80: Chapter 80 The Wonderful Uses of the Blood Toad Pill
In the evening, Li Qing returned home. Li Bing had already prepared fine wine, and the two of them drank to their heart's content.
Li Bing sighed with emotion, "The fate of a person is truly unpredictable. In less than a year, Qing'er, you have actually reached such a level!"
Hiccup~
His face was flushed red as he said, "Sometimes, I even wonder if you are really my son, Li Bing. Fortunately, you look seventy percent like I did when I was young, haha!"
Li Qing was about to say something.
Zzz... Zzz...
Li Bing was already unconscious, falling to the ground and snoring loudly.
Li Qing gave a helpless smile and carried him into the house.
...
The next day, the brilliant sunlight shone on Li Qing's face, the warmth slowly waking him up.
Ah~
He stood up and stretched lazily.
"Since I started practicing martial arts, this is the first time I've woken up so late." Li Qing laughed at himself.
At the beginning, there was the family split, the threat of Liu Balian, and the Red Snake Gang behind him, Wu Hanshan, Li Hongshan, Ma Qi... these people had always made him feel like there were thorns in his back, forcing him to practice martial arts without rest.
But now, these people have all vanished like passing clouds.
And he had transformed from a mere fisherman's son into an existence that ordinary people needed to look up to.
"Ah~ There are still two months until the Martial Arts Imperial Examination. I must keep working hard."
His Stake Technique was only 60 points away from mastery, while his fist technique was only 7 points away.
Li Qing suddenly thought of something.
"My fist technique should reach mastery by tomorrow, and the Stake Technique will take another month. Does that mean I can only be invincible among my peers for one month?"
"No, even now, I should be invincible at my level."
Li Qing walked into the courtyard and assumed the Liuhe Stance Technique stance.
Feet treading on the Yellow Springs, chest containing the clear sky, shoulders sinking and elbows dropping, Qi sinking into the Dantian.
Now, with Li Qing's proficiency, his Stake Technique stance was as steady as Mount Tai. If someone were to watch from the side, they would see an inexplicable sense of composure.
An hour later.
Ding!
[Liuhe Stance Technique +1]
The sound of diligence paying off rang out.
"Hmm, not bad," Li Qing said joyfully.
He relaxed his stance and took out a small medicine bottle.
Upon opening it, a strong fragrance wafted out.
"Hmm, it smells so good. Unlike the qi and blood pill, this blood toad pill is truly an Inner City exclusive. Just smelling it relieves a lot of fatigue."
Unlike the gentle and silent effects of the qi and blood pill, the medicinal power of the blood toad pill was extremely fierce. It was a potent medicine, and it acted very quickly, melting as soon as it entered the mouth.
In other words, this Medicinal Pill could help with daily cultivation and could also be used in battle to temporarily replenish qi and blood—one pill for two purposes.
"I wonder how the martial arts hall got their hands on this. I can ask later."
Li Qing poured a blood toad pill into his palm. The pill was light red and transparent, looking like jelly.
Li Qing tossed it into his mouth, and it immediately turned into a mass of warm liquid.
With a swallow, the medicinal liquid was down his throat and into his stomach.
Boom!
Suddenly, a strong sensation of heat appeared in his stomach, like a ball of fire residing there.
The fatigue on his body vanished instantly, replaced by abundant vitality.
Li Qing didn't dare waste time and immediately began his Stake Technique practice.
The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed, then fifteen minutes...
Only half an hour had passed.
Ding!
[Liuhe Stance Technique +1]
"The speed has doubled!" Li Qing said in surprise.
He felt that there was still quite a bit of qi and blood left in his body.
"Continue!"
[Liuhe Stance Technique +1]
[Liuhe Stance Technique +1]
Finally, after the fourth round of practicing the Stake Technique, his qi and blood were exhausted.
In the biting autumn wind, Li Qing quietly felt the changes in his body.
"Hmm, no problem. It won't cause any depletion in the body. Does that mean a blood toad pill worth three taels of silver can save me a day's time?"
Li Qing actually felt it wasn't that cost-effective.
Three taels of silver = doubling one day's cultivation progress?
"Although cultivation time is precious, three taels of silver for two extra points of progress in one day only saves me a day's work. But I can't earn three taels of silver in a single day!"
After thinking for a while, Li Qing understood the logic behind it.
"It's because I have the support of the proficiency panel that the cost-effectiveness of the blood toad pill has decreased."
In fact, the effect of the blood toad pill was more about boosting qi and blood. It was aimed at those Martial Artists whose qi and blood improvement had stagnated. Swallowing such a potent medicine would cause a sudden surge in qi and blood, achieving the goal of stimulating the body and activating the qi and blood.
Imagine, for example, Wang Chuan or Chang Jin, who had even lower bone structure. After they stepped into Mingjin, the progress of accumulating qi and blood clearly slowed down. They might even reach a complete standstill one day, with their qi and blood like a pool of stagnant water. But swallowing a blood toad pill would be like throwing a red-hot stone into the water, causing the speed of qi and blood accumulation to skyrocket.
As for Li Qing, with his proficiency panel, his progress was steady. The cost-effectiveness was indeed average; the only benefit was saving some time.
"What a pity. Under normal circumstances, I would rather sell all these pills. But with the Martial Arts Imperial Examination approaching, every bit of strength counts. I can't sell them."
Li Qing put away the medicine bottle. By late morning, Mrs. Chen happened to return.
Li Qing saw several girls with braided hair peeking over from outside. Sensing his gaze, they immediately turned red and fled.
"Qing'er, you're still home. Perfect. These are pastries I made with the good girls from other families. Take some to your father."
Li Qing took the basket, and a sweet fragrance wafted from it.
"Can I have a bite?"
Mrs. Chen shook her head. "I made these for your father. You want to eat?"
"I do!"
She revealed her true intention: "Then marry a wife yourself! I see that the girls in the surrounding families are all quite good, all daughters of respectable families."
Li Qing gave a helpless smile. Ever since he broke through the gateway and became a Martial Artist, matchmakers from all directions had launched a 'siege' on him.
Li Qing went out early and came back late every day, using his focus on martial arts as an excuse to brush them off.
However, after several months, Mrs. Chen had been 'turned'.
"Mother, right now, my priority is still martial arts. Besides, even if I were to marry, I would prefer a girl who also practices martial arts. These delicate girls aren't suitable."
This was indeed his true thought. The martial arts in this world were different from his previous life; the free mobilization of qi and blood surprisingly did not affect one's looks!
Looking at the female Disciples in the martial arts hall like Zhuang Yun, Fang Lingshan, and Fang Lingling, just by looking at their faces, they didn't look like Martial Artists at all.
Other female Disciples, even if they were average-looking, were better than those pale-skinned daughters of respectable families who never left their homes, just by virtue of their healthy bodies.
"But you're so immersed in martial arts that your mother is very worried. You're our only son. Look at your Uncle Shi, his grandson can already roll around all over the floor..."
Seeing that Mrs. Chen was about to start nagging incessantly, Li Qing quickly stopped her.
"Mother, to be honest, I'm about to have a Breakthrough. If I succeed, I can participate in the Martial Arts Imperial Examination in two months. I can't be distracted."
Anything related to martial arts was a 'killing blow' to Mrs. Chen.
Her expression changed. She didn't doubt at all whether Li Qing could really break through and nodded, "Martial arts is the most important thing. But after that..."
"I'm leaving!"
Seeing that Mrs. Chen still hadn't given up, Li Qing quickly grabbed the basket and fled.