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Because Li Wenguang forgot to mention it, Li Yongfeng and Li Zhi still didn't know that Wang Sheng had already become a Martial Artist.
So when Li Wenguang revealed it, both of them were stunned.
Especially Li Yongfeng.
Over the years, as he worked for the escort agency, he had gained a wide range of experiences and understood the status of a Martial Artist better. Even the lowest-ranked Martial Artist was treated as a VIP by the heads of the escort agency.
He had also witnessed how arrogant those Martial Artists visiting the agency could be.
Ordinary people, upon meeting a Martial Artist, had to add a "sir" to show respect.
As it turned out, moments ago, there was actually a Martial Artist boasting at the dinner table with him.
Just like that day with Li Wenguang, *he had an unbelievable dreamlike feeling.*
"Is this true, Yun Sheng?"
Wang Sheng nodded. If he didn't admit it, Li Wenguang and the others would really be in trouble and wouldn't come to him; they'd just handle it themselves.
If something were to happen in the end, that's certainly something he didn't want to see.
"I have Brother Yongfeng's Tiger Bone Ointment to thank for this!"
Without that Tiger Bone Ointment, it would have never been so smooth for him.
Upon hearing this, Li Yongfeng shook his head with a bitter smile, "If Tiger Bone Ointment were truly that effective, my father and I wouldn't have practiced for so many years and still be only somewhat strong."
Wang Sheng also didn't know how to explain.
He couldn't just say that the "Cultivation Technique" practiced by Li Wenguang and his father for so long was merely a Step Technique, could he?
A Step Technique couldn't possibly generate Qi Blood Power to become a Martial Artist.
If Wang Sheng said it outright, the Li father and son might just start questioning their lives, so he decided to keep it hidden for now and surprise them later when he had a Martial Artist's Cultivation Technique to offer.
Now, it was time to discuss serious matters.
"In any case, if anything happens, Brother Yongfeng, you must come and find me." Wang Sheng emphasized once more.
Li Yongfeng was relieved to see that Wang Sheng hadn't changed much at all.
Luckily, even after becoming a Martial Artist, Wang Sheng still wasn't aloof; otherwise, he wouldn't know how to deal with this person he had treated as a younger brother since childhood.
After exchanging a few more words, Wang Sheng got up to say goodbye.
Li Wenguang and the others needed to prepare.
He also needed to make preparations, improving his strength as much as possible before the war truly reached here.
As Wang Sheng departed, Li Yongfeng felt a bit emotional.
"I said it was an investment, and it really paid off?"
...
After returning home, Wang Sheng completed today's tasks and went straight to bed.
Even with the impending war, he couldn't let himself become undisciplined.
Following a routine was the fastest way to improve.
The Inner Core Skill placed great importance on the body; if one's physical balance was off, the Cultivation of the Inner Core Skill was affected.
So maintaining disciplined sleep was also a part of Cultivation!
...
The next day, Wang Sheng planned to seek out Old Ji again to ask if there were any Wild Ginseng seeds, but he ran into Li Wenguang.
As a Hunter, Li Wenguang often went up the mountains and had come across Wild Ginseng. He had kept some ginseng seeds, and upon hearing Wang Sheng's need, he generously gave them to him.
This saved Wang Sheng a lot of trouble.
With the ginseng seeds in hand, he returned home to plant them in the backyard, where he tracked the progress of Chrysanthemum Planting.
The ginseng seeds numbered about ten.
When Wang Sheng planted the eighth seed, a new progress bar appeared.
"Ginseng Cultivation: 1 (1%)"
"Turns out, Ginseng Cultivation is indeed separate!"
Remembering the herbal formulas he memorized, which contained over a dozen kinds of herbs, *even though he had become a Martial Artist, Wang Sheng still vaguely felt a liver pain.*
How many herbs would he need to bring to full-level breakthrough?
Wang Sheng thought to himself, *The road ahead was long and arduous.*
He returned to his daily routine.
Each day, he cycled through various skills, constantly improving his progress.
The village, perhaps due to Li Wenguang's reminder, started holding many meetings, often with vehicles entering and leaving, probably with supplies.
The village had also begun preparations.
Time passed like this for half a month.
During this half-month, Wang Sheng had improved the progress bars of his skills to a considerable extent.
"Qi Rushing to the Disease: Finding Disease 5%
Ba Duan Jin: Breakthrough+2 (25%)
Inner Core Skill (Hundred Days Foundation Establishment): Breakthrough+1 (46%)
Chrysanthemum Planting: Breakthrough+3 (1.3%)
Herb Recognition: 9 (25%)
Ginseng Cultivation: 9 (12%)"
This was the current progress of all Wang Sheng's skills.
Progress regarding strength improvement was small; the Ba Duan Jin and Inner Core Skill only saw a ten to twenty percent increase, and although they boosted his Qi-Blood, it wasn't much.
Qi Rushing to the Disease linked to the Inner Core Skill's level and Qi-Blood intensity, so it progressed even more slowly, only increasing by 3.5% in progress, and he had yet to encounter a critical condition that needed clearing.
The main reason for this situation was the absence of the Tiger Bone Ointment. Neither Ba Duan Jin nor Inner Core Skill could be quickly improved without it.
Essentially, his strength didn't improve much at all.
Wang Sheng realized the significance of resources firsthand; without resources, Cultivation became exceedingly difficult.
This firmed his resolve to cultivate the medicinal plants.
Next were Herb Recognition and Ginseng Cultivation, which rose directly from level 1 to level 9 and were soon to break through.
Of course, the ginseng planted in the yard had yet to sprout.
Without breakthrough in Ginseng Cultivation, one was merely an experienced ginseng farmer; only after breaking through would one gain miraculous effects.
Herb Recognition was similar; at level 9, Wang Sheng was already capable of recognizing most herbs, even those not listed in books.
The herbal ingredients in his mind could now all be matched with those of this world, and fortunately, they all existed.
Additionally, Wang Sheng had found Li Yongfeng, who would be visiting Lijiang Town and could help buy some seeds on his behalf.
The most significant change was in Chrysanthemum Planting.
Chrysanthemum Planting already broke through three times.
Initially, Wang Sheng thought the breakthrough would be like the last one, just accelerating the maturity of the chrysanthemum.
Until he tried planting a few chrysanthemum flowers with level-three Chrysanthemum Planting.
He initially wanted to test how fast a chrysanthemum could grow after three breakthroughs.
When the chrysanthemum matured, its spirit-light-shimmering effect almost blinded him.
Although the spirit light quickly dissipated, Wang Sheng confirmed he wasn't mistaken—Chrysanthemum Planting after three breakthroughs gained new characteristics.
He was completely sure that the newly planted chrysanthemum was extraordinary.
Wang Sheng decided to "take the risk" and personally test the effects of the new chrysanthemum. Of course, he tested it on mice to confirm it wasn't toxic before trying it himself.
His testing method was simple.
Brewing chrysanthemum tea!
He tossed a few chrysanthemum flowers into hot water; when it turned slightly yellow and cooled to a suitable temperature, Wang Sheng took a sip.
It was slightly bitter with a sweet aftertaste.
But at that moment, *Wang Sheng lost all awareness of the tea flavor.*
Under the influence of the chrysanthemum tea, his mind cleared instantly, entering a state of extreme calm and clearing all distractions.
And so, Wang Sheng entered a meditative state, though only for a few seconds.
The effects of those few seconds were enormous.
The meditative state was theoretically the optimal condition for practicing Inner Core Skill.
"Inner Core Skill (Hundred Days Foundation Establishment): Breakthrough+1(46.1%)"
In just those few seconds, the Inner Core Skill had progressed, and Wang Sheng felt no mental exhaustion afterwards.
This realization made Wang Sheng acknowledge that he had underestimated the progress bar; even a simple Chrysanthemum Planting, through continuous breakthrough, could turn the ordinary into something extraordinary.
He grew more confident in formulating his Qi-Blood-refreshing elixir.
All he awaited now were the seeds Li Yongfeng was bringing back… and "just a tad bit" of liver!
(Please consider this for further reading, recommendations, and monthly votes!)
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