"Shopkeeper, prepare ten portions for me: three qian of Goju, three qian of Yingfeng, two qian of Sanghuazi, two qian of Earth Dragon Shells, and two qian of White Cardamom."
Disguised as a sallow and gaunt young man with a pockmarked face, Qi Xiu handed a prescription to the pharmacist behind the counter.
His recent full-powered cultivation of the Sun Observing Strengthening Skill had caused a steep increase in his consumption of secret medicines.
Moreover, after several instances of preparing and decocting these secret medicines, Qi Xiu was surprised to discover that his status panel now included an additional Alchemy Skill.
Resting his chin in his hand, Qi Xiu mused, If Talisman Scripts don’t sell well, perhaps I could try to improve my Alchemy Skill. Crafting Golden Sore Medicine, Safflower Oil, or even those little blue pills should be quite marketable.
In another corner of the pharmacy, a burly man who was silently transcribing a prescription heard the names of the ingredients Qi Xiu had listed.
He suddenly looked up at him, then quickly lowered his head again, feigning indifference as he continued writing the prescription. The secret medicine formula for the Sun Observing Strengthening Skill?
After wrapping the ingredients and collecting the payment, the pharmacist smiled and saw Qi Xiu out of the pharmacy.
"Shopkeeper, could you please find out who that person was just now?" Watching Qi Xiu leave, the burly man approached the pharmacist and asked.
"That person just now? Like you, sir, he came to buy medicines. What about him?" the pharmacist responded, puzzled.
"Oh, it’s nothing. The prescription is ready; please prepare thirty portions for me according to it."
Having handed the prescription to the pharmacist, the burly man stepped out of the pharmacy, looking around, trying to find the gaunt, pockmarked young man from before.
However, by this time, on the bustling street, he was nowhere to be seen.
Gone so quickly? The burly man muttered to himself and had no choice but to turn and go back into the pharmacy.
Outside a tailor shop directly opposite the pharmacy, a portly man with large ears and a greasy face saw the burly man return to the pharmacy with a puzzled expression, and only then did he turn to leave. I don’t know that person at all. Why would he specifically ask about me?
After zigzagging through the streets, circling for three laps, and changing his appearance twice, Qi Xiu finally reached home.
He closed the door behind him and sat silently on the steps.
Concerned about the burly man’s odd behavior in the pharmacy, he frowned, replaying his own actions there in his mind.
The prescription! I recited a prescription to the shopkeeper. It was the formula for the Sun Observing Strengthening Skill. If someone who also practiced this martial art was present, they would certainly recognize it. That burly man must have recognized the formula and thus became suspicious of my identity. Lucky I didn’t use my real face to buy the medicine.
Understanding the crux of the matter, Qi Xiu’s expression turned slightly grave. Then, he suddenly raised his hand and smacked his own forehead.
Lately, I have indeed been too lax! I’ve mastered the Black Sand Palm and Swallow Soar; my calligraphy rose to the Second Realm, granting me the [Martial] talisman. I killed those two strange Daoists and effortlessly eliminated Peng Fei. All these successes have gradually inflated my confidence, even to the point of arrogance. If I hadn’t been alert today and continued with such an attitude, I would likely make a grave mistake sooner or later. And in this world, mistakes can mean death!
A fine layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Qi Xiu’s gaze shifted; he rose, went to the main hall, and, wielding his brush, spread ink across paper. A piece of calligraphy with large characters took form:
"A gentleman is circumspect when alone, cautious and meticulous."
He affixed this calligraphy to the ceiling above his bed, ensuring he would see it upon waking each day. It would serve as a daily reminder not to indulge recklessly or become arrogant and impetuous.
What I gain is by fortune; what I lose, by fate. Today, although I was nearly targeted, it also led me to recognize the dangerous shift in my mindset, allowing me to correct it promptly. Overall, this can also be considered a gain.
Having adjusted his mindset, Qi Xiu didn’t dwell on it any further. He went to the kitchen to put the newly purchased medicinal ingredients into the Medicine Pot to stew, preparing the secret medicine for the Sun Observing Strengthening Skill. Then, Qi Xiu shed his cotton robe and went into the courtyard to practice the Black Sand Palm techniques.
The Sun Observing Strengthening Skill was different from the other two martial arts. Its cultivation was time-limited, only possible during the early morning and noon. Therefore, Qi Xiu spent the remaining time practicing Black Sand Palm and the newly acquired Air-Piercing Point Strike.
In the courtyard, the wind from his palms gusted powerfully, and his figure moved with unrestrained agility.
Qi Xiu’s eyes were sharp, his lips tightly pursed. As his hands moved, he mobilized potent Vigor, which gathered and condensed in his palms.
Ever since Black Sand Palm had broken through to the First Realm, Qi Xiu’s mind would fill with unfamiliar knowledge and subtle breathing changes each time he practiced it.
By now, his Black Sand Palm, compared to the original version, showed distinct differences. The overall framework was still the same, but the internal "substance" was entirely new.
It was like... an optimized version of Black Sand Palm.
Feeling the subtle tremors of his muscles exerting force and the adjustments in his breathing rhythm, Qi Xiu’s mind gradually became immersed.
In a trance, he seemed to become an observer, standing to one side, quietly watching his body continue to practice.
Scrutinizing each movement, Qi Xiu’s gaze suddenly sharpened. What was that?
His consciousness returned to his body. Qi Xiu stopped his movements, raising his hands to scan them repeatedly. Nothing? Was that just an illusion earlier?
Frowning, he stood rooted to the spot, recalling the scene he had witnessed when his consciousness had seemingly detached from his body.
That’s not right. I definitely saw something like luminous, crack-like patterns on the surface of my hands. It must be because I stopped.
With a thought, Qi Xiu assumed a stance and once again began to practice Black Sand Palm.
This time, as he practiced, he focused part of his attention, staring intently at his hands, determined to confirm if he had been mistaken earlier.
As his body began to move once more, muscles twitched, and his breath adjusted.
The surfaces of his hands indeed began to show faint, glowing, crack-like patterns.
At the same time, a wave of unfamiliar knowledge surged through him.
Qi Xiu’s puzzled expression gradually calmed as he digested this knowledge. "So, it turns out that above the Tempering Power Realm is the Condensation Realm," he murmured, looking at his hands, his eyes sparkling.
The so-called Condensation Realm meant condensing different types of "qi" through the martial arts one practiced.
Qi, form without substance, is stored within the body and unleashed upon striking.
The qi condensed by different martial arts is also distinct.
For instance, reaching the Condensation Realm in a martial art like Black Sand Palm allows one to condense a "Black Sand Qi."
If struck by this qi, the victim’s flesh would putrefy and resist healing, accompanied by symptoms such as spasms and convulsions.
In layman’s terms, this Black Sand Qi was like a palm toxin.
If one was hit by it, it was as if one had been poisoned.
Unless a martial artist from the Condensation Realm could expel this palm toxin, the person struck would die in agony.
"This Black Sand Qi is a veritable tetanus affliction!" Qi Xiu clicked his tongue and sighed inwardly, having understood its effects.
The crack-like patterns that had appeared on his skin while he practiced were the external manifestations of this qi.
However, his Black Sand Palm had not yet broken through to the Condensation Realm. The qi was merely nascent, not yet truly condensed, which was why it appeared and disappeared intermittently.