Dietary Supplementation

After entering Clear River Courtyard, he spent half a day digging a tunnel five meters deep beneath the main house, expanding it into a modest space around it. After using some timber to reinforce it, he had roughly excavated a secret chamber.

Only then did Xu Yunfan conceal the chest of silver, then, under cover of night, carry it into the tunnel beneath Clear River Residence and set the silver down there.

Once everything was done, Xu Yunfan finally relaxed a little and plopped down in the secret chamber.

It had been nearly two months since he had transmigrated here, and he finally had a foothold—a place of his own.

He had never been able to afford a house in his previous life, yet he had acquired one so easily in this life. Xu Yunfan could not help feeling emotional for quite a while.

Once his weapons were finished, he would have to ask around and find out what powerful sects Qingzhou had. As for joining the imperial court, Xu Yunfan had no such intentions at all.

He was already a criminal. Even if he changed his name, once he joined, anyone determined enough could quickly uncover his past. In Great Zhou, one's background mattered enormously if one wanted to become an official.

Naturally, it was not an option he would consider.

For once, Xu Yunfan did not cultivate that day. He simply went to Long Wind Tavern, booked a private room, and ordered a table full of game.

In particular, a plate of meat the waiter had just brought up, fragrant enough to fill the room with an unusual aroma, immediately caught his attention. His mouth even began to water.

Seeing this, the waiter smiled. "This must be your first time seeing it, sir. This is meat from an Azure Cloud Deer, an exotic beast from the Accumulating Cloud Mountain Range. It feeds on grass and dew, absorbing the essence of plants. Its meat is tender, and after being carefully prepared and gently simmered with medicinal ingredients that strengthen the blood and qi, such as ginseng and astragalus, it can invigorate one's blood and qi, strengthen the foundation, and replenish vitality.

The dishes are all here, sir. Please enjoy."

Just this palm-sized plate of meat cost Xu Yunfan nearly fifty taels of silver.

After picking up a piece and eating it, Xu Yunfan found its fragrance lingering in his mouth.

What delighted him most was that shortly after swallowing the meat, warmth rose from his stomach and slowly flowed through his limbs and bones.

You have eaten a piece of exotic beast meat. Your constitution seems to have improved by an imperceptible amount.

Seeing the system notification appear in his field of vision, Xu Yunfan's eyes brightened slightly. This was the first time the Attribute Panel had indicated that his constitution had improved.

But the warm current inside him came quickly and faded just as fast. One slice of Azure Cloud Deer meat was still too little.

Perhaps he could find a way to visit Accumulating Cloud Mountain and hunt some exotic beasts for a change of pace.

After finishing the plate of Azure Cloud Deer meat, Xu Yunfan felt warm all over. Several system notifications even appeared, indicating minute improvements to his constitution.

If he ate this exotic beast meat every day, it would surely greatly shorten the time needed to cultivate the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer to perfection and attain the Golden Skin State.

The proficiency required to advance from Great Accomplishment to perfection had increased severalfold. Going from Lesser Accomplishment to Great Accomplishment only required one thousand points, but reaching perfection required five thousand proficiency points—equal to the total proficiency needed for all the previous stages of the martial art.

After eating, Xu Yunfan looked at the bill of nearly one hundred and twenty taels of silver. He paid it with a calm expression, then headed straight back to Clear River Residence. After resting briefly, he resumed cultivating his hammer technique.

It was not until the fifth day that Xu Yunfan suddenly came to his senses and realized something was wrong.

In five days, merely his two daily meals had cost him more than a thousand taels of silver.

That was no small sum. For an ordinary family of four, if they spent carefully, that silver would be enough to let them live comfortably for half their lives.

"The cost of eating is way too high!"

Xu Yunfan muttered under his breath, his brows tightly furrowed.

However, when his gaze fell upon the Attribute Panel and he saw the consecutive notifications of increased proficiency, his tense expression gradually eased.

"You have diligently cultivated the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer, discovered techniques you had previously overlooked, and guided the flow of blood and qi within your body. Your Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer proficiency has increased."

"You have tirelessly cultivated the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer day and night. Through constant tempering, your control over strength has grown sharper, and your blood and qi has become increasingly active under the circulation of the hammer technique. Your Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer proficiency has increased."

Looking at those notifications, Xu Yunfan silently calculated that although the expense was enormous, the efficiency was at least double what it had been before.

In just five days, his proficiency had risen by nearly eighty points.

Ever since the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer had reached Great Accomplishment in Skin Tempering, the proficiency gained from daily cultivation had become less and less, and its growth had slowed considerably. Yet it had increased by nearly eighty points in five days.

That was astonishing.

"Good thing I have this Attribute Panel. Anyone else would probably find it difficult to reach perfection in Skin Tempering even after a lifetime of training, let alone attain the Golden Skin State."

Xu Yunfan murmured to himself, a trace of relief appearing on his face.

Even so, at his current pace, it would probably still take more than half a year to reach perfection.

"More than half a year..."

Xu Yunfan could not help letting out a long sigh, his heart filled with helplessness. My cultivation speed is still too slow. It seems my talent really is as poor as that old Daoist Bi Sheng said?

Then he remembered Li Haomiao saying that many peerless geniuses could not reach the realm of perfection even in their entire lives, only to waste away half their lives in vain.

"Hmm, half a year? That's not too bad."

The worry on Xu Yunfan's face vanished.

But soon, he fell into a new concern.

He seemed to be spending money too quickly. He had spent a thousand taels of silver in five days; at this rate, the thirty thousand taels of silver he had on hand would not last long at all.

"Looks like I'll have to pull another job when I get the chance. Otherwise, I won't be able to afford these cultivation expenses."

Such costly daily dietary supplementation might not be the best path for cultivation. Seeking Pills, precious medicines, and the like was probably the mainstream approach.

Xu Yunfan silently made his calculations.

For now, filling his stomach was more important.

Xu Yunfan straightened his clothes and strode toward the door, preparing to head to Long Wind Tavern once more.

Just as he took a step forward, before he could even approach the courtyard gate, a somewhat hurried knock suddenly rang out. It sounded particularly abrupt in the relatively quiet Clear River Alley.

A trace of doubt rose in Xu Yunfan's heart. He quickened his pace and reached out to open the courtyard gate.

In an instant, a flash of cold light came straight at him. A longsword, carrying a fierce aura, hacked down at his head, accompanied by an enraged shout: "Give back my eldest brother's house!"

Xu Yunfan's pupils contracted sharply, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes. Before he could think, his right leg shot up like lightning, striking after yet arriving first.

Before the longsword could fall, he delivered a precise kick to the attacker's chest.

With a muffled groan, the girl flew backward like a kite with its string cut, sailing five or six meters through the air before rolling across the ground several times and finally coming to a miserable stop.

Immediately afterward, she spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering a shocking patch of crimson across the ground.

Only then did Xu Yunfan clearly see his attacker. She was merely a girl of fourteen or fifteen.

Her small face was flushed red with rage, and her eyes were fixed viciously on Xu Yunfan, burning with a strange fury, as though she wanted to swallow him alive.