Gao Wu: I became a saint through daily settlements

The two buried themselves in their soup, and for a moment the only sounds in the shop were the soft clinking of bowls and spoons.

Tiger bone strengthening soup has a mellow taste with a faint medicinal aroma. The energy in the soup is gentle and long-lasting, flowing down the throat into the stomach and then slowly seeping into the limbs and bones.

Lin Yue could clearly feel that the energy was nourishing his bones, as if every bone was slightly warm.

"This soup...it's got something special."

Wang Teng drank three bowls in one go, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His face was as red as if he had just run ten kilometers.

Lin Yue nodded and served another bowl of Qi-boosting and blood-nourishing soup.

The dark brown broth is thick and viscous, with a slightly sweet taste and a lingering sweetness unique to ginseng.

This energy is gentler than tiger bone tonic soup, like warm water soothing the blood vessels throughout the body, giving one a refreshing feeling.

"Boss, what ingredients do you use for this soup?" Wang Teng couldn't help but call out to the kitchen.

The boss poked his head out from the kitchen and said with a smile:

"Tiger bone strengthening soup uses the leg bones of the Iron-Bone Tiger, along with more than a dozen medicinal herbs such as deer antler, eucommia bark, and teasel root, and is simmered over a low flame for a full twelve hours."

"The Qi-nourishing and Blood-tonifying soup contains century-old wild ginseng, angelica, chuanxiong, red dates, and two drops of star beast blood."

"Star Beast Blood?" Wang Teng's eyes widened.

"Yes, the essence blood of the first-tier star beast, the Crimson Scale Python, can invigorate blood and clear the meridians," the shopkeeper explained.

"But rest assured, both of you, this star beast blood has undergone special processing and has no side effects; it will only enhance the therapeutic effects."

Wang Teng clicked his tongue in astonishment: "No wonder it's so expensive..."

"If only I had collected more Star Beast blood in the secret realm, how could I sell it for such a high price with just a couple of drops of low-level Star Beast blood from the roadside?" Wang Teng thought to himself, feeling a little regretful.

Lin Yue remained calm, after all, dietary supplements aren't something you drink every day, and the price of 25,000 yuan wasn't really expensive.

The two continued eating and drinking, and before they knew it, both large clay pots were empty.

Wang Teng leaned back in his chair, patting his slightly bulging belly, and said with a satisfied expression, "This is so good, I feel like I could eat another pot."

"Are you sure your stomach can handle it?" Lin Yue glanced at him.

Although the energy from dietary therapy is mild, it is still a high concentration of nutrients. Eating too much at once may lead to poor absorption and could even burden the body.

"Just kidding, just kidding." Wang Teng chuckled, snapped his fingers, and said, "Boss, check please!"

The owner walked over with a smile and handed over the bill:

"That's 55,000 Blue Star Coins for the two of you."

Wang Teng took the bill, his smile froze for a fraction of a second, then he forced himself to remain calm, took out his bracelet, and scanned the code to pay.

With a "beep," 55,000 yuan flew away.

Looking at Wang Teng's expression of barely suppressing heartache, Lin Yue couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile:

"Do you need me to prepare a shovel for next month's soil?"

"Go away!" Wang Teng rolled his eyes.

"I feel incredibly powerful; I'm going back to practice!"

After paying, Wang Teng took a taxi back to the Xuantian Martial Hall to practice his skills.

For high school students, practicing martial arts is the most important thing.

Lin Yue checked the time on his wristband; it was 3:40 PM. He then opened the ride-hailing app on the wristband.

Please select a destination.

A line of small characters appeared before Lin Yue's eyes. Lin Yue moved his fingers slightly and completed the input in a few swift strokes.

【Jiangcheng City Starry Sky Martial Arts Hall】

After entering the destination, Lin Yue clicked "confirm".

Soon, a small, all-black car pulled up in front of Lin Yue.

"Are you Mr. Lin Yue, who's going to the Starry Sky Martial Arts Hall?" A head popped out of the car window and asked.

"it's me."

Lin Yue nodded and got into the car.

"To have entered the Martial Hall at such a young age, there are truly many talented young people these days," the driver remarked as he drove.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue simply smiled faintly and said nothing more. He then activated the communication function on his bracelet and switched to a chat window with Tang Long, the master of the Starry Sky Martial Hall.

"Palace Master Tang, I need to reserve a Grade A training room for my training sessions, from 4 PM to 10 PM, a total of six hours."

In the Martial Hall, training rooms below Rank A do not require reservations; you can simply choose one based on your own strength.

Training rooms of grade A or above require the approval of the Hall Master, but not everyone is qualified to book a grade A training room. Only martial artists who have obtained advanced contracts are qualified to book a grade A training room in the Martial Hall.

Lin Yue quickly received a reply, but it wasn't from Tang Long himself. These kinds of messages were usually replied to by Tang Long's assistant, since as the head of a palace, he was always busy with other matters.

"A-level training room, right? It's already arranged for you. The room number is A303. You can just pick up a room card at the front desk of the Martial Hall."

Lin Yue usually uses B-level training rooms, which fully meet his training needs. This time, he chose an A-level training room mainly to improve his swordsmanship.

Just as I exited the reservation page, the bracelet suddenly vibrated, and a new message popped up.

The sender was Tang Jingyue.

"Junior Brother Lin, there's been a problem with the Bone-Splitting Grass."

Lin Yue frowned slightly and opened the message to read it carefully.

"When I sent people to buy up the bone-crushing herb, I found that people were buying it up in large quantities, and the bone-crushing herb circulating in the market was almost completely sold out. My people went to the medicinal herb markets in three provinces and only managed to get two plants."

"I've successfully received the Blood Dragon Mushroom and the Azure Nether Root. Now all that's missing is the Bone-Splitting Grass. I'm still figuring out a way, and I'll let you know as soon as there's any progress."

"But don't worry too much. Although the Bone-Splitting Grass is rare, it's not an extinct medicinal herb. I've contacted several long-term cooperative herb merchants and asked them to allocate some from their private stockpiles. It's just that the price might be 10% to 20% higher."

"It might just be a coincidence that we ran into other forces that were also buying up the Bone-Splitting Grass."

Lin Yue quickly adjusted his mindset and replied:

"Thank you for your help, Senior Brother Tang. It doesn't matter if the price is a bit high, as long as we can gather all the materials."

"Okay, I'll do my best."

After the conversation ended, Lin Yue turned off the bracelet, and in less than 10 minutes, he had already arrived at the Starry Sky Martial Hall.

The four large characters "Starry Sky Martial Hall" are written in a vigorous and elegant style, said to be the work of the first hall master, with each stroke containing a sharp and fierce sword intent.

Every time Lin Yue saw these four words, his eyes would feel slightly sore.

It is said that martial artists who practice the way of the sword can even gain some insights from staring at it for a long time.

However, Lin Yue tried it a few times, but apart from eye strain, he didn't feel anything, probably because his level of skill wasn't high enough.

"Thank you, driver." Lin Yue got out of the car and nodded to the driver.

Stepping into the Martial Hall, a blast of cold air hits you. People come and go in the hall, but the order is impeccable, and everyone walks with the efficiency of a martial artist.

The receptionists were two sweet-looking women wearing the same dark blue uniforms as those at the Starry Sky Martial Hall. When they saw Lin Yue approaching, one of them immediately recognized him.

"Mr. Lin Yue, are you here to pick up the room key for practice room A303?"

The girl's voice was clear and melodious. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she took a magnetic card from the drawer and handed it to me.

"It's all prepared for you. The A-level training room is on the third floor. Just walk to the end of the corridor and turn left."

"Thank you." Lin Yue took the room key and glanced at his bracelet. It was 3:55 PM, five minutes earlier than his reservation time.

He didn't rush upstairs, but instead walked to the vending machine in the corner of the lobby and bought a bottle of electrolyte water.

Although the A-level training room is fully equipped, the drinks inside are ridiculously expensive. A regular bottle of mineral water costs fifty Blue Star Coins, which is practically robbery.

Although Lin Yue wasn't as stingy as Wang Teng, he didn't want to be taken advantage of.

Lin Yue stuffed the water bottle into the side pocket of his backpack and walked toward the elevator.

When the elevator doors opened, a middle-aged man stood inside. He looked to be in his early forties, with a buzz cut and a square face.

Lin Yue slightly stepped aside to make room, but the other party took the initiative to speak.

"Are you Lin Yue?" The middle-aged man's voice was deep and resonant, carrying a sense of authority that came from someone who had long held a high position.

Lin Yue paused, looked up at the other person, and said, "Yes, that's me. And you are?"

"Zhao Hengshan," the middle-aged man announced his name.

"Tang Long mentioned you to me, saying you are one of the most promising students in this year's class."

Zhao Hengshan.

Lin Yue had certainly heard of this name before.

One of the deputy hall masters of the Jiangcheng branch of the Starry Sky Martial Hall, he specializes in fist techniques. It is said that he has mastered the Mountain-Crushing Fist to the sixth level, and can shatter the skull of a third-level star beast with a single punch.

In the martial arts world of Jiangcheng, this name carries almost as much weight as Tang Long's.

"Palace Master Zhao." Lin Yue bowed slightly as a greeting.

Zhao Hengshan waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yue as if he were sizing him up.

After a moment, he nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of approval:

"He has a good foundation, abundant blood and qi, and although the true qi in his dantian is not very deep, it is solid and condensed. He is a good prospect."

"Yes." Lin Yue did not hide anything.

Zhao Hengshan patted his shoulder, not with much force, but Lin Yue could feel the terrifying power contained in that palm.

"Practice hard."

That effortless control he possessed was far beyond what he could achieve now.

"I approved the A-level training room. Since Tang Long has high hopes for you, don't let him down."

After saying that, Zhao Hengshan strode out of the elevator and walked towards the lobby without looking back.

Lin Yue watched his retreating figure, feeling slightly surprised.

"Is this a favor to Lord Tang, or a test of my strength?" Lin Yue shook his head, not thinking too deeply about it.

The elevator stopped on the third floor.

Following the signs, Lin Yue walked through a long corridor, with rows of closed training rooms on both sides, each door marked with a number.

The Class A training room has a heavy metal door with a palm-sized transparent screen embedded in it.

Lin Yue stopped in front of A303 and placed the room card on the screen.

「滴——验证通过。欢迎使用A级练功房，您的预约时间：16:00-22:00，剩余时间：6小时。」

A synthesized female voice came from inside the door, while the metal door slid open silently to both sides.

Lin Yue walked in, and the door behind him closed automatically.

The A-level training room was much larger than he had imagined.

It is estimated to be at least 300 square meters, with a ceiling height of nearly five meters. The floor and walls are covered with dark gray energy-absorbing material, which can withstand high-intensity attacks without being damaged.

The ceiling is embedded with countless starlight lamps, emitting a soft and even light with almost no shadows.

On the floor in the very center of the room, there is a circular star array about three meters in diameter. The array pattern is intricate and precise, with a faint blue light flowing within it.

"A gravity simulation device." Lin Yue recognized it at a glance.

This is one of the core features of a Class A training room, which can adjust the gravity index according to the user's requirements.

For cultivation, the effect can be described as achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Along the wall, there is also a row of auxiliary facilities: a body function monitoring station, a repair chamber, and even an automated analysis facility for martial arts practitioners' movements.

"This is... motion capture?" Lin Yue asked curiously, looking at the device, which was neither too big nor too small.

"No wonder the A-level training room requires reservations; the maintenance cost of this equipment alone is not a small amount."

Lin Yue placed his backpack on the corner chair, opened the electrolyte water bottle, took a couple of sips, and then put the bottle away.

He didn't rush to start cultivating, but instead walked to the body function testing platform and placed his palm on the sensing area.

The instrument hummed, and a string of data appeared on the screen:

[Subject to testing: Lin Yue]

[Cultivation Level: Mid-stage Martial Artist]

Life Energy Level: 15.6

[Sword Technique: Peak First Tier]

……

"This instrument is so advanced, it can even measure things like swordsmanship and movement techniques?" Lin Yue was somewhat surprised, and then walked to the row of instruments.

"Activate double gravity mode."

Lin Yue took a deep breath and walked to the gravity zone in the center of the training room.

The moment the double gravity was activated, he felt his body suddenly sink, as if an invisible hand was pressing down on his head.

The bones made a slight creaking sound, the muscles tensed involuntarily, and even breathing became more difficult than usual.

"Double gravity is indeed different." Lin Yue moved his wrists to get used to the sudden pressure.

Swinging a knife under normal gravity and swinging a knife under twice the gravity are completely different things.

With increased gravity, every extra movement is amplified, and the transmission of every bit of force is further hindered.

But this is precisely the perfect environment for practicing swordsmanship.

Lin Yue drew his longsword.

"Enable motion capture."

As soon as he finished speaking, the blue indicator light on the instrument on the wall lit up, and a light screen almost invisible to the naked eye enveloped the entire training room.

Within the light screen, Lin Yue's figure was captured, analyzed, and modeled in real time, and a virtual image moving in sync with him appeared on the wall's display screen.

"Enable scene simulation function."

"Scene simulation function has been activated. Please select a simulation environment." The electronic female voice sounded again.

Lin Yue thought for a moment and said, "Simulate forest terrain and complex road surfaces."

The floor of the training room trembled slightly, and the dark gray energy-absorbing material began to change, rising, sinking, and intersecting, simulating a rugged forest floor in a short time.

Tree roots are intertwined, gravel is scattered, and the slope is undulating.

Although it's not real soil and trees, the feel of stepping on it is realistic enough.

"This is too realistic," Lin Yue exclaimed again, gripping the knife in his hand tightly.

He began to warm up.

At first, it was just the simplest sword swinging movements: upward chopping, downward slashing, diagonal slashing, and horizontal cutting. Every strike was executed with precision.

Under twice the gravity, these movements that were done countless times in daily life became extremely difficult.

The sound of the blade cutting through the air was deeper than usual, and each time the blade was sheathed and retracted, it required 20% more strength.

The motion capture equipment projects his every movement onto the screen, with lines of data popping up next to it:

"The angle of the left arm is deviated by 1.2 degrees; minor adjustments are recommended."

"The point of force is too far to the right, and the center of gravity is unstable."

"The sheathing speed is 0.3 seconds slower than the standard value."

Lin Yue looked at the data and frowned slightly.

What I thought was a mastery of basic skills revealed so many flaws when faced with high-precision instruments.

"Alright, let's take this opportunity to refine our movements even further."

He calmed down and made corrections one stroke at a time.

Time slipped away in monotonous repetition.

Half an hour later, Lin Yue's body was fully warmed up, and sweat slid down his forehead and dripped onto the ground.

The exertion of twice the gravity was much greater than usual, but the energy drawn from the tiger bone soup and the qi-boosting and blood-nourishing soup was now flowing continuously from his limbs and bones, nourishing his tired muscles and bones.

"This soup is really effective." Lin Yue could feel that the gentle energy was like a hot spring, slowly soothing every part of him that was slightly sore from training.

The repair speed almost kept up with the rate of wear and tear.

"Next, let's begin practicing and honing our swordsmanship."

……