Frenzied Devouring, Frenzied Growth

"Good thing I have automatic cultivation—saves me who knows how much effort."

Su Zhan sighed in admiration. "The fourth technique is already in place. This unexpected windfall saved me all the money I had on hand."

"I can spend it all on spirit weapons and pills!"

Four techniques were already secured.

Learning more was pointless; the slots were full.

Immediately, Su Zhan got up cheerfully and walked straight out of the technique sales area.

But before leaving, he didn't forget to fold the cushion back neatly and tuck it away...

Passing through the entrance.

The staff only gave Su Zhan a brief glance and said nothing.

Every day, plenty of people came just to look and left without buying.

They weren't worried about you secretly memorizing or learning anything either.

Because the technique books on display here only contained the first third of the content at most; the rest was blank, and you had to pay to get the full version.

What, you think you can just learn the first third?

The consequences of an incomplete technique range from mild—reversed qi flow and qi deviation—to severe—technique backlash and instant death!

In this world, no one had ever managed to learn a technique from just a third of its content... so the Martial Hall didn't bother worrying about that.

"Excuse me, give me three of these Second-grade Revival Pills!"

"And three Azure Spirit Jade Pills too!"

"Golden Marrow Pills—yes, these Golden Marrow Pills—three of them as well."

"These few Primary Spirit Weapons add up to 35 Gold Coins, right? Fine, I'll take them all!"

"..."

Su Zhan started buying like crazy.

Everything was useful, everything brought huge benefits, so he didn't hold back. He blew through all 320 Gold Coins in one go.

In the end, he had just over one Gold Coin left, which he kept for living expenses.

"Ah, so satisfying~"

Su Zhan carried a large bundle that clinked and clattered with every step, but his face was still full of contentment as he left the Martial Hall.

He glanced at the Chat Group; the techniques were already in an uproar, each one demanding food.

"Alright, alright, once we're back, I'll give you all a big feast!"

Meanwhile.

By a window on the second floor.

A girl wearing the same student uniform as Su Zhan, with an ethereal, otherworldly aura, long black hair, and a pure, stunning beauty, sat by the window drinking tea with a middle-aged man in a luxurious robe.

"Uncle Zhou, thank you so much."

Lin Jinyu took a sip of tea and smiled in gratitude.

"Xiao Yu, don't say that. It's just a batch of Grade 3 Pills—nothing difficult for me."

Uncle Zhou chuckled.

On his chest was a silver badge engraved with a furnace, symbolizing a profession both rare and revered among martial artists—the Alchemist!

Where there are pills, there must be those who refine them.

But not everyone could become an Alchemist; talent, perseverance, insight, knowledge—none could be lacking.

A silver badge marked a Fourth-grade Alchemist.

Alchemists of this level were exceedingly rare throughout Heaven City.

Naturally, refining a batch of Grade 3 Pills was trivial for him.

"Hm?"

At that moment, Lin Jinyu's peripheral vision caught a familiar figure outside the window.

It was Su Zhan, leaving with a bright smile and a cheerful mood.

"It's him."

Lin Jinyu recognized him at a glance, and her beautiful eyes couldn't help but follow him for a few more looks.

Uncle Zhou noticed as well.

He too recognized Su Zhan's silhouette.

As one of the veterans of the Lin Group, he had naturally heard about some of the past between Lin Jinyu and Su Zhan.

One was a poor kid with no background to speak of.

The other was the heiress of a conglomerate, blessed with extraordinary talent.

Two people who should have had nothing to do with each other—yet they were childhood sweethearts, raised together from a young age.

This kind of relationship, the sort you'd only find in novels, is indeed rare in real life.

"Looks like he's pretty happy. Must have gotten quite a haul," Uncle Zhou said with a smile, taking a sip of tea.

Lin Jinyu snapped back to reality. "Uncle Zhou, could you check what he just bought?"

"That's simple."

Uncle Zhou raised a hand, and someone behind him leaned in. After he gave an order, his subordinate left immediately.

In just a few minutes, the subordinate returned with a list.

"Thank you."

Lin Jinyu took it and glanced over it. "Pills... spirit weapons?"

"Looks like that kid's planning to go for Martial Sciences."

Uncle Zhou had also caught a glimpse of the list. "But the pills he bought are all over the place—no rhyme or reason. Revival Pills stabilize one's realm, Azure Spirit Jade Pills heal injuries, Nourishing Yuan Pills nourish flesh, blood, and bones... Even if he takes them all, it might not help his realm or combat strength much."

"Still too young."

As an Alchemist, he knew the effects of pills inside and out.

Going for Martial Sciences was fine.

But the pills he bought were all foundation-nurturing stuff—basically spending big money on small results. The cost-performance ratio was terrible.

'Grade One, Grade Two... a considerable quantity. He must have emptied his savings for this.'

Lin Jinyu said nothing. She silently set down the list and looked out the window at Su Zhan's retreating figure, her expression complicated.

"Xiao Yu, it's fine to look, but don't get any other ideas."

Uncle Zhou teased. "Your Uncle Zhou here can't afford to carry that big pot."

"Uncle Zhou is joking."

Lin Jinyu withdrew her gaze, smiled faintly, and continued discussing the material details for the Grade 3 Pill with Uncle Zhou.

On the other side.

Just as he got home.

"Ding! Jade Body wishes to devour your Golden Marrow Pill x1. Allow?"

"Ding! Nine Fire Saber wishes to devour your Primary Spirit Weapon x1. Allow?"

"Ding! Basic Qi and Blood Method wishes to devour your Revival Pill x1. Allow?"

"Ding! Bloodthirsty Rampage wishes to devour your Azure Spirit Jade Pill x1. Allow?"

"..."

The prompts in Su Zhan's mind hadn't stopped the entire way back.

The techniques were all drooling with desire.

Even Bloodthirsty Rampage was no exception.

"Alright, alright!"

"Look at you all, so impatient."

"We'll go one by one now!"

As soon as Su Zhan spoke, the techniques immediately behaved themselves.

"Same old rule—big brother goes first!"

"You want to eat a Revival Pill, right? A Grade Two pill. Let's see how many times it multiplies."

"Allow!"

Su Zhan willed it.

"Ding! Basic Qi and Blood Method has devoured your Revival Pill x1. Cultivation accelerated by 10 times. Current Cultivation Multiplier: 14!"

10 times!

That was more than double the effect of a Grade One pill!

But that was only to be expected.

A Grade Two pill cost seven or eight times more than a Grade One pill, yet it only gave a little over double the cultivation multiplier. That was actually on the low side.

"Looks like I should still chug low-grade pills until the gains get too small, then move on to high-grade ones!"

Su Zhan's thinking was gradually becoming clearer.

"Next, keep going!"

"Ding! Nine Fire Saber has devoured one of your Primary Spirit Weapons. Cultivation speed doubled. Current Cultivation Multiplier: 6!"

Su Zhan's eyes flickered. "So it's a fixed multiplier, regardless of type..."

Since Intermediate Spirit Weapons were too expensive—often costing hundreds of Gold Coins—he had no choice but to keep feeding it Primary Spirit Weapons.

Last time, the devoured weapon was a sword-type spirit weapon. This time, Su Zhan deliberately switched to a saber-type, to better match the technique itself... But the result proved that within the same grade, no matter the category, the benefit was identical.

For Su Zhan, this was good news!

Sword and saber-type spirit weapons, due to high demand, were often the most mass-produced on the market, making them relatively cheaper. Conversely, weapons like staves, axes, and spears—used by fewer people and less common on the market—were actually more expensive.

Since the effect and benefit were exactly the same...

That meant Su Zhan could simply buy the cheapest ones and be done with it!