Unparalleled Extravagance

Dinner was still the cheap, high-calorie, high-protein set meal, quickly replenishing his spent stamina.

After filling his stomach, he didn't leave as usual. Instead, he turned toward the brightly lit, bustling Xinhuo Hall self-operated pharmacy next to the cafeteria.

The store was spacious and bright, like a small supermarket, with queues at all four checkout counters. The air was thick with a strange medicinal aroma from a mix of various supplements.

This was Li Wen's first time stepping in here to buy Blood Qi Potions himself. In the past, his parents had scraped together money to buy him the occasional "luxury item" from ordinary pharmacies.

The shelves were dazzling, bottles and jars gleaming with an enticing yet aloof luster, each marked with a staggering price.

Li Wen kept his eyes straight, suppressing the flicker of desire in his heart, and walked directly to the busiest section—the "Blood Qi Potion Zone."

As soon as he arrived, he saw a middle-aged man in the dark uniform of Xinhuo Hall's formal members.

This man was lean and tough, his aura restrained, but the invisible pressure he exuded made the surrounding air feel heavier. He stood casually in front of the shelves, yet he brought an intangible weight to Li Wen.

The member bent down and, with an effortless motion, grabbed over twenty neatly packaged, light-red potions from the shelf marked "Level 2," as casually as buying bottled water.

That brazen display made Li Wen's eyelids twitch.

"One, two, three... that's got to be twenty or thirty, right? One Level 2 Blood Qi Potion costs twenty thousand, so that handful..." Before his mental math was done, the member was already heading to the checkout.

Li Wen took a deep breath, forcibly tearing his envious gaze away. He crouched down to the lowest shelf, marked "Level 1," and with extreme care and solemnity, took only... four relatively plain, pale-white potions at a time.

These were his ammunition for tonight's training and his guarantee for the next few days.

He couldn't bear to spend the "fortune" of twelve thousand yuan all at once. Keeping it in his pocket seemed to offer a bit more security.

"What if I buy too many and drop them, break them, or lose them on the way..." All sorts of absurd yet realistic "what-ifs" churned in his poor kid's mind.

This wasn't stinginess—it was a deep scar carved by countless nights watching his parents worry about medical bills. He was terrified of poverty.

He clutched the four light yet heavy Level 1 Blood Qi Potions, silently queuing behind that Xinhuo Hall member.

At the checkout counter, the electronic screen's numbers danced like magic, finally settling on an astronomical figure that nearly made Li Wen choke: 1,200,000.00.

The cashier, a young woman, flashed a professional, sweet smile: "Hello, that's one million two hundred thousand yuan total. Will you be paying with points or currency?"

"Card." The member's tone was flat, as if it were just a three-digit price tag. He casually handed over a card.

Li Wen, standing behind, felt like he was watching a performance from a world not his own.

"Alright, one moment, please." The cashier moved swiftly, tapping at the computer, her smile widening: "Hello, based on your esteemed Xinhuo Hall V3 member status, you qualify for a 20% discount on this purchase. After the discount, your total is nine hundred sixty thousand yuan."

"20% off?! That's a direct savings of two hundred forty thousand?!" Li Wen's pupils dilated. The discount hit him like a hammer.

Nine hundred sixty thousand! The two hundred forty thousand saved—how many Level 1 potions could that buy? How much of his father's medical bills could it cover? How much burden could it lift from his family?

The sheer impact made him instantly grasp the terrifying value of being a formal member of one of the four major powers! Just the discount on potion purchases alone could save an unimaginable fortune for an ordinary family in a single year!

"I have to raise my skill realm as fast as possible! Reach the Unity Realm, and I'll be eligible to apply for an early contract! The sooner I join, the more money I save! I have to grind! I have to go all out!"

A surge of unprecedented motivation, a mix of intense desire and unwillingness, erupted and burned in his chest.

"Hello, that's four Level 1 Blood Qi Potions, two thousand yuan total. Are you a member of our store?" When it was Li Wen's turn, the cashier's polite inquiry snapped him back to reality.

"...No membership. Card, thanks." Li Wen came to his senses, pulling out his bank card with slightly stiff movements.

The number in his card had just been dwarfed by that "nine hundred sixty thousand."

"Alright, total is two thousand yuan. Here are your potions. Please come again."

Amid the cashier's routine farewell, Li Wen carefully tucked the individually packaged four Blood Qi Potions into the innermost pocket of his backpack, as if hiding treasures, and quickly left this "land of wealth."

The evening bus swayed and jolted. By the time he got home, the sky had darkened, and the neon lights outside the window reflected the street scene.

Li Wen pushed the door open and heard his father, Li Hong, speaking in a low voice on the balcony:

"...How's Old Zhao doing? Sigh... The hospital's pressing for payment?... No way?... Then... when will the compensation come through? Dragging it out isn't a solution... He's still lying in there!... Ah, fine... We'll just have to endure..."

His father's voice was heavy with exhaustion and helplessness. His silhouette, under the dim balcony light, looked slightly hunched.

A coworker's severe injury and the ensuing troubles cast another shadow over this family, which had barely escaped a major disaster.

Li Wen's heart tightened. He called out softly, "Dad, I'm back."

Li Hong seemed startled. He hurriedly said a few more words into the phone—"Talk later"—and hung up. When he turned around, his face had already forced out its usual smile:

"Xiao Wen's back? Dinner's warming in the pot."

"Yeah, I ate, Dad. I'm going to my room to train." Li Wen didn't want to dwell on his father's coworker's sad story and went straight to his room.

Closing the door shut out the faint light from the living room.

He took out the Blood Qi Potions from his backpack, unwrapped one from its individual packaging, and placed the glass vial—carrying hope and weight—steadily on the most convenient spot on his desk. This was his guarantee for recovering energy after tonight's sprint.

Then, he changed into a looser set of old clothes, took off his shoes and socks, and stepped barefoot onto the faded, frayed yoga mat in the center of the room—his exclusive "arena" for practicing the basic method, the Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method.

Since only half an hour of [Absolute Focus] was reserved for tonight's basic method, the early part of his training had to rely on his own state to push through.

Li Wen calmed his mind and assumed the special stance of the Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method, which used the spine as the great dragon, causing the bones, muscles, and body to vibrate and resonate in unison.

Hum... A faint but distinct surge of Blood Qi began to stir within him, circulating, causing his body to tremble slightly. His skin, membranes, muscles, and even bones felt a stinging pain, as if being rubbed by invisible sand.

This sting, accompanied by the consumption of Blood Qi, was the necessary path to strengthening himself.