Make Money!

At the same time, an indescribable hunger surged over him.

Zhao Ya felt utterly hollow, as if he could swallow an entire cow in one bite if it were placed before him.

Fortunately, Zhao Ya had prepared for this. He immediately pulled a strip of dried earthworm meat from his clothes and put it in his mouth.

There was no time to chew. He swallowed it whole.

In an instant, the ravenous stomach thoroughly shredded and absorbed the meat strip.

Yet instead of easing, the hunger only grew more intense.

Zhao Ya took out the box containing the dried meat and, caring about nothing else, stuffed handful after handful into his mouth.

As strips of dried meat entered his stomach, the Food Essence talent immediately activated, grinding them all into the finest particles before thoroughly absorbing their essence and replenishing the blood essence his body required.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

With each drumlike heartbeat, Zhao Ya felt the circulation of blood and qi throughout his body accelerate considerably.

Abundant blood and qi were pumped by his powerful heart to every corner of his body, nourishing every organ, sinew, and bone...

Finally, after swallowing nearly twenty strips of dried meat, the hunger gradually faded.

Zhao Ya slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling completely renewed and brimming with strength.

Was this the beneficial effect of strengthening his heart?

It truly was formidable!

Thinking of the talent he would gain upon unlocking his stomach, Zhao Ya could not help but feel anticipation stir within him.

He had already felt its effects at only three percent progress. What would it be like once it was fully unlocked?

The heart was the yang within yang, the sovereign organ that governed the body's blood vessels and formed the foundation of blood and qi circulation.

No martial cultivation could do without a powerful heart.

If he could unlock his heart sooner, it would surely lay a solid foundation for his future training and benefit him endlessly.

With that thought, Zhao Ya's gaze grew even firmer.

Next, Zhao Ya took out the Meteoric Iron Saber and began practicing the Gale Saber Technique.

The moment he started, Zhao Ya experienced an entirely new sensation.

After fully mastering Tendon Transformation, both his strength and reaction speed had become far greater than before.

Every slash raised gusts of saber wind. When his saber technique reached its peak, it seemed as though a gale had swept through the small courtyard, carrying up the dust from the ground.

Suddenly.

Zhao Ya leaped into the air and swept his saber horizontally.

In an instant, the dead grass atop the roof was cleanly severed. Fluffy bits of grass drifted down from the sky, made breathtakingly beautiful beneath the cold moonlight.

Holding his treasured saber, Zhao Ya quietly watched the scene, a realization dawning in his heart.

Before this, he had merely used the saber to chop and slash. Though there had been variations, he had remained bound by the framework of the Gale Saber Technique, making his movements rather stiff.

But that slash just now had come purely from sudden inspiration.

At the moment he drew his saber, Zhao Ya felt the blood and qi throughout his body move along with the force of the blade. Only then had he been able to unleash such a satisfying strike.

[Gale Saber Technique proficiency increased by 50]

The system notification arrived belatedly.

Zhao Ya knew that his Gale Saber Technique had broken through once more.

He gently stroked the blade with great affection, knowing that the rapid progress of his saber technique owed much to this treasured weapon.

A good saber was not formidable merely because it was incomparably sharp. More importantly, such sabers had often been tempered thousands of times, with every effort made to perfect their weight and dimensions.

Do not underestimate that point. To someone skilled with the saber, it was extraordinarily important.

At this moment, Zhao Ya felt immensely satisfied.

Over the course of this night, his overall strength had undergone a qualitative leap.

Zhao Ya's heart finally settled somewhat as well.

Even if he were thrown into the martial world outside now, Zhao Ya believed he would have some ability to protect himself.

Provided he did not court death and kept a low profile.

Zhao Ya decided to keep his breakthrough hidden for now and inform the escort agency after some time had passed.

After all, a martial artist in the second realm who had only just turned seventeen was far too conspicuous.

The bird that stuck its head out got shot. Zhao Ya had no desire to become everyone's target.

The next day.

The New Year holiday was over, and Zhao Ya arrived at the escort agency early.

Having just finished the New Year celebrations, the escort agency had little to do.

Zhao Ya happily slacked off for the entire day, then once again declined Luo Feng's enthusiastic invitation and left the escort agency.

Rather than going home, Zhao Ya first changed clothes in a small alley before turning onto another road.

Before long, Zhao Ya arrived at a certain place. Looking up, he saw four words written on the signboard.

Twin Victory Gambling House.

Even from the street, he could still sense the commotion inside.

Cheers, curses, and the clattering of dice.

Everything about it told people that this was a casino.

And this was precisely Zhao Ya's destination.

Lifting the thick cotton door curtain, Zhao Ya stepped inside.

The moment he entered, a strange stench of sweat, foot odor, and smoke hit him in the face.

Even Zhao Ya could not help holding his breath as he looked around.

The spacious room was filled with long tables, every one of them crowded with people.

Some played pai gow, some rolled dice, and there was even a table gambling on chess.

In short, every form of gambling one could imagine could be found here.

"Sir, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?"

Zhao Ya lowered his gaze and saw a man standing before him. He was not tall, but his face was full of shrewdness.

"Mm. I was passing by and thought I'd take a look."

Zhao Ya put on an interested expression.

The man's eyes lit up.

People like him had the sharpest eyes. One glance at Zhao Ya's clothes, bearing, and manner told him that this was a wealthy man, and the smile on his face grew even more enthusiastic.

"I'm Liu San, an attendant at this gambling house. Since it's your first time here, shall I show you around?"

"Sure."

"How many chips would you like to exchange for?"

"Let's start with this much." Zhao Ya took out a piece of broken silver.

Liu San took it and estimated that it weighed seven or eight mace. He could not help smiling.

"Certainly, sir. I'll exchange your chips right away!"

After exchanging the chips, Liu San led Zhao Ya around the various tables.

Whenever he spotted an open seat, Zhao Ya placed a few bets as well. Perhaps because he was in a good frame of mind, he actually won more than one tael of silver after an hour.

After giving Liu San a small tip, Zhao Ya exchanged his chips back into silver and left.

Once outside, Zhao Ya took a deep breath of the cold air, a chill flashing through his eyes.

Of course, he had not come here to gamble. He had come to gather information.

After all, the greatest difficulty Zhao Ya faced right now was that he had no money!

Only five or six days had passed, yet he had already eaten through more than half the box of dried meat Tan Ziwang had given him.

Last night's breakthrough alone had consumed twenty-one strips of dried meat.

Though that had been due to his recent breakthrough, Zhao Ya could clearly sense that after becoming a Tendon Transformation martial artist, his demand for flesh had become even greater.

Previously, eating four strips of dried meat a day had been enough to meet his cultivation needs. Now, he might need six or even eight.

That meant that his monthly expenditure on dried earthworm meat alone would become an astronomical sum.

In short, there were only two words for it.

Make money!

(End of chapter)