CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: UNASSUMING AND SIMPLE

Early the next morning.

Lin Zheyu spent the morning practicing the Golden Swan Skill in Liang Song’s courtyard.

With Mr. Liang’s guidance, his understanding of the Golden Swan Skill improved considerably.

Perhaps because he was about to leave, when Lin Zheyu asked if there were any stronger herbal formulas, Liang Song directly gave him two.

One was for use in the Refining Internal Organ Realm, and the other was only for the Qi Blood Realm.

Lin Zheyu skipped the formula for the Refining Internal Organ Realm and began to study the Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup.

The Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup can nourish the body’s qi and blood, and it has a very potent effect. Those not in the Qi Blood Realm would be harmed by its potency.

In the evening, Senior Brother Han Mo came again.

The two sparred for over an hour in Liang Song’s courtyard. With Senior Brother Han Mo’s dedicated help, Lin Zheyu gained considerable insight into fighting opponents armed with cold weapons.

After spending time together these past few days, he came to understand Senior Brother Han Mo more.

This was an "honest man" whose conduct gave an impression of integrity and uprightness.

"Alright, you both take a rest, don’t practice too late,"

Liang Song called a halt to Lin Zheyu, who was still eager to continue his attack.

This kid practiced fiercely, so much so that, even when exhausted, he kept launching attacks at Han Mo.

It was due to this tenacity and determination that Liang Song appreciated him so much and imparted the Golden Swan Skill to him.

Lin Zheyu stopped and leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

"You’re really hard on yourself!" Han Mo exclaimed.

Under the moonlight, Lin Zheyu’s body was covered with bruises, all made by his blunt blade.

"It’s chaotic outside, and one never knows when chaotic troops might attack. It’s important to seize this relatively peaceful time to quickly improve my strength."

"A little pain like this is nothing," Lin Zheyu grinned.

After resting for a while, they bid farewell to Liang Song and left.

In the moonlight, the two walked side by side.

"Don’t venture out of the city casually these days; it’s chaotic outside, with bandits everywhere," Han Mo advised.

"Is it the chaotic troops’ movement again?"

"Yes, Anyi City has also been captured, and a wave of refugees has come from outside the city," Han Mo nodded, with some worry and compassion on his face.

Songyi City could only accept a limited number of refugees, and these past few days, they’ve reached their limit, with refugees being settled outside the city under very minimal conditions.

The weather is getting colder, and during the morning patrols, he often sees refugees frozen to death.

"Understood,"

Lin Zheyu nodded; he seldom left the city and had never even been to the Outer City.

His daily life was simple: home, teahouse, Mr. Liang’s house, with occasional visits to Wanhua Tower, dragged by Jia Yanrong and others, and that’s about it.

...

Returning to the courtyard, Lin Zheyu took off his clothes and continued exercising.

Having not broken his physical limits in several days, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit had returned to a peak state.

Boom boom boom

In the depth of the night, thudding sounds echoed in the courtyard.

Even though the wooden stake was wrapped in thick, worn-out clothes, the sound was still quite loud, reverberating throughout the courtyard.

Luckily, there weren’t many people around his small courtyard, and it was far enough away that otherwise someone would have complained about the noise.

After more than an hour.

Lin Zheyu lay on the ground, panting heavily.

[Heavenly Dao Rewards the Diligent]

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 6

Skills:

Wild Bull Fist (Proficient 4%)

Golden Swan Skill (First Layer 39%)

Turtle Breath Skill (Second Layer 26%)

...

The next morning.

He got up early, not heading to Liang Song’s home today.

Lin Zheyu took the formula for the Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup and went to the pharmacy to buy herbs.

The herbs for the Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup were not easy to purchase; he visited several pharmacies to get them all, costing him slightly over ten taels of silver for a single set of ingredients.

"Expensive, indeed, one set costs the same as ten sets of ordinary medicinal soup."

Lin Zheyu muttered, feeling a bit of a heartache.

He suddenly felt like the little over a hundred taels of silver he had saved wasn’t much, only enough to buy a dozen sets of herbs.

Returning home, he took out the three sets of Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup herbs he had bought and began to brew them in a medicinal pot.

He had to test the potency first; if the medicinal strength of one soup wasn’t better than ordinary ones, it wouldn’t be worth the cost.

He chopped firewood, lit a fire, and began brewing the medicinal soup.

Lin Zheyu brewed it five times, extracting every bit of medicinal strength from the herbs, leaving none behind.

A thick medicinal aroma drifted through the courtyard.

"This stuff is way more bitter than the previous soups!"

Lin Zheyu took a sip, his face crumpled instantly from the bitterness.

Holding his breath, he gulped down the soup in one swig.

Immediately, a strong heat surged through his body.

"This potency is intense!"

Lin Zheyu was surprised, feeling the heat as soon as the soup reached his stomach.

If more time passed, he feared he might even get a nosebleed.

He immediately sat cross-legged, his mind sending out a thought: ’Use 3 units of Source Power to enhance the Turtle Breath Skill.’

In an instant, mysterious energy flowed, guiding the medicinal power through his body.

His spirit entered a special state, embarking on a prolonged cultivation, gaining deeper insights into the Turtle Breath Skill.

Lin Zheyu’s body underwent tremendous changes.

Though his strength and speed saw no increase, his muscles and skin became tighter, and his qi was more restrained.

His internal organs experienced the most enhancement.

As the Turtle Breath Skill progressed, under the influence of the Breathing Skill, Lin Zheyu’s internal organs were further strengthened, almost completing the Refining Internal Organ Realm.

Hoo

Hoo~~~Hoo~~~

His breathing became increasingly slow and deep, and even his heart rate slowed.

Under the subtle adjustments of mysterious energy, his muscle density increased.

Even though his strength hadn’t grown much, he appeared somewhat smaller than before.

Lin Zheyu’s qi continued to decrease, becoming smooth and unpretentious.

The sharpness developed through martial practice gradually faded, making him look more like a scholarly man with no martial arts training.

After a few breaths.

Hoo...

Letting out a long breath, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes.

[Heavenly Dao Rewards the Diligent]

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 3

Skills:

Wild Bull Fist (Proficient 4%)

Golden Swan Skill (First Layer 39%)

Turtle Breath Skill (Third Layer 0%)

"Finally reached the third layer; even if I now elevate my power to the Qi Blood Realm, Mr. Liang wouldn’t perceive my real strength."

A slight smile appeared on Lin Zheyu’s face.

He could finally enhance his power without restraint.

After carefully checking his physical condition, Lin Zheyu found that when fully operating the Turtle Breath Skill, he appeared to be a frail scholar with no martial training.

His skin had become much smoother. The calluses developed from martial practice were now gone, making his fists appear almost the same as before he started training.

"Didn’t expect this effect!"

Lin Zheyu was amazed.

If the Turtle Breath Skill were cultivated to the Third-Layer Perfection, his skin might even become smoother than a woman’s?

After studying the enhanced Turtle Breath Skill for a while, Lin Zheyu gradually felt a bit warm again.

"The potency of the three medicinal soups I just drank still remains, and there’s quite a bit left,"

Lin Zheyu thought, somewhat thrilled.

The constant warmth emanating from his body proved there was still a substantial residual medicinal power in the soup, beyond what he, a Martial Artist in the Bone Forging Realm, could tolerate.

As expected, this expensive herb, costing ten taels of silver for a set, was worth every penny.

...