Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The controversy surrounding the registered disciples has almost subsided.

Chu Hong lived a simple life, going to the mansion every day to practice stances, boxing, and the Void Palm technique.

The palm strike was fierce, with hidden force following it.

Chu Hong's growing proficiency fueled his enthusiasm.

His whole body was radiating energy and he was sweating profusely, which warmed the cold air nearby.

A short while later, Chu Hong withdrew his palm, stood up, and opened the panel.

Heaven rewards diligence.

[Effect: Reflecting on all methods, diligent study and practice will surely yield results!]

【Hun Yuan Zhuang (Da Cheng) 467/4000】

【Nine-Forged Fist (Mastery) 345/4000】

【Swift Step (Minor Mastery) 786/2000】

【Cold-light legs (Minor achievement) 11/2000】

【Void Palm (Beginner) 322/1000】

He has already mastered one-tenth of the stance training. If this continues, it won't be long before he reaches the level of "transformation energy".

Chu Hong counted on his fingers and realized that he had achieved the Transformation Realm in less than two years.

Such a situation is probably rare even in the Azure Dragon Prefecture.

Looking at his Cold Light Leg technique, which was already at a minor level, and his Void Palm technique, which was at least a third of the way proficient, Chu Hong felt a surge of pride.

With several martial arts techniques protecting me, how could martial arts possibly stump me?

"But I still lack combat experience, so I need to find some martial artists outside to practice against."

The selection criteria for martial arts courses are not limited to martial arts school disciples.

Any martial artist in Yunxi County who is below the Transformation Realm can register for the martial arts examination to gain fame and fortune.

Having official rank not only exempts one from heavy taxes, but also grants special privileges in many matters.

For example, if Chu Hong's elder brother, Chu Tian, ​​had survived being forcibly conscripted into the army, Chu Hong's merits could have even been used to bring Chu Tian back.

This is also one of the reasons why Chu Hong wanted to participate in the martial arts program.

Another example is the Tianshui Escort Agency in Yunxi County.

If the head of the escort agency hadn't held a prestigious official position, it would have been extremely difficult to obtain government approval to establish such an agency.

Even with a permit, don't expect to survive on Dawei Escort Agency's territory.

It was precisely because of his official rank that he had an extra layer of protection; even a powerful organization like the Dawei Escort Agency had to leave him some food.

Despite the encouraging progress on the panel, Chu Hong still had a worry weighing on his mind.

His resources were exhausted.

Qi and blood pills, medicinal herbs, meat... everything that can be digested and boost qi and blood has been exhausted.

"I need to get some more resources, preferably Qi and Blood Pills, as they will be of the greatest use to me."

The next day, Chu Hong entered the Hundred Medicines Pavilion.

This is a four-story building, with an antique charm, and a constant flow of people coming and going.

As soon as Chu Hong entered, a quick-witted waiter greeted him: "Sir, what would you like to order?"

"Our Hundred Medicines Pavilion has everything you could possibly need."

Do you have Qi and Blood Pills?

"Yes!" The waiter's smile widened upon hearing this, and he gestured, "This way, sir."

The servant led Chu Hong to a secluded private room, poured him a cup of hot tea, and asked:

"Excuse me, sir, do you have a receipt for the Qi and Blood Pills?"

Issuance voucher?

Chu Hong had never heard of this before; you need this to buy pills.

Seeing this, the servant quickly explained to Chu Hong.

It turns out that the Qi and Blood Pill is a controlled medicine of the Azure Dragon Prefecture, and a quota is allocated to the counties below it every month.

The supply of medicines from the Baiyao Pavilion in Yunxi County is limited, but various factions are in dire need of these elixirs, resulting in a situation where there are far more monks than porridge.

To prevent people from fighting and grabbing things, Baiyaoge issued vouchers to the forces in Yunxi County every month.

You can only buy Qi and Blood Pills with proof of purchase; otherwise, no matter how much money you have, you won't be able to buy a single pill.

"So that's how it is!"

No wonder the Song family once said that they could only receive five Qi and Blood Pills each month.

So that's where the root of the problem lies.

He had previously wondered why, with so many internal strength martial artists in Yunxi County, there were only so few experts at the transformation level. Was there something wrong with that?

Now it seems that, aside from factors related to one's own innate talent and aptitude, the limitation lies in resources such as elixirs.

Chu Hong asked in a low voice, "Young man, may I ask how to obtain a medicine collection voucher?"

"Sir, we conduct a comprehensive assessment of the strength of each faction every year and issue medicine collection vouchers based on their strength."

"But there's one thing: even the biggest power needs someone at the Transformation Realm to oversee it, otherwise they won't get a share."

In terms of influence, Chu Hong currently belongs to the Chengfeng Martial Arts Academy.

But Zhuang Chengfeng would never give him the elixir.

We'll have to find another way.

As Chu Hong was deep in thought, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Immediately afterwards, a young girl pushed open the door and bowed to Chu Hong, saying:

"Young Master Chu, the Pavilion Master requests your presence."

Chu Hong's heart stirred.

The Pavilion Master's invitation—does it mean he knows you need elixirs and wants to invest in you?

"Then I'll have to trouble you, young lady."

Chu Hong stood up without any hesitation and followed the girl to the top floor pavilion.

The room was dimly lit, but had a refreshing fragrance.

Chu Hong spotted the woman in green sitting on the futon, carefully brewing tea.

The woman wore a half-mask, completely obscuring the upper half of her face, making it impossible to see her true features.

Upon Chu Hong's arrival, the woman in green poured him a cup of hot tea and spoke calmly, getting straight to the point:

"Young Master Chu, I have Qi and Blood Pills that can definitely meet your needs, but you have to do something for me."

Chu Hong lowered his head in deep thought, unable to understand why the other party wanted to contact him.

He asked, but the woman in green shook her head and did not explain: "Don't worry, young master, the Hundred Medicines Pavilion will not harm you."

"If you don't believe me, you should at least believe Qingqing. She really admires you."

Qingqing?

Chu Hong was taken aback, and the image of the green-clad girl who addressed Xiao Yi as her junior brother flashed through his mind.

Since we're acquaintances, things are easier to discuss.

Chu Hong's guard lifted slightly, and he spoke:

"In that case, may I ask what you need me to do? Please make it clear beforehand that if it is too difficult or dangerous, please forgive me for being unable to comply."

The woman in green smiled, and the entire room seemed to brighten as a result.

"Does this mean Young Master Chu has agreed?"

"nature."

"If that's the case, then I'll say it. Our Hundred Medicines Pavilion is ostensibly a trading company, but secretly it belongs to the Azure Dragon Prefecture's Inspection Division, where we are responsible for oversight."

"Young master, would you mind working as a spy within the Hundred Herbs Pavilion first?"

The woman in green told Chu Hong that his mission was simple: to investigate whether the Tianshui Escort Agency was colluding with the Wuyou Sect.

The reason is also very simple.

In recent months, many Worry-Free Cult members have emerged in Qinglong Prefecture. They have been frequently active, seemingly searching for something, causing chaos in various counties.

Some counties even suffered heavy losses because the inner city forces colluded with the Worry-Free Cult.

Yunxi County was fortunate to have broken through the Wuyou Sect's plans several times, and the situation is temporarily normal.

However, the various forces that surrendered in the previous battle, although they paid a huge price and were not completely eliminated, have been targeted and suspected by the Inspection Division.

Therefore, spies were dispatched to investigate in secret, and if any abnormalities were found, they would be dealt with in a unified manner.

The woman in green took out an iron plaque and pushed it toward Chu Hong.

"Young Master Chu, you must be careful during the investigation. You are not the first to investigate their spies."

Chu Hong was puzzled and clasped his hands in a fist and asked, "I have never been a spy."

"I have no connection with the Tianshui Escort Agency, so it's not wise to investigate them rashly."

The woman in green slowly shook her head, the tea in her cup flowing into her mouth, and smiled:

"Young Master Chu is focused solely on his training and seems unaware of what has happened. Don't worry, you'll soon have dealings with them."

The woman in green didn't say it outright, which annoyed Chu Hong.

He hated people who spoke in riddles more than anything else in his life.

As Chu Hong put away the iron plate and was about to leave, he saw the woman in green take out a piece of paper and hand it to him.

"Here you are, Young Master Chu. I will not treat you unfairly. I will give you a monthly allowance of ten Qi and Blood Pills. If you do well, there will be additional rewards."

"After this is done, there is one more extremely important thing to entrust to you, but that's a matter for later."

"Go."

A moment later, Chu Hong, carrying the pills, slowly walked out of the Hundred Medicines Pavilion.

Although his doubts were not completely resolved, he did not intend to delve into them further.

Do it! Ten Qi and Blood Pills a month, more than the Song family's share.

What more could you ask for?

Moreover, there are additional benefits.

As Chu Hong was pondering this, he had just returned home when he heard a series of urgent shouts.

"Brother Chu, Brother Chu, something's happened!"