Skin Polishing Complete

In the depths of his mind.

The Red Seal glowed with a faint, shimmering light.

Its blood-jade luster made it look like a drop of scarlet blood, suspended high in the depths of his mind.

At the same time.

A message quietly surfaced in his heart.

I can choose to keep talents that I haven't engraved yet?

Qin Jiu froze for a moment.

Then delight surged through him.

This was a new change in the Red Seal after he had passed the Blood Pass for the second time. He could choose to keep up to three talents that he hadn't engraved yet, so he no longer needed to worry that a newly appearing talent would replace the previous one before he had a chance to engrave it.

Besides, it's also become clear how many talents I can carry.

After sensing the information that had appeared in his heart,

he couldn't help feeling surprised.

The increase in the number of talent slots was actually tied to advances in his martial cultivation.

My current limit is engraving three talents. The next expansion of my talent slots requires me to break through to Second Refining...

Qin Jiu looked disappointed.

At first, he had only vaguely sensed that the Red Seal's talent engraving was linked to the strength of his body and spirit.

He had even considered buying pills to strengthen his body and spirit.

Now he could only abandon that idea.

"Young Master, are you all right?"

Wang Yue's voice rang out, tinged with concern.

Qin Jiu came back to himself and said, "I feel better than ever."

As he spoke,

he bent his knees, lowered into a stance, and spread his arms. Then he clenched his fists and slowly began practicing the Dragon-Tiger Great Stake.

At times, his figure resembled a ferocious tiger pouncing on its prey.

At others, he moved with nimble grace.

As his fists cut through the air, gusts of wind howled around him. Qin Jiu felt utterly clear in both body and mind. No matter how the Stance Training changed, he didn't feel the slightest fatigue.

"So I've entered the Health Preservation Stake."

He understood in his heart that his current state wasn't because he had passed the Blood Pass for the second time.

It was because he had just mastered the Stance Training.

On the other side,

Huang Jing and Qin Xudong watched the scene without noticing anything unusual.

Only Wang Yue understood what was going on.

"So that's it."

"This second Blood Pass must be connected to mastering the Stance Training."

He nodded to himself.

When Qin Jiu finished practicing the stance, Wang Yue spoke up. "Young Master, there's no strict limit on how much of this medicinal paste you can use. But if your body can no longer absorb its medicinal power, this old servant still recommends waiting a day before using it again."

"I understand."

Qin Jiu nodded slightly.

That would certainly be true for other people.

But if he wanted, he could digest all this medicinal paste and the five remaining Tendon-Changing Pills in a single day.

The healing ability granted by Withered Wood Meets Spring

was in no way weaker than that of the Green Pupil Demon.

But he couldn't let anyone see these abilities.

Afterward,

he had Huang Jing and the other man apply the medicinal paste twice more, then sent the three of them away. Taking advantage of the night, he swallowed the five remaining Green Blood Tendon-Changing Pills and practiced his stance until late into the night.

"Boom!"

The night was ink-dark.

In the small courtyard,

a muffled roar of surging blood and energy erupted once more.

Qin Jiu stood with his eyes lowered. A shocking smear of scarlet blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet his eyes shone with startling brightness.

"Third Blood Pass. Skin Polishing complete!"

He grinned silently.

The medicinal power of five Green Blood Tendon-Changing Pills was enough to make a First Refining martial artist drop dead.

Yet, bolstered by the Withered Wood Meets Spring talent,

the injuries in Qin Jiu's body, caused by the pills' violent medicinal power, were healing at an astonishing speed. Wounds that would have been fatal to an ordinary martial artist had no effect on him at all.

"I should practice some martial arts like the Tyrant Blade Technique."

"This talent far exceeds my expectations."

"Ordinary martial artists are afraid to practice harsh martial arts, lest they suffer hidden injuries or even backlash. But now, I..."

Qin Jiu's eyes shone brighter and brighter.

This was the first time he had experienced the power of Withered Wood Meets Spring.

Powerful to the point that it didn't seem human.

Over the next three days,

Qin Jiu didn't let Huang Jing and the other man come to the East Wing. He had passed the Blood Pass three times too quickly; it was no exaggeration to call it astonishing. For now, he didn't want anyone to find out, so he had to put the sparring lessons on hold.

"Today's the day we agreed on."

"That deputy hall master..."

"He should be on his way to the Drunken Immortal Residence by now, right?"

In the courtyard of the East Wing,

Qin Jiu finished practicing his stance, went back to change his clothes, and then headed to the gates of the Qin Mansion.

A carriage was waiting outside.

Wang Yue was at the reins.

"Did you take care of everything I asked you to?" Qin Jiu climbed into the carriage and spoke to Wang Yue. "The great figures of the Inner City care most about their reputations. The Drunken Immortal Residence is open only for that deputy hall master today. Make sure nothing goes wrong."

"I've already made the arrangements."

Wang Yue flicked the whip, then said with a hint of exasperation, "Young Master, forgive this old servant for speaking out of turn, but why go to such lengths over a single piece of Cold Jade Marrow? It's not as if you're rushing to curry favor with him."

"Besides, this may not be a good idea."

"You might spoil him and make him too demanding."

"It's only a matter of saying a few words. If that helps me buy the Cold Jade Marrow, then I think it's worth it."

Qin Jiu smiled faintly.

The Drunken Immortal Residence was a Qin Family property.

If it was within his power to show the man some consideration, things might become simpler.

And even if it didn't work,

Qin Jiu had nothing to lose.

The carriage rolled along at an easy pace.

About half an hour later, it stopped in front of a restaurant.

Qin Jiu climbed down

and headed straight for the Heaven-class private room on the top floor, with Wang Yue beside him.

Inside the elegantly decorated room sat a middle-aged man in a lavish brocade robe, exuding an extraordinary presence. He held a cup of hot tea and blew across it unhurriedly. At the sound of footsteps outside, his hand paused.

Then he raised his eyes toward the doorway.

His gaze swept over the room before settling on Wang Yue.

"Are you Li Yuan, deputy hall master of the Four Seasons Pharmacy?"

Qin Jiu entered, cupped his hands in greeting, and got straight to the point. "I'm Qin Jiu, the current head of the Qin Family. Since Deputy Hall Master Li has come to my Drunken Immortal Residence today, you must know why I invited you."

"Would you be willing to part with that Cold Jade Marrow and sell it to me?"

"Don't worry about the price..."

But when he got to that point,

the man showed no intention of answering.

"Li Yuan, how rude of you."

Wang Yue's expression immediately turned cold.

Just then,

the man set down his teacup and shook his head with a faint smile at Wang Yue. "You Sick Tiger are getting less and less patient."

"The Qin Family may do business with the Four Seasons Pharmacy."

"But that's the pharmacy speaking."

"Today, I came here at your invitation as a private individual. Your Qin Family's new master doesn't yet have the standing to speak with me. You, on the other hand, might just barely qualify. But if you lose your temper, there may be no deal to discuss."

As he spoke, he didn't even look at Qin Jiu.

He lifted his hand and nudged the teacup in front of him.

"Of course, a little entry-level material like that isn't the business I came here to discuss."

"I have two pills here."

"One can heal your internal injuries, and the other can help you advance your martial cultivation. In exchange, I only want the Qin Family's secret method for raising spirit beasts. Are you willing to make this deal?"