Deep in the Mountains, Tigers and Leopards Hide; in the Fields, Qilin Lie Buried

"You'd better think it through."

Old Liang unhurriedly opened the three-hundred-milliliter bottle of Golden Elixir, scooped some out with a spoon, and placed it on a tray over an alcohol lamp.

The golden, gelatinous substance slowly melted, sizzling as it turned into a thick liquid and gave off a rich, fragrant aroma.

"Now that's something!"

Qin Shi's nose twitched, and his spirits soared.

The faint warmth he usually had to work up through Standing Post suddenly welled up inside him.

"Golden Elixir is a secret medicine of the Old Martial Arts. It's a hot-selling product in the Tianzhu Autonomous Region. At one point, so many Three-Eyed Crocodiles were hunted that they became a protected species. Fortunately, they developed artificial breeding techniques, so they didn't go extinct. But the price is still sky-high."

Old Liang smiled. He'd tried it when he was young, too. It hurt so badly he'd cried for his parents, as if someone had literally peeled off a layer of his skin.

"This stuff has obvious side effects. After the New Martial Arts Faction came to power, it was classified as a banned drug. It burns the skin and causes sharp nerve pain, sometimes even driving people to hurt themselves.

"If we use the method Old Gu mentioned, I'm afraid you won't make it through."

"What are the benefits?"

Qin Shi asked directly.

In his previous life and this one, he'd never been afraid of hardship. He only worried that his efforts would bring no reward.

"Your sinews extend throughout your limbs and joints, connecting and binding them. The Old Martial Arts has a saying: 'Lengthen your sinews by an inch, and your strength grows by a hundred pounds.'

"First, your strength, stamina, and even your reflexes will all improve considerably.

"Second, it can help you break through the Sinew Gate and enter the First Limit, concentrating your Life Force so it can nourish your body.

"Simply put, you'll gain two or three points of Life Force. If you absorb it well, maybe four or five."

Old Liang told him honestly. He had a pretty good idea of what his newly accepted disciple would choose.

Most of the Worker's Children from Old Factory Street had a certain grit to them. They dared to struggle and fight.

And Qin Shi was one of the best among them.

That strong desire, hidden deep in his heart, to change his life—

It stood out above all!

"Then let's do it!"

As expected, when Qin Shi heard how much his Life Force could increase, his eyes practically lit up.

He was probably around nine points now. If he gained two or three, he'd reach the qualifying threshold for amateur ninth dan.

If he pushed himself a little further, he had a good chance of advancing to eighth dan before school started.

That would make him one of the standout students in the Elite Class!

"With your temperament, if my grandmaster saw you, he'd definitely praise you for having 'deep and steadfast devotion to the Way.'

"He liked people like that best—people who only asked whether something could be done, not whether they were capable of doing it.

"Back then, I got chewed out by him more times than I could count. He said I had no resolve when trouble came and couldn't make up my mind."

Old Liang nodded. With him there to protect Qin Shi, he could stop the procedure whenever Qin Shi couldn't take any more.

"Get ready. Wash up and bathe. Once this bottle of Golden Elixir gets a little hotter, we'll begin."

"Sister Hong, Teacher Liang's here again?"

Outside the room, Yan Shuang, whom Qin Shi privately called "the long-haired pretty boy," spoke up.

"Mm. He didn't ask for you this time. He just booked a room and took some tools."

The curvy, wavy-haired manager kept her head down as she worked.

"That handsome young guy—is he Teacher Liang's student? He's brought students here before, but they never came back a second time. This one's unusual!"

Yan Shuang lowered his head and smiled.

"That means that young man has truly caught Teacher Liang's eye."

He sat properly in the rattan chair, legs together, looking exceptionally elegant. His calm gaze rested on the room across from him.

"I'm ready."

Qin Shi took a quick shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He looked like he'd just finished a session.

"Sit down."

Old Liang picked up a long spoon with a silver handle and scooped up the Golden Elixir that had melted over the alcohol lamp. The thick, paste-like liquid was astonishingly hot.

The alcohol lamp itself didn't give off much heat, but the secret medicine of the Old Martial Arts known as Golden Elixir had unusual properties. Once heated, it began to boil rapidly.

"If you can't take it, don't try to tough it out."

Old Liang gave him a reminder, then carefully spread the medicine along Qin Shi's back.

Hiss!

The instant the thick liquid touched his skin, the vein at Qin Shi's temple throbbed violently.

It felt as if scalding, industrial-strength glue had been poured over his back, sticking firmly to the surface of his skin.

Then, once it dried, someone would tear it off with all their strength, ripping away a huge chunk of flesh along with it.

Within seconds, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"This is way too cruel!"

Qin Shi's face twisted with pain, turning pale.

He couldn't help thinking that the Old Martial Arts Faction was full of freaks.

Who would pay to enjoy an ordeal like this, let alone fight for the chance?

"Can you still take it?"

Old Liang's voice came from behind him.

"More. Pressure!"

Qin Shi replied, each word seeming to squeeze through his clenched teeth.

"Tough guy. I wonder how far I'll get by the time I've covered half your back with Golden Elixir."

Old Liang looked at the patches of muscle turning red and hot. From the pain, they had instinctively tensed and clenched together.

The viscous liquid quickly solidified, forming something like a coat of gold lacquer as it gradually covered a third of Qin Shi's back.

Two minutes later, Qin Shi was in so much pain he couldn't make a sound.

He could only keep breathing in and out, trying to ease the agony.

As the Golden Elixir clung to his skin like paste, the deepest torment of all—its effect on his nerves—surged through him.

He felt like food roasting in a furnace, or a slab of meat left on a red-hot iron plate without being flipped.

His whole body was about to burn to a crisp!

When physical pain exceeded the mind's limits, all kinds of inexplicable visions surfaced one after another in his subconscious.

"Fire everywhere... a huge explosion... a man shouting curses... a woman crying..."

Qin Shi was on the verge of passing out. His brain was about to trigger its protective mechanism and free him from this inhuman pain.

"No wonder people who use Golden Elixir to temper their bodies and strengthen their sinews tend to hurt themselves. The body can't repair itself fast enough to keep up with the damage the secret medicine causes.

"If I get into the tub later and heat it up, the pain will get even worse... I can't possibly endure it. How am I supposed to get through this?"

He struggled to piece together his fragmented, jumbled thoughts as he searched for a solution.

It was a habit he'd developed over many years: treating every problem like an exam question.

He would mull it over again and again until he found the answer.

"Sleep! I can sleep!"

Just as the Golden Elixir covered his entire back, a flash of insight passed through Qin Shi's brain, which was on the verge of passing out.

When faced with difficulties, take a nap. For him, this supreme manual of slacking off was the best way to solve the problem!

[Deep Sleep]!

[Muscle Memory]!

Both activated at once!

"Close your eyes. Clear your mind. Relax. Breathe..."

Qin Shi did his best to shut out the distractions around him and the torment of his body.

He tried to fall into a deep sleep and drift off into a dream.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

His head drooped, his shoulders relaxed, his straight back bent forward, and his rapid breathing slowed.

In less than ten seconds, he was sleeping as peacefully as a baby!

"Did he pass out? Or is he dead?!"

Old Liang was alarmed.

He sensed the turbulent, disordered flow of Qin Shi's energy suddenly grow still.

It even seemed to take on a strange serenity.

Normally, that was the sign of an old person passing away peacefully and departing this world.

"Wait, is that snoring? The kid fell asleep? How can he sleep through this?!"

The next moment, Old Liang heard the faintest sound of someone sleeping, like a kitten curled up in a warm nest, fast asleep and at ease.

"He really did fall asleep, but that trace of energy in his body hasn't stopped circulating. A genius, an absolute genius! What kind of work-obsessed maniac keeps practicing even in his sleep..."

Old Liang suddenly felt that all the hard work and self-discipline he'd been so proud of when he studied martial arts had been utterly insignificant next to Qin Shi's.

It was like a rookie soldier going up against a drill instructor—he'd lost completely.

"'Deep in the mountains, tigers and leopards hide; in the fields, Qilin lie buried!' My grandmaster told me that, but I didn't believe him. I thought all the promising talents were in the Martial Arts Association. How could there be any overlooked pearls hidden away in the world, lost to my sight?"

The smile on Old Liang's face grew wider and wider. He heated the other half of the Golden Elixir, then spread it from Qin Shi's shoulders down over his chest, abdomen, and waist.

"With this, I'll have an even better chance of pulling off that thing."

"You're awake?"

When Qin Shi opened his eyes, he saw Yan Shuang, the technician from Jinse Impression, Room 69.

That handsome face filled his vision. Startled, Qin Shi leaned backward and nearly toppled off the recliner.

"Brother Shuang? How long was I asleep?"

Yan Shuang, still wearing his white long-sleeved jacket, pulled open the curtains. Sunlight swept through the room, and Qin Shi reflexively raised the back of his hand to shield his eyes.

"It's the next day. Eight in the morning."

Yan Shuang looked bemused.

"Not only did you endure the agony of having Golden Elixir temper your body and burn your sinews, you managed to keep your mind at peace and sleep soundly through it.

"Honestly, I've read so many biographies of martial gods, and I've never seen anyone write about anything like this.

"If you achieve something in the future, remember to spread the word. It'll make a legendary tale."

After becoming the legendary king of endurance, have I just earned the title of legendary sleepyhead too?

Qin Shi looked down and saw that he was already dressed.

An inexhaustible force surged through his body.

He exerted himself slightly, and the great sinews beneath his skin instantly snapped taut and bulged.

They stretched and contracted, twitching and twisting around one another.

Like a horde of snakes, like giant serpents!

In Yan Shuang's eyes, thin blue veins intertwined across Qin Shi's back. The sinews supporting his muscles ran seamlessly along his spine, like a vivid tattoo of an angry dragon trapped in a green pool.

"He almost broke through the First Limit and entered the Sinew Gate."

Yan Shuang clicked his tongue in amazement, his expression complicated.

Unfortunately, Qin Shi hadn't noticed. All his attention was on the Monument Panel.

A line of text flashed into view.

[Basic Achievement Unlocked — Overgrowth]