Deng Qing quickly figured it out. The cultivation method was a factory; meat and medicine were its raw materials.
Without raw materials, he could not conjure Qi-Blood out of thin air, much less break through.
Now that his Violet Palace Method had reached Minor Mastery, though, refining meat and medicine in the future would be easier.
He had heard Fan Sheng say that, according to past experience, breaking through from Skin Tempering First Layer to Skin Refining Second Layer required supplements worth at least two hundred taels of silver in total, whether they came as Ginseng Pills, Medicinal Wine, Medicinal Baths, or meat.
Individual constitutions and absorption rates varied, so the amount might fluctuate, but that was the figure, give or take.
Deng Qing had once questioned how they could blindly convert everything into silver when a Ginseng Pill was far more potent than meat.
Fan Sheng had explained that Ginseng Pills were suited to rapid replenishment and refinement. But one pill cost five taels of silver, enough to buy over a hundred jin of meat. Someone had calculated that the total nourishment from either was about the same. The Ginseng Pill's advantage was faster progress and stronger medicinal power.
So consuming supplements worth over two hundred taels of silver was a hard requirement for reaching Skin Refining Second Layer.
Deng Qing cleared his mind and continued circulating the Violet Palace Method, drawing the medicinal power from the pool into his body bit by bit.
Another half hour later, the Medicinal Bath ended. Deng Qing rose from the pool, his Skin Membrane hot and his chest and belly swollen.
When Deng Qing stepped out of the Medicinal Pool, Elder Wu nodded. "Not bad. Few can endure until the medicinal power is exhausted."
Deng Qing cupped his hands in thanks to Elder Wu, changed his clothes, and left the stone chamber.
That night, he went to the Five Blessings Butcher Shop, bought ten jin of meat, took it home, stewed it, and ate it all in one meal.
In the past, seven or eight jin of offal would leave his stomach feeling somewhat bloated and sluggish.
But after eating ten jin of meat, he felt only a faint warmth in his stomach.
He guessed this was the benefit of his Violet Palace Method's breakthrough.
Deng Qing sat cross-legged and ran through the Violet Palace Method. The heat from the meat quickly sank into his body, becoming wisps of Qi-Blood.
For the next few days, Deng Qing did nothing else.
He ate meat, practiced his punches, circulated his energy, and slept. The routine began again each day.
It was worth noting that once the Tiger-Subduing Fist reached Grand Mastery, its progress slowed noticeably.
Several days of grueling practice raised it by only one point.
Deng Qing suspected that, at this stage, advancing the Tiger-Subduing Fist through repetition alone had become extremely difficult.
In other words, the return on effort was now very low.
Thinking of the two hundred taels' worth of Qi-Blood Fan Sheng had mentioned, Deng Qing decided to tally everything carefully.
The sixty-two taels of silver he had earned from the North Warehouse assignment had gradually been spent on meat.
Wu Yun had also supplied about twenty taels' worth of meat.
Add in all the meals he had eaten at Celebration Hall, and they were worth at least another ten taels.
This Medicinal Bath was worth thirty or forty taels.
Adding it all up, Deng Qing estimated that he had refined at least a hundred and thirty or forty taels' worth of Qi-Blood into his body.
If he counted the remaining Medicinal Bath allotment he still held, that was worth another thirty or forty taels.
Deng Qing scratched figures onto paper with a Charcoal Pencil. "Another twenty or thirty taels, and I can break through to Skin Refining Second Layer.
"But where am I supposed to get that money?"
Months of eating meat had exhausted his savings.
He had only a little over two taels in silver pieces left, set aside for emergencies.
While he was considering how to earn money, Fan Sheng sent someone to tell him to attend the apprenticeship ceremony the next day.
The three-month term had ended, and the assessment for Deng Qing's group of apprentices was complete.
Besides Deng Qing, Li Cheng, Wang Wei, and Zhou Tie, another seven had broken through to Skin Tempering First Layer and been formally entered into the register of Named Disciples.
The next day, Deng Qing put on his White Robe and entered the main hall with the other Named Disciples.
Li Dashan sat at the head of the hall. Deng Qing and the other newly registered Named Disciples stepped forward in turn, knelt to offer tea, and bowed their heads to the floor.
Li Dashan drank the tea, offered a few words of encouragement, then rose and left.
Deng Qing could see exhaustion written all over Li Dashan's face.
After Li Dashan left, Fan Sheng walked to the front of the hall and said gravely, "There is one more matter I must tell you in advance.
"Meal provisions for all Named Disciples at Skin Tempering First Layer will end this year."
The hall erupted.
"Senior Brother Fan, haven't we already passed the assessment and offered tea to our master? Why are meals being cut off just as it's our turn?"
"That's not fair!"
"We want to see Master..."
Fan Sheng raised a hand to quiet them. "Times are troubled now, and resources are scarce everywhere.
"This isn't aimed at you. Meal provisions are ending for every Named Disciple at Skin Tempering First Layer.
"Of course, the door isn't shut completely. Fourteen provision slots remain, and the names will be announced on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
"Whether you junior brothers understand or not, I have delivered the notice on behalf of Celebration Hall.
"But don't be too disappointed. The hall will still provide cultivation methods, White Robes, and Recommendation Letters."
Even so, everyone's face looked grim.
However dissatisfied they were, no one dared cause a scene in the hall.
Deng Qing said nothing. Fan Sheng had warned him long ago that the hall was short on resources and told him to hurry with his cultivation.
But hearing the news for himself still left him deeply frustrated.
For others, meal provisions might merely be flowers added to brocade.
For him, they were the foundation of his survival.
But one person's joys and sorrows did not necessarily reach another.
Li Cheng, for instance, seemed barely affected by the bad news. Smiling, he told Deng Qing he was organizing a meal in a couple of days and that Deng Qing absolutely had to come. Then he went to invite Zhou Tie and Wang Wei.
After exchanging a few words with Li Cheng, Deng Qing spotted Fan Sheng signaling to him and followed him beneath the corridor eaves.
Once they stopped, Fan Sheng said quietly, "Junior Brother Deng, ask around and find some way to earn silver to live on.
"If a suitable job comes my way, I'll keep you in mind."
Deng Qing froze. "What do you mean, Senior Brother? Don't tell me I have no hope of competing for one of those fourteen slots."
Fan Sheng hesitated, then nodded.
Deng Qing frowned. "I won medicine back for the hall at Blackwind Ravine. Even that isn't enough?"
Fan Sheng looked embarrassed. "In terms of merit and fighting ability, you're among the best at Skin Tempering First Layer.
"But merit isn't all that matters. Connections count too.
"Those fourteen slots are almost all going to people whom, for one reason or another, the hall can't turn down.
"They don't lack food. What they want is face.
"Li Cheng, Wang Wei, and Zhou Tie are all on the list, for example.
"Celebration Hall has its roots here. It can't ignore all the local ties.
"They say the announcement will come after the New Year, but by then it'll just be a formality."
Deng Qing was silent for several breaths. "If I break through to Skin Refining Second Layer, can I receive provisions?"
Fan Sheng shook his head. "This time, they'll probably apply the rule across the board. I doubt the hall will add any provision slots for another three to five years.
"Besides, the hall has plenty of people at Skin Refining Second Layer."
Deng Qing lowered his gaze to the blue bricks beneath his feet. "What if I break through before they announce the fourteen names?"
Fan Sheng was startled. "That would be different. No matter how much the hall values connections, it still has to win people's acceptance when it makes a public announcement.
"You have merit, but others can claim merit too. That sort of thing is hard to pin down.
"A martial arts realm, though, is solid. And it carries more weight than merit."
Deng Qing's eyes gradually brightened.
Noticing his expression, Fan Sheng cautioned him, "Junior Brother Deng, forgive me for saying too much.
"The worst thing you can do when trying to break through is rush. If your Qi-Blood is insufficient and you force it, you could injure yourself—or worse, damage your foundation."
Deng Qing cupped his hands. "Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother. I understand."
They talked a little longer, then Deng Qing took his leave.
Outside Celebration Hall, a cold wind blew straight into his face. Deng Qing felt ice settle in his heart.
He clenched his fist and thought, If merit can't outweigh connections, I'll crush them with my realm instead. No one is taking my meal ticket.