Revealing His Cultivation

"The Thirteenth Young Master was extremely generous. The first time, he gave us a reward of one hundred coins."

"Not only that, he even bestowed the unfinished Blood-Strengthening Soup on me. Even with less than a third left, its effects were stronger than what we usually drank."

As Bai Zhen spoke of it, he could not help smacking his lips, as if savoring the memory.

Zhao Qing continued, "I served the Fifteenth Young Master. Not only did he reward me with one hundred coins, he even gave me some pointers on my Stake Stance. It benefited me beyond measure."

Zhao Qing wore an expression of utter admiration.

"Hmph, none of you had it as good as I did."

Li Peng interjected proudly, "I served the Fourteenth Young Master. He is the third son of the Li Family patriarch."

"Hiss, then you really were lucky."

Bai Zhen and Zhao Qing spoke with envy written across their faces.

The envy and jealousy in the eyes of those gathered around them were practically overflowing.

Liu Feng in particular clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and stared fixedly at the three of them, wishing he could take their places.

"Right, wasn't there one more person?"

At that moment, someone suddenly mentioned Sun An.

"Didn't Sun An go with you? Why did only the three of you return?"

That person was Chen Xun.

The moment he spoke, the expressions of all three became somewhat subtle. Li Peng in particular stiffened, obvious jealousy appearing on his face.

Li Peng glanced at Chen Xun, snorted coldly, and had no intention of answering him.

Zhao Qing, however, replied enviously, "Sun An is something else. He served the Twelfth Young Master, and during a sparring session, the Twelfth Young Master broke through and became a Martial Artist. Sun An was beaten until he coughed up blood."

"But that misfortune turned into a blessing. Not only was he rewarded with five taels of silver, he was also sent to a medical hall to recuperate."

"Moreover, the Twelfth Young Master felt that Sun An brought him good luck. He promised that once Sun An became a Martial Artist, he could become the Twelfth Young Master's personal attendant."

Being a personal attendant was an excellent job. The pay was high, there was little work to do, and one only answered to the young master one served.

If one followed the right person, it was even possible to leap across social classes.

The captain of the Li Family's guard force had once been the Li Family patriarch's personal attendant. His status and position had risen tremendously.

"Sun An really is lucky."

The others all voiced their envy.

Only Chen Xun frowned.

"Is Sun An badly hurt? Where is he now?"

Chen Xun cared more about Sun An's condition.

"I don't know about that."

Zhao Qing shook his head at Chen Xun.

Seeing this, Chen Xun did not continue questioning him. He turned away from the crowd and left the Small Martial Arena.

After coming out, he had originally planned to ask around about Sun An.

But as he walked, Chen Xun stopped, his gaze becoming somewhat lost.

He had no channels through which to inquire about such matters. As a lowly servant, the people he knew were limited, and none of them carried any weight.

"Ah," Chen Xun sighed as he headed toward the communal sleeping quarters where he lived.

Since he could not visit Sun An, he might as well seize the time to cultivate.

When he returned to the communal sleeping quarters, he was still the only one there.

During work hours, the others in the communal sleeping quarters were all working and rarely returned.

As servants of the Li Estate, they had no such thing as days off. They worked every day of the year, all three hundred and sixty days.

Chen Xun took out the [Blood-Strength Powder], mixed himself a bowl of [Blood-Strengthening Soup], and drank it.

He could naturally take the [Blood-Strength Powder] directly, but Chen Xun had grown accustomed to drinking [Blood-Strengthening Soup].

Moreover, the medicinal properties of [Blood-Strengthening Soup] were gentler, making it especially suitable for a newly advanced Martial Artist like him to absorb.

Bowl after bowl went down. Strands of Blood Qi emerged and were used by Chen Xun to strengthen his body.

Gradually, Chen Xun felt his flesh grow firmer, his bones sturdier, and his entire body fill with strength.

Over the next few days, Chen Xun spent half his time in the communal sleeping quarters and half in the Small Martial Arena.

In the communal sleeping quarters, Chen Xun mixed and drank [Blood-Strengthening Soup] to aid his cultivation.

At the Small Martial Arena, Chen Xun carefully took [Blood-Strength Powder]. Just a fingernail-sized pinch of red medicinal powder could sustain his cultivation for quite some time.

And so, the [Blood-Strength Powder] in the porcelain bottle dwindled away.

Today, only a thin layer remained at the bottom.

"Am I using it too quickly?"

Chen Xun scratched his head in distress.

At the Martial Artists' cafeteria, he had heard those Martial Artists say that a bottle of [Blood-Strength Powder] could cover a month's needs. If used sparingly, it could last even longer.

Although the bottle of [Blood-Strength Powder] Chen Xun had obtained by chance was not full, there was still quite a bit in it. Yet after only seven days, Chen Xun had nearly used it all up.

That pace was truly fast.

But being fast had its benefits as well.

[Cultivation: First Blood-Qi Transformation (8%)]

His cultivation progress had risen by eight percentage points, nearly one point per day.

Then there was his strength.

Before breaking through to become a Martial Artist, Chen Xun could already lift a hundred-pound stone lock.

After becoming a Martial Artist, Chen Xun could now lift a hundred-and-fifty-pound stone lock.

In seven days, his strength had surged by fifty pounds. In Chen Xun's former world, absolutely no one could have achieved that—not even by taking drugs.

Only in this world, with its wondrous Blood Qi energy, could the body be strengthened so rapidly and human physical ability enhanced so greatly.

"Where should I go to buy this Blood-Strength Powder?"

Chen Xun swallowed the last of the [Blood-Strength Powder] in one gulp. As he practiced his Stake Stance, he pondered the matter.

As a servant of the Li Estate, he would have to wait another two days before he could leave.

And without anyone to guide him, even if he went out, he would not know where to buy [Blood-Strength Powder].

However, from what Chen Xun had heard from those Martial Artists, it seemed they all bought [Blood-Strength Powder] from the estate pharmacy.

But the pharmacy was located in the inner courtyard. He could not enter the inner courtyard, and without a Martial Artist identity, he could not buy it.

"Perhaps I should reveal my identity as a Martial Artist."

"It has been nearly twenty days. Becoming a Martial Artist at this point would not be too eye-catching."

According to some bits of gossip he had heard, the fastest servant to become a Martial Artist had done so in only seven days.

That had even alarmed the Li Family patriarch, who personally received the man and had even been willing to let him marry into the Li Family.

The man had naturally agreed with delight. But not long after, before this genius could embrace the beauty and return home, he was assassinated.

This news made Chen Xun even more determined to keep his light hidden and bide his time.

"Still, Liu Feng has Grade B aptitude and hasn't broken through yet. Wouldn't it be a little inappropriate if I broke through before him?"

Just as Chen Xun was wavering, a burst of hearty laughter suddenly rang out from the Small Martial Arena.

Everyone was startled and turned toward the sound, only to see Liu Feng laughing loudly. "Hahaha! I broke through! I have grasped my Blood Qi and officially become a Martial Artist!"

"What? So quickly? Isn't there still more than ten days before the month is up?"

"You think everyone is like you? Liu Feng has Grade B talent."

Someone snapped back, then immediately stepped forward with a smile. "Brother Feng, congratulations, congratulations!"

After that, more and more people stepped forward, surrounding Liu Feng to congratulate him.

For a time, Liu Feng became the center of attention. Even Chen Xun went forward with a broad smile and offered a few words of congratulations.

He was genuinely happy. Liu Feng had broken through, so he could follow suit and break through as well.

Li Peng, who had previously been very close with Liu Feng, watched the scene with an ugly expression.

"What's so great about it? So what if his talent is a little better? He was only one step ahead of me. Once I become a Martial Artist, let's see how I pile up resources and surpass you."

Li Peng muttered these words under his breath.

Then, out of sight and out of mind, he turned and left the Small Martial Arena.

Liu Feng, who had been watching that side all along, stiffened, and the smile on his face faded somewhat.

"Hmph, Li Peng. Sooner or later, I'll make you kneel on the ground and beg me."

Liu Feng thought furiously.

The spark that had turned their relationship into this was that sparring companion slot.

It had originally been a small conflict, but neither of them could bring himself to back down, so the rift deepened and deepened.

Moreover, Li Peng looked down on Liu Feng from the bottom of his heart. Thus, even without that spark, there would have been other reasons for the two to turn against each other later.

After becoming a Martial Artist, Liu Feng left the Small Martial Arena amid the envious and jealous gazes of many people, heading off to register his Martial Artist identity.

After he left, the cultivation atmosphere in the Small Martial Arena became even more fervent and tense.

Many who had not been particularly diligent before began cultivating with great effort under Liu Feng's provocation.

The occasional chatter that had once appeared was now replaced by everyone's heavy breathing.

Compared to them, Chen Xun instead became more relaxed.

Because his [Blood-Strength Powder] was gone, if he cultivated at full strength, he feared he would not last long before fainting from hunger.

The next day, Liu Feng did not return to the Small Martial Arena.

Quite a few people looked at the spot where Liu Feng often stayed, their expressions full of sighs.

"I wonder who among us will be the next to break through and become a Martial Artist?"

Bai Zhen replied with considerable emotion.

"It will definitely be one of the three of us."

Li Peng answered with great confidence.

"I think so too."

Zhao Qing echoed him.

Ever since the three of them had become sparring companions for those young masters of the Li Family in the inner courtyard, they had naturally grown closer, and their relationship had become better and better.

"If it really is one of the three of us, then Brother Peng, you are definitely the most likely."

Bai Zhen said to Li Peng somewhat flatteringly.

Li Peng nodded without any modesty, a confident smile appearing on his face. "Haha, Bai Zhen, you're right. I have a feeling that becoming a Martial Artist is something that will happen within these next two days."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true."

"Then that's wonderful."

The three wore delighted expressions, as if Li Peng had already become a Martial Artist.

That afternoon, Chen Xun imitated Liu Feng and laughed loudly. "Hahaha! I never expected that I would actually break through and become a Martial Artist."

At once, he drew a wave of shocked and astonished gazes.

Liu Feng had good talent, so no one found it strange that he could become a Martial Artist so quickly.

But what did Chen Xun have? Hard work?

Among those present, no one believed that they worked less diligently than Chen Xun.

For a moment, a strange silence fell over the scene.

Chen Xun awkwardly rubbed his nose. "Why is this different from yesterday?"

"Impossible."

Suddenly, a somewhat frantic voice rang out.

Then Li Peng rushed up to Chen Xun aggressively and glared at him. "You're joking, right? How could you possibly break through and become a Martial Artist before me?"

Li Peng refused to believe it ten thousand times over.

"What the hell does it have to do with you?"

Chen Xun did not indulge him and snapped back directly.

"You..." Li Peng was furious and wanted to make a move, but upon meeting Chen Xun's cold gaze, he staggered back several steps as though frightened.

"Want to fight? I'll accompany you to the end."

Chen Xun looked at Li Peng and smiled mockingly.

Li Peng was even angrier inside, yet he did not dare take another step forward.

"If you don't dare, then forget it."

"All right, I'm going to register."

"Everyone, if fate allows, we'll meet again."

After saying that, Chen Xun waved at everyone and left the Small Martial Arena without looking back.

Everyone watched Chen Xun's retreating figure with complicated expressions.

"Damn it, that mud-legged nobody broke through faster than me too."

Li Peng roared inwardly.