Swallowing Copper and Iron

Jiang Yan casually cleaned up the ritual altar, then tidied himself up as well.

He then took a box a foot square out of the Thumb Ring.

He opened the box, revealing metal pellets of various sizes packed inside, all of which he had bought at the Market.

When people traded in the Dao Realm, they mostly used Talisman Money and Spirit Stones as currency, or spiritual items at the very least.

Ordinary metals like these were very cheap; even gold and silver were worth no more than copper and iron.

He raised a hand and took out a copper pellet roughly the size of two thumbs.

Without hesitation, Jiang Yan tipped back his head and swallowed the pellet whole, like gulping down a date without chewing.

No tragedy of crushed and ruptured guts occurred. Jiang Yan jumped up and down a few times without feeling any discomfort.

He then followed the circulation route in the Ingestion Method, trying to digest the copper pellet.

As soon as he circulated his Law Power, warmth spread through his stomach.

After he sat quietly for about a quarter of an hour, the warmth in his stomach faded. It seemed the copper pellet had been digested.

"Wonderful, wonderful! With this Ingestion Method, surely the day I achieve bronze skin and iron bones is not far off."

Overjoyed, Jiang Yan could not help clapping his hands in celebration inside the stone chamber.

After all, both stages of the ninth grade realm still focused on the physical body.

Cultivation primarily worked on the practitioner's skin and bones, blood and marrow.

The ninth-rank lower realm was bronze skin and iron bones, while the upper ninth-rank realm was mercury blood and lead marrow.

Reaching the introductory level of the Ingestion Method allowed him to digest and absorb metals such as copper and iron.

Their essence could aid a practitioner in cultivating the physical body.

Originally, Jiang Yan had estimated that he should be able to reach bronze skin and iron bones within a year.

He would then spend another two or three years breaking through to the upper ninth-rank realm.

This was hardly slow, considering that the Prefecture Academy gave its disciples ten years.

Jiang Yan could reach the upper ninth-rank realm in a little over three years.

That would leave nearly seven years to plan for the eighth grade realm.

But now that he had the Ingestion Method to help him, that breakthrough would have to be moved considerably earlier.

Jiang Yan lowered his head and picked through the box.

He selected one pellet of each metal and swallowed them all.

He intended to test which metal offered the greatest benefit in cultivating bronze skin and iron bones.

Gold, copper, and iron pellets went down one after another, and soon Jiang Yan's stomach was stuffed full.

He firmly patted his stomach, feeling the metal pellets press against one another inside. He could even hear them clinking.

Still without the slightest discomfort, Jiang Yan circulated the Ingestion Method at full strength and began digesting them.

Warmth spread through his stomach again. This time, digestion would take more than an hour or two.

Taking Jinbao with him, Jiang Yan went outside. Bathed in sunlight, he was in excellent spirits.

First, he found the attendant in charge and obtained a refund for his remaining time in the stone chamber.

Now that he had mastered the Ingestion Method, Jiang Yan planned to return and study the Fire-Element Pill Refining Method.

He left the Market and headed toward the large courtyard he rented.

As Jinbao bounded along Spirit Beast Road, Jiang Yan spotted several familiar faces.

A short distance directly ahead, a group was traveling on spirit beasts.

Judging by how fully armed they were, they were probably heading out of Town to explore.

Looking closely, he found three familiar figures among them: Xiao Li, Xiao Sheng, and Xiao Li's dao companion, Li Yunshu.

But the person who surprised Jiang Yan most was not one of those three, but the person bringing up the rear.

Riding a most ordinary Copper-Horned Ox, the man wore a fawning smile and seemed to be flattering the other three.

It was actually Li Shun. How had he managed to attach himself to Xiao Li?

Jiang Yan pondered this. It was not that he feared Xiao Li would help Li Shun harm him.

After all, there was no enmity between the two of them; they had merely associated aboard Green Fox High Person's flying boat.

After arriving at the Dao Academy, Jiang Yan had also vaguely sensed that Xiao Li's attitude had grown somewhat distant.

Naturally, he would not cheapen himself by forcing his company on him.

So he had taken the initiative to cut off contact. Even seeing them now, he had no intention of going over to greet them.

Inwardly, he raised Li Shun's threat another notch. Though the man had little ability himself, he apparently had some skill at attaching himself to others.

In those few moments, they happened to reach a street corner. Xiao Li's group continued straight ahead, while Jiang Yan turned off to the side.

Up ahead, Xiao Li seemed to sense something and turned to look behind him.

He caught only half of Jiang Yan's retreating figure, but Jiang Yan's Jinbao was quite distinctive, and he recognized him nonetheless.

"What is it?"

Li Yunshu was riding a Spirit Deer on Xiao Li's right. Seeing him turn his head, she could not help asking.

"Nothing. I think I saw Fellow Daoist Jiang."

Barely had Xiao Li spoken when Xiao Sheng, riding half a body-length behind, immediately picked up the conversation.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang? That Jiang Yan? Brother Li, don't mention him. That man really doesn't know what's good for him!"

Even though Jiang Yan no longer associated with them, Xiao Sheng's opinion of him remained poor.

In his view, although his own attitude had been bad, Jiang Yan was merely a disciple from an insignificant small clan.

The proper thing for him to do was approach them of his own accord and flatter and fawn over them, just like Li Shun behind them.

"He has a little talent and acts so outrageously arrogant. He'll have plenty to suffer later."

Li Yunshu spoke up as well. Her thinking was the same as Xiao Sheng's.

To those two, who had grown up accustomed to flattery, the weak ought to revolve around the strong.

Without a doubt, Jiang Yan was one of the weak in their eyes.

Perhaps he could still barely compare with them now, but as time passed, he would eventually be left behind, unable to catch up.

Behind them, Li Shun perceptively voiced his agreement. As it happened, he too bore resentment toward Jiang Yan.

Had that man not refused to ally with him, why would he have needed to join Xiao Li's group?

After all, those three were either kin or dao companions, bound by extremely close ties.

Xiao Sheng also had a violent temper. The role Li Shun played in this group was more like that of a follower or attendant.

But he had no choice. He had possessed few Spirit Stones to begin with, and another sum had been confiscated as a penalty soon after his arrival.

After just these few days of living in Town, his purse was already about to hit bottom.

Had Xiao Li and the others not been accustomed to being waited on since childhood and taken him in,

he probably would not even have managed to become a follower and would have been reduced to selling his blood for a living.

As he thought this, Li Shun's disparagement of Jiang Yan grew all the more heartfelt.

Xiao Sheng and Li Yunshu each cast him an approving look.

Out of the corner of his eye, Li Shun saw Li Yunshu sitting on her Spirit Deer. As she turned sideways, her body bounced and jiggled with the deer's running gait.

He secretly swallowed, yet kept a look of gritted-teeth indignation on his face as he continued disparaging Jiang Yan.

Xiao Li listened to the three of them talking incessantly, with no intention of stopping them.

In fact, he too had some objections to Jiang Yan's conduct.

After all, he had only shown the slightest hint of distance, and Jiang Yan had immediately cut off contact.

But seeing Li Shun grow increasingly enthusiastic, he finally spoke.

"Enough. Stop talking about it. Once we're outside Town, everyone had better behave."

"Brother Xiao Yi only just finished his annual assessment, yet he's making time to take us exploring. Don't displease him."

Only then did Li Shun shut his mouth, following at the rear with a respectful, obedient expression and downcast eyes.

In truth, most of his attention was on Li Yunshu.

This Xiao fellow is no good either, picking on me for no reason. Why didn't you interfere when those two were talking, but stepped in when I spoke?

And that Xiao Sheng is even worse! If I ever get the chance, I'll make sure to give you all a thorough working-over!

The corners of Li Shun's mouth curled upward, as though he had thought of something wonderful, and he became utterly lost in his fantasies.

Elsewhere, Jiang Yan naturally had no idea that Xiao Li catching sight of half his figure had earned him a round of disparagement from them.

Otherwise, he would certainly have noted every one of them down.

He paid no mind to encountering Xiao Li's group and rode Jinbao all the way back to the courtyard.

That woman Zhang Yunhong was waiting at the entrance again. Who knew where she found so much free time?

This time, she held a smoking pipe and leaned against the doorway, puffing clouds of smoke.

Seeing Jiang Yan return, she exhaled a long stream of smoke and teased him with a smile.

"Why do you leave early and return late every day, Fellow Daoist? Be careful, or some sister might bewitch you."