Fantasy: Starting with a bowl, you can exchange it for endless cultivation.

That evening, they returned to Baoyaotang in Qingping Town.

In his own courtyard.

Gu Chen took out the Five Thunder Innate Skill and examined it.

The Innate Realm, also known as the Five Innate Realms, consists of five realms.

Flesh Refining Realm, Skin Tempering Realm, Bone Forging Realm, Tendon Changing Realm, Dirty Sacrifice Realm.

This Five Thunder Innate Skill is divided into five chapters: Earth Thunder Refining Flesh, Metal Thunder Tempering Skin, Fire Thunder Forging Bones, Wood Thunder Changing Tendons, and Water Thunder Sacrificing Impurities.

The first of the five innate realms is the Flesh Refining Realm.

Gu Chen then began to study the Earth and Thunder Refining Flesh Manual.

According to the description in the Earth and Thunder Flesh Refining Manual, the Flesh Refining Realm involves absorbing energy from the outside world to temper the flesh and blood. However, the flesh and blood tempered using the Earth and Thunder Flesh Refining Manual technique can be imbued with the power of earth and thunder.

This gives the body both the heavy defensive power of earth and the sharp offensive power of lightning. When the body is fully refined, it becomes as hard as earth and rock, and ordinary swords and knives cannot cut through it. The power of earth and lightning flows through it, and it has a counter-damage effect on the enemy.

Its strength far surpasses that of those who cultivate other techniques at the Body Refining Realm.

However, it is quite difficult to comprehend this cultivation technique.

But Gu Chen doesn't need to worry about this problem.

He took out a copper bowl and put the martial arts technique into it.

"I want to exchange my insights from 'Earth and Thunder Meat Refining Chapter'."

A line of golden characters appeared inside the bronze bowl:

[Spend ten taels of silver to exchange for insights into the "Earth Thunder Flesh Refining Chapter" cultivation technique.]

Gu Chen has been working as a guard in Qingping Town for two and a half months. He had already withdrawn his first month's salary when he arrived.

Of the fifteen taels of silver earned in the second month, five taels were spent to exchange for information about why the town magistrate wanted to kill Xu Dongqing.

I still have ten taels of silver left, which is just enough.

Gu Chen directly chose to redeem.

If you put ten taels of silver into a copper bowl, the silver will disappear.

A surge of profound insights into the cultivation technique flooded his mind, allowing him to instantly master the Earth Thunder Flesh Refining Chapter.

Having mastered the technique, he can now continue to exchange it for cultivation points to advance his realm.

He hasn't taken the two doses of herbal medicine he's taken today.

Gu Chen poured the two portions of medicine directly into the copper bowl.

A line of gold text appeared:

Two servings of Ordinary Blood-Strengthening Soup can be exchanged for one day's worth of Pure Cultivation Points.

Gu Chen was taken aback when he saw the hint in the copper bowl.

One day.

It shouldn't be two days, right? This is two servings of blood-strengthening soup.

Previously, it could be exchanged for two days of pure cultivation.

Now it can only be redeemed for one day, and the effect of the herbal medicine is halved.

Gu Chen communicated with the copper bowl and received feedback that as his cultivation level rose to the peak of the Blood Refining Realm and he began to break through to the Innate Realm, the Blood Strengthening Soup's effect on his cultivation level weakened.

Therefore, according to the copper bowl, two servings of medicinal soup are now needed to exchange for a day's worth of cultivation.

When he breaks through to the Skin Tempering Realm of the second stage of the Innate Realm, he stops improving his flesh and blood and begins to temper his skin.

The Blood-Strengthening Soup can no longer be exchanged for cultivation points; it must be exchanged for other resources that are useful for his cultivation.

Gu Chen chose to exchange.

Let's not worry about that for now. Let's exchange as much as we can right now. Improving our cultivation level is the most important thing.

A surge of cultivation energy directly entered his body, and he then transformed it into earth and lightning power through his cultivation technique, which tempered his flesh and blood and elevated his realm.

At his current rate of two doses of herbal medicine to exchange for one day's cultivation, it would take him at least four or five months to break through to the early stage of the Flesh Refining Realm.

He didn't want to wait that long.

If the quality isn't good enough, then make up for it with quantity.

Since two doses of Blood-Strengthening Soup are needed to exchange for one day's cultivation, he'll get ten or a hundred doses to exchange for it, and his cultivation level will improve faster.

However, a serving of the Blood-Strengthening Soup costs five qian of silver, and he doesn't have a single qian of silver on him right now, so he needs to find a way to get some.

But how do we get the money?

His monthly salary is only fifteen taels of silver; he can't very well rob someone.

Oh right, grab it!

Gu Chen suddenly thought of something. Although he couldn't possibly rob someone, he had some information that he might be able to exchange for some silver.

Gu Chen smiled mysteriously.

She probably doesn't lack money.

The next day.

After Gu Chen received the two doses of medicinal soup for the day in exchange for cultivation points, he arranged to meet someone at a secluded teahouse in the town.

Gu Chen wore a mask to disguise himself, making it impossible for anyone to see his true face.

The person who came to keep the appointment also wore a veil and was very careful, afraid that her identity would be recognized.

Upon arrival, she coldly asked Gu Chen, "Who are you, and how do you know about my relationship with Xu Dongqing?"

The person who arrived was none other than Liu Yanfang, the wife of Hong Tao, the wealthy patriarch of the Hong family in Qingping Town, who had an affair with Xu Dongqing.

Gu Chen recalled the intelligence he had previously obtained: Xu Dongqing died because his illegitimate son with Madam Liu was captured by the evil spirits raised by the town envoy. He went to investigate and eventually stumbled upon the town envoy's secret, whereupon he was killed by the evil spirits under the town envoy's command.

He could make good use of this situation and ask this Madam Liu for some money to spend.

"Madam, who I am is not important. What is important is that you don't want people to know about your affair with Xu Dongqing, do you?!" Gu Chen said calmly.

"What are you going to do!" Liu Yanfang's expression involuntarily tensed up beneath her veil.

She believed she had kept her affair with Xu Dongqing a secret, and that no third person knew about it.

But this person in front of me, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, somehow knew about this.

If he were to report this to the master, she would be finished!

"One thousand taels of silver. I'll keep this to myself. Otherwise, I guarantee this matter will spread throughout the entire Qingping Town by tomorrow," Gu Chen said.

"A thousand taels? Why don't you just rob me!" Liu Yanfang was furious upon hearing this.

Gu Chen is making outrageous demands!

He knew exactly how much a thousand taels of silver was, yet he dared to ask for it!

"A maximum of one hundred taels, not a penny more," Liu Yanfang replied coldly.

"Nine hundred taels." Knowing that Liu Yanfang might really not be able to come up with that amount, Gu Chen took a step back.

"Two hundred taels, that's my bottom line," Liu Yanfang said through gritted teeth.

"Eight hundred taels, that's the lowest I can go," Gu Chen replied.

"Three hundred taels. If you don't agree, then go ahead and tell everyone. Anyway, Dongqing is already dead and the child is lost. At worst, I'll go down and join them." Liu Yanfang glared at Gu Chen.

"Seven hundred taels. If you're unwilling to pay, then forget it. I'll pass on the word right away." Gu Chen stood up, preparing to leave.

"Wait!" Liu Yanfang quickly called out to him.

In the end, the two tugged at each other a few more times.

The price was set at six hundred taels.

She gave Gu Chen six hundred taels of silver, and Gu Chen promised her that he would keep this matter a secret forever.

The two completed the transaction that day.

Gu Chen happily returned to Baoyaotang with six hundred taels of silver.

With this money, he will be able to break through to the first level of the Innate Realm, the Body Refining Realm.

That night.

Gu Chen approached Li Linfeng, the head of Baoyaotang, and went straight to the point: "Old Li, I want to order a batch of Blood Strengthening Soup from your Baoyaotang, about a thousand servings. Do you have that many in stock right now?"

To order the blood-strengthening soup, you can simply order it from Bao Yaotang, which specializes in this business.

He's a nurse, so he can get insider pricing.

"One thousand copies." Li Linfeng was taken aback.

He was a little curious as to why Gu Chen wanted so many doses of blood-strengthening soup all at once. Had he met a big customer outside?

When external forces need to order large quantities of herbal medicine at once, they will approach some of the internal staff of Baoyaotang.

Purchases made in the name of these insiders can enjoy internal discounts; guards or pharmacists have done this before.

However, they rarely encounter a big customer like Gu Chen, who orders a thousand servings of blood-strengthening soup in one go. He could make a fortune from kickbacks.

"Yes, a thousand copies." Gu Chen nodded.

"Yes, we do, but we need to prepare." Li Linfeng said, "You've met a big customer. He actually asked you to take so much goods at once. He'll probably make a lot of kickbacks this time."

"Haha." Gu Chen chuckled, realizing that Li Linfeng must have misunderstood.

They assumed that the herbs for the blood-strengthening soup he received were ordered by someone else who wanted to get an insider price.

After all, for a bodyguard like him, drinking two bowls of herbal soup a day is perfectly sufficient for his cultivation. The Precious Medicine Hall provides two free servings of herbal soup daily.

There's absolutely no need to buy anything extra.

Gu Chen didn't explain; it was better this way, saving him the trouble of finding other reasons to explain.

"I want a thousand copies at once, so I can give you a 5% discount. Since it's being purchased in your name, you can also enjoy an additional 0.05% internal discount, making it 10% off." Li Linfeng laughed, "How about this, I'll give you an even bigger discount, let's say 12% off, so you can make more money."

As the head of Baoyaotang, he has the authority to do so; he just needs to make sure the accounts are in order.

This is a way of indirectly allowing Gu Chen to earn more.

It was also to befriend Gu Chen, someone whom He Xiangdong had high hopes for.

"Sure, I'll treat you to drinks another day, haha," Gu Chen said with a smile.

One thousand servings of Blood-Strengthening Soup cost five qian of silver per serving, which is five hundred taels of silver. With an 88% discount, it becomes four hundred and forty taels.

Gu Chen gave Li Linfeng all the silver directly.

The next day, the ingredients for a thousand doses of the Blood-Strengthening Soup were delivered to Gu Chen's courtyard.

Looking at the thousand portions of blood-strengthening soup herbs piled up in front of him.

Gu Chen pondered, wondering if these well-matched medicinal herbs, if not boiled into a soup, could be exchanged for cultivation points with the copper bowl.

It would be too troublesome to boil all these medicinal herbs into a decoction, and it would also easily reveal that he wasn't buying it for outsiders.

Try it.

Gu Chen took out the bronze bowl and used his mind to make it grow larger, until it was as big as a large water vat.

Then, put three hundred portions of medicinal herbs in to test it out first.

Then, golden characters appeared on the bronze bowl:

Three hundred portions of common Blood-Strengthening Soup ingredients can be exchanged for one hundred and thirty-five days of pure cultivation.

"Okay." Gu Chen was delighted.

However, this exchange rate stunned Gu Chen once again.

Isn't it supposed to be 50/50?

Why can I only exchange for 135 days of cultivation? Shouldn't it be 150 days?

Could it be that he doesn't actually need that many medicinal herbs to exchange for cultivation points to break through to the Flesh Refining Realm?

Once you reach the Flesh Refining Realm, the effects of the Blood Strengthening Soup will decrease again, so you can exchange for even less cultivation points.

That's why the ratio isn't two to one.

Gu Chen took out sixty portions of medicinal herbs from the copper bowl.

The exchange ratio immediately became two to one, with 240 portions of medicinal herbs exchanged for 120 days of cultivation.

Just as I thought!

In other words, he only needs 240 portions of medicinal herbs to exchange for 120 days of cultivation to break through to the Flesh Refining Realm.