Replenishing his depleted reserves with medicine

After saying goodbye to Jiang Chao, Lin Hao felt his hunger grow increasingly overwhelming, and even his steps became a little unsteady.

He spotted a shop by the street with a sign reading "Wansheng Martial Arts Supplements" and immediately walked inside.

Inside the shop, qi and blood potions of various colors stood neatly arranged in glass cabinets.

The sight made him swallow despite himself.

The shopkeeper behind the counter was scrolling through his phone. He glanced up at Lin Hao, saw a student wearing a No. 2 High School uniform, and paid him little mind.

He asked casually, "What do you want? Basic Qi and Blood Powder or Meridian-Activating Ointment?"

"Five bottles of Crimson Potion." Lin Hao's voice was slightly hoarse.

The phone in the shopkeeper's hand paused. He looked up and sized Lin Hao up, surprised that a student had so much money.

He stood, took out five bottles of Crimson Potion, and set them on the counter. "Four thousand a bottle for Crimson, twenty thousand for five. No bargaining. But this stuff is potent. It isn't suitable for anyone whose qi and blood hasn't reached 1.0. Are you sure you want it?"

"Yes."

Lin Hao took the stack of banknotes Jiang Chao had given him out of his schoolbag and counted them. Exactly twenty notes. He handed them over.

The shopkeeper accepted the money and was just about to count it himself.

Then he saw Lin Hao pick up a bottle, twist off the aluminum cap, and tip it straight into his mouth, draining it in seconds.

As the amber liquid slid down his throat, Lin Hao felt a scalding surge of heat instantly erupt.

It flowed down his esophagus into his stomach.

Then it traveled from his stomach along his meridians, spreading through his limbs and every part of his body.

The meridians throughout his body were like drought-stricken fields meeting rain, ravenously devouring the medicinal power.

The extreme hunger inside him finally eased a little.

But that was all-it had only eased a little.

Watching Lin Hao down an entire bottle of Crimson Potion as though it were water, the shopkeeper's eyes went as wide as brass bells.

"Good heavens! Young man, you've got quite a capacity! An entire bottle in one go? Your qi and blood must be at least above 1.3, right? You're a shoo-in for a top martial arts university!"

Lin Hao said nothing. He only felt his body absorb every last trace of the potion's medicinal power in the blink of an eye.

Hunger still churned through his meridians.

He reached for the second bottle, unscrewed the cap, and tipped his head back to drain it in one go again.

Scalding heat swept through his whole body once more.

After he absorbed this dose of medicinal power, his hunger still only eased a little.

As the shopkeeper watched another bottle of Crimson Potion go down Lin Hao's throat, even the hand holding the money shook.

His voice rose a full octave without him realizing it. "Two bottles? Your qi and blood must be 1.5, right? You're a potential top scorer for our Jiang City! I've run this shop for ten years, and I've never seen anyone drink Crimson like you!"

Lin Hao still said nothing. He was still very hungry.

His hand was already resting on the cap of the third bottle of Crimson Potion.

"For heaven's sake! Stop!"

The shopkeeper snatched the bottle of Crimson Potion away, his face turning green. "You're no potential top scorer-you're here to wreck my shop, aren't you? Three bottles of Crimson would scorch your meridians and land you in the emergency room even with 1.8 qi and blood!

"If something happens to you from drinking in my shop, how am I supposed to keep this ten-year-old business running? Even extortion has its limits!"

He stuffed the remaining three bottles into Lin Hao's hands and pushed him toward the door. "Go, go! Take the rest home and drink them slowly. Drink them however you like, just don't open them in my shop!"

Looking at the shopkeeper's terrified face, then at the three bottles in his hands, Lin Hao shook his head helplessly and walked out.

But he had barely taken a few steps outside before he opened the third bottle of Crimson and once again drained it in one go.

The fourth bottle, then the fifth.

The medicinal power of five bottles of Crimson qi and blood potion converged into a surging torrent of heat inside him, which his body ravenously devoured.

At last, his hunger eased considerably.

But what he had not expected was that, as his body's depleted energy was replenished,

His qi and blood began rising steadily, as though it had broken free of its shackles.

He took a deep breath and summoned the system panel.

[Host: Lin Hao]

[Qi and blood: 0.50]

[Mental power: 0.12]

[Combat power: 2.63]

[Cultivation technique: "Basic Eighteen Forms of Qi and Blood" (great perfection)]

[Martial skill: "Mountain-Subduing Basic Fist" (great perfection)]

His qi and blood really had increased!

Along with it, his combat power had risen too!

So his night of arduous cultivation last night had increased his qi and blood by far more than 0.12.

It was only because his body had been so severely depleted that the qi and blood that should have continued growing had been unable to rise any further.

On his way home, he watched the increasing qi and blood and combat power on the system panel as he walked, his breathing growing heavier.

By the time he reached the entrance to his apartment building in the mining district's family housing compound,

His qi and blood had already risen to 0.76!

His combat power had reached an astonishing 3.52!

And in the martial arts system, a combat power of 3.0 was the standard for a one-star martial artist!

Although his qi and blood had not yet reached the level of a one-star martial artist,

This one-star martial artist's combat power alone was already enough for him to find a good job with an officially established position in Jiang City, or even secure a post at the district Martial Arts Administration branch.

As for an established position on the industrial park's security team,

Only a martial artist with 3.52 combat power who had something wrong with his head would think it worthwhile.

But now, he had no desire to be trapped in little Jiang City.

His goal was Capital Martial University, the Dragon Nation's highest hall of martial arts.

He dismissed the system panel. As his qi and blood rose, his hunger emerged again.

He shook his head with a wry smile. Raising his qi and blood cost far too much money.

The moment he arrived home, the aroma of chicken soup greeted him.

Seeing him return, his mother, Li Xiulan, immediately came out of the kitchen in her apron.

Li Xiulan examined her son's complexion, then felt his forehead before finally letting out a relieved breath.

"Your complexion's finally looking better. You must never stay up cultivating like that again. The food's all ready. Hurry and wash your hands, then eat."

Lin Hao smiled. "I know, Mom. I'm fine. I'll go wash my hands now."

On the living room sofa, Lin Rongshan also relaxed after looking at Lin Hao's complexion. He stood and headed toward the dining room.

Lin Hao approached the dining table, his eyes lighting up at the spread covering it.

Soy-braised beef, old hen soup, fried stuffed lotus root-all the dishes were his favorites.

"Sit." Lin Rongshan pulled out a chair and served him a brimming bowl of chicken soup. "You trained too hard last night. Eat more."

Li Xiulan kept placing food in Lin Hao's bowl too, piling it nearly half full of beef.

After sitting down and exchanging a few words with his parents, Lin Hao eagerly began eating.

He deliberately slowed his eating, rather than wolfing everything down as he had that morning.

Yet without realizing it, he still ate two bowls of rice, half a plate of soy-braised beef, and drank most of the chicken soup.

Watching his son help himself to another bowl of rice, Lin Rongshan thought of something. A smile touched his eyes as he said, "A good appetite's a good thing. People who practice martial arts need to eat well to grow stronger. Judging by your appetite, has your qi and blood gone up lately?"

At this, the chopsticks in Li Xiulan's hand immediately stopped. She looked up at Lin Hao, her eyes full of anticipation.

Facing his parents' gazes, Lin Hao did not want to hide it from them. He nodded and smiled. "Yes. It feels like something clicked recently. I figured out the ins and outs of the Basic Eighteen Forms of Qi and Blood, and my qi and blood went up quite a bit. It's at 0.76 now."

As his words fell, the soup spoon in Lin Rongshan's hand froze beside his bowl. Unable to believe his ears, he asked for confirmation. "How much? 0.76?"

"Yes." Lin Hao nodded.

"The last school-wide test was three months ago, right? You were only at 0.3 then. It went up by 0.46 in three months?"

There was a barely perceptible tremor in Lin Rongshan's voice.

He had suspected that Lin Hao's qi and blood had risen somewhat, but he had never imagined it could have increased by as much as 0.46!

It took Li Xiulan a long while to react. She was so excited that her eyes reddened despite herself.

She held back her tears and only smiled, her fingertips repeatedly wiping the rim of her bowl. "I always said my son wasn't slow. My son can definitely get into a martial arts university. I've always known it."