Small Yuan Pill

"Brother Wu, I'm already very satisfied."

Li Rui said.

Wu Tu thought he was merely comforting him, but Li Rui was genuinely satisfied from the bottom of his heart.

No work to do, yet he could still collect a salary, with heaps upon heaps of time to practice martial arts—where in the world could one find such a good job!

He would wake up laughing even in his dreams.

Others might find the position of Heaven One Hall Master like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away—but to him, it was simply the finest post imaginable. Not only could he collect a salary, there was practically no risk at all.

He had a martial bone and secret techniques. As long as he advanced steadily, step by step, he could go very far. There was no need to risk his life.~

Wu Tu thought it over and still felt he had let Li Rui down, so he patiently explained:

"Old Brother, the Heaven and Earth Alliance has only just been established. There will be plenty of chances to earn merit in the future. And every year, there's a Great Examination. As long as you stand out in it, your number will naturally rise. With Old Brother's martial skills, I'm sure you'll win yourself a fine rank."

The Heaven and Earth Alliance's rapid growth had much to do with its competitive system.

Unlike the other two gangs and three families, the Heaven and Earth Alliance had only been founded for ten years. There was hardly any seniority hierarchy, and it emphasized cultivating fighting spirit. As long as you could fight, you could rise.

Of course, such fights required witnesses from the Law Enforcement Hall.

Mutual slaughter within the alliance was expressly forbidden. Whoever committed such an unrighteous deed would surely be hunted down by the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

The higher one's rank on the token, the more resources one could obtain.

The difference in treatment between a Number "1" token and a Number "28" token was more than tenfold, reflected in every aspect: pills, cultivation methods, authority, and more.

But the more resources one could gain, the more effort one had to put in.

Heaps upon heaps of time had to be spent handling alliance affairs. What one gained, one inevitably lost.

Still, Martial Masters could not possibly practice martial arts day and night anyway. All things considered, it was still profitable.

The Great Examination allowed one to challenge someone ranked above oneself. As long as the challenge succeeded, the two parties could exchange their waist tags.

Wu Tu spoke at length.

He told Li Rui everything he knew about the Heaven and Earth Alliance, without leaving out the slightest detail.

"Old Brother, I botched this matter and feel ashamed before my own conscience. This Small Yuan Pill can nourish one's lifespan. Please accept it."

He stuffed a small wooden box into Li Rui's hands.

Then he turned and left without looking back, not giving Li Rui any chance to refuse.

Li Rui looked at the banknote and pill in his hands.

He truly could not bear to decline them.

What if Wu Tu really took them back?

"One hundred taels, one hundred taels!"

Li Rui's heart thumped wildly.

He had never seen a banknote for such a huge sum in his life. After saving for a lifetime, he had only accumulated thirty taels of silver—and even that had taken fifty years of scrimping and saving.

One hundred taels.

Put it this way: it was enough for a family of three to live on for a lifetime!

Besides that, he had also received a pill.

Even through the wooden box, he could smell its medicinal fragrance.

Refined medicine was far more valuable than herbs. Wasn't that why the alchemists in the city were all potbellied and rolling in money?

A skilled alchemist could not only combine various herbs to enhance their medicinal effects, but also reduce their toxicity.

Who knew how much more sophisticated that was than Li Rui's medicinal baths. The price was several times higher as well.

"Small Yuan Pill."

Li Rui had heard this pill's name before.

He remembered that thirty years ago, on a snowy night, he had gone to Pill King Workshop to collect a pill for the old Zhu Family head. It had been a Small Yuan Pill.

Just as Wu Tu had said, this pill could strengthen the body and prolong one's years.

If he remembered correctly, one pill was worth fifty taels of silver!

Wu Tu was a man worth keeping around!

Li Rui's heart raced.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he had earned a full one hundred and fifty taels. He would not have dared dream of it.

That night.

He swallowed the Small Yuan Pill. Aside from being bitter and hard to swallow, there seemed to be nothing special about it.

But soon—

A warm current rose from his Dantian and flooded through his entire body. The area around his spine was especially scorching hot.

His martial bone had begun exerting its power again!

Knowing that time waited for no one, Li Rui immediately sat cross-legged on the bed, formed the Taishang Laojun Finger with both hands, held his breath and gathered his spirit, and began circulating the White Ape Mantle Blade Breathing Method.

A cool breath circulated through one full cycle within his body.

Only then did the blazing heat throughout his body gradually fade.

The next morning.

Li Rui slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the sliver of light beyond the window, he felt as though a lifetime had passed.

Without realizing it, he had meditated for the entire night.

Yet he did not feel tired in the slightest. Instead, he felt clear-headed and invigorated.

He closed his eyes and sensed himself carefully, then abruptly opened them, joy flashing in his gaze.

He had broken through again!

In a single night, he had actually broken through from Intermediate Training to Major Training, a full half year faster than he had expected!

"Was the Small Yuan Pill's effect really this fierce?"

Li Rui found it hard to believe.

But soon, he identified the key to why its effects were so obvious—his martial bone and the Breathing Method.

He had once seen the old Zhu Family head take this pill, but its effects had been nowhere near as apparent as they were for him.

As everyone knew, one could build up resistance to pills.

Li Rui had lived seventy years and had only taken seven or eight medicinal baths in the past few months. He had never taken a single pill. Naturally, the first time had the best effect. Coupled with the help of his martial bone and Breathing Method, the effects were astonishingly good.

They certainly would not be this good in the future.

He was already very content.

After washing his face, he found his most presentable set of clothes.

Clothes made the man, saddles made the horse. He could not let people look down on him at first sight.

Once he was properly dressed, Li Rui left for the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

According to Wu Tu, the Heaven and Earth Alliance had spent a fortune in the western part of the city to buy a vast stretch of residences as the Qinghe Branch headquarters.

Half an hour later.

Li Rui arrived at the Heaven and Earth Alliance headquarters in the western part of the city.

As he remembered, there had once been several martial arts schools in this area. They later declined and shut down, leaving the place abandoned for several years before the Heaven and Earth Alliance bought it not long ago.

The massive gate, over two zhang high, was imposing and grand. Three large characters danced across it like dragons and phoenixes: "Heaven and Earth Alliance"!

A pair of Heaven and Earth Alliance disciples stood before the gate, each one sturdy and powerfully built. Their black clothes made them look sharp and capable.

"Who goes there!"

When the lead disciple saw Li Rui approaching, he shouted sharply.

Li Rui smiled and took out the token engraved with the number "28" from his robes.

Seeing the number on the token, the lead disciple's expression changed. His attitude instantly became far more respectful. "So it's Lord Deacon!"

The token at his waist bore the number "198." When he saw Li Rui, how could he not address him as lord?

To become the captain guarding the Heaven and Earth Alliance's gate, martial skill was secondary. What mattered most was having sharp eyes.

Otherwise, if he offended a lord one day, he would surely be beaten to death.

Lord?

Li Rui's expression grew somewhat dazed.

In the first half of his life, people had called him Little Li. In the latter half, he had been Old Li. Being addressed as "lord" truly felt unfamiliar.

But he would grow used to it in the future.

His gaze became resolute.

Just as he lifted his foot and stepped through the Heaven and Earth Alliance's gate, lines of small text appeared before his eyes.

Congratulations to the host for completing the initial storyline of the Make a Name for Oneself achievement—joining a faction.