Martial Artist Elixirs

Yang Sheng pulled over two chairs, giving one to Li Jing and keeping the other for himself.

"Go ahead."

The Tianhai boss brought over several mahjong tiles.

He placed them on the table one by one.

"Do you know how many people will come looking to sign you?"

Yang Sheng shook his head. "I don't know."

The Tianhai boss arranged five mahjong tiles: east, south, west, north, and center.

"At least five, and all five will definitely be companies that have been doing very well in Bay City lately."

"If I'm not mistaken, Liu Group will be one of them. They're one of Bay City's top service industry giants."

"Wang Group will get involved too. They're the leaders in Bay City's construction materials sector. That industry doesn't lack money; it lacks talent."

"Then there are Yu Corporation and Xu Corporation. These companies may not truly be determined to sign you, but because other companies are involved, they have to join in."

"Even if they can't secure you, they'll still drive up the price."

Yang Sheng nodded thoughtfully.

The Tianhai boss's analysis of Bay City's corporate powers was very detailed. Every one of these companies, large or small, needed martial artists to guard them to some extent.

For this reason, nations had also been building their own high-level martial artist reserves over the years.

At the same time, they tacitly allowed large corporations and chambers of commerce to possess martial artist forces.

But once martial artists broke through to the Subtlety Realm, they had to leave Earth's sphere and enter the Starship Federation in order to advance further.

This was also the greatest foundation of the Starship Federation's absolute authority.

"If these companies make you an offer, what will you do?" the Tianhai boss asked.

Yang Sheng said, "If they truly offer a price I can't refuse, I'll accept it. After all, cultivation after Great Completion of Bright Force requires all kinds of major elixirs, and those cost money."

The Tianhai boss nodded. "Right. If I were you, I'd think the same way."

"But now, you're not alone. You've got me by your side."

Yang Sheng raised his eyebrows, seeming to realize something.

The Tianhai boss took fifty thousand dollars from the safe beneath the bar.

Several thick stacks of bills, heavy in his hands.

Yang Sheng asked, "What's this?"

The Tianhai boss said, "I made a bet with someone before, betting that you would win the test. This is all the money I won. Consider it a gift for our formal discussion."

Fifty thousand dollars was no small sum for Yang Sheng.

The Tianhai boss continued, "I think we can work together. I'll be your agent and manage your personal value for you."

"Many martial artists don't actually want to be tied down by other companies, but they need to cultivate and have no time to manage or grow their wealth. So they have no choice but to compromise, sign with companies, and work for them after achieving success."

"Now, you can be your own boss."

Yang Sheng took a deep breath.

Clearly, what the Tianhai boss had said was very appealing to him.

"How do you want to do this?" Yang Sheng looked the Tianhai boss straight in the eye.

The Tianhai boss said, "Actually, I had already been deliberately expanding your influence early on."

Yang Sheng's matches in the Starry Martial Arts System had all been livestreamed by the Tianhai boss.

They had drawn in a huge wave of fans.

"Now that you've made a stunning debut in Bay City Martial Arts High School's test, your influence is through the roof. With your influence and my boxing gym, we can do things we couldn't do before."

Yang Sheng asked, "What couldn't we do before?"

The Tianhai boss said, "Take disciples!"

Yang Sheng was speechless. "Other martial arts schools take disciples because they have high-level martial artists stationed there. What do I have?"

The Tianhai boss gave a scornful laugh. "Those are just titles. Those so-called high-level martial artists—Peak Dark Force, Perfection of Subtlety Realm—have they ever actually shown themselves? It's only natural that traditional martial arts schools have declined. They've never sincerely taught their students."

"But what we're doing is different. During my observations of you, I noticed one detail: your control over the finer points is exceptionally precise."

"We can offer one-on-one instruction and only accept Upper Registry students."

Yang Sheng frowned. "Will that work? I just defeated Li Ya, an Upper Registry student, today. Those Upper Registry students are still cursing me."

The Tianhai boss laughed heartily. "Don't look at what they say. Look at what they do. These Upper Registry people understand benefits and consequences best."

"Remember, our goal is the same: making money!"

"You need money to cultivate, and I need money to achieve my dream."

Yang Sheng asked, "You have a dream too?"

The Tianhai boss said, "Of course I do. I want to turn my boxing gym into the biggest boxing gym in Bay City!"

Yang Sheng's eyes lit up.

"Then let's give it a try?"

The Tianhai boss smiled and pushed the money into Yang Sheng's arms.

"We have to try."

Just as the two were about to reach an agreement, Li Jing, who had been listening intently beside them, suddenly raised her hand.

"Um, can I try too?"

Yang Sheng and the Tianhai boss turned to look at her at the same time.

Li Jing's face reddened.

"My family runs a medicinal cuisine business. When I came in just now, I saw that your dining area only had one kind of medicinal cuisine. It's too limited. Can I join your little group and upgrade the dining area?"

The Tianhai boss snapped his fingers.

"Then it's settled. From now on, we're in this together!"

After quickly settling their preliminary plan, Yang Sheng saw Li Jing off to her car and bid farewell to the Tianhai boss as well.

As he walked down the road, he touched the fifty thousand dollars in his arms.

It was the first time in his life he had seen so much money.

"Now that I have money, I should spend some."

With that thought, Yang Sheng turned and entered a martial artist pharmacy.

Martial artist pharmacies were places specifically for serving martial artists, generally selling major elixirs.

If a martial artist needed a special major elixir, they could also make an advance reservation through a martial artist pharmacy, and the shop would find it within a certain period of time.

Upon entering the pharmacy, Yang Sheng saw medicine cabinets lining both sides of the hall. Their fronts were transparent glass, allowing customers to see the medicines inside.

A guide stepped forward and began introducing some of the major elixirs displayed outside.

Yang Sheng nodded repeatedly.

"What medicines here are suitable for Great Completion of Bright Force?" he asked after listening to the explanation.

The guide said, "The major elixirs suitable for Great Completion of Bright Force are mainly these: Blood Essence Grass, which rapidly replenishes depleted vitality and blood; Ironthread Vine, which increases the resilience and strength of the body's tissues; and Copperbone Flower, which increases your bone density."

As she spoke, Yang Sheng examined them.

Of these, Blood Essence Grass was the most common and plentiful major elixir. It generally cost five hundred dollars per stalk and was considered one of the cheaper options among major elixirs.

Ironthread Vine and Copperbone Flower both had very specific effects, and each cost around two thousand dollars.

"There's also a top-tier major elixir said to be for Great Completion of Bright Force, though it's more expensive: Jade Marrow Crystal. It's a dark green marrow crystal. After being taken orally, its medicinal power reaches the marrow cavity directly, stimulating hematopoietic stem cells to divide at an accelerated rate. It doubles the energy carriers in the blood, greatly extending a martial artist's fighting time and boosting endurance. It's also the most effective medicine that a Great Completion of Bright Force martial artist can use. One crystal costs ten thousand dollars."

Yang Sheng sucked in a breath.

Still, he was quite interested in this Jade Marrow Crystal.

In the end, before the fifty thousand dollars the Tianhai boss had given him had even warmed in his hands, Yang Sheng had left every last dollar at the martial artist pharmacy.

He bought ten Blood Essence Grass stalks, two Ironthread Vines, and two Copperbone Flowers in one go, then spent all the remaining money on three Jade Marrow Crystals.

"Sure enough, people say martial arts training is a money pit. I haven't even bought much, and fifty thousand dollars is already gone."

But this money had to be spent, and it was worth spending.

By the time he finished shopping, it was already afternoon. He had no plans to return to school and intended to go home first to use these medicines.

After all, he had only just reached Great Completion of Bright Force. Although he had won the school test, the Martial Arts Entrance Exam was still waiting for him.

Li Yan had said it himself: he would kill Yang Sheng during the Martial Arts Entrance Exam.

Great Completion of Bright Force and Dark Force were only one realm apart.

But cultivation between them was as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

Even with the Martial God Soul, he could not afford to slack off.

With that thought, Yang Sheng had already reached his front door.

Before he even entered, he heard voices coming from the living room.

Yang Sheng pushed open the door and found two familiar figures sitting on the sofa, chatting cheerfully with his father.