I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

"Sword Qi!"

"That's a realm that only those with the purest swordsmanship and extraordinary talent can reach. As for you... you should just focus on honing your qi and blood."

This is not something someone of your level can achieve by aiming too high.

In the end, they still didn't say anything.

Looking at the vermilion gate in front of him, Zhou An thought of Guo Tao's previous warning, shook his head helplessly, and then stepped over the threshold of Mingwen Hall.

"Manager Liu, I'd like to inquire about sect missions. Do you have any suggestions?"

Arriving at the counter, Zhou An looked at the middle-aged man who was dozing off and said respectfully.

"How come you've mastered Blood Refinement so quickly?"

Manager Liu adjusted his square hat, his slightly cloudy eyes sweeping over Zhou An before he yawned.

"It's almost done, but it'll be soon, so I wanted to find out more in advance."

Zhou An chuckled, glanced at Manager Liu's sleazy yellow front teeth, and said with a slightly ingratiating smile.

"Today, our Instructor Guo talked about internal strength, iron stake skills, and the Eighteen Horizontal Trainings, so I'm a little envious."

"It's good for young people to be ambitious, but taking too big a step can easily lead to disaster."

Manager Liu smiled sarcastically and raised an eyebrow slightly at Zhou An.

"Have you even mastered Ming Jin (a type of internal energy cultivation) before you dare to come?"

Zhou An remained silent, but took a step back and clenched his fist tightly.

"Snapped!"

A punch was thrown out, smashing through the air with a dull thud.

Manager Liu's cloudy eyes lit up, a hint of surprise flashing in them. After brushing away the brownish-yellow eye discharge from the corner of his eye, he casually commented.

"It's like farting, but it's still enough to get a feel for the Ming Jin (a type of martial arts) level, so I'm qualified to learn a thing or two in advance."

"Thank you, Steward Liu."

Watching Manager Liu behind the counter rummaging through books in the drawer, Liu An wasn't annoyed. He chuckled and then leaned back against the counter.

With a snap, the black book hit the table, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Given your current conditions, there are roughly three types of tasks you can perform."

Manager Liu waved his hand, brushing away the fine dust in front of the counter, and spoke.

"Which three types are there? How easy are they to master? How long does it take to exchange them for Iron Stake Skill?"

Zhou An pressed his advantage, launching into a three-part attack to prevent the stimulating effect of the silent, powerful energy from dissipating.

"Our Seven Mysteries Sect is based on the medicinal herb business, but to get involved in this, one must at least have mastered the Blood Refining Technique and cultivated either the Knife Technique or the Sword Technique to a minor level before one can make contact."

Someone like you, a half-baked amateur, can only do three things right now: escorting supplies, patrolling the streets, and collecting herbs.

Of these, gathering medicinal herbs offers the greatest rewards, but requires a certain level of pharmacological knowledge...

"I'm afraid I can't do this. I wonder if you have any pharmacological atlases here? I'd like to take this opportunity to learn them properly."

Zhou An spoke candidly, his bright eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"You do have some self-awareness."

Manager Liu was delighted.

"The round trip of escorting supplies takes anywhere from ten days to several months. It's certainly not feasible for you, a beginner in martial arts, to do that now."

After all, the achievements of you little brats are related to Guo's performance.

Patrolling the streets is acceptable, but the main task is to patrol within the Seven Mysteries Sect's sphere of influence and punish those who cause trouble.

You'll receive three taels of silver and three contribution points per month, but you'll need to cultivate your swordsmanship or knife skills to a minor level of mastery, or master your fist techniques to a major level of mastery and understand the power of internal energy.

This shouldn't be difficult for you.

"Three taels of silver? That means it wouldn't even buy one dose of blood-tonifying powder in three months!"

Zhou An felt a pang of despair.

One serving of medicinal cuisine is worth one tael of silver, and one serving of blood-tonifying powder is equivalent to 10 servings of medicinal cuisine.

The money I earn isn't even enough to eat.

How long would it take to save this up?

"As a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect, your contribution points can offset a portion of the silver. Three months' worth is enough for you to buy a blood-replenishing powder and still have two taels left."

Manager Liu glanced at Zhou An's furrowed brows and knew exactly what the little guy was thinking.

"What, you think it's not enough?"

"That's true to some extent, but since you say it's the most suitable for me, there must be a reason."

Zhou An subtly expressed his thoughts before asking the question.

"How many contribution points are needed to exchange for the Iron Stake Skill?"

"Whether it's Iron Stake Kung Fu or the Eighteen Horizontal Training, you need 100 contribution points to redeem them."

"How long would it take to save that up?"

Zhou An's voice carried a hint of wailing.

"If you want to speed things up, that's fine too. Do more tasks, think more about the sect, let the higher-ups see your value, and then resources will naturally be allocated to you."

If you're lucky, and catch the eye of one of the sect's stewards or elders, you'll naturally have everything.

Manager Liu joked.

"So, what do you think of me?"

Zhou An blinked, took a step back, and spun around.

"Although my appearance and figure are slightly inferior to when I was young, they are still acceptable."

After carefully examining the man, Manager Liu stroked his chin and nodded.

Zhou An glanced at the other person's splayed yellow teeth and the small bumps on his face, and chose not to comment.

"In that case, if you can produce a resounding Ming Jin within five days, I can let you experience the taste of An Jin ahead of time."

Do you have any books?

Zhou An's eyes sparkled.

"I don't have the book, but you can take a good look at this one when you get back."

Manager Liu thought for a moment, then took out two booklets, each about the thickness of a fingernail, from the drawer and threw them onto the counter.

Zhou An hurriedly went to look.

One book is on basic herbal medicine, and the other is a collection of Lao Liu's personal essays.

"Hmm, Lao Liu's Random Musings?"

Zhou An's eyes lit up as he looked at the booklet, its pages yellowed slightly.

"Manager Liu, what is this?"

"Some of my past practice experiences that I jotted down have been seen by Instructor Guo and Instructor Qian. Since they've all been put out together, you can take a look at them too."

"If you break it, you'll have to pay me thirty taels of silver."

Manager Liu glanced at the booklet, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes, and casually waved his hand as he spoke.

The cultivation experience has been reviewed by both Instructor Guo and Instructor Qian.

Looking at the yellowed booklet in his hand, Zhou An's eyes brightened even more.

"Don't worry, I definitely won't break it. I'll treat it like a treasure... Thank you, Steward Liu. I'll come back to take on another task in a few days."

Zhou An quickly put away the two booklets, and halfway there, he turned back and gave a solemn bow.

"Rash and impulsive."

Watching Zhou An disappear through the door, Manager Liu looked disgusted, but there was a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

"Brother Zhou, where have you been? I've been looking for you."

Back in the courtyard, just as Zhou An was about to enter, he saw Liu Shuqing peeking out from the side.

"What is it?"

"About Wang Yi."

Liu Shuqing glanced around mysteriously, and only after confirming that no one was around did she cautiously approach.

"I just asked Qiao Youwei, and he said that Wang Yi's arm strength has now reached 256 jin, and his blood and qi have flowed through his arms."

This guy quietly held back for ten days, all to win first place and prove he's a genius.

genius?

Who the hell isn't a genius?

"No matter how talented he is, it has nothing to do with us. We should focus on cultivating ourselves and try to get ahead of him in terms of qi and blood circulation throughout our bodies."

Zhou An patted Liu Shuqing on the shoulder, said a few words, and then stepped into his courtyard.

Close the door and bolt it.

As soon as Fang Yi returned to the room, Zhou An carefully took out Old Liu's notebook from his pocket.

......