Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder!

Eighty percent of the pharmacies in Nanyang City were run by Miaoshou Garden. Lu Changsheng naturally would not go to a pharmacy under Miaoshou Garden's banner to purchase medicinal cuisine, lest he expose his identity. Instead, he went to a small, privately-owned pharmacy. The proprietor was an ordinary local physician who made a modest living by treating patients, writing prescriptions, and selling a few medicinal herbs. Lu Changsheng stepped inside, and the physician asked gently, "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Lu Changsheng shook his head. "I'm not here for a consultation; I'm here to buy medicine." "Oh? Do you have a prescription?" "No. I'm here to buy medicinal cuisine for martial arts training." "Medicinal cuisine?" The physician looked thoughtful. He sized up Lu Changsheng, then nodded. "Martial arts training mainly focuses on strengthening qi and blood. In Nanyang City, Miaoshou Garden's medicinal cuisine is renowned far and wide. "However, this old man possesses an ancestral formula that is in no way inferior to Miaoshou Garden's medicinal cuisine. "My ancestral formula is called Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder. It requires eight precious medicinal herbs and provides tremendous help in strengthening qi and blood for martial arts training. "Only, being an ancient formula, it is naturally quite costly. It all depends on whether you are willing to part with the silver." Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. "Is its effect truly better than Miaoshou Garden's medicinal cuisine?" "Naturally. This old man has always kept his shop right here. Would I swindle you?" Lu Changsheng nodded. That much was true. The physician had an ancestral shop; he would never dare commit fraud. "How much is your Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder?" "Nine taels of silver for a packet. One packet lasts three days." "Nine taels? Miaoshou Garden's medicinal cuisine is only seven taels a packet." "Ah, but this old man's Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder is far more effective!" Lu Changsheng hesitated for a moment. The man surely would not dare lie about such a matter. Although it was somewhat expensive, he did not dare buy Miaoshou Garden's medicinal cuisine anyway. "All right. Give me two packets to try first." Lu Changsheng purchased two packets of Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder on the spot. The physician was overjoyed. He knew that once martial artists began using medicinal cuisine, they would consume it over the long term. This was a major returning customer! Having bought two packets of Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder, Lu Changsheng went looking for a martial arts hall. If he wanted to learn martial techniques, seeking out a martial arts hall was the natural choice. He found an establishment called the "Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall." The moment he stepped through the door, a middle-aged man came forward with a warm greeting. "Are you here to learn martial arts? Our Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall is one of the largest in Nanyang City, with countless experts among our ranks..." The man bragged on and on, but Lu Changsheng paid him no heed. He noticed an inner room where someone appeared to be instructing the hall's disciples. After thinking for a moment, Lu Changsheng asked, "May I take a look inside?" "Of course." The middle-aged man led Lu Changsheng into an inner hall. The room was spacious, filled with twenty or thirty disciples. Among them, a burly man was demonstrating martial arts. "This is our hall's Master Meng. His Vajra Fist is fierce and domineering, rarely meeting an equal," the middle-aged man introduced. Lu Changsheng automatically filtered out the boasting about rarely meeting an equal. He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at Master Meng. As Master Meng threw a punch, Lu Changsheng sensed a terrifying surge of qi and blood, like rolling waves of heat. A faint warm breeze seemed to sweep across the entire room. This was qi and blood! The Master Meng before him clearly possessed exceptionally formidable qi and blood. Master Meng struck a massive boulder with his fist, and the boulder shattered instantly into pieces. This was true power capable of shattering stone steles! The disciples below all widened their eyes, their gazes burning with fervor. Master Meng smiled faintly. "Did you see that? This is the power of qi and blood! "The first realm of the martial dao is Body Tempering, which is divided into three stages: Strengthening Blood, Tempering Bone, and Refining Organs. "The essence of the three stages of Body Tempering is honing the physical body and laying a solid foundation. The more solid your foundation across these three stages, the greater your future martial achievements will be. "Above Body Tempering is the Divine Strength Realm! As the saying goes, 'transmute the marrow and exchange the blood, and divine strength arises naturally.' Once you reach the Divine Strength Realm, you are on an entirely different level from ordinary people. "Take me, for example. I have practiced martial arts for decades, yet I have barely attained Tempering Bone, still far from Refining Organs. In this lifetime, I have no hope of achieving Divine Strength. But if you lay a firm foundation, you might just have a chance at reaching the Divine Strength Realm!" Lu Changsheng's eyes brightened. From Master Meng's words, he learned some common martial knowledge. For the first time, he learned that the first realm of the martial dao was Body Tempering, divided into three stages. The firmer the foundation, the easier it was to advance to the second realm, the Divine Strength Realm! *Master Meng says he is at Tempering Bone, and his qi and blood is indeed powerful. Currently, I am only at Strengthening Blood, still far behind...* Numerous thoughts flickered through Lu Changsheng's mind. "How about it? Master Meng is quite impressive, isn't he? As long as you pay the silver, you can immediately become Master Meng's disciple..." Seeing Lu Changsheng deep in thought, the middle-aged man assumed he was considering enrolling. Instead, Lu Changsheng turned around, walked out, and asked, "I only came by to ask whether it's possible to purchase some martial techniques?" "Purchase martial techniques?" The middle-aged man looked Lu Changsheng up and down carefully, then shook his head. "Our Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall's techniques are not for sale. However, if you truly wish to buy martial techniques, there is a place you can go." "What place?" The middle-aged man smiled without saying a word. Lu Changsheng understood instantly. He reached into his robes, pulled out a tael of broken silver, and pressed it into the man's hand. Only then did a satisfied look appear on the man's face, and he said, "Tonight at the Hai hour, you can go to the black market in the southern part of the city. "The black market has everything. As long as you have silver, you can buy anything you want, and martial techniques are naturally no exception." Lu Changsheng understood. He turned and left the Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall. However, Lu Changsheng would not simply take the word of a single person from the hall. He subsequently inquired about the black market through various channels, and what he learned generally matched what the man had said. Only then did Lu Changsheng feel at ease. After returning to Miaoshou Garden, he waited quietly. Seeing that it was still early before nightfall, Lu Changsheng decided to test the Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder. He took one-third of a packet and mixed it with boiling water before drinking it down. After ingesting the Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder, Lu Changsheng clearly felt as though a ball of fire had ignited in his abdomen. He hurriedly circulated his qi and blood using the Great River Blood-Strengthening Technique. Ordinarily, when Lu Changsheng circulated his qi and blood, there was scarcely any effect. This time, however, was different. With every circulation of qi and blood, he could distinctly feel a warm current surge from that burning heat in his belly, swiftly flowing through his entire body. Moreover, the cluster of qi and blood within him was expanding at a pace perceptible to the naked eye. Heartened, Lu Changsheng continued circulating his qi and blood. Once, twice, three times... Lu Changsheng circulated it again and again. This time, he kept at it continuously for several hours. Usually, even when he circulated his qi and blood, he could sustain it for an hour at most before his body grew intolerably sore and swollen, making it impossible to continue. Yet this time, he circulated it for hours on end, stopping only when the burning warm current in his abdomen finally faded away. *This Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder truly has miraculous effects!* *From just this single time, the qi and blood I gained exceeds what I produced through months of painstaking circulation before—it's expanded by nearly half!* Lu Changsheng clenched his fists, feeling strength surge through every part of his body. He finally understood why martial artists all needed medicinal cuisine. Having medicinal cuisine versus lacking it was a world of difference. No wonder so many people said the poor pursue scholarship while the rich pursue martial arts. Martial arts required medicinal cuisine to make rapid progress, and medicinal cuisine was far from cheap; those without wealth simply had no means of practicing martial arts. *I must continue using the Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Powder.* *The only flaw with expensive things is that they are expensive!* Lu Changsheng withdrew his technique and glanced outside, noticing that the Hai hour was fast approaching. "Time to go." Lu Changsheng left Miaoshou Garden and hurried toward the south of the city, where the black market was located.