16: Chapter 16: Coughing Pill, Cultivation Improvement, Mid-Stage First Rank

Five more days passed.

Lin Yun looked at the number flickering on the screen, his brows furrowed slightly.

6673.94 kg

It had only increased by less than one hundred kilograms compared to five days ago.

Moreover, calculating carefully, there had been almost no movement in the last two days; the growth in punch force was negligible.

"The rapid improvement period after the Martial Artist Breakthrough has passed," Lin Yun muttered to himself.

Wen Yan had warned him about this situation long ago.

After a Martial Artist makes a Breakthrough, the body goes through a rapid adaptation period, during which strength increases rapidly.

But once this stage passes, it enters a stable growth period, and the speed of progress slows down significantly.

Unless... there is external assistance.

Lin Yun took a small jade bottle out of the storage locker.

The bottle was smooth and warm, containing several blood-qi pills inside.

These were the best Medicinal Pills for the apprentice stage, worth one million each.

He had taken one yesterday, but that Medicinal Pill had almost no effect.

"Medicinal Pills for the apprentice stage have a negligible effect on a Martial Artist."

"What you need now are Medicinal Pills specifically for a Martial Artist."

Wen Yan's voice came from behind him.

Lin Yun turned around and saw that Wen Yan had appeared beside him, he did not know when.

She was wearing a dark blue training suit today, her hair still tied in a neat high ponytail, making her look imposing and spirited.

"I know."

"That's why I prepared this today."

Lin Yun took another, more exquisite jade box from the storage locker.

The box opened to reveal a blood-red Medicinal Pill the size of a dragon eye, with light faintly flowing on its surface, emitting a rich blood-qi fluctuation.

A first-grade blood essence pill.

The best Medicinal Pill for the apprentice stage is the blood-qi pill, and the best Medicinal Pill for the Martial Artist stage is also called the blood-qi pill, only with the prefix "first-grade" added.

In this martial Dao world, there are many types of Medicinal Pills.

Medicinal Pills for a First-Rank Martial Artist to increase blood-qi include Dragon Elephant Blood Essence Pill, Phoenix Nirvana Blood Pill, Ten-Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng Pill, and so on, each name more domineering than the last.

But those who are truly in the know understand that the flashier the name, the less satisfactory the effect often is.

And the best of them all is always that most plain and unadorned name—the blood-qi pill.

The blood-qi pill is the only type of Medicinal Pill that a Martial Artist can absorb one hundred percent, and it has no side effects.

The only drawback is that it is expensive.

The blood-qi pill for the apprentice stage is worth one million per pill, which is more expensive than many first-grade Medicinal Pills.

Even families with good conditions cannot bear to buy them; they are too expensive.

At most, they buy some worth a few tens of thousands or simply engage in bitter cultivation.

Even with bitter cultivation, the use of training equipment is expensive.

Just look at the price of the martial arts gym, one hundred thousand a year.

Ordinary people have a monthly income of three thousand, and many families don't even have that much in annual income.

Medicinal Pills for the apprentice stage are already this expensive, what about those for a First-Rank Martial Artist?

The Dragon Elephant Blood Essence Pill is eight hundred thousand per pill, the Phoenix Nirvana Blood Pill is three million six hundred thousand per pill, and the first-grade blood essence pill...

Twenty million per pill.

Yes, that's right, it takes a full twenty million to buy one.

This price is enough to make ninety-nine percent of Martial Artists shrink back.

But for the Lin family, as long as it can increase strength, money is not an issue.

Wen Yan looked at the Medicinal Pill in his hand and asked with raised eyebrows:

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready!"

Lin Yun answered affirmatively and walked into the Gravity Chamber with the Medicinal Pill.

This time, he adjusted the gravity to twelve times, two times more than the ten times Wen Yan required.

This was close to the limit he could bear at the moment.

He sat cross-legged and, without hesitation, consumed this first-grade blood essence pill worth twenty million.

The Medicinal Pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth, turning into a scorching torrent that rushed into his body.

Different from the gentleness of the apprentice-stage blood-qi pill, the medicinal power of the first-grade blood essence pill was violent and fierce, like a Vicious Beast that had been imprisoned for many years suddenly breaking free from its shackles.

Lin Yun did not dare to be negligent and immediately began to circulate the "Five Hearts Toward Heaven Method."

Under the pressure of twelve times gravity, the absorption of medicinal power was even more efficient.

That scorching torrent surged along the path of the Cultivation Technique; every time it passed through a Meridian, it would strengthen the tissue there.

His blood-qi was growing crazily, and the energy cluster within his Dantian expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Time passed minute by minute.

Two hours later, Lin Yun opened his eyes.

The air inside the Gravity Chamber seemed to have become a bit heavier because of his presence.

He stood up slowly and stretched his limbs.

His bones cracked with a "pop-pop" sound, his muscles were tighter, and a luster of flowing blood-qi was faintly visible under his skin.

"It feels... different."

"It feels... like I've become stronger... so, so much stronger."

Lin Yun clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body.

Walking out of the Gravity Chamber, Wen Yan and Su Yingxue were already waiting outside.

Su Yingxue's eyes were full of anticipation, while Wen Yan had an expression that said, "I want to see just how much progress you can make."

"Test it."

Wen Yan signaled him to go to the punch force testing machine.

Lin Yun walked to the machine; without much buildup of power, he delivered the most plain and unadorned straight punch.

"Boom—!"

The testing machine vibrated violently, the numbers on the screen jumped wildly, and finally settled on an astonishing value:

13247.83 kg

Over thirteen thousand kilograms!

Su Yingxue's eyes curved into crescent moons: "Husband is so amazing! Just one Medicinal Pill and you improved so much!"

Wen Yan, however, only nodded indifferently: "So-so. A first-grade blood essence pill is twenty million per pill, and it only increased your strength by less than seven thousand kilograms; it's a bit of a waste."

Su Yingxue immediately turned into a little wife protecting her husband.

"Sister Wen Yan, Husband is clearly super amazing, alright!"

"He took one pill and went from the Early Stage of the First-Rank to the Middle Stage, and he even exceeded the standard for the Middle Stage of the First-Rank by three thousand kilograms of force!"

"Maybe another one and he'll reach the Late Stage!"

"Hehe, Sister Wen Yan, just wait for Husband to marry you!"

Wen Yan was choked by these words and was speechless for a moment; after a while, she rolled her eyes:

"Do you think popping Medicinal Pills is simple addition? One plus one plus one and you go up? How could it be that simple!"

She looked at Lin Yun, her tone serious:

"After you finish this one, you must wait at least a month before taking the next one."

"Otherwise, your body will develop a drug resistance, and you won't be able to absorb much medicinal power; it's purely a waste of money."

Lin Yun smiled confidently: "What are you afraid of? One pill a month; at this rate, in a year... no, in half a year, I can become a Second-Rank Martial Artist!"

Wen Yan was amused by his "naive" thought: "Do you think becoming a Second-Rank Martial Artist is that easy?"

"The Bottleneck from the First-Rank to the Second-Rank is more than ten times harder than from an apprentice to a Martial Artist!"

"Forget it, I can't be bothered to talk to you."

She turned to leave, but was called back by Lin Yun.

"Wait, Sister Wen Yan, Yingxue hasn't used one yet; if you leave without watching her, I won't be at ease."

Lin Yun took out another jade box, and after opening it, inside was another first-grade blood essence pill.

"This one is for Yingxue."

Su Yingxue quickly waved her hand: "Husband, this is too precious! You should use it yourself to improve your strength; I'm already Cultivating very quickly right now..."

Lin Yun leaned into her ear and lowered his voice: "Your husband is already in the Middle Stage, but you are still in the Early Stage; how can we have 'exchanges' at night?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "exchanges," carrying a clear implication.

Su Yingxue's face turned bright red instantly, and even her earlobes were tinged with pink.

Wen Yan was powerful, so even though Lin Yun deliberately whispered, she could hear it clearly.

She said to Su Yingxue with annoyance: "The Lin family has plenty of money, why are you trying to save it for him? Use it when you should."

Lin Yun immediately echoed: "See, Sister Wen Yan said so too."

Su Yingxue then took the Medicinal Pill with a blushing face and whispered: "Thank you, Husband..."

Wen Yan instructed:

"Remember, you must not exceed three times gravity at most."

"You are pregnant now, and your body's tolerance is limited. Moreover, the medicinal power of the first-grade blood essence pill is fierce, and three times gravity is already enough to help you absorb it."

Su Yingxue nodded seriously and walked into the Gravity Chamber with the Medicinal Pill.

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