Great River Blood Strengthening Technique Reaches Completion, Qi and Blood Surge!

At night, during the Mao hour.

Thanks to the prosperity of the Black Market, South City was a bustling sight.

Many people came and went here, but strangely, many had black cloths covering their faces or wore masks.

Lu Changsheng likewise had his face covered with black cloth.

After all, this was the Black Market, where fish and dragons mingled together. Those who thought to come here generally did not wish to reveal their identities, hence the masks and disguises.

Lu Changsheng strolled through the Black Market.

The vendors inside did not hawk their wares, merely setting up their stalls quietly by the roadside.

Yet the goods at those stalls left Lu Changsheng aghast.

For instance, there were some extraordinarily potent knockout drugs, as well as poisons that killed the instant they drew blood.

These were all prohibited items, things pharmacies dared not sell, yet they were displayed and sold openly in the Black Market.

Moreover, many people were entirely unsurprised, clearly long accustomed to it.

Lu Changsheng spotted an exquisite dagger.

He had wanted to buy a dagger for self-defense before. After all, his Tiger Pounce Hand was actually best suited for nimble short weapons like daggers.

But he had never had the chance to go out and buy one.

In this Black Market, weapon sellers were the most numerous.

Lu Changsheng crouched before a stall and asked, "How much is this dagger?"

The stall owner was a weather-beaten middle-aged man. A scar ran across his face, and his hands were covered in calluses.

"This dagger is forged from Hundred Refinements Steel. Five taels of silver each, no bargaining."

"Five taels of silver?"

Lu Changsheng clicked his tongue. That was truly expensive!

Still, he picked up the dagger and tested it. It might not slice through hair with a single breath, but it was genuinely sharp.

"Here, five taels of silver. I'll take a dagger."

Lu Changsheng paid without hesitation.

It was for self-defense and concerned his own life, so naturally he had to buy a better weapon.

After buying the dagger, Lu Changsheng continued searching.

He was looking for martial arts manuals.

In such a vast Black Market, not many stalls sold martial arts manuals.

But Lu Changsheng still found one.

He came to a stall.

The stall owner was a veiled woman. Her appearance could not be seen, but judging from her figure and clothing, she should not have been very old.

"All the martial arts you have here are for the first stage of Body Tempering, the Blood Strengthening Realm. Do you have any Bone Forging or even Organ Refining Martial Arts?"

Lu Changsheng asked.

"Of course I have Bone Forging and Organ Refining Martial Arts, but they will not be displayed for sale. If you are interested, prepare a large amount of silver. Those martial arts are very expensive!"

The stall owner spoke coldly.

Lu Changsheng understood. Bone Forging and Organ Refining Martial Arts were no simple matter; above all, they were expensive.

Of course, there was probably another important reason they were not displayed openly.

Those martial arts manuals had most likely come from questionable sources and could not see the light of day.

"How much are these Martial Skills?"

"One Martial Skill, ten taels of silver. No bargaining."

"Ten taels of silver?"

Why did Lu Changsheng feel that everything in this Black Market was so expensive?

He looked over these Martial Skills. They were all rather niche techniques.

For example, Zhao Family Long Fist, Thirteen Leg Techniques, Iron Sand Palm, and so on.

Some of these Martial Skills, Lu Changsheng had even heard of; they were relatively widespread techniques.

However, these Martial Skills were basically similar to Tiger Pounce Hand. Once trained to completion, they would very likely add 2 points of Comprehension.

"You have twenty-one Martial Skills here, right?"

"Two hundred and ten taels altogether. I'll offer two hundred taels flat. How about you sell them all to me?"

Lu Changsheng pointed to the Martial Skills on the stall.

"You want all of them?"

The stall owner was somewhat surprised. She raised her head and scrutinized Lu Changsheng carefully.

Although the stall owner had said there would be no bargaining, buying so many Martial Skills at once naturally warranted different treatment.

"Fine. Two hundred taels of silver, and they are all yours."

After weighing it for a moment, the stall owner agreed outright.

After all, these Martial Skills were all rather ordinary. It was not easy to encounter such a "generous" customer.

Lu Changsheng directly handed the stall owner two hundred taels of silver.

He did not have much silver left on him now.

One trip to the Black Market, and I've already spent over two hundred taels. Money really flows away like water.

Lu Changsheng sighed inwardly.

Of the more than five hundred taels of silver he had brought out from the mountains, nearly half had now been spent.

He would still need to keep buying Eight Treasures Blood Replenishing Powder in the future, which would also consume a great deal of silver.

Still, though the silver was spent quickly, every tael had gone to the edge of the blade.

The twenty-one Martial Skills Lu Changsheng had bought would be enough for him to practice for a long time.

Once all twenty-one Martial Skills were trained to completion, his Comprehension would surely see an enormous increase.

The silver had been well spent!

However, after Lu Changsheng lavishly bought a pile of Martial Skills, several pairs of eyes settled on him.

"Heh heh, this man spends freely. He must still have silver on him."

"Anyone who can spend two hundred taels on Martial Skills must have several hundred taels on him."

"We need to keep close track of this fat sheep."

Several figures followed behind Lu Changsheng sneakily.

Lu Changsheng was highly vigilant and faintly sensed them.

He knew he had been targeted!

The Black Market was a place where fish and dragons mingled, with people from every walk of life.

Wealth should not be displayed. Since he had spent so much silver, he had surely drawn attention.

There were many people here, so those men did not dare act rashly.

Lu Changsheng wound through twists and turns, actually shaking off those following him and vanishing into the night.

Watching Lu Changsheng disappear, the several figures cursed in exasperation. "Damn it, that kid is really alert. He actually slipped away."

"A fat sheep we finally came across—like a cooked duck flying away. Damn it!"

"That kid got lucky. Be more careful next time. Don't let another fat sheep slip away."

The group swiftly returned to the Black Market.

"Phew..."

Lu Changsheng ran all the way back to Miraculous Garden.

"They shouldn't have followed me."

"The Black Market is a place where fish and dragons mingle. It's too dangerous. I should avoid going there whenever possible."

"I need to raise the Great River Blood Strengthening Technique quickly. It would be best to raise it to the Third Layer. Then my qi and blood will surely reach a very high level, and my strength will multiply! If I encounter danger, I won't be left without the power to fight back."

"Fortunately, the twenty-one Martial Skills will be enough to keep me practicing for quite some time..."

Lu Changsheng removed his face covering and returned to Miraculous Garden.

After returning to Miraculous Garden, Lu Changsheng settled down completely.

He rose early every day to practice martial arts, then persisted in studying under Master Mo, followed Elder Wen in identifying medicinal herbs, and practiced martial arts for a while again at night.

Every day was packed full, with scarcely a moment of leisure.

Though such days were busy, they were fulfilling.

Meanwhile, Lu Changsheng's Great River Blood Strengthening Technique improved rapidly, and his qi and blood grew stronger day by day.

In the blink of an eye, three months passed.

This day was Lu Changsheng's monthly rest day.

Lu Changsheng was circulating his qi and blood in his room.

Boom.

The next moment, a thunderous rumble sounded within Lu Changsheng's body, and his qi and blood rapidly grew stronger at a speed visible to the naked eye.

No, that was no longer mere strengthening. It was a violent surge.

It surged severalfold!

His qi and blood roiled like mighty waves, and the entire room seemed to grow "warmer."

Whoosh.

Lu Changsheng opened his eyes.

Great River Blood Strengthening Technique reached completion. Comprehension +3.

"The Great River Blood Strengthening Technique has finally reached the Third Layer. This martial art has reached completion; there is no further progress to be made."

"However, being able to add 3 points of Comprehension means the Great River Blood Strengthening Technique is not bad. It counts as a Tier Three Martial Art!"

Lu Changsheng murmured softly.

As for "Tier Three Martial Art," that was a classification Lu Changsheng had created himself based on the amount of Comprehension gained.

Lu Changsheng had discovered that how much Comprehension a martial art added upon reaching completion was actually determined by its difficulty or profundity.

Thus, he classified martial arts according to the amount of Comprehension they added.

For instance, the most basic Martial Skills, such as Basic Fist Techniques, Basic Saber Technique, and Basic Sword Technique, could only add 1 point of Comprehension, making them Tier One Martial Arts.

Tiger Pounce Hand, Twelve Tan Legs, Iron Wire Fist, and the like could add 2 points of Comprehension, making them Second Rank Martial Arts.

As for the Great River Blood Strengthening Technique, it had just added 3 points of Comprehension, making it a Tier Three Martial Art.

It was also the only Tier Three Martial Art Lu Changsheng had encountered thus far.

He had assumed the Great River Blood Strengthening Technique was a common, widely available martial art in Miraculous Garden, and should have been quite ordinary.

He had not expected it to be a Tier Three Martial Art. He had underestimated the Great River Blood Strengthening Technique.

The completion of a Tier Three Martial Art made Lu Changsheng's qi and blood exceptionally powerful.

Yet Lu Changsheng vaguely felt that it still was not enough.

His qi and blood seemed able to keep growing.

He recalled what Master Meng from the Flying Crane Martial Arts School had said.

Of the Three Stages of Body Tempering, the firmer one's foundation, the greater the hope of Marrow Cleansing Blood Changing and advancing to the Divine Strength Realm in the future!

Now, Lu Changsheng had strengthened his qi and blood through the Great River Blood Strengthening Technique, but he had yet to reach the limit of his qi and blood. There was still ample room for improvement.

"Miraculous Garden may have stronger Blood Strengthening Realm martial arts, but it will not let Apprentices practice them. Though I am now an Apothecary Apprentice, I still cannot access Miraculous Garden's core martial arts."

"If I want to continue strengthening my qi and blood, I'll have to find another way. It would be best to practice other martial arts that can Strengthen Qi and Blood, especially Superior Martial Arts."

"Last time at the Black Market, the Female Stall Owner selling Martial Skills mentioned that she had Bone Forging and Organ Refining Martial Arts. Since she has Bone Forging and Organ Refining Martial Arts, she surely has superior Blood Strengthening Realm martial arts as well."

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes. It seemed he would have to make another trip to the Black Market.