"So if you want to go further on the Martial Artist path, you have to break through the Seven Limits of the Physical Body?"
Qin Shi mulled it over.
The reason the Martial God Inheritances had such demanding conditions and such high barriers to entry
was that their original owners had been far too powerful. Every one of them had broken free of the shackles of mortal flesh and undergone a transformation of life.
Eastern Xia's territory was vast beyond precedent, stretching across nearly half the galaxy. To rise above a population as numerous as the sands of the Ganges was no small feat.
Every Martial God was a legend!
Their experiences and achievements were difficult for those who came after to imitate.
Nor could later generations fully apply their knowledge and insights.
That was why Ning Yuanhai, who had shone across an entire era alongside Yan Haishan,
had his True Scripture of All Ages displayed in the Imperial Capital National Museum, rather than used as a textbook for cultivating future Martial God candidates.
Especially as the New Martial Arts Faction grew in power, the old Old Martial Arts inheritances had become increasingly impractical, with little applicability or value for wider adoption.
"Exactly. Setting aside the unconventional shortcuts and the dangerous unorthodox methods,
breaking the Seven Limits of the Physical Body is the only proper path to greatly increasing your Life Force. Even the New Martial Arts Faction has to admit that.
For the past ten years, the hottest Martial Artist research topic has been how to use life sciences to break through the body's shackles. It's been a favorite project for scamming research grants."
Old Liang held a cigarette in his mouth as he led Qin Shi through a series of twists and turns to Shenyang Street, south of Old Factory Street.
The storefronts on both sides all had signs for auto repair, car washes, and tire changes. Workers in coveralls bustled about, removing tires and cleaning and maintaining cars.
"Master Liang, if there aren't any divine techniques to pass down, could we at least get some pills or treasures? Otherwise, relying on training methods and combat techniques alone to break through the limits of the body is way too slow.
I'm not young anymore. I'll be eighteen after my birthday. I've already got one foot in the grave."
Looking at Old Liang up ahead, Qin Shi couldn't help saying it.
The Old Martial Arts Faction had been prosperous once, after all. Now that they'd settled on a master-disciple relationship, shouldn't his master at least cough up some cash?
At eighteen, with one foot in the grave? Then the earth must be up to Old Liang's neck.
"The Seven Limits of the Physical Body don't have to be broken in any particular order.
Your main advantages are your sturdy sinews and your well-proportioned, well-formed frame.
So we'll focus on sinews first, then bones, and try to break through two limits."
Old Liang ignored his overly ambitious disciple. The kid was always eyeing what little he had.
"I brought you here today to help you make further progress and see if you can knock on the Sinew Gate."
Old Liang ducked into a dark, narrow alley. The red-brick walls were plastered with all kinds of small advertisements.
Most were about urinary problems and men's private aches, with the occasional fake notice about rich women offering huge sums to have children.
Further progress?
Breaking through the ten-point Life Force threshold?
Full of excitement, Qin Shi followed close behind Old Liang and stopped outside a pharmacy.
He looked up. The bright red characters "Indian Divine Oil" caught his eye.
The two sliding aluminum doors read "Honest Direct Sales" on the left and "A Boon for Men" on the right.
Next door was the "Love and Fate Hotel," which offered foot massages, massages, and essential-oil back treatments with every room booking. The whole place looked shady.
"Master Liang, is the Old Martial Arts Faction especially into this sort of thing? Couldn't we take a page from the New Martial Arts Faction and find somewhere more upscale?"
Qin Shi almost lost it. What kind of respectable master and disciple kept going to foot bath parlors and divine oil shops?
"The greatest hermits hide in the city! Think about it. At its peak, how many people did Old Factory Street support? Everyone went to the eastern district of Dangyang, crowded together to do business and make a living.
The best medical care in Hengzhou and the top hypnotists might be in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area or Central City.
But the best-value clinics and the most skilled technicians? You're guaranteed to find them here."
Old Liang shot him a scornful look that said, "You really don't know much," then pushed open the door and went inside.
Life was hard. Qin Shi sighed.
What could he do? He really was short on money and came from a poor family.
His classmates from the Metropolitan Area's Elite Class went in and out of training centers every day, enjoying professional therapists and nutritionists.
He, on the other hand, had to settle for foot bath technicians and a medicine peddler selling divine oil.
The difference between people's lives was painfully obvious!
"Old Liang! What brings you here? Finally come around to finding yourself a companion?!"
The boisterous voice rang out like a buzzing gong, even drowning out the suggestive moans and groans inside the shop.
Qin Shi's eyes passed over the old television, which was playing an adults-only film.
Watching porn behind closed doors in broad daylight. The owner sure knows how to enjoy himself.
His gaze shifted to the cramped shop, cluttered with all sorts of odds and ends.
Yellowed paperbacks from the old era were piled on the counter. Posters of women in qipao hung on the walls. Behind a bulky, square-backed computer sat a man in a bathrobe, his cheeks gaunt and colorless.
He looked so scrawny and kidney-deficient. Who'd have thought he had such a booming voice?
The man in the bathrobe picked up a remote and paused the videotape right at a climactic moment.
"Why'd you bring a virgin with you? Hey, Old Liang, this shop is fully legal. I absolutely refuse to sell adult products to minors."
"I didn't come here to shoot the breeze with you. Old Gu, I want a bottle of your best genuine Indian stuff. Don't try to pass off a fake."
Old Liang got straight to the point, pulled a wad of hundred-yuan bills from his pocket, and slapped them on the counter.
"Whoa, you're feeling generous! Old Liang, did you find yourself a promising young talent?"
The man in the bathrobe dug around his crotch without a shred of shame, then licked his finger and started counting the money.
"I don't have much stock left, just three bottles. India's an autonomous region. It's still under Eastern Xia's administrative jurisdiction, but I have to be careful with customs every time I bring in a shipment... Four thousand a bottle. That's not expensive. You're still short eight hundred. What do you say?"
Old Liang's eyes flashed.
"Wasn't it thirty-two hundred before?"
The man in the bathrobe shrugged helplessly.
"Hengzhou only gets one interstellar route a month, and they check your identity before you can buy a ticket and board. Those damn bureaucrats have been enforcing a transport blockade for over a decade, ever since the big explosion at the Old City District military factory.
"I've had these bottles sitting around forever. Four thousand each is already cost price. It's only because we go way back that I'm giving you this deal. Anyone else, I'd charge seven thousand."
Old Liang turned to Qin Shi.
"How much have you got on you?"
Qin Shi answered honestly.
"Three thousand five hundred and thirteen."
There was no way he'd carry the full ten thousand Eldest Sister had given him. He'd only brought enough for emergencies and daily expenses.
Old Liang turned back to the man in the bathrobe and made a firm, merciless counteroffer.
"Seven thousand for two bottles."
The man in the bathrobe was about to refuse, but Old Liang cut him off.
"Old Gu, you're not going to sell this stuff at this rate. The New Martial Arts Faction's all about injections, supplements, and Energy Liquid. Who still uses 'Golden Elixir' from India?
"It doesn't even have a drug safety certificate. If you tried selling this in the Metropolitan Area, your competitors would report you, and you'd be arrested in no time!"
The man in the bathrobe's expression shifted. A moment later, he relented.
"Fine. Seven thousand for two bottles. You owe me one. Once I've saved enough, I'm buying a ticket and getting the hell out of here. This godforsaken place in Hengzhou has been nothing but bad luck for me!"
He lifted the curtain and went into the back room. It took a long while before he came back out.
He seemed to have rummaged through every last box and drawer. His bathrobe was covered in dust.
"Two bottles of Golden Elixir, absolutely genuine Indian goods. They cost me more than seven thousand. Back in the Old Martial Arts era, people would've paid twenty thousand for one bottle!"
The man in the bathrobe looked as if he'd taken a painful loss.
Old Liang said nothing. He and Qin Shi pooled their money to make up the seven thousand, then tucked the silk-wrapped glass bottles into his coat.
"Thanks, Old Gu."
The man in the bathrobe snapped, "Get lost. Don't interrupt me while I'm taking care of business."
After Old Liang and Qin Shi turned around, he couldn't help adding,
"The best way to use Golden Elixir isn't to apply it externally. Boil it down into a thick, piping-hot paste, smear it over your back, chest, and belly while it's still hot, then get into a bathtub and heat yourself up to help it absorb.
"That step's called 'Burning Sinews.' That's what the old monk who sold it to me told me.
"If your disciple can take the pain, give it a try and see if you can burn yourself a 'Dragon Sinew.'"
Old Liang nodded and shut the door.
The two of them left the quiet, nearly deserted alley. Only then did Old Liang speak.
"That man's called Gu Nanting. It's a pretty elegant name. He's from Haizhou, and his family was very wealthy. His mother got shoved aside when her lover's mistress took over, and he was thrown out of the house. His father was ruthless, too, and cut off his livelihood along with everything else.
"Fortunately, Old Gu went to a decent school and had a knack for languages. He dropped out halfway through and joined a cargo ship crew. At least he didn't starve.
"Too bad he had no luck. He spent his entire fortune stocking up on medicine from India, hoping to make a killing while the new frontier was being developed. Then the military factory explosion happened, and Hengzhou sealed off its external air routes. Now only one government-owned spaceship can take off each month."
The military factory explosion?
Qin Shi frowned, searching his memories for it.
It had happened a long time ago. Apparently, the 420 Military Factory, which produced divine mechanism components, had caught fire.
"Only in the past few years has the Tai'an Metropolitan Area started easing restrictions and opening up free trade. Lots of people say that explosion was what sent Hengzhou to the bottom of the administrative star rankings."
Old Liang briefly explained, then took Qin Shi to Jinse Impression, where they'd been before, and asked the big-haired manager, Sister Hong, to prepare a private room.
He opened the silk-wrapped glass bottle. Inside was a golden, greasy substance, thick as a slab of fat.
"This is Golden Elixir, produced in India. It's taken from the belly of a Three-Eyed Crocodile.
"Back in the Old Martial Arts era, the practitioners from the major sects loved using it to nourish their sinews.
"Hong Sheng's most outstanding limit-breaking physiques are Dragon Sinew Tiger Bone Kirin Strength and Bee Waist Ape Arm Mantis Leg.
"One is internal, the other external.
"You're not far off from the latter. Just keep improving your training.
"But the former is going to take some suffering."
Dragon Sinew Tiger Bone?
It sounded fierce!
Qin Shi could hardly wait. As a legendary king of grueling training, what kind of pain couldn't he endure?
"Come on, Master Liang! Don't go easy on me just because I'm young! Rough me up as much as you want!"
Before you continue