「Early morning.」

Chen Li rose early as usual, practicing his Martial Arts for an hour before practicing with his Iron Staff for a while.

After finishing the breakfast his wife had prepared, he packed some dry rations and got ready to check on the fields.

The rice was nearly ready for harvest, and he couldn’t feel at ease unless he went to check on it every day.

Just then.

The system interface, long dormant in his mind, suddenly appeared.

[Eldest son Chen Shouheng has achieved Entry-level in the Martial Dao and advanced to Force Cultivation. Reward issued: Recipe for the Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine, 5 years of lifespan.]

The moment the notification faded, an indescribable, wondrous feeling swept through his entire body.

Chen Li felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was like a withered tree experiencing spring; his organs, limbs, and bones all felt indescribably light and vigorous, and even his breathing became exceptionally smooth.

’This... is the increase in lifespan?’ Chen Li was both shocked and overjoyed, carefully savoring the significant changes in his body.

As the mystical sensation gradually subsided, he took out the recipe for the Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine.

His eyes scanned the list. The main ingredients were "Turtle Shell" and "Snake Bone," while the supplementary herbs included over a dozen precious materials like ginseng, Antler, Solomon’s seals, mulberry, Eucommia ulmoides, Cistanche, and Dodder Seed. It was also clearly noted that the older the medicinal ingredients, the better the effect.

The detailed explanation of the recipe stated that this medicine could greatly replenish Innate Essence, warm and nourish the Dantian, generate Inner Qi, and provide immense benefits to one’s Martial Dao Cultivation by strengthening muscles and bones.

When he had sent Shouheng to the martial arts hall after the new year, Chen Li had thought about having his son buy a couple of extra servings of the hall’s Foundation Strengthening and Essence Nourishing Medicinal Cuisine to bring home.

Unfortunately, the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall controlled this medicine extremely strictly and forbade anyone from taking it out, so he had to give up on the idea.

He never would have thought that the system would directly reward him with a Secret Medicine this time.

Chen Li’s heart burned with excitement, and he no longer had any desire to inspect the fields. He rushed home to inform his wife, then drove the ox cart straight to the county town.

He rested at an inn for one night.

The next day, he visited three different pharmacies, purchasing the necessary medicinal ingredients from the recipe in separate batches.

He also bought a thick earthenware medicine pot, returned to the inn, borrowed the stove in the backyard, and carefully brewed the concoction, strictly following the procedure and heat control described in the recipe.

When the medicine was ready, an extraordinary fragrance filled the room.

After taking it, Chen Li immediately sat cross-legged on the bed, focused his mind, and began circulating the Five Grains Qi Storage Technique.

As soon as the medicinal power dissolved, the effects were instantaneous.

A warm current surged up from his Dantian, flowing like a gentle stream through his limbs and bones.

The wisp of Inner Qi that usually took half an hour of arduous cultivation to refine now condensed in just a few dozen breaths.

In just one hour of Cultivation, the amount of Inner Qi he refined was more than thirty times his usual amount.

’What potent medicinal effects!’

Chen Li opened his eyes, a glint flashing in them, his face full of pleasant surprise.

But then, he counted the cost on his fingers, and the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch. He winced at the expense.

’The effect is great... but this just burns through too much money!’

He had bought five sets of ingredients this time, spending a full one hundred taels of silver.

On average, each dose cost as much as twenty taels.

And that was with him preparing it himself using the recipe. If it were a finished Medicinal Cuisine, he probably couldn’t buy it for even fifty taels of silver.

The "Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine" produced by the system was naturally far superior in effect to the "Foundation Strengthening and Essence Nourishing Medicine" from the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall.

But this terrifying rate of consumption made his money pouch, which had just been bulging from a bountiful harvest, instantly feel immense pressure again.

’The path of the Martial Dao really burns through money!’

...

Since it was a rare trip to the county town, Chen Li went to the martial arts hall to find his eldest son.

Seeing his father, his eyes lit up, and he waved excitedly, shouting, "Father, I’ve started Force Cultivation!"

Right in front of Chen Li, he assumed a stance and began performing the Tiger Subduing Fist, move by move.

"HA!"

A light shout, still tinged with childishness, rang out.

He was still young, but his movements already carried an air of seriousness.

Chen Shouheng’s fists were clenched tightly and his steps were steady. Each step seemed to carry immense force, pressing deep into the bluestone floor.

His opening move was like a fierce tiger extending its claws, carrying a nascent ferocity. His closing stance was like a beast crouching in the forest, his body sinking slightly and his aura restrained, faintly stirring a subtle breeze.

Chen Li watched intently. He could clearly feel that the power contained in his son’s fists and feet was probably not even a tenth of his own.

However, the stability of his stance and the fluency and polish of his moves were far beyond what a mere beginner could achieve. Clearly, the boy had been putting in a lot of hard work at the martial arts hall.

Chen Li thought to himself that if he didn’t use his Inner Qi and fought his son using only physical strength, he probably wouldn’t come out on top.

’Besides, I’m not some brute who likes to pick fights.’

Chen Li felt gratified, and a smile touched his lips. He was extremely satisfied with his son’s progress.

After finishing the set, Chen Shouheng’s forehead was beaded with sweat, his little face was slightly flushed, and he was panting as he ran up to Chen Li. With a mix of anticipation and apprehension, he said, "Father, Master said that now that I’m starting Force Cultivation, my foundation is unstable. It’s best to take four doses of the Foundation Strengthening and Essence Nourishing Medicine every month. That way, my qi and blood can keep up, and my training progress will be faster..."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced up to gauge his father’s expression.

The one hundred taels of silver his father had given him when he left home after the new year were almost gone, after accounting for daily expenses and the monthly cost of one dose of medicine.

If his father hadn’t come this time, he would have had to bite the bullet and go home to ask for money in a few more days.

"Money that needs to be spent shouldn’t be spared," Chen Li said, patting his son’s shoulder. He took out two large fifty-tael Silver Yuanbao and pressed them into his hand. "If it’s not enough, send a message home with someone."

Seeing his son’s joyful expression, a thought flashed through Chen Li’s mind: ’Should I have Shouheng take the more effective Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine directly?’

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

For one, the cost of the Secret Medicine was simply too high. At twenty taels a dose, four doses a month would be eighty taels. That was nearly a thousand taels a year! Although the family had savings, they couldn’t withstand such extravagance. Squandering their fortune was by no means a long-term solution.

Second, and most importantly, the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall had strict rules, and they kept records of the amount of Foundation Strengthening and Essence Nourishing Medicine each disciple purchased per month.

If Shouheng suddenly stopped buying the medicine, yet his Martial Arts progress didn’t slow down—and perhaps even accelerated—it would inevitably attract the attention and suspicion of the hall master, Zhou Zhen.

Shouheng was still young and naive; he might not be able to keep the secret. Even if he could, there was no guarantee the hall master wouldn’t investigate, or even become greedy upon seeing the potential benefits. That would end up harming his eldest son.

’This is a risk I absolutely cannot take.’

...

After returning home, Chen Li continued his Cultivation using the Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine.

He quickly noticed a change.

On the first day, after drinking the medicinal soup, the effect was nothing short of miraculous. He refined a full sixty strands of Inner Qi within an hour.

But on the second day, after taking the same medicinal soup, the surging, powerful warm current was noticeably weaker, and the amount of Inner Qi he refined dropped sharply to just over fifty strands.

On the third day, the effect diminished further, leaving him with only around forty strands.

By the seventh day, the medicinal power was almost negligible, and the amount of Inner Qi he refined was nearly the same as what he would get from his usual arduous cultivation.

By his careful calculations, one dose of the Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine was roughly equivalent to the results of sixty days of his usual arduous cultivation.

The effects were astonishing.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that he only cultivated for one hour in the morning and one in the evening each day.

If he could truly enter secluded, arduous cultivation and devote himself completely, one dose might be equivalent to a month’s worth of effort.

Chen Li quickly accepted this reality.

Diminishing returns from the medicine were to be expected.

He decided to take only one dose per month, adopting a slow and steady approach.

Time was something he could afford to spend.

The extra lifespan rewarded by the system, in particular, gave him more confidence for the future.

But silver... was truly starting to become tight.