Silver-Backed Bear Meat

With this progress, could memories from his past life be counting toward it too?

After all, he'd received a compulsory education and even gone to university in his previous life.

In that case, it made sense that he'd already gotten started with Literacy.

The effect seemed rather impressive, though: it increased his comprehension.

The slight boost to his comprehension from this skill meant that when he thought back to the obscure, difficult passages in the Tiger Form Manual he'd just studied, he understood them a little better.

"Looks like training in martial arts isn't just about tempering your qi and blood and practicing techniques. Understanding the principles is just as important." Li Yuan pondered.

He was also filled with anticipation for this newly appeared skill.

But the whopping 500-point requirement to reach the entry level made it clear to Li Yuan that improving his progress would take long-term dedication.

Li Yuan didn't linger. He returned the book to its place, went back to the courtyard, and picked up the Stone Lock again.

Following the essentials of the Tiger Form he'd just grasped and combining them with his stance work, he began practicing once more.

This time, he could feel more clearly how his qi and blood responded as specific muscles tightened. The soreness and ache were still there.

But the warmth was more concentrated, as if his strength were being gathered and tempered little by little.

He trained until evening.

[Skill: Five Animals Fist Stance (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 110/300 points]

"More efficient than just grinding away like before." Li Yuan was satisfied.

He only stopped when he felt thoroughly drained and a distinct hunger stirred in his stomach.

Tempering his body and replenishing his nutrition were key. The depletion of his qi and blood, in particular, had to be made up for promptly.

Li Yuan first exchanged a few words with Zhao Qin, then asked,

"Third Senior Brother, do you know where I can buy the best meat for a martial artist to replenish himself?"

"There's Zhang's Meat Shop, two streets behind our Martial Arts Hall.

They've got every kind of meat you can think of—and some you can't." Zhao Qin replied.

"Do they have dragon meat?"

"No. If they did, they wouldn't be selling meat here." Zhao Qin shook his head.

"If you want to replenish your qi and blood, you can eat large portions of meat or take powerful tonics. But either way, it'll cost you plenty of silver.

"Why not wait until you reach the Ox Skin Realm and become a formal disciple? Your tuition will go down then, and you can use the silver you save to buy meat."

Replenishing his body while building up his qi and blood was, of course, the fastest way.

Understanding what Li Yuan had in mind, Zhao Qin immediately tried to talk him out of it.

"I understand."

Li Yuan thanked Zhao Qin, washed up, and tucked away the money he'd earned from hunting wild boars.

He left the Martial Arts Hall and headed straight for the street behind it.

Before long, Li Yuan arrived at Zhang's Meat Shop.

The shopkeeper was a broad, burly middle-aged man wearing a greasy apron. He was sprawled in a chair, waiting to close up for the day.

"Shopkeeper, I'm not looking for ordinary meat today.

"Lately, training has been using up too much of my qi and blood. I'd like to buy something that can replenish them. Do you have any recommendations?"

The shopkeeper didn't say much. He'd probably seen enough martial artists coming to buy meat here that it no longer surprised him.

He turned and went into the back room, then came out with a basket full of all sorts of meat.

"Silver-Backed Bear Meat. Five taels of silver per jin. One meal can sustain you for a whole day. It replenishes the blood and boosts virility."

The shopkeeper took out a piece of pale-red dried meat and showed it to him.

"There's also Black Fish Meat, monkey meat, wild ox, wild goat, fox..."

The shopkeeper rattled off more than ten kinds of meat.

Some were smoked and dried, while others were fresh.

Li Yuan planned to buy a little of everything he hadn't tried before, except for the kinds he'd already eaten.

He'd test them out at home and see which one boosted his Consumption skill the most.

"Ahem, shopkeeper, could you make it a little cheaper? It's a bit expensive."

The total came to nearly three taels of silver.

These were unusual times, so if he could bargain, all the better.

"What do you mean, expensive? It's been the same price for years. Don't keep your eyes open and spout nonsense.

"Maybe you should look for the problem in yourself. After all these years of martial arts training, have you made any progress?"

The shopkeeper, who'd been pleasant just moments before, now turned cold and spoke flatly.

Hearing the oddly familiar words, Li Yuan shook his head. From the shopkeeper's attitude, it was clear there was no room to negotiate.

He could only pretend he'd never said a word, pay up, and carry the huge bundle of wrapped meat in his arms.

With night not yet fallen, he returned to Blue Stone Village.

"Going back and forth like this is too much trouble. I need to find somewhere to live in Wuxi County."

He was alone anyway, so he was free to do as he pleased.

As Li Yuan had just passed through the Shanty Town with the meat in his arms, plenty of people had watched him with hungry, gleaming eyes.

Perhaps they could tell he wasn't someone to mess with, since no one came over to start trouble.

By the time he got home, it was already night.

The one good thing about winter was that meat kept well and didn't spoil so quickly.

Li Yuan quickly made all the meat into portions of dried meat of equal size.

That way, each time he ate, he could tell exactly which kinds of meat improved him the most.

After a few days, he soon figured out which kind gave him the greatest boost.

It was Silver-Backed Bear Meat.

Not only was it incredibly filling, but every time he ate it, a warm feeling spread from his stomach into his limbs.

Sometimes, he couldn't eat too much of it either. If he did, certain parts of him easily became engorged.

It wasn't cheap, either: five taels of silver per jin. Even the young masters in the Inner City probably couldn't afford to eat it every meal.

In the blink of an eye, another ten days passed.

Strangely, Wang Three Scars hadn't come looking for revenge with Yan Xiang, despite the beating Li Yuan had given him.

Whenever he saw Li Yuan, he kept well away.

But Li Yuan was happy to have some peace and quiet.

He continued his daily routine, going up the mountain to hunt, practicing stance work at the Martial Arts Hall, and using the money he earned from hunting to buy meat.

His body grew sturdier by the day. He was, after all, in his teens and still growing; you became what you ate.

Li Yuan's skills were improving steadily, too.

[Skill: Archery (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Progress: 460/800 points]

[Skill: Literacy (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 150/500 points]

[Skill: Five Animals Fist Stance (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 250/300 points]

[Skill: Consumption (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 150/200 points]

These were Li Yuan's current skill levels. His stance work and Consumption were both on the verge of reaching Minor Accomplishment.

The Consumption skill, in particular, was advancing rapidly thanks to the plentiful Silver-Backed Bear Meat.

No wonder these martial artists spared no expense to buy this kind of premium meat.

Over the past few days, Li Yuan had considered hunting bigger game. But forget ferocious beasts like Big Worm and Black Lump—even the wild boar he'd found last time had vanished. It really was a matter of luck.

Li Yuan had realized he simply didn't have enough hours in the day. Never mind practicing stance work; just searching the mountains for prey took up most of his time.

And hunting small game was just a waste of time for little reward.

It was greatly slowing the pace of his progress.

So Li Yuan planned to team up with his uncle or another old hunter. They would find the ferocious beasts, and Li Yuan would handle the killing.

That would save him time while earning him silver and premium meat.

Of course, there was another, more extreme method. But with his current strength, he couldn't afford to consider it.