Blood Ginseng

"Huh? Jiang Chen's back?"

Zhao Xiaoyue, standing beside Wang Qingzhu, spotted Jiang Chen with sharp eyes.

"Jiang Chen?"

Wang Qingzhu followed the sound, somewhat surprised.

Wasn't it said that Jiang Chen had run into a malevolent spirit in the Cursed House, with no word on whether he was alive or dead?

Now, with his ruddy complexion, he didn't look like anything had happened to him at all.

"Qingzhu, he's really good to you—he queued up to buy you a meal as soon as he got back to the Martial Arts Hall."

Zhao Xiaoyue sounded quite envious.

Among Wang Qingzhu's many suitors, Jiang Chen was definitely the most devoted.

Too bad his talent was so poor—he'd been at the Martial Arts Hall for half a year and still hadn't condensed his qi and blood. There was no way Wang Qingzhu would take a liking to him.

"All he does every day is buy meals or give gifts—no real use at all."

Wang Qingzhu's expression was cold. She had joined the Martial Arts Hall to land a golden catch, not someone as mediocre as Jiang Chen.

Even so, she habitually found an empty seat, waiting for Jiang Chen to bring her food.

Zhao Xiaoyue shot Wang Qingzhu an even more envious glance before going to queue up herself.

"One bowl of Blood Ginseng Powder."

Soon, it was Jiang Chen's turn at the line. Besides the nutritious meal, he also ordered a bowl of Blood Ginseng Powder, costing several taels of silver.

Then, carrying his food, he found an empty seat and began to wolf it down.

In the past few days, even when he'd stood in stance for an entire day, he hadn't felt this hungry.

From this, it was clear how much stamina the Stone Moving Method consumed.

That made sense.

Cultivating the Stone Moving Method drained martial qi and blood.

And martial qi and blood were, at their core, the body's energy.

Naturally, the more martial qi and blood consumed, the greater the drain on stamina.

"He..."

Watching Jiang Chen eat on his own, both Wang Qingzhu, waiting for her meal to arrive, and Zhao Xiaoyue, still in line, were stunned.

Jiang Chen had completely ignored Wang Qingzhu and started eating himself?

What was he trying to do?

"What's up with Jiang Chen today? Not buttering up Junior Sister Wang?"

"Probably got a reality check a few days ago—knows it's useless now."

"Junior Sister Wang's still waiting for him to bring her food. Doing this, he's really making her lose face."

"What, you feeling sorry for her? Why don't you bring her food instead? Maybe Junior Sister Wang will be touched and take a liking to you."

"Forget it. Jiang Chen groveled for half a year with no results. I'm not about to embarrass myself..."

Hearing the chatter from the cafeteria disciples and the glances thrown her way, Wang Qingzhu's face gradually darkened. Then, with a cold expression, she stood up and walked straight out of the cafeteria.

"Qingzhu, wait for me."

Zhao Xiaoyue snapped out of it and hurried after her. As she left the cafeteria, she glanced back at Jiang Chen.

But Jiang Chen just kept his head down, scarfing down his food, showing no reaction to Wang Qingzhu's name at all.

"Jiang Chen, I think Junior Sister Wang is pretty pissed. Don't you want to go smooth things over?"

Just then, a burly figure sat down with his own meal.

"Her being pissed has nothing to do with me."

Jiang Chen glanced at the newcomer.

Luo Yang, the son of a merchant from the same street, had joined the Martial Arts Hall at the same time.

But Luo Yang had already broken through to the Second Qi and Blood Gate and had hopes of reaching the Three Qi and Blood Gates.

"Brother, you finally came to your senses?"

Hearing Jiang Chen's words, Luo Yang was extremely surprised.

The two had been close before, often chatting about stance-holding experience when they first joined the Martial Arts Hall.

But ever since Jiang Chen got obsessed with Wang Qingzhu and started hanging around with Zheng Hao and the others, they'd gradually drifted apart.

Who would've thought—Jiang Chen had finally woken up?

"I almost died. That clears up a lot of things."

Jiang Chen made up some random excuse.

Still, this excuse was convenient enough to explain his sudden transformation.

"You should've done this long ago. Whether it's Wang Qingzhu or Zheng Hao and the others, they've all been treating you like a fool. You just couldn't see it."

Luo Yang patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder, genuinely pleased with the change.

Gulp, gulp.

After eating, Jiang Chen picked up the Blood Ginseng Powder and downed it.

Soon, a scorching medicinal force pierced through his stomach walls, spreading through his organs, limbs, and bones. His entire body visibly reddened, with wisps of heat rising from his pores.

"This potency is terrifyingly strong. No wonder a single dose costs five taels of silver."

As Jiang Chen turned his mind inward, he could clearly see the fierce medicinal energy boiling inside him.

Compared to Blood Ginseng Powder, the Blood-Qi Soup was nothing more than a docile kitten.

"You drank the Blood Ginseng Powder?!"

Seeing Jiang Chen's state, Luo Yang was shocked.

Blood Ginseng Powder was only for those with a strong enough constitution.

Had Jiang Chen lost his mind?

"I'm heading out."

Jiang Chen quickly left the dining hall and arrived at the Practice Field, assuming the White Ape Stance.

Before long, stimulated by the Blood Ginseng Powder, Primordial Energy seeped out in an unending stream, far faster than with Blood-Qi Soup.

His martial blood and qi churned rapidly, refining that pure energy and steadily growing stronger.

"Though the Blood Ginseng Powder's potency is fierce, it's not impossible to absorb over the course of a day."

Jiang Chen carefully observed the medicinal force within him.

At this moment, the advantage of a constant Stance Sense became clear.

Each time he triggered Stance Sense, he could activate Primordial Energy once, and the Blood Ginseng Powder's potency would be absorbed once.

By triggering Stance Sense continuously, he could activate Primordial Energy without pause.

Naturally, the Blood Ginseng Powder's potency was absorbed every moment as well.

If he couldn't maintain a constant Stance Sense and his training was interrupted, the absorption rate would take a severe hit.

Under the blazing sun, time flew by.

The Hour of the Sheep.

Disciples who had finished their midday break trickled into the Practice Field.

When they saw Jiang Chen already standing in his stance, many shook their heads in disapproval.

Martial arts training required a balance of work and rest.

Pushing as hard as Jiang Chen would only break his body before long.

"Martial blood and qi?!"

Luo Yang, who had also arrived, sensed the surging martial blood and qi radiating from Jiang Chen, and he was utterly astonished.

Hadn't Jiang Chen barely trained at all since he got obsessed with Wang Qingzhu?

How long had it been since they last met, and he'd already condensed blood and qi?

What kind of miracle medicine had he taken?

After watching for a long while, Luo Yang snapped out of it and went to an open area to practice his fist techniques.

A low, booming fist wind rang out.

Amid the fervent training, another hour passed, reaching the Hour of the Monkey.

"Whew!"

On the open ground, Luo Yang, drenched in sweat from practicing the White Ape Fist, withdrew his fists and straightened his posture.

"Jiang Chen is still standing in his stance? Stance Sense?"

When he saw Jiang Chen still holding his stance, Luo Yang blinked again.

To maintain a stance for so long meant Jiang Chen had grasped Stance Sense.

In other words, Jiang Chen hadn't relied on external help to condense his martial blood and qi?

No.

Even with Stance Sense, it shouldn't be possible to stand continuously for nearly two hours.

Back when he was at the First Qi and Blood Gate, sustaining a stance for half an hour was already his limit.

"Hm?"

Luo Yang, still baffled, suddenly narrowed his eyes, then furrowed his brow.

At the edge of the Practice Field, a few slouching figures approached.

The burly man at the head was Zheng Hao, also Wang Qingzhu's cousin.

If Jiang Chen's infatuation with Wang Qingzhu was just one foot in the mud, then getting tangled up with Zheng Hao and his crew meant he was fully sinking into the mire.

Zheng Hao and the others had joined the Martial Arts Hall two or three years ago, making them senior disciples with considerable seniority.

Normally, old disciples like this, once they couldn't break through the Three Qi and Blood Gates, would leave the hall to find their own way.

But Zheng Hao and his group had stayed on.

They didn't stay to train in martial arts, but to recruit and befriend other disciples.

Some disciples with decent talent but modest backgrounds would accept support from other factions, and after leaving the hall, they'd join the faction that funded them.

In the Martial Arts Hall, people like Zheng Hao were not uncommon.

"Huh? Did this kid change his ways? Actually training?"

Arriving at the Practice Field, Zheng Hao and his men quickly spotted Jiang Chen.

Seeing Jiang Chen, against his usual habits, standing in a stance and cultivating, they were all quite surprised.

If it were the old Jiang Chen, he'd have come looking for them as soon as he got back to the hall.

"No way! He's grasped Stance Sense and condensed Qi and Blood?!"

After waiting a long while, Zheng Hao finally caught on and stared at Jiang Chen in shock.

"How did he do it?"

The others were equally baffled.

They knew Jiang Chen's situation inside and out.

Just a few days ago, Jiang Chen had only just achieved White Ape Stance entry-level. How could he now have Stance Sense and martial Qi and Blood?

Wasn't that too fast?

If condensing martial Qi and Blood could be rushed with training resources, Stance Sense was purely a matter of comprehension.

Was Jiang Chen's comprehension really that high?