Chapter 33: Unadorned

Early the next morning.

Lin Zheyu spent the entire morning practicing the Golden Goose Skill in Liang Song's courtyard.

Under Master Liang's guidance, his understanding of the Golden Goose Skill had improved several notches.

Perhaps because he was preparing to leave, when Lin Zheyu inquired about prescriptions with stronger medicinal potency, Liang Song gave him two formulas directly.

One was suitable for the Viscera Refining Realm, and the other could only be used by those in the Blood and Qi Realm.

Lin Zheyu skipped the Viscera Refining formula entirely and began studying the Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup.

The Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup could nourish the body's blood and qi and bolster one's vital essence. Its medicinal potency was extremely aggressive; if used by a martial artist below the Blood and Qi Realm, it would damage their very foundation.

In the evening, Senior Brother Han Mo arrived again.

The two sparred in Liang Song's courtyard for over an hour. Thanks to Han Mo's dedicated efforts, Lin Zheyu gained significant insights into fighting opponents wielding cold weapons.

Through their contact over the past few days, he had come to understand Han Mo a bit better.

He was an "honest man," possessing a style of conduct that gave off an impression of integrity and uprightness.

"Alright, take a break. Don't practice too late."

Liang Song called a halt to Lin Zheyu, who was still attempting to press the attack.

The boy practiced with extreme ferocity; even though he was panting heavily from exhaustion, he continued to launch attack after attack against Han Mo.

However, it was precisely because of this ruthlessness and perseverance that Liang Song appreciated him so much and chose to pass on the Golden Goose Skill to him.

Lin Zheyu stopped, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath.

"You're truly hard on yourself, kid!" Han Mo remarked.

Under the moonlight, the dozens of bruises on Lin Zheyu's body had all been inflicted by him using a blunt blade.

"It's chaotic outside. There's no telling when the rebel armies will attack. While things are still relatively peaceful and tranquil, it's important to increase my strength quickly."

"What's a little pain compared to that?" Lin Zheyu grinned.

After resting for a while, the two bid farewell to Liang Song and departed.

They walked together under the moonlight.

"Don't wander out of the city aimlessly lately. It's very chaotic outside, and bandits are rampant," Han Mo said.

"Has the rebel army moved again?"

"Yes, Anyi City has also fallen, and another wave of refugees has arrived outside the city walls." Han Mo nodded, his face tinged with sorrow and pity.

Songyi City's capacity to accept refugees was limited, and it had long since reached its limit. The refugees were being settled outside the city under extremely primitive conditions.

As the weather grew colder, he saw many refugees freeze to death during his morning patrols.

"I see. I understand."

Lin Zheyu nodded. He rarely left the city; he hadn't even ventured into the outer city.

His daily life was simple: home, the teahouse, Master Liang's house, and occasionally, under the persistent coaxing of Jia Yanyong and the others, a stroll to the Wanhua Pavilion. That was all.

...

Returning to his courtyard, Lin Zheyu stripped off his clothes and continued his training.

It had been several days since he had last broken his physical limits, and his essence, energy, and spirit had once again reached a peak state.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

In the deep of the night, thudding sounds echoed from the courtyard.

Even though the wooden posts were wrapped in thick, old clothes, the sound was still quite loud, reverberating through the yard.

Fortunately, there was no one living near his small courtyard, and they were far away; otherwise, someone would have come to complain about the noise.

Over an hour later.

Lin Zheyu lay on the ground, panting heavily.

【Heaven Rewards the Diligent】

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 6

Skills

Bull Force Fist (Proficient 4%)

Golden Goose Skill (First Layer 39%)

Turtle Breath Great Method (Second Layer 26%)

...

The next morning.

He rose early, but did not go to Liang Song's house today.

Instead, Lin Zheyu took the prescription for the Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup and headed to the apothecary to purchase the ingredients.

The ingredients for the soup were not easy to find. He had to visit several apothecaries before he could gather everything. A single dose of ingredients cost a little over ten taels of silver.

"So expensive... one dose is worth ten ordinary medicinal soups," Lin Zheyu muttered, feeling a bit of a sting in his wallet.

He suddenly felt that the hundred-odd taels he had accumulated weren't that much anymore; it would only buy about a dozen doses of medicine.

Upon returning home, he took out the ingredients for three doses of the Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup and placed them all into a medicinal pot to decoct.

He had to test the potency first; if the strength of one dose was no better than ordinary soup, it wouldn't be worth the cost.

Chopping wood, lighting the fire, and decocting the soup.

Lin Zheyu decocted it five full times, extracting every bit of medicinal potency from the ingredients until not a single drop remained.

A thick medicinal fragrance drifted through the courtyard.

"This stuff is much more bitter than the previous medicinal soups!"

Lin Zheyu took a small sip, and his face immediately crumpled. It was incredibly bitter.

Holding his breath, he gulped the soup down in one go.

Instantly, an intense, parching heat surged through him.

"This potency is fierce!"

Lin Zheyu was shocked. As soon as the soup entered his stomach, he felt the heat. If he waited a few more minutes, he suspected he might start bleeding from his nose.

He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and sent out a thought: *'Use 3 units of Source Power to upgrade the Turtle Breath Great Method.'*

In an instant, a mysterious energy surged forth, guiding the medicinal potency from the soup to circulate throughout his entire body.

His consciousness entered a special state as he began a long period of cultivation, his comprehension of the Turtle Breath Great Method deepening continuously.

Lin Zheyu's body also underwent massive changes.

Although his strength and speed did not increase, his muscles and skin became increasingly firm, and his aura became more restrained.

The strengthening of his internal organs was the most significant.

As the Turtle Breath Great Method improved, under the influence of the breathing technique, Lin Zheyu's internal organs were further strengthened, completing most of the path of the Viscera Refining Realm.

*Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...*

His breathing became increasingly long and steady, and even his heart rate slowed down.

Under the subtle adjustments of the mysterious power, the density of his muscles was further increased.

While his raw strength hadn't increased much, from an external perspective, he appeared slightly smaller and more compact than before.

The aura surrounding Lin Zheyu dropped lower and lower, becoming smooth and unpretentious.

The sharpness he had developed through martial arts gradually vanished, making him look more like an ordinary, frail scholar.

After several breaths.

*Phew...*

Exhaling a long breath of turbid air, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes.

【Heaven Rewards the Diligent】

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 3

Skills

Bull Force Fist (Proficient 4%)

Golden Goose Skill (First Layer 39%)

Turtle Breath Great Method (Third Layer 0%)

"I've finally reached the third layer. Even if I were to increase my strength to the Blood and Qi Realm right now, Master Liang wouldn't be able to see through my true cultivation."

A smile appeared on Lin Zheyu's face.

He could finally increase his strength without restraint.

After carefully inspecting his physical condition, Lin Zheyu discovered that when he operated the Turtle Breath Great Method at full capacity, he looked like a weak scholar who had never practiced martial arts.

His skin had become much smoother; the roughness his fists had acquired from training had vanished, looking almost the same as before he started practicing.

"It actually has this effect!"

Lin Zheyu was astonished.

If he were to cultivate the Turtle Breath Great Method to the perfection of the third layer, would his skin become even more tender and smooth than a woman's?

After studying the upgraded Turtle Breath Great Method for a while, Lin Zheyu gradually felt a sense of heat in his body.

"The three doses of soup I just drank... there's still medicinal potency left, and quite a lot of it," Lin Zheyu thought to himself, feeling a surge of pleasant surprise.

The continuous heat emanating from his body proved that there was a significant amount of leftover potency, more than a Bone Forging Realm martial artist like him could normally handle.

As expected of an expensive ingredient costing ten taels of silver per dose; it was well worth the money.

...

(End of Chapter)