Mountain and Sea Demon Martial Arts, Starting with Vertical Pupils

Chapter 25 Bone Tempering Liquid

The Mountain Guard's response was remarkably swift, and this level of attention undoubtedly confirmed the danger behind that beastly roar.

Chen Luo was nervous and dared not linger, quickly leaving the foot of the mountain.

If he were stronger, he could stay here and do his part, but with his mere second level of strength, if a demonic beast were to attack, staying would be no different from suicide.

On the way out, we would occasionally encounter hunters who were also in a hurry.

Chen Luo sighed inwardly and quickened his pace.

Thanks to the improvement in his blood and qi, he was no longer as tired when he ran fast. When he entered the county, he was not even out of breath.

He wasn't going to the martial arts school anymore. Instructor Li's training today had nothing to do with the Triple Force. Besides, because of that beast's roar, he had to hurry home.

Before heading home, he stopped by a local produce shop to sell his hunting catch, in case martial law was imposed and the snake meat would spoil.

The county had obviously heard the news, and people gathered in front of every household, their eyes fixed on the direction of Nanshan Mountain, afraid of missing even the slightest sign of a monster tide.

"It seems that even if the monster tide really comes this time, the casualties should not be too great." Witnessing all this, Chen Luo felt a little more at ease.

The monster tide in Qingshan County has a long history, but unlike the beast herds that migrated naturally due to various natural disasters in the previous life, the cause of this monster tide has always been an unsolved mystery.

Each time a monster tide attacks, it often comes without warning, suddenly erupting in the dead of night. It is usually led by a monster and targets densely populated counties. Each beast is fierce and bloodthirsty, like a suicide attack, and each time it will cause casualties of varying degrees.

But this time is different. Now that there is a beast roar as a warning, even if a monster tide really occurs, the martial arts masters of Qingyun Martial Arts School will definitely be able to arrive in time, and the county residents will be able to evacuate in advance, which will surely greatly reduce casualties.

This is good news amidst bad news. And when you think about it carefully, even if a monster tide occurs, it doesn't seem so terrible.

Chen Luo breathed a sigh of relief and arrived at the mountain goods shop. Fortunately, the shop was open and there were some hunters inside.

Seeing these hunters, he guessed that they were probably at least at the third or fourth level of strength, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to escape faster than him.

Upon entering the shop, a shop assistant came over to count Chen Luo's bamboo baskets. He then paused, said "Wait a moment," and ran into the inner room. Shortly afterward, the shopkeeper came out.

The shopkeeper gave Chen Luo a wink, and Chen Luo understood, following him to a corner of the inner hall.

"Huang Lian, go and get two taels of silver." The shopkeeper waved to a waiter.

Chen Luo was taken aback. "Two taels of silver?"

"Yes, Xiao Chen, where did you catch this green orchid?" the shopkeeper asked.

"At the usual spot in Nanshan, what's wrong?" Chen Luo asked, puzzled.

"Here's the thing," the shopkeeper explained, a smile playing on his lips. "Licheng Martial Arts Academy needs a medicinal liquid to temper the muscles and bones of a new disciple. This liquid urgently requires the venom of the Azure Orchid Snake as a catalyst, and we're offering a high reward for its preparation." He continued, "I was just worried about not having the goods and was even prepared to offer a high price to have them transported from the county. I never expected you to deliver them to me."

Chen Luo suddenly realized that he had been wondering why the mountain goods shops accepted all the rare prey that he and other hunters had hunted, even though there wasn't much of a market for them in a small county like Qingshan.

It turns out that the mountain produce shop, like the demon meat shop in Donglan Lane, had trade dealings with the upper county. It seems that those mountain products were sold to the upper county.

However, Chen Luo was more concerned about another piece of information in the shopkeeper's words.

"A medicinal elixir for tempering muscles and bones?" Chen Luo narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this and asked, "Is it something that Licheng Martial Arts Academy concocts themselves?"

"No, it was the work of a pharmacist from Qingyun Martial Arts School. Jingyi Martial Arts Academy bought it at a high price," the shopkeeper said.

Chen Luo's heart stirred; he was now particularly sensitive to the words "muscles and bones."

It's important to know that in his current state, firstly, his blood and qi have become abundant through the deer antlers; secondly, he possesses the insightful ability to "see the big picture from small details," making him exceptionally perceptive; and finally, there's a progress panel that allows him to monitor his martial arts progress in real time, and once he advances, he advances forever.

Therefore, compared to martial arts prodigies like Song Ruokui, the only thing he lacks now is physical strength.

My musculoskeletal system has always been a weakness, a congenital deficiency. All the Five Animal Frolics and Eight Pieces of Brocade exercises I did as a child were completely useless.

However, the muscles and bones are also very important in martial arts. The reason why he was not confident that he could master the Nine Yang Strength within a month was largely due to the limitations of his muscles and bones.

Now, upon hearing about a medicinal liquid that could temper bones and muscles, he admits he's tempted.

"Manager," Chen Luo said intently, "do you think there's any way, or what I should do, to get that pharmacist at Qingyun Martial Arts School to brew some of that bone-tempering elixir for me?"

The shopkeeper was taken aback at first, then suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahaha! Hahahaha!"

"..." Chen Luo glanced at him, "If you have a way, I don't need these two taels of silver, consider it a thank you gift."

"No, Xiao Chen, are you serious?" The shopkeeper's laughter subsided, and he looked at Chen Luo in surprise, only to see that Chen Luo looked very serious, even a little eager.

He then stopped smiling, thought about it seriously, and shook his head. "Little Chen, it's not that I don't want to help you, but what kind of place is Qingyun Martial Arts School? What kind of status does their pharmacist have? He's a big shot that even the county magistrate has to bow to. You want them to make medicine for you as a snake catcher? This isn't something that can be done with money alone."

"Alright then." Chen Luo took the money bag and left reluctantly.

The Qingyun Martial Arts School is indeed too high and mighty. To expect the pharmacist there to make medicine for a snake catcher sounds like a joke.

Outside the mountain produce shop, it was still light outside.

The streets were crowded with neighbors who dared not stay at home, sitting on stools outside their doors, nervously watching the direction of Nanshan Mountain.

Chen Luo walked home along the country path, and the news spread to the outskirts of the county. Along the way, everyone he saw looked worried and gathered together to discuss the matter.

He returned home.

The matter of the bone-tempering elixir needed to be considered carefully, and the first thing he did upon returning home was to pack his bags.

Although the Mountain Guard is on high alert in the South Mountain area, making it almost impossible for a monster tide to spread to the west of the city, preparations should still be made, as it is better to be prepared.

He packed his valuables into a thick burlap sack.

From then on, at the slightest sign of a monster tide, he would immediately grab his bag and run away to seek refuge in the safer eastern part of the city.

Soon, night fell.

【Nine Yang Strength (Beginner): 247/300】

"The progress has indeed slowed down," Chen Luo muttered to himself, putting down his fist.

There's nothing that can be done about it; the closer one gets to the threshold of the third level of strength, the greater the resistance one encounters.

He regulated his breathing and went outside.

Night has fallen, the moon is bright and the stars are few, but looking around, lights are shining from the windows of every household in the suburbs, and insects are chirping incessantly.

With the threat of the monsters, no one dared to sleep peacefully.

His gaze then turned to the outline of the distant Nanshan Mountain, but it was too far away, and all he could see was a huge, blurry blackness, so dark that he couldn't make out anything clearly.