circumstances. You are not suited to martial arts, and blacksmiths do not hold much status in the Inner City."

"May I go back and think it over?" Li Changsheng asked.

"Of course," Zhang Baizang said.

"Thank you!"

Li Changsheng left.

"Young Master, you're just letting him leave like that? What if he sells the slot to someone else?" Zhang Baizang's servant asked.

"Don't worry. Once he understands the strength of my Zhang Family, he definitely won't dare do such a thing." Zhang Baizang smiled.

Azure Steel Martial Hall.

Li Changsheng wanted to see his master, Xu He. Though this master did not manage him much, Xu He was the only one whose advice he could seek.

"Master, your disciple Li Changsheng requests an audience!"

Li Changsheng called out.

"What is it? If it concerns cultivation, go ask your senior brothers for guidance," Xu He's voice came from within.

"Master, your disciple has obtained an Inner City Residency Slot. Someone wishes to purchase it, so I have come to seek your advice!" Li Changsheng called out.

Click!

The door opened, and Xu He walked out.

"You obtained an Inner City Residency Slot?" Xu He was greatly surprised.

"Yes, Master!" Li Changsheng said. "Your disciple just placed in the top ten at the Blacksmith Tournament and received an Inner City Residency Slot."

"I never expected your talent in forging to be so high!" Xu He said in surprise. "Tell me, who wants to buy your slot?"

"The Baiye Street Zhang Family!"

Li Changsheng said.

"So it's the Baiye Street Zhang Family!" Xu He's expression turned somewhat grave. After pondering for a while, he said, "Your master still advises you to sell the slot to Eldest Young Master Zhang."

"Master, you do not advise me to go to the Inner City either?" Li Changsheng asked.

"That is correct. Your master does not advise you to go to the Inner City. Ordinary people do not know much about it and think that entering the Inner City means becoming someone above others, but that is not the case. The Inner City has its lower classes too, and they need people to serve them as well. Your aptitude for martial arts is not high. Although you have great talent in forging, unless you become a Grandmaster Blacksmith, you will not hold much status in the Inner City. Moreover, you have no one to rely on there. Once you enter the Inner City, there is a high chance that you will become a blacksmith raised in captivity by some faction. For example, if a powerful faction demands that you sign a contract selling yourself to them and forge weapons for them forever, would you dare refuse?" Xu He said.

What Master Xu He said was much the same as what that Eldest Young Master Zhang had said. They were not trying to deceive him.

"Master, I understand. But what should I trade for from Eldest Young Master Zhang?" Li Changsheng asked for guidance.

Xu He thought for a moment. "Given the value of an Inner City Residency Slot, you can trade it with Eldest Young Master Zhang for one portion of Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine and thirty portions of Hundred Refinement Secret Medicine!"

"What is Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine?"

It was Li Changsheng's first time hearing of this secret medicine.

Xu He explained, "Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine is a special type of secret medicine. It is greatly beneficial even to those in the Bone Refining Realm. If taken by a Stone Skin Realm martial artist, it can slightly improve your aptitude and wash away the impurities within your body. If you have enough Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine, it can even double your cultivation aptitude! One portion of Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine costs three thousand taels of silver on the Black Market, and even then, you may not be able to buy it!"

"Master, I understand!"

Li Changsheng took his leave.

From their conversation just now, it was clear that Xu He's attitude toward him had changed. Perhaps an Eighth-grade Blacksmith was nothing in the Inner City, but in the Outer City, an Eighth-grade Blacksmith held an extremely high position and could even be of great help to Azure Steel Martial Hall. Xu He also somewhat did not want him to enter the Inner City.

But upon careful thought, it made sense. What he needed now was to grow quietly. For every additional year he lived, he could gain one more Dao Fruit. There was no need to rush into the Inner City so soon.

In the future, he would go to the Inner City—but not now.

"Young Master Zhang, I agree to the trade!" Li Changsheng met Zhang Baizang again and immediately stated his demand. "I wish to trade the Inner City Residency Slot for one portion of Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine and thirty portions of Hundred Refinement Secret Medicine!"

Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine!

Zhang Baizang knew that, given Li Changsheng's knowledge, he should not have known about Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine. Even if he did know of it, he should not have known that the Zhang Family possessed such medicine. His master must have told him.

"Fine!"

Zhang Baizang agreed.

Afterward, they signed an agreement. Li Changsheng handed the slot over to Zhang Baizang, while Zhang Baizang had someone bring him one portion of Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine and thirty portions of Hundred Refinement Secret Medicine.

To the Zhang Family, this little bit of secret medicine was nothing.

After that, he returned to the martial hall and borrowed one of its cultivation rooms to take the Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine.

Azure Origin Secret Medicine and Hundred Refinement Secret Medicine were both applied externally, whereas Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine was taken internally.

After swallowing the Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine, its violent energy tempered his entire body in an utterly unreasonable fashion. It felt as if an invisible giant hand were trying to tear his body apart. Intense pain crashed over him, agony so severe it was simply torture.

Li Changsheng endured it. Amid that agonizing pain, he cultivated the Azure Steel Hand as well, ensuring that the energy of the Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine would not go to waste.

As time passed, the pain gradually eased considerably. His Stone Skin progress was also advancing, while the impurities within his body were being expelled bit by bit.

More than two hours later, Li Changsheng was covered in a layer of black impurities. He went to take a bath, then continued cultivating the Azure Steel Hand.

The effects of the Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine had yet to fully fade; some residual effects remained.

Afterward, he applied the Hundred Refinement Secret Medicine and began cultivating. He felt that this time, he had hope of raising his cultivation to Stone Skin Realm Initial Success.

He cultivated continuously until nightfall. His qi and blood surged sharply, his skin began to transform, and his physical strength was increasing as well.

After a while, the transformation came to an end.

At this moment, he had broken through to Stone Skin Minor Accomplishment!

"Stone Skin Minor Accomplishment—wonderful! If I had relied on the Azure Origin Secret Medicine to cultivate, it would have taken at least a year before I had any hope of breaking through to Stone Skin Minor Accomplishment. Yet now I've broken through so quickly. The Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine truly lives up to its name. If I had enough Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine, I might be able to break through to Stone Skin Major Accomplishment, or even Stone Skin Perfection, very soon!"

But Marrow Cleansing Secret Medicine like this was far too difficult to obtain, and Li Changsheng did not expect to acquire a second dose.

In the days ahead, he planned to make use of these several dozen portions of Hundred Refinement Secret Medicine and strive to break through to Stone Skin Realm Great Accomplishment as soon as possible!