bookandnovel Chapter 47 Hard Skills, Fame and Fortune Wine!
Chapter 47 Hard Skills, Fame and Fortune Wine!
In the outer city, in the small courtyard east of the city, after eating and drinking his fill, Zhao An instructed Li Gou'er and the other man not to disturb him, and then returned to the inner room.
Inside the inner room, five large bowls of herbal decoction made from red blood root were arranged in rows on the table.
In addition, five Earth Origin Pills were poured out of the bottle.
In addition, there was a large bathtub next to the table, which also contained prepared herbal soup for him to soak in.
This is a new way of recharging energy that he has figured out recently after reading many medical books and herbal medicine manuals: medicinal baths.
If one relies solely on consuming elixirs and drinking red blood root soup to replenish the energy needed for bodily transformation, it will actually place a considerable burden on his organs and digestive system.
The full-body immersion in the medicinal bath reduced his energy intake burden to some extent.
Moreover, using a two-pronged approach will allow each of his physical changes to end more quickly.
Remove all clothing, then...
[Soul slave Chen Song's twenty-year period of enslavement has ended. Shall we collect the karmic retribution?]
"extract."
The next moment, a long stretch of cultivation memories surfaced and quickly flashed through his mind.
The content of my memories is dull and monotonous, almost unchanging.
As he absorbed this information, his body was also undergoing subtle changes.
His blood flowed faster, and his heart beat more frequently and powerfully, like the sound of a drum being struck.
His blood rushed to his head and spread throughout his body, causing his skin to become burning hot and his muscles to ache.
He seemed to have transformed into a giant melting pot.
The food he had just eaten was instantly digested in this giant furnace.
A feeling of hunger surged up instantly.
Zhao An was prepared. He swallowed a Di Yuan Dan from the table and drank a bowl of Crimson Blood Root Soup in one gulp. Finally, he went into the bathtub, leaving only his head outside.
The concentration of medicinal herbs in the medicine barrel is extremely high.
Some of the precious medicinal herbs were sent by the powerful families in the inner city, and he used them in this medicinal bath.
He could feel his skin as if it had been parched for a long time and was now receiving rain; his pores were wide open, greedily absorbing the nutrients from the medicinal bath.
At this point, despite the energy boost, his muscles ached even more.
But amidst the soreness, wisps of new life are constantly growing.
His hide was also becoming more and more durable, like cowhide that couldn't be cut!
Only after the medicinal ingredients in the bathtub were completely absorbed, he had eaten three Earth Origin Pills, and drunk five bowls of Crimson Blood Root Soup, did the changes in his body gradually stop.
Zhao An let out a long breath, slowly stepped out of the bathtub, and stood barefoot on the ground, looking himself over.
"The results of this hard-body training technique are always the most energy-consuming..." Zhao An murmured.
If it weren't for the money and pills sent by the powerful families in the inner city, he really wouldn't have been able to afford to wait any longer.
He clenched his fist tightly, and the muscles on his arm bulged out, hard as iron!
With a single punch, the force of the punch was devastating, like a steel pillar crashing out!
This punch is as hard as it gets!
The sound of something cutting through the air was like a firecracker exploding; before the fist even arrived, the candle on the table went out.
"His strength has increased by more than fifty percent! His hard skills have reached the second level, and they're this powerful!"
Zhao An was overjoyed.
He made the soul slave Chen Song practice the eighth-grade hard bone skill.
Even though it was a time-consuming and laborious process, Soul Slave Chen Song not only completed the first realm in one go, but also completed the second realm.
The first stage trains the skin, while the second stage trains the flesh!
His muscles are now incredibly dense, and every part of them, every single muscle, holds more explosive power than anyone else!
The second stage focuses primarily on training physical strength!
Zhao An was already incredibly strong, and now with a single swing of his arm, it seemed as if he possessed immense divine power!
"Even martial artists with stronger internal energy than me would probably be no match for my physical strength!" Zhao An said with a smile, truly satisfied with the results of his Soul Slave training.
This hard skill, which had failed to unleash its full potential in the hands of the martial arts academy master, became even more powerful in his hands, producing outstanding results!
He raised his hand and unleashed another punch, a powerful strike that shook the mountains and split the heavens, hitting a wooden stake placed in the room.
The wooden stake was as thick as a normal person's waist, and it was like a water bucket. When Zhao An punched it, it shattered into pieces in an instant!
In contrast, Zhao Anquan's skin showed no signs of abrasion.
If this punch landed on someone's head, the effect would likely be the same.
"It's a pity that there's only one martial arts master soul slave left." Zhao An looked at the number of soul slaves floating in the soul pool, which was much less than before.
Only one of the martial arts master's soul slaves remains idle.
Guo Fenglin, who was the strongest in martial arts during his lifetime, had a 30-year period of enslavement, which put him far ahead of other martial artists. He devoted himself to the training of finger techniques.
After a moment's thought, Zhao An poured the last martial arts master's soul slave into the Hard Bone Technique, determined to continue improving his physical strength and break through to the third level!
The next day.
The magistrate hosted a banquet at his residence and sent someone to invite the twenty people who had been nominated for the list of successful candidates this year to a feast.
There is a saying among the people that this is both an official banquet and a banquet for achieving fame and success, which the county magistrate would hold every year.
Zhao An was among them, entering the magistrate's mansion for the first time in his life.
The enormous government mansion, facing south, probably occupies more than ten acres, with blue bricks, gray tiles, and high walls, and several official flags fluttering on the walls.
The vermilion gate, stone lions, and long steps are all complete.
Four guards stood at the gate, solemn and dignified.
Zhao An got off the carriage and was taken to the banquet hall.
The twenty people who had passed the imperial examinations gathered together: ten scholars and ten strong warriors, each with a different expression.
There were people with bright eyes and spirited demeanor, as well as those who spoke eloquently, some with a gentle smile and refined manners, and others who were somewhat crude.
Zhao An remained silent and did not participate in much of the discussion.
Sitting next to him was Xu Hong, who was ranked second on the martial arts list, and next to him was Shen Pan, who was ranked third.
All three were not talkative people; they simply sipped their wine and occasionally picked up some food.
At the banquet, the county magistrate did not display any official arrogance. He simply inquired about everyone's circumstances in a kind manner and offered some encouraging official words.
As the banquet drew to a close, Tao Heng's gaze fell upon Zhao An and the young scholar who had topped the literary list.
"You two are the best in both literature and martial arts. According to the rules, you can skip the county school and go directly to the prefectural academy for further studies after autumn. Of course, it's up to you whether you go or not."
The young scholar looked slightly excited and quickly said, "Of course I'll go. It would be foolish not to seize such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Zhao An glanced at the kid with an unfriendly look in his eyes.
He had also learned about the rules of the county examinations over the years and was aware of the privilege of being the top scorer in the county.
However, he hasn't decided yet whether or not to go to that academy.
"Of course, if you don't go this year, you can go next year." Tao Heng noticed Zhao An's expression and realized that he didn't seem to want to go, so he reminded him again.
"Thank you for informing me of this, Magistrate." Zhao An nodded.
Tao Heng smiled slightly at him, raised his cup, and drank with everyone several more times before the banquet finally ended.
Watching Zhao An and the others leave, Tao Heng stood with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.
"Since you think highly of Zhao An, why don't you recruit him?" asked Tao Jinyi, a guard standing nearby.
During the banquet, Tao Heng did not express much interest in recruiting Zhao An; the conversation was mostly just normal.
"This kid is too lazy to even go to the academy. Do you think he would accept my offer to recruit him now?" Tao Heng said casually.
"Your Excellency is of such high status that I, a mere commoner, would never dare to refuse your kindness," Tao Jin replied.
Tao Heng smiled lightly and shook his head, saying, "Although this boy comes from humble origins, I can tell that he is very proud and may not take me seriously."
"This person cannot be recruited by ordinary means; we must proceed slowly and methodically."
"You overestimate him, sir," Tao Jin said after a moment of silence.
"Whether it's a high regard or not, you'll find out in time. Right now, compared to recruiting talent, I'm more concerned about the overall war situation in Xiding Prefecture!" Tao Heng said solemnly.
On the other side, sitting in the carriage, Zhao An exhaled a breath of wine and looked out at the moonlit night.
His eyes were clear, and he showed no signs of drunkenness.
The carriage traveled through the quiet, deserted streets, and around the corner, one could see their own little courtyard.
"Hmm?" Zhao An suddenly noticed some unusual noise coming from the small courtyard.
There was a faint sound of a sharp shout.
Zhao An's eyes changed instantly. He grabbed the two swords on the carriage and leaped off.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard...
Zhao Chunzi was tightly clutching a small box, trying to curl herself up.
Li Gou'er was lying on the side, both of them with bruises and swelling on their faces.
Zhao Ke punched the two men one after another.
"Let go of me now!"
"Chun, Chunzi, just give it to him. Money can be earned back, but if you lose your life, you lose everything," Li Gou'er said weakly.
"This is my brother's money, no one can take it away!" Zhao Chunzi insisted.
Zhao An told him to keep a close eye on the money, but he refused to let go, even if it meant his death.
"Fine, I've had my fill of beating you. You won't let go, huh? I'll chop your hand off right now and see how you protect it then." Zhao Ke straightened up, calmly wiped the bloodstains from the back of his hand, and then drew the long knife from his waist.
Seeing Zhao Ke draw his knife, Li Gou'er became even more anxious.
"Chunzi, hurry, give them the money! We'll talk about everything else when Brother Zhao gets back!"
Zhao Chunzi kept her eyes tightly closed, and even though her lips were trembling, she showed no sign of opening them.
"What a fine dog! My good brother didn't raise you for nothing!" Zhao Ke sneered and raised his knife.
Just then, the disheveled man sitting on the stone table suddenly raised his head and looked towards the courtyard wall.
Zhao An flipped and landed in the courtyard. His eyes swept across the area, his brows furrowed, and his gaze turned icy cold!
His whole body exuded murderous intent, truly resembling a fierce tiger unleashing its fury!