Grinding to the Martial Sage from the White Ape Fist-Chapter 41: Law Enforcement Team! Blood Boiling Pill

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Law Enforcement Team! Blood Boiling Pill

Over the next few days, Su Yu sought out Senior Brother Jiang, Senior Brother Xu, and Senior Sister Lin to ask for their advice. In the end, he decided to switch his herbal decoction to Tiger and Leopard Marrow Soup.

Tiger and Leopard Marrow Soup was the very same decoction Jiang Liuchuan had mentioned using before.

The decoction’s main ingredient was Tiger and Leopard Bone Powder, supplemented by rare materials like ten-year-old mountain ginseng and Fire Sunflowers. It was a secret military brew passed down from the Black Stone Army.

Master Qin had earned the secret recipe by rendering great services to the Black Stone Army back in the day.

The decoction’s effects were also perfectly suited for apprentices accumulating Qi and Blood. At a rate of three doses per week, it would allow Su Yu to refine his Qi and Blood to their peak in the shortest time possible, letting him make an all-out attempt to become a Martial Artist.

Three doses a week, five taels per dose—that was sixty taels of silver a month!

Su Yu winced at the cost. The silver he’d just earned was about to flow away like water. However, this was the only way he’d have a chance to break through the Martial Artist bottleneck within two months.

Besides, as long as his Skill Level was high enough, the so-called bottleneck wouldn’t even exist for him. He could grow stronger at the fastest possible rate!

’I’ll pay for one month’s supply for now!’

...

「The next morning, at the Inner Courtyard pharmacy.」

"Su Yu, this decoction is incredibly potent. Your body..." Aunt Liu’s eyes filled with concern. She had watched Su Yu grow stronger step by step in the martial hall and had always been protective of him.

"Don’t worry, Auntie, I know my limits." Su Yu gazed at the decoction in his hand. It was crimson red and as thick as blood, obviously far more potent than the Bone-Strengthening Soup.

Su Yu took the bowl and downed it in a single gulp.

As the decoction went down, a searing heat surged through him, as if he had swallowed a red-hot piece of charcoal.

Then, his spine grew hot and itchy, as if ants were crawling through his marrow—a sign that his Qi and Blood were proliferating wildly.

Su Yu could barely contain the energy and immediately began practicing the Six Changes of the White Ape right at the pharmacy entrance.

As he moved through the Pile Skill stances, the unvented energy finally found an outlet, transforming into a torrent of Qi and Blood that surged violently through his meridians.

[Six Changes of the White Ape Skill Level +5]

’So powerful! A single repetition added five points to my Skill Level!’

Su Yu gritted his teeth, enduring the impact of the powerful Qi and Blood. The sensation, a mixture of pain and pleasure, was utterly addictive.

He called out a goodbye to Aunt Liu and hurried to the front courtyard’s Martial Arts Arena, where he began to practice his stances with wild abandon.

[Six Changes of the White Ape Skill Level +5]

[Six Changes of the White Ape Skill Level +5]

...

The frigid winter wind swept across the surface of the Black Water River. Near the northern banks, parts of the river had already frozen. As waves crashed, the sound of countless colliding ice chunks echoed across the desolate, snow-covered land.

On this day, a sudden uproar erupted within the Inner Courtyard of the martial hall.

"He did it! Junior Brother Chen succeeded!"

"Junior Brother Chen broke through to the Martial Artist realm!"

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Chen! You’ve leaped over the dragon gate!"

"Congratulations, congratulations! Now that you’re a Martial Artist, a brilliant future awaits you!"

The cheers spread throughout the entire martial hall. In the Outer Courtyard, the apprentices all stopped their training and stared toward the Moon Gate leading to the Inner Courtyard, their eyes filled with envy and awe.

A Martial Artist!

It was their lifelong dream!

It was the one true path to rise up from the bottom and transcend their social class!

"Half a year... It’s only been half a year!" someone muttered, their tone laced with envy. "Is this the power of a Top-Grade Root Bone?"

In a corner, Su Yu’s expression remained placid. A brief ripple of emotion stirred in his heart before quickly settling.

He continued practicing his stances, and as he completed the final form, his latest martial arts progress appeared before his eyes.

[Martial Arts]: Six Changes of the White Ape (Great Success 1680/3000), Bibo Fishbone Skill (Entry-level 98/100), Coin Toss (Great Success 600/1000)

In just over a month, thanks to the potent effects of Tiger and Leopard Marrow Soup, his progress in the Six Changes of the White Ape was already past the halfway mark.

Coin Toss, which he only practiced casually, had also reached the Great Success stage. Its breakthrough to the next level might not be far behind that of the Six Changes of the White Ape.

Su Yu was very satisfied with his current progress. If he kept this up, he would surely break through to the Martial Artist realm in a little over a month!

Then he, too, could leap the dragon gate and completely change his destiny!

...

A few days later, news spread through the martial hall: Master Qin would personally host a banquet at the Zhenxiu Building to celebrate Chen Fan’s breakthrough to the Martial Artist realm.

"Junior Su, you’ve already reached the threshold three times and have a chance to break through the Martial Artist bottleneck. You should come to the banquet. You can listen to Junior Brother Chen’s experience with his own breakthrough."

Faced with the invitation from Senior Brother Xu Feng, Su Yu didn’t refuse and decided to attend the banquet with the other senior brothers from the Inner Courtyard.

「Zhenxiu Building.」

This was the most luxurious restaurant in the Outer City, glittering and opulent.

In a private room on the first floor, Qin Fangqiong sat at the head of the table. To his left was the eldest senior brother, Qi Linfeng, and to his right was Senior Sister Qin Yu. Farther down the table sat Chen Fan.

Chen Fan, dressed in fine brocade and radiating high spirits, raised his cup. "Master, I owe all my success today to your guidance. Please, allow me to toast you!"

Qin Fangqiong lifted his cup and said flatly, "You certainly have a way with words. But your breakthrough was due to your own talent; I taught you nothing. Before, the talk of you being my Direct Disciple was just that—talk."

At these words, an embarrassed look crossed Chen Fan’s face. He hadn’t had much contact with Master Qin in the past. Although he had been named a Direct Disciple, Master Qin had never actually taught him anything.

Seeing the disciple holding his cup with an awkward expression, Master Qin’s tone suddenly shifted. "However, since you’ve broken through to the Martial Artist realm, you are now truly my Direct Disciple! Haha, drink up!"

As Master Qin laughed, everyone at the table laughed along with him, raising their cups to drink.

Noticing Chen Fan seemed a bit lost, Master Qin set down his cup and stated bluntly:

"Until you become a Martial Artist, you are nothing but an ant."

"And an ant is not worth my effort! But now that you have broken through, you are my true Direct Disciple! You are the future core of this martial hall!"

The words were brutally frank, even cold. Yet the faces of the Inner Courtyard Disciples at the table remained unchanged, as if this were a self-evident truth.

After speaking, Master Qin’s sharp gaze swept across the table. "Chen Fan has both talent and potential, but his family background is poor. As your new junior brother, you must all do your best to help him in the future!"

Everyone present was a disciple of Qin Fangqiong. Though some were not direct disciples, their interests were tightly bound, so they all naturally agreed.

At the side, Chen Fan was so excited that the hand holding his cup trembled uncontrollably.

He knew he had finally squeezed his way into this inner circle.

From this moment on, he was no longer Chen Fan, the worthless nobody from outside the city walls!

After three rounds of drinks, Master Qin tapped the table and dropped a bombshell:

"One more thing. Next year’s Martial Examination is being moved up to the beginning of spring, and it will be exceptionally important. The three great families are forming a Law Enforcement Team for the Outer City. The positions are limited, and selection will be based entirely on the examination results!"

"Chen Fan, you’ve just broken through; this is your chance. You must secure a spot!"

"Yes, Master!"

Hearing this, everyone’s minds began to race. Master Qin’s seemingly casual announcement actually concealed a wealth of information and potential profit.

’A Law Enforcement Team formed by the three great families? What are they up to?’

’If they’re really going to govern the Outer City and the lands beyond, the profits involved will be immense!’

’This Law Enforcement Team will be a department with real authority and lucrative opportunities. It looks like the winds of change are about to sweep through Black Stone City once again.’

In a corner, Su Yu and Wang Hu ate in silence, doing their best to remain invisible.

Xu Feng glanced at the two of them and, seeing that Master Qin was in a good mood, took the opportunity to interject:

"Master, Su Yu and Wang Hu from the Outer Courtyard have also reached the threshold three times and are preparing to attempt their breakthrough to Martial Artist. Perhaps you could... take this opportunity to offer them a bit of guidance?"

Qin Fangqiong shot Xu Feng a look and chided with a laugh, "You, Madman Xu, I knew what you were up to the second you opened your mouth. I can’t give them any pointers!"

The table erupted in laughter.

Xu Feng’s expression didn’t change; he put on a look of feigned ignorance.

Jiang Liuchuan immediately snapped his feather fan shut. "Master," he said, pointing at Xu Feng, "don’t let Old Xu’s honest face fool you; he’s as cunning as they come. He just wants you to put up the money, haha! I say we should make Old Xu put up ten taels of silver first to sponsor our two junior brothers’ breakthroughs!"

Master Qin immediately slapped his thigh. "Good! That’s an excellent idea!"

Xu Feng immediately shot back, "Jiang Liuchuan should put up ten taels too, Master!"

"Even better!"

The table erupted in another round of roaring laughter.

...

「The banquet ended. The wind was bone-chilling.」

Xu Feng called Su Yu and Wang Hu to a halt, clapping them on the shoulders. "Master is now aware of your situations," he said. "Your root bones are far inferior to Junior Brother Chen’s. Without a medicinal pill, your chances of a breakthrough are slim."

"When you return, Master will give each of you an Iron Sand Blood Boiling Pill. This pill is a great help for breaking through bottlenecks and is rarely available on the open market. Cherish this opportunity!"

A look of delighted surprise spread across Wang Hu’s face; he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up in a grin.

Su Yu, too, was filled with a mix of emotions.

’Even though I don’t need this pill, the fact that he’s giving it to me speaks volumes.’

’Besides, it might help disguise how unusually successful my own breakthrough to Martial Artist is!’