Chapter 127: Perfection of Stance Training, The Heavenly Origin Elixir, and Mid-Grade Talismans

Countless insights and experiences regarding the Medicine King Zhuang technique flowed through his mind. Moreover, his newfound understanding of the movements and breathing rhythm of the Medicine King Zhuang technique instinctively led him to optimize and modify them. Then he resumed practice.

Immediately, he felt surging waves of powerful energy boiling and rolling within his body, continuously nourishing his constitution, making his breath sound deep and mighty. Compared to before, it was incomparably stronger.

Perfect!

The Medicine King Zhuang technique was now perfected.

Chen Yushu’s thoughts soared, his face brimming with joy. His gaze then fell upon the attribute panel.

Medicine King Zhuang Technique: Perfected

“Indeed, it’s perfected. This Medicine King Zhuang technique is instantly transformed. If before, when I had only reached mastery, practicing this technique was like a rushing stream of energy, then now, with perfection, the energy it produces is like a roaring river. Wherever it flows, the energy sweeps through, making me feel almost swollen with power.”

Chen Yushu murmured to himself, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Next, he practiced the Medicine King Lock Strength technique again, clearly feeling its effectiveness had increased by leaps and bounds.

Previously, his skin, flesh, and blood membranes had already reached an upper limit. Yet, with the enhanced energy, even those tissues, which had barely improved before, now showed further enhancement.

“The perfection of the Medicine King Zhuang technique means my foundation is now rock-solid. According to Instructor Qian, it’s like forging a flawless root and an unsurpassable furnace. Only then can one advance far in martial cultivation.”

A trace of relief appeared on Chen Yushu’s face.

Although his primary cultivation still leaned towards the Yin Path, martial arts were undeniably a vital aspect of his strength.

Besides, within the sect, there were cultivators who focused solely on body refinement, like Qi Jichuan, who initially specialized in Yin Path body refining. But compared to martial arts, although Yin Path body refinement showed remarkable efficiency early on, it lacked the refinement and inheritance that martial arts offered.

Thus, upon sensing its limitations, Qi Jichuan decisively switched to martial arts and directly cultivated to the internal force realm, advancing his body refinement further.

Though Chen Yushu did not practice Yin Path body refining, his cultivation of martial arts complemented his overall strength to a certain extent.

At least, with his current internal cultivation, his physical strength surpassed many Yin Path body refiners by far.

In this sense, practicing martial arts served as a complementary enhancement of his power.

Then he proceeded to cultivate the Medicine King Thunder Swallow and Tiger Roar Dragon Chant techniques.

He distinctly felt that the training of his internal organs became much more effective.

With each practice session, the vibrations from the sounds allowed him to sense the tempering of his five viscera and six bowels.

After a whole morning of cultivation, he took a deep breath.

His breath was long and steady.

Each inhalation and exhalation was calm and silent, able to be sustained for up to five minutes.

After completing his routine, Chen Yushu stepped outside.

After all, he was still an apprentice at the pharmacy. His status as the shopkeeper’s disciple exempted him from chores and granted some conveniences. But staying away too long would be inappropriate.

So, he naturally left and found himself near the grand mansion of the Zuo family without realizing it.

His eyes flickered as he sensed the aura there had gradually stabilized. Even the oppressive Yin energy was no longer as heavy as before. He sighed inwardly, “As expected, the peculiarity here was solely due to Old Master Zuo. Now that he’s gone, the aura begins to mellow. Perhaps soon, someone will notice and this place will be purchased and inhabited.”

Chen Yushu had indeed considered buying the mansion himself. After all, it was currently very cheap. With three hundred taels of gold in hand, he could afford it.

But after some thought, he abandoned the idea.

It would be too conspicuous.

Moreover, this mansion had been a haunted house. It was not suitable to live in so soon.

The Yin energy within the estate needed considerable time to dissipate fully.

“Still, it’s time to choose a suitable residence to buy and bring my parents over,” Chen Yushu thought, deciding to arrange this through the pawnshop soon.

When he returned to the pharmacy, a crowd stared at him with curiosity.

“Why are you back so soon?” Manager Zhou asked, surprised.

“What’s the matter?” Chen Yushu replied.

“You weren’t here yesterday. Did you go treasure hunting with the others? How did it go? I heard many were injured, but the haul was substantial—enough gold and treasures to fill three big boats...” Zhou inquired.

“I didn’t go,” Chen Yushu shook his head.

He had gone, but not with those treasure hunters. So he was unaware of what the officials had obtained.

Regarding the dangers, he vaguely heard some commotion and assumed there were many risks. But since he was busy with his own affairs, he naturally avoided those perils.

“Really didn’t go?” Zhou was stunned. Seeing Chen Yushu nod, he sighed disappointedly, “I thought you went, too. I heard those who went got twenty taels of silver as compensation. Also, some sect disciples found hidden treasures and resold them for tens or even hundreds of taels.”

“That has nothing to do with me. With my strength, I don’t dare wander around recklessly,” Chen Yushu explained.

“True. They reportedly encountered no fewer than ten fierce ghosts. Luckily, the officials were well-prepared this time, aided by some sect members, so it wasn’t as bad as the last possession incident. But casualties were inevitable. Especially the corpse of the Pinghai King—it turned into a zombie. To defeat it, not only did the sect members use all their tricks, but five or six internal force martial artists joined the fight. Still, two died and several were injured before they finally wore it down,” Zhou related, shaking his head.

“Zhou, how do you know so much?” Chen Yushu raised an eyebrow, not surprised by the details.

The Pinghai King had been a grand martial master, beyond the internal force realm. Once zombified, it was formidable.

Moreover, it had been transformed by Wei Mingyuan’s array, gathering Yin and Sha energy, making it powerful—definitely an evil zombie of high rank, possibly stronger than others they faced.

This explained why so many went treasure hunting this time and why the casualties weren’t worse—they had several capable people present.

“Instructor Qian snuck off and told me. Unfortunately, he only found a scroll and a few jewels; not much gain.”

Zhou’s face showed a hint of envy. A thousand taels of silver was no small sum for him. The pharmacy’s wages weren’t high, and even with some kickbacks, after expenses, saving a hundred taels a year was considered good.

Chen Yushu’s face also showed slight surprise, inwardly admiring how eager Qian was about such matters. The evil zombie incident had barely passed before he ventured into the Pinghai King’s tomb again...

Soon after, Chen Yushu went upstairs and quickly found his master, Shopkeeper Su Ming.

“Yushu greets Master,” he bowed.

“Rise. I have something to ask you,” Su Ming motioned and looked at him.

“Please, Master,” Chen Yushu replied, guessing this was about his leave of absence yesterday. He had already mentioned it, so he wasn’t worried about being reprimanded.

“In a few days, officials will come for the year-end assessment. Do you want to participate? If so, under what status?” Su Ming asked.

“Year-end assessment?” Chen Yushu blinked, then relaxed. “What do you mean, Master?”

He knew the pharmacy held an annual examination. Especially for pharmacy apprentices, the top scorer could be promoted to physician apprentice. This happened every year except last, when a martial prodigy, Xu Lihao, was given a special promotion.

This year, Chen Yushu’s performance was much stronger than Xu Lihao’s. Even without other considerations, his martial talent alone warranted special promotion... but he didn’t need to rely on this. Because mastering countless medical skills and theories, he was already far ahead in dispensing and diagnosing medicine among apprentices.

He simply had not displayed this due to being the shopkeeper’s disciple.

“The pharmacy assessments have two types: regular and prodigy. The regular one happens every year—you’ve probably heard of it. But the regular assessment’s requirements are too low for you and unfair to other apprentices. After all, you’re my disciple. Even if you win, others would feel disgruntled and gossip,” Su Ming explained.

He knew Chen Yushu’s strength—not just in martial arts but also in medicine. In his opinion, Chen Yushu’s medical knowledge exceeded many physician apprentices who had studied for years. Winning first place in the assessment was normal but too mundane for him. Such a result, in Su Ming’s view, was unsatisfactory.

“So what about the prodigy assessment?” Chen Yushu asked, sensing the implication.

“The prodigy assessment is martial arts-focused. It’s held in the county, involving talents from surrounding towns and the county seat. Not only our Liu family pharmacy but also other local influential families participate. It’s both an exam and a competition, testing strength, foundation, physique, and combat skills. It’s not just one-on-one fights but also challenges in special environments. Medical knowledge is irrelevant there,” Su Ming continued.

“Oh? When is the assessment?” Chen Yushu furrowed his brow.

“Next year! It’s held in early spring annually. Since it involves talents from many factions, the rewards are generous. Last year, first prize was a Tianyuan Pill, which guarantees a 100% breakthrough to the internal force realm after internal cultivation is perfected, laying a solid foundation. The year before, it was a book of ultimate martial knowledge. Besides the official rewards, the pharmacy also offers bonuses afterward. They say the bonuses are even more generous than the prizes. Unfortunately, our pharmacy hasn’t had anyone perform well for five years straight. But because of that, the bonuses have been increasing yearly.”

Su Ming looked at Chen Yushu confidently, proud of his disciple’s talent. His only regret was that Chen Yushu had started martial arts too late. Although his external forging was commendable, his internal cultivation had just begun. Compared to prodigies who trained since childhood with precious medicines and treasures, he still lagged behind.

But as Su Ming said, winning the ordinary assessment meant nothing to Chen Yushu.

Only the prodigy assessment was worth attending.

“So I don’t need to participate this time?” Chen Yushu blinked.

“Yes. You can stay home and train,” Su Ming replied casually.

“Understood, Master!” Chen Yushu was pleased. With the exam coming, he’d rather use the time to cultivate.

Then Su Ming began to teach Chen Yushu the Light and Heavy Saber techniques.

Though Chen Yushu had already reached a minor achievement in these techniques, having a master’s guidance greatly accelerated his progress.

Self-practice might increase his saber experience by only three to five points each session, but under his master’s tutelage, experience gains nearly doubled to seven or eight points.

...

In the afternoon, after lunch, Chen Yushu returned home and immersed himself in his study.

“This time in Qiuhe Mountain, besides the great help from my usual meditative state at the entry level, the biggest aid was undoubtedly those talismans. Ghost Extermination Talismans, Thunder Summoning Talismans, Ice Arrow Talismans, Golden Armor Talismans, Soldier Armor Talismans... without these talismans by my side, I probably wouldn’t have been able to handle that evil zombie.”

Chen Yushu recalled the battle carefully.

He was well aware of his strength level.

With many minor and major perfected techniques, his actual ability might rival ordinary cultivators with three incense stick experience.

But facing evil zombies, he still felt powerless.

At least relying on those “techniques” alone was insufficient.

Various talismans of different effects and great power were the key to subduing that evil zombie.

“Among the talismans, the Thunder Summoning Talisman’s power isn’t the greatest. But because thunder inherently counters Yin and evil, its lethality against evil zombies is the highest.”

Chen Yushu spread out the talisman paper, holding the Judge’s Pen—a genuine mid-grade magical tool. It could be controlled by his cultivation to exorcise ghosts and evil spirits and was also an excellent talisman brush.

Now, as he infused his spiritual power into the pen, the smoothness and silkiness from pen body to tip felt divine, unlike any other talisman brush he had used before.

“Using this Judge’s Pen to draw talismans must increase the success rate by several levels,” Chen Yushu thought.

Though he didn’t need the brush to improve talisman-making success, a good brush saved much effort and enhanced the talisman’s quality.

He then focused, beginning to draw the Thunder Summoning Talisman.

As soon as the thought arose, a terrifying force in the void seemed to resist him, trying to block the talisman’s formation.

But Chen Yushu, experienced in talisman crafting, expected this and with the excellent pen, the pressure was greatly reduced.

His mind moved freely; as soon as one rune’s structure formed, then the second, third... soon a talisman was complete.

Buzz!

At that instant, a special power surged into the talisman from an unknown source.

Thunder Summoning Talisman +7

Chen Yushu’s face showed surprise, “Using this Judge’s Pen to draw talismans even increases experience gains by one or two points more than before. Though one or two points isn’t much, twenty talismans would add up to forty points. Little by little, this will definitely help me advance these talismans faster to minor and major perfected levels.”

With this in mind, he quickly continued drawing talismans—one, two, three...

Soon, a small stack accumulated beside him.

Thunder Summoning Talisman: Minor Perfection (128/400)

“Unfortunately, this talisman is already at the minor perfected stage. To reach major perfection, I need to draw forty or fifty more.”

Chen Yushu glanced at the attribute panel but didn’t focus solely on the Thunder Summoning Talisman.

He then began crafting the Ghost Extermination and Ice Arrow talismans.

Of course, he also drew the Golden Armor and Soldier Armor talismans.

Among these, the Golden Armor talisman played a significant role in the recent battle.

Without it, he would have been injured.

The evil zombie’s attacks and Qi Jichuan’s final blow, though mostly transferred to the zombie through the Plum Blossom Technique’s pillar method, still left some residual force on him.

But most of the damage was blocked by the Golden Armor talisman, and with his reinforced skin, flesh, bones, and marrow, his resistance had greatly increased, sparing him harm.

“As for the Soldier Armor talisman, its effect was rather minor!” Chen Yushu felt a little disappointed but understood this was normal.

The Soldier Armor talisman could summon armor equivalent in strength to an ordinary strongman. While it could block attacks, its combat power was limited.

In high-level battles, especially against evil zombies, it was hard for it to shine.

“Unless... the Soldier Armor talisman’s rank is raised. There are fine, finished, and inferior talismans. Above that are mid-grade and high-grade talismans!”

Chen Yushu’s gaze returned to the attribute panel.

Soldier Armor Talisman: Proficient (156/200)

“Not far from minor perfection now. I’ll first raise this talisman to minor perfection. A minor perfected Soldier Armor talisman should guarantee a chance to draw mid-grade talismans, right?”

He mused.

Currently, a proficient Soldier Armor talisman ensured every talisman he drew was successful and gave a chance to produce finished talismans—i.e., inferior ones.

About one or two out of ten would be finished talismans.

This probability was decent.

But those summoned Soldier Armors weren’t very strong—roughly at the level of minor perfected pillar technique and external forging.

Stronger than ordinary people but insufficient against formidable martial artists, Yin Path cultivators, or fierce ghosts.

They could only handle some lesser spirits.

“So, mid-grade talismans are necessary!” Chen Yushu muttered and kept drawing Soldier Armor talismans.

One, two, three...

Buzz!

When the fifth talisman formed, its glow brightened, and more heavenly energy flowed in. He realized it was a finished talisman.

Satisfied, he continued.

Finally, upon completing the ninth Soldier Armor talisman, countless insights and experiences about its drawing flooded his mind as if he had crafted thousands in a short time.

Many ideas about optimizing the rune structures appeared.

The new rune structures were simpler and easier to draw.

Moreover, the simplified structures seemed to increase the talisman’s power significantly.

“Soldier Armor Talisman, minor perfected!”

Suddenly, Chen Yushu realized he had raised this talisman to minor perfection.

A minor perfected Soldier Armor talisman was naturally different.

Without hesitation, he began drawing “new” Soldier Armor talismans using his optimized, simplified rune structures.

He lifted the pen and wrote.

Soon, a new talisman took shape.

Buzz~

The void trembled as vast energies surged in.

“It worked! And its quality isn’t just a finished talisman but a mid-grade talisman! I didn’t expect the first Soldier Armor talisman I drew after reaching minor perfection would be mid-grade.”

Chen Yushu’s face was filled with delight.