"A Bone Nourishing Pill? To think they would bring out this kind of bone-nourishing elixir," Chen Yuan thought.
Chen Yuan had heard of this elixir and knew its value far exceeded twenty taels of silver. He quickly accepted it. "Thank you for the generous gift, General Manager Xie!"
General Manager Li smiled slightly. "This Bone Nourishing Pill can help you break through the bone barrier. Its medicinal effects are mild and long-lasting, so you can take it today. By the way, what is your current strength?"
Chen Yuan replied, "I will reach Great Success in Skin Refining in a few days. It will still take some time to achieve Great Success in Manifest Force."
Li Song nodded in satisfaction. "Good progress. In that case, I will raise your monthly allowance to eighteen taels. At the same time, you will guard the afternoon shift at the Sixth Medicinal Garden alone. Are you up to the task?"
Chen Yuan cupped his hands. "Thank you for your trust, General Manager. I will definitely not disappoint you."
With his monthly allowance raised from ten taels to eighteen taels, it had nearly doubled. Naturally, he was satisfied. Guarding the garden alone posed no problem; he actually preferred the freedom. Meanwhile, by cutting one guard position, the Li Family was essentially saving on expenses.
Li Song nodded slightly. "You have good skills and a sharp mind. I have high hopes for you. By the way, the number of Bone Strengthening Pills you can collect each month has increased to three. Break through the bone barrier as soon as possible, and I’ll give you a much better assignment."
Chen Yuan chuckled inwardly. Sure enough, bosses everywhere loved making empty promises. For the sake of the Bone Strengthening Pills, however, he gladly played along. "Thank you for your appreciation, General Manager Li! I will train diligently and strive to break through the bone barrier early so I can share your burdens!"
Li Song laughed heartily.
At this moment, Jiang Pingchuan spoke up. "Chen Yuan, if you can break through the bone barrier, I can also offer you a position with the hidden sentries. I guarantee the monthly allowance will satisfy you."
He also cherished talent. If Chen Yuan could properly develop his skills, he would make an excellent right-hand man.
Chen Yuan smiled bitterly to himself and simply said, "Thank you for your favor, Tributor Jiang. I will defer entirely to the arrangements made by the two General Managers. I will go wherever I am needed."
Li Song glanced at Jiang Pingchuan and scolded him with a smile. "Old Jiang, your hidden sentries are already full of talent. Don’t try to poach my people right in front of me."
Jiang Pingchuan sighed helplessly. "General Manager, you know my subordinates are just a bunch of brutes. I need at least one person who has both brains and brawn, right?"
"Alright, I’ll make the proper arrangements when the time comes." Li Song waved his hand, signaling the end of the discussion.
Chen Yuan thought for a moment before asking, "General Manager, may I ask how Huang Yongbo was handled?"
He was slightly worried that Huang Yongbo might seek revenge. A known enemy was easy to evade, but a hidden threat was difficult to guard against.
Li Song smiled faintly. "There is no need to worry. Zhang Hong has already been executed as a public warning. As for Huang Yongbo, his meridians were crippled, and he has been thrown into the Government Office’s prison.
"After investigating the matter, we discovered that Zhang Hong harbored malicious intentions because he wanted to buy a Bone Nourishing Pill on the black market. It was just the two of them colluding, so you don’t need to worry about any further trouble."
Only then did Chen Yuan relax.
After saying his goodbyes, he left Funiu Mountain and resumed his cultivation at the Huo Courtyard.
After swallowing a Blood Qi Pill and chugging down a mouthful of Body-Strengthening Soup, Chen Yuan used the Rocky Pile Skill to mobilize his vitality and blood, meticulously refining his skin and membrane bit by bit.
Time flew by when he focused on a single task.
As his vitality and blood continuously washed over and nourished his body, Chen Yuan’s skin underwent a transformation. It went from a tough, dark shade to a pale golden hue with a bronze texture.
He had reached Great Success in Skin Refining, and his resistance to physical blows had been further strengthened! At this Stage, as long as he wasn’t struck by sharp weapons or hit in vital spots, he could easily walk unhindered among ordinary thugs and hooligans, completely ignoring any numerical advantage they might have.
Having achieved Great Success in Skin Refining, he was qualified to challenge the barrier once more. His vitality and blood could be cultivated to become even more vigorous, and his skin could now withstand the physical backlash of breaking the bone barrier.
However, most Martial Artists in the Skin Refining stage who still had untapped potential would choose to push this stage to its absolute limit, refining their skin until their bodies peaked. Those with excellent Root Bone could train until their entire body shimmered with golden light, achieving the invulnerable Stage of Copper Skin.
Chen Yuan’s current goal was to push for this Stage of Copper Skin. If he could successfully forge Copper Skin and then cultivate his vitality and blood to their absolute limits, his chances of successfully breaking the bone barrier would be over eighty percent.
Snapping back to reality, a pang of hunger from his stomach reminded him that it was already time for lunch.
In the Dining Hall, Chen Yuan carried his tray and sat down in a corner. Nowadays, he was only familiar with a few people in the courtyard—he could count them on two hands.
"Junior Brother Chen, you’re looking well. I saw you practicing in the courtyard earlier. You must have reached Great Success in Skin Refining, right?" Tao Ping walked over and asked with a smile.
Chen Yuan gave a faint smile. "Yes, I’ve finally reached Great Success in Skin Refining. The path of martial arts only gets harder the further you go."
Tao Ping nodded. "Indeed. But given your progress, Junior Brother, breaking the bone barrier shouldn’t be a problem. Before the martial exam begins, it might even be possible for you to reach Bone Refining Minor Achievement."
Chen Yuan smiled. "I’ll borrow your good words, Senior Brother."
Admittedly, the path of martial arts was like walking on thin ice. For him, however, the ice only grew thicker the further he walked, to the point where he could soon stroll across it as if on solid ground.
Tao Ping smiled and stated his purpose for coming over. "Junior Brother Chen, several nearby Martial Arts Academies are preparing to hold a small sparring meetup recently. It’s a chance to exchange martial arts pointers while preparing for the martial exam. Junior Brother Xu will be participating as well. Are you interested?"
Chen Yuan thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "Thank you for the kind offer, Senior Brother, but I haven’t broken the bone barrier yet, nor have I reached Great Success in Manifest Force. With my meager strength, I still need to focus on foundational training. I’d rather not go and embarrass myself."
This so-called sparring meetup was nothing more than drinking tea, comparing martial arts, and making friends. It offered no real benefits. Getting involved might even attract unprovoked trouble. He had no interest in such a thankless endeavor.
Tao Ping looked regretful. "A sparring meetup is also a great opportunity to showcase your strength and expand your network. It’s truly a pity not to go.
"However, since you have your own plans, Junior Brother Chen, I won’t force you. If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime."
"Understood, Senior Brother," Chen Yuan replied.
He didn’t believe he could make any genuine friends at a sparring meetup. Networking and connections were just fleeting illusions; it was all deception, scheming, and mutual manipulation anyway. Rather than wasting his energy on that, he was better off focusing on his martial arts to improve himself.
True strength was the foundation of everything. As the saying went, when a flower bloomed, the gentle breeze naturally followed.
After lunch, Chen Yuan continued practicing the Rocky Pile Skill to consolidate his vitality and blood.
Approaching 3:00 PM, he headed to Funiu Mountain to begin his guard shift.
When the morning shift guard saw Chen Yuan arrive, his previously indifferent attitude had transformed into a welcoming smile. "Brother Chen, you’re here early."
Clearly, he had caught wind of the recent events. It was impossible for the morning guard, who took turns watching the Sixth Medicinal Garden, to have absolutely no connection to Zhang Hong.
Chen Yuan smiled. "Yeah. Did everything go fine this morning?"
The morning guard quickly replied, "Everything was perfectly normal. Not a single medicinal plant is missing."
The implication was that he had no intention of embezzling the quota of allowable losses.
Chen Yuan nodded. "That’s good. Thanks for your hard work."
After a few pleasantries, the shift change was complete.
Watching the departing guard, Chen Yuan realized that no one here was a fool. Zhang Hong and Huang Yongbo had both met miserable ends, while he alone emerged unscathed—even receiving a promotion and a raise. Anyone with eyes could see the underlying implications.
This was for the best.
Chen Yuan resumed his martial arts training. This time, he directly swallowed the Bone Nourishing Pill and closed his eyes, feeling the medicinal power gradually seep into and coat all the bones in his body.
Then, he spread his legs apart and assumed a starting stance that was entirely different from both the Rocky Pile Skill and the Heart Intent Six Harmonies Fist. The movements were wide and sweeping, radiating a majestic aura that contained a grand, awe-inspiring intent.
It was the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body he had obtained from Wang Po.
According to the Cultivation Technique’s records, mastering this skill required both external training and internal consumption. The cheapest dose of medicinal soup cost one tael of silver. However, the Bone Nourishing Pill was a superior alternative to the medicinal soup. Its effects were far better, though its price was countless times more expensive.
Now that he had reached Great Success in Skin Refining, he was fully qualified to begin refining his bones. Today, he would use this Bone Nourishing Pill as his stepping stone to unlock the gates of the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body!