boyutpedia Chapter 41 Improved Prescription, Surpassing Liu and Zheng!
Chapter 41 Improved Prescription, Surpassing Liu and Zheng!
The copper sheet and the silver dollar were about the same size and thickness.
Copper is supposed to be less dense than silver and therefore lighter than a silver dollar, but it weighs several times more than a silver dollar and is quite heavy.
Zhou Tong was slightly surprised. He held the copper piece up to his eyes and examined it closely in the dim light, but he couldn't see anything extra.
It has a dark copper color and the edges are polished smooth.
It looks like just an ordinary copper sheet, nothing special.
"Perhaps it was mixed with some other metals."
Zhou Tong didn't think much of it.
His gaze was drawn to a line of words engraved on the copper plate.
Although he was just a young boy, his strokes were vigorous and exuded a wild and untamed spirit.
After careful examination, he slowly read aloud the words: "His strength could uproot mountains, and his spirit could cover the world."
At this moment, Zhou Tong ran his fingertips along the back of the copper piece and felt something on the back. He turned the copper piece over and examined it, discovering that a picture was engraved on it.
A burly man with bulging muscles holds a giant cauldron high with both hands, the patterns on the cauldron's body clearly engraved.
Although the lines are slightly worn due to its age, the image is extremely lifelike, with a domineering aura that seems about to burst forth.
"Xiang Yu, the Overlord who could lift a cauldron?"
Zhou Tong raised an eyebrow, staring at the figure on the bronze plate, somewhat amused and exasperated. "What kind of... antique is this?"
The image of Flying Fox's sinister, narrow face, with an unyielding murderous aura between his brows, flashed through my mind.
Zhou Tong said, somewhat speechless, "You can't judge a book by its cover. I didn't expect him to be such a refined thief."
He wasn't interested in antiques, and then tossed the bronze piece back into the pile of clutter on the table.
It was late at night, so he swept the things into the drawer and went to bed.
……
The next day.
Zhou Tong climbed the stairs and had just reached the office door when he heard Chen Yan's gruff voice shouting deafeningly inside:
"...Hey! You didn't see that! That flying fox's claws came flying in a flash, with the wind in their wake! And our captain? Without batting an eye, he met it head-on with a short sword! Clang! Clang! Clang! He managed to block three of its attacks!"
Someone gasped and asked, "Brother Chen, is that Flying Fox really that powerful?"
"nonsense!"
Chen Yan raised his voice, "The other two captains said that he's a ruthless man who's killed eight Iron-Willed Warriors. How could he be a pushover? Let me tell you, even from that distance, the hairs on my face stood on end just from the force of his claws!"
"Then the captain was able to contend with him using his Stone Skin Realm, isn't that...?" another voice exclaimed in amazement.
"One of a kind! Absolutely one of a kind!"
Chen Yan said decisively:
"I've been on the streets for over a decade, and I've never seen another Stone Skin Realm expert as powerful as our captain!"
He paused for a moment, then changed the subject, his tone tinged with regret:
"It's a pity, Captain, you're great in every way, except for that last move... cough, in a martial arts duel, what's the point of drawing a gun? That's not the proper way!"
Zhou Tong, who was listening outside the door, twitched his lips slightly.
He raised his hand and pushed the door open to enter.
"Squeak—"
The room fell silent instantly as the door hinges turned.
Seven or eight pairs of eyes turned to them simultaneously, filled with awe mixed with curiosity, and excitement concealing a desire to explore.
Everyone jumped up from their seats, their faces beaming with smiles: "Good morning, Captain!"
"morning."
Zhou Tong responded indifferently, took off his police hat and hung it on the coat rack, and walked to his desk by the window.
The table was clean and tidy, and the case files that had been spread out yesterday were now closed and neatly stacked to one side.
There's no need to ask; it must have been Chen Yan who cleaned it up for him.
At this moment, Chen Yan scratched his head, leaned over and chuckled, "Captain, I was just telling them about your impressive feats last night."
Zhou Tong glanced at him, took out today's patrol log from the drawer, and opened it: "Finished writing the patrol log?"
Chen Yan's face fell: "...Not yet."
"Then go write it."
Zhou Tong spoke calmly, his gaze fixed on the case file.
Seeing this, the others in the room tactfully dispersed, though their eyes still occasionally drifted in this direction.
Zhou Tong had barely sat down when footsteps sounded outside the door.
Zhao Han and Chang Xuan walked in one after the other.
Both of them had changed into clean uniforms today, but Chang Xuan's left shoulder had a slight bulge in the fabric, which faintly smelled of medicine.
"Brother Zhou."
Zhao Han clasped her hands in greeting first, her smile much more genuine than usual, even the fine lines around her eyes smoothing out: "Good morning."
Chang Xuan also cupped his hands in greeting, the movement aggravating his wound, causing his brow to furrow almost imperceptibly, but he still smiled and said:
"Brother Zhou showed extraordinary courage yesterday. Brother Zhao and I both admired him when we got back."
Zhou Tong smiled and stood up to return the greeting: "You two are too kind. It's my duty."
After what happened last night, the two men's attitude towards him was clearly different.
As Qin Lie's subordinates, the two of them had previously met him and while they appeared polite, there was an underlying sense of distance between them.
Putting everything else aside, this is the first time these two have taken the initiative to come and find him since he joined the police station so many days ago.
Zhao Han and Chang Xuan chatted with Zhou Tong with smiles, their conversation warm and friendly.
Zhou Tong's judgment was correct; they hadn't really thought much of him before.
The reason is simple: although Zhou Tong has some skills, he is only at the Stone Skin Realm after all.
So what if you're a martial arts prodigy? So what if you're talented? Street thugs don't care if you're a genius or if you can hold your own; they only care about your immediate combat ability.
What use is a genius if you lack ability and become a dead person?
Therefore, both of them had previously been somewhat arrogant when facing Zhou Tong.
Now things are completely different. Zhou Tong's strength and courage have earned their recognition, which is why they came here today specifically to make friends with him.
"Brother Zhou, if you encounter any trouble while patrolling the streets in the future, just let me know."
Before leaving, Zhao Han patted Zhou Tong on the shoulder and said something.
Chang Xuan nodded, his tone sincere: "Brother Zhou, you've just arrived. If there's anything you're not familiar with, feel free to ask. We're all brothers from the same company, no need to stand on ceremony."
"Thank you both very much then." Zhou Tong smiled and saw the two to the office door.
Zhou Tong sat down again and tapped the case file lightly with his fingertips.
The morning light slanted in through the window, falling on the table and making the ink stains shine.
A slight smile played on his lips; he knew in his heart that something had changed since last night.
……
The morning patrol was peaceful and calm.
Having completed the necessary street patrol for the day, Zhou Tong considered his business for the day finished.
As the captain, he didn't have to stay at the police station all the time, so he went straight to the street and hailed a rickshaw: "Zhengyang Old Street."
"Alright!" The driver picked up the handlebars and started walking.
Before long, Zhou Tong stood in front of the counter of Huichuntang, his eyes sparkling with surprise.
On the counter, there were more than a dozen kinds of medicines, some dried out and shriveled, and some still with the green skin not completely peeled off.
The aroma is a complex and intense mix, a blend of sea salt, pungent herbs, and even a faint earthy scent, making one's nasal passages itch.
Manager Hu gave a brief explanation of each of the medicines.
Zhou Tong nodded repeatedly: "Thank you, senior."
He took out the oil paper he had prepared beforehand and carefully wrapped the medicinal herbs according to their categories.
He wasn't in the mood to stay any longer today; his mind was already elsewhere, and he couldn't wait to go home and try the drug.
Just as he finished packing, stuffed the last packet of herbs into his pocket, and prepared to take his leave—
"Wait a minute."
Shopkeeper Hu suddenly spoke, tapping his brass pipe against the edge of the counter, and said calmly:
"I can roughly guess what you're trying to do by going through all this trouble to collect medicinal herbs from Southeast Asia. You simply want to try concocting your own medicine to accelerate your cultivation progress."
Zhou Tong did not refute, but smiled and said, "Senior has discerning eyes."
Manager Hu chuckled and said calmly:
"I advise you to give up on that idea as soon as possible. Golden Jade Paste is already the most effective adjuvant for muscle training that you can buy on the market."
You want to use these exotic and unfamiliar medicinal herbs to concoct a better prescription? It's as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
Zhou Tong remained calm and smiled, "I'm just giving it a try. It doesn't matter if it doesn't work."
"Want to give it a try?"
Shopkeeper Hu shook his head slightly, twirling his pipe between his fingers, and said, "In my opinion, if you really want to improve your cultivation progress, you should work diligently in your police station; that's the right path."
Zhou Tong's eyes flickered slightly. He knew that the old man always spoke with a purpose, so he couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by this, senior?"
"What do you mean?"
Manager Hu glanced at him and said indifferently:
"What I mean is, besides the Golden Jade Ointment, there are indeed good things in this world that can accelerate cultivation. But those things are never available on the market."
"I knew that the only options were to either use official connections or rely on family connections. Since you're no longer considered a member of the Zhou family, the latter is off. Therefore, the right path is to diligently accumulate merit within the police force."
The police station has something good for accelerating cultivation… Zhou Tong was slightly taken aback, then his face showed just the right amount of complaint:
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner, senior?"
Shopkeeper Hu chuckled, extended a withered finger, and pointed at him lightly: "See, you're in a hurry again."
He leaned back leisurely, the old armchair creaking softly.
"What's the use of telling you in advance? Those are all controlled medicinal materials, extremely rare."
Even before your family branched out into different lineages, the Zhou family would never have devoted all their efforts to cultivating you, let alone use you while you were training your flesh.
He paused, flicked his cigarette ash, and continued:
"Using such rare resources on someone in the Body Refinement stage is simply a waste of their potential."
"Don't even mention building muscle."
Shopkeeper Hu tapped his pipe, and grayish-white ash fell in a flurry.
"The vast majority of those in the Bone Forging Realm can't even get close to those things. For ordinary Bone Forging Realm cultivators, it's already good enough if they have enough 'Bone Forging Pills' to cultivate with."
Those who can obtain such controlled medicinal materials are either exceptionally talented Bone Forging Realm cultivators from large families.
Either someone like you, with an official position, must perform a great service, and have someone in higher command willing to recommend you for credit, in order to receive a reward.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Tong felt a surge of gratitude towards his senior brother.
He initially wanted to compete for a spot in the police station, firstly to gain official backing for his family business, and secondly to become a familiar face under his third senior brother, which would be beneficial in the future competition for direct disciples.
Unexpectedly, this identity also brought with it such an opportunity.
Thinking about it, it makes sense—in this world, martial artists are an important fighting force, and those who excel in martial arts cultivation are rare, so it's normal that they are firmly controlled by the upper echelons.
"What exactly is that wonderful thing you mentioned, senior?" Zhou Tong asked respectfully, suppressing his thoughts.
Shopkeeper Hu said calmly, "There are many kinds. Let's take the most common one—ginseng."
Zhou Tong was taken aback.
What kind of controlled substance is ginseng?
He needs nutritional supplements for his martial arts training, so his mother often adds ginseng slices to her soups.
Manager Hu seemed to sense his confusion and added:
"I'm talking about wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain that's over 50 years old. It must be from Changbai Mountain and be at least one year old; it won't do."
Only after fifty years can the medicinal effects undergo a qualitative change, having miraculous effects on strengthening muscles, bones, and internal organs, and effectively improving the speed of cultivation.
For those who haven't reached a certain age, it's simply a matter of gradually strengthening their bodies and boosting their energy.
The old man sneered and asked, "There's plenty of ginseng, but have you ever seen Changbai Mountain ginseng that's over fifty years old for sale in the market?"
Zhou Tong nodded slightly, a sudden realization dawning on his mind.
He recalled that he had previously visited all the pharmacies in Cangzhou and found that the best ginseng in those pharmacies was only thirty or forty years old and cost several hundred silver dollars.
Indeed, I've never seen one that's over fifty years old; it turns out it's been monopolized by the upper echelons.
With this thought in mind, he finally understood why Director Ni cherished his father's memory.
Seventy-year-old ginseng is rare enough, let alone a rare species like "Purple Cloud Ginseng" which seems to be an extraordinary thing.
"Let's go. Those kinds of rewards require truly great merit. For someone in the Body Refining Realm to earn such merit? Difficult!"
Manager Hu waved his hand: "I'm just giving you a heads-up so you can focus on important matters and stop messing around with other things."
Don't forget what you promised me. I'm still waiting for you to become Ni Dongting's personal disciple as soon as possible.
Zhou Tong said no more, clasped his hands in a deep bow, and turned to leave.
……
Back home, Zhou Tong went straight to his room, bolted the door, took out the Southeast Asian medicinal herbs, and spread them out on the table.
He first picked up a dark purple, cockscomb-shaped dried flower, rubbing the edges of the petals with his fingertips. The touch was dry and crisp, with a strange spicy aroma, resembling sandalwood but not quite.
Pinch off a piece about the size of a grain of rice and put it under your tongue.
The panel displayed text, but did not indicate that it could be used in a prescription.
Zhou Tong was not disappointed. He carefully spat out the residue, rinsed his mouth with water, and then continued testing the medicine.
But then, six more medicinal herbs were used, and none of them worked.
"Surely none of this will work?"
Zhou Tong swallowed hard, feeling somewhat dejected.
He had extremely high expectations for the medicinal herbs from Southeast Asia.
Fortunately-
Then, he picked up a yellowish-white bone-like fragment.
This item feels cold and hard to the touch, with fine, blood-like lines on its surface.
This time, he finally saw the information he wanted to see.
[Detected 'Blood-Striped Sea Snake Vertebrae Powder'. It is extremely hot in nature, salty and fishy in taste, and has the effect of strengthening muscles and bones, and boosting qi and blood strength. Compatibility: High.]
[Note: This substance can be combined with the original improved prescription to produce a synergistic effect.]
Persistence pays off! We've finally found something useful!
Zhou Tong took a deep breath, his eyes shining, and set it aside.
After he finished testing all the medicinal materials, he obtained three usable items: blood-striped sea snake vertebrae powder, camphor agarwood core, and red coral fruit.
The heartwood of the camphor agarwood tree is slightly yellow and has a hard texture.
Red coral fruit is a dried berry that is scarlet like blood.
Zhou Tong took a deep breath and silently recited, "Deduce the new prescription."
[The optimal combination scheme is being deduced based on the newly added medicinal materials... Estimated time: 8 hours.]
Time slipped by unnoticed, and before we knew it, it was dark.
With a ding.
Zhou Tong immediately perked up, and the panel flashed with light as the text refreshed like flowing water:
[Deduction complete.]
[New formulation: 6 qian of blood-striped sea snake vertebrae powder, 3.5 qian of camphor and agarwood core, and 5 qian of red coral fruit. The original formula's eucommia powder has been reduced to 1 qian.]
[Usage: Take with warm rice wine half an hour before exercising daily for best results.]
[Expected Results: When used in conjunction with the perfect version of the Dragon Tiger Muscle Training Posture, the time to break through to 'Iron Muscles' will be shortened to 65 days.]
Sixty-five days!
Zhou Tong's face was filled with uncontrollable surprise.
He clearly remembered that the panel had just shown that his breakthrough would originally take 108 days.
The time has now been shortened by forty-three days!
Zhou Tong roughly calculated that, in this way, it would have taken him only eighty-three days to go from stone skin to iron skin.
Liu Qing and Zheng Hao went from having skin of stone to skin of iron in ninety-one days and ninety-three days, respectively.
This record is known to all the disciples in the martial arts school.
Now, in his cultivation at the Stone Skin Realm, he has surpassed the two renowned geniuses of the martial arts schools!
This was the speed he achieved in the first eighteen days before using this new formula.
When he reaches the Iron Skin stage of training, the gap between him and the other two will become even greater.
It took the two of them four months to go from Iron Skin to the peak of Iron Skin and stand at the threshold of Bone Forging.
Zhou Tong secretly calculated that, given the efficacy of the new prescription, it would only take him about 100 days to go from Iron Muscle to its peak.
This is even after he stopped improving his prescription!
"In terms of cultivation speed, I've surpassed them!"
Zhou Tong slowly clenched his fist, his expression excited.
Immediately, he turned his gaze to the section on martial arts techniques on the panel.
【Dragon and Tiger Flesh-Refining Stance (Perfect Version): Practicing this stance to the peak of flesh-refining will result in naturally formed golden muscles.】
His cultivation speed surpassing Liu Qing and Zheng Hao is bound to cause a sensation at the martial arts school, laying the foundation for his future competition for the position of personal disciple.
With Iron Skin in sight, Golden Skin won't be far behind, and he's eagerly anticipating it.
According to the description on the panel, Golden Muscle doesn't mean that he cultivates to one more realm than others. Even if Golden Muscle is very powerful, it would still take him longer to achieve that.
It can only be said that it has both advantages and disadvantages.
But in reality, there are only benefits and no drawbacks.
He only needs to cultivate step by step like everyone else. When he reaches the peak of flesh refining and stands on the threshold of bone forging, his physical body will naturally undergo another qualitative change, which is equivalent to having an extra "golden muscle" enhancement.
"Could it be that ordinary people cannot develop their physical bodies to a perfect state through cultivation, so they can only strengthen their bodies three times?"
The perfect version of the cultivation technique I practice includes an additional golden muscle strengthening effect, which truly pushes the physical body to its limits!
Zhou Tong's eyes were burning, and he thought to himself.
"While the Shadowless Technique is powerful, cultivation level is the foundation of everything. I wonder what kind of changes that Golden Skin will bring me?"
Zhou Tong went to bed and, filled with anticipation for the future, slowly drifted off to sleep.