Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

"grandfather!"

After dinner, Zhou Sheng found Zhou Fugan.

"What is it?"

"These past few days, I've felt that my cultivation has reached its limit. Even after consuming the Hammer Skin Soup and continuing to cultivate, I don't feel any improvement whatsoever. I think I can break through this barrier!"

Zhou Sheng let out a long breath and said with some excitement.

"Oh? Try practicing your stance training, let me see."

Zhou Sheng then began practicing the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique.

Zhou Fugan reached out and touched Zhou Sheng, then said, "Alright, Sheng'er. Your body is indeed almost ready for tempering; you can try to break through now. However, how confident are you in your chances of success?"

Zhou Sheng's face darkened slightly as he replied, "I asked Senior Brother Liu, and he said that in my condition, even after drinking a lot of the 'hammering skin soup,' my chances of breaking through the barrier should be around 30%."

"Too low!"

Zhou Fugan shook his head, thought for a moment, and then said, "Here's what we'll do: don't break through yet. Wait until tomorrow, after you've finished drinking the Hammer Skin Soup, ask Master Liu for leave, and then come back. I'll watch you break through."

"good!"

Zhou Sheng nodded happily. In his view, with his grandfather, a hidden master, intervening, his breakthrough was almost a certainty.

"Now let me tell you what it feels like when you impact the membrane barrier," Zhou Fugan said.

Zhou Sheng immediately pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

...

The next morning, Old Zhang of Zhang's Tavern discovered that Zhou's second son was about to leave with his wife and children.

"Guangcheng, where are you going? Is the shop closed?" Old Zhang asked curiously.

"Uncle Zhang, Qiuhua and I are going back to her parents' home, so the shop will be closed today." Zhou Guangcheng agreed and left with his wife and children, carrying several large and small bags.

"Isn't Old Zhou still around? This family is really going to die!" Old Zhang muttered casually as he watched the people walk away.

At this time, Zhou Fugan had already left home.

After disguising himself, he channeled his energy, causing his muscles to bulge, instantly transforming him from a frail old man into a tall and robust one. Then he put a straw hat on his head to cover his face, making him unrecognizable to anyone.

He arrived at a pharmacy in the west of the city called Balentang.

He bought his Fireballs here. But he didn't come here this time for the Fireballs.

"Honorable guest, you've come again. Our manager is inside, please follow me." The pharmacy clerk greeted him warmly as soon as he saw him.

Zhou Fugan followed the shop assistant into the back room and met Lin Qinghe, the owner of the pharmacy.

"Manager Lin."

"Master Zhang!"

"I wonder if Martial Arts Master Zhang has come this time to buy Fiery Pills?"

After the two greeted each other and sat down, Lin Qinghe asked.

Zhou Fugan shook his head slightly, then said, "No. I came here this time for the half-year-old ginseng that Manager Lin has!"

"No problem, no problem."

Lin Qinghe immediately smiled.

Not long after, Zhou Fugan walked out of Balentang and quickly disappeared into the streets and alleys.

When he returned home, Zhou Fugan carried his tailor's box again and became an old tailor.

"Old Zhou, you're back so early?" Old Zhang shouted from afar.

"We came back because there wasn't much business."

Zhou Fugan gave a casual reply.

Back home, he opened the box, took out a small wooden box, opened it, and revealed a short, thick ginseng root about the size of a thumb.

This ginseng is yellowish-brown all over, with a faint luster and a strange fragrance.

This is no ordinary ginseng; it is a precious medicinal herb that is half a year old.

Despite their young age, precious herbs are treasures from the moment they are created, and even a single day's supply possesses extraordinary and powerful effects. This is the difference between precious herbs and ordinary herbs.

This precious ginseng cost him a full thirty taels of silver, and its effect was to help martial artists break through the skin barrier.

"With this precious ginseng, Sheng'er's chances of breaking through the barrier can be increased to 50%!"

Zhou Fugan smiled with satisfaction, then went to the kitchen, started boiling water in a pot, and then put the ginseng and the prepared medicine into the pot to simmer.

The medicinal properties of this precious medicine are volatile and unsuitable for direct consumption by most people. However, its volatile nature can be mitigated through processing and decoction. While it cannot be completely eliminated and may cause some harm to the body, with the aid of Tai Chi, this damage can be easily mitigated.

Just then, Zhou Sheng's voice came from outside the door: "Grandpa, I'm back."

"good!"

When Zhou Fugan saw Zhou Sheng return, he immediately put up the door panel and closed the door to guests.

"Grandpa, what's that smell? It smells so good!"

Upon entering the courtyard, Zhou Sheng sniffed and asked in surprise.

"Hehe, these are naturally good things that Grandpa prepared for you."

Zhou Fugan chuckled and opened the lid of the porcelain basin on the table.

Zhou Sheng looked over curiously and was surprised to find that the porcelain basin was half full of thick medicinal liquid, and a yellowish-brown ginseng root was translucent, floating in the liquid.

"Could this be?" Zhou Sheng's eyes widened, as if he had remembered something.

Zhou Fugan smiled kindly and nodded slightly. "That's right, this is a precious medicinal herb that Grandpa prepared for you. Come, drink it, and you can begin your breakthrough!"

"grandfather!"

Zhou Sheng was extremely excited upon hearing this.

He was naturally aware of the precious medicine's reputation, but he had never dared to hope that he would ever need it. It was simply too expensive. Even knowing that his grandfather was a hidden master, he wouldn't dare to even consider it.

Unexpectedly, Grandpa had already prepared everything for him!

"Indeed, having a good grandfather is more important than anything else!"

Zhou Sheng thought to himself. With this precious ginseng, his chances of breaking through the barrier were more than 50%.

Glug glug~~~

Suppressing his excitement, Zhou Sheng picked up the porcelain basin and drank the medicinal soup in one gulp. Then he grabbed the precious ginseng, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.

Then, he went to the middle of the courtyard and began to cultivate with complete concentration.

After consuming the Hammer Skin Soup and swallowing a precious ginseng, Zhou Sheng felt waves of scorching heat surging through his body, as if he were being burned by fire. Before long, his skin turned as red as a boiled crab.

Sweat poured out, soaking through his clothes, but was quickly evaporated by his rising body temperature, leaving a layer of salt stains on his clothes.

Zhou Sheng was so engrossed in practicing the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique that he seemed to have forgotten about time and everything else.

Zhou Fugan stood to the side, watching with a solemn expression.

Most of the day has passed,

dong dong dong~~

Zhou Sheng suddenly felt his heart pounding like a drum, a pulling force within his body, his skin contracting and tightening, and his hands and feet twitching as if they were out of his control.

"The challenge has begun!"

He felt a chill run down his spine, remembering his grandfather's experience, and immediately mustered all his strength to restore the disturbed stance to normal.

Soon, his physical strength was exhausted, and he could no longer maintain even the basic moves. Just then, a surge of heat rushed in, and his strength was immediately restored, allowing him to stabilize his cultivation.

This is the effect of ginseng; it greatly replenishes vital energy and can significantly increase the margin for error during the breakthrough process.

Time passed slowly, each day feeling like an eternity for Zhou Sheng. Finally, he felt as if some taut string within him suddenly released. The opposing force that had been resisting him vanished instantly.

His body rapidly became stronger; his power and senses were all intensifying.

"I did it!"

Zhou Sheng was overjoyed.

"My grandson succeeded!"

Zhou Fugan, standing beside him, looked relieved; the anxiety that had been hanging over him finally subsided.