Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Rapid Advancement
The Purple Dragon Vine was no more than a foot long. Its vine was tough, impervious to water and fire. Coiled with purple veins and adorned with branching tendrils and light purple leaves, it looked quite peculiar.
A single section of this vine, not even as long as a forearm, required a class-A merit.
What was a class-A merit worth? According to the Escort Agency’s standards, one had to face an enemy of the Fourth Training and make a significant contribution to earn such an honor.
In Yunzhao, a Fourth Training Martial Artist could open a major martial arts academy; they weren’t someone you could run into just anywhere. Even the escort leaders had a hard time accumulating such merits. In fact, Third Training escort leaders like Lu Zhenyu, and previously Zhao Xingyang and Xu Mo, had rarely earned class-A merits, instead relying on accumulating lesser contributions—exchanging quantity for quality.
Thus, a class-A merit was practically the highest honor within the Escort Agency. With one, an escort could freely choose from any of the Cultivation Techniques, precious items, or Spiritual Medicines available for exchange.
And the Purple Dragon Vine was clearly among the most precious of these, for even a class-A merit could only be exchanged for a single, small plant.
"There are only two Purple Dragon Vines in the Escort Agency right now. This stuff is precious, and it’s not easy to get your hands on one normally."
The old Pharmacist explained:
"The description is simple, but its effects aren’t discounted by a single word—that’s no exaggeration. This thing can both refine Qi and Blood and clear the meridians to strengthen the muscles, killing two birds with one stone. For a Martial Artist like you at the Muscle Training stage, taking it will directly raise your cultivation level without any need for extra tempering. It’s the highest-grade Treasure Medicine for this phase. Even Martial Artists who have mastered the Third Training or reached the Fourth Training use it as a supplement. The medicine’s blood-enriching effect is constant. And even after you’ve mastered Muscle Training, it can help you take that one extra step, strengthening you even further."
The old Pharmacist took out the Purple Dragon Vine for display. Its purple leaves were dotted like stars, and the vine itself seemed almost crystalline. A single glance was enough to tell it was different from ordinary medicinal herbs.
Xie Yuan took a look and nodded.
"I suppose it’s expensive for a reason."
"You get what you pay for. The Escort Agency doesn’t gouge its own people; in fact, the prices are subsidized. Xiaoxie, I think this is the right choice for you."
The old Pharmacist stroked his beard as he commented.
Xie Yuan had been browsing for a while and felt this one best matched his needs. He made his decision.
"The Purple Dragon Vine it is, then! I’ll have to trouble you to brew it for me, sir."
"Of course. Come pick it up tomorrow morning; it won’t be ready until then. I’ll divide it into three doses. Drink one a day, and don’t leave your room. Focus on your training to maximize the medicine’s effects."
"Thank you, sir."
"You’re welcome. For the supplementary ingredients and my labor, that will be a total of one hundred and seven taels of silver."
The old Pharmacist said with a grin.
Xie Yuan snapped his mouth shut. He took out a few large silver ingots and some loose silver, handing them to the old Pharmacist.
The supplementary ingredients naturally cost money. They were certainly much cheaper than buying them outside and weren’t considered terribly expensive; they could be paid for directly with silver. It was a mere hundred taels.
It just so happened to completely drain Xie Yuan’s savings once again.
If he hadn’t performed another great service this time, he probably wouldn’t have even been able to afford the silver for the supplementary ingredients.
After all, a class-A merit was already a huge reward, something money couldn’t buy. As for worldly possessions like silver, the Escort Agency had only given Xie Yuan a token sum.
But Xie Yuan grumbled inwardly, ’The Escort Agency could have been a bit more "token" about it. There’s never enough silver.’
Casually purchasing a hundred taels’ worth of supplementary ingredients, Xie Yuan was just venting. He didn’t feel the sting too much anymore, and he no longer bothered calculating the cost in terms of how many "tea ceremonies" it was worth at Iron Clothes Gate.
「The next morning」
Xie Yuan went to the apothecary, picked up his medicine, and returned to his room.
Swirling a dose of the purplish medicinal liquid, Xie Yuan tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp.
"HAAAH!"
As the liquid entered his stomach, Xie Yuan exhaled a hot breath. His abdomen felt like it was on fire.
It was as if a hot spring had erupted in his belly, its unbearable heat instantly piercing his organs, muscles, and bones to radiate through every part of his body.
Xie Yuan felt his Blood Qi surge uncontrollably throughout his body, his limbs filling with power. He couldn’t help but immediately assume the Arhat Stance, practicing the form over and over, tempering his Blood Qi again and again, feeling it grow visibly stronger.
’This is amazing! "Replenishes essence and benefits the blood," they weren’t lying!’
Xie Yuan was thrilled. The effect of this single dose of medicine was incredibly potent!
In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had made more progress than in a full day of training!
The increase in Blood Qi was only one aspect. Xie Yuan could also feel the major tendons between his bones and muscles—areas difficult to temper with Blood Qi or ordinary Treasure Medicines—slowly but noticeably toughening under the liquid’s heat. It felt as if he were soaking in a warm bath, cozy and comfortable, as they gradually became both more flexible and stronger.
Xie Yuan’s own abundant Blood Qi had been looking for an outlet. Following the medicine’s heat, it too began to temper his tendons.
With this two-pronged attack, his progress in the "tendon stretching" part of Muscle Training—the most troublesome and patience-testing of the four stages of External Training—advanced by leaps and bounds.
Although Muscle Training was only the third stage, and not as pivotal, transitional, or offering as massive a boost as the fourth stage, Bone Forging, it was the most demanding in terms of meticulousness and patience.
Tendons were attached to and interspersed between muscles and bones, wrapped in layers. They weren’t large, and a Martial Artist at the External Training level would find it difficult to precisely control their Blood Qi to temper them steadily. With the slightest lapse in concentration, the Blood Qi would scatter into the surrounding muscles and skeleton, leaving less than a tenth of it for the intended target.
Therefore, even though Muscle Training didn’t require a huge amount of Blood Qi—nothing compared to the vast reserves needed for Bone Forging—it was a delicate process that required skill and effort.
But the benefits after completing Muscle Training were equally enormous. Compared to their previous state, a Third Training Martial Artist—aside from the physical enhancements from a higher Blood Qi realm—could withstand and exert far greater power, because their major tendons were now stretched, tough, and strong.
An ordinary Martial Artist might possess a certain amount of strength, but due to issues with flexibility and power delivery, they can’t necessarily unleash all of it. A Martial Artist who has mastered Muscle Training, however, can fully tap their body’s potential. They can basically hit with all the force they possess. Their attacks are explosive and powerful, their flexibility is superb, and even if their posture is compromised in battle or they take a heavy blow, they are less likely to suffer injuries to their muscles and bones, which in turn increases their Defense Power.
The saying that each of the four stages of External Training brings its own transformation was no empty boast.
When other Martial Artists undertook Muscle Training, they tempered their bodies as if carving a priceless treasure, fearful of wasting Blood Qi or accidentally injuring themselves. It was a slow and meticulous process; they couldn’t speed up even if they wanted to.
Xie Yuan, however, was different. He downed the Purple Dragon Vine brew—a large and satisfying dose. The abundant Blood Qi, combined with the scalding medicinal power, drove straight to the tendons between his bones and flesh for tempering. This, paired with his Body Nourishing Art which constantly nourished his entire system, made his approach nothing short of simple and brutal.
’Meticulous? A grind? Not for me. I didn’t feel a thing.’
On top of that, the Golden Bell Shield was a Buddhist Divine Power with a brilliant External Training method, so Xie Yuan’s cultivation efficiency was off the charts.
His Blood Qi skyrocketed, and his tendons strengthened with explosive force. The external result was that his Golden Bell Shield progress bar leaped forward. Xie Yuan’s strength soared, until, three days later, he broke through.
[Golden Bell Shield • 2nd Layer: (1/1000)]
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