Pills

Late in the afternoon.

Zheng Hao and the others, who had been borrowing money everywhere, finally sauntered over to the Practice Field.

"Dynamic Stance?!"

When they saw Jiang Chen practicing with sweat pouring down his face, their eyes widened.

Jiang Chen was actually practicing Dynamic Stance?

Had he reached the peak of the First Qi and Blood Gate?

"Wasn't Jiang Chen supposed to have Ordinary Bone Aptitude? How could he be practicing so quickly?"

One of the older disciples stared in disbelief.

Even if Jiang Chen had exceptional comprehension and grasped Stance Sense, there was no way he could reach the peak of the First Qi and Blood Gate in just a few days.

They had been practicing for years, and had only reached the Second Qi and Blood Gate.

"Looks like the Jiang Clan prepared something good for him!"

Zheng Hao's thinking was much like Wang Qingzhu's.

Jiang Chen had to be relying on outside help to progress so quickly, either a forbidden drug or an astonishingly valuable treasure.

The latter was more likely.

After all, Jiang Chen was the Jiang Clan's only child. They wouldn't have him take a forbidden drug.

That only made Zheng Hao more jealous.

His family was no less wealthy than Jiang Chen's.

The problem was, he had a whole pack of brothers, and his family gave him very few resources.

Jiang Chen, on the other hand, was an only child. Even if he wasn't lazy to the point of making it a habit, he still lacked for nothing.

"Brother Zheng, what about our plan...?"

The other disciples looked to Zheng Hao.

They had been coming to the martial arts school every day for the past few days for two reasons: to pool their money and repay the interest on their gambling debts, and to get a cut of whatever they could squeeze out of Jiang Chen.

Before, Jiang Chen had only just condensed Blood Qi, so they could handle him with ease.

But now he had reached the peak of the First Qi and Blood Gate, with three hundred units of Blood Qi. Things were different.

What if they slipped up...?

"What's there to be afraid of? So what if he's only at the peak of the First Qi and Blood Gate? Even if he reaches the Second Qi and Blood Gate, we can still handle him."

Zheng Hao sneered.

Jiang Chen's breakthrough was actually good news for them.

After all, the Jiang Clan would give him even more resources now.

They just had to seize the opportunity, and they'd soon be able to settle their gambling debts.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

At dusk, the sun sank in the west.

Thud~

Jiang Chen was practicing his fist techniques, his face slick with sweat, when his movements suddenly froze.

Deep within his Soul Sea, the Myriad Dao Chart shone with dazzling light.

[Technique: White Ape Fist · Beginner 0%]

After more than three hours of hard practice, he had officially mastered White Ape Fist.

At once, a steady stream of more complex insights poured into his Soul Sea.

Before mastering it, Jiang Chen had been able to perform the fist techniques fluidly, but his movements had merely been precise. He hadn't grasped their true meaning.

Now that he had officially mastered the technique, his understanding of White Ape Fist had clearly reached another level.

"No wonder it's called White Ape Fist, yet it's considered a cultivation technique."

Jiang Chen drew back his fists and straightened, murmuring to himself.

The twenty-eight moves of White Ape Fist were all designed to temper the Five Viscera with martial Blood Qi.

The higher his mastery of the fist technique, the more effectively it tempered them.

After dinner, he practiced hard for another two hours, as usual.

[Technique: White Ape Fist · Beginner 12%]

Compared with before he had mastered it, the burning sensation in his Five Viscera had eased when he practiced the fist technique.

That was the effect of advancing in the technique.

The Five Viscera were extremely fragile. When martial Blood Qi seeped into them, he had to apply the right amount of force, or he could injure them.

Once White Ape Fist was perfected, he figured, his Five Viscera would no longer feel uncomfortable.

"Eight hours a day. Twelve percent an hour means ninety-six percent in a day. If I keep up this pace, I'll perfect White Ape Fist in three days."

In the bathhouse, Jiang Chen soaked in warm water and silently calculated his progress.

It was the same old story.

If his aptitude fell short, he could make up for it with comprehension.

With the Myriad Dao Chart boosting his comprehension, his cultivation speed might not match the geniuses of the Inner Courtyard, but it wouldn't be far behind.

Over the next few days, Jiang Chen didn't slack off for a moment.

He got up at dawn.

Then went to sleep at Zi Hour.

He was easily the most relentlessly competitive disciple in the martial arts school.

And his hard work brought rich rewards.

White Ape Fist was rapidly approaching perfection.

Sun Wu, who had been paying close attention to Jiang Chen, thought more and more highly of him.

Not only was his comprehension astonishing, but he also had such tenacious perseverance. Jiang Chen was sure to achieve great things in the future. Zhou Yuqing had been completely wrong about him.

Thud~

That day, clouds obscured the moon, and a few scattered stars showed through.

Jiang Chen was practicing his fist technique alone on the Practice Field when his expression brightened.

[Technique: White Ape Fist · Perfect]

Just as he had expected, White Ape Fist had reached perfection on the Myriad Dao Chart.

Four days.

Just four days.

He had perfected this Dynamic Stance in that short time.

At such an astonishing speed, he could easily outshine anyone in the martial arts school.

"Starting tomorrow, I can take the Five Elements Pill."

Jiang Chen was in high spirits.

Over the past few days, apart from practicing, he had been gathering information about the Second Qi and Blood Gate.

He now understood its cultivation requirements inside and out.

As long as his Dynamic Stance was perfected, he could take advanced secret medicine even without a breakthrough in cultivation.

"Time to sleep."

After a warm bath, Jiang Chen slipped into bed, completely at ease.

The next morning.

He woke up on time, washed up quickly, and headed to the dining hall.

"Master Qian, I'll take a Five Elements Pill."

After filling his plate with food, Jiang Chen bought a pill.

"Thirty taels of silver."

As he'd learned beforehand, the Five Elements Pill cost several times as much as Five Elements Soup.

"I'll have to go home for more money."

After spending all the silver he had on him, Jiang Chen dug into his meal.

Gulp.

Then he swallowed the Five Elements Pill.

About half a tea break later,

the pill's powerful yet gentle medicinal energy spread through his body. It nourished his Five Viscera, and every cell seemed to cheer.

Compared with Five Elements Soup, the Five Elements Pill had several times the medicinal energy, and its quality had undergone an astonishing transformation.

No wonder one had to perfect White Ape Fist or reach the Second Qi and Blood Gate before taking a Five Elements Pill.

With such powerful medicinal energy, anything left unused in the body would turn into Medicine Toxin.

That was a major taboo for martial artists.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Jiang Chen hurried to the Practice Field and skillfully practiced White Ape Fist, his strikes sending out a deep, thunderous wind.

As he performed the fist technique, the powerful medicinal energy in his body flowed along with his martial Blood Qi, steadily seeping into his Five Viscera.

Before long, his Five Viscera grew warm. It felt as if some kind of heat were about to burst out of them.

"At last, there are signs of a breakthrough."

Jiang Chen was delighted.

That faint, intermittent current of heat had to be Five Viscera Essence.

That was how it had felt when he first activated Primordial Energy.

Sure enough, the stronger the supplementary medicine, the better its effect on cultivation.

As time passed,

the sun rose, and disciples arrived at the martial arts school in twos and threes.

They were already used to seeing Jiang Chen bent over his practice.

His physical constitution was practically that of a beast, absurdly powerful.

At Si Hour.

"Brother Zheng, word from the dining hall is that Jiang Chen bought a Five Elements Pill this morning."

A disciple hurried over to the shady spot outside the Practice Field.

"A Five Elements Pill? Does that mean he's reached the Second Qi and Blood Gate?!"

Zheng Hao was stunned.

No way.

Jiang Chen had only reached the peak of the First Qi and Blood Gate a few days ago, and now he'd already entered the Second Qi and Blood Gate?

They had all made it through the First Qi and Blood Gate themselves, so they knew just how difficult it was to break through to the second.

Five Viscera Essence wasn't like Primordial Energy. It could only be refined slowly through painstaking practice.

Unless someone had Medium Bone Aptitude, there was no way they could make the leap with outside help.

"I just went to the Practice Field to check. He hasn't broken through yet. From the way he looks, he's probably perfected White Ape Fist."

The disciple explained.

When someone reached the Second Qi and Blood Gate, their martial Blood Qi underwent a transformation, and their strength could reach four hundred pounds. It was easy to tell just by the force of their punches.

Jiang Chen, on the other hand, was still at the First Qi and Blood Gate.

"He perfected White Ape Fist?!"

Zheng Hao's eyes widened even further.

He had perfected White Ape Fist in just a few days?

Since when had White Ape Fist been so easy to master?

Was Jiang Chen's comprehension really that extraordinary?

"Since Jiang Chen's taken a Five Elements Pill, he'll probably have to go home for more money."

One of the older disciples was more concerned about the silver.

A single Five Elements Pill cost thirty taels. Jiang Chen had probably spent all the money he'd brought from home this time.

"After waiting so long, the opportunity's finally here."

Hearing that, Zheng Hao snapped back to his senses, his eyes lighting up.

The higher Jiang Chen's cultivation, the more money his family would surely provide. As long as their plan went smoothly, they wouldn't have to worry about their gambling debts.

"Take turns keeping watch for the next few days. Keep your eyes on him."

Zheng Hao gave the order, and the others nodded eagerly.