Human Relationships and Social Graces

Suppressing his excitement, Lu Wangchuan immediately went home to eat.

The meat in his diet was also a good way to replenish qi and blood. Though the portions were small, for Lu Wangchuan at this moment, even a slight increase in qi and blood was not something he would let slip by.

The Lu household now had three people. Besides Lu Wangchuan himself, there were the coachman Xiao Wu and the maidservant Xiao Yue. Both were refugees who had drifted into Jianghai City and were taken in by his predecessor as servants, responsible for his daily travel and meals.

Back at home, the maidservant Xiao Yue had already prepared a delicious lunch. Lu Wangchuan ate heartily, quickly clearing the table, then hurried into his personal training room to practice the Eight Section Brocade.

Time flew like an arrow, days and months passed like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.

Lu Wangchuan was practicing the Eight Section Brocade in the training room. His sweat-soaked clothes clung to his body, revealing several sharp lines of muscle.

A moment later, he withdrew his technique and steadied his breath. His surging qi and blood gradually returned to a normal state. He opened the Light Screen again, and the data had already changed.

Name: Lu Wangchuan. Cultivation: Blood Solidification Realm. Qi and Blood: 103. Techniques: Mountain Splitting Fist (Second Layer), Eight Section Brocade (Second Layer).

After a month of hard training, relying on several hundred points of qi and blood, Lu Wangchuan had raised both techniques to the second layer and officially stepped into the Blood Solidification Realm!

The first major stage of martial arts training was called the Physical Body Realm, aimed at tempering the body and transforming the mortal frame. It was divided into five levels: Blood Solidification, Fascia, Bone Forging, Opening Source, and Dantian.

Those who solidified their blood could quickly clot wounds, greatly enhancing their vitality!

For an ordinary person to break through to the Blood Solidification Realm, it would take at least a few months, and at most, two or three years.

But Lu Wangchuan had only spent a month. The speed made him clench his fists in excitement.

"This is all thanks to my relentless training day and night."

Now that his qi and blood had broken through one hundred points, a plus sign had appeared again after both techniques. Without hesitation, Lu Wangchuan directly allocated the points.

He raised the Eight Section Brocade from the second layer to the third.

After breaking through the Blood Solidification Realm, further improvement would require more effort, but the third-layer Eight Section Brocade would also bring greater benefits during training.

However, with his breakthrough in cultivation, the increase in qi and blood from food had become negligible. Lu Wangchuan needed something better.

"Xiao Wu, prepare the carriage. We're going to the Martial Hall."

"Right away, young master."

The carriage left the gates and headed straight for the Martial Hall. Lu Wangchuan began to think about how to increase his qi and blood further.

His predecessor had bought Body Strengthening Soup before, but that stuff was expensive—two or three silver taels per portion. Lu Wangchuan's family wasn't wealthy; it was all thanks to his sister's support—well, taking care of him. So funds weren't exactly abundant.

On top of that, martial arts training was costly, so he had to budget carefully.

He had also thought about making money himself, like selling poems.

After all, he hadn't returned all the ancient poems from his previous life to his Chinese teacher. He could barely remember a few, and in this world, they would undoubtedly be masterpieces. But in a martial world, and during chaotic times, who would want that?

Lu Wangchuan had also considered smelting glass, a venture with huge profits. But on second thought, if he produced something so lucrative, he'd probably be silenced within minutes.

In this world of the strong preying on the weak, even if a weakling had a way to make money, he wouldn't dare to earn it recklessly.

The Martial Hall also had tasks like escorting goods, but they paid two or three silver taels per job and often required ten days to half a month away—too low a return...

"Whoa~, young master, we're here."

Xiao Wu interrupted Lu Wangchuan's thoughts. He jumped off the carriage and walked into the Martial Hall. Today was still Instructor Lu's class, and the lesson was once again about health preservation. The others listened with boredom, but Lu Wangchuan found it fascinating.

After class, Lu Xianyuan left as usual, walking straight out. But before he left, he called Lu Wangchuan's name.

"Lu Wangchuan, come over here."

Lu Wangchuan was a bit startled. Lu Xianyuan was always aloof and cold, rarely interacting with others, and certainly had no reason to have anything to do with him, the Martial Hall's bottom student. Why would he suddenly call him over?

But he didn't dare defy the man's order. In the Martial Hall, respecting the instructors was very important.

Soon, he arrived at Lu Xianyuan's courtyard. Lu Xianyuan was sitting in a grand armchair, drinking tea.

"I heard you've been practicing the Eight Section Brocade lately?"

"Yes."

Not many people in the Martial Hall practiced the Eight Section Brocade. Others would train for two days and then give up, going back to the Mountain Splitting Fist. Lu Wangchuan was the only one sticking with it, so it wasn't strange that Lu Xianyuan knew.

"How is your practice going?"

Lu Wangchuan's eyes flickered. Instructor Lu was very strong—could he really not see his own cultivation level?

Or was it because of the Light Screen?

"In response to Instructor Lu, your disciple has already trained it to the third layer."

"Oh?"

Lu Xianyuan showed a hint of surprise, clearly not expecting Lu Wangchuan's speed to be so fast.

"Demonstrate it once."

Lu Wangchuan nodded and directly began performing the Eight Section Brocade. After a full set, Lu Xianyuan's gaze held a bit more approval.

"Not bad. Although the Eight Section Brocade is the most basic external body-tempering technique, being able to break through to the third layer in a month shows you've put in considerable effort."

"Disciple trained too fiercely in the past, leaving behind many hidden injuries. Since the master taught me the Eight Section Brocade, I naturally didn't want to miss the opportunity."

"I see. That's roughly what I guessed."

Lu Xianyuan let out a thoughtful hum, then spoke.

"I've been a bit short on money lately. I heard your family is well-off, so I called you over. But don't worry—I won't make you pay for nothing. I have a unique, secret recipe for Body Strengthening Soup. On the market, it wouldn't be worth less than three hundred taels. If you're willing, you can buy it for one hundred."

Lu Wangchuan's eyes lit up. A Body Strengthening Soup recipe!

This stuff was extremely rare. The major trading houses only sold the finished soup, never the recipe itself—which was why a single dose cost two or three silver taels.

If he bought the recipe and made the soup himself, each batch might only cost two or three hundred coppers. Over time, the savings would be enormous—a pure profit. In truth, a recipe like this could be worth a thousand gold.

As for its authenticity, given Lu Xianyuan's status, he wouldn't stoop to deceiving him.

"Disciple is willing to buy."

"Good."

Lu Xianyuan took a recipe from his sleeve, placed it on the table, then closed his eyes to rest, saying no more.

Lu Wangchuan immediately stepped forward to take the recipe, but instead of paying one hundred taels, he handed over three hundred in silver notes.

The martial world wasn't all about fighting and killing—it was about human connections and social grace.

Building a relationship with an expert like Lu Xianyuan might save his life at a critical moment.

Recipe in hand, Lu Wangchuan rushed to the merchant guild to buy the ingredients. Returning home, he quickly brewed the Body Strengthening Soup according to the instructions. After simmering all afternoon, he finally got a pot of strange-smelling liquid that looked a bit like excrement. Though hard to swallow, he pinched his nose and forced down a bowl for the sake of improving his cultivation.

But to his surprise, the medicinal effect was excellent. One bowl down, a wave of heat surged through his body, warming his internal organs.

Not daring to waste it, Lu Wangchuan immediately began practicing the Eight Section Brocade. Thus, alternating between training and drinking the Body Strengthening Soup, two months passed in the blink of an eye. His body grew taller and more robust—at fourteen years old, he already stood one meter seventy, his muscle lines fully formed and imposing.