Return to the Mountain

Jiang Ran knew very well that he had to keep this secret.

A nearly one-hundred-percent utilization rate meant that he absorbed body-tempering medicines far more efficiently than anyone else.

The highest recorded utilization rate for KeHua No. 5 was ninety percent. Other medicines were roughly the same; no one could absorb medicinal potency perfectly.

Jiang Ran did not possess any special physique. He had merely used the Qi-Nourishing Cultivation Method.

If word got out, not only would he be unable to keep the cultivation method, but his life might be threatened as well.

After all, he had no way to explain where the Qi-Nourishing Cultivation Method had come from.

At the very least, until he became strong enough, he absolutely could not reveal the existence of the Grand Ruins Realm.

Injections for body tempering were extremely draining.

After half a day of physical education, all the students were exhausted.

Jiang Ran put on an exhausted act as well, his eyes dull and lifeless.

"Today's PE class ends here..."

Wang Changming took out his small leather case again and removed an injection—one that was somewhat different.

"KeHua No. 5 is provided by the school free of charge, with four doses each month."

"I know some students have good grades, and four injections definitely aren't enough..."

The teacher's face was covered in smiles, making him look exactly like a salesman in a shopping mall.

"It's fine. Teacher Wang understands everyone's difficulties, so I've specially prepared a batch of higher-quality medicine."

Pale red liquid flowed slowly within the brown glass syringe.

"The newest KeHua No. 7 has ten times the purity of No. 5!"

"I'm only charging three thousand at cost. Students who need it can register with the class representative. Understood?"

"Get more injections after class and practice diligently."

"We'll conduct physical testing next class. Any student who fails to meet the standard will bear the consequences!"

"Class dismissed!"

Jiang Ran followed the crowd toward the school cafeteria.

Pingjiang No. 1 High School had three grades, each with more than a hundred classes. The entire school had more than thirty thousand teachers and students.

At lunchtime, the cafeterias were naturally packed to capacity.

Fortunately, the school had optimized things a few years ago. Students were forbidden from leaving campus for meals, and thirty large cafeterias had been built, with thirty quality contractors hired specifically to handle student meals.

Now, none of the students had to worry about going hungry anymore!

"Three thousand per injection. That's really expensive." Jiang Ran shook his head.

One Spirit Stone was only worth a thousand yuan. In other words, one dose of KeHua No. 7 was equivalent to a full three Spirit Stones. It was frighteningly expensive.

His monthly welfare payment was less than two thousand yuan. He could not even afford a single dose of KeHua No. 7.

Everyone else used it while he did not. No wonder he had always ranked near the bottom in the past.

"Old Jiang, how about..." Tao Dapeng hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "How about I lend you some money so you can buy a few doses?"

Tao Dapeng had not bought No. 7 either. Mainly because it would have been useless even if he had. Without a spiritual root, he was destined to remain at Qi Refinement Level One no matter how hard he cultivated.

"Forget it." Jiang Ran shook his head.

Borrowing money was certainly possible, and he did not reject the idea of living off others, but one ultimately had to rely on one's own efforts to go far on the path of immortality.

How long could he keep borrowing money, after all?

"My medicine utilization rate is too low. Buying it would just waste money."

"By the way, Da Peng..." Jiang Ran suddenly asked, "How much does KeHua No. 5 cost?"

"No. 5? No. 5 is dirt cheap. You can get one for a little over a hundred at a Ke Hua Corporation specialty store."

"That isn't expensive."

A strange gleam flashed through Jiang Ran's eyes.

KeHua No. 5's medicinal effect was indeed mediocre, only one-tenth that of the newer No. 7.

But its price was simply too appealing. At just over a hundred yuan, even poor students could afford it.

Most importantly, Jiang Ran could perfectly absorb the medicine's potency, so he did not need to worry about waste at all.

Buying ten doses of No. 5 had exactly the same effect as buying one dose of No. 7.

A week passed quickly.

Jiang Ran spent all three thousand yuan of aid money given by the women's association aunties on medicine, buying a total of twenty-five doses of KeHua No. 5.

It was not that he did not want to buy lower-end products.

The truth was that KeHua No. 1 through No. 3 had already been phased out and discontinued. Ke Hua Corporation currently sold seven Level One body-tempering medicines, ranging from KeHua No. 4 to KeHua No. 10.

No. 4 was half as potent as No. 5, but it was not much cheaper. At eighty-five yuan per dose, No. 4 offered far worse value than No. 5.

Jiang Ran spent a week refining all the medicine.

In truth, he did this mainly to avoid drawing attention. If he had refined them at full speed, the Qi-Nourishing Cultivation Method could have devoured them all in less than half a day.

The improvement brought by twenty-five full doses of KeHua No. 5 was enormous.

Jiang Ran directly completed the "Blood-Nourishing Stage" of Qi Cultivation and broke through into "Essence Nourishment."

Blood, essence, heart, soul—the path of Qi Cultivation had already reached its halfway point.

If the Essence Nourishment stage had not been somewhat special, such a massive dose of medicinal potency might have allowed him to break through that stage as well.

"So when the cultivation method spoke of Essence Nourishment, it really meant nourishing essence..."

So-called Essence Nourishment was, as the name implied, about strengthening one's foundation and nourishing one's own vital essence.

Generally speaking, Essence Nourishment required three to five years of painstaking effort to purify one's vital essence and then nurture it into a strand of Innate Essence.

This stage was special because everyone's vital essence differed.

Jiang Ran's had already been exceptionally strong, and in this life, he was one in a million in the south of Chu. His vital essence was abundant beyond measure.

There was no helping it. The medicine's potency was sufficient, but the Innate Essence still needed time to develop.

After seriously attending class for a week, Jiang Ran had completely gotten used to the life of cultivating while going to school.

Pingjiang No. 1 High School had weekends off, but calling it a break was a stretch. Students still had to cultivate on weekends, and teachers of every subject assigned cultivation tasks.

It was about time to leave...

At dawn, Jiang Ran held the jade pendant in his hand.

Within the chaos, a doorway had already solidified from illusion into reality.

He stepped over the threshold. When he raised his head again, he was already in another world.

The Grand Ruins Realm.

At the foot of Black Dragon Mountain.

Jiang Ran took a deep breath. Black Dragon Mountain was undoubtedly the most primitive terrain, and even the air was far fresher than that of Pingjiang City.

He made his way back to the Liu Household.

Behind the house, Iron Ox was sitting cross-legged beneath the eaves, seemingly comprehending a cultivation method.

Old Man Liu was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had gone out.

"Huh? Little Brother Jiang, you're back?"

"Yes, I just got back."

Jiang Ran relaxed slightly and responded naturally.

"Where's Uncle Liu? Is he not home?"

"My father went out. It seems he went into the city to handle some business."

Iron Ox was extremely warmhearted. Although the two had known each other for less than a month, Jiang Ran had already been entered into the Liu Household register and counted as family.

"Brother Jiang, you must be hungry. We just bought some pork, so I'll go cook it for you..."

"Sure, Brother Iron Ox. I'll help you."

Before leaving, he had told them that he had nothing to do and wanted to gather herbs in the mountains.

The farm work at home had long been finished, and there was still some time before the next planting season. Old Man Liu therefore did not stop him.

After all, Jiang Ran was a living person. He had merely agreed to work for the Liu Household; they had no right to restrict his freedom.

That afternoon.

Old Man Liu had returned at some point.

He seemed to have paced around the main hall for a long time before finally calling Jiang Ran over alone, very politely.

"Uncle Liu, did you need something?"

"Sit down. Let's talk."

Old Man Liu's face was deeply lined, and his words were filled with bitterness.

"Today, this old man has an unreasonable request. I hope Little Brother Jiang can help me."