All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

Yu Dongshan was a first-rate master who had mastered one of the eight meridians, while masters like Li Mochou and Huang Rong, in Yang Pan's estimation, must have mastered at least three or four meridians.

As for Ci'en, who is known as the gatekeeper of the Five Greats and now follows Emperor Yideng of the South under an assumed name, it is estimated that he has already opened one of the Ren and Du meridians.

Although Yang Pan had made remarkable progress in the past three months, he was still far behind these martial arts masters. He was well aware of his current level, so he was not particularly moved by Yu Dongshan's praise.

Seeing Yang Pan's calm and collected demeanor, Yu Dongshan secretly nodded in approval. After three months of getting to know and guiding him, he had gradually come to understand Yang's personality.

Not only was he a steady and reliable person, but he was also exceptionally diligent in his martial arts training. Over the course of three months, Yu Dongshan would occasionally visit Yang Pan's courtyard, but each time he went, Yang Pan was either cultivating his internal energy in his room or practicing sword techniques alone in the courtyard.

Such diligence was something even Yu Dongshan often lamented, saying he couldn't match it.

Sometimes, he would intentionally remind his opponent that learning martial arts shouldn't be rushed, and that it's important to maintain a balance between exertion and relaxation. But Yang Pan would always smile and say that he enjoyed the thrill of immersing himself in the growth of his strength.

Yes, for martial arts practitioners, what could be more joyful than clearly feeling their own strength increase? There was a time when Yu Dongshan was just as immersed in martial arts training as the other person.

However, since turning forty, his physical strength and blood circulation have declined significantly, and the speed at which he refines his internal energy is far slower than before. He even wonders if he might remain at the initial first-rate level for the rest of his life.

But I never expected that Brother Yang would bring me such a big surprise half a month ago.

Outside the city, there was a strange snake called the Bosicured Serpent. Its gallbladder could enhance the body's blood and qi, thus accelerating a martial artist's internal energy refinement. Thanks to this extraordinary item, Yu Dongshan, in the past half-month, had once again experienced a long-lost feeling of rapid progress in his internal energy.

Sitting down on the rattan chair in front of the main room, Yu Dongshan picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of the still-warm tea. His gaze towards Yang Pan was filled with even more gratitude.

Which martial artist in the world doesn't dream of standing atop a mountain and admiring the view? Who doesn't dream of becoming a master like the Five Greats, renowned throughout the martial world? It's just that more often than not, they are simply hampered by their natural talent and resources, and their skills stagnate.

Now, with the help of the Bodhi Serpent, not only has Yu Dongshan's cultivation bottleneck been loosened, but it is also great news for the many martial arts heroes in the city who are resisting the Mongols.

Thinking of this, Yu Dongshan's heart stirred, and he put down his teacup:

"Speaking of which, Chief Huang asked me to inform you yesterday that if you have time in the next few days, you can go to the Guo family's council hall to find her. She has something to discuss with you."

"Huang Rong wants to see me?" Upon hearing this, Yang Pan was initially puzzled, but then, as if remembering something, he paused in sheathing his sword and looked at Yu Dongshan, saying:

"Could it be that Chief Huang has already refined a pill to enhance internal energy?"

Since Yang Pan took the snake gall again half a month ago and found that the snake gall had little effect on strengthening his qi and blood, Yang Pan knew that the snake gall's auxiliary effect on him had probably reached its limit.

This outcome was actually expected by Yang Pan, since the human body has drug resistance and any rare and precious material has its limits in cultivation.

Although the effects of the Bodhi snake gall bladder were not significantly reduced with the second dose, like the Blood Bodhi from the world of Fengyun, three months of continuous use eventually led Yang Pan to develop an immunity to it.

It was for this reason that Yang Pan revealed the information about the Bodhi Serpent to Yu Dongshan. The guidance the other party had given him during this period had been of great help, and if the snake gall was effective for him, it would be a way for Yang Pan to repay the other party's kindness.

Yang Pan never expected that Yu Dongshan would later inform Guo Jing and Huang Rong about the Bodhi Snake. As a result, the Bodhi Snake outside the city is now being specially raised by people.

Yang Pan wasn't too dissatisfied with this. After all, the Bodhi Snake was no longer useful to him, and it wouldn't matter if he stopped taking it in the future.

Perhaps feeling guilty towards Yang Pan, Yu Dongshan introduced him to Huang Rong. It was then that Yang Pan learned that Huang Rong actually wanted to use the Bodhi snake in combination with various medicinal herbs to develop a more effective elixir that could directly enhance internal strength.

Yang Pan was surprised and excited about this. Taking the gallbladder of the Bodhi snake directly, as the other party said, would be a waste of its medicinal power. If a pill could be made, the effect would be better. It was even possible that the pill could work on Yang Pan.

Yang Pan had little doubt about whether Huang Rong could develop such a pill. After all, healing pills like the Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill originated from Peach Blossom Island.

As a direct descendant of Peach Blossom Island, Huang Rong should have been quite proficient in these medical arts.

Moreover, if the elixir is indeed successfully developed, Yang Pan can send some to Jiaxing for Senior Brother Huang and Senior Brother Shi to take, so that the two can continue to increase their strength.

In fact, more than half a month after arriving in Xiangyang, Yang Pan thought about helping his two senior brothers, who had gone through life and death together, to improve their strength.

During this period, he also caught a few snakes and sent them to Jiaxing. Fortunately, he also received replies from his two senior brothers. The two brothers had excellent results after taking snake gallbladders. In fact, a month ago, Senior Brother Shi also used this to cultivate internal strength and became a third-rate martial artist. Now he is the instructor of that wealthy family.

Faced with Yang Pan's question, Yu Dongshan shook his head slightly: "I don't know. You'll need to ask Chief Huang in person for the details, Brother Yang."

Seeing that Yu Dongshan was also unaware, Yang Pan didn't press the matter further. The two sat facing each other, sipping tea and chatting about interesting tales of the martial world. Although the Beggars' Clan had a vast intelligence network, it couldn't possibly cover every corner of the martial world. Yu Dongshan had also roamed the martial world for over ten years, and from him, Yang Pan had learned many secrets of the martial world.

They chatted until late afternoon, when Yang Pan finally took his leave.

After having dinner on the way back to his courtyard, Yang Pan continued his internal energy cultivation as usual. Since opening up the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, Yang Pan's energy had greatly increased, and his spirit was also more abundant. Cultivating continuously all night long was no longer a problem for him.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Yang Pan stopped circulating his internal energy, got up, tidied himself up, and headed towards the Guo residence.

The Guo Mansion is located in the south of the city, where most of the city's government offices and officials' residences are located.

As the leader of the resistance against the Mongols, Guo Jing often needed to discuss battle strategies with the martial arts practitioners who came to help him. In order to make things easier, they would hold their meetings in the main hall of Guo's mansion, which became the council hall.

After Yang Pan arrived at the gate of the Guo residence and informed the steward, he was soon led into the residence.

Upon entering the Guo residence, the first thing that catches the eye is a spacious courtyard, surrounded by various buildings and connecting corridors. Walking through it, besides some male and female servants, Yang Pan also saw several martial arts practitioners emerging from a main hall. The steward was leading Yang Pan to the very hall from which these martial arts practitioners had come.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the hall, the steward stepped aside to let Yang Pan enter alone.

Stepping inside, Yang Pan discovered that the hall was extremely spacious. In the middle was a passageway six or seven meters wide, with rows of chairs neatly arranged on both sides of the passageway, stretching from the entrance to the main seat in the center, a distance of about ten meters.

At this moment, the seats on both sides were empty, except for a beautiful woman in the main seat inside, dressed in a light yellow dress, with her black hair piled up behind her head but still retaining her pretty appearance. She was none other than Huang Rong, the current leader of the Beggars' Sect.

Seeing Yang Pan enter, Huang Rong smiled and gestured with her slender hand towards a chair on the side: "Brother Yang, you're here. Please have a seat."

Qingyin's voice was clear and gentle, seemingly casual, yet it subtly carried the unique dignity of a high-ranking person nurtured by a long-time leader of the Beggars' Sect.

"Thank you, Chief. May I ask what brings you here?" Yang Pan clasped his hands in greeting and then sat down in a chair not too far from the other person.

Although Yang Pan and Huang Rong had met once after the incident with the Bodhi Snake, they were not really acquainted. Moreover, Yang Pan was, after all, a disciple of the Beggars' Sect, and he still had to observe the proper etiquette when meeting the sect leader.

Faced with Yang Pan's question, Huang Rong did not answer immediately. Instead, she looked Yang Pan up and down with her beautiful eyes, a hint of appreciation and regret flashing in her eyes.

In three months, Huang Rong had thoroughly investigated Yang Pan's background. She originally thought he was just a five-bag disciple with some strength, but she never expected that he would have such a talent in external martial arts.

In just three years, he cultivated Iron Shirt from scratch to internal strength. Although he used the gall of the Bodhi snake when condensing his internal strength, he took the first two levels of cultivation one step at a time. He completed the process that would take ordinary martial artists five or six years in just three years. His perseverance and talent are truly remarkable.

If the other person had joined the Beggars' Sect earlier and received training within the sect, perhaps they could have become a backbone of the sect in the future. It's just that they started learning martial arts a little too late. That's why Huang Rong felt it was such a pity.

Despite the Beggars' Sect still being called the largest sect in the world, Huang Rong, as its leader, knew very well that there were actually very few top-tier experts within the sect. Besides herself, only a few ninth-generation elders were truly first-rate masters. However, those elders were all over sixty years old and had no chance of continuing to advance.

Even Lu Youjiao, whom she considered the next leader of the Beggars' Clan, had only barely reached the first rank thanks to the Bodhi Snake Gallbladder, and was already over fifty years old. Although she didn't want to admit it, Huang Rong knew that the Beggars' Clan was on the decline.

Once these people leave, the Beggars' Sect may no longer be able to maintain its current situation.

Although Huang Rong devoted herself to Guo Jing, she had personally taken over the position of leader from Hong Qigong and did not want the Beggars' Sect to decline. Therefore, cultivating young martial artists was imperative.

Although Yang Pan started learning martial arts relatively late, limiting his future potential, Yu Dongshan described him as having a calm and composed personality and being extremely diligent in his martial arts training. Furthermore, since he was the one who discovered the Bodhi Snake, which greatly helped Jing-ge and the Beggars' Sect, Huang Rong still wanted to nurture him.

"Brother Yang, you're already a five-bag disciple, and your strength isn't bad. Have you ever thought about taking another step forward and becoming a hall master?"

Huang Rong parted her pearly teeth slightly, and her gentle words made Yang Pan's expression stiffen, and then his gaze became somewhat strange.

What do you mean? Did they call me over just to say this?

Suddenly, Yang Pan recalled the tactics used by those company bosses before his transmigration, who would always give their subordinates a taste of sweetness beforehand when they wanted to use psychological manipulation on them. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Was he going to be manipulated by Huang Rong as well?