It was just getting dark, and the mist falling from the mountain still shrouded the entire city in a vast white.
Wei Tao stepped out of his home and bought flour cakes and boiled eggs at the mouth of the alley. He ate them while making his way towards the martial arts hall.
It had been some time since he last replenished his wolf meat supply. Apart from intense training and hunting in the mountains, he also had to dedicate some of his energy to various tasks such as procuring materials, repairing equipment, and managing the bookkeeping at the Martial Arts Hall.
In a few days, the semi-annual exam of the Martial Arts Hall would take place. Many of the honorary disciples from the outer courtyard, who had been there for three months, would be eliminated.
For the official disciples in the inner courtyard, the results of the examination were also crucial. They determined the allocation of cultivation resources and the distribution of the rare Blood Activation Pill.
The ingredients for the Blood Activation Pill were difficult to find, and the process of making them was time-consuming, involving the condensation of a large amount of medicinal essences and slow boiling. While the pill had significant benefits for Eldest Senior Brother Tan Pan and Second Senior Sister Wang Yingxue, who had already reached the Blood Condensation level, it also provided advantages to other official disciples.
For newcomers who hadn't yet reached the Muscle Refinement stage, the pill was equivalent to a precious medicine.
However, this year, the situation had changed. The Martial Arts Hall had acquired more red-capped gray wolves, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of Blood Activation Pills. If not given to each direct disciple, at the very least, the distribution would be much more generous than the previous year's meager supply.
In Wei Tao's opinion, he should receive a Blood Activation Pill. If he was fortunate, he might even acquire more.
With the pill in hand, he could carefully plan his next steps. He would first strengthen his blood and replenish himself by taking the Blood Activation Pill, using its medicinal effects to enhance his cultivation of the Red Line Fist to the maximum extent possible.
Then, he could access the status bar and utilize the accumulated gold coins to progress to the next stage of cultivation.
This was known as the rational allocation of resources and the optimal use of valuable assets.
A slight smile curved Wei Tao's lips as he pondered silently. Suddenly, he stopped at an intersection, turned around, and headed down the long stone road on one side.
With the sound of light footsteps, a slender and toned figure slowly emerged from the depths of the mist and approached closer.
"Second Senior Sister, you're up early," Wei Tao greeted her.
"I've been waiting here for fifteen minutes," Wang Yingxue replied.
"Oh? Second Senior Sister, were you waiting for me?" Wei Tao asked.
"I was specifically waiting for you," Wang Yingxue said, narrowing her eyes slightly as she observed him. "The main gate examination is in three days. How prepared are you, Junior Brother Wei?"
"I don't have much to prepare. I've been training steadily every day," Wei Tao replied, remaining silent as he analyzed her intentions.
Wang Yingxue nodded. "That's good. Don't set your expectations too high, so you won't be deeply disappointed."
"What does Second Senior Sister mean?" Wei Tao furrowed his brow slightly, a smile playing on his lips.
Wang Yingxue tidied the strands of hair beside her ear and maintained a calm and composed expression. "Yesterday, a few of us discussed it. This time, the direct disciple assessment won't be conducted. Instead, we will refine three copies of Blood Activation Pills. One will be taken by the sixth junior brother, and the remaining two will be given to the last eight junior brothers who joined. It's the best choice for the sect to maximize the effect."
"How many people were involved in this discussion?" Wei Tao's gaze grew serious as it focused on her beautiful face.
"That was what the master decided?" Wang Yingxue chuckled. "The master had an urgent matter two days ago, so before leaving, he asked Eldest Senior Brother and the others to discuss the specific arrangements."
Wei Tao fell silent for a moment. "Second Senior Sister, did you come here so early to wait for me and to inform me of the final decision?"
"No, I didn't come to ask for your opinion. I came to inform you of the outcome," Wang Yingxue replied with a leisurely smile, her tone calm and indifferent, as if she were discussing the pleasant weather.
"Alright, I understand. Is there anything else you need, Second Senior Sister?"
Wei Tao finished his sentence but received no response.
The slender figure had vanished, leaving only a swirling cloud of white mist behind.
As evening descended, Wei Tao left the Martial Arts Hall and returned home with a stack of meat buns.
His mother and elder sister lived in the Jade Work Market, while his father, Wei Rongxing, stayed at a client's residence to catch up on work. This left Wei Tao alone in the family home.
He quickly devoured the meat buns, and the night grew darker.
The dim moonlight cast a hazy yellow glow on the chaotic buildings at the edge of the outer city.
Wei Tao blew out the oil lamp, and a blurred status bar, flashing faint rays of light, slowly appeared before his eyes.
He let out a secret sigh.
"I had planned to wait and take the Blood Activation Pill to give myself a boost before activating the status bar and advancing to a higher level, but now it seems unnecessary."
Name: Red Line Fist.
Progress: Beginner.
Status: Beginner.
Whether to consume a gold coin to increase cultivation progress.
He focused his mind and decisively pressed the "yes" button.
Shua!
A gold coin vanished.
The mysterious energy surged once again.
The inner Qi and blood visibly expanded, breaking through the palm's confines and swiftly spreading to other parts of his body.
His hands grew hot, his head felt heavy, and his vision turned dark.
After a few breaths, when everything settled down.
Wei Tao rose from the wooden chair, walked to his humble courtyard, and slowly struck a few red jade punches.
He could clearly feel that the previously sluggish flow of Qi and blood had become smoother, and even the connection between his movements in the fighting style had become more fluid and rounded.
Without any hesitation or doubt, Wei Tao inserted a second gold coin.
And then a third.
By the time the third gold coin was used, the cultivation progress had reached 30%.
His heart suddenly stirred, as if he had flicked a switch somewhere. The movement of Qi and blood in his arms and fists changed in an instant.
Looking down, Wei Tao's face lit up with a long-restrained smile of joy.
"Thoughts moved, my complexion became bloody and as hard as stone, which means I have broken through Skin Refinement and stepped into the level of Muscle Refinement."
"From beginner to thirty percent progress, it corresponds to the Skin Refinement level, and then from thirty to sixty percent progress, it corresponds to the Muscle Refinement level."
Time passed little by little.
Silently, the final fourth gold coin disappeared from the status bar.
Wei Tao closed his eyes and endured the tremendous impact that appeared in an instant.
When everything calmed down:
Name: Red Line Fist.
Progress: 40 percent.
Realm: Muscle Refinement.
Status: Slightly accomplished.
Wei Tao stared intently at the blurred status bar, sensing the movement of qi and blood in his body. He assumed the Red Line Fist gesture again and slowly practiced in the yard.
Fortunately, on the night of capturing the red-capped gray wolf, Master Zhou drank happily and taught me the inner training method for Muscle Refinement in advance, using wine as a catalyst.
Otherwise, with my vision turning black, if I would have had an extra gold coin I might not have been able to use it for the cultivation of Red Line Fist.
Of course, the results of today's cultivation are inseparable from my own efforts.
After all, without the foundation laid by AT FIRST, the four gold coins accumulated so far would have been useless.
Thinking further, even if I use the status bar to improve, it is the gold coins that I have worked hard to acquire, and I have no obligations to anyone.
It's just a pity about that Blood Activation Pill.
Originally, I kept the gold coin unused, intending to obtain the Blood Activation Pill and use its medicinal efficacy to improve my cultivation base as much as possible when I was at a lower level. Then, I would maximize the cultivation effect through the status bar.
But now that the Blood Activation Pill is lost, there's no need to wait.
Wei Tao closed his fist and slowly exhaled a burning breath.
He is in a calm mood now, neither undervaluing himself for not making much progress in this time, nor becoming arrogant after advancing rapidly this time.
Because he knows very well that he has now encountered another bottleneck.
It may take a month to settle and wait until the next gold coin appears to break through again.
Going from Skin Refinement to Muscle Refinement is a significant leap, giving him a completely different new feeling.
On the progress bar of Red Line Fist, stepping into the Blood Condensation level is likely to correspond to more than 60% progress.
Reaching a higher level of sixty percent is necessary to naturally break through Muscle Refinement and step into the realm of Blood Condensation.
So, before that, it's best to find a way to obtain the follow-up cultivation method.
This is to prevent a situation where there is a gold coin but promotion cannot be achieved.
It was late at night, and the fog hadn't cleared. In fact, it became deeper and heavier over time.
Wei Tao wiped his body with a little water and changed into clean clothes.
Then he found a piece of charcoal that had turned black, drew several circles on the ground, and connected them separately.
The circle in the center represented the Red Line Sect.
There were also four circles around it, representing the Silver Wolf Gang, Changle Market, Fushun Dart Bureau, and Iron Alley.
The adopted daughter and son of the lord of the Silver Wolf Gang, the nephew of Changle Market's stall head Suo Qi, the son of Fushun Dart Bureau, and most likely the granddaughter of the owner of Iron Alley, all of them were official disciples of his teacher.
Forces that had not previously intersected much were now linked together in this way.
Wei Tao stared at the charcoal drawings on the ground for a while, then reached out and drew a larger circle a little farther away.
Then he wrote two words inside it.
The first word was written in large characters, "Huang," and the second word was written in smaller characters, "Tan."
The Huang Family, one of the three great families in the inner city, had three sons and four daughters. Recently, the second daughter, Huang Jiaoyun, from the concubine room, had been seen frequently in the inner courtyard of the martial arts hall, getting close to Eldest Senior Brother Tan Pan. This was something worth pondering.
Several circles formed a large net that enveloped an unknown number of people.
Unconsciously, Wei Tao had become an unremarkable node in this network, marked not only by his own characteristics but also deeply influenced by other nodes.
Silver Wolf Gang, Wang Yingxue, and Wang Lianshan—these three names were heavily marked.
For Wei Tao, a Blood Activation Pill was useful, but it was not an irreplaceable and indispensable necessity.
However, what truly mattered was not whether he obtained the pill or not but the information revealed by this matter.
He didn't believe that if Wang Yingxue had been facing Tan Pan, Suo Yunhai, or even Peng Yue, who also had no background, she would have been able to leave as she did today.
The moon was dim, and the wind was gloomy.
Wei Tao marked one after another on the ground and was about to get up and return to his house. But then he squatted down again and picked up a branch.
He wrote three words on the ground, "Qinghe Society," recalling the scene of meeting with the backbone of this gang not long ago. He thought about their eagerness to find a backer and stood alone in the courtyard in silence for a long time.