Plain and Unadorned

Early the next morning.

Lin Zheyu spent the entire morning in the courtyard of Liang Song practicing the Golden Goose Technique.

Under the guidance of Master Liang, his understanding of the Golden Goose Technique had improved significantly.

Perhaps because he was leaving soon, when Lin Zheyu asked if there were any prescriptions with stronger medicinal effects, Liang Song gave him two formulas directly.

One was for use at the Organ Refining realm, and the other could only be used by those in the Blood Energy Realm.

Lin Zheyu skipped the Organ Refining formula entirely and began studying the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup.

The Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup could nourish the body's blood energy and strengthen one's vitality. Its medicinal power was extremely potent; if used by a martial artist below the Blood Energy Realm, it would damage the very foundation of their body.

In the evening, Senior Brother Han Mo came over again.

The two sparred in Liang Song's courtyard for over an hour. Thanks to Han Mo's dedicated efforts, Lin Zheyu gained considerable insight into fighting opponents armed with cold weapons.

After interacting over the past few days, he had come to understand Han Mo a bit better.

He was an "honest man," and his style of conduct gave off a sense of integrity and uprightness.

"Alright, you two take a break. Don't practice too late."

Liang Song called a halt to Lin Zheyu, who was about to launch another attack.

This kid was incredibly ruthless when he practiced; even though he was panting for breath, he kept launching attacks at Han Mo time and time again.

However, it was precisely because of this ruthlessness and perseverance that Liang Song appreciated him so much and chose to pass on the Golden Goose Technique to him.

Lin Zheyu stopped and leaned against the wall, gasping for air.

"You really are ruthless with yourself, kid!" Han Mo exclaimed.

Under the moonlight, there were dozens of bruises on Lin Zheyu's body, all caused by the blunt blade he had used.

"The outside world is in chaos. Who knows when the rebel army will attack? It's crucial to improve my strength while things are still relatively peaceful."

"This little bit of pain is nothing," Lin Zheyu said with a grin.

The two rested for a while before bidding farewell to Liang Song and leaving.

Under the moonlight, the two walked together.

"Don't leave the city casually lately. It's very chaotic outside, and bandits are running rampant," Han Mo said.

"Is the rebel army making moves again?"

"Yes, Anyi City has also been captured, and another wave of refugees has arrived outside the city." Han Mo nodded, his face showing a hint of sorrow and pity.

The number of refugees that Songyi City could accept was limited. Over this period, it had long since reached its limit, and the refugees were being housed outside the city in extremely crude conditions.

The weather was getting colder, and every morning during his patrols, he could see many refugees frozen to death.

"Yes, I understand."

Lin Zheyu nodded. He rarely left the city, and he hadn't even been to the Outer City much.

His daily life was very simple: home, the teahouse, Master Liang's house, and occasionally, when dragged along by Jia Yanyong and the others, a visit to the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion. That was all.

Back in his courtyard, Lin Zheyu took off his clothes and continued to train.

He hadn't broken through his physical limits for several days, and his energy and spirit had once again been nurtured to their peak state.

Thump, thump, thump.

In the dead of night, thumping sounds echoed through the courtyard.

Even though the wooden post was wrapped in thick, tattered clothes, the sound was still quite loud, reverberating throughout the yard.

Fortunately, there was no one around his small courtyard, and it was quite far from others, or else someone would have come to complain about the noise.

Over an hour later.

Lin Zheyu lay on the ground, gasping for air.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 6

Skills:

Bull Fist (Proficient 4%)

Golden Goose Technique (First Layer 39%)

Turtle Breathing Technique (Second Layer 26%)

The next morning.

He woke up early, but today he did not go to Liang Song's house.

Lin Zheyu took the prescription for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup and headed to the apothecary to purchase the medicinal ingredients.

The ingredients for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup were not easy to come by; he had to visit several pharmacies before he could gather them all, with one set of ingredients costing a little over ten taels of silver.

"So expensive. A single set is worth ten sets of ordinary medicinal soup."

Lin Zheyu muttered to himself, feeling a bit of heartache over the cost.

He suddenly felt that the hundred-plus taels of silver he had saved up were not that much after all, as it would only be enough to buy a dozen or so sets of medicine.

Returning home, he took out the three sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup ingredients he had purchased and placed them all into the medicine pot to decoct.

He had to test the potency first; if the medicinal power of one batch wasn't better than the ordinary ones, it wouldn't be worth the cost.

He chopped wood, lit the fire, and brewed the medicinal soup.

Lin Zheyu decocted it five times in total, extracting every bit of medicinal power from the herbs until not a single drop remained.

A thick, medicinal fragrance wafted through the courtyard.

"This stuff is much more bitter than the previous soups!"

Lin Zheyu took a small sip, his face immediately scrunching up—it was so bitter.

He held his breath and gulped the soup down in one go.

An intense, scorching heat immediately surged through him.

"This medicinal power is fierce!"

Lin Zheyu was startled; as soon as the soup hit his stomach, he felt that wave of heat.

If he waited a few more minutes, he reckoned his nose would start bleeding.

He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and sent out a thought: "Use 3 units of Source Power to upgrade Turtle Breathing Technique."

In an instant, mysterious energy surged forth, guiding the medicinal power from the soup to circulate throughout his entire body.

His spirit entered a special state, beginning a long period of cultivation as his comprehension of the Turtle Breathing Technique deepened.

Lin Zheyu's body also underwent tremendous changes.

Although his strength and speed did not increase, his muscles, tendons, and skin became increasingly firm, and his aura became more restrained.

The strengthening of his internal organs was the most significant.

As the Turtle Breathing Technique improved, under the influence of his Breathing Method, Lin Zheyu's internal organs were further reinforced, completing the majority of the journey through the Organ Refining realm.

Hoo.

Hoo~~~ hoo~~~

His breathing became increasingly long and steady, and his heart rate slowed down.

Under the subtle adjustments of the mysterious power, his muscle density was further enhanced.

Although his strength hadn't increased much, from the outside, he looked slightly smaller than before.

Lin Zheyu's aura dropped lower and lower, becoming rounded and unadorned.

The sharpness he had developed from practicing martial arts gradually vanished, making him look more like a weak, powerless scholar.

After a few breaths.

Hoo...

Exhaling a long breath of stale air, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 3

Skills:

Bull Fist (Proficient 4%)

Golden Goose Technique (Level 1 39%)

Turtle Breathing Technique (Level 3 0%)

"Finally reached the third level. Even if I raise my strength to the Blood Energy Realm now, Master Liang won't be able to see through my true power."

A smile appeared on Lin Zheyu's face.

He could finally improve his strength without any scruples.

After carefully checking his physical state, Lin Zheyu discovered that when he operated the Turtle Breathing Technique at full capacity, he looked like a frail scholar who had never practiced martial arts.

The skin on his body had become much smoother; his fists, which had become rough from martial arts training, now looked almost the same as they had before he ever started.

"It even has this kind of effect!"

Lin Zheyu was filled with wonder.

If he were to cultivate the Turtle Breathing Technique to the perfection of the third level, would his skin become even smoother than a woman's?

After studying the upgraded Turtle Breathing Technique for a while, Lin Zheyu gradually felt his body growing a bit feverish.

"The medicinal power of the three bowls of decoction I just drank still remains, and it seems there is quite a lot left."

Lin Zheyu thought to himself, feeling somewhat pleasantly surprised.

The constant, surging heat radiating from within his body proved that the remaining medicinal power was significant, far more than what he, a martial artist in the Bone Forging Realm, could fully withstand.

It truly lived up to its reputation as an expensive product costing ten taels of silver per dose; this money was well spent.