Under the blazing sun, when shops are usually less crowded during midday, Chen Zijing was wandering around in a drugstore in town, undeterred by the heat. The drugs available on the market were truly a dazzling array.
"Bone-Tempering Pills… Strengthening Powder… Mighty Pills… Body-Tempering Ointment… These low-grade pills can help improve martial skills or refine the body, but they're too expensive! Medium-grade pills are even more costly and, even if they occasionally appear, they are immediately bought at sky-high prices… How will I be able to train in the future?"
As Chen Zijing checked out each shop, he shook his head with a bitter smile, his face clouded with worry as he looked around the drugstore.
"Those higher-grade Blood-Refining Pills, Bone-Tempering Ointments, and the like are all controlled by major powers, and the materials used are extremely rare. Even royal children cannot use them for long. People like me, who are poor, don't even have a chance to see them."
For martial artists, without any foundation or support from powerful factions, it is almost impossible to become a high-level martial artist. Although many are unwilling to admit it, that is often the reality.
Chen Zijing eventually gritted his teeth and calculated, "It seems that if I want to slightly increase my training speed, I can only choose 'Ox Bone Powder'… and it's more cost-effective if I prepare it myself."
Ox Bone Powder is a low-grade medicine with a relatively cheap formula and inexpensive ingredients. It has a slight effect on promoting martial power and is relatively simple to prepare. This type of medicine can somewhat accelerate the flow of a martial artist's blood and qi, but its impact on enhancing martial strength is minimal.
Back in the dilapidated house, Chen Zijing gritted his teeth and took out all his savings, which included a Level 2 Origin Crystal sewn into the pillow by Old Wang. This was his last bit of private money, originally intended for his future marriage.
The next morning, as the sun rose and the sunlight bathed the market, making it feel relatively cool, Chen Zijing appeared early at the town's drugstore. The town had a number of drugstores, large and small, but most sold ordinary medicines for daily use.
"Boss Xu, I've been in this market for years, so I know the price of your bee tail grass. Don't inflate the price. Just give me the lowest price!"
"Shopkeeper Zhao, this small handful of fireleaf grass costs you only fifty copper coins. Asking me for a basic Origin Crystal is too much. Sell it to me for seventy copper coins!"
"I'm only offering this price for Huangxin Flower. If you won't sell it, I'll go to another shop!"
…
As Chen Zijing bargained with various vendors, he thought to himself, "I mustn't buy all the materials from one drugstore. This way, I can compare prices to save Origin Crystals and avoid drawing attention."
Using his local connections, he bought materials from different shops at low prices and tried to keep a low profile.
In the evening, with a gentle breeze blowing, the window of the dilapidated house made a trembling noise. Chen Zijing sat by the broken bed at home, using a small, lidless pot to brew the medicine. He carefully took out a small jar from under the bed.
Gently opening the jar, he saw a small amount of red liquid. When the jar was opened, the liquid turned into a red glow, and a fist-sized Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion suddenly appeared! Its entire body was bright red, lifelike, with eyes flashing beams of light and emitting an angry roar!
However, it was merely an illusion… This was the blood of a Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion that Old Wang had received from a dying martial artist he saved during a disaster. The martial artist had given it to him in gratitude, explaining that this was the blood of a demonic beast, and using a drop every day could strengthen the body and speed up the foundation-building process.
Old Wang didn't understand these things; he guessed it might be valuable but was too reluctant to use it himself due to his age. He kept it at home, planning to sell it if he ever ran out of food. He didn't realize how much it would help Chen Zijing's future training or its true value.
Adding a drop of the Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion's blood to the Ox Bone Powder, the entire mixture quickly turned from green to a bright red, with a dazzling multi-colored glow, making the mixture appear spectacular!
Chen Zijing stared wide-eyed at the mixture, mumbling to himself, "What… What… What kind of demonic beast is this Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion? Just a drop caused such a big change?"
Without hesitation, he undressed, stepped into the mixture, closed his eyes, and sat in the bath, savoring the rare warmth.
Unbeknownst to him, the red liquid gradually seeped into his body, causing the bathtub to bubble vigorously as the temperature slowly increased.
"Hiss…! What's happening? Why did it suddenly become so hot!?" Chen Zijing was unsure of what was going on, but he could feel the dense energy in the surrounding medicinal liquid. He steadied himself and began to absorb the surrounding essence of the medicine with all his might.
The reason for this was that the energy from the Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion's blood was spreading and slowly improving Chen Zijing's body. This caused his body temperature to rise rapidly. Fortunately, he only added one drop; otherwise, though the blood could strengthen his bones and meridians and increase his power, it could also destroy his body due to his young age of only eight. For a child who had yet to begin foundation building, such energy was too overwhelming.
Initially, he did not feel much, but soon his entire face began to turn red, and he started to scream in agony, like a pig being slaughtered.
"Ah…!"
Chen Zijing couldn't help but scream as the water around him felt like it was boiling! Sitting in the bathtub, he felt his whole body was sore and weak. The once comfortable water was now unbearably hot, almost like being roasted alive. The intense heat left him so weak that he could barely stand, forcing him to endure the inhumane pain. This was not true scalding, but rather the result of the intense energy flow inside and outside his body.
At this moment, Chen Zijing was struggling to endure, his bones and muscles trembling as if a parched desert was absorbing a torrential downpour, greedily taking in every drop.
"What powerful effects! What's happening? The blood of the Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion is so potent? No matter what, I can't let my efforts go to waste now!" he reminded himself, focusing on guiding the energy flow through his body, refining his bones and meridians, hoping to enhance the effects of the body tempering.
As time passed, a white mist began to rise from Chen Zijing's head, gradually forming a cloud-like mass. This was caused by the energy circulation, and he finally managed to focus his energy to assist in the flow. However, it was still an extremely exhausting process.
For Chen Zijing, it was essential to endure and absorb as much of the medicinal effects as possible. Although the liquid in the bathtub continued to boil, its color changed from bright red to a reddish hue, and eventually to a light pink.
The pain he endured gradually began to lessen…
As time ticked by and deep night fell, the outside world was quiet. Chen Zijing was exhausted and eventually fell asleep in the bathtub.
After two hours, the water in the bathtub slowly stopped boiling.
"Mmm…" Chen Zijing groaned and gradually opened his eyes.
Once Chen Zijing became somewhat clear-headed, he sat up and looked around, softly muttering, "How long was I unconscious?" He then stood up from the bathtub, stretched his neck, and clenched his fists.
"Huh? Why do I suddenly feel so strong?" Chen Zijing threw a punch, and a gust of wind followed! His strength had noticeably increased from this medicinal bath!
His eyes gleamed with excitement as he murmured, "It seems that the Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion's blood left by Grandpa Wang is indeed an extremely precious substance! The effects are far beyond what Ox Bone Powder can achieve!"
Chen Zijing carefully smelled the remaining beast's blood, which had a fresh scent and no hint of the expected stench.
Afterward, he began to take a bath in Ox Bone Powder mixed with Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion's blood daily after his intense training. This helped him relax his entire body, relieve accumulated fatigue, and accelerate his blood circulation.
As the medicinal effects and blood permeated his meridians, Chen Zijing saw significant improvements in his physical condition. He did not dare to use too much; each time, he only added between half a drop to a full drop into the bathtub.
Half a month later, Chen Zijing stood alone in the backyard, looking at the scattered bricks and pressing his muscles. He murmured, "My strength has increased so quickly…"
He could now easily crush a brick with his bare hands. Chen Zijing's hands were as strong as steel claws, and his movements were as swift as lightning! Although he was still far from being a true martial artist, his progress was rapid.
Chen Zijing's swift development was entirely due to the Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion's blood. The adult Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion was a genuine martial artist-level beast, and the Ox Bone Powder only served to aid in speeding up the blood flow. Combined with Chen Zijing's innate talent and intelligence for cultivation, his progress was the fastest among the children.
Another month passed, and the children had thoroughly mastered the basic body tempering techniques. Their physical condition had improved significantly, and even the wild dogs in the area no longer dared to attack them.
"Brother Zijing, your progress is so fast… Your muscles are really well-defined…" one of the young beggars remarked with envy as he looked at Chen Zijing's body.
Chen Zijing, with his rapid training, had developed a solid physique at such a young age, making him stand out from the others.
The beggars, who had grown up in a life of begging, stealing, and hardship, were more sensitive and complex in their thoughts compared to ordinary children. They had already understood that body tempering required medicinal aids to be more effective. Since they couldn't afford these medicines, they felt increasingly resentful seeing Chen Zijing, who had started at the same time as them, pull ahead.
Chen Zijing noticed this shift, as interactions with him became noticeably less frequent or more polite. However, there was little he could do about it; resolving such issues was beyond his capability at his young age.
As days passed, the gap between reality and their ideals widened. The beggars gradually stopped gathering at the ruined temple for training.
"Brother Zijing, I need to work at the Zhao family's place. Otherwise, I'll have no food in a few days, so I won't be able to train today…" one beggar said quietly.
"Brother Zijing, I have to go to Huli Village. They're hiring for five copper coins a day to help harvest wheat for three days, and they provide meals too!" another beggar added.
Chen Zijing understood that these beggars were occupied with making a living. If they couldn't even afford food, they certainly wouldn't be able to train. Gradually, they stopped meeting daily as they did at first and trained individually. They figured that as long as they were careful, no one would notice what these eight- and nine-year-old beggars were doing.
The summer in Zhenguo was exceptionally hot and humid. In a dilapidated house in the eastern part of Xingbian Town, a weak candle flickered unsteadily.
"This can't go on… Even Ox Bone Powder is too expensive to use regularly. I've almost used up all my元晶, and the Red-Bearded Barbarian Lion's blood is running low. I need to find a way to get more元晶; otherwise, I won't be able to continue my training…"
Eight-year-old Chen Zijing sat in his run-down house, reflecting on his progress. His body had made substantial improvements, with his inner energy surging and his temples slightly bulging. But at this moment, he frowned, contemplating ways to obtain元晶, as continuing his training and even basic sustenance would become problematic if he couldn't find a solution.