CHAPTER 125: CHAPTER 106 PRESENTING A BOW AND ACHIEVEMENTS

"You’re not like me at all," Yang Luochen said, shaking his head. "If it were me back in the day, carrying a dragon head stick, I would have just gone and fought. Whoever didn’t submit would be beaten down directly. It wouldn’t matter who came from the Prefecture City; before our stick, all are equal. Moreover, you’re ranked ninth and he’s tenth, so there’s even less to be said."

"It’s not that I’m afraid of him," Chen Ku said. "I just think it’s unnecessary. I have no grudges against him. To run over and fight to the death over such a minor issue isn’t worth it. If he were willing to give me eight or ten thousand silver, I might consider lending him a hand."

"You sly kid, you never do anything unless there’s a profit to be made," Yang Luochen said with a scolding laugh. "But, I’m relieved by your attitude. You won’t suffer losses in the future, unlike your senior brother..."

Yang Shaoqi interjected, "What about me now?"

Chen Ku didn’t pursue this topic, saying, "Master, actually, my Cultivation has broken through recently. I’ve reached the late-stage Inner Qi Realm, at the Robust Qi level. With Qi Power enhancing me, I feel that the thousand-pound Refined Iron Rod has become somewhat lighter. I wonder if Master has any advice for adding weight to my weapon?"

When he finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the courtyard.

After three breaths, Yang Shaoqi finally exclaimed loudly, "What! You! Say that again?!"

Even Yang Luochen looked incredulously at his precious disciple. "Late-stage Inner Qi? Did you eat fertilizer?"

How could his Cultivation progress so quickly? It had been just over a month, at most, since he had taken Chen Ku as a disciple.

"Indeed, I did consume some things," Chen Ku said, half-truthfully. "Not long ago, I obtained a Seven-Colored Pearl. After taking it, I felt a significant improvement in my Qi Power."

"Seven-Colored Pearl?" Yang Luochen’s face showed realization. "That’s almost of Top-grade Treasure Grass quality. Every fruit is equivalent to a First-Grade Pill from the Hall, with top-notch quality. But..."

He looked gravely at Chen Ku and said incredulously, "Even someone with Superior Root Bone Talent needs about three days to digest a Treasure Herb or Pill and fully assimilate one. You... one every day?"

Yang Shaoqi, after recovering from his shock, immediately said, "Master, doesn’t that mean it’s very possible that Junior Brother’s Talent is not just superior, but... extraordinary?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Luochen’s heart trembled.

Extraordinary Talent.

In all of Baojiao County, perhaps only Shangguan Yun and Xie Qingfeng from the Xie Family possessed such Talent, which allowed them to achieve such Cultivation and accomplishments before the age of forty.

Such Talent, even among a population of nearly ten million in Qiu Dragon Mansion, would be rare—the kind that prominent sects would intensely nurture.

My luck has truly turned! The Founding Master has sent me a great surprise!

Yang Luochen felt pleased. The more he recognized Chen Ku’s Talent, the more he cherished him, thinking, Chai Bao and Zuo Zongquan, those two talent-poaching scoundrels, want to undermine me? Not a chance!

However, while astounded by Chen Ku’s Talent, Yang Luochen didn’t forget some important admonishments. He said, "The Inner Qi Realm can indeed test a person’s Martial Talent by the speed of accumulating Inner Qi, but this is only limited to the Inner Qi Realm. Beyond that, reaching the Second Realm, the Mystic Barrier Realm—also known as the Life-and-Death Mystical Pass—is where ’hastiness’ is taboo. A single lapse can easily lead to a violent death. You must be well aware of this risk in advance."

Chen Ku nodded solemnly.

Seeing Chen Ku’s serious attitude, Yang Luochen didn’t forget to answer his question. "As for adding weight to your weapon, if you are now in the late-stage Inner Qi, Robust Qi phase, then with Inner Qi enhancement doubling your Four Symbols Power, adding another thousand or eight hundred pounds to your weapon is no problem at all. The best materials would be Exotic Metal, Iron Essence, and the like."

Chen Ku asked quietly, "But it seems we don’t have such precious materials in Baojiao County."

Yang Luochen nodded and said, "Indeed. The price of Iron Essence is comparable to silver; it’s famously known by the saying, ’one tael of Iron Essence for one tael of silver.’ It’s only found in the mines of Qinghua County in Qiu Dragon Mansion. Unless you have connections in Qiu Dragon Mansion, it’s hard for ordinary people to buy this precious metallic material. And Exotic Metals are even more expensive, with a wide variety of types, some even pricier than gold."

One tael of Iron Essence for one tael of silver. Chen Ku’s heart twitched. Wouldn’t that require ten thousand taels of silver? And even with silver, it would still be unobtainable.

He looked at Yang Luochen with hopeful eyes and asked, "Do you have a way, Master?"

Yang Luochen scratched his head and said, "I could send a message to a friend in Qiu Dragon Mansion to gather around five hundred catties of Iron Essence for you. However, by the time it’s gathered, it might be two to three months later. That should be just in time for your martial examination. Adding some other metals will be enough. After all, our Medicine King Hall isn’t primarily involved in this; it’s out of our line of expertise."

Chen Ku pondered, then sighed inwardly.

It seems I’ll have to find an opportunity to go to Qiu Dragon Mansion myself. After all, I can’t wait another three or four months to open the fourth map; that would greatly delay my Cultivation pace.

Therefore, Chen Ku buried his thoughts deep within and focused on sparring with his senior brother Yang Shaoqi in the courtyard.

Being in the same late-stage of Inner Qi, Chen Ku, with his Four Elephants Root Bone and great achievement in the Skyward Strike, was completely dominant. Yang Shaoqi, having followed Yang Luochen for a long time, had mastered the first four sets of Stick Techniques to great achievement, which provided special bonuses, allowing him to barely avoid defeat. However, Chen Ku only needed to seize one opportunity. After their clashing rods forced them both back over thirty meters, he then executed a special footwork technique...