Body Tempering Perfection

After Chen Jing finished using the Blood-Qi Pill, he poured that portion of Blood-Qi Powder into his bath barrel that very night and tried it out.

The medicinal powder dissolved the moment it scattered into the water, turning the whole barrel of hot water a faint brownish red. A sharp, spicy medicinal smell rushed into his nose.

He sat down in the bath barrel and circulated the force-exertion method of the Fierce Tiger Stance. He only felt the medicinal power seep in through the pores all over his body, leaving him warm from head to toe.

It was like soaking in a pool of warm wine. By the time the medicinal power was fully absorbed, the proficiency of the Fierce Tiger Stance had risen by 100 points.

The effect of Blood-Qi Powder was one-fifth that of a Blood-Qi Pill, and so was its market price, around twenty taels of silver.

During this period, Chen Jing also went to collect the medicinal bath portion allocated by the martial hall to inner-courtyard disciples.

Compared with Blood-Qi Powder, the medicinal power of the bath herbs was even worse.

One portion could only raise proficiency by thirty to fifty points.

But no matter how small a mosquito's leg was, it was still meat. Resources he could take for free would be wasted if he did not.

Eldest Senior Brother Zhang Chengji was the last to come looking for him.

He carried a sheet of plans and a cloth bundle on his back, and got straight to the point as soon as he entered.

"Little Junior Brother, I wanted to talk with you face-to-face about the weapon."

"What do you want forged? Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, forks—as long as you can name it, I can draw the design."

Chen Jing thought for a moment, then took that black, heavy Butcher Knife out of the wardrobe and placed it on the table.

"Eldest Senior Brother, I'd like to ask you to help me forge a Butcher Knife, something like this will do."

This Butcher Knife had been passed down by Butcher Zhang and had been used for over ten years. Though sharp, its material could not be considered top-grade.

Moreover, after Chen Jing had used it to chop people a few times, he had faintly noticed the edge beginning to curl.

He did not want to ruin the keepsake Butcher Zhang had left him, so it was just as well that he could ask Zhang Chengji to help him forge a new one.

Zhang Chengji lowered his head and looked at the knife on the table, then froze for a moment.

The knife's shape was rough and bold. The blade was a little over a foot long, twice as wide as an ordinary short blade, and pitch-black all over, faintly exuding a bloody tang. It truly was a sharp tool for slaughtering pigs. Only, when Zhang Chengji raised his head, his expression was somewhat subtle.

"Little Junior Brother, are you sure?"

"I've forged sabers and swords for several junior brothers and sisters, and I've forged spears and staves, but you're the first to ask me to forge a Butcher Knife."

Chen Jing nodded, his tone very serious.

"To tell you the truth, Eldest Senior Brother, I was a pig butcher in Shuang'an Town."

"I used a Butcher Knife to slaughter pigs, and I used it to kill quite a few roving bandits too. It sits well in my hand."

Zhang Chengji looked at Chen Jing's serious expression and was silent for a while. Then he reached out, picked up the Butcher Knife from the table, and weighed it carefully in his hand.

Although the blade was rough and bold, its center of gravity was excellent. It felt weighty in the hand, and the curve of the edge was also quite particular.

"Then fine. As a greeting gift from me, your eldest senior brother, naturally I'll forge whatever Little Junior Brother wants."

Zhang Chengji took a charcoal pencil and the plans out of the cloth bundle and spread them over the stone table.

"I've already looked over this knife of yours. The curve of the edge, the thickness of the spine, the length of the handle—I'll measure them all and forge you a new one according to this form."

"For the material, I'll use Hundred-Refined Iron, so the edge will be sharp and the body of the knife won't break easily. Tell me if you have any other requirements."

Chen Jing thought it over, then pointed out each part of the Butcher Knife to Zhang Chengji one by one.

"Make the tip a little sharper. It has to be able to chop and thrust."

"Thicken the spine here by half a fen. As for the weight, just make it two parts heavier than this one."

As Zhang Chengji listened, he sketched and marked the plans. A moment later, he turned the drawing around for Chen Jing to see.

On the drawing was a short blade with the same form as the Butcher Knife in Chen Jing's hand, but its details were even more fierce and compact.

The blade was one foot long, the spine thick and solid, the tip keen and sharp.

Chen Jing looked it over and nodded.

"That's it. I'll trouble you, Eldest Senior Brother."

After seeing Zhang Chengji off, Chen Jing returned to his room, sat on the edge of the bed, and silently made some calculations.

The gifts he had received over the past few days were both a custom and a favor.

In an ancient master-disciple sect, when one prospered, all prospered; when one suffered, all suffered.

Since he had entered this door, they were one family. If the Cheng Family Martial Hall encountered trouble in the future, he could not sit by and do nothing.

On the seventh day after he had joined Lianshan Martial Arts Hall, Bai Zhixing came to visit.

This young master of White Horse Pharmacy had changed into a clean sky-blue long robe, and his hair had also been tied up again. He was like a completely different person from that wretched figure in the mountain ditch, dressed in rags with his face covered in blood.

He brought two servants with him, carrying bundles of gift boxes large and small. The moment he saw Chen Jing, he cupped his fists and bowed.

"Brother Chen, I've come to offer my congratulations."

"Congratulations on becoming Master Cheng's distinguished disciple."

Bai Zhixing had the servants behind him set down the gift boxes as well, his expression sincere as he said:

"If not for you and Instructor Wang acting that night, Bai would have long since been buried at the hands of those mountain bandits. For a great kindness, thanks need not be spoken; these modest gifts are hardly enough to show my respect."

"I hope Brother Chen will accept them."

Chen Jing opened the gift box and looked. Inside were, astonishingly, two Blood-Qi Pills, along with several packets of medicinal ingredients wrapped tightly in oil paper.

They were all precious materials for medicinal baths used in martial training, and their quality was more than a grade higher than the supplies the martial arts hall purchased in bulk.

The weight of this gift made Chen Jing once again understand the wealth of Bai Zhixing, the young master of White Horse Pharmacy.

Bai Zhixing said:

"As for Instructor Wang, I prepared another portion and had it sent to Shuang'an Town. If you consider me a friend, then accept it with peace of mind."

Seeing how thoroughly Bai Zhixing had thought things through, and since he truly did need martial resources, Chen Jing did not put on any affected refusal and accepted it gladly.

At the sight, Bai Zhixing beamed with joy. "If you need anything in Green Mountain City in the future, come to White Horse Pharmacy and find me anytime."

Chen Jing cupped his fists and thanked him.

He remembered what Wang Chong had said at the city gate: White Horse Pharmacy was one of the top pharmacies in Green Mountain City, with deep family reserves.

There was no harm in being on good terms with Bai Zhixing.

Now it seemed there was not merely no harm.

It was simply sending charcoal in the snow.

The days of cultivation passed swiftly.

Every morning, Chen Jing practiced fist techniques; every afternoon, he stood in stance training.

Day after day, without fail even if thunder struck.

With the two Blood-Qi Pills Bai Zhixing had sent, as well as the medicinal-bath ingredients, the proficiency of his Fierce Tiger Stance advanced by leaps and bounds, while Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord also climbed steadily.

On the fifteenth day after entering Lianshan Martial Arts Hall.

That night, Chen Jing soaked in the medicinal-bath tub, using the force of the Fierce Tiger Stance to guide the medicinal power along his spine.

The hot current surged through his meridians for a full two hours. When he ended the stance, the bones throughout his body crackled in a series of crisp pops, as if his entire person had been tempered anew from head to toe.

He could clearly feel that his blood-qi and force had already grown to the limit this body could bear.

Every inch of muscle, every tendon and bone, was full and brimming.

Not even the slightest trace more could be added.

[Fierce Tiger Stance, reached perfection]

[Fierce Tiger Stance (perfected)]

[Talent upgraded · Tiger Valiance]

[Tiger Valiance: Master the subtlety of force circulation; able to burst forth with the body's full force in an instant, increasing strength by 300%]

Chen Jing slowly ended the stance, opened his eyes, and let out a long breath. Fierce Tiger Stance had finally reached perfection.

Name: Chen Jing

Realm: Blood-Qi (minor accomplishment)

Martial Arts:

Fierce Tiger Stance (perfected)

Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord (minor accomplishment: 281/1000)

Basic Spear Technique (entered the hall: 500/2000)

Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique (great accomplishment: 205/5000)

Talents:

[Butcher] You are extremely familiar with the pig-slaughtering blade. When holding a pig-slaughtering blade, your blade speed increases by 50%, strength increases by 50%, Bone-Breaking increases by 50%

[Spear Like a Dragon] You handle spear and staff weapons with practiced ease. When using spears and staffs, accuracy increases by 25%

[Tiger Valiance] Master the subtlety of force circulation; able to burst forth with the body's full force in an instant, increasing strength by 300%

[Mountain Lord] You have a slight comprehension of fist techniques. Your fist momentum is like that of a fierce tiger, the lord of the mountain; under force circulation, speed increases by 15%, strength increases by 15%

Fifteen days ago, when he had first arrived in Green Mountain City, how could he have dared imagine that in a short half month, Fierce Tiger Stance would be perfected and Nine Forms of the Mountain Lord would reach minor accomplishment?

Poor scholars, rich martial artists—the saying truly did not deceive him.

If not for the greeting gift from his sect, and if not for Bai Zhixing's generous present, he probably would have needed to spend half a year more to train his stance skill to perfection.

Outside the window, moonlight was like water. The leaves of the loquat tree rustled in the night wind, and from afar came the clack of the night watchman's clappers.

Chen Jing blew out the lamp, lay on the bed, and closed his eyes.

With his stance skill perfected, next he should go look for a livelihood. Only by earning more money could he continue to support the progress of his martial training.