Little Gourd Soup

Every other day at noon, Martial Aunt kept Lin Xiaotian behind until last. It seemed Master had specifically instructed her to.

"Mm, your master told me that everything in the kitchen is allocated by me... I don't know what he sees in you, but you're getting an extra bowl."

"This all costs money!"

Martial Aunt nagged on for quite a while.

Lin Xiaotian did not blame her. Those who did not run a household did not know the price of rice and firewood. With so many people to feed, and medicinal pills needing to keep up, money was being spent everywhere.

The income looked substantial, but the expenses were even greater.

Moreover, ever since he learned that anyone above External Force could use Blood Essence Pills to improve their diet—

Then, for an Internal Force expert, Blood Essence Pills were surely indispensable, and their quality was probably not low either.

"Fine, you're a good lad too. You listened to Martial Aunt's nagging without getting impatient. Sigh, perhaps that's what your master likes about you."

"Back then, we struggled through things like this too. If we had met someone like your master then..."

She did not finish the rest, but Lin Xiaotian had already caught a hint of what she meant.

"Martial Aunt, I brought a little gourd. I can put it in here, and it won't be too conspicuous."

Martial Aunt smiled.

"You child, you do have quite a few tricks up your sleeve. If you drank too much at once, the senior brothers who came a year before you would eventually notice. This is good. Remember to finish it that day."

"I understand, Martial Aunt."

Very soon, she poured him a bowl.

Lin Xiaotian blinked and looked at Martial Aunt. "Aren't you pouring it all out at once?"

"You silly child. If you don't drink it at noon, how will you train in the afternoon? If your Blood Qi can't keep up, the whole day's training will be wasted. You might even damage your foundation."

Mm! So there was something like that? Why had he never felt unwell before?

He thought of his unusual Blood Qi. Could it be because of that?

Martial Aunt brought the bowl over. "Drink."

Left with no choice, Lin Xiaotian could only drink it. He could hardly say that he wanted to take it back and nourish the soup first.

He swallowed it with a bitter face, then thanked Martial Aunt.

"You child, you're making it look as though you're being forced."

"You misunderstand, Martial Aunt. I'm going back to practice martial arts."

When he returned to the outer courtyard, a group of senior brothers and junior brothers were gathered together, muttering about something. Snatches of conversation drifted over from time to time.

"Mm, he acknowledged Master yesterday, and Martial Aunt kept him until last today. Who knows what kind of flattery he used."

"Right, and he's late all the time too..."

When they saw him approaching, their voices dropped, and they looked over with strange expressions.

At that moment, Senior Brother Tao stepped forward and sharply shouted at the junior brothers who were whispering among themselves.

"What are you all muttering about? This is a martial arts school, a place to study Martial Dao. Practicing martial arts is your purpose here."

"You chatter all day like resentful little wives. If you don't want to practice martial arts, then get the hell home."

Boom!

In an instant, they scattered like birds and beasts. No more whispers could be heard, and every one of them lowered their heads and resumed practicing martial arts.

Senior Brother Tao walked up to Lin Xiaotian.

Lin Xiaotian was greatly surprised. His recent tardiness had long displeased Senior Brother Tao, yet he had not expected him to stand up for him.

"Junior Brother Lin, I previously thought you were ambitious, quick-witted, and strong-willed. That is why I viewed you differently."

"But a martial arts school should look like a martial arts school. It is not some casual children's game. If you perform poorly, I naturally won't hide it. If the other junior brothers perform poorly, I will naturally lecture them as well."

"It has nothing to do with what kind of people you are. From the standpoint of the martial arts school, I treat everyone equally."

Lin Xiaotian was filled with respect.

"I've put Senior Brother in a difficult position."

Senior Brother Tao patted his shoulder.

"I came from a poor background too, and so did Master. Among all these martial arts schools, only Master can better understand our hardships."

Lin Xiaotian thought of the extra bowl of soup Master had given him.

"Since you acknowledged Master, and Martial Aunt kept you behind, Master must have taken a liking to some quality of yours. It counts as his recognition of you."

"But Junior Brother, you must also understand: unless you reach External Force, it will all remain nothing more than a dream."

Then Senior Brother Tao lowered his voice and whispered.

"Junior Brother Lin, tell your senior brother—why did Martial Aunt keep you behind? Could it be that she gave you special treatment?"

Lin Xiaotian raised his brows but did not answer immediately.

He did not know whether that last question was meant to sound him out or was merely genuine curiosity.

Either way, one must not harbor the heart to harm others, but one must guard against others. At the very least, he could not bring trouble upon Martial Aunt.

"Mm, Senior Brother Tao, it was like this."

"After drinking the soup Martial Aunt makes every day, I feel full of energy. So I wanted to ask Master how the soup is prepared."

"Master told Martial Aunt to explain it to me, so I stayed behind. Martial Aunt told me to work and said she would tell me if I performed well."

"Hahaha!" Senior Brother Tao burst into laughter. "My dear junior brother, that soup is not something they would casually let you know about. The school's medicinal recipes... Still, since you listen to Martial Aunt so well, she might teach you some basic cooking knowledge."

With that, he laughed as he left.

Was Senior Brother Tao really here to probe for information? Lin Xiaotian watched his departing senior brother with some uncertainty.

During afternoon practice, an older martial sister who had begun practicing earlier came over and exchanged blows with him in the name of sparring and guidance.

Naturally, Lin Xiaotian did not refuse. This was perfect—he could use this chance to erase some of his conspicuous presence.

Martial Sister was at Bone Tempering, and with no surprises at all, she defeated Lin Xiaotian.

After seeing this, the other senior brothers and sisters all breathed a sigh of relief.

That evening, he brought the little gourd back and shut himself inside his room.

He did not rush to nourish it first. Instead, he gave a faint sigh.

Everywhere was a little jianghu.

Just an extra bowl of soup had made these senior brothers and sisters nervous. Fortunately, he had conceded defeat. Otherwise, who knew what antics certain senior brothers and sisters would come up with.

Thinking it over carefully, the school's resources were probably limited. They were all fighting over resources.

He quietly recalled the battle from that afternoon.

Because of the unusual nature of his Blood Qi, and because his Skin Tempering had been achieved by breaking through with top-grade medicinal pills, he was already comparable to someone at Bone Tempering.

If it had happened outside the school, in a life-and-death fight, that martial sister from the afternoon would have been ground to death by him in a prolonged battle.

He was still not strong enough. He had only crossed one minor realm.

Without further hesitation, he began nourishing the soup.

This time, the Blood Qi consumption was not as intense as before. He ate a hearty meal of meat midway through, and in the latter half of the night, the color of the soup changed.

A golden halo radiated from it.

"This soup can give off a glow too." Lin Xiaotian blinked curiously.

Then why had he never noticed any color when drinking soup normally?

Soon afterward, he smiled again. The steam from the soup itself was white, so even if there were something, it would be impossible to see clearly.

He immediately drank the bowl of soup.

His eyes flew open.

"It worked. The effect is surprisingly good."

An invisible warm current surged through his body, far better than the soup he had drunk during the day.

He felt as if his Blood Qi had absorbed a great deal of nourishment, and his entire foundation began to grow more solid and robust.

Unfortunately, it did not last long.

"The soup contains only about one-tenth as much as a Blood Essence Pill. It is normal that it doesn't last."

"But compared with ordinary soup, it not only replenished vital essence, it also seemed to replace the less beneficial nourishment within my Blood Qi."

"This has already far exceeded the effects a Blood Essence Pill should have... This Blood Qi really is a fine treasure."

"If I keep taking it like this, then even if I haven't reached Bone Tempering, the next time I meet Martial Sister, I'll absolutely beat her senseless."

Lin Xiaotian was immensely satisfied. Taking advantage of this abundant vital essence and blood, he began practicing the Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force.