The Xiao Clan's Strength Soared! A Third-Tier Origin Condensation Pill!

"Yes."

Bodhi answered without the slightest hesitation.

Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. Grandmaster had already taken the recipe from his hand, replaced two of the medicinal ingredients, and adjusted the quantities.

"They haven't cultivated the arcane arts, so they needn't follow your method. This formula is gentle. Used after training to nourish the tendons and invigorate the blood, it will be just right for increasing their cultivation speed."

Xiao Yan lowered his head and read it through, feeling more confident.

The ingredients were considerably cheaper than those in his own formula, and refining them wasn't complicated. A single batch could be shared among several people, rather than emptying the clan's medicine store after only a few uses.

He committed the new recipe to memory and went to see his father the next day.

After hearing him out, Xiao Zhan didn't rush to summon all the guards. He first called in the three elders, then invited Xiao Hong, the guard captain who had sprained his knee that day.

"Let a few people try it first. Once they've used it, we'll decide how to proceed."

The elders had already heard from the clan leader that Xiao Yan had taken an expert as his master. Now, despite seeing the youth produce the medicinal liquid with their own eyes, they still looked somewhat hesitant.

Being able to refine medicine was a good thing.

But if so many people in the clan were to use it...

A few Gold Coins wouldn't cover the expense.

The Grand Elder held the dosage sheet and studied it for a while before saying, "Yan'er, if this medicine works, it will certainly be worth it. But we have quite a few guards, and your own cultivation mustn't be delayed either."

Xiao Yan nodded and said,

"That's why we'll start with a few of the uncles who have lighter injuries and have trained for years. Everyone can see the effects for themselves."

With that said,

the elders offered no further objections.

Xiao Hong took the little bottle, holding it with unusual care in his large, rough hand. "Third Young Master, is this really for us?"

"If it isn't for you to use, am I asking you to take it home and admire it?" Xiao Yan laughed, casually pointing at the side of his knee.

"Rest for two days as the physician instructed. Once the swelling goes down, follow the instructions on the paper to nurse it back to health. Don't apply the medicine while still hauling entire cartloads of goods."

With his intentions exposed, Xiao Hong gave a sheepish smile.

Xiao Zhan looked at him and added,

"I'll assign someone else to cover your squad's outside duties for the next few days."

"Yes, Clan Leader."

Five days later, beside the training grounds.

Xiao Hong walked a circuit around the wooden posts, then suddenly quickened his steps and punched the sandbag.

Thud!

A muffled sound rang out as the sandbag swung high.

He didn't stop immediately, throwing several more punches. Only when his breathing grew rapid did he slowly straighten and lower his head to flex his knee.

The awkward pulling sensation from before was gone. Even his lower back, which had always felt heavy after long journeys, felt much lighter.

"How is it?"

Xiao Zhan asked from beside him.

Xiao Hong raised his head, his mouth splitting into a broad grin.

"It works!"

The other guards who had tried the medicine nodded as well.

After a restorative treatment following training, their limbs were no longer too stiff to lift the next morning. Their energy recovered quickly, naturally allowing them to put more effort into circulating their Dou Qi.

What pleased them most was that, after several days of use, the aches that had accumulated in their muscles and tendons were actually beginning to fade.

The Grand Elder stepped forward and personally examined Xiao Hong's aura.

His gaze changed as soon as he checked.

"You're close to nine stars?"

Xiao Hong himself was startled, then nodded firmly.

"Circulating my qi these past two days has certainly felt smoother than before."

He had been stuck at eight stars for a long time, needing only a final bit of accumulation. Now that his old injuries were being treated and his training was no longer interrupted every few days, the barrier blocking him had finally begun to loosen.

The elder withdrew his hand, and his gaze toward Xiao Yan was no longer quite the same. If the money spent on medicine could truly increase the guards' strength, anyone could see that the investment was worthwhile.

"Clan Leader, we can proceed with this."

He paused, then looked at Xiao Yan again.

"But we mustn't leave all the work to Yan'er alone."

Xiao Zhan already had arrangements in mind and nodded at once.

The medicine store's Steward would handle purchasing the ingredients, while washing, slicing, and portioning them would be entrusted to pharmacists familiar with their properties.

Xiao Yan would only be responsible for the final extraction and blending. Once refined, the medicine would be distributed according to each person's condition.

This way, the extra time he spent would be limited, while the clan could continue benefiting.

Xun'er also came to help for a few days.

Sitting beneath the veranda, she placed slips marked with dosages beside each portion of ingredients. When she noticed a Steward had switched two supplementary herbs, she gently pointed it out.

When Xiao Yan emerged from the refining room, he happened to see her writing with her head lowered.

"How did you end up working too?"

"I'm just lending a hand." The girl looked up and handed him the neatly arranged ledger. "I've written down how much each uncle should use, just as you told me. That way, nobody will take the medicine and forget how many drops to pour."

Xiao Yan leafed through it and couldn't help smiling.

"With you here, I have much less to worry about."

Noticing the faint weariness in his eyes, Xun'er pushed over the soup that had been kept warm beside her.

"Then rest for a while first. You don't have to pour every moment you save into the medicine Cauldron."

Xiao Yan didn't refuse. He took the bowl, sat beside her, and slowly drank.

The fragrance of medicine drifted through the courtyard, while the shouts from the distant training grounds rang much louder than before.

With the first group showing results, the arrangements that followed went much more smoothly.

The guards used the Medicinal Bath according to their duty rotations. Those who traveled trade routes year-round received priority treatment for accumulated injuries, while the younger clan members were given reduced dosages to gradually hone themselves alongside their usual training.

Xiao Yan didn't pass on the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. He only taught everyone a few methods of stretching their muscles and tendons that Grandmaster had approved. They were simple to practice, and anyone could learn them.

During this period, he completed several more consignment sales.

He exchanged part of the proceeds for his own cultivation materials and handed the rest to his father to cover the current Medicinal Bath. Later, the clan allocated funds as well, and the practice gradually became routine.

The changes accumulated day by day.

The first difference Xiao Yan noticed came when he passed the training grounds early one morning. People who had always arrived only after the bell rang were now coming early to loosen their muscles and tendons.

Whoever advanced by one star first could enjoy their companions' envy for days.

Whoever slacked off and skipped a round of training would see everyone else brimming with energy the next morning and find it impossible to sit still.

A little over ten days later, Xiao Hong finally became a Nine-Star Dou Zhe.

On the day of his breakthrough, the man who usually spoke in a rough, booming voice stood beside the training grounds for a long time before finally saluting Xiao Yan solemnly with clasped hands.

"Thank you, Third Young Master."

Xiao Yan reached out to stop his bow and said with a smile,

"You achieved it through your own training."

Xiao Hong shook his head without arguing further, simply keeping this kindness in his heart. Another guard captain, Xiao Shi, and Xiao Yue, the steward who had managed the storehouses for years, were also at Nine-Star Dou Zhe.

All three had accumulated strength for years and were only one step away from becoming Dou Shi, yet had never truly managed to cross that threshold.

Xiao Yan noticed, but made no promises for the moment, because he was nearing that same step himself.

Three months had passed since he had taken his master.

On the rocky ground of the rear mountain, Xiao Yan stood after lowering his sword. The Dou Qi Vortex within him slowly turned, his aura several times stronger than it had been at the beginning.

Nine-Star Dou Zhe.

Throughout this period, he had kept up with selling medicine and refining it for the clan, yet his cultivation had still advanced steadily.

The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts tempered his muscles and bones, while Nine Breaths of Qi gathered Heaven and Earth Qi, and the medicinal ingredients he needed could be replenished in time. The barriers that had once required long stretches of effort for every star gained were now falling beneath his feet one after another.

He clenched his fist, the muscles in his arm tightening slightly. If he tried lifting that broken boulder again now, he probably wouldn't have to strain until his face turned crimson as he had that night.

Bodhi sat nearby and glanced at the lights gradually coming on below the mountain.

"Still thinking about those Dou Zhe?"

Xiao Yan smiled and said,

"If they can become Dou Shi, Father will have a few more helping hands."

“First, take this step firmly yourself.” Grandmaster raised a hand and pointed, and a pill recipe of his own creation drifted gently down before Xiao Yan's knees. “Once you become a Dou Shi, come learn this.”

Xiao Yan lowered his head to look.

Origin Condensation Pill, a third-tier pill.