At three in the afternoon, his shift ended.
Chen Yuan didn't head straight back to Huo Academy. Instead, he found a place to look through the Dragon-Elephant Prison-Suppressing Body booklet he'd been carrying.
His eyes shone as he read through it.
It was an extraordinarily profound body-tempering method. The booklet claimed that, once mastered, it could grant one the power to wield boundless, domineering laws and suppress every enemy.
However, this thin booklet was only a fragment, containing just the first three levels of the Dragon-Elephant Prison-Suppressing Body. They were all basic body-tempering methods, with none of the more profound techniques. The original owner had jokingly called it the Dragon-Elephant Body-Refining Art.
Even so, it was still quite valuable.
The handwritten notes stated that once the first two levels were mastered, no beginner martial artist of the Four Realms and Three Forces could so much as harm a single hair on your body.
Even beyond the Four Realms and Three Forces, a Gathering Origin martial artist would find it no easy task to kill you.
If you mastered the third level of the Dragon-Elephant Prison-Suppressing Body, you could suppress Gathering Origin cultivators with a mere lift of your hand.
It was a truly domineering claim.
Chen Yuan yearned for it and began studying the cultivation methods in detail. The more he read, the more his brows furrowed, and much of the joy in his heart faded.
The first level, the Elephant Bone Pattern-Birth Realm, was already extremely difficult to cultivate.
It required a combination of internal nourishment and external training. Without medicinal decoctions, it was impossible to practice.
The booklet listed a series of required herbs. Chen Yuan had never even heard of most of the ingredients in the first two formulas. Only the third, the cheapest, contained herbs he recognized.
Even that wasn't cheap. One batch of decoction lasted only two days, so he would need to brew it continuously.
Chen Yuan set out at once for the nearest apothecary, making discreet inquiries about the prices of those herbs.
To avoid any possible risks, he visited three apothecaries in succession, asking about different ingredients in batches and mixing in unrelated herbs. After all that hassle, he learned that one batch cost a tael of silver.
He couldn't help clicking his tongue. A batch lasted two days, which meant fifteen taels of silver a month. His monthly pay was only seven taels, or ten with his allowance—not enough to cover the herbs.
He had gotten more than twenty taels of silver yesterday, but he could only spend that money slowly. He didn't dare use it too openly, or someone would inevitably notice.
Fortunately, the first level worked directly on the Bone Realm. Since he was still at Skin Refining, this wasn't the best time to cultivate it, so there was no need to rush.
At worst, he could train until he reached the entry level, then use Dao of Survival Points to raise the rest. Sooner or later, he'd be invincible.
Practicing martial arts was tedious. Only the constant growth of one's strength gave life something to look forward to.
A few more days passed, and Chen Yuan finally reached minor mastery in Skin Refining. His skin grew tougher and tougher, and ordinary people could leave no mark on him, even with punches and kicks.
He found an opportunity to report to Fan Dajiang. "Chief, I've reached minor mastery in Skin Refining."
The reason for reporting, of course, was to get a raise.
Fan Dajiang nodded. "Mm, good. I'll let Internal Affairs know and raise your monthly pay to eight taels."
He gave Chen Yuan a discreet once-over, thinking that the man Huang Yan had introduced really wasn't bad. It had taken him less than a month and a half to break through the Skin Realm and reach minor mastery in Skin Refining.
Even Tian Peng, with his Grade C-Upper aptitude, had only been this fast.
Another tael more. Chen Yuan smiled and clasped his hands. "Thank you, Chief."
"Mm. Keep up your martial training and do your work well. The Li Family won't treat you unfairly," Fan Dajiang said with a smile.
Then he remembered something and asked, "Chen Yuan, you've been working as a guard for the Li Family for over a month now. You've been diligent and conscientious. Would you be interested in a transfer?"
Chen Yuan's heart stirred, but he kept his expression calm as he said,
"Please explain, Chief. If the Lineage has another assignment for me, and I'm capable of it, I won't refuse."
Fan Dajiang nodded slightly and explained,
"Some factions' medicinal fields have recently been attacked, and they've suffered considerable losses. Our Li Family has remained unharmed, but we can't afford to be careless.
"To prevent trouble, we're preparing to assign more people. The pay will be higher, too. If you're willing to guard a medicinal field, we can raise your monthly pay to ten taels."
Chen Yuan didn't accept right away. "Chief, what exactly would guarding a medicinal field involve? What level of strength would the job require?"
He asked politely, but there were only two things he wanted to know.
Would it be easy, and would it be dangerous?
Fan Dajiang said,
"The work is a little more relaxed than being a guard. There's only one task: keep the medicinal field safe, mainly from attacks by wild beasts and strange beasts. You'll need to stay near the field, but you can practice martial arts whenever you like. I'd be glad to see you grow stronger.
"As for strength, what you have now is enough. Don't worry. If you run into something you can't handle, go straight to the Attendant on duty over there and ask for help."
Chen Yuan considered it. This new job really did seem pretty good.
As a guard, he had to patrol for two whole hours every day. It was exhausting, practically a waste of life.
If he guarded a medicinal field, he'd probably have three and a half hours of free time during a four-hour shift. Maybe he wouldn't have anything to do all day. Wasn't that wonderful?
More importantly, the pay was high—fully a quarter more.
As for attacks on the medicinal fields, Chen Yuan didn't believe anyone in Qingyuan County would dare target one of the Four Great Families, the Li Family.
And if anyone did show up, it was the same as being a guard: he could just run.
Once he'd thought it through, he clasped his hands and said, "Thank you, Chief, for giving me this opportunity. I'm willing to guard the medicinal field."
Fan Dajiang smiled faintly.
"Good. After your shift ends today, go to Internal Affairs and settle your pay as a guard. I'll make the arrangements. Someone will take you to the medicinal field this afternoon and show you the ropes."
"Yes, Chief. I'll take my leave." Chen Yuan clasped his hands and left.
He couldn't help marveling at how efficient the Li Family was. Personnel transfers could be completed the same day, and pay settled on the spot. They were at least fifty percent better than the companies in his previous life.
Back at the Martial Arts Arena, after a bit of chatting, his colleagues all learned that he'd received a promotion and raise, and was being transferred to the medicinal fields.
They congratulated him, but they were also terribly envious. Guarding a medicinal field was a cushy job. The fact that the chief was willing to entrust it to Chen Yuan showed that he valued him.
"Chen Yuan, you're leaving this afternoon. Let me see you off," Tian Peng suddenly said.
At the same time, he raised a hand and gestured for a spar.
Clearly, Tian Peng's idea of seeing him off was one last fight, much like a farewell bout.
Chen Yuan smiled. "Come on, Brother Tian. I'm all yours."
Tian Peng was an interesting fellow. After suffering a minor setback at Chen Yuan's hands that night, he'd requested a shift change to work mornings alongside him. They often sparred.
By now, Chen Yuan knew the ins and outs of the Thunder-Bolt Hand like the back of his hand.
The bout ended, leaving them both thoroughly satisfied.
Tian Peng took a gulp of water and smiled.
"Chen Yuan, the first time we fought, I wasn't convinced. I thought, 'How could someone with a D-Grade Bone Structure possibly be my equal?'
"But after sparring with you this past month, I've realized you really do have skill. You reached minor mastery in Skin Refining in just over a month—several days faster than me!"
He had reached minor mastery in Skin Refining more than a month ago, but breaking through the Skin Realm had taken him much less time than grasping Clear Force. So by the time he joined the Li Family, he'd already been at that level for a while.
Chen Yuan smiled. "You can't compare us like that. I've put all my effort into building up my qi and blood."
Tian Peng nodded. He'd noticed that too. Chen Yuan's progress in Six Harmonies Mind Boxing didn't match the talent he'd shown by grasping Clear Force in just two and a half months.
"You'll have to work harder. Building up your qi and blood isn't enough; you need balanced progress. I'm about to reach minor mastery in Clear Force. When we spar again, I won't go easy on you."
Chen Yuan just smiled.
In a little while, he'd be able to put his talent for comprehension to the test.
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