I am a high-level martial arts master.

Since ancient times, birds of a feather flock together!

Although Guangming City is not considered a historically significant ancient city in the Great Xia Dynasty, it still has a diverse population with all sorts of people!

The city is divided into five districts: east, west, south, north, and central.

Officials and the wealthy often resided in the city, a place of song, dance, and prosperity.

Those with some wealth lived in the prosperous eastern district, which was the easternmost part of the city, and the further west you went, the more chaotic the security became.

The southern part of the city where Ye Li lived was considered a relatively stable commoner area.

The westernmost part is inhabited by starving poor people and gangsters, and conflicts and chaos could break out at any time.

Of course, because the west was too chaotic, he had never been there; he had only heard about it from his uncle and aunt.

But at this moment, in Ye Li's eyes, even in this relatively stable southern part of the city, there were still ragged refugees to be seen in the distance.

Clearly, this was due to the economic devastation under the empire's rule, coupled with the onset of winter, as refugees from the west began to migrate here.

"I must cultivate to the point of mastery as soon as possible."

Thinking of the pie in the sky that Coach Feng had promised, Ye Li felt increasingly anxious.

Entry is not special, but if you enter within six months, you can become a core member of the Azure Dragon Gang.

This core member title is not just for show; he was genuinely trained by the Azure Dragon Gang.

They receive two Body Tempering Pills each month as cultivation resources, and can also receive management fees for numerous shop properties and manage a dozen or so ordinary gang members as their subordinates.

These managed members are those fellow disciples who haven't reached the first realm in six months.

This change in status is like going from a poor peasant to a landlord.

Just a difference of a few days in breakthrough speed can lead to a world of difference in status.

Filled with anxiety about the future, Ye Li quickened his pace and focused on his journey.

Although there were many pedestrians along the way, and some were refugees in twos and threes, he was dressed in the tough clothes of the Azure Dragon Gang, so no one was tactless enough to provoke him.

As they got closer to home, more and more neighbors appeared.

A group of women huddled together chatting, glancing at Ye Li as he passed by, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

In just half a month, Ye Li's height increased by an inch, and his slender figure became more and more solid.

Her skin also changed from pale yellow to fair and clean, a transformation so dramatic that her neighbors could hardly recognize her.

Ye Li had no intention of chatting with these people and simply continued on his way in peace and quiet.

Once they were out of sight, the neighbors looked at their companion hesitantly and said, "That must be the Ye family's boy. He's changed so much in just one month."

A person next to him said, "Didn't Ning Qiu say before that he awakened a green attribute and was recruited into the Azure Dragon Gang? What's all the fuss about?"

"That's not what I meant. He was an orphan before, and he got into a conflict with my son, Xiao Wang, and got scolded. What if he becomes rich in the future and takes revenge on me..."

The speaker looked embarrassed, causing those around him to freeze, recalling the conflicts that had arisen from their previous teachings.

However, a few others scoffed and said:

"What's there to be afraid of? So what if they have a green badge and joined the Azure Dragon Gang? Do they really think they can fly to the heavens?"

"Exactly! My kid joined the guild four months ago, and he should be back today. Even though his stats aren't great, he's always been hardworking and just as good as some of the green-stat characters!"

"Exactly! We'll ask that Jiang family kid what his situation is like within the gang; he might not be as good as my family!"

……

We traveled in silence, and before we knew it, our small courtyard was in sight.

Ye Li didn't stop walking, raising his voice to announce, "Auntie, I'm back!"

"Li'er is back...?" Hearing the call from inside the courtyard, a woman rushed out of the door.

But Ning Qiu's joyful expression faltered slightly when she saw Ye Li's face; she was clearly surprised by the changes in him over the past month.

"Yes, I passed the gang's assessment at the end of the month and came back to rest for a day."

Ye Li smiled broadly and said, "I've performed very well in the gang this month. The instructor said that in a few months I can become a core member."

The words dispelled the awkwardness of not seeing each other for a month, and Ye Ning patted her nephew's shoulder with satisfaction: "Good, you've grown strong and healthy!"

"You're still growing, so Auntie will stew a chicken for you at noon to help you recover!"

Ye Li nodded in agreement to his aunt's actions and walked into the courtyard with practiced ease.

Upon seeing the empty water in the vat, Ye Li offered to help with the household chores, saying, "Auntie, the water in the house is gone. I'll go to the well and fill it up for you."

Having said that, he didn't wait for Ning Qiu to speak.

Ye Li grabbed the water vat with one arm and, right before Ning Qiu's stunned eyes, walked out of the courtyard with the vat, which was wide enough for two people, on his head.

……

At noon, Ye Cunmang returned from work.

Ye Li, Ye Cunmang, Ye Duo, and Ning Qiu gathered around the Eight Immortals Table.

There were five dishes and a soup on the table, a sumptuous meal.

Ye Li, holding his rice bowl, said, "Chicken!"

Upon hearing the instruction, Ye Duo withdrew her gaze from the colorful windmill.

He picked up his chopsticks and precisely placed a chicken leg into Ye Li's bowl.

"Mmm, steamed clams!!!"

As Ye Li spoke, he put the chicken leg directly into his mouth, and after a short while spat out the chicken bone, saying, "Vegetables!"

The next moment, Ye Duo swiftly grabbed a chopstickful of green vegetables and handed it over, earning praise once again.

Steamed clams!

At the table, the uncle and aunt watched the interaction between the brother and sister with smiles.

Poor people don't have much free time, so this is a rare moment of leisure in the day.

However, as they watched the food on the table dwindle with each bite taken by their nephew, the two did the math in their minds and couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"With Li'er's appetite, she'd be consuming at least seven or eight taels of silver a month!"

Thinking of this, Ye Cunmang took out a few taels of silver from his pocket and pushed them out, saying:

"You get three taels of silver a month. You don't need to help your family. Take this money and don't go hungry in the guild."

Looking at Uncle Ye's honest, middle-aged face, Ye Li showed a hint of helplessness: "Uncle, just take the money back. It's for the internal meals! I won't go hungry now!"

"I'll say if I'm really short of money. There's not much we can buy in the gang. We can't just use this money to gamble on Pai Gow with other people, can we? What would we do if we didn't practice our skills?"

Seeing his nephew say this, Uncle Ye could only reluctantly take back the silver.

Feeling powerless at being unable to help his juniors, he could only offer a few words of encouragement to work hard before getting up and going back to his room with a touch of melancholy.

After finishing off all the dishes on the table, he casually handed the windmill to Ye Duo, who was eagerly waiting.

Watching the girl skip and hop away into the distance, Ye Li finally patted his full stomach with satisfaction.

After a satisfying meal, it was time to take the "Body Tempering Pill"!

……

"Ordinary People (416/864)"

"Azure Dragon Strength (1424/100)"

In the abandoned, deserted wooden house, Ye Li poured out a bright yellow pill the size of a thumb from a porcelain bottle.

"I've heard that one of these Body Tempering Pills is equivalent to three days of arduous training for an ordinary person. If a genius like me takes it, will it last for three days?"

Gazing at the milky-white, fragrant pill in his hand, Ye Li recalled some medical tidbits he had learned when he was a live streamer in his previous life.

Compared to oral administration, it has an absorption rate of only 25%.

Enemas administered directly from the bottom up actually have a better absorption effect, with a utilization rate of over 50%, and in extreme cases, it can reach 95%!

In other words, from a medical perspective...

It's better to feed those below than those above; one is worth four!

If you swallow it directly, it might only last for 3 days, but if you go through the back door, it might last for 12 days!

So...where should we eat?

Ye Li stared at the Body Tempering Pill in his hand and fell silent.