Return to the Mountain

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

His nearly one-hundred-percent absorption rate meant that he was far more efficient than anyone else when taking any body-tempering medicine.

The highest recorded rate for KeHua No. 5 was ninety percent, and other medicines were roughly the same. No one could perfectly absorb their medicinal effects.

Jiang Ran had no 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 even his life might be threatened.

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

At least until he became powerful enough, the existence of the Grand Ruins Realm absolutely could not be revealed.

Body tempering through injections was incredibly draining.

By the end of the half-day PE class, every student was utterly exhausted.

Jiang Ran also put on an exhausted look, his eyes dull and lifeless.

"That concludes today's PE class..."

Wang Changming once again took out his little leather case and removed an injection from within, one that was somewhat different.

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

"I know some of you have good grades, so four injections definitely aren't enough..."

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

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

A pale red liquid slowly flowed within the coffee-colored glass syringe.

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

"Teacher is only charging the cost price, three thousand per dose. Students who need it can register with the class representative. Understand?"

"Get more injections after class and practice diligently."

"We'll have physical assessments next class. If anyone fails to meet the standard, bear the consequences yourselves!"

"Class dismissed!"

Jiang Ran followed the crowd toward the school cafeteria.

Pingjiang No. 1 High School had more than a hundred classes in each of its three grades, with over thirty thousand teachers and students in total.

At lunchtime, the cafeterias were naturally packed to the brim.

Fortunately, the school had optimized this several years ago. It prohibited students from leaving campus to eat during school hours, then built thirty large cafeterias and hired thirty quality contractors 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.

A single Spirit Stone only cost one thousand yuan. In other words, one dose of KeHua No. 7 was equivalent to three whole Spirit Stones. It was frighteningly expensive.

His monthly welfare payment was less than two thousand yuan, not even enough to buy a single dose of KeHua No. 7.

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

"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 be useless even if he did; without spiritual roots, he was destined to remain at the first level of Qi Refinement no matter how he cultivated.

"Forget it." Jiang Ran shook his head.

Borrowing money was certainly an option. He did not reject the idea of living off others, but the path of immortality ultimately required one's own effort to go far.

How long could he keep borrowing money, anyway?

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

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

"No. 5? No. 5 is dirt cheap. You can buy it for just over a hundred at a Ke Hua Corporation specialty store."

"That's not expensive."

A strange glint flashed through Jiang Ran's eyes.

KeHua No. 5's effects were indeed mediocre, only one-tenth as potent as the new No. 7.

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

Most importantly, Jiang Ran could perfectly absorb the medicine's effects, so he did not have 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 used all three thousand yuan in subsidies given by the Women's Federation aunties to buy medicine, purchasing 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. The Ke Hua Corporation currently sold seven first-tier body-tempering medicines, from Kehua No. 4 to Kehua No. 10.

Kehua No. 4 was half as potent as No. 5, but its price was not much lower. At eighty-five yuan per dose, it was far less cost-effective than No. 5.

Jiang Ran spent a week refining all the medicine.

In truth, he did this mainly to avoid drawing attention. If he truly refined it at full speed, then with the Qi-Nourishing Cultivation Method in operation, he could consume it 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 the first stage of Qi Cultivation and broke through into Essence Nourishment.

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

If the Essence Nourishment stage had not been somewhat special, then nourished by such a massive dose of medicinal power, he might have broken through that stage as well.

"So the Essence Nourishment mentioned in the cultivation method really means nourishing essence..."

As the name implied, Essence Nourishment meant strengthening one's foundation and nurturing one's vital essence.

Generally speaking, Essence Nourishment required three to five years of arduous work to purify one's vital essence before condensing it into a strand of Innate Essence.

What made this stage special was that each person'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 so abundant that it defied comparison.

There was nothing to be done. The medicine contained enough power, but the Innate Essence still needed time to form.

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

Pingjiang No. 1 High School had weekends off. Though they called it a two-day break, students still had to cultivate on weekends, and teachers of every subject assigned cultivation tasks.

"About time to go..."

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

Amid the chaos, a doorway gradually solidified from illusion into reality.

He stepped over the threshold, and when he looked up again, he had arrived 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 pristine landscape, and even its air was much fresher than 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.

"Eh, little brother Jiang, you're back?"

"Yes, I just got back."

Jiang Ran relaxed slightly and responded naturally.

"Uncle Liu isn't home?"

"My father went out. I think he had business in the city."

Iron Ox was very warmhearted. Though the two had known each other for less than a month, Jiang Ran had already been entered into the Liu Household registry and counted as one of their own.

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

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

Before leaving, he had already informed them that he had nothing to do and planned 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, so Old Man Liu had not stopped 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.

No one knew when Old Man Liu had returned.

He seemed to have paced around the main hall for quite some time before finally calling Jiang Ran aside with great politeness.

"Uncle Liu, did you need something?"

"Sit down first."

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."