Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
[Body Toughening Ointment, boiled using gold phosphorous liquid and the blood essence of beasts, 2,000 taels each.]
[Stone Skin Body Toughening Pill, refined from rock lizard scales and Honeysuckle stems, 3,500 taels each.]
…
[Deer Glue Body Toughening Pill, refined from Fire Deer antlers and Iron Rock Flowers, 8,000 taels each.]
Looking at the drug list on the wooden board, Luo Feng shook his head and smiled bitterly.
‘The poor go to school while the rich study martial arts, that’s not bad.’ Luo Feng thought to himself.
The Body Toughening Pills cost thousands of silvers easily. Back then, Luo Feng never even had 200 taels a month. He could only afford one of the lower grade drugs after saving up for a year.
When Luo Feng thought about this, he envied those disciples from noble families. They had numerous drugs to increase their body endurance from the time they were young, so it made sense that they could improve very quickly.
The two Extensive Net Institution students noticed Luo Feng’s expression, then looked at him even more contemptuously.
“Senior Brother Li, what spirit pills do you need?” The short and fat student asked the other student.
“I’ve just advanced to the middle phase of Strength Boundary, I’ll need the aid of some drugs. I’ll take three Stone Skin Body Toughening Pills.” The young man who was addressed as Senior Brother Li pointed at the Stone Skin Body Toughening Pill on the wooden board.
That short and fat student licked his lips. “The Stone Skin Body Toughening Pills are 3,500 taels each! Three of those will be 10,500 taels. Your purchases are always exceptional, Senior Brother Li! I only have 4,000 taels, I can only get two Body Toughening Ointments.”
“Hehe, you’re exaggerating. I was training with Senior Sister Duan and the others at Red Training Mountain Range a few days ago and was lucky to have killed a green-eyed wolf demon, so I earned some money.” While Senior Brother Li made himself seem humble, he spoke so arrogantly while looking at Luo Feng the whole time.
Nonetheless, Luo Feng was ignorant toward the two students who were deliberately showing off. He focused on the wooden board to pick the drugs that he needed.
The first six levels of Meridian Cycle Boundary were also known as Toughening Boundary. The boundary mainly increased one’s body endurance, used vitality as nutrients for one’s meridian cycles, and improved one’s vital energy. Luo Feng needed body toughening drugs at that moment.
Scanning from the top of the list, Luo Feng noticed the Deer Glue Body Toughening Pill at the very end of the list.
“I’m too far behind others, and I lack time the most, I must treasure every second. I’ll just get this Deer Glue Body Toughening Pill.”
By now, the shopkeeper had packed the drugs requested by the two Extensive Net Institution students. The shopkeeper then asked Luo Feng upon seeing him reading the drug list, “Young hero, do you want a Body Toughening Pill too?”
“Mm.” Luo Feng nodded. Just as he was going to ask for the Deer Glue Body Toughening Pill, he casually asked, “Are these the only Body Toughening Pills?”
Before the shopkeeper answered him, the two students laughed mockingly.
They gave scornful remarks. “Fella, if you want to purchase low-class drugs like Vitality Condensation Pill, Herb Cauldron House doesn’t have it, you should look elsewhere.”
The shopkeeper frowned too but explained to Luo Feng politely, “We used to only have these, but we recently launched a new Body Toughening Pill that has better effects than the Deer Glue Body Toughening Pill. That being said, its price…”
“How many silvers does it cost?” Luo Feng waved his hand impatiently.
The shopkeeper who noticed Luo Feng’s benevolence squinted his eyes as he put three fingers up. “It’s 30,000 taels each.”
‘30,000 taels!’
Those two Extensive Net Institution students gasped at the same time. Evidently, they were shocked by the price.
The shopkeeper further explained, “Although it’s expensive, it’s worth its value. The drug is called Tiger Energy Body Endurance Pill, which is refined from the blood essence and marrow of a Rank Two demonic beast, Cloud Domineering Tiger. Martial artists who consume it will possess the energy of a tiger. It’s an Upper Class Body Toughening Pill!”
Luo Feng nodded. “I’ll take it, I want two of it.”
‘Two!’
The hearts of the two Extensive Net Institution students skipped a beat. They widened their eyes at Luo Feng. “Two Tiger Energy Body Endurance Pill cost 60,000 taels! This fella? He must be bragging!”
“Two of that will cost 60,000 taels,” The shopkeeper who was surprised as well quickly informed Luo Feng of the final cost.
Luo Feng nodded, then handed six golden notes to the shopkeeper.
Before long, the shopkeeper packed the drugs for Luo Feng. Once Luo Feng received the drugs, he smiled at the two Extensive Net Institution students who were still dumbfounded. “Gentlemen, take your time, I’ll be leaving first.”
Subsequently, Luo Feng left Herb Cauldron House in a dignified manner.
The two Extensive Net Institution students were embarrassed. They left Herb Cauldron House quickly after picking up their drugs.
Luo Feng did not return to the institution after leaving Herb Cauldron House. He enjoyed a delicious meal in a restaurant.
Since Luo Feng had been cultivating on Purple Spirit Mountain for a long time, he chowed down food for six in the blink of an eye!
It was already the next morning by the time he was back at the institution.
Luo Feng went to Martial Arts Hall instead of returning to his courtyard.
Having activated three meridian cycles, he could choose a Lower Class martial art from Martial Arts Hall.
Owing to the fact that Level Four of Roaring Tiger Fist needed to be cultivated with a Light Body martial art, Luo Feng planned to select a Light Body martial art that suited him.
Martial Arts Hall was an important place for martial arts in the institution as it stored various martial art manuals. The hall had a total of three floors.
The first floor stored Fundamental Class martial arts, which was opened to anyone.
On the second floor, the Yellow Rank martial arts were stored and opened to students from both Outer and Inner Institutions who activated three meridian cycles.
The third floor stored martial arts above Yellow Rank and could only be visited by real elite students from the Inner Institution.
With the strength of Energy Boundary’s middle phase, Luo Feng could only enter the second floor, and borrow a Yellow Rank Lower Class martial art manual. He could refer to any martial art manual on the second floor only if he became an Inner Institution student.
Luo Feng was dazzled by a myriad of martial art manuals on Martial Arts Hall’s second floor.
After taking a deep breath, he began looking carefully around the area that stored Light Body martial arts.
[Water Stepping Technique: Increases the cultivator’s speed. Once perfected, the cultivator can walk on water for hundreds of meters. The cultivation difficulty is low. Grade: Yellow Rank Lower Class.]
[Cloud Leaping Steps: A Light Body martial art. Once perfected, the cultivator can take off in the air to twenty meters away as if walking on clouds. The cultivation difficulty is high, requires a certain level of apprehension. Grade: Yellow Rank Lower Class.]
[Flying Sparrow Technique: The cultivator can turn back in the air, and the cultivator’s agility is highly increased. The cultivation difficulty is average, requires one to have a flexible body. Grade: Yellow Rank Lower Class.]
[Fallen Leaves Steps: A close-range step technique. Once cultivated, the cultivator can circle around several martial artists of the same level without being defeated. The cultivation difficulty is average. Grade: Yellow Rank Lower Class.]
…
There were less than ten manuals on Yellow Rank Lower Class Light Body martial arts. Luo Feng furrowed his brows after reading the introduction on the manual cover.
Level Four of Roaring Tiger Fist, Ferocious Tiger Abandons Valley, required one to be thirty meters off the ground to unleash its maximum power. All the Light Body martial arts were unsuitable.
The closest option was Cloud Leaping Steps, but even when it was perfected, one could only be twenty meters off the ground.
“Can I only choose Cloud Leaping Steps?” Luo Feng sighed as he looked at the manual. He was jealous of the students from Golden Sun Class.
Golden Sun Class students had a wider range of options and could pick a Yellow Rank Middle Class martial art once they activated the Third Meridian Cycle.
However, when Luo Feng casually scanned through the collections, he noticed an old martial art manual at the bottom of the shelf.
The manual was covered in dust and definitely looked like it had not been touched in a long time.
Luo Feng picked the manual up, then wiped the layer of dust away. The picture of a soaring dragon was revealed, accompanied by three lively calligraphed words: Soaring Dragon Steps!
[Soaring Dragon Steps: A Light Body martial art separated into five levels. The cultivator can transform Qi into a dragon at every level, forming a maximum of five Qi Dragons. Each Qi Dragon allows the cultivator to soar ten meters into the sky, doubles the cultivator’s speed, and enables one Void Step! Along with the cultivator’s vitality, Qi Dragons may injure enemies as it provides greater power! The cultivation difficulty is extremely high, requires profound apprehension and spiritual power! Grade: None.]
Luo Feng’s eyes sparkled upon reading this.
‘Soaring Dragon Steps is so powerful!’
‘A Qi Dragon allows one to soar ten meters into the sky, and doubles one’s speed. If I were to cultivate Soaring Dragon Steps to the fifth level, my speed would increase by fivefold, and I can soar fifty meters into the sky! It’s almost thrice the effect of Cloud Leaping Steps!’
‘The most hair-raising thing is that Soaring Dragon Steps allows one to achieve Void Step, and although it’s a Light Body martial art skill, it utilizes Qi to harm enemies!’
As far as Luo Feng knew, Yellow Rank Upper Class Light Body martial arts rarely allowed one to achieve Void Step, let alone injure people using Qi.
“It doesn’t have a grade? What does this mean? Can anybody cultivate this?”
Luo Feng was surprised that the skill did not have a grade.
Nobody actually inquired about this powerful martial art skill that was left at the bottom of the shelf!
“Is it because of the high requirements that nobody was able to cultivate it?”
Luo Feng pondered for a long time due to the cultivation requirements of Soaring Dragon Steps, then finally decided to cultivate it.
Since Luo Feng’s body contained the merging of two souls, he had eighteen meridian cycles and possessed a spiritual power that could be considered bewitching. Besides, Luo Feng had extraordinary apprehension. Therefore, Soaring Dragon Steps was in many ways a suitable martial art that he could cultivate.
Once Luo Feng decided, he brought the manual to register it at Martial Arts Hall’s registration counter.
“Eh, you want to cultivate Soaring Dragon Steps!”
The person at the desk was a middle-aged mentor. He was surprised when he saw Luo Feng holding the Soaring Dragon Steps manual.
“I can’t cultivate it?” Luo Feng frowned.
After finally finding a suitable Light Body martial art, it would be disappointing if he could not cultivate it.
“That’s not it.”
The middle-aged mentor shook his head, then explained, “Soaring Dragon Steps doesn’t have a grade, any student can borrow it, but I suggest that you don’t choose it. It was the director who chanced upon Soaring Dragon Steps deep inside Red Dragon Mountain Range ten years ago, and after more than ten years, only one person cultivated the first boundary. Its cultivation difficulty is unlike any other! This is why it doesn’t have a grade. I advise that you select another martial art, lest you waste your time.”
There were quite a number of people in Martial Arts Hall at the moment. When they saw the Soaring Dragon Steps manual in Luo Feng’s hands, they scoffed at him.
“That person actually wants to cultivate Soaring Dragon Steps! A greedy man is like a snake that tries to swallow an elephant. Doesn’t he know that nobody managed to cultivate it?”
“Perhaps he thinks that he’s a genius.”
“A genius? How can a student from Silver Moon Class be a genius! The youngest genius in the Inner Institution, Duanmu Yu, took the challenge to cultivate Soaring Dragon Steps some time ago, but also ended up returning the manual. For more than ten years, numerous outstanding geniuses challenged it, but none succeeded. How can a Silver Moon Class student cultivate it? What a joke!”
“That’s true, this fella doesn’t know where he stands.”
Though many people mocked Luo Feng, he persisted with a straight face. He replied to the mentor who helped with his registration, “Mentor, thank you for your kind words. I’m aware that it’s extremely hard to cultivate Soaring Dragon Steps, but I’m very confident!”
The middle-aged mentor shook his head. Throughout his many years in the institution, he met too many geniuses who were confident about cultivating Soaring Dragon Steps, but failed in the end.
‘Forget it, it’ll be a lesson for him. He’ll understand what it means to retreat in the face of difficulty.’
Later, the middle-aged mentor reminded, “You know the rules, you mustn’t teach martial arts to anyone else without permission, or you’ll be punished heavily! Other than that, you must return the manual in a month’s time.”
Luo Feng nodded.
The middle-aged mentor then removed the seal on the manual for Luo Feng to note down his name, class, and his cultivation base.
Luo Feng left Martial Arts Hall with the Soaring Dragons Steps manual even though many people ridiculed him.