To Get By in the World, You Need Power (Please Follow)

"Herb Gathering Boy!"

A look of confusion first appeared on Shi Gaojun's face before he finally understood.

He understood what Yang Chan meant.

Yang Chan knew the exact price of a batch of Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup, and he also knew just how outrageously inflated Shi Gaojun's price had been.

He had fleeced so many newly initiated disciples, never expecting to run into someone who knew the trade so soon. That was rather awkward.

"Senior Brother was just joking with Junior Brother. One tael of silver for a bowl of Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup."

The awkwardness on Shi Gaojun's face flashed away, and his smile returned.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, the embarrassed one is someone else.

"A batch of Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup can yield at least three bowls."

Yang Chan spoke expressionlessly.

"The Public Kitchen has Pharmacists prepare it according to the optimal ratio for medicinal efficacy, so its effects are also the best."

Shi Gaojun continued.

"Does Senior Brother think someone like Junior Brother needs the best medicinal efficacy, or a larger quantity of medicine?"

Yang Chan asked in return.

Upon hearing this, Shi Gaojun wanted to speak, but did not know what to say, because the answer was simple.

A larger quantity of medicine. This was also the choice new disciples made once they learned the hidden details.

That left Shi Gaojun somewhat frustrated. He had wanted to shear a sheep, only to find that the sheep knew everything.

"Still, seeing how warm-hearted Senior Brother is, Junior Brother can accept half a tael of silver per bowl. I can buy a month's worth from Senior Brother, ten bowls in total."

Yang Chan spoke at this point.

Gathering medicinal ingredients and brewing medicine took quite a bit of time. Having only just entered the sect, he naturally wanted to spend more time cultivating, so directly purchasing Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup was not a bad choice.

"Alright, that works."

Shi Gaojun immediately agreed. Having finally encountered a long-term customer, he naturally could not let him slip away.

After being taken advantage of once, many disciples became wary. It was hard to shear much wool from them afterward.

As for next month, he would wait for the newly joined Formal Disciples.

"Then Senior Brother can continue introducing the situation here to Junior Brother, right?"

Yang Chan spoke. This was also his purpose. Understanding the affairs among the Formal Disciples would help him avoid some trouble.

"Of course. Senior Brother will explain it to you in detail..."

Shi Gaojun led Yang Chan along, carefully explaining the situation here and which experts were not to be provoked.

Among them was the man Yang Chan had personally seen, the one who had become a Formal Disciple in a single year. He had now reached mastery in Jing Power and was beginning preparations for external tempering. This progress was considered fairly fast.

This man was called Zhang Hongda. He was exceptionally burly, and one look was enough to tell that he was not someone to provoke.

According to Shi Gaojun, this man had a violent temper and was best left alone. Otherwise, he would come looking to spar with you. He would not inflict serious injuries, but a bruised nose and swollen face would be unavoidable.

In fact, it was not only him. Most people who had mastered Raging Bull Strength did not have particularly good tempers, and sparring matches were quite common.

At the same time, these people competed among themselves for the monthly rankings in the Medicine Hall's Formal Disciple martial contests. The top five could receive rewards from the Medicine Hall—sometimes precious medicinal ingredients, sometimes money. The rewards differed every month, but they were all good things.

When Yang Chan saw Shi Gaojun mention this, envy also appeared in his eyes. Clearly, his strength was still somewhat lacking when it came to competing for the top five.

Within the sect, there was a deliberate effort to foster a temperament of "competition" among these Formal Disciples. Martial Dao cultivation required the support of all kinds of cultivation resources to go farther.

To obtain those cultivation resources, one had to compete. There was nothing wrong with that approach. It was also the choice of most people, but Yang Chan did not wish to do so, because he had other options. He already possessed two health cultivation techniques. If he could cultivate them to perfection, his lifespan would surely far exceed that of ordinary Martial Dao experts, giving him more time to cultivate.

Most people fought for every moment, but he wanted eternity.

Throwing himself into danger and losing his life over momentary competition was not what Yang Chan wanted.

What he wanted was to sit and watch dynasties rise and fall while he remained immortal and everlasting.

Yang Chan had now also learned about the situation among these Formal Disciples. Among the Medicine Hall's Formal Disciples, five people were relatively powerful and had gathered six small organizations around them. The Sixth Small Organization consisted of those who stood alone and had not gathered under any of the other five small organizations.

After hearing this, Yang Chan could only sigh. There were over two hundred Formal Disciples in the Medicine Hall, yet there were already so many little factions within. It rather surprised him.

The children of aristocratic families occupied three of the factions, while the remaining three consisted of commoners' children. They appeared evenly matched, but in truth, the aristocratic families were somewhat stronger.

Cultivation resources were sent from their homes, so their strength naturally improved faster, giving them an advantage.

Among the commoner factions was Zhang Hongda, the man Yang Chan knew of who had become a Formal Disciple in one year. He had already mastered Raging Bull Strength and was preparing to begin external tempering.

Shi Gaojun, who had explained all this to Yang Chan, belonged to the Sixth Small Organization. It had the most people, but its strength was not very formidable.

After Shi Gaojun finished, he also invited Yang Chan to join them. Yang Chan neither agreed nor refused, merely saying that he would consider it.

Every time one arrived in a new place, the relationships one had to handle were different.

Shi Gaojun's words alone were one-sided. Yang Chan needed to observe more to avoid trouble.

Quietly raising his strength and surpassing these small organizations was only a matter of time.

After the two settled their agreement, Shi Gaojun left. Yang Chan began practicing the Ox Demon Strength Fist at the Training Ground. Before he had trained for long, the sky turned completely dark.

There was still some strength of qi and blood remaining in his body. This was partly because Formal Disciples ate better, and partly because of the effects of the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique. It could slowly increase the strength of qi and blood within him. Though the increase was small, accumulated over time, it would become quite considerable.

Yang Chan did not continue practicing his fist techniques at the Training Ground. Instead, he returned to his new residence.

"Sure enough, no matter where you are, if you want peace and stability, you need backing, influence, and strength."

After pouring himself a cup of water, Yang Chan thought silently.

Shi Gaojun's meaning had also been obvious. Once one joined a small faction, people would not suddenly drag one away to compete or practice fists.

If he wanted to keep a low profile and quietly improve his strength, he could only blend into one of them. Standing alone was the path taken by genius protagonists like Long Aotian; it was not the path Yang Chan wanted to take.

"Still, there's no rush. I'll first cultivate the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique and restore the qi and blood in my body, then take a look at this Turtle Breath Body Nourishing Technique!"

Yang Chan's gaze fell upon the Turtle Breath Body Nourishing Technique lying on the table, a health cultivation technique that was not valued within the Qingyuan Sect.

The more health cultivation techniques, the better. In the early stages of cultivation, with the proficiency panel, cultivation progress was extremely fast, and he could also check his progress.

Yang Chan's qi and blood recovered quickly. Before long, he had returned to peak condition. He picked up the Turtle Breath Body Nourishing Technique and read through it beneath the candlelight.

He had only flipped through this booklet roughly in the Hall of Bestowing Merit without examining it carefully. Only now did he open it and read it properly.

The Turtle Breath Body Nourishing Technique was a health cultivation technique that imitated the breathing of a Spirit Turtle. Its defining feature lay in Body Adjustment, Breath Regulation, and Mind Calibration, with Breath Regulation at its core. It allowed one's breathing to become long and deep as the body coordinated, nourishing life and extending longevity.