Planning

Two hours later.

Clutching the ten thousand taels of silver notes Si Nanyue had given him, Xia Qi'an strode out of the Si Nan Manor with Yang Wei.

The negotiation this time had been exceptionally smooth.

Yang Wei and Si Nanyue had each generously contributed ten thousand taels as initial capital for their investment.

Xia Qi'an now had over thirty thousand taels in total.

Apart from the portion needed to purchase raw materials for soap production.

The remaining silver could be spent as he pleased.

With money in hand, Xia Qi'an naturally intended to spare no effort in cultivating the Golden Body Technique.

He promptly arranged with Yang Wei to reserve eight bottles of Bone Tempering Fluid.

These eight bottles would be sufficient for him to temper all the bones in his body.

Following this, Xia Qi'an visited the soap-making workshop to inspect it.

What had once been a dilapidated tofu workshop had been meticulously renovated into a soap-making facility.

Xia Qi'an arranged for the soap-making workers to undergo training in batches.

Each group of three was responsible for a specific process, with no interference or contact between them.

As for the most crucial ingredient for soap production, the fragrance essence, Xia Qi'an carefully kept it from everyone.

Because a single bar of soap only required a few drops of essence.

He could easily refine a large quantity of essence at once and then confidently hand it over to the workers.

This way, he could rest easy.

In fact, Xia Qi'an had considered the possibility of his techniques being leaked in the future, leading to the emergence of competitors.

It was precisely for this reason that he had brought Si Nanyue into the fold.

After all, in Jinling, no force dared to offend Si Nanyue.

Once all the production matters for the soap workshop were settled.

Xia Qi'an returned home and dedicated himself to cultivation.

For the next three days, he remained at home, practicing.

With his previous experience tempering his hand bones, the process of tempering his entire body's bones went very smoothly this time.

After tempering his bones, Xia Qi'an eagerly performed an internal scan.

He saw that all his bones were crystal clear, as if carved from the finest jade, filling him with astonishment.

Then, Xia Qi'an stood up and went into the courtyard.

After reaching the second level of the Golden Body Technique, Xia Qi'an's entire demeanor and aura underwent a drastic change. His muscle lines were like cast bronze and forged iron, giving him a rock-solid, rugged appearance.

Not only that, but his physique also became taller and more upright.

A rough estimate placed his height at around 1.85 meters.

However, it was regrettable that this bone tempering did not result in any blood exchange.

Xia Qi'an speculated that perhaps the requirement for the final blood exchange was extremely stringent, necessitating the aid of rare heavenly treasures to complete.

With this breakthrough, Xia Qi'an's Blood Essence had nearly doubled, and his physical strength had also more than doubled.

Next, Xia Qi'an set his sights on the Great Strength Vajra Fist.

This martial art was fierce and overbearing, capable of breaking through anything.

Classified into Heaven, Earth, and Human tiers, it belonged to the Human-tier external martial arts.

Cultivation methods like the Extreme Wind Thunder Force, which could harness the power of nature, were classified as Earth-tier martial arts.

The practice of fist techniques, like any other cultivation, required perseverance, akin to water dripping through stone.

During its practice, it was like a spring breeze brushing willow branches or gentle rain nourishing flowers, serving to strengthen the bones and muscles throughout the body.

His daily practice of one hundred repetitions of the fist technique allowed him to break through realms as naturally as ripe fruit falling from a tree.

Xia Qi'an calmly assumed a boxing stance.

Then, he tensed the muscles in his arms. A faint golden glow emanated from his long, strong arms.

He then trembled his entire body, and the pale golden radiance bloomed like fireworks before dissipating into specks of starlight.

Thus, the Great Strength Vajra Fist broke through to the Minor Accomplishment stage.

At the Minor Accomplishment stage, when driven by Bloodline Power, the Great Strength Vajra Fist could manifest two phantom Vajra arms.

In combat, he would be like someone with four arms, greatly increasing his fighting prowess.

After completing one hundred repetitions of the Great Strength Vajra Fist, Xia Qi'an, without a moment's pause, fully immersed himself in practicing the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

This miraculous movement technique greatly enhanced his combat effectiveness. Imagine a martial artist with Bronze Skin and Iron Bones and immense strength, who also possessed phantom-like agility; how terrifying would that be.

Xia Qi'an's seclusion for cultivation lasted seven days. During this time, Liu Qing had come to find him. Seeing that he was practicing behind closed doors, she didn't disturb him. As soon as Xia Qi'an emerged from seclusion, Liu Qing came calling.

"You're already a Snake Guard Commander, do you still need to personally deliver missions?" Xia Qi'an teased when he saw her come in person.

"Heh... I'm not Chu Shiqing..." Liu Qing was very casual in front of Xia Qi'an. She plopped down on the stone table and stretched. "But you really are a freak. It's only been a few days, and your martial arts cultivation has improved again..."

"Seriously... maybe you'll become a Tiger Guard in the future!" Liu Qing could naturally see the changes in Xia Qi'an.

"Tiger Guard? It's too early to say that now..." Xia Qi'an said dismissively.

"It's not too early. Even a Tiger Guard needs someone to handle tasks for them!"

Hearing Liu Qing say this, Xia Qi'an became a little curious. "What... do you not want to sit in that position yourself?"

Liu Qing shook her head. "With my talent, at most I'll become a Snake Guard Grand Commander in the future. Becoming a Tiger Guard? That's a fool's dream!"

"But you're different. You have extraordinary talent, perhaps you can really take that position! When that time comes, I and the Snake Guard brothers under me will definitely support you wholeheartedly!"

Xia Qi'an quickly waved his hands. "Forget it... you're painting too big a picture, I can't handle such a grand offer."

"But! Our Jinling City Snake Guards have conditions for supporting you. Let us participate in your soap business! We only want a ten percent share of the profits!" Liu Qing said, her eyes shining, revealing her true intentions.

Xia Qi'an understood Liu Qing's meaning immediately and complained, "Can you Snake Guards stop monitoring me like ghosts? We're colleagues, isn't this going too far...?"

Liu Qing smiled. "Our Snake Guards have the duty of surveillance. Doing this is not excessive... but if you agree to my request, I can stop sending people to watch you!"

Xia Qi'an pretended to be in a difficult position. "This... this business isn't something I can decide alone right now! Yang Wei, not to mention him, you've definitely approached him. The main thing is Lord Si Nan..."

However, Liu Qing seemed to have expected Xia Qi'an to say this. "Regarding Lord Si Nan... go and deliver a message to her. Tell her that we Snake Guards are willing to cooperate sincerely with the Hound Guards to ease relations!"

Xia Qi'an quickly tried to decline. "What is Lord Si Nan's status... How could I, a mere Hound Guard, be qualified to pass a message to her?"

Liu Qing gave a strange smile. "You've been frequently entering and exiting the Si Nan residence recently, you're already Lord Si Nan's right-hand man. How can you not be qualified to pass a message?"

"When did I become Lord Si Nan's confidant? I had no idea!" Xia Qi'an argued.

"Heh... stop explaining! Go and ask yourself, which Hound Guard in Jinling's Wei Dao Si can freely enter and exit the Si Nan residence?"

"So what? I go to the Si Nan residence purely for official business!" Xia Qi'an argued reasonably.

After her jest, Liu Qing turned serious. "Forget it... official business it is! Now, are you going to deliver this message or not?"

"I'll think about it!..."