Chapter 19: Refining Strength
"Senior Brother, I want to discuss the matter of the Tongxue Pill with you."
Two days later, at the Swallow Wing Fist Dojo.
After finishing his daily training, Chen Yuan sought out Zhao He.
Over the past two days, he deeply felt the benefits of the Tongxue Pill.
After consuming one Tongxue Pill, no matter how hard he trained in these two days, as long as he did not suffer injuries from overtraining, he could essentially recover completely.
As a result, he could start each day with vigor and energy. Whether it was his proficiency in martial arts or his physical fitness, his progress was visibly swift.
The tangible benefits of the elixir, combined with the urgency brought by someone forcefully taking away the butcher shop's business, left Chen Yuan with no hesitation about purchasing the Tongxue Pill.
"How about it? The wonders of the Tongxue Pill—I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Zhao He wasn't surprised that Chen Yuan came to find him. When he first joined the dojo, he didn't even know the Tongxue Pill existed. Later, when he became an official disciple and got his first experience with this precious medicine, he regretted not asking around earlier for internal news of the dojo.
Had he known about it sooner, he believed his progress in strength cultivation would have been much faster.
This time, Zhao He only mentioned the Tongxue Pill because he saw Chen Yuan as someone he could get along with. Chen Yuan was steady, had no backing, and might one day become a useful ally. Otherwise, Zhao He wouldn't have proactively brought up the topic.
"Brother, I delayed for two days—not because I didn't believe you," Chen Yuan shook his head and said. "It's just that, as you know, my circumstances aren't great, and this pill isn't cheap. I couldn't help but have some concerns."
"However, I thought about it. At my age, if I can't step into strength cultivation soon, I might never achieve much in my lifetime. Rather than worrying about the loss of money, it's better to take a gamble while I still can."
Zhao He looked at Chen Yuan with a trace of admiration in his eyes.
In his view, Chen Yuan was only seventeen or eighteen years old and not from a wealthy or influential family.
To have such a calm and composed personality, with well-measured actions, was already rare. The decisiveness he now displayed further convinced Zhao He that he had not misjudged the young man.
From what Chen Yuan had shown, even if his martial arts talent was somewhat lacking and he failed to achieve much in the future, he would still likely find his way to success. Such a person was worth investing in early.
"It's good that you think this way, junior brother. People like us, who start at the bottom, will never succeed if we don't learn to seize opportunities," Zhao He said with a slight smile.
As he spoke, he reached into his robes and continued, "It just so happens to be the start of the month. I've just bought five Tongxue Pills from Master. I need two for myself, but the remaining three can be yours."
"I won't take advantage of you, junior brother. You can buy them from me at the same price Master set."
Chen Yuan had prepared the silver beforehand. Without further ado, he completed the transaction with Zhao He and received the three Tongxue Pills.
However, Chen Yuan had not come just for the three pills today.
Seeing Zhao He put away the three taels of silver and prepare to leave, Chen Yuan quickly called out, "Please wait, senior brother. I have another favor to ask."
Zhao He looked at him with surprise.
Chen Yuan got straight to the point. "Senior brother, I would like to ask: among the senior brothers and sisters in the inner courtyard, aside from you, is there anyone else willing to part with their Tongxue Pills?"
"You want to purchase more Tongxue Pills?" Zhao He asked with a slight frown.
Chen Yuan nodded.
After a moment of thought, Zhao He offered a word of caution. "Junior brother, while the pills are indeed good, you must understand the principle of moderation."
"While the Tongxue Pill can restore vitality and improve the efficiency of physical training, overusing it is not necessarily a good thing. Especially before you achieve Refining Strength entry, overuse of this pill can cause your muscles, tendons, and bones to become stiff, which will hinder the fluidity of your martial arts and make it harder to cross the threshold of Refining Strength."
"This is also one of the main reasons Master does not inform ordinary apprentices about the existence of the Tongxue Pill."
"The reason I told you about this medicine is because you started training at a relatively older age. Compared to others, you're a step behind in refining your body in the Nurturing Life Stage. Your efficiency in training is also slightly lower due to your body's relative rigidity."
"But if you're thinking of using this pill to extend your training time and force your way into Refining Strength, I wouldn't recommend it."
Chen Yuan was momentarily stunned. He hadn't known there were such nuances to using the Tongxue Pill.
However, this revelation did not deter him from his intention to purchase more of the precious medicine.
It wasn't that he was stubborn and unwilling to heed advice.
Rather, the existence of the Huangting Jade Manual gave him the confidence to disregard the pill's negative effects.
After this period of training, Chen Yuan discovered that the martial arts diagrams provided by the Huangting Jade Manual were not fixed.
As his physical condition changed, the diagrams in the jade manual would adapt accordingly.
This allowed him to make continuous progress without his martial arts efficiency being hindered or stagnating due to his physical state.
Thus, he replied, "I appreciate Senior Brother's advice and will not act recklessly. I simply want to acquire a few more Tongxue Pills to keep on hand for emergencies."
Zhao He considered this and agreed. After all, Chen Yuan didn't have the privilege of purchasing the pills directly from Li Yue.
As for himself, although he didn't need the pills for now, he had already achieved great success in Refining Strength. It wouldn't be long before he might attempt to break through to the Blood Solidification stage.
At that point, selling Tongxue Pills to Chen Yuan might no longer be feasible.
It wasn't a bad idea for Chen Yuan to make plans ahead of time.
"Very well. Coincidentally, today is the day Master examines the progress of us formal disciples. Several senior brothers and sisters are practicing their martial arts in the inner courtyard. I'll take you to ask around."
Chen Yuan felt relieved and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Senior Brother."
...
Just as Zhao He had said, today was indeed the day when the formal disciples returned to the dojo to have their progress examined by Li Yue.
As soon as the two entered the inner courtyard, they saw many disciples exchanging martial arts techniques with one another.
However, before Zhao He could lead Chen Yuan to find someone willing to trade, four young men and women noticed them and greeted them.
Two of them—a boy and a girl—had ordinary appearances and seemed to be around Chen Yuan's age.
The other pair—a boy and a girl—looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old and stood out significantly.
The boy had refined and handsome features. Though his temperament lacked a bit of polish, there was a faint air of arrogance about him.
The girl, on the other hand, was beautiful, with delicate skin, a slender figure, and a prominent chest. Her legs, clad in trousers, were exceptionally long and eye-catching.
Moreover, her bearing was extraordinary, clearly indicating a wealthy background.
Without even mentioning their identities, the fact that they had already become formal disciples at such a young age was evidence of their remarkable talent.
"Senior Brother Zhao," they greeted.
The beautiful young girl among the group seemed to be the leader. She took the initiative to greet Zhao He politely and, upon noticing Chen Yuan, asked, "Is this someone Master recently accepted as a disciple?"
The other three also turned their gazes toward Chen Yuan.
Zhao He shook his head and replied politely, "This is Junior Brother Chen Yuan. He only recently joined and has not yet officially become Master's disciple."
With that, Zhao He was about to introduce the four of them to Chen Yuan.
However, before he could speak, the refined-looking young man among the group frowned and said, "According to Master's rules, only formal disciples are allowed into the inner courtyard since it involves the dojo's secret martial arts. Senior Brother, how can you bring someone in so casually?"