Exotic Beast Meat

"Excellent medicine!"

Li Beichen couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

After applying this ointment, the hunger he felt was even more intense than usual.

At noon that day, Li Beichen served himself an extra bowl of rice.

Not only did he finish the venison he had brought, but he also cooked an extra dish in the small kitchen.

He sliced half a catty of beef, only then managing to satisfy his body's requirements.

After finishing his meal, Li Beichen hurried out of the martial arts hall.

Ram City, Market Ward.

Wang Er Meat Shop, Li's Stewed Offal.

The place was packed.

Li Beichen hadn't even known that Wang Er had specifically given the stewed offal such a name.

He stood across the street, watching the business in front of the meat shop for a while.

Ninety percent of the customers were there to buy stewed offal, with only ten percent there to buy raw meat.

Li Beichen walked over to the meat shop, where Wang Er was busy fishing out pork intestines for a customer from a bubbling iron pot of brine.

Seeing him arrive, Wang Er hurriedly wiped his hands, pulled out a wooden stool, and gestured for him to sit.

Li Beichen sat down beside the meat shop with a bold, unrestrained posture; since his Giant Elephant Fist had broken through to the "Elementary" stage, his physique had become noticeably more robust, giving him the overall air of a lean and hardy martial artist.

True to their prior agreement, Wang Er told everyone who asked that Li Beichen was his boss, and that Li Beichen was the true owner behind the stewed offal business.

After staying for about an hour, Li Beichen brushed off his pant legs and left the Market Ward.

Meanwhile, the news that a martial artist was behind the Wang Er Meat Shop's stewed offal business began to circulate quietly among the surrounding neighbors.

Having temporarily handled matters with Wang Er, Li Beichen threw himself heart and soul into the practice of Giant Elephant Fist.

With the Giant Elephant Meat-Refining Paste and sufficient meat to replenish his energy, Li Beichen could now gain over ten points of progress during a single afternoon of training.

Combined with his morning session, he could gain at least twenty points of progress in a single day.

If he happened to run into Senior Brother Zhang Meng or Fifth Senior Sister Fang Meiqin and they were willing to offer a few pointers, his progress would grow even faster.

In just four or five days, the progress on his panel had already passed the halfway mark.

Li Beichen himself changed almost daily; during this period of martial arts training, his body weight had increased by a full ten catties.

Furthermore, he showed no signs of being bloated; almost all of this growth was pure muscle.

However, Li Beichen was also facing another very thorny problem.

As his cultivation improved, the amount of meat he needed to consume grew ever larger.

And Li Beichen's venison was about to run out!

Venison was highly nourishing, far exceeding pork or even beef, but even so, it was barely enough to keep up with Li Beichen's rapid growth.

Now that it was nearly exhausted, Li Beichen had to find a way to deal with it.

His panel was powerful; as long as he broke through to the next realm, he could create something from nothing, directly growing muscle, improving his physique, and even gaining sudden insights.

But the prerequisite for this was that he had to be able to break through the realm.

Only at the moment of breaking through could he obtain special traits.

Li Beichen speculated that he could push himself recklessly—training without eating—to force his realm upward, not fearing even if his body became hollow and depleted.

Once the realm was reached, the panel would directly instill energy, restoring his blood and qi to perfection.

But Li Beichen considered this method to be the path of a demon.

The risk was too great.

And it was a desperate gamble.

If he were to suffer from exhaustion or injury before breaking through, pushing his body to its absolute limit, and an accident occurred—or if a strong enemy were to show up while he was in that state—he would be left with nothing but regret.

Unless he was in a moment of extreme peril, Li Beichen still intended to follow the righteous path.

Ensure his state was optimal, then proceed with cultivation.

Moreover, Li Beichen had discovered that while the panel could ensure his constant progress, his improvement was significantly faster when he was well-rested and full of vigor.

Now that he had the Giant Elephant Meat-Refining Paste, he had his medicinal needs covered, but Li Beichen still had to put some thought into his food.

After lunch was a half-hour rest period.

Li Beichen found He Keji.

He went straight to the point.

"Brother He, I heard you mention Exotic Beast Meat once before."

"Might I ask what exactly that is?"

He Keji glanced around his surroundings before lowering his voice.

"Brother Li, your progress has been rapid these past few days; your muscles are improving day by day. You must have realized by now that relying solely on pork and beef is not enough to grow muscle quickly."

"Just like there are martial artists among men, a small portion of animals are also extraordinarily powerful."

"This Exotic Beast Meat is the flesh and blood of these very creatures."

"Their life-blood is potent and highly nourishing for martial artists; a small piece can sustain high-speed muscle growth for an entire day."

Li Beichen stared at He Keji.

"Brother He, do you have a channel to purchase it? I am willing to pay a high price."

"Me? How could I? Exotic Beast Meat is incredibly precious. I am merely a down-and-out scholar from a humble background; how could I possibly possess such a thing?"

He Keji shook his head repeatedly.

Seeing He Keji deny it, Li Beichen did not press the matter further.

However, Li Beichen was certain that He Keji had secrets. This Brother He had only entered the sect half a month before him and was usually very frugal.

Not to mention buying Giant Elephant Meat-Refining Ointment, he had never once ordered extra food at the cafeteria, yet his progress in Giant Elephant Fist was also very fast. In Li Beichen's estimation, he had already reached the level of "getting a glimpse of the path."

Furthermore, his strikes were heavy and powerful, whistling with force.

He usually claimed it was just because he had some talent, but Li Beichen possessed the Hunting skill, and his powers of observation were sharper than the average person's.

He noticed that while He Keji's frame was quite ordinary, his muscles were very robust.

If someone were naturally gifted, their innate bone structure would be strong; such purely powerful muscles were most likely supplemented later on.

Since this Brother He was unwilling to speak, Li Beichen had to find another way to break through.

The next day, it happened to be Fifth Senior Sister Fang Meiqin leading the training.

During the break, Li Beichen approached Fang Meiqin for the first time.

"Fifth Senior Sister, Beichen has a matter he would like to ask about."

Fang Meiqin said with great interest.

"Speak!"

"I heard there is a type of Exotic Beast Meat that is the finest of all meats and can assist in cultivation. I wanted to ask if Fifth Senior Sister has any channels to purchase it."

"Take off your clothes!"

"What?!"

Li Beichen was startled.

However, Fang Meiqin's large hands had already reached out and clamped onto Li Beichen's arms.

"Not bad. Your muscles are growing very quickly; you indeed need better meat to nourish yourself."

"But Li Beichen, you must know that wild exotic beasts are rare and difficult to kill. Even for us Inner Courtyard disciples, each person only receives a fixed monthly ration. It's not even enough for our own use, let alone for sale to outsiders."

"However, as long as you agree to one condition, I can share a portion of my ration with you every month until you reach the graded ranks."

After saying this, Fang Meiqin withdrew her large hand and looked at Li Beichen with a burning gaze.

A chill rose in Li Beichen's heart.

"What condition..."

"Marry into the Fang Family."

Li Beichen's pupils constricted. He looked at Fang Meiqin, whose physique was a full one and a half times his size, and swallowed hard.

Admittedly, if one looked only at her face, Fang Meiqin had an oval face with fine features and could be considered a beauty.

But this physique truly made Li Beichen feel intimidated.

Seeing Li Beichen's gaze, Fang Meiqin scratched her head. She stretched out her fan-like hand and gestured at Li Beichen's body.

"Li Beichen, I think you've misunderstood. I don't have my eye on a little bean sprout like you."

"I have a Little Aunt at home who spent her early years in business and delayed her marriage. She is still unmarried to this day."

"She entrusted me with finding her a husband."