Chapter 53 : Chapter 53
Chapter 53. An Unexpected Change in Assignment
Xu Yuan had no idea that his breakthrough had stirred up fear in Quan Xiong, prompting him to secretly plot a grand “gift” for when Xu Yuan’s assignment came to an end.
He continued following his usual routine, cultivating with calm composure as always, quietly grinding away at the progress bars on his panel while waiting for his next breakthrough.
Time flowed like water and passed in the blink of an eye.
Before long, it was the first day of the fourth month.
Inside the quiet chamber, Xu Yuan wiped the sweat from his body. With a slight movement of thought, the panel appeared before him.
[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Mastery 30%), Stone Platform Stance (Mastery 41%), Benlei Fist (Small Success 53%)]
[Aptitude: 15 (Naturally Exceptional Bones)]
“Not bad. At this rate, I should be able to break through to the Fourth Meridian in May.”
Xu Yuan nodded in satisfaction, pleased with this progress. This was the benefit of improved aptitude.
Even after reaching the Third Meridian, he could still maintain astonishing speed in his advancement. If it were someone else, even those with decent talent would probably need half a year of accumulation, while someone worse off, like Zhao Qiusheng, might remain stuck for decades as a matter of course.
But such speed did not come without a price.
Throughout this month’s cultivation, he had spared no expense in pouring medicinal treasures into it.
The Vein-Nourishing Powder and Blood-Activating Pills were being consumed like running water. The same was true for spirit beast meat and medicinal meals—he had not considered the cost at all.
From last month up to now, he had already spent nearly twenty taels of silver, which happened to offset the congratulatory gifts he had received when he broke through to the Third Meridian.
“There are still a little over a hundred taels left. That should be enough to support me until the Fifth Meridian without much trouble… It is just that, according to Uncle Zhao, after reaching the Fourth Meridian, martial artists use a different medicinal treasure altogether: Heqi Powder.”
“When used in combination, its effects are excellent, but a single portion costs a full tael of silver. That is truly outrageous!”
Xu Yuan smiled bitterly. Fortunately, Quan Xiong’s one hundred taels had been there to cushion him. Otherwise, he definitely would not have been living so easily, free from worrying about money.
“Since he has treated me so well, then I can only repay him a hundredfold.” Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes and let out a cold laugh.
He had already learned that the battlefield between the Shangyang Residence and the Bai Family was spreading more and more fiercely. Even the outer city had already fallen under the control of the two families.
And the area where the Wild Wolf Gang operated should be within Bai Family territory. When the time came, the two of them might very well cross paths again.
There was also the matter of the battlefield itself. Faced with the Bai Family’s fierce offensive, the Shangyang Residence had begun to show faint signs of falling behind.
According to Zhao Qiusheng’s analysis, it would probably not be long before martial artists like them were all pushed a little farther forward to consolidate the Shangyang Residence’s strategic position.
That was also why Xu Yuan remained so urgent and driven even after breaking through to the Third Meridian.
Once he was truly on the battlefield, with open spears, hidden arrows, and ever-shifting dangers, anything could happen. If he did not make complete preparations, Xu Yuan would not feel at ease.
…
The next morning,
Xu Yuan arrived at the Affairs Hall and collected this month’s stipend, a total of eight taels of silver. After that, he also registered his assignment as an instructing martial instructor before finally coming back out.
As it happened, outside the Affairs Hall, he saw Wang Huan again. The other man had likely noticed him as well, but instead of coming over, he kept his distance and avoided him from afar.
Apparently, last month’s blow had hit him rather hard.
Xu Yuan let out a light chuckle at the sight and paid it no mind. Soon afterward, he ran into Chen Sanli, Tian Yang, and the others.
At that moment, Li Shan, whom he had not seen in quite some time, also came out from the registration office. He had been talking with his teammates, but when he saw Xu Yuan, he froze for a moment before walking over with a smile on his face.
“Brother Xu, I heard you broke through to the Third Meridian. Congratulations!”
As he spoke, he reached out as if to throw an arm around Xu Yuan’s shoulders, then grinned at the friend beside him and said, “This is Brother Xu. We went from being odd-job servants to martial artists together, and we even lived in the same dormitory. Let me tell you, how incredible is Brother Xu’s aptitude? Back then, he was a martial artist who completed both his fist technique and cultivation!”
Xu Yuan glanced at him and quietly sidestepped the arm reaching toward him.
These days, Li Shan called him “Brother Xu” with remarkable ease, and his words had become far smoother and more tactful. There was even a faint trace of Chen Sanli about him now. Still, compared to the latter, he was somewhat immature.
When Li Shan’s teammate heard that introduction, he stared at Xu Yuan in shock. He had completed both fist technique and cultivation, and now he had even reached the Third Meridian?
He had assumed Li Shan was just some fellow riding on his female captain’s coattails. Who would have thought he had connections like this?
When Li Shan saw Xu Yuan avoid his arm, his face stiffened slightly, but he quickly smiled again and said, “Brother Xu, my father has always wanted to invite you to a meal. Come by when you have time.”
Hearing that, the teammate became even more convinced. If the two of them could even go to each other’s homes for meals, then their relationship must be anything but ordinary.
Looking at the expectation in Li Shan’s eyes, Xu Yuan sighed inwardly. In the end, he still gave him a somewhat gentler response. “Please thank your father for me. I just have not had much time. I will come if I get the chance.”
Right after that, he watched Li Shan leave with a smile, while the teammate beside him wore an expression of shock and curiosity, following him along as though asking about Xu Yuan the whole way.
Xu Yuan shook his head. Li Shan really had changed. The Li Shan of the past would never have taken the initiative to say such flattering things, nor would he have become so opportunistic and learned how to curry favor with the powerful.
But on second thought, that was only natural.
The social environment in the Level Three zone was brutally realistic, carrying even more savagery than the Shangyang Residence.
Over there, the strong ruled without question, and the hierarchy was strict. If the weak did not want to be isolated and bullied, then they needed to flatter and ingratiate themselves… and if they carelessly chose the wrong side, life or death could become uncertain at any moment.
In a great dye vat like that, remaining unchanged was the hard part.
Li Shan’s appearance was only a minor interruption. Soon after, Xu Yuan saw Xiao Sheng as well. His body had grown much sturdier, and his face had become even more resolute. A few days earlier, he had just broken through to the Second Meridian.
With old friends reunited, the five of them naturally went together to Xu Yuan’s residence for a small gathering.
Xu Yuan had already told them before that the Shangyang Residence would assign duties based on a martial artist’s aptitude.
Now that they had all come to the Affairs Hall to see for themselves, they found that this was indeed true.
Starting this month, Chen Sanli, Gao Yuan, and Tian Yang no longer had time allotted for self-selected assignments. Naturally, they were full of unease, afraid of being sent to the Level Four zone.
In the end, aside from Gao Yuan being assigned to the Level Three zone, the others’ assignments remained basically the same. Only then did they finally breathe a sigh of relief and raise another cup to Xu Yuan.
Aside from that, Chen Sanli also talked about news of the others from their old dormitory. Wang Huan had been injured last month, and after being struck by the blows dealt by Xu Yuan and Gao Yuan, he had kept a much lower profile this month.
As for Li Shan, he had remained fairly steady. He was still clinging tightly to his female captain, and not long ago he had also reached the Second Meridian. Chen Sanli even made a point of adding that Li Shan had changed quite a lot now.
As for that, Xu Yuan had already met Li Shan himself, so he understood it well enough.
Last of all came Qin Yang. Ever since his injury, he had grown dispirited and increasingly slack, fishing for three days and drying his nets for two. It was said that even now, he still had not broken through to the Second Meridian. This month, he would likely be assigned to street guard duty on a street bordering the Bai Family.
After hearing about everyone’s circumstances, Xu Yuan felt deeply moved. Because his cultivation was ahead of theirs, he really did have a few more choices than they did.
But even so, Third Meridian cultivation still amounted to very little within the Shangyang Residence as a whole, and the pressure of conflict would soon fall upon him as well.
After seeing the others off, Xu Yuan felt an even stronger urge to improve his strength and take hold of his own fate. He turned and went back into the quiet chamber.