The Tempering Body Ointment, made from boiling Gold Phosphorus Liquid and Ferocious Beast's blood essence, costs two thousand silver taels per dose.
The Stone Skin Refining Pill, made from Rock Scale Tiger Scale Pieces and Gold and Silver Vines, costs three thousand five hundred silver taels each.
...
The Deer Gel Tempering Body Pill, made from Fire Deer Antlers and Iron Rock Flowers, costs eight thousand silver taels each.
Looking at the pill list on the wooden board, Luo Feng shook his head with a bitter smile.
The old saying, 'The poor cultivate knowledge while the wealthy cultivate martial arts,' is indeed true.
These Body Tempering Pills easily cost thousands of silver taels each. He used to receive a monthly allowance of less than two hundred silver taels. Even if he scrimped and saved for a year, he would only be able to buy the cheapest kind.
Thinking of this, Luo Feng felt envious of those children from prestigious families. Constantly consuming endless pills to temper their bodies since childhood, it would be strange if their progress wasn't rapid.
The two Wan Luo Academy students standing nearby saw Luo Feng's expression, and the contempt in their eyes intensified.
"Senior Brother Li, what kind of pill do you want?" asked the slightly chubby Wan Luo Academy student to his companion.
"I'm trying to break through to the mid-stage of the Rigid-Soft Realm and need some pills to assist. I'll take three of these Stone Skin Refining Pills," said the young man referred to as 'Senior Brother Li', pointing at the Stone Skin Refining Pill on the board.
The chubby student clicked his tongue, his eyes filled with envy. "Stone Skin Refining Pills! Three thousand five hundred silver taels each! Three of them would be ten thousand five hundred silver taels! Senior Brother Li, you're truly extravagant! I only have four thousand silver taels, so I can only afford two doses of Tempering Body Ointment to make do."
"Hehe, not at all. A few days ago, Senior Sister Duan and the others went to the Red Chain Mountain Range for training. I was fortunate enough to kill a Green-eyed Demon Wolf and made a small profit," Senior Brother Li said modestly, yet his tone was quite smug as he glanced proudly at Luo Feng.
Luo Feng ignored their deliberate showing off, his eyes fixed on the wooden board as he selected the pills he needed.
The first six stages of the Meridian Wheel Realm, also known as the Refining Body Realm, primarily focus on tempering muscles and bones, nourishing the Meridian Wheels with Yuan Qi, and enhancing one's qi and blood. What Luo Feng needed now were Body Tempering Pills.
Luo Feng's gaze moved down the wooden board, finally landing on the Deer Gel Tempering Body Pill at the bottom.
I'm already far behind others. What I lack most now is time; I must use every minute and second wisely. I'll just buy this Deer Gel Tempering Body Pill.
At this moment, the shopkeeper had already packaged the pills the two Wan Luo Academy students had ordered and brought them over. Seeing Luo Feng looking at the list of pills on the wooden board, he asked, "Young Master, are you also looking for Body Tempering Pills?"
Luo Feng nodded. Just as he was about to say he wanted to buy the Deer Gel Tempering Body Pill, a thought struck him, and he casually asked, "Are these the only Body Tempering Pills you have?"
Before the shopkeeper could respond, a scoff sounded abruptly from the side.
The two Wan Luo Academy students looked at Luo Feng with scornful smiles. "Kid, if you're looking for low-grade pills like the Condensation Yuan Pill, the Medicine Ding Store doesn't stock them. You'd better try somewhere else."
The shopkeeper also frowned but, maintaining his courtesy, explained, "These are usually all we have. However, we recently introduced a new Body Tempering Pill that is even more effective than the Deer Gel Tempering Body Pill. Only, the price..."
"How much silver?" Luo Feng impatiently waved his hand.
The shopkeeper was a keen observer. Seeing Luo Feng's demeanor, he squinted and held up three fingers. "Thirty thousand silver taels per pill."
The two Wan Luo Academy students gasped in unison, clearly shocked by the price. Thirty thousand silver taels!
The shopkeeper explained, "Although the price is steep, it's well worth it. This pill is called the Tiger Power Tyrant Body Pill. It's refined from the blood essence and bone marrow of a Rank Two Demon Beast, the Tyrant Cloud Tiger. Consuming it can grant a Martial Artist the strength of a tiger. It's a superior-grade Body Tempering Pill!"
Luo Feng nodded. "That's the one. I'll take two."
The hearts of the two Wan Luo Academy students leaped, and their eyes widened as they stared at Luo Feng. Two of them! Two Tiger Power Tyrant Body Pills would be sixty thousand silver taels! This kid... is he bluffing?
"Two pills will be sixty thousand silver taels," the shopkeeper, also surprised, quickly stated the price.
Luo Feng nodded and, under everyone's gaze, took out six gold notes and handed them to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper quickly brought out the pills. Luo Feng accepted them and, flashing a smile at the stunned Wan Luo Academy students, said, "Please, take your time choosing. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."
With that, Luo Feng left the Medicine Ding Store, leaving a dashing figure behind for the two students to gaze at.
The faces of the two Wan Luo Academy students flushed crimson. How could they have the nerve to stay any longer? They grabbed their pills and also scurried out of the Medicine Ding Store.
After leaving the Medicine Ding Store, Luo Feng didn't head straight back to the academy. Instead, he found a restaurant and treated himself to a hearty meal.
He had been cultivating on Purple Spirit Peak for so long that his mouth felt terribly bland. To the astonishment of the other patrons, he devoured enough food for five or six people in one go!
By the time Luo Feng returned to the academy, it was the next morning. Instead of going back to his own small courtyard, he headed to the Martial Arts Hall.
He had already activated three Meridian Wheels, qualifying him to select one Low-grade Yellow-level Martial Art from the Martial Arts Hall.
The fourth stage of Tiger Roar Fist required coordination with a Light Martial Art to achieve its full potential. Luo Feng planned to find a suitable Light Martial Art for himself.
The Martial Arts Hall was the academy's repository of Martial Arts, housing various Secret Manuals. It had three floors.
The first floor housed basic Martial Arts, available for anyone to peruse freely.
The second floor housed Yellow-grade Martial Arts. Students from both the Outer and Inner Courts could enter once they had activated three Meridian Wheels.
The third floor housed Martial Arts above Yellow-grade, accessible only to the true elite students of the Inner Court.
Luo Feng, with three activated Meridian Wheels and at the mid-stage of the Cultivation Power Realm, could only access the second floor. Furthermore, he was only permitted to borrow one Low-grade Yellow-level Martial Art. Only Inner Court students could freely peruse all the Martial Arts on the second floor.
On the second floor of the Martial Arts Hall, Luo Feng was momentarily dazzled by the sheer variety of Martial Arts displayed before him.
Luo Feng took a deep breath, identified the area where Light Martial Arts were located, and began his careful search.
Treading Water Jue: Enhances the practitioner's speed. Upon reaching mastery, one can walk on water for a hundred meters. Difficulty: Low. Grade: Low-grade Yellow-level.
Vertical Cloud Step: A Light Martial Art. Upon mastery, one can ascend twenty meters, as if strolling through clouds. Difficulty: High, requires a certain level of comprehension. Grade: Low-grade Yellow-level.
Flying Swallow Skill: Enables mid-air turns, greatly enhancing bodily flexibility. Difficulty: Average, requires good physical flexibility. Grade: Low-grade Yellow-level.
Falling Leaves Drifting Step: Close-quarters footwork. Upon mastery, one can engage several Martial Artists of the same rank without being defeated. Difficulty: Average. Grade: Low-grade Yellow-level.
...
There were fewer than ten Low-grade Yellow-level Light Martial Arts. After reading the descriptions on the covers of the Secret Manuals, Luo Feng's brow gradually furrowed.
The fourth stage of Tiger Roar Fist, 'Fierce Tiger Descending into the Valley,' required an altitude of thirty meters to unleash its maximum power. However, none of these Light Martial Arts seemed quite suitable.
The only one that came close was Vertical Cloud Step, but even at mastery, it only allowed an ascent of twenty meters.
Do I have no choice but to select Vertical Cloud Step? Luo Feng sighed, looking at the Secret Manuals before him, a pang of envy for the Gold Sun Class students stirring within him.
If he were a Gold Sun Class student, upon activating his third Meridian Wheel, he could have chosen a Mid-grade Yellow-level Martial Art, offering a much wider selection.
As his gaze wandered, Luo Feng suddenly noticed a dilapidated Martial Arts Secret Manual on the very bottom shelf.
This Secret Manual was thick with dust, clearly untouched for a very long time.
Luo Feng picked up the Secret Manual and dusted it off, revealing an image of a wildly majestic soaring dragon. Beside it, three bold, calligraphic characters were written: Teng Dragon's Step!
Teng Dragon's Step: Light Martial Art, divided into five stages. Each stage allows one to manifest a Qi Dragon from vital energy, up to a maximum of five Qi Dragons. Each Qi Dragon allows the practitioner to ascend ten meters, doubles their speed, and permits one Void Step! When infused with Yuan Qi, the Qi Dragons can also be used to attack enemies, with even greater power! Difficulty: Extremely High, requires exceptional comprehension and Soul Power! Grade: None.
A gleam flashed in Luo Feng's eyes.
This Teng Dragon's Step is simply too tyrannical!
A single Qi Dragon allows an ascent of ten meters and doubles speed. If one cultivates Teng Dragon's Step to the fifth stage, their speed could increase fivefold, and they could ascend fifty meters! That's nearly three times what Vertical Cloud Step offers!
Even more astonishingly, Teng Dragon's Step allowed for Void Steps! It was clearly a Light Martial Art, yet it could also be used to channel vital energy to harm enemies!
As far as Luo Feng knew, even High-grade Yellow-level Light Martial Arts rarely enabled Void Steps, let alone channeling vital energy to attack.
No grade? What does that mean? Can anyone cultivate it? Luo Feng stared at the 'No Grade' inscription on the cover, puzzled.
Such a potent Martial Art, yet it was relegated to the bottom shelf, completely ignored!
Could it be that the requirements are too demanding for anyone to cultivate?
Luo Feng's gaze fell upon the cultivation requirements for Teng Dragon's Step. After a moment of contemplation, he resolved to cultivate it.
Luo Feng had merged the souls of two individuals and possessed eighteen Meridian Wheels; his Soul Power was monstrously potent. Moreover, his comprehension abilities were far from ordinary. In every respect, Teng Dragon's Step seemed perfectly suited for him.
Having made his decision, Luo Feng took the Secret Manual and went to the registration desk of the Martial Arts Hall.
"Eh? You want to cultivate Teng Dragon's Step?!"
The one in charge of registration was a middle-aged instructor. He was taken aback when Luo Feng presented the Teng Dragon's Step Secret Manual.
"Is it not allowed?" Luo Feng frowned. He had finally found a Light Martial Art that suited him; it would be terrible if he couldn't cultivate it.
"No, it's not that." The middle-aged instructor shook his head, his brow furrowed. "This Teng Dragon's Step has no grade, so any student can borrow it. However, I wouldn't advise you to choose this Martial Art. The Dean chanced upon this Teng Dragon's Step in the depths of the Red Dragon Mountain Range ten years ago. In over a decade, only one person has ever managed to cultivate it to the first stage. Its cultivation difficulty is extraordinary! That's why it was designated as 'No Grade.' I urge you to pick another Martial Art to avoid wasting a significant amount of time."
The Martial Arts Hall was quite crowded at this time. Seeing the Teng Dragon's Step Secret Manual in Luo Feng's hands, many onlookers' faces twisted into sarcastic smiles.
"This fellow actually wants to cultivate Teng Dragon's Step! Truly a case of 'a snake trying to swallow an elephant out of greed.' Doesn't he know that no one has ever successfully cultivated this Martial Art?"
"He probably thinks he's a genius."
"A genius? What kind of genius can a mere Silver Moon Class student be? Some time ago, Duanmu Yu, hailed as the youngest genius to enter the Inner Court, also attempted Teng Dragon's Step. Didn't he end up returning the Secret Manual, utterly dejected? For the past ten years, countless brilliant geniuses have challenged Teng Dragon's Step, yet none have succeeded. Him? A mere Silver Moon Class student thinks he can succeed? What a joke!"
"Indeed. This fellow is utterly clueless about his own limitations."
Hearing the disdainful comments around him, Luo Feng sneered inwardly, his expression unchanging. He said to the registering instructor, "Thank you for your kind advice, Instructor. I know Teng Dragon's Step is difficult to cultivate, but I am very confident!"
The middle-aged instructor shook his head. He had been at the academy for over a decade and had witnessed too many geniuses attempt Teng Dragon's Step. They all started full of confidence, but every single one of them ended up failing miserably.
Well, let this be a lesson for him. It will teach him what it means to know when to retreat in the face of true difficulty.
With this thought, the middle-aged instructor sighed and advised, "You should be aware of the academy's rules: Martial Arts cannot be taught privately without permission, or you'll face severe punishment! Also, the Secret Manual must be returned within one month."
Luo Feng nodded.
Only then did the middle-aged instructor break the seal on the Secret Manual and have Luo Feng register his name, class, and cultivation.
Luo Feng took the Teng Dragon's Step Secret Manual and strode out of the Martial Arts Hall amidst a chorus of derisive laughter.