Savage Elephant Skin Refining Method

An hour later.

Lu Chuan finally walked out of Wanchun Hall. There was now a set of bow and arrows and a war blade on his back. At the same time, his backpack held an additional combat suit.

As well as thirty bottles of First Rank Qi and Blood Potion.

These were cultivation-supporting potions for Ninth Rank Skin Refining Realm martial artists, and also the most basic potions.

Yet even a basic potion was worth ten thousand.

Chen Qingfeng gave Lu Chuan a ten percent discount, but thirty bottles still cost Lu Chuan 270,000.

Besides that, the bow and arrows, war blade, and combat suit were all Mortal Rank One. Together, they were priced as high as 600,000.

Chen Qingfeng gave him the same ten percent discount, making it 540,000.

Then there was the Low-grade Skin Refining Method, the Savage Elephant Skin Refining Method, for 500,000. Not a cent could be deducted from that.

Altogether, it came to 1.31 million.

In an instant, Lu Chuan's 1.5 million had dwindled to just 190,000. That was only because he had restrained himself as much as possible; otherwise, even that 190,000 might not have remained.

After becoming a martial artist, the speed at which one earned money increased greatly, but the speed at which one spent it was even more terrifying.

Anything used by martial artists came with an astronomical price tag.

Yet not a single one of those things could be done without.

"Money flows away like water. It's nowhere near enough!"

After leaving Wanchun Hall, Lu Chuan could not help sighing.

Yet his heart was incomparably thrilled. His first hunt for Fierce Beasts had truly been a bumper harvest. Now, he had a cultivation method and weaponry.

He also had Qi and Blood Potions to assist his cultivation.

Most importantly, he still had 190,000 on him, enough to repay the bank loan his father had left behind.

His life was gradually turning in a better direction.

This is only the beginning.

Lu Chuan thought to himself, The future will be even better. What I need to do next is work hard to improve my strength.

I won't go out for the next few days.

First, I'll cultivate the Savage Elephant Skin Refining Method... But before that, I need to grind the Five Elements Stance Training to Perfection...

Under normal circumstances, once a stake technique had reached Perfection, it could not continue improving.

But he had the Attribute Panel. After raising the Five Elements Stance Training to Perfection, he could still keep grinding its proficiency upward.

This gave Lu Chuan a vague feeling.

Once he completely ground the proficiency of the Five Elements Stance Training at the Perfection realm to the limit, there might be some unexpected benefit.

The Five Elements Stance Training is not merely a training method; it is also a fighting method.

Even if I switch to cultivating the Savage Elephant Skin Refining Method later, I can still use the Five Elements Stance Training as a martial skill. So there is no harm in grinding its proficiency to the limit.

At worst, it will only cost me some time...

Lu Chuan pondered silently as he continued down the street.

He did not return home immediately. Instead, he went straight to the bank, intending to repay the loan his father had left behind first.

"I heard that everyone in the Inner City has a Communication Watch that can connect to the Virtual Network, and many things can be handled directly through the Virtual Network."

Lu Chuan muttered, "But the Outer City strictly forbids the sale of Communication Watches. Even if someone happens to obtain one, they have no virtual account and cannot connect to the Virtual Network at all.

"The Outer City and Inner City are two different worlds..."

As Lu Chuan hurried toward the bank, he pondered silently.

The more he came into contact with things, the more he realized just how enormous the difference between the Inner City and Outer City was. They were utterly incomparable, one in the heavens and one in the earth.

For that very reason, Lu Chuan grew ever more eager to move into the Inner City one day.

In fact.

He had already cultivated Internal Strength, reached rank in Martial Dao, and become an official martial artist. As long as he registered with the Martial Artist Association, he could obtain a qualification slot to reside in the Inner City.

But a qualification slot alone was useless.

He had no house in the Inner City. Even if he entered it, he would not even have a place to live.

He could not possibly sleep in a park every day or stay in hotels, could he?

What was more, if he did not buy a house, he would not be able to bring his mother and Younger Sister over with him.

Wait a little longer. Once I've gathered enough money, I'll buy a house in the Inner City, then bring Younger Sister and Mother there to live.

Lu Chuan thought to himself, In the future, I can even send Younger Sister to school. I heard there are many schools in the Inner City. From elementary school to high school, they all offer Martial Dao classes, allowing students to cultivate Martial Dao from a young age.

She could even take the College Entrance Exam in the future. If she can get into a Martial Dao University, her future will be bright and boundless.

There's no way I can enter a Martial Dao University in this lifetime.

But if I can raise a student who gets into a Martial Dao University, that would be quite a good thing too, wouldn't it?

At the thought, a rich smile immediately appeared on Lu Chuan's face.

His pace quickened by several degrees.

After walking down the street for roughly ten minutes, Lu Chuan arrived before a luxurious high-rise building.

This was Xia Country's only bank, Great Xia Bank.

It was a massive financial institution directly controlled by the Xia Country government, a famous hegemon even across the world.

Great Xia Bank had a branch in each of the four districts—east, south, west, and north—of the Outer City.

This was not Lu Chuan's first time handling business here, so he was familiar with the process. He quickly took a number and headed to the corresponding counter.

Everything went smoothly.

Ten minutes later, the 140,000 deducted from his bank card balance meant that the loan pressing on his heart like a great boulder had finally been paid off.

Still, the interest of a full 20,000 made Lu Chuan's teeth ache. In his heart, he greeted every ancestor of Great Xia Bank's senior executives for eighteen generations, one by one.

He had borrowed 120,000, and after a year, the interest had actually reached 20,000.

This was fucking loan-sharking.

Lu Chuan grumbled inwardly, but he walked out of the bank's doors feeling utterly refreshed.

Only then did he head straight back home.

Meanwhile.

As Lu Chuan was heading home, Fierce Tiger Gang East Hall's Hall Master, Liu Bao, was in his detached villa. Dressed in black, Liu Bao had just ended a call on his Communication Watch.

His expression instantly darkened, becoming incomparably ferocious and terrifying.

"Lu Chuan... A little nobody actually seems to have cultivated Internal Strength and reached rank in Martial Dao. He even paid off the loan left by that dead father of his."

Liu Bao gritted his teeth and growled. His eyes were bloodshot, gleaming with a bloodthirsty glow. "In that case, it will likely be impossible to force him into submission and make him send over that Sister of his.

"The day of sacrifice is almost here. We can't delay any longer..."

"Someone..."

With a low roar.

The door was immediately pushed open.

A bald man strode in. He stood a full two meters tall, and a hideous, terrifying scar ran across his face.

The moment he entered, he immediately bowed respectfully to Liu Bao.

"Hall Master..."

"That Lu Chuan—I don't want him to remain alive."

Liu Bao said coldly, "Be careful. Do not make a move inside the city. Wait until he leaves the city, then strike. Keep it low-key and do not arouse suspicion.

"Then bring that mother and daughter pair to me.

"Remember, they must come willingly..."

"Understood!"

The bald man immediately nodded, his face twisting into a savage grin. "Rest assured, Hall Master. This sort of thing is what I do best. I guarantee it will be clean and swift, without raising anyone's suspicions."

"Mhm... Go!"

Liu Bao nodded, then suddenly fixed his gaze on the bald man. His voice was incomparably low. "Remember, try not to make any noise. If those Patrol Envoys set their sights on you, no one will be able to save you."