Knocking on the Pass Again

He was determined to obtain the Cold Jade Marrow.

Even if the other party was the vice hall master of the Four Seasons Pharmacy.

But with the Qin Family's foundation, Qin Jiu refused to believe there was nothing that could move him.

The next day at noon.

Wang Yue returned with the pills as scheduled.

He also brought news from that vice hall master.

"Young Master, the other party agreed to meet you at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, but the time is set for three days from now. What do you think..."

"Three days from now?"

Qin Jiu stopped his stake-standing practice.

He first took the handkerchief handed over by a servant, wiped the sweat from his face, then walked over to the pavilion and sat down.

Only then did he frown and say, "Why three days from now?"

"He said the pharmacy has been busy these past few days and needs to handle internal affairs."

Wang Yue hesitated. "Young Master, forgive this old servant for speaking bluntly, but that vice hall master is no ordinary man. Your eagerness for the Cold Jade Marrow—his move might be a tactic to wait for a higher price. He may even ask for an exorbitant sum."

"No matter."

"I'm not afraid of him asking for an exorbitant sum; I'm afraid he won't ask at all."

Qin Jiu said indifferently.

After all, spending the family's wealth didn't hurt his heart.

As long as the price the other party named was within his tolerance, everything would be worth it.

"Let's set that aside for now."

"What about the pills refined from the third-rank spirit beast's blood?"

"They're here."

Hearing this, Wang Yue immediately pulled a porcelain bottle as white as mutton fat jade from his bosom and said, "This pill is called the Green Blood Tendon-Changing Pill. Besides the Silver Frost Fox's blood, many precious herbs were added as auxiliary ingredients."

"Six pills were formed in total."

"Each one has the effect of improving the tendons, marrow, and bones."

Qin Jiu took the porcelain bottle, somewhat surprised.

"With that much spirit beast blood, only six pills were formed?"

"Yes."

Wang Yue, thinking Qin Jiu was worried about embezzlement by the Four Seasons Pharmacy, explained, "Rest assured, Young Master. The Four Seasons Pharmacy has an excellent reputation. Besides, whether during the initial pill-forming or the final collection, this old servant watched from the side. The alchemist did not embezzle anything."

"Additionally, aside from these six pills."

"The bones of the Silver Frost Fox—this old servant also had them ground down and formulated into medicinal powder. Boiling this powder into a paste can be applied externally to speed up skin tempering."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Qin Jiu's eyes lit up.

He immediately called for a servant to boil the medicinal paste.

Anything that could accelerate the progress of skin tempering was more than welcome to him.

Raising one's martial realm not only increased strength but also meant being able to bear more imprinted talents. From a certain perspective, the medicinal powder was far better than the Green Blood Tendon-Changing Pill.

After all, so-called root bone reshaping.

Didn't necessarily create a martial prodigy.

Otherwise, why would the Han Family be so shortsighted as to merely raise the Silver Frost Fox to the fourth rank, then use it to break through to Inner Strength?

Thinking this.

Qin Jiu opened the porcelain bottle in his hand, poured out a pill, and put it into his mouth. A faint herbal fragrance, mixed with a slightly bitter taste, instantly spread from the tip of his tongue.

Not long after.

A warmth rose in his abdomen.

"Young Master, after swallowing this pill, it's best to practice the stake-standing technique. This will help absorb the pill's medicinal power more effectively."

Wang Yue reminded him at this moment.

Qin Jiu nodded, stepped out of the pavilion, and quickly began the Dragon-Tiger Health-Nurturing Stake.

But soon, his expression changed.

The warmth in his abdomen, as time passed, gradually turned scorching hot, rapidly spreading through his limbs and bones until his entire body's blood and qi boiled, as if he had been thrown into a cauldron of oil.

Finally, unable to bear it.

Qin Jiu tore off his upper garment and repeatedly, rapidly practiced the stake-standing technique.

A fierce gale suddenly swept through the courtyard.

Inside the pavilion.

Qin Xudong, who had originally come to spar and had remained silent until now, watched the scene and asked cautiously in a low voice.

"Steward Wang, there's nothing wrong with this pill, is there?"

Wang Yue glanced at him upon hearing this.

He didn't answer anything.

Instead, Huang Jing, standing to the side, spoke up: "The pill itself naturally has no issues. Reshaping one's foundation requires enduring the pain of having tendons pulled and bones drawn—this is perfectly normal."

His tone carried envy.

On the path of martial arts, resources matter most, not one's foundation.

Without silver to nourish qi and blood, even the best foundation might not amount to much after a lifetime of training.

Conversely.

If one's family is wealthy, improving one's foundation isn't difficult.

Huang Jing thought this over.

His heart felt bitter.

His own foundation was considered decent, but having come from the bottom of a gang, he had to fight for every resource with his life. By the time his qi and blood began to decline, he had barely managed to step into the Second Refinement. Now, watching his employer swallow pills that could reshape one's foundation like beans, he couldn't help but feel deeply envious.

Time passed.

An hour slipped by in an instant.

Qin Jiu was now drenched in sweat, his bare upper body red as a boiled shrimp, and a visible white mist rose from the top of his head.

"This pill has some kick to it."

He withdrew from his stance and let out a long breath.

The pill's effect was unexpectedly good.

Though he wasn't sure if his foundation had changed, Qin Jiu could clearly sense that his qi and blood had become incredibly condensed—he might be ready for his second breakthrough soon.

"An ordinary person can only swallow one of these pills a day at most."

"Any more, and they wouldn't be able to handle it."

"But I'm different. With the Withered Wood Meets Spring talent, even if my meridians burst, they can heal on their own."

Qin Jiu's eyes gleamed.

As he was pondering.

Wang Yue and the other two each carried a wooden basin over.

"Young master, this is the prepared medicinal paste."

"Applying it all over the body after training will help bring out the medicine's effects better."

"Then apply it on me."

Qin Jiu didn't waste words and immediately had Huang Jing and Qin Xudong help with the application.

But before they could start.

He stopped them again.

"Is there anything I need to watch out for with this paste?"

"After applying the paste, the skin's surface should feel a tingling numbness. There's nothing else particularly noteworthy."

Qin Jiu nodded.

Motioned for them to continue.

But soon, his face began to twitch.

When the paste was first applied to his body, it brought a soothing coolness, but before long, that coolness turned into a stabbing pain, as if countless needles were pricking his skin at once. As time went on, the stabbing pain escalated into an intense ache.

It felt as if it were boring into his very bones.

Making him unable to hold back a low growl.

"Boom"

Almost at the same time.

The qi and blood inside Qin Jiu surged violently, as if breaking through some kind of restraint, bursting open directly in his chest.

"Is this... a qi and blood breakthrough?"

Huang Jing and Qin Xudong exchanged glances.

They were familiar with that sound.

It was the sign of qi and blood breaking through a gate.

As for Wang Yue, his eyelid twitched, and a sharp glint flashed through his murky old eyes.

He knew full well that this was Qin Jiu's second attempt at breaking through the barrier.

And he was even more aware that since his first attempt...

Only two days had passed!

Wang Yue's heart churned with shock and awe—this was far from a simple breakthrough fueled by resources, because no matter how many resources one had, if the body couldn't absorb them, eating more would be useless.

On the other side.

Qin Jiu sensed the changes within himself.

Immediately, he was overjoyed, and even the pain on his body seemed to lessen considerably.

Most importantly.

The Red Seal had now undergone a new transformation.