In chaotic times, one can become a martial immortal.

"Who is your master?"

Lu Yuan looked up at the middle-aged man in tight-fitting clothes in front of him and frowned slightly.

"Master Lu, please don't misunderstand. My master is Zhang Yida, the Ninth Master of the Zhang family!"

The man in the tight-fitting clothes quickly replied.

"Lead the way!"

Lu Yuan's gaze flickered slightly, and then he spoke directly.

He has now mastered the Iron Skin technique, and his internal strength is much stronger than before. In addition, with many trump cards, he can easily handle even a ninth-rank martial artist who has also mastered the Iron Skin technique. Naturally, he is not afraid of a young master from a powerful family.

"Master Lu, please follow me!"

The man in the tight-fitting clothes gestured for them to enter before turning around and striding forward.

Lu Yuan followed closely behind at a leisurely pace. For him, the vast Qinghe County was no longer a den of tigers and wolves; he could go anywhere.

Before long, led by the man in the tight-fitting clothes, Lu Yuan arrived at a restaurant called Shi Wei Tian.

Upon entering the private room on the second floor, Zhang Yida greeted us with a smile.

"Master Lu, it is truly an honor for me to have you accept my invitation!"

Zhang Yida clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, and smiled.

"Young Master Zhang, what brings you here?"

Lu Yuan also clasped his hands slightly and then spoke directly.

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, and this ninth young master of the Zhang family didn't seem to have any ill intentions.

"Master Lu, please have a seat!"

Zhang Yida quickly pointed to the table laden with various delicious dishes and said with a smile.

Lu Yuan nodded and then sat down.

The table was laden with not only a variety of delicious dishes, but also all sorts of large pieces of meat; it would probably cost several dozen taels of silver to finish this meal.

In addition, there is a white jade plate in the very center of the table.

On the white jade plate, however, lay not some delicacies, but only palm-sized square pieces of meat.

Although he hadn't eaten yet, Lu Yuan had a vague feeling.

The seemingly unremarkable pieces of meat on this white jade plate are probably the real treasures.

"Master Lu, this is the meat of the exotic beast, the Spirit Rhinoceros. Its nourishing effects far surpass those of ordinary meat, even exceeding those of Rejuvenation Pills and Qi-Blood Pills. While its aiding effect on cultivation is still not as good as genuine precious medicines, it is much easier to find!"

Seeing Lu Yuan looking at the pieces of meat on the white jade plate, Zhang Yida smiled and introduced them.

"Monster meat!"

Lu Yuan's eyes brightened slightly; he seemed to have heard Master Huang mention it before.

Mythical beasts are beings that are more terrifying than ordinary wild beasts.

Although they are almost exclusively found in various special and dangerous places and are not as common as ordinary tigers and leopards, they can still be encountered by herb gatherers who venture into the mountains. The result is almost always the same: these strange beasts get a free meal along the way.

It is said that these strange beasts are treasures from head to toe; their flesh and blood can be eaten directly, and their effect in aiding cultivation is second only to real precious medicines.

Fur and bones can also be used to make special armor and weapons that are far superior to ordinary weapons and armor.

Unfortunately, even those at the Transformation Realm find it difficult to hunt such beasts.

Only true martial artists of the highest rank can contend with it.

Some powerful beasts can even be easily devoured by martial artists of the first rank.

This is why the flesh and blood of mythical beasts are much more valuable than meat.

"Although this piece of rhinoceros meat weighs only two ounces, it is worth a hundred taels of silver. Master Lu, you may have a taste."

Zhang Yida got up, cut a slice of Lingxi meat, placed it on the plate in front of Lu Yuan, and smiled.

Furthermore, to show that he hadn't tampered with it, he ate a piece himself first.

"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer!"

Upon seeing this, Lu Yuan picked up the piece of rhinoceros meat from the plate and put it in his mouth.

This ninth young master of the Zhang family not only adopted an extremely humble attitude but also showed great sincerity. As long as his request was not excessive, he was not unwilling to consider it.

When you put the rhinoceros meat in your mouth, it not only has no meaty smell, but also has a slightly sweet aroma.

Furthermore, shortly after entering the abdomen, warm currents spread throughout the body, quickly nourishing blood and energy and restoring vitality.

"Master Lu, how's this rhinoceros meat?"

While continuing to add meat to Lu Yuan's plate, Zhang Yida asked with a smile.

"good!"

Lu Yuan nodded and ate a few more slices of spirit rhinoceros meat.

It's no exaggeration to say that if he could eat this spirit rhinoceros meat every meal, he could at least maintain a training pace of five times a day.

In that case, he would most likely achieve the Golden Skin before the martial arts training even begins.

Unfortunately, although he still has a fortune of over 1,600 taels, it is still far from enough for him to eat the Spirit Rhinoceros Meat every meal, even if he only eats one or two taels each time.

"Let's not beat around the bush. I still remember Master Lu's brilliance that day."

Zhang Yida's smile widened, and he continued, "If Master Lu doesn't mind, I would like to make friends with you. If Master Lu is willing to come to my Zhang family as a guest, he can not only receive a thousand taels of silver per month, but also have unlimited supply of meat, medicinal soup and pills."

"Even meat from a rare beast like the Spirit Rhinoceros, my Zhang family can provide Master Lu with three catties every month. How about that!"

These conditions are undeniably generous, and even for Lu Yuan, who has already reached the rank of a certain level, they represent a considerable temptation.

Not to mention the thousand taels of silver per month and the unlimited supply of various ordinary resources, just the three catties of spirit rhinoceros meat every month would be hard for anyone to refuse.

Moreover, becoming a retainer of a powerful family like the Zhang family, which has been established for centuries, is like having a powerful backer to enjoy the benefits of a strong family.

Any young genius like Lu Yuan, who came from humble beginnings and had no family backing, would probably find it hard to refuse such a sincere offer, and there would be no need for him to refuse.

However, while such generous terms were indeed tempting to Lu Yuan, they were not entirely irresistible.

To reiterate, he is already a true ninth-rank martial artist and has mastered the Iron Skin technique. Even reaching the Bronze Skin or Gold Skin is just around the corner. There is absolutely no need for him to rush into binding himself to the Zhang family's war machine for the sake of resources.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Young Master Zhang. However, with the martial arts examination approaching, I only wish to cultivate quietly and prepare for it."

After a moment's hesitation, Lu Yuan politely declined with a smile.

"Master Lu, have you thought this through?"

Zhang Yida stared at Lu Yuan and asked.

"Um!"

Lu Yuan nodded and said no more.

"In that case, I will not insist. I only hope that Master Lu will not refuse my friendship."

After a brief silence, Zhang Yida looked at Lu Yuan with a smile and said.

"Having more friends means having more options, so why would I refuse?"

Lu Yuan smiled and replied.

"That's right, having more friends means having more options. Master Lu is truly a man of principle; let's have a big toast! Cheers!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yida clapped his hands and laughed. He first poured a glass of wine for himself and Lu Yuan, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Lu Yuan smiled and nodded, then picked up his wine glass and took a small sip.

After eating and drinking his fill, he got up and took his leave.

"It's a pity they can't be used by my Zhang family!"

Watching Lu Yuan's departing figure, Zhang Yida sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

……

Ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.

"Copper sheet, today!"

On the training ground of the Central Courtyard, Lu Yuan assumed a posture and continued to cultivate the Five Elements Vajra Body Skin Polishing Technique.

An even stronger internal force then circulated continuously beneath the skin.

"Buzz..."

At one moment, the membranes covering Lu Yuan's entire body suddenly began to vibrate incessantly.

……