Stake Training Reaches Minor Accomplishment, Buying Fish at the Black Market!

"This fish really was far more delicious than ordinary fish. It needed no seasoning at all and didn't have the slightest fishy taste. It was absolutely the best fish I've ever eaten!"

Han Qi praised it lavishly.

Liu Chu nodded in agreement as well.

A Treasure Fish truly deserved its name. Its flavor was beyond reproach; ordinary fish simply could not compare.

"But why do I feel nothing besides being a little warmer..."

Han Qi cleaned the fish soup and meat down to the last drop, then carefully sensed his body for a moment and could not help frowning.

He was also a martial artist, though he had yet to break through into the Grade-Entry Realm.

Having consumed the Treasure Fish, he eagerly tried to sense its effects, only to find that he felt very little.

"I feel a stream of heat rushing straight into my lower abdomen!"

Liu Chu also sensed his body, and his eyes brightened slightly.

"But the feeling is very vague. The effect doesn't seem ideal either."

After sensing it carefully, he too was rather disappointed.

Based on the accounts of those who had eaten Treasure Fish before, Liu Chu judged that the effects he had gained could only be considered fairly good.

"It seems you're more compatible with Treasure Fish than I am."

Han Qi felt somewhat depressed.

If Liu Chu's results from the Treasure Fish could be called decent, then his were merely average. Half a fish cost more than ten taels of silver, and it felt as though most of the money had gone to waste.

"It's not worth it. It seems buying Treasure Fish for cultivation is less cost-effective than buying medicinal meals."

Han Qi smacked his lips, no longer yearning for Treasure Fish.

More than ten taels of silver, if used to buy medicinal meals for cultivation, would probably yield twice the results!

Buying Treasure Fish was a blood-soaked loss!

Fortunately, this had been a reward for meritorious service, not something he had bought with his own money.

If he had to spend twenty or thirty taels of silver on Treasure Fish, he would never bear to do it.

After all, the medicinal effects of Treasure Fish varied from person to person. For him, it was full of uncertainty.

"If I bought Treasure Fish for cultivation, it should still be somewhat worthwhile."

Liu Chu concealed part of the truth. In reality, eating Treasure Fish would at most keep him from losing money.

One Treasure Fish was equivalent to consuming twenty or thirty taels' worth of medicinal meals. Buying Treasure Fish was no different from buying medicinal meals.

The main reason was that he wanted to buy them for sacrifice, to enhance his comprehension!

"When the time comes, I'll accompany you to the Black Market. With the talent you've shown now, you might have a chance to break through into the Grade-Entry Realm!"

Han Qi nodded and looked at Liu Chu with anticipation. "Once you break through into the Grade-Entry Realm and join the Golden Fish Gang, you'll at least be a hall master. Only then will we brothers truly have a foothold!"

"And when I break through into the Grade-Entry Realm in the future, the two of us can grow bigger and stronger. Maybe the Golden Fish Gang will be ours to command!"

Han Qi's eyes gleamed as ambition surged within him.

Seeing the look of expectation on his face, Liu Chu hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "A Qi, can you lend me another thirty taels of silver?"

Han Qi suddenly looked at Liu Chu in shock, seemingly unable to understand why Liu Chu needed so much silver.

Liu Chu came up with an excuse. "I feel that if I get three more Treasure Fish, I might be able to break through into the Grade-Entry Realm in a short time."

"Break through into the Grade-Entry Realm!"

Han Qi was startled. His eyes flashed sharply as he asked in a low voice, "How certain are you?"

"More than seventy percent!"

Liu Chu answered without hesitation.

"Seventy percent..."

Delight appeared on Han Qi's face, followed by a long silence. A trace of hesitation flickered in his eyes, but he quickly made his decision.

"I'll wait for your good news!"

He took out half of the sixty taels of silver he had just received and slapped it directly onto the table.

"You're not afraid I'll run off with it?"

After putting away the silver, Liu Chu felt a weight lift from his heart, then jokingly asked.

Thirty taels was no small sum!

"You won't."

Han Qi's tone was firm.

Liu Chu laughed heartily. "You really are a good judge of character!"

Han Qi laughed along with him. "Naturally. My judgment has always been accurate."

At the martial hall, Liu Chu finished his training for the day and opened the Attribute Panel:

Host: Liu Chu

Comprehension amplification multiplier: 1x (Sacrifices available: three Treasure Fish/thirty taels of silver/two years of lifespan)

Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Practice (Beginner 89%)

Dragon-Tiger Combat Technique (Great Accomplishment Realm 9%)

"After consuming the Treasure Fish, my body's foundation has been strengthened, making up for the damage from the exhausting days of fishing before!"

Liu Chu looked at the Attribute Panel, his eyes shining brightly.

The speed of his Yanglian Technique cultivation had increased considerably. Clearly, this was the effect of consuming the Treasure Fish.

Half a Treasure Fish was worth more than ten taels of silver.

That was equivalent to consuming medicinal meals worth more than ten taels of silver, comparable to several years' worth of food for an ordinary family. Naturally, its effects were remarkable.

Moreover, the medicinal effects of the Treasure Fish were mild. There was no need to worry about the medicine being too potent, and it could be digested slowly over time.

"In just a few days, my Yanglian Technique will enter the Minor Accomplishment Realm!"

Liu Chu was instantly filled with fighting spirit, and his cultivation became even more diligent.

With the effects of the Treasure Fish supporting him, he could practice the Nourishing Stake Practice several more times each day without having to walk on eggshells for fear of damaging his body.

"Liu Chu, why didn't I see you at yesterday's banquet?"

At that moment, a familiar apprentice came over and asked casually.

"Banquet? What banquet?"

Liu Chu froze, puzzled.

"Gu Heng's Grade-Entry Realm banquet. It was at Xiangfeng Pavilion last night. Everyone went..."

As the apprentice spoke, he suddenly realized something. He quickly glanced around and lowered his voice. "You didn't receive an invitation?"

"No."

Liu Chu shook his head. His gaze swept over the people training in the courtyard, and sure enough, he did not spot Gu Heng.

"Gu Heng actually broke through?"

Liu Chu was somewhat surprised, then calmly said, "It makes sense that he didn't invite me."

Knowing that he could not offend either side, the apprentice held it in for a long while before saying, "Gu Heng trained at the martial hall for around half a year. I believe that after you train for half a year, you'll also be able to break through into the Grade-Entry Realm."

After saying that, he shut his mouth and dared not speak carelessly again. He went to one side and seriously practiced Stake Training.

"So, defeating Gu Heng in three moves made him harbor a grudge against me..."

Liu Chu thought to himself.

At the time, he had only wanted to test the power of the Dragon-Tiger Combat Technique at the Great Accomplishment Realm. He had not thought much beyond that.

He had not expected to defeat Gu Heng in merely three moves, making him lose face on the spot. Gu Heng likely became dissatisfied with Liu Chu, which was why he invited so many apprentices to celebrate his breakthrough into the Grade-Entry Realm, yet left Liu Chu out alone.

However, Liu Chu did not care.

"Once my Stake Training reaches the Minor Accomplishment Realm, I'll make a trip to the Black Market and see if I can buy three Treasure Fish to sacrifice."

Liu Chu already had a plan.

He currently had ninety taels of silver. One Treasure Fish cost twenty or thirty taels, so it was more than enough to buy three, and he might even have quite a bit left over.

After three or four days of grueling cultivation, Liu Chu's Stake Training finally reached the Minor Accomplishment Realm.

"Two streams of Blood Vitality. My body has become much stronger, and the force washing over my skin and flesh has doubled!"

Liu Chu assumed a stance and practiced Stake Training.

At once, he felt two streams of Blood Vitality burst forth from his spine, like two surging creeks flowing without end, fiercely washing over his flesh and skin. His skin trembled and rang like the strings of a qin being plucked at rapid speed.

"With this level of washing, breaking through into the Grade-Entry Realm is just around the corner!"

Feeling those two streams of Blood Vitality, Liu Chu felt far more confident.

"If I can increase my comprehension by another fold, breaking through into the Grade-Entry Realm in a short time will be a sure thing!"

Liu Chu made his decision.

That night, he did not return home. He bought several meat pies by the roadside, ate and drank his fill, then headed straight for the Black Market.

He did not bring Han Qi along as promised, mainly because he planned to sacrifice the Treasure Fish immediately after buying them and leaving the Black Market.

With Han Qi beside him, it would be difficult to do so!

The Black Market was in a remote area north of the city. By the time Liu Chu arrived, night had just fallen, and the Black Market had opened for business.

Under the dense night sky, most people coming and going at the Black Market entrance traveled in groups. Every one of them looked cautious, as though treading on thin ice.

At the entrance stood a group of black-clothed thugs carrying blades and cudgels, there to intimidate petty criminals.

Liu Chu honestly paid ten copper coins and stepped into the Black Market.

"Beef, illicit salt, bows and crossbows, poison... Huh, there are even cultivation manuals?"

Liu Chu swept his gaze over stall after stall, astonished.

As expected of the Black Market, it hid so many prohibited goods, even cultivation manuals.

Liu Chu casually asked the price of a cultivation manual, then instantly backed down in the face of the difficulty. "Once I save up more silver, I can come to the Black Market to buy cultivation manuals!"

After his comprehension doubled, he possessed a natural advantage in martial skills and combat. Once the Dragon-Tiger Combat Technique reached perfection, he could seek out several other martial skills to cultivate.

Liu Chu did not delay any longer. He scanned stall after stall and soon discovered traces of Treasure Fish, heading straight toward them.