Curfew

"I never imagined that the first stage of Boiling Blood would possess such formidable power!"

Walking back, Luo Tao could not help but exclaim.

The power behind Mao Shouzhuo's punch had undoubtedly shocked everyone present.

"Indeed."

Shen Mu echoed in agreement.

Reaching the ranks was something that seemed far beyond their current reach.

Yet, the first stage of Boiling Blood felt as if it were within their grasp.

"By the way, Taozi."

Shen Mu looked toward Luo Tao and asked, "How much of the beast meat you ate this morning do you think you've digested?"

"How much have I digested?"

Luo Tao was taken aback by the question. He pondered for a moment before saying, "I'd estimate about ten percent."

Ten percent?

Shen Mu fell into deep thought.

Given Luo Tao's bear-like physique, his digestion speed for beast meat was certainly higher than the average person's.

If he could only digest one tael of beast meat after a full day of body tempering, wouldn't it take him ten full days to digest a single catty?

Shen Mu, however, could clearly perceive that after a day of body tempering, his sense of fullness had faded significantly; he must have digested thirty percent of the beast meat he had consumed.

In another two or three days, he would surely be able to digest all the beast meat he had ingested.

Something isn't right. Could it be...

Shen Mu's heart skipped a beat.

If Luo Tao represented the normal digestion speed for body tempering, then the fact that he had digested three taels of beast meat after a single day of training meant something else.

Did this imply that his speed in tempering his body and nourishing his blood qi was three times faster than the average person?

I understand now. It must be the ancient tree in my mind that has granted me three times the digestion speed for beast meat!

Shen Mu's heart hammered against his ribs.

Mao Shouzhuo had once mentioned to the group that to break through to the first stage of Boiling Blood, one needed to consume at least ten catties of unranked beast meat.

At the average person's rate of digesting one tael per day, it would take at least three months to reach the first stage of Boiling Blood.

But with his triple digestion speed, wouldn't he be able to successfully enter the first stage of Boiling Blood in about a month?

As the saying goes, one step ahead, every step ahead.

While others were still struggling to reach the first stage of Boiling Blood, he would have already ascended, perhaps even beginning his push toward the second stage. The gap between them would only widen as time went on.

After parting ways with Luo Tao, Shen Mu hurried toward his home, unable to contain his excitement.

Back home, Shen Mu took a quick shower, changed into clean clothes, and sat cross-legged on his bed, sinking his consciousness into his mind to observe the changes in the ancient tree.

About three percent of one of the ancient tree's roots was already occupied by a scarlet mist.

"It seems my guess was correct; the scarlet mist appearing on the roots of the ancient tree is the blood qi I've nourished through body tempering."

"Does this mean that once this root is completely occupied by the scarlet mist, I will be able to step into the first stage of Boiling Blood in one go?"

Shen Mu looked at the towering ancient tree in his mind, lost in thought.

If the pinnacle of the martial dao meant that this tree in his mind was entirely filled with scarlet mist, then he hadn't even taken the first step yet; he still had a very, very long road ahead of him.

"Since this ancient tree can help me refine my cultivation, I shall call it the Martial Dao Tree from now on."

Shen Mu gave the tree in his mind a name.

Having roughly understood the function of the Martial Dao Tree, a new problem presented itself to Shen Mu.

Peripheral members of the Firewood Gang only received one catty of unranked beast meat per month.

If he wanted to accelerate his body tempering, he would inevitably need to purchase beast meat himself.

He had previously paid ten taels of silver to become a peripheral member of the Firewood Gang, and now his total assets amounted to only two taels and eight mace of silver—enough to buy only two catties of beast meat.

This amount of money was far from enough to bridge the gap to the first stage of Boiling Blood.

"Not enough money..."

Shen Mu couldn't help but look around his dilapidated house.

For the people of this world, a house was the foundation of one's life and livelihood; it was never to be sold unless absolutely necessary.

However, Shen Mu did not share this psychological burden.

A house was, after all, an external possession. Only by becoming strong himself could he ensure that even if his wealth were scattered, it would return.

"This house covers a hundred square meters; it should fetch a few dozen taels of silver."

"As for where to live after selling the house, I can easily afford to rent a place to stay temporarily."

"I just wonder if my late father, knowing this from beyond the grave, would be angry enough to crawl out of his ancestral grave to settle the score with me."

Shen Mu wore a strange expression as he immediately retrieved the property deed and headed out toward the brokerage.

As Shen Mu stepped into the brokerage, he saw a shopkeeper clicking away at an abacus in the main hall, while a shop assistant was idly dusting with a feather duster.

"Sir, how may I help you today?"

Seeing Shen Mu walk in, the shop assistant hurriedly set aside his duster and came to greet him with a fawning smile.

"I want to sell a house and would like to entrust the brokerage to put out the word."

Shen Mu got straight to the point.

The brokerage here was similar to the agencies of his past life.

"Selling a house?"

The assistant was taken aback for a moment before asking, "May I ask where the property you wish to sell is located?"

Shen Mu took out the deed and said, "Mist Glow Lane on Silver Moon Street."

The shop assistant glanced at the deed and continued, "That area is a bit remote. How much are you planning to sell it for? Are you in a rush to sell, or are you looking for a slow sale?"

"Sixty taels of silver, and I'm in a rush!"

Shen Mu said, "It would be best if it could be sold within this month."

"That urgent?"

The shop assistant couldn't help but take another look at Shen Mu before quickly recording the specific house number.

"Sir, we can have your property listed by tomorrow morning. The brokerage will charge a five percent commission upon the sale. Do you agree to these terms?"

Shen Mu nodded. If the house sold for sixty taels, a three-tael fee was acceptable; after all, without the brokerage to attract buyers, he had no idea when he would be able to offload it.

The shop assistant continued, "Sir, if a buyer wants to view the property, when will you be available?"

Shen Mu replied, "I'm not home during the day, so evenings would be best."

The shop assistant nodded, "Understood. If there is a buyer, I will bring them over to view the house in the evening."

Shen Mu said no more and was ushered out of the brokerage by the attentive assistant.

"Hmph, another brat selling his grandfather's house without a shred of heartache."

Seeing the assistant return, the shopkeeper gave a cold snort and spoke in a sour tone.

In this world, many people wouldn't dream of touching their family home even if they were reduced to living on thin porridge.

"Heh heh, Shopkeeper, you shouldn't let the customer hear you say that."

The shop assistant chuckled, "He looked to be only seventeen or eighteen. Selling the house must be to get the silver to train at a martial hall. If he can become a martial artist in the future, earning back the price of a house will be easy, won't it?"

"Selling a house just to become a martial artist?"

Hearing this, the shopkeeper shook his head and sneered, "Do you really think becoming a martial artist is that simple?"

"Take my own boy, for instance. He started training at the Hundred Generations Martial Hall last year, and in just one year, he's already cost me over thirty taels of silver. He's only at the first stage of Blood Forging now. If he wants to become a ranked martial artist, I doubt five hundred taels would even cover it..."

"Five hundred taels?"

The shop assistant's expression shifted, and he forced a laugh, "You're truly wealthy, Shopkeeper. I don't think I'll earn that much in my entire life."

"Sigh."

The shopkeeper let out a soft sigh, "I wanted him to take over my business and guard this brokerage; he'd at least be guaranteed a life free from hunger. But that brat was hell-bent on martial arts, so I just let him be."

The shop assistant laughed, "Shopkeeper, who in this world doesn't want to become a martial artist?"

"If my old man had the money, I would have wanted to be one too."

Shen Mu was naturally unaware of the conversation between the assistant and the shopkeeper after he left.

Selling the house to exchange for resources for his cultivation was the only way.

Any other method of earning money would only slow down his progress in body tempering and nourishing his blood energy.

Could he really earn enough by chopping wood outside the city every day? He wouldn't even be able to afford a pound of monster meat in a month.

Money is always best used to invest in oneself; that is the most correct path!

Just as Shen Mu was walking toward Silver Moon Street, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly erupted from the end of the street.

The people strolling along the road hurriedly pressed themselves against the sides to avoid being trampled.

Shen Mu also quickly ducked to the side while looking toward the direction of the sound.

As far as he knew, in Cloud Dragon County, only those from the military camp were permitted to ride through the streets; everyone else had to dismount and lead their horses upon entering the city.

The military camp was also the number one power among the nine major factions of Cloud Dragon County.

Long Xiao, the chiliarch of the Cloud Dragon Battalion, was a seventh-rank martial artist and the strongest in Cloud Dragon County. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the uncrowned king of the county.

"Clop, clop, clop~"

The hoofbeats drew near, and a dozen soldiers galloped past.

The leading captain shouted loudly for all to hear, "Effective today, a curfew is in effect starting at the hour of the Rat. Anyone found lingering on the streets will be arrested and thrown into prison!"

"A curfew?"

Watching the backs of the soldiers as they retreated, Shen Mu was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly understood.

"If my guess is correct, it's likely that more and more martial artists are passing through Cloud Dragon County, forcing the barracks to impose a curfew to prevent ordinary civilians from being caught in the crossfire of their battles..."

"This world is truly becoming more chaotic by the day."

Shen Mu sighed with emotion.

He did not know if Gu Yunfan, the one who had triggered all this turmoil, had truly obtained a copy of the Extreme Profound Scripture.

Regardless, for him at this moment, the Extreme Profound Scripture was still far too ethereal a thing; even if he were to obtain it, it would only invite a fatal disaster upon himself.

With the Martial Dao Tree to accelerate his cultivation, given time, it was not impossible for him to become a powerhouse in his own right, or perhaps even the second Martial God to follow the one from ten thousand years ago!

The news of the curfew sparked much heated discussion among the pedestrians on the street, but Shen Mu did not linger, quickly heading in the direction of his home.