"Looks like I'll have to build up my stock little by little, buying a few every so often. A few months of that should be enough to collect all the Treasure Fish I need!"
Liu Chu pondered for a moment, then settled on a plan.
Buying thirty Treasure Fish all at once wasn't realistic.
For one thing, he didn't have enough silver. If he bought thirty Treasure Fish in one go, the final price would probably top a thousand taels.
Besides, that would offend the other major powers in the city and draw their attention.
After all, only sixty or seventy Treasure Fish changed hands across all of Zhaojiang City each month.
Buying so many at once would mean taking a share that belonged to the other major powers.
There was no telling whether he'd offend them—or even arouse their covetousness.
Liu Chu had now successfully taken control of the Black Dragon Gang and become its leader. His standing had improved enormously.
But compared with the martial arts schools and martial lineages in the inner city, he was still utterly insignificant.
His gang had only four Grade-Entry Realm martial artists, and he was the only one with Tendon Refining combat strength.
By comparison, the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall had more than twenty Grade-Entry Realm martial artists, including two Tendon Refining martial artists. Its master was even a Bone Refining martial artist!
And there were plenty of martial arts schools and lineages even stronger than the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall!
"No matter. I can collect them gradually; it won't take that long. Besides, with my comprehension multiplied fourfold, my cultivation speed is already extraordinary."
Liu Chu wasn't in a hurry.
You had to eat your meals one mouthful at a time. Eat too much, and you'd make yourself sick.
In truth, when he killed the Green Tiger Gang's leader, he'd chosen to subdue the gang and take over as its leader instead of grabbing what he could and leaving.
He'd already anticipated this very situation!
Getting ten Treasure Fish wasn't too difficult if he relied on his own abilities, but it would take a lot of effort.
Money aside, he couldn't just buy ten Treasure Fish at once on the Black Market. Even buying six this time had taken him several days.
But if he bought one or two at a time, or perhaps two or three, he'd have to raise and guard them day and night until he had ten to sacrifice.
One person only had so much time and energy.
Ten was manageable, but what about more?
Take his current goal of thirty Treasure Fish. If Liu Chu handled it alone, he'd have to make trip after trip. And even if he watched over them day and night, some petty thief might still steal them while he was raising them!
That was why he'd chosen to take over the Green Tiger Gang, making its members gather and raise the Treasure Fish for him—and guard them!
All Liu Chu had to do was give the order. He didn't need to waste so much time and energy.
"I'll cook and eat this one!"
Liu Chu looked at the last remaining Treasure Fish and cooked it.
He'd have to gather the thirty Treasure Fish gradually; there was no need to rush. But he couldn't slack off in his martial training.
One Treasure Fish was worth the same as a medicinal meal costing twenty or thirty taels of silver, and it would help Liu Chu's cultivation considerably.
After eating the Treasure Fish, Liu Chu continued to cultivate.
"With fourfold comprehension, cultivation really is much faster. I can practically sense my progress in the technique!"
Liu Chu's eyes gleamed.
Ordinary martial artists felt almost nothing while cultivating, only a vague sense of gradual accumulation. Only those with exceptional talent, whose progress was fast enough, could vaguely sense how far they'd advanced.
But now, as Liu Chu practiced the Yanglian Technique and saber arts, he could practically feel every step of his progress.
There was only one reason: he was cultivating so quickly that he could clearly sense it!
At the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall, in the courtyard for odds and ends.
Two figures collided at speed. A muffled burst of force rang out, and they parted in the blink of an eye.
Liu Chu stumbled back several steps. But in the next instant, his feet flew like the wind, and he appeared before Luo Qingyue again. Suddenly, he turned his fist into a palm, holding his hand like a blade and slashing across.
Whoosh!
His palm blade split the air, trailing a howling streak of force like a swift blade-shadow as it slashed fiercely at his opponent.
Luo Qingyue hadn't expected Liu Chu to turn his fist into a palm. When he swept that palm toward her, she panicked for a moment.
The punch she'd already thrown went off course. She hurriedly retreated to dodge, raising her arm to block instead.
Smack!
The palm blade struck Luo Qingyue's arm, leaving it numb and throwing her retreat into disarray.
But Liu Chu's palm blade didn't stop. Each strike came faster than the last, his hand seeming to have become a real, razor-sharp saber.
Every strike was swift and domineering, yet hid subtle changes. His saber technique was exquisite, the transitions between moves seamless.
Luo Qingyue had only blocked three strikes when she left an opening. Liu Chu seized it. His palm blade abruptly swept upward, slipping through the valley between her breasts as if splitting two mountain peaks, then came to rest against her snow-white chin.
"I lost again. This time, I lasted only seven moves..."
Luo Qingyue's beautiful eyes widened, her expression crestfallen.
She'd sparred with Liu Chu several times lately, and she hadn't won once. The gap between them had only grown wider.
At first, she'd been able to trade a dozen or more moves with him. Now she could manage only seven!
"Junior Brother, have you really trained your saber skills to this level too?"
Luo Qingyue watched Liu Chu draw his palm away from her chin and couldn't help asking in surprise.
A thought came to her: If Liu Chu had been using a real saber, wouldn't he have defeated me in three or five moves...
The thought made her even more dejected. She murmured, "Junior Brother, am I just not suited to martial arts?"
"Why sell yourself short, Senior Sister?"
Liu Chu comforted her. "Your comprehension may be average, but your natural constitution is excellent. Since that's the case, why cling to martial techniques? Focus on your realm instead. Play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, and make the most of what you're good at."
From sparring with Luo Qingyue, Liu Chu had already realized that her ability to adapt in combat was just as poor as her comprehension.
He'd simply changed a punch into a blade strike, yet that simple change had broken her rhythm and thrown her into a panic.
In other words, Luo Qingyue was suited to steady cultivation, not fighting others.
With her natural constitution, she could advance through Skin Refining, Tendon Refining, and Bone Refining much faster than an ordinary martial artist. Unlike Liu Chu, she didn't need to rely on mastery of techniques to make up for her cultivation speed.
Liu Chu's natural constitution was poor, so he needed to strengthen his Blood Vitality to break through into the Grade-Entry Realm more quickly.
Luo Qingyue, however, had no such need. Her natural constitution was excellent. Even with the Nourishing Stake Practice at Minor Accomplishment Realm, she could break through with ease.
Simply put, Luo Qingyue's skin, tendons, and bones were already superior to those of martial artists like Liu Chu, whose natural constitutions were average. She needed only a small amount of Blood Vitality to wash over them before she could break through into the Grade-Entry Realm.
Liu Chu's advantage, by contrast, was his comprehension.
So he pushed his comprehension to the limit. If his skin, tendons, and bones were weak, he would strengthen his Blood Vitality, advancing his techniques so he could nourish more powerful Blood Vitality to wash over them!
Likewise, his superior comprehension let Liu Chu cultivate techniques at an astonishing speed.
Whether it was the Combat Technique or his saber arts, he'd reached Great Accomplishment Realm, even perfection. Naturally, that gave him an advantage in combat!
"But even if I have a high realm, being defeated by someone below my level is a humiliation that clings to my heart. I can't forget it, and it keeps me from eating or sleeping..."
Luo Qingyue complained mournfully. She was nothing like the cool and distant senior sister she was supposed to be.
Liu Chu chuckled. "If Senior Sister advances another level and breaks through to Bone Refining Realm, you'll easily crush the opponents who once beat you. A little humiliation like that will naturally vanish."
After a pause, he added, "I'm sure the people who once looked at you strangely will become nothing but respectful, too."
"And if you break through to the Middle Three Grades, you'll find it hard even to spare your old opponents a glance."
Luo Qingyue's eyes shone. "You're right, Junior Brother. I may not be able to beat others, but when it comes to cultivation speed, even Senior Brother Lin Bei can't match me!"
"Thank you for your advice, Junior Brother. I'll go cultivate now and try to break through to Bone Refining as soon as I can!"
Luo Qingyue thanked Liu Chu, brimming with determination.
"You're too kind, Senior Sister. I only said it offhand. There's no need to take it so seriously."
Liu Chu smiled and shook his head, though in his heart he wasn't optimistic.
He'd made it sound easy, but he'd only meant to comfort her. Breaking through to Bone Refining was incredibly difficult. If even one in ten Tendon Refining martial artists managed it, that was already a good result.
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