At the same time, Su Hao asked Su Yun, "Patriarch, I have one more favor to ask. I need some medicinal herbs to aid my cultivation. Could the Lineage help me acquire them?"
Silver only served its purpose when exchanged for resources. To heal his hidden injuries, Su Hao needed secret medicines, and buying them on his own would take a great deal of time and effort. So he had asked the Lineage for help. With the Su family's connections, acquiring the herbs would be no problem.
Su Yun readily agreed to Su Hao's request. "Of course. Our Su Family Fort already has channels for supplying medicinal herbs. Just write down what you need and give me the list later!"
"Thank you, Patriarch!"
Su Hao thanked him sincerely. Although Su Yun hadn't spoken up for him earlier, Su Hao wasn't petty enough to hold a grudge.
"Ah Hao... you're giving up on entering the Martial Academy?"
Once the discussion was over and they had reached an agreement, Su Hao set off. When Mother Su learned what had happened, she was so shocked that she nearly felt faint.
In Sun Lan's mind, entering the Martial Academy was a broad road to success. Su Hao had given it up of his own accord in exchange for a sum of silver. It was tantamount to giving up his future.
What hurt Sun Lan even more was that she understood she might have held Su Hao back, leading him to make this choice.
"Mother, I'm still young. With my current strength, it'd be hard to make a name for myself at the Martial Academy anytime soon. In return, I can get resources right away and use them to transform myself within a year. Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of cutting wood. If I get another chance to enter the Martial Academy in the future, I'll surely make a stunning debut."
Su Hao carefully explained his reasoning to Sun Lan.
"Ah Hao... after what happened last time, you've become much more composed."
There was a steadiness and confidence in Su Hao's words that even touched Sun Lan. She felt that he had grown a great deal after his ordeal and no longer acted with the impatience he'd once shown.
"Ah Hao, you've grown up. As your mother, I'll respect and support your decision."
In the end, after Su Hao carefully weighed the pros and cons, Mother Su could only nod. She chose to believe in him and support what he was doing.
With Patriarch Su Yun as a witness, Su Hao successfully received a full five hundred taels of silver from Su Lie, the Su family elder. Both sides felt they had come out ahead, so it was a happy outcome all around.
Su Hao also asked Su Yun to acquire the herbs he needed.
"This ginseng is fairly old... but it isn't wild ginseng, and it's nowhere near the Blood Ginseng Father told me about. I'm afraid it won't be nearly as effective. Still, it should do for making the Eight Treasures Health Soup. The Angelica sinensis is good quality, though. Back on Blue Star, it was hard to find anywhere, but in this world, it seems they can grow it themselves..."
Several days later, Su Hao examined the bag of herbs he had acquired. He checked each one carefully and was ultimately quite satisfied.
In his previous life, when he had studied boxing under the old Daoist, the man had told him that practicing internal martial arts required learning how to maintain one's health. The body was the foundation of cultivation. With a strong, healthy body, one could make twice the progress with half the effort, avoid exhausting one's potential through martial arts training, and keep from ending up old and riddled with injuries.
Su Hao had paid close attention to his health while practicing internal martial arts in his previous life. Even at sixty, his qi and blood had remained vigorous, his hair had stayed black, and his physical condition had been no worse than that of a man in his thirties or forties!
The Eight Treasures Health Soup came from a recipe the old Daoist had given Su Hao. Fortunately, though these herbs were also expensive in this world, they could still be acquired with enough money.
Su Hao skillfully prepared the herbs and set them to boil in a pot.
"That smell... it's so strong."
Standing beside the medicine pot, Su Hao breathed in the rich herbal aroma and licked his lips, feeling hunger and thirst rise in waves.
"It's ready."
When the Eight Treasures Health Soup had finished simmering, Su Hao poured himself a bowl. The medicinal broth was pitch-black and gave off a potent herbal smell. He took a sip, finding it slightly bitter, but his eyes brightened.
"Mother, you only need a bowl of this every three days. It's a recipe Father left behind... it's good for your health. As for Xiao Qing, she's young, so one bowl every five days is enough."
Su Hao spoke to Sun Lan and Su Xiaoqing.
The Eight Treasures Health Soup was potent but gentle. Taken in measured amounts, it was highly beneficial to ordinary people.
"Do I have to drink medicine...? Xiao Qing isn't sick..."
Su Xiaoqing grimaced. Just from the strong herbal smell, she could tell the soup would taste bitter, but she obediently nodded anyway.
"Now... time to begin rehabilitation. I'll heal my hidden injuries, regulate my organs, and open up every meridian in my body. Within a year, I'll return to my former peak!"
Su Hao gulped down two bowls of the Eight Treasures Health Soup, then headed to a forest in the hills behind Su Family Fort. Excitement shone in his eyes.
Time never returned, and for a martial artist, it was vital to lay a perfect foundation during one's golden years. Only then could one reach greater heights!
With this young body, together with the realm and experience Su Hao had gained as a Master of Transformation in his previous life, he believed he could make it complete its transformation in no time and return to his former peak. Perhaps one day, he could go even further and surpass the realm he had failed to reach before his death!
Su Hao immediately began practicing the Five Animals Fist.
Tiger Lying on Rock!
He lowered himself to the ground, like a fierce tiger resting atop a boulder. Though he seemed relaxed, every muscle in his body trembled with his breathing, storing power, ready to unleash it. He stretched his muscles and bones like a tiger loosening its limbs, and a string of soft pops sounded throughout his body.
The Tiger Form Fist, one of the Five Animals Fist forms, was the foremost of the tiger, deer, bear, ape, and bird forms. It was also the best form for building a foundation, nurturing qi and blood, and strengthening the body. Su Hao had devoted himself to martial arts for forty years in his previous life. The Five Animals Fist had long since been carved into his soul.
Su Hao paced through the woods like an old tiger, matching form with spirit. As he settled into the rhythm and coordinated his movements with his breathing, his chest vibrated and let out a low tiger's roar.
The sound wasn't loud, but it carried powerfully. It was like the muffled, thunderous growl of a tiger or leopard. A bird perched on a branch of a nearby tree was so startled that it took wing in a hurry, leaving behind a feather.
Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound was a secret art passed down within the Five Animals Fist. The growling, tiger-and-leopard-like sound came from the resonance of bones, sinews, and internal organs. By setting his whole body vibrating in unison, Su Hao produced a sound that could strengthen his organs, sinews, and bones from the inside out.
To reach this stage, one first needed a willpower strong enough to "look within" and perfectly control every inch of one's muscles and bones. In his previous life, Su Hao had spent more than twenty years mastering this secret art!
Now, as the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound rang out in bursts and he coordinated it with his breathing and movements, a prickling numbness spread throughout his body. Sweat mixed with impurities poured from his pores, as if he were shedding his marrow and sinews. An unprecedented rush of exhilaration washed over him, and the hidden injuries accumulated in his body gradually began to heal.
So this is what it's like to have a young body... I'm in the golden age for martial arts training, and with the experience of an internal martial arts grandmaster, I'm making progress by leaps and bounds! At this rate, I'll open my meridians and generate internal strength again in at most a month or two.
Su Hao was astonished.
When Su Hao had first started practicing the Five Animals Fist, he'd begun from scratch and spent a full seven years building up his internal strength. Back then, his master, the old Daoist, had sighed that if only he'd been ten years younger, he could have developed internal strength within three years.
Now, Su Hao could do it in just a month or two. It was unheard of—nothing short of a miracle!
"Kh-ch! Kh-ch!"
At noon, during his break, Su Hao returned home for lunch as usual. He gnawed on a chicken leg, chewing slowly. Though he took his time with each bite and swallow, he ate quickly.
"Ah Hao's appetite has more than doubled..."
Watching him, Sun Lan was both astonished and delighted.
Sun Lan had once heard Su Yu say that powerful martial artists had enormous appetites. Being able to eat was a kind of talent, a sign of strength. Some powerful martial artists could supposedly devour a whole ox in a day!
Su Hao's appetite had increased greatly, which meant he was taking in more energy. That would speed up his growth, so it was a good thing!
And that was exactly what was happening.
"Practicing the Five Animals Fist and using the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound secret art to stimulate my body made me eat more, even when I was nearly fifty. It was as if my body had gone through a second growth spurt. And now I'm already at an age when my body is developing. I can see my physique growing stronger day by day!"
As Su Hao felt his body digesting the food and converting it into pure energy for absorption, he silently rejoiced at how quickly he was growing stronger.
After a full day of hard training, night fell. As usual, Su Hao cleared his mind, meditated, and tempered his will.
Hm? There's clearly more blood-red energy in the Mortal-Shedding Bead. So this must be how it stores energy: it absorbs some of the energy from the food I eat every day. Once it's fully charged, I'll see what makes it so extraordinary!
At the same time, Su Hao "looked" at the Mortal-Shedding Bead in the sea of consciousness between his brows. He keenly noticed that the bead's blood-red threads of energy had grown denser, and he understood what was happening.
Today, Su Hao had drunk a nourishing medicinal soup and eaten more than usual. The Mortal-Shedding Bead had absorbed some of that energy and stored it. He couldn't help looking forward to discovering what the bead could do!
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