Promise!

Chapter 22, Tailoring

Arriving at the dormitory for formal warriors, Zhuang Jin looked at the door. This was Room 51, shaped like a Ding. As he entered, he saw that it was indeed much more spacious than the dormitory for martial artists. It was no longer a large bunk bed, but rather bunk beds for eight people.

Now the four bunks on the inside are occupied. I think they are occupied by Xiang Qichen, Xiong Lei, and two warriors who broke through in other training grounds on the same day as Xiong Lei. Apart from them, there are four empty bunks left.

"In the outer courtyard of the Shen family, martial artists and servants without ranks live in Room Wu, while official warriors live in Room D. Originally, we wouldn't let you stay in an eight-person room, but isn't this because of the Medicine King Gang?"

Ping Yongfeng sighed, "The Medicine King Gang's martial arts recruitment is free, and they recruit up to 300 people at a time. They've produced quite a few professional martial artists over the years. To cope with the pressure from the Medicine King Gang, it's said that our Shen family will also be expanding the number of students for the next martial arts recruitment. So, some of the D-shaped rooms at the back of the outer courtyard are being converted into large dormitories like the Wu-shaped rooms. These eight-person rooms are a bit shabby, so we'll have to put up with it for now. Once I learn martial arts and start taking on my duties next month, my accommodations will be much better."

He pointed to a bunk and said, "The lower bunk is more convenient than the upper one. There are only two left. The lower bunk is next to the door. The weather has been a bit cold recently. The cold air rushes in when you open or close the door. You should choose this one!"

"Thank you, Master Ping, for your advice." Zhuang Jin said as he placed the bedding on the berth. Without spreading it out, he stood up and looked at Ping Yongfeng and said, "Master Ping, let's put the things here first. Should we go to the General Affairs Department to register next?"

It was a favor that they brought him here, so he couldn't just lay out the bedding and make Ping Yongfeng wait. Maybe they didn't mind this little bit of time, but he couldn't take it for granted and waste their time.

"That's the process." Ping Yongfeng saw what Zhuang Jin was thinking, and once again sighed at how thoughtful he was. He didn't stop him, but nodded and went out.

As they walked out, he pointed in a direction and said, "That's the Xuan-brand martial arts training ground. Official martial artists practice martial arts over there. After you become official martial artists, in addition to the dynamic and standing exercises, you'll also be taught a static exercise. Practicing static exercises requires a quiet environment, so the Xuan-brand martial arts training ground is different from the Huang-brand martial arts training ground and has a quiet room."

"You've just broken through to the rank of Official Warrior, so it's best to start as soon as possible in the next two days. Combine dynamic and static exercises with refining Black Yuan Powder to nourish your body. Next month, you'll be assigned to learn the martial art - Black Evil Palm. Only after the month after, will we begin assigning tasks like we did."

Ping Yongfeng said, and then he let him know a piece of news in advance: "You will have an assessment at the end of next month. If you have reached the Second Sutra Realm and have mastered the Black Evil Palm, you will receive a six-month errand of your choice. If you have only reached the Second Sutra Realm, you will receive a four-month errand of your choice. If you have only mastered the Black Evil Palm, you will receive a three-month errand of your choice. If you have neither, you will only have a one-month errand of your choice."

"The Medicine King Gang is under increasing pressure now, so the choice of this reward mission is extremely important." He warned: "There are two paths, realm and martial arts. If you can't focus on both, it's best to choose one and give it your all."

This is a heart-to-heart talk.

Zhuang Jin could naturally tell the difference between good and bad words, and bowed to Ping Yongfeng earnestly: "Thank you, Master Ping, for your guidance."

He could sense that Ping Yongfeng said this because he wanted to establish a good relationship with him. He also understood that it was because he had broken through to become a formal warrior and demonstrated his value that others were willing to do so. But even so, there was nothing wrong with it.

"Zhuang Jin, I've felt your bones and know that there are some deficiencies in your body. But now that you've become a formal warrior, it won't have much impact on you in the future, and you'll have the opportunity to make up for it and catch up." Ping Yongfeng said again.

"Oh?" Zhuang Jin's mind stirred. "Please give me some advice, Master Ping." "Remember a martial artist once asked why, after breaking through to become a full-fledged warrior in a month, there's no need to worry about Kailuo Decoction damaging one's potential or causing harm to the body?"

Ping Yongfeng saw Zhuang Jin nod and said, "What I said at the time was that once you truly reach the Qi Condensation stage, you can withstand the medicinal effects of the Black Yuan Powder, refine it into internal energy, nourish your body, and make up for the minor damage during the Meridian Opening stage."

"Master Ping, what are you saying?" Zhuang Jin already had some idea of ​​what Ping Yongfeng wanted to say, and his eyes lit up slightly.

"That's right, I'm talking about relying on refining the Black Yuan Powder's medicinal power and nourishing the internal energy to make up for it." Ping Yongfeng nodded with a smile, but then changed the subject and said, "But don't be too happy too soon."

"The Kailuo Soup that martial artists take is nothing more than the leftovers of the Black Yuan Powder that we official warriors take. Since Kailuo Soup can drain potential and damage the body, Black Yuan Powder will naturally have the same effect, and only worse."

"So, generally speaking, if a first-level martial artist fails to break through to the second level within six months, they can no longer take Black Yuan Powder. This is because their body has already reached a limit, and taking Black Yuan Powder again will cause irreversible damage to the body. This is the same as the one-month period for breakthrough martial artists. At that time, if you want to maintain your internal energy, you can only rely on drinking meridian-opening soup or eating foods like meat."

Zhuang Jin understood this: According to Ping Yongfeng, taking Black Yuan Powder, refining it into internal energy and nourishing the body, has a nourishing effect on the body. However, compared to Kailuo Decoction, Black Yuan Powder also has a more severe effect of draining potential and damaging the body. This benefit and damage coexist. After a certain period of time, the damage will outweigh the benefit, and at that point, Black Yuan Powder can no longer be taken, and only the simplified Kailuo Decoction or daily food can be used to maintain internal energy.

"According to this theory, conversely, wouldn't it be that as long as the breakthrough is fast enough, the damage caused by the Black Yuan Powder on the body's potential will not be enough to keep up with the ability to refine more of the Black Yuan Powder's medicinal power and transform it into internal energy to nourish the body after the breakthrough? Or even, it can actually benefit the body?"

This is like draining water while adding water at the same time. As long as you add water fast enough, you don’t have to worry about draining water, and you can even increase the amount of water in the pool.

"Master Ping, can I understand it this way? I don't need to do anything to replenish my physical deficiency. As long as I break through quickly enough, it will replenish itself. In fact, when I break through quickly and reach a certain level, it can even nourish myself, making my vitality and blood more vigorous and my physique stronger than that of ordinary people?"

"In theory, that's true." Ping Yongfeng watched Zhuang Jin grasp the subject so quickly, feeling a sense of accomplishment in teaching a student. "However, this is only theoretically possible. It's impossible to achieve in practice. The Black Evil Technique, combined with the Black Yuan Powder, diminishes one's potential and hinders breakthroughs. While cultivation is rapid in the early stages, once you reach a certain realm, you'll hit a bottleneck and be unable to advance any further."

Zhuang Jin listened and nodded. The Shen family was not a charity, so they naturally would not use their secret techniques to strengthen the foundation, accumulate strength, and help break through bottlenecks. Instead, they would only teach these recruited martial artists quick success methods. They would rather sacrifice some of the martial artists' future potential and let them quickly build up a certain level of strength. This was in the interests of the Shen family and was very reasonable.

"For others, it's just like what Master Ping said. Their cultivation progresses quickly in the early stages, but once they reach a certain level, they'll hit a bottleneck and be unable to advance any further. But I'm different. If my golden finger truly has no bottleneck, then I don't have to worry about that at all. I'm fast in the early stages, and I'll only be faster in the later stages!"

"To some extent, this technique seems to be tailor-made for me," he thought to himself.

……

(End of this chapter)