Chapter 22: Internal Breath Power

At first, Duan Rong doubted whether he could actually strike, suspecting that combining this Qi with strength required practice.

But he did not expect that once he started, it would be surprisingly smooth!

Moreover, the more he practiced, the more vigorous he felt! This was clearly related to him digesting and absorbing the Spirit Tool!

He could feel a surging power exploding in his hands, creating a series of whistling sounds as they broke through the air!

"Martial arts!"

"Split Stone Open Tree!"

Things he had seen in television dramas and books in his past life—at this moment, he had actually managed to do them!

Duan Rong felt a sense of pure power, which brought him courage and self-confidence.

Just as Duan Rong was practicing vigorously, a figure suddenly flashed out from the alley behind him.

This morning, Kong Bin had not only captured a wisp of Internal Breath, but had also used his Mental Power to control that wisp of Internal Breath, circulating it through a circuit in his meridians.

Although it had still dissipated, the Internal Breath had, after all, begun to circulate.

He had intended to come over to have breakfast with Duan Rong, and also, by the way, to accidentally reveal that his own Internal Breath had already circulated through a circuit, so as to dampen Duan Rong's confidence.

Kong Bin stood frozen at the mouth of the alley, the joy on his face vanishing, his eyes filled with extreme shock: "It is Internal Breath power!"

Kong Bin saw the whistling sounds Duan Rong made with every swing of his moves; if he were to go up and spar, he feared that the moment their weapons touched, the blade in his hand would fly away!

"How is this possible!"

Kong Bin's heart was already ashen!

Since childhood, his intelligence had far exceeded that of ordinary people, his temperament was precocious, and since he began practicing martial arts, his talent had not been poor either.

Kong Bin's heart had always been proud.

Even though Xiao Zongting and Zhao Mu favored Duan Rong more, and even though that made him feel frustrated, he had always been holding back a breath of resentment in his heart.

He never believed that he was inferior to Duan Rong!

But today, he suddenly discovered that he could not compare to Duan Rong at all!

It was as if Duan Rong had just run past him, and he had wanted to exert himself to catch up, keeping his eyes fixed on Duan Rong's back, but one day, he suddenly discovered that Duan Rong's back had already become a black dot far beyond his reach.

That black dot, as distant as the morning star in the sky, was no longer reachable by a mortal.

Kong Bin recalled how he had previously asked Duan Rong about his progress, and Duan Rong had said he hadn't found the knack, and then he recalled his own smug feelings at the time, thinking like a fool that he could suppress Duan Rong.

Kong Bin was suddenly overcome with shame, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Kong Bin retreated from the alley, his back against the wall; at this moment, he was both ashamed and annoyed!

"Clearly, you have already reached this level. Yet you deliberately played dumb with me. When I asked you, were you secretly laughing in your heart?"

"Duan Rong..."

Almost unconsciously, Kong Bin dug his fingernails into the flesh of his palms...

He was not only ashamed and annoyed, but more so, a jealousy born from the bottom of his heart!

And jealousy makes people become crazy and short-sighted!

After finishing one set of the Duan Rong Thirty-Six Styles, he felt an indescribable sense of relief in his heart!

A smile beamed on Duan Rong's dark face; he wiped the sweat from his forehead, his heart filled with a sense of power!

Although his martial arts were progressing by leaps and bounds, it was not without a price.

He had used up five Deer Antler Slices in almost a single day.

Duan Rong did not know the price of these five Deer Antler Slices, but he reckoned it would certainly not be cheap.

After all, the cost of medicinal supplements was far greater than that of food supplements.

In fact, for an ordinary Apprentice, the medicinal power of five Deer Antler Slices would be enough for them to digest for a month.

But Duan Rong's method of practice was to consume the Spirit Tool and directly obtain the realm.

Then, working from the top down, using the obtained realm as a guide, he would force growth in areas that required slow, steady effort, much like pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

It could be called entering directly into a superior state!

And this process required the accumulation of massive resources.

This method of practice was absolutely not something that could be measured by common sense.

"It seems I have to go to the Raw Medicine Shop in a while," Duan Rong thought, standing in a corner of the Martial Arts Arena, his eyes flickering.

Practice cannot stop; as the saying goes, one would rather think of advancing than think of stopping.

After eating breakfast in the canteen, Duan Rong left the Yuanshun Escort Agency and walked toward the nearest Raw Medicine Shop.

An incense stick of time later, Duan Rong walked out of the Raw Medicine Shop with a dark face.

The price of five Deer Antler Slices was actually three taels of silver.

His monthly allowance was only three mace, and adding the five mace of silver he had left before, the total was not even one tael!

It seemed the Escort Agency was willing to spend money on them, the Apprentices; and that made sense, as getting their realms up sooner meant they could serve the Escort Agency sooner—after all, they had already signed their indentures.

Moreover, Duan Rong also deeply realized one thing.

By relying on consuming the Spirit Tool, his speed of cultivation would indeed far exceed that of his peers; calling him a monster would not be an exaggeration.

But this method of practice was also extremely resource-intensive.

"Make money, I must make money! The core of martial arts is not Mental Power; the core of martial arts is making money!"

Only now did Duan Rong understand where his true predicament lay.

Standing on the streets of Xiangu County in the morning, watching the bustling crowd, Duan Rong suddenly had a strange sense of having traveled through time!

"Travel here, travel there, isn't it still just about making money!"

"Money makes the mare go!"

"A hero without money is finished all the same!"

Duan Rong bought two meat buns and began to stroll down the street while eating.

Duan Rong looked at the shops on both sides of the street, calculating ways to make money.

He currently had neither resources nor capital; if he wanted to make a profit out of nothing, he would either have to set up a scam.

However, this world valued martial arts, and if a scam went wrong, he might end up getting himself killed.

Alternatively, he would have to take the technical route and make a living by his craft.

"Technique? It seems I still have to rely on the Devouring Artifact Spirit..." Duan Rong touched his chin with his greasy hand, his eyes flashing with deep contemplation.

Duan Rong walked to a butcher shop by the street, suddenly picked up a Bone Cleaving Knife from the counter, and silently recited: "Spirit Reader."

Artifact: Bone Cleaving Knife

Spirit Artifact Tier: Unranked

Devouring Requirement: None

Devouring Effect: Proficient in Bone Cleaving

Duan Rong bared his teeth, put the Bone Cleaving Knife back on the counter, and sighed: "How many coins can this skill earn? It's barely enough to eat. How could I possibly rely on this to walk the path of medicinal supplementation?"

"What I need is a large income, otherwise this medicinal supplementation will definitely be impossible to sustain!"

"Do I really have to resort to robbery? A horse won't get fat without night grass, and a man won't get rich without a windfall?"

Duan Rong actually entertained this thought. "Should I go scout out some locations?"

Duan Rong felt that the shops along this street definitely did not contain skills that would allow him to get rich overnight.

If they did, would they still be running shops on this street?

Duan Rong glanced at the counter of a silk shop by the street, where a stout, middle-aged Manager was focused on clicking the beads of an Abacus.

Duan Rong shook his head; this skill was useful, but it required working for others bit by bit.

After walking through several streets, the wild ambition in Duan Rong's heart had slowly died down.

It was better to be steady; having finally been reborn, he shouldn't get himself killed again.

Getting rich overnight wasn't that easy, and with the underdeveloped industry and commerce in this world, opportunities were even fewer.

It seemed he still had to find some kind of business to provide a steady, long-term income.

As for cultivation, he would just have to develop slowly.

If he couldn't pile up enough resources, he would just cultivate as much as he could.

Even so, by relying on the Devouring Artifact Spirit, he estimated he could still leave ordinary people far behind.

There was no need to make things difficult for himself by insisting on being a monster!

"Stay steady!"

"Take it slow!"

Duan Rong wandered through several streets without any mature ideas, when suddenly, he saw a not-very-wide alleyway.

There were quite a few shops inside the alley, and the ground on both sides was crowded with street vendors.

The streets of Xiangu County were all quite deserted, and for Duan Rong, who was used to the prosperity of his past life, they really didn't count as bustling.

But he hadn't expected that this small alley would contain a hidden world of its own.

Duan Rong searched the memories of the original body in his mind, and suddenly his eyes lit up; he immediately knew the significance of this alley.

"This is the Antique Street of Xiangu County!"

(End of chapter)