Got It

"Roar..."

Seeing the herb thief trying to flee, the fierce tiger let out an enraged roar.

It shot forward like lightning, arriving behind Lu Changsheng and viciously swinging a tiger claw at him.

The entire sequence happened with extreme speed.

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng's heart sank heavily.

If that strike landed on him, he would likely be knocked unconscious on the spot. Dying beneath the tiger's jaws would be inevitable.

He desperately searched for a solution in his mind.

In that flash of lightning, Lu Changsheng suddenly had an inspired thought.

He swiftly focused his mind on Armor Enhancement and tapped the plus sign behind it.

That was right—he intended to withstand the tiger claw head-on.

Since he could not avoid it, he would do everything he could to improve his chances of survival.

As long as he endured this attack, he could use the force of its paw to be sent flying, then immediately activate Burrowing. That way, he would be safe.

Armor Enhancement, upgrade!

Lu Changsheng roared inwardly.

At that moment, a warm current welled up from the depths of his body and rapidly circulated through him. The scales covering his body immediately gave off a faint gleam.

Even the thickness of his scales increased significantly.

Bound Exotic Beast: Pangolin

Level: 1

Skill: Burrowing (Common)

Armor Enhancement: (Excellent)

Source Energy Points: 3

Lu Changsheng sensed that his defensive power had abruptly risen by more than double.

Even the skill rank had become Excellent.

Though they were both low-level skills, every rank increase produced an astonishing effect.

The expenditure of two Source Energy Points was worth it.

This also gave Lu Changsheng considerably more confidence in surviving this crisis.

Only around half a breath had passed from the moment Lu Changsheng upgraded the skill to the completion of its evolution.

"Bang..."

The tiger claw slammed fiercely against the scales on Lu Changsheng's back.

With a tremendous crash, Lu Changsheng's entire body was sent flying more than ten meters forward.

He immediately felt his blood and qi churning, stars flashing before his eyes.

Yet just as he had expected, he had not fainted on the spot after taking the blow.

That was the benefit of improving his armor. If his scales' defensive power had not increased so greatly, he would have been knocked unconscious immediately.

"Burrowing."

Lu Changsheng had no time to think further and immediately activated Burrowing.

His claws rapidly dug through the forest floor, quickly carving out a small hole that continued deepening.

Once it had reached a certain depth, Lu Changsheng immediately burrowed in and began digging sideways.

Just as he hid inside the hole, the fierce tiger charged to its entrance.

It stared into the bottom of the hole, its face filled with fury, its eyes seeming ready to spit fire.

Its spiritual herb had actually been stolen.

"Roar..."

Roar after roar rang through the sky, shaking countless green leaves around it into rustling wildly.

Seeing that he was safe, Lu Changsheng slowly let out a breath.

After immediately digging several dozen meters ahead, he hid in an underground hollow and lay down.

That attack from the fierce tiger had already injured his internal organs. Even with an Exotic Beast's recovery abilities, it would likely take several days to heal.

For the time being, the herbs in his hands were enough, so he was in no hurry.

He began quietly recuperating from his injuries.

The next day, at dawn.

The rising sun spread golden light across the earth.

After getting up and washing for a while, Lu Changsheng opened the system space to inspect last night's haul.

Several wild herbs that were twenty to thirty years old lay quietly in the space, glowing like icons. It was exceedingly strange.

The ginseng was the most eye-catching, its radiance carrying a thread of red.

He took out the herbs one by one and held them in his hand.

After a moment, the anticipated notification did not sound.

Could it be that the herbs aren't old enough?

He was somewhat puzzled.

Then, Lu Changsheng took out that ginseng.

The entire root was as long as a palm, with every one of its rootlets perfectly intact, smooth and delicate.

A fragrant scent drifted throughout the house, instantly refreshing the mind.

"Unknown energy fluctuations detected. Absorb?"

At that moment, a crisp system prompt sounded in his mind.

Absorb.

Lu Changsheng silently said.

As a warm current rose from within him, the ginseng in his hand immediately vanished.

He looked at his Source Energy Points, which had directly become 9.

It seemed only spiritual herbs of a certain age could be absorbed.

Ordinary herbs that were twenty or thirty years old could not meet the system's requirements.

A spiritual herb nearing a century in age generally provided around 6 points.

For now, he did not know the minimum age required for absorbable spiritual herbs.

As for spiritual herbs of greater age, he could only test those in the future.

Lu Changsheng even wondered whether his Attribute Modifier could absorb things other than spiritual herbs.

A moment later, he gathered his thoughts and headed outside.

Now that he had herbs in hand, it was time to go out and exchange them for some money.

His Iron Cloth Shirt progress was stuck at around seventy percent, neither up nor down, which was rather frustrating.

Only with enough meat to nourish himself could his martial cultivation advance swiftly.

It was said that those martial arts experts could even eat an entire cow in one meal.

The stronger one became, the more terrifying one's appetite was.

From the moment one set foot upon the martial path, one was destined to be different from ordinary people.

Before long, Lu Changsheng left the courtyard and headed toward the city.

Changping County was divided into two sections: the outer city and the inner city.

The inner city was home to officials, nobles, and martial arts experts.

It was impossible for ordinary people to enter.

The outer city was where commoners, wealthy merchants, and powerful local families mixed together, along with no small number of gang members. Fish and dragons mingled there in chaotic profusion.

The southern district of the outer city was where the commoners lived.

The northern district was home to wealthy merchants, powerful local families, and gang bosses.

The western district consisted of slums. It was the filthiest and most disorderly place in all of Changping County.

The eastern district was filled with shops and marketplaces, and was quite bustling.

That was precisely Lu Changsheng's destination for this trip.

With his hands behind his back, he followed the road with practiced ease.

Thatched huts stood in haphazard rows on either side, looking dilapidated and run-down.

The air was filled with foul stenches.

From time to time, he could even see rat corpses lying in reeking gutters.

There were few pedestrians on the road. Every one of them hurried along with numb expressions.

When they saw Lu Changsheng, they merely glanced at him before paying him no further attention.

"This world has driven people to run themselves ragged just to survive."

Lu Changsheng could only sigh.

From his memories, he learned that rice prices had been rising continuously for half a year.

They had more than doubled from their original price.

At this rate, there was no knowing when it would end.

For commoners at the bottom, rice prices concerned whether they could fill their bellies, and thus affected the stability of all Changping County.

This also revealed the turmoil within the imperial court from another angle.

Lu Changsheng proceeded onward. After crossing the central square of the outer city, he entered the eastern district.

His gaze swept across his surroundings.

Compared to other places, the eastern district was much cleaner.

Large numbers of shops stood shoulder to shoulder on both sides, their wares displayed within.

Rice, flour, grain, oil, and cloth were sparsely arranged across the counters.

The shop attendants yawned listlessly as well.

After passing several grain and oil shops, Lu Changsheng finally arrived at his destination.

"Miao's Herb Shop."

Four gilded characters were emblazoned upon the signboard, hanging high overhead.

This herb shop was neither too large nor too small—just right for him.

Lu Changsheng strode inside.

The moment he entered, he saw an elderly man in green robes standing behind the central counter.

"May I ask what you need, sir?"

Seeing a customer arrive, Miao Qingyun smiled slightly, immediately making one feel favorably toward him.

"Does your shop purchase herbs?"

Lu Changsheng did not beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.

"Oh?"

A flicker of interest immediately appeared on Miao Qingyun's face.

The herbs in his shop were specially gathered from deep mountains at great expense. It was rather rare for independent sellers to come offering herbs.

"What herbs do you have, sir?"

Lu Changsheng smiled faintly.

He then reached into his robes, took out three portions of herbs, and placed them on the counter.

A medicinal fragrance immediately drifted through the air.

Before coming here, he had already decided to sell three portions of herbs first.

"These herbs were entrusted to me by a friend for sale. If the price is reasonable, I believe my friend would not mind having another avenue..." he said lightly.