Cyan Yuan Sect.
Cyan Jade Hall, Deliberation Hall.
"Old Gu, that's just foul play. One of your Medicine Hall's Servant Disciples came to our Instructor Hall today to collect the subsequent Fist Technique for the Ox Demon's Mighty Fist. So when you bet with us yesterday, you already had this all set up."
Lin Shiyu had, of course, told him what happened in the Instructor Hall. He had also asked him to mention it, lest he find himself on the petty Gu An's bad side.
"I told you! I said that a disciple from our Medicine Hall would definitely comprehend Wild Ox Force within a month. I said it yesterday, and none of you believed me. You believe me now, don't you!"
A smile spread across Gu An's face upon hearing this.
This was a matter of great prestige, especially since Qi Yuansheng, the Hall Master of the Artifact Refining Hall, had bet a Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill against him. The elixir was very helpful even for those at the Inner Refining of the Six Viscera stage, so it was a loss that would surely sting Qi Yuansheng.
He was surprised himself. He hadn't expected Yang Chan to break through so quickly. He had seen Yang Chan's Fist Technique and knew it wasn't far from Great Success, so he had already estimated the young man would break through within the month.
However, for someone whose Ox Demon's Mighty Fist was about to reach Great Success, comprehending Wild Ox Force ahead of schedule was quite normal, not particularly strange.
"Old Ghost Gu, you just got lucky this time. What damned good luck."
The Artifact Refining Hall's Master, Qi Yuansheng, looked displeased. He didn't care about the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill; he cared about losing face, especially losing face to Gu An.
The two had never gotten along and were always looking for opportunities to cause trouble for each other.
When Gu An brought it up yesterday, he hadn't wanted to agree, but Gu An goaded him into accepting the bet.
"Whatever you say, I won the bet. Hand over the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill."
Gu An smiled and held out his hand. It was a rare occasion to get one over on Qi Yuansheng, and it made him immensely pleased.
"Hmph."
Qi Yuansheng snorted coldly and tossed a Medicine Bottle containing the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill at Gu An. It was imbued with a Hidden Force, carrying considerable power.
Gu An reached out with his right hand, his palm instantly expanding as he caught it securely.
"My thanks for the elixir, Hall Master Qi."
The smile on Gu An's face deepened.
He was naturally delighted to get such a reaction out of Qi Yuansheng, and his impression of Yang Chan improved even further.
...
"'Upward and downward breathing, Spirit Turtle Emerges from Water, side-lying breath-holding, prostrate hibernation breathing...'"
"This Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill is quite different from the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill."
After finishing the manual for the Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill, Yang Chan noted it contained numerous breathing methods and movements. The goal was to enable one to breathe long and slow like a Spirit Turtle, thereby achieving longevity and youthfulness.
According to the manual, once you could integrate the turtle breath into your daily life, you would have achieved some success.
Following the Cultivation Technique, Yang Chan began to regulate his body, his breath, and his mind.
He lay face down, his hands mimicking the posture of a Spirit Turtle walking, and breathed in a pattern of three long and two short breaths. This was just the beginning. After holding the pose for seven and a half minutes, he changed his position, adjusted his breathing, and aligned his mind and spirit.
It took Yang Chan an hour to complete the entire set. Although some of that time was due to it being his first time practicing and his unfamiliarity with the movements, the technique truly had many steps and was quite time-consuming.
It was no wonder Lin Shiyu from the Instructor Hall had told Yang Chan to practice it only when he had free time, and not to spend too much time on it, instead focusing on the Ox Demon's Mighty Fist. After all, completing one set didn't produce much of a feeling; the effects were rather mediocre.
Yang Chan's gaze fell on his panel, and the results were just as he expected.
The Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill had been added to his Comprehension Technique list.
Comprehension Technique: Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill (Tier One Initial Glimpse 14%), Ox Demon's Mighty Fist (Tier One Initial Glimpse 15%), Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill (Beginner 1%).
At this rate, it would only take one hundred hours to reach Tier One, which was a little over four days. If he practiced normally, dedicating a portion of his time to the Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill, twenty days would be more than enough.
If he used one Potential Point, it would probably take about ten days.
Yang Chan calculated in his mind. It wouldn't take much time to raise the Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill to Tier One. During this period, he also planned to practice his fist technique and his Health Cultivation Skill, using the remaining time to study subjects related to being a Pharmacist in the Medicine Hall.
His short-term goal was to become a Pharmacist's Assistant. That way, he could shadow a Pharmacist, learn the trade, and eventually become a true Pharmacist himself.
Within the Cyan Yuan Sect, a Pharmacist's status was similar to that of an Elite Disciple and was considered very important. However, the requirements to become a Pharmacist were numerous, with high standards for knowledge of pharmacology, medicinal properties, and drug composition.
Yang Chan had learned that under normal circumstances, Pharmacists in the Cyan Yuan Sect could remain within the sect and were exempt from missions that required leaving. This aligned perfectly with Yang Chan's goals.
'All that fighting and killing is so much trouble,' he thought. 'It's much better to stay in the Cyan Yuan Sect as a Pharmacist. It's like being a protected healer. How great is that!'
Furthermore, Pharmacists were allocated good things like medicinal cuisine and prescriptions. Their monthly stipend was also much higher than that of most disciples, making it an extremely promising profession.
'My panel even has the Pharmacist profession. It would be a huge waste not to use it.'
The Qi Nourishing Soup from the Medicine Hall's public kitchen was actually a type of medicinal cuisine. Knowing this, Yang Chan was even more determined to become a Pharmacist.
Good things like medicinal cuisine could increase his Potential Points, and Potential Points were crucial for his Cultivation.
'Hard training isn't bad,' he mused, 'but if I can just add points with my system, isn't that even better?'
Yang Chan cultivated until the early hours of the morning. When he checked his panel, he saw his Potential Points had increased from 0 to 0.2, which once again confirmed his theory.
Eating well and eating a lot could also increase his Potential Points.
If he added the Qi Nourishing Soup he received once every three days, plus the extra he planned to buy, he could gain one Potential Point every three days. This meant his strength would increase even faster than he had anticipated.
'Those so-called six small organizations, the Stewards, the Hall Masters...'
"Calm down. I need to calm down. The future is promising, but for now, I have to keep a low profile. The longer I live, the stronger I can become."
Feeling himself getting a bit too excited, Yang Chan quickly calmed his mind.
'A promising future only matters if I live to see it. One careless misstep and I'm gone, and then there's no future at all.'
'The outside world is too dangerous. I still need to lay low and build my strength. I can't get cocky.'
After practicing a set of the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill, Yang Chan's mind became as still as an ancient well.
'What is this feeling of being carried away? I'm just an unremarkable Official Disciple of the Cyan Yuan Sect. I need to keep a low profile.'
'I stayed up late again today. This is not a good habit. I must go to sleep earlier tomorrow. I need to cultivate my health for a long life.'
Yang Chan told himself silently.
He had died in his previous life from overworking and staying up all night. He had to avoid that this time. Going to sleep after midnight was a bad habit, and continuing it would be even worse for his body.
If it became a habit, it would be even more terrible. If he suddenly dropped dead one day, all this talk of a promising future would be just empty words.
As he thought this, he reminded himself that he had yet to achieve his other small goal: living past the age of one thousand. He had to be more prudent.