When Lin Hai arrived at Apprentice Plaza, Jiang Liu had just finished practicing Five Elements Fist twice and was meditating to recover his qi and blood.
Lin Hai walked over and said to Jiang Liu, "Jiang Liu, Master Lin wants to see you!"
"Okay!" Jiang Liu immediately ceased his practice and stood up.
Jiang Liu followed Lin Hai for roughly half an hour before they reached the Hunting Eagle Hall branch headquarters.
Lin Hai led Jiang Liu into the meeting hall of the Hunting Eagle Hall branch and walked straight inside. Jiang Liu hurried after him.
Master Lin was sitting in the hall, with several Hunting Eagle Hall stewards seated before him as they discussed matters.
When Master Lin saw Lin Hai enter, he immediately waved his hand.
Understanding, Lin Hai led Jiang Liu into a side hall to wait.
After quite some time, Master Lin finally walked into the side hall with a hearty laugh and looked Jiang Liu up and down with a smile.
"Not bad. You're much sturdier now than when you first arrived! What level are you at now?" Master Lin asked.
"Reporting to Master Lin, I've just entered Bone Tempering!" Jiang Liu replied respectfully.
"Oh? Your progress is that fast?"
"Show me!" Master Lin said, his face filled with anticipation.
At his words, Jiang Liu circulated his qi and blood and performed a set of Five Elements Fist.
"Hahaha! Good! You've indeed just entered Bone Tempering. Your Five Elements Fist has also reached minor mastery and is close to major mastery, hasn't it?"
"Not bad! Truly not bad! I haven't misjudged you! Bringing you into the gang was the right decision, hahaha!"
Master Lin spoke with satisfaction.
"Jiang Liu, given that your talent is truly excellent, starting today, you'll receive special top-tier treatment!"
"I hope you'll continue cultivating diligently and repay the hall's nurturing as soon as possible!"
Master Lin patted Jiang Liu's shoulder as he spoke.
"Master Lin, I will!" Jiang Liu clasped his fists.
"Good! Lin Hai, take my jade token later and accompany Jiang Liu to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. Explain everything clearly and have today's allotment issued as well!" Master Lin instructed Lin Hai, then handed him an Identity Jade Token.
"Yes, Master Lin!" Lin Hai bowed and accepted the jade token.
"There's nothing else. You two can go back for now!" Master Lin waved his hand.
"Yes, Master Lin!" Jiang Liu also bowed.
Jiang Liu followed Lin Hai to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and presented Master Lin's Identity Jade Token. After explaining the treatment allocated to Jiang Liu, they had Jiang Liu hand over his own Identity Jade Token.
The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall Disciple registered the information on the back of Jiang Liu's Identity Jade Token, then took out a small cloth pouch, went into the Inner Hall to fill it, and handed it to Jiang Liu.
Jiang Liu accepted it and saw that the back of his Identity Jade Token now read: Top-Tier Treatment Apprentice! There was nothing else. He weighed the small cloth pouch in his hand and felt that it contained barely any weight.
Seeing Jiang Liu's bewilderment, Lin Hai explained, "Top-tier treatment means three Bone Forging Pills, ten Qi and Blood Pills, and five taels of silver every month!"
"Qi and Blood Pills are used in place of blood-circulating medicine! However, the Five Elements Fist decoction you're drinking now is specially formulated for use with Five Elements Fist, so it can't be completely replaced by Qi and Blood Pills!"
"Bone Forging Pills accelerate the progress of bone forging. Since bone forging isn't that easy, you can only use one every ten days so that you can fully refine its medicinal power."
Lin Hai continued explaining patiently.
Jiang Liu was overjoyed. This meant he could practice Five Elements Fist several more times. Although the pills weren't a perfect match for Five Elements Fist, they could still be used to restore qi and blood. No matter what, they couldn't be too far off.
It seemed that Wang Zhuang relied on Qi and Blood Pills to replenish his qi and blood. These Qi and Blood Pills probably weren't cheap. After all, they were commonly used medicinal pills and a necessity, so demand for them would naturally be huge. They were certainly in short supply.
Sure enough, Lin Hai continued by explaining, "Don't underestimate these pills! One Qi and Blood Pill costs one tael of silver, while Bone Forging Pills are even more expensive—five taels each—and they're hard to buy."
"It's only because the Fallen Blossom Gang has many cooperative pharmacies and our own Medicine Hall that we can barely keep them supplied! Outside, forget one tael—Qi and Blood Pills are difficult to buy even for one and a half taels. Bone Forging Pills are priced at seven taels, and even then, a single one is hard to obtain!"
"So now you know how much effort the Hall Master is spending to cultivate you, right?"
"Those without pills to assist their cultivation can only grind away slowly on their own during bone forging. By the time they complete Body Refinement, they're already old and their qi and blood have begun to decline, making it difficult even to reach Entry Grade. Even if they do reach Entry Grade, they'll be stuck at the lower grades for the rest of their lives."
"That's why they say that in martial arts, one step slow means every step slow! Cultivate diligently and grow strong. Only then can you work for the hall and properly repay the Hall Master's great kindness!"
Lin Hai spoke warmly to Jiang Liu.
Jiang Liu showed his gratitude as he said to Lin Hai, "I will!"
"Mm! Go back and continue cultivating. If you have any problems, come find me at my place." After Lin Hai finished speaking, he turned and left.
Seeing this, Jiang Liu also returned to the main hall residence. No one bothered whether he went to Apprentice Plaza anymore, because he had already reached the entry level in Five Elements Fist, so the assessment had been set to once a month.
Since the plaza was spacious enough for him to fully display his skills while sparring with Wang Zhuang, Jiang Liu had gotten used to going there to cultivate.
Now that he had to cultivate with the assistance of medicinal pills, he definitely couldn't let more people know. That was why he planned to cultivate at his residence.
Before you continue