Lu Li picked up the Black Mountain Ginseng and sniffed it. Its medicinal fragrance wasn't as strong as the Flesh-Regenerating Pill's.
But it was refreshing and had a flavor all its own.
The fragrance traveled through his nose and flowed into his dantian.
It made Lu Li's dantian feel as though it were soaking in a hot spring, warm but not scorching.
From this, Lu Li could tell that the Black Mountain Ginseng's medicinal effects were definitely inferior to the Flesh-Regenerating Pill's.
Lu Li looked at the panel.
[Martial Arts: Tiger-Subduing Fist (Skin-Refining Realm 160/200)]
Although he'd been killing people and looting their goods these past few days, he hadn't neglected his martial training.
Thanks to his efforts, he needed only forty more proficiency points to break through to the Flesh-Refining Realm.
"Forty points. This Black Mountain Ginseng should be enough."
After a moment's calculation, Lu Li stuffed the Black Mountain Ginseng into his mouth and chewed and swallowed it like a candy bean.
It wasn't bitter at all. Instead, it had a hint of sweetness.
A cool sensation immediately spread through his mouth.
His mind cleared in an instant. It was quite miraculous.
As soon as the medicinal effects entered his body, they sank into his dantian and formed a lake. Like a main river, they instantly flowed through his limbs and bones, connecting to every part of his body before branching into tributaries.
Lu Li felt warm all over and exceedingly comfortable. He couldn't help letting out a soft hum.
Feeling the surging medicinal power within him, Lu Li didn't dare slack off. He quickly assumed the Tiger-Subduing Fist stance and began practicing each move, one at a time.
His fists whooshed through the air like a tiger roaring in the mountains, their momentum as fierce as a rainbow.
Bolstered by the medicine, that surging momentum grew even more imposing.
Lu Li's hands never stopped moving, and his body began changing at a visible pace.
His muscles rippled and swelled, stretching his hemp clothes tight and making him look sturdy and strong.
His blood and qi pumped like a bellows, cycling again and again, relentlessly washing over his flesh.
Listen carefully, and you could even hear the blood and qi inside him rushing and roaring like a surging river before crashing violently against his flesh.
With each cycle, Lu Li's flesh grew more solid.
Time gradually passed, and soon the sky was bright again.
After a night of heavy snowfall, the path was buried beneath snow up to the shins.
Yet not a single snowflake touched Lu Li. Centered on him, his fists had blown the snow away, piling it up elsewhere.
Feeling the medicinal effects weaken and then vanish completely, Lu Li finally ended his practice and suppressed the surging flow of his blood and qi.
He suddenly felt light all over, as if he'd broken through some sort of bottleneck.
Looking at his body again, he circulated his blood and qi. His muscles swelled as the blood and qi coursed through them, and prominent veins bulged like coiling dragons, brimming with strength.
Once he suppressed his blood and qi, his body returned to normal.
He couldn't help looking at the panel.
The section describing his martial arts had clearly changed.
[Life Master: Lu Li]
[Destiny: Heaven Rewards Diligence]
[Attributes: A worn-out horse travels a thousand miles; success comes through perseverance.]
[Martial Arts: Tiger-Subduing Fist (Flesh-Refining Realm 1/400) One practice a day; forty years to mastery.]
He'd broken through!
He'd reached a breakthrough just as the medicinal effects wore off!
Lu Li was overcome with excitement and joy. He hurried to the stone mill to test his strength.
He lifted it with one hand, raising it over his head with ease.
What's more, Lu Li felt as if the stone mill weighed no more than a feather. He hadn't needed to exert even the slightest effort.
The Flesh-Refining Realm tempered the flesh until it was as unyielding as stone. Its strength could reach two thousand jin!
This little stone mill was no longer enough to make him use all his strength.
Lu Li smiled faintly and gently set the stone mill down.
"I've reached the Flesh-Refining Realm. I wonder if that makes me a strong fighter in the county town?"
"I remember some martial arts school owners are only at this level."
"But this is only the Outer City. I don't know what the Inner City is like. If I get the chance, I'll have to ask around."
"If I really count as an expert, could I swagger through Changfeng County?"
At the thought, Lu Li felt a little dazed.
How long had he been practicing martial arts?
Not even ten days, all told!
And yet, in those ten days, he'd already entered the ranks of martial artists and reached a height many people could never hope to attain.
If he revealed his strength, his status as a Flesh-Refining Realm martial artist would surely make many factions scramble to recruit him!
Not only that, he'd also solved the problem of making a living. Now he had enough to eat and wear, and life was steadily improving!
Lu Li suppressed his joy, then looked at the panel and murmured, "The difficulty's doubled again? The martial path really is arduous."
"But for me, that's nothing!"
Shen hour.
Lu Li carried a basket of medicinal herbs to Huang Mansion to hand them over. As he approached, he saw Uncle Zhao beaming.
"Lu Li, I've got some good news for you!"
Lu Li took the basket of herbs off his back and set it on the ground, then put on a puzzled expression. "What good news?"
"Looks like you haven't heard. This is the best news you could ask for—your crisis is over!" Uncle Zhao clapped his hands and said excitedly.
Lu Li pondered briefly, then suddenly widened his eyes and put on an incredulous look. "Could it be...?"
Uncle Zhao chuckled and lowered his voice. "Zhang Hu is dead. Someone killed him in his home yesterday. I heard it was the Blood Wolf Gang."
"Zhang Hu is dead? What did Master Wang say?"
Lu Li shook his head. "I've never even met Master Wang. He doesn't know who I am. It's all that bastard Zhang Hu's fault."
"Now he's gotten what he deserved!"
Uncle Zhao's smile widened. "That's good, that's good. Lu Li, you're safe now."
Uncle Zhao was genuinely happy for Lu Li. If he didn't already have a family and couldn't devote himself to looking after him, he would have taken Lu Li in as his own son without a second thought.
If Zhang Hu dared to come take someone, Uncle Zhao would have dared to face him with a blade in hand!
Brother Lu had entrusted Lu Li to him, so he couldn't let Brother Lu down.
Otherwise, he'd have no face to meet Brother Lu in the underworld!
After that, Uncle Zhao chatted with Lu Li.
Uncle Zhao had been gathering herbs for many years and knew plenty of people. He often chatted with them, so he was fairly well-informed.
"You don't know? After Zhang Hu died, Zhao Heihu, the Black Wolf Gang's leader, flew into a rage."
"Zhang Hu was someone he'd personally planned to cultivate. He'd already promoted him to hall master and even given him that so-called great medicine, which could have helped the Black Wolf Gang gain another martial artist."
"But now the man's gone, and so is the medicine."
"In his fury, Zhao Heihu went out himself and seized one of the Blood Wolf Gang's halls."
"Once he'd made his move, the Blood Wolf Gang naturally couldn't just sit back and do nothing."
"Lin Batian, the Blood Wolf Gang's leader, went out too. The two of them fought a battle that plunged the heavens and earth into darkness, blotting out the sun and moon!"
"They say—though I don't know how it happened—that the moment they met, they started cursing each other. Then they went at it like men possessed, fighting until they were drenched in blood and refusing to stop. They looked ready to fight to the death. That's not how gangs usually behave."
"What do you think is going on between them?"
Lu Li knew the truth, but on the surface, he only put on a puzzled expression.
Uncle Zhao didn't dwell on it. "Who cares? As long as Zhang Hu's dead, that's what matters. That man was a menace and deserved to die. It's downright satisfying. Who knows how many households are cheering in secret?"
Lu Li hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Before long, dusk had begun to fall, and the two finally thought to head home.
Lu Li had the string of copper coins Uncle Zhao had given him on him and had meant to return them.
But the moment Uncle Zhao saw the coins, his expression turned stern and his eyes hardened.
Before Lu Li could say a word, Uncle Zhao solemnly pushed the coins back toward him.
"Take them and buy yourself some meat. Just look at how scrawny you are."
Lu Li couldn't refuse, so he put the coins away again.
Before you continue