The Choice

Four days later, early morning.

Fang Han woke from his wooden bed. The instant he opened his eyes, he felt a warm current slowly coursing through his body, leaving his limbs and bones indescribably comfortable.

He sat up and sensed it carefully.

He found four strands of Blood Qi gathered within his dantian, echoing one another as they slowly circulated.

"Another strand of Blood Qi has condensed!"

The corners of Fang Han's lips rose slightly, though his expression remained calm.

Over the past few days, he had gone to the butcher shop on Poplar Street every day to buy four pounds of tiger meat for nourishment.

Two taels of silver a day!

Eight taels of silver had been eaten away just like that.

Fortunately, the results had not disappointed him. The fourth strand of Blood Qi had finally condensed.

But at the same time, he had noticed a rather troubling change.

For the first two days of eating tiger meat, the warm sensation in his abdomen had been obvious, and its effect on condensing Blood Qi had been immediate.

But by the third day, that warmth had faded considerably.

What he ate seemed no different from ordinary meat...

It was fine for nourishing his body, but insufficient for condensing Blood Qi.

By the fourth day, it was even worse!

After the tiger meat entered his stomach, aside from filling his belly and restoring his strength, it could no longer produce that wondrous sensation.

The effect of relying on tiger meat to condense Blood Qi was diminishing sharply.

Sitting on the bed, Fang Han stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, forming a few guesses.

"Perhaps my body has adapted to the nourishment provided by tiger meat and developed a tolerance. If I eat too much of the same thing, its effects will naturally weaken greatly.

If I want to condense Blood Qi quickly, I can't let my body get used to a single type of dietary supplement.

I need to keep switching between different kinds and rotate them to maintain the effect..."

"Since tiger meat no longer works, I'll try bear meat."

Having made up his mind, he decided that after practicing his fist techniques today, he would go to the butcher shop on Poplar Street and buy some bear meat.

Bear meat was even more expensive than tiger meat—one tael of silver per pound.

Fang Han touched the silver in his robes and did not feel too concerned.

He had started with ninety-five taels of silver. He had spent ten taels on tiger meat over the past few days, along with some miscellaneous purchases.

He still had more than seventy taels left. That was enough to last him for a while.

After getting dressed, washing up, and eating breakfast, Fang Han headed for the martial arts gym.

Outer Court of the martial arts gym, training grounds.

As usual, Fang Han found the most secluded corner to practice his fists, but the training grounds were very different from usual today.

The moment he entered, he sensed that something was off. There were many unfamiliar faces in the Outer Court.

They stood in small groups around the edge of the training grounds. Some wore brocade robes, while others were dressed in fitted martial attire.

Every pair of sharp eyes was fixed in the same direction.

Fang Han followed their gazes.

Zhao Jing stood in the center of the training grounds, performing the Gale-Breaking Fist with fierce, whistling force.

Ever since news spread that the gym master had personally promised to take him as his final disciple.

Unfamiliar faces had been constantly appearing in the Outer Court over the past two days.

The various forces in the Outer City had caught wind of it. They all wanted to bring Zhao Jing into their ranks before he had fully matured and invest in him early.

Some brought silver, some brought pills, and some brought weapons. Each was more generous than the last.

Zhao Jing accepted every visitor and every gift with a smile, yet he never agreed to join any side.

His uncle was the chief constable of the Outer City government office. With that backing, ordinary forces did not dare pressure him too forcefully.

Fang Han watched for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and continued practicing his own fists.

Nearby, quite a few Outer Court apprentices had gathered together.

As they watched the various people who had come to recruit Zhao Jing, their eyes were filled with envy.

"Look at him. That's what you call being born lucky."

"Exactly. We work ourselves to the bone practicing fists, yet we're not worth as much as a single word from him."

"If you had an uncle who was the chief constable at the government office, you could do it too."

"Give me a break. It's because he's talented. The gym master wants to take him as his final disciple. If it were us, who would care?"

Even several true disciples from the Inner Court could not help stopping to take a few looks as they passed by, their expressions complicated.

Envy was envy, but they understood it well enough.

Zhao Jing had obtained all this because of his talent.

As the saying went, one step ahead meant every step ahead!

Zhao Jing was now ahead of everyone else. From here on, he would only move faster and leave them far behind.

Fang Han turned a deaf ear to their discussions and focused solely on practicing his fists.

After finishing a set of Gale-Breaking Fist, he was about to sit down and rest.

Suddenly, a burst of footsteps sounded behind him, followed by a rough voice.

"Fang Han! Fang Han!"

Fang Han turned around and saw Li Daniu running over.

"Are you confident about the Minor Exam the day after tomorrow?"

Fang Han glanced at him without saying anything.

"I'm telling you, plenty of people have their eyes on your fourth-place ranking from last time!

Those guys ranked fifth and sixth haven't slacked off these past ten days. They've been training like mad, just waiting to squeeze you out.

As long as you get fourth place, you'll be guaranteed a spot in the Demon-Hunting Trial at the outskirts of the Transverse Mountains.

If you perform well, the gym master will even reward you with a Blood-Gathering Pill!

A Blood-Gathering Pill!

Even the true senior disciples of the Inner Court are envious of something that good!"

He rattled on without pause, spittle flying, his eyes wide as saucers. He was more nervous than if he himself were taking the Minor Exam.

Fang Han did not find him annoying as he listened.

Li Daniu talked a lot, but he was not bad-hearted. He was genuinely worried for Fang Han.

Still, what he said did make Fang Han fall into thought.

With his current strength, securing fourth place in the Minor Exam—or even taking first place—would be effortless.

But the problem was that he could not.

It would draw too much attention!

Fang Han knew his own situation well.

He was merely a poor boy born to farmers, with no background and no one to rely on.

If he suddenly shone in the martial arts gym's Minor Exam, he would inevitably attract the attention of every faction.

When that happened.

Not only would the Dragon King Gang follow the trail and investigate him, but people within the martial arts gym would also inevitably probe into his background.

He had too many secrets to withstand a thorough investigation.

Before he had sufficient strength to protect himself, keeping a low profile was the wisest course.

If he withdrew from the Minor Exam the day after tomorrow...

What he would temporarily lose was merely his share of Blood-Qi Soup, as well as the possible reward of a Blood-Gathering Pill.

Fang Han pondered for a moment, then quickly let it go.

With the panel, sooner or later he would reach the Body Tempering Third Layer, then step into Manifest Force and become a true Martial Artist.

Whether he had resources such as a Blood-Gathering Pill to aid him would only affect the speed of his cultivation. At most, it would mean condensing Blood Qi a few days earlier or later.

Compared with the risk of exposing himself, such gains and losses were nothing.

Having thought it through, Fang Han no longer hesitated.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the training ground walls toward the distance.

In some time, the Two-Gym Joint Trial would begin.

When that time came, he had to make a trip to the outskirts of the Transverse Mountains.

Not to hunt demons, nor to compete for any ranking.

But for Chen You!

That man was like a venomous snake hidden in the darkness, liable to dart out and bite him at any moment.

As long as Chen You remained alive, Fang Han could not rest easy.

The outskirts of the Transverse Mountains were full of tall peaks and dense forests, with complicated terrain. It was an excellent place to kill someone.

Taking care of Chen You there without anyone knowing would be far safer than making a move in the city.

Fang Han withdrew his gaze, uncorked his water skin, and took a drink. The water was somewhat warm, yet it made his entire body feel at ease.

"Fang Han, are you confident or not?" Li Daniu continued pressing him from the side, looking anxious.

Fang Han glanced at him and said blandly, "We'll see."

Li Daniu froze, scratched his head, and looked utterly bewildered.