The Rapidly Refined Medicinal Power

He deliberately stuffed some cloth into his boots to make himself taller.

Then he stuffed some cloth into his clothes as well, making himself look more muscular.

After the disguise, outsiders would see him as a burly man nearly nine chi tall.

On ordinary days, plenty of jianghu folk came and went through Jade Water City.

There were also quite a few people like Su Que, wearing hoods and wrapping themselves from head to toe.

Su Que went to the largest martial arts school in all of Jade Water City, the Poshhan Martial Arts School, which taught the fairly powerful "Mountain Breaking Fist."

Upon entering the Poshhan Martial Arts School, he saw a group of bare-chested burly men.

Some swung their fists in the yard, crackling sounds ringing without cease; some sparred in pairs, the sounds of flesh and force striking one another rising and falling; others, their arm muscles knotted like coiled dragons, lifted heavy stone locks up and down.

The moment they saw Su Que enter, the burly men all turned to look at him, their gazes immediately turning grave.

With Su Que's attire and such a powerful build, he was very likely here to challenge the school.

Some people, wanting to test their own strength, fearing embarrassment if they lost, or fearing retaliation from the martial arts school if they won—

Would wrap themselves up tightly before coming to issue a challenge.

"May I ask what business this friend has here?"

A burly man with knotted muscles and sweat streaming all over his body stepped out from the crowd and cupped his fists toward Su Que.

Though he suspected Su Que had come to challenge the school, a visitor was still a guest. Besides, the Poshhan Martial Arts School was a major local school, and he could not lose his courtesy or bearing.

"Does your school have any prescriptions that could aid martial arts training?"

Su Que asked.

Hearing that Su Que had not come to challenge the school, the sharpness in many disciples' eyes immediately faded.

They shifted their gazes away from Su Que and resumed what they had been doing—those punching continued punching, those sparring continued sparring, and those lifting stone locks continued lifting them.

After hearing this, the martial arts school disciple receiving Su Que answered:

"Yes. If you want it, it costs three hundred taels, and you must not pass this prescription on to others."

If the prescription were spread outside Jade Water City, the Poshhan Martial Arts School could do nothing about it.

But if they learned someone had spread the prescription within Jade Water City, they would certainly spare no effort to dig out the person who had done so.

The Poshhan Martial Arts School had more than a hundred disciples, and disciples who had left the school were scattered throughout government offices, escort agencies, and other trades.

Combined, they were truly a force not to be underestimated.

When Su Que heard three hundred taels, his teeth immediately ached.

At present, he could not even scrape together five taels.

Who knew what year or month it would be before he saved up three hundred taels.

Unless he went and robbed someone.

"If I don't buy the prescription and only buy the medicine, then what?" Su Que asked.

"One tael per bowl," the martial arts school disciple answered.

In truth, over the more than twenty years since the Poshhan Martial Arts School had been established, very few people had purchased their prescription.

Most people simply bought the medicinal broth directly from them.

"Give me three bowls," Su Que said.

He only had a little over three taels on him now.

The martial arts school disciple frowned slightly upon hearing that. "Friend, our school's medicinal broth is extremely potent. Usually, one bowl's medicinal power lasts at least three days. Are you sure you want to buy three bowls at once?"

"Then give me one bowl first," Su Que said, taking out one tael of silver from his clothes and handing it to the martial arts school disciple.

After accepting the silver, the disciple went into the inner hall. A little while later, he carried out a bowl of blackish medicinal broth steaming with heat.

Su Que accepted it, turning slightly sideways so the disciple would not see his face. Then he brought the rim of the bowl to his lips and drained it in one gulp.

The medicinal broth was extremely bitter and carried a faint stink.

Su Que smacked his lips, returned the porcelain bowl to the disciple, and left the martial arts school.

As he walked down the street, he felt a surge of medicinal power rise from his abdomen and slowly flow toward his limbs and bones.

He immediately found an uninhabited place, removed his disguise, packed it into a bundle, and headed out of the city.

When he reached the woods on Ancient Cliff Mountain, he immediately took up his stance and practiced the Seven Injuries Fist with the aid of that medicinal power!

He threw punch after punch, refining the medicinal power within his body.

The qi and blood throughout his body instantly began to boil.

It was as though a furnace had been lit inside him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His fists struck the air, and as his fist force surged and withdrew, ripples spread out in ring after ring.

For a time, the Heart Damage Art, Lung Injury Art, Liver and Intestine Destruction Art, Hidden Separation Art, Essence Loss Art, Trance Art, and Seven Injuries Total Art emerged in succession.

His fist force was fiercely hard one moment, darkly soft the next; sometimes hard and soft harmonized, sometimes it went left, sometimes right, weaving back and forth through the air.

At the same time, his five organs felt warm and comfortable beyond measure.

After about an hour, Su Que, drenched in sweat from head to toe, stirred in thought and summoned his Attributes.

Name: Su Que (17 years old)

Lifespan: 50

Talent Value: 8

Martial Arts: Seven Injuries Fist (Entry Level 16%), Five Animal Frolics (Initial Glimpse 1%)

In merely that one hour, the Seven Injuries Fist's progress had increased by 1%.

If this speed continued in the future, he could likely train the Seven Injuries Fist to the fourth realm in less than a month.

That was far faster than the five or six months it would have taken before he started taking medicine.

Su Que was invigorated and continued practicing his fists. Punch after punch shot out, the sound of fist force striking the air dense as drumbeats.

The Seven Injuries Fist's progress steadily increased, his five organs grew tougher and tougher, and the Yin-Yang Qi within him became increasingly abundant.

The next morning, Su Que rose early as usual and went to the woods outside the city to practice his fists.

Now that his Yin-Yang Qi was abundant and his five organs and six bowels were healthy, even with little sleep and an early start, he remained full of vigor.

After practicing for about half an hour, he discovered that the medicinal power within his body had already been completely exhausted.

"Didn't they say this medicinal broth would last at least three days? How had it run out after only one night and one morning?"

"Had the Poshhan Martial Arts School watered down their medicinal broth, or was I refining medicinal power too quickly?"

He pondered for a while and felt that—

The Poshhan Martial Arts School was, after all, the largest and most influential martial arts school in the city. Many people bought medicine there, so they would not likely deceive anyone.

Then it seemed that he was simply refining medicinal power too quickly.

"Wouldn't that mean spending one tael every day?"

Su Que felt that with his enormous appetite, the medicinal broth, and the household money he had to contribute every month—

Even if he sold beast pelts every day and added his wages from the School, he would probably be spending more than he earned this month!

"Sure enough, the poor cultivate literature, while the rich cultivate martial arts!"

"And besides."

"That martial arts school disciple said the medicinal power would take at least three days to run out."

"Yet mine ran out in less than a day. That would draw far too much attention!"

After thinking it over, Su Que decided that he would buy his medicine from several other martial arts schools from now on.

First, to avoid drawing attention.

Second, to see how potent the medicines brewed by other martial arts schools were.

Although the Poshhan Martial Arts School was the largest martial arts school in Jade Water City, it was not impossible for other, somewhat weaker schools to possess better prescriptions.