Neighbor, is this a different time? (Wishing my adoptive fathers a happy holiday! Seeking votes and follow-up reads!)

Indeed, even for ordinary cultivation techniques, after deducting other losses, the energy required to cultivate in the correct direction from scratch is still an astronomical figure.

The human body can only absorb a limited amount of medicinal power daily. The precautions for the "Iron Bone Stance" strictly state that martial artists with a Qi and Blood Value below 10,000 can only take medicinal baths twice a day.

This is precisely the core constraint that makes this cultivation technique progress so slowly.

It cannot accelerate its progress by "involuting" through the investment of a large amount of time, unlike cultivation techniques that rely on repeated practice of moves. No matter how much you try, the "Iron Bone Stance" has a daily cultivation time limit.

However, the panel that Lu Jue possesses is precisely the sharp tool to break this convention! It can ignore these rules and compress years of accumulation into just two hours!

Regarding the choice of meat this time, Lu Jue had already made his decision.

Among the spirit-type livestock that can be stably supplied in large quantities on the market, there are only a few types: pigs, cattle, chickens, fish, sheep, rabbits, and ducks.

Based on common sense, chicken meat might enhance vision, rabbit meat might improve speed or thigh muscle strength, and fish meat is likely related to water affinity or long-lasting breath.

Considering the upcoming arena competition, these random talents and limited effects are secondary. Only by pushing one's existing advantages—strength and defense—to the extreme is the true path to victory!

Therefore, he locked onto Spirit Beef.

The "Iron Bone Stance" primarily focuses on skeletal defense, and Spirit Beef can elevate the innate talent [Barbarian Ox Strength] to a higher level.

With the two stacked, his strength will undoubtedly reach a new peak, truly becoming an "impenetrable human fortress" that combines offense and defense!

Arriving at the nearby market, Lu Jue moved between various stalls, only to be disappointed to find that there was very little Spirit Beef left. Even if he cleared out the inventory of all the vendors, it would still fall far short of his estimated requirement.

Helplessly, he had to try contacting the staff member he met last time when he purchased Giant Horned Barbarian Beef, inquiring about a stable supply channel.

Fortunately, the other party had extensive connections. In just ten minutes, he contacted a direct supplier and, at a wholesale price of 208 yuan per jin, secured 800 jin for him.

The only drawback was that the day's supply had already been cleared, and delivery was scheduled for the next morning.

Lu Jue understood this price perfectly; the other party must have taken some kickbacks.

However, compared to the market retail price that had already soared to 214 yuan per jin, this wholesale price was already quite rare, and he could accept it.

After paying the deposit, Lu Jue boarded the bus home.

Over the past few days, he had noticed that the times his father encouraged him on Feixin had become less regular. He vaguely suspected that his father might have taken on a second job to earn more money to support his martial arts training.

Today happened to be his father's only monthly day off. He decided to go back, partly to see his father and partly to share the good news that he had been designated a "Seed Student" at the Martial School, so his father wouldn't have to work so hard anymore.

As the bus slowly approached the familiar alley, Lu Jue noticed a sparse crowd gathered at the entrance of the courtyard, and his father, Lu Mingyuan's, slightly thin figure was standing at the edge of the crowd.

In the center of the crowd was a tall young woman with a neat ponytail, dressed in a well-tailored martial arts training uniform, her eyes carrying an undisguised air of confidence.

The familiar neighbors around were chattering and flattering her:

"Oh my, Zhang Lu, this girl, I saw she was destined for great things from a young age! She'll definitely be an extraordinary person in the future!"

"This child is so sensible. Even after entering the Martial Arts School, she came back specifically to treat everyone to a meal!"

"What? You're saying Zhang Lu's Qi and Blood Value is already 9,000? She can attempt to enter the Force the year after next? She's only nineteen, right? Our courtyard has really produced a phoenix!"

"Xiao Jie, did you hear that? Learn from your sister Lu more. In the future, you should also get into a Martial Arts School and bring honor to our family!"

Lu Jue's apartment complex housed over twenty families, and Zhang Lu's family was one of them.

She was a year older than Lu Jue. Last year, she passed the Martial Arts Examination and entered a third-rate Martial Arts School in Tianhai City, becoming the first young person in the courtyard to truly enter a Martial Arts School. She became the talk of the town and a role model for parents educating their children.

Lu Jue's arrival caught the attention of some neighbors, and the crowd automatically parted, creating a gap.

He thus met Zhang Lu's gaze in the center of the crowd.

Affected by spiritual energy, people in this world generally matured early, with many from the lower classes getting married at fifteen or sixteen.

Once upon a time, because of Lu Jue's handsome appearance, Zhang Lu had a good impression of him, and even had her father propose to Lu Jue's father, but Lu Jue, who was solely focused on martial arts at the time, had flatly refused.

At this moment, the girlish affection in Zhang Lu's eyes when she looked at Lu Jue had long since vanished, replaced by a subtle sense of superiority.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and she greeted him, "Lu Jue, what a coincidence. Are you joining us for dinner tonight?"

This simple greeting, while sounding quite warm, was more like a polite way of drawing a line.

She was now a Martial Arts School student, while Lu Jue, in everyone's eyes, was just an ordinary student struggling in a Martial Arts School. There seemed to be an invisible chasm between them.

Lu Jue silently glanced at the whip-like mark peeking out from her sleeve, then calmly nodded, "En, I'm back to see my dad!"

His gaze passed over Zhang Lu and fell on his father.

His father wore his usual smile, echoing the neighbors' praise, and looked at Zhang Lu with envy.

"Xiao Jue, it's rare for your sister Lu to be back. Everyone, wait for tonight. What happened to you?"

His father's words were cut short, his smile freezing instantly. His gaze suddenly locked onto the white bandages peeking out from Lu Jue's neck and wrists. His heart clenched, and ignoring the presence of the neighbors, he rushed forward, "When did you get hurt? Is it serious? Did something happen at the Martial Arts School?"

This exclamation immediately drew the attention of the surrounding neighbors to Lu Jue.

"Mmm, just a normal spar, a minor injury!" Lu Jue said lightly.

"How is that a minor injury? The bandage is soaked with red!"

"Dad, if it were a serious injury, you'd be by my side in the hospital right now, not talking here!" Lu Jue tried to reassure his father.

Zhang Lu also looked over upon hearing this and said with the air of an experienced person:

"Uncle Lu, since Xiao Jue has chosen the path of martial arts, getting injured is commonplace. You don't need to worry too much!"

She paused, then turned her gaze to Lu Jue and casually added, "Xiao Jue, if someone at the Martial Arts School is bullying you and it's difficult to handle, remember to tell me!"

"Thanks, Sister Lu. I appreciate the thought, but I'm really fine!" Lu Jue replied neither subserviently nor arrogantly.

Just then, someone in the crowd lowered their voice and muttered with a hint of schadenfreude, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I remember before, didn't Zhang Lu's dad also mention marriage to Lu Qiang, wanting the two children to interact more, but he was flatly refused!"

"And now look at this situation, hehe, it's truly a case of 'times have changed'..."