He drank the Vital Energy Compound.
Fang Yu then took a dark-gray sealed box from the nearby Constant Temperature Room. Inside were a series of fist-sized smaller boxes. He opened one and found a thumb-sized, pale-gray pill sealed within.
"A Bone-Strengthening Pill," Fang Yu thought to himself. "A Star Radiance Group product. Eight hundred Star Coins per pill—half the price of an authentic Eight Great Groups product."
For a Primary Martial Artist seeking rapid growth, the Vital Energy Compound and Bone-Strengthening Pill were the two most basic auxiliary cultivation medicines. The former improved circulation speed and supplied the energy needed to strengthen flesh and blood; the latter strengthened bones and increased the toughness of tendons and fascia.
In Martial Junior College and Martial Undergraduate, most of the cultivation resources uniformly awarded to students by the Blue Moon Alliance were these two.
It sounded like these two medicines were basic. But most martial artists still couldn't afford them long-term.
"An authentic Eight Great Groups Vital Energy Compound is two thousand Star Coins per dose, ideally one every two days," Fang Yu thought. "A Bone-Strengthening Pill is sixteen hundred Star Coins each, also one every two days."
"Altogether, that's over fifty thousand Star Coins a month."
"Over six hundred thousand Star Coins a year." Fang Yu sighed silently.
That didn't even count weapon wear, daily expenses, class fees, and so on.
Martial arts was a gold-devouring beast—no exaggeration.
Those not yet grown were even worse off. High schoolers or martial arts students who had just entered college not only devoured money but only consumed without producing anything.
"I've heard some tycoons, or martial arts prodigies who sign early with the Eight Great Groups, also receive Star Force Inducement, Vitality Regenerator, Spirit-Nurturing Pill and other medicines—all the more expensive." Fang Yu unwrapped this Bone-Strengthening Pill and likewise swallowed it directly.
His family situation was actually quite good. His father's money-earning ability was extraordinary.
But since his mother died on Primordial Star, the family had been deeply affected. After entering Martial Junior College, the "living allowance" he received from his father was five hundred thousand Star Coins a year—barely enough to cover the two basic medicines for himself.
Precisely for this reason.
After his martial technique reached Entering the Minute in his second year, Fang Yu immediately, through Senior Brother Dong's connections, became a teaching assistant at the Tieshan Martial Club—both to earn some part-time money and to reflect on himself by teaching students.
Teaching disciples was also teaching himself.
The results were good. In a year, he earned over one hundred thousand Star Coins, and his martial technique reached Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute, finally giving him hope for the Junior-College-to-Undergraduate Upgrade.
On the other hand.
After his technique entered the minute, the efficiency of his innate divine ability "Devour" increased. To use his funds more efficiently, Fang Yu changed his purchase channel for the Vital Energy Compound and Bone-Strengthening Pill from the Eight Great Groups to Star Radiance Group.
In this era.
Aside from numerous tech, energy, and finance companies… the most eye-catching were the Eight Great Martial Artist Groups. Their founders were all first-generation Star-Sky Martial Artists. After decades of development, each group contained a host of Star-Sky Martial Artists. The Eight Great Martial Artist Groups represented the pinnacle combat power of civilized martial arts and controlled numerous subsidiaries that penetrated every industry, holding vast wealth.
In the Blue Moon Alliance, the Eight Great Martial Artist Groups were an extremely powerful force.
"The raw materials for these incredibly potent cultivation medicines mostly come from Primordial Star," Fang Yu mused. "And it's said that thermal weapons can't be used on Primordial Star—only powerful martial artists can venture deep, where they must fight fierce beasts, and even wage blood battles against powerful warriors of many alien civilizations."
Primordial Star was a battlefield of civilizations.
Martial artists long walked the edge of life and death. This was also the root of their extremely high social status and numerous privileges.
Precisely because they controlled the raw materials, the Eight Great Martial Artist Groups almost monopolized the cultivation medicine business. This business held an extremely high share in civilized commerce.
However.
After decades of development, the Blue Moon Civilization had produced more Star-Sky Martial Artists, and new martial artist groups had emerged, such as the Tieshan Group and Star Radiance Group. Though they couldn't compare with the Eight Great Groups, they were also successively launching various products.
Star Radiance Group was a second-tier martial artist group.
The Vital Energy Compound and Bone-Strengthening Pill they launched were what Fang Yu settled on after trying over a dozen "off-brand medicines."
In terms of effect.
Star Radiance Group's medicines had effects nearly identical to the Eight Great Groups' preparations, but the effects were often more domineering and carried a trace of "medicine poison."
Medicine is three parts poison.
Just as some patients, if they take medicine indiscriminately, can suffer liver damage or even kidney failure, auxiliary cultivation medicines are no exception.
This was also why the Eight Great Groups' medicines, despite their higher prices, had not seen their market share decline. Stable raw material supply, gentle effects that the body absorbed more easily, low toxicity—an indispensable business with a long-term stable yet competitive market.
Expensive things had their reasons for being expensive. No one was a fool. If the Eight Great Groups' medicines were simply sold at a high price, sales would surely fall.
"However, with the innate divine ability 'Devour,' the drawbacks of off-brand medicines basically don't affect me." Fang Yu had long grown accustomed to the effect of this innate divine ability.
A medicine could, in an extremely short time, be nearly perfectly absorbed without much waste. This was also why Fang Yu could determine that Manager Huo, Supervisor Gao, and the others were "counterfeiting."
Medicine poison? It could be easily dissolved, causing almost no effect on Fang Yu's body.
That was why Fang Yu dared to choose off-brand medicines.
…After consecutively swallowing vital-energy potion and Bone-Strengthening Pills.
Soon.
Fang Yu felt the power of the two medicines' effects. His stomach and intestines writhed, as if digesting at an astonishing speed. Streams of heat surged from his abdomen and gradually diffused through his whole body, devoured ravenously by the tendons, bones, blood, and flesh of his four limbs and every bone.
"Comfortable."
"After my high-intensity training yesterday, the medicine I swallowed yesterday has basically worn off." Fang Yu sealed and stored both medicines.
He came to the center of the Underground Martial Arts Room.
He began practicing the Basic Twenty-Four Fist Forms. Basic fist forms looked simple; many elementary schoolers could make a passable show after a little learning.
But if carefully observed, Fang Yu at this moment was completely different. Many of his fist-form movements had subtle differences from the standard movements. Not a muscle in his body trembled, and even his breathing rhythm became unusual.
"Opening Dragon Spine." Fang Yu practiced the final form.
Half prone on the ground, like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, all the muscles and sinews of his body had already been fully opened during the preceding fist-form practice, and the spine of his back slowly rose like a great dragon.
Power originated from both legs and both palms, rising from the root and transmitted layer by layer. His breathing method caused his five viscera and six bowels to tremble.
This was the most difficult of the twenty-four forms.
Everyone differed, so this form had no absolute standard. One had to constantly try and adjust after reaching Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute in oneself and circulating qi and blood, in order to achieve the highest efficiency.
Movement was the surface, sinews and muscles the interior, breathing rhythm and qi-blood circulation the core, ultimately acting on the back's spine to reach the most perfect state.
For over ten days.
Every day Fang Yu tried, before truly sensing this form.
"Hum~ hum~" The great spine fully opened, and Fang Yu felt completely at ease. Streams of strange force were born from his spine, then seeped into his five viscera and six bowels and four limbs and every bone.
Dark Force Trains the Spine, Dragon Form Searches the Bone!
In this state, the tendons, bones, and muscles that had originally "devoured" to their limit actually continued to absorb the medicine effects that were gradually being revealed, bringing the effects of the Vital Energy Compound and Bone-Strengthening Pill to the extreme.
This practice session.
Without realizing it, nearly two hours passed.
"Hoo!"
Fang Yu slowly rose to his feet, feeling power surge through his body, feeling extremely at ease. His eyes brightened slightly; through his Sleeping Star Aspect he had received several messages.
"My Life Level reached 16?" Fang Yu thought silently.
Even with his technique at Entering the Minute, Fang Yu found it hard to perfectly judge his own condition; scientific instrument measurements often had some deviation. But Sleeping Star Aspect sensing was extremely precise.
"After reaching Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute."
"Dark Force Trains the Spine, Dragon Form Searches the Bone—that is the true profundity of the Basic Twenty-Four Fist Forms." Fang Yu was very satisfied. Once his technique reached Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute, without relying on star force, merely the ultimate excavation of bodily potential combined with vital-energy potion and Bone-Strengthening Pill could bring about rapid physical growth.
Especially over these past few days, the speed of his Life Level's progress was comparable to half a month of arduous training before a breakthrough.
"The two basic medicines are unremarkable in this era; one or two thousand Star Coins buys a portion."
"In ancient times, they would count as 'rare treasures.'" Fang Yu silently marveled.
In the ancient martial arts era, those grand masters whose techniques surpassed the Inner Vista and shook ancient and modern times—by eating all sorts of ordinary food, they relied purely on superb technique to raise themselves to punch forces of two or three thousand kilograms. Just thinking about it, Fang Yu found it exaggerated.
Times had changed.
"If I keep training like this, over the next month my Life Level can still rise by a large margin." Fang Yu grew more confident. Suddenly, his ears twitched.
The door rattled, and there were voices.
"Xiaolong and Siyue are back." A hint of joy appeared on Fang Yu's face. He withdrew his fist and went straight upstairs. "I wonder how their martial arts talent test results turned out."
Chapter 8