Longevity by Grinding Skills

"My pleasure, my pleasure. To think I’d run into Young Hero Xu out here of all places—what a surprise."

Xu Yunfan smiled. "I’m heading to the Changyi State City to find a Sect and take on a master, hoping to further my training. I never imagined I’d meet Brother Liu in such a desolate place. It’s a true pleasure."

After inviting Xu Yunfan into the camp, Liu Tianyun reported to the caravan’s owner. Once he received permission, he dismissed the guards, and the two of them sat down inside the camp.

The moment Liu Tianyun broke the seal on the wine jar, his eyes flashed with the calculating glint of an abacus bead.

’He’d been wondering what to do with the surplus Exotic Beast Flesh. It hadn’t been bled properly during butchering, so its gamey taste was overpowering, and he was struggling to figure out how to sell it off. Now that a big spender like Xu Yunfan had shown up, he couldn’t just let the opportunity slip by.’

"What a coincidence! We’re setting off for the State City around dawn tomorrow to deliver these mountain delicacies! This desolate road is cold and damp at night, with jackals lurking, and it’s rampant with mountain bandits from the Green Forest watching our every move..."

As he poured wine for Xu Yunfan, Liu Tianyun’s booming voice suddenly softened.

"If Young Hero Xu is willing to accompany the Seven Fragrance Carriage at the rear of our convoy, then in three days, when we pass Flying Crane Pier, I, Old Liu, will personally prepare thirty catties of Iron Crowned Snake Gall to pair with wine and await your company! Besides, those hundred-plus catties of Red Feather Deer Ribs need to be roasted by a skilled chef to truly taste good.

I also have a bottle of Deer Marrow Rejuvenation Pills. How about I sell it to you for fifty taels of silver?"

Two hundred catties of Red Feather Deer Ribs—although this grade of Exotic Beast Flesh wasn’t considered top-tier, a single catty was still worth a full five taels of silver. For a common family, five taels of silver was enough for a family of three to live comfortably, eating meat every day for a month.

But once one started practicing Martial Arts, the saying "spending money like water" was no mere exaggeration. This Exotic Beast Flesh was actually considered cheap.

Xu Yunfan gave a slight bow toward the ebony carriage ten paces away, which was carved with a pattern of a Cyan Simurgh chasing the moon. That was where the owner was.

"I couldn’t ask for more."

As the night wind swept past the embers of the campfire, the Red Feather Deer Ribs had already been cooked to perfection by the chef.

Xu Yunfan convinced Liu Tianyun to drink with him. After a few cups, feeling slightly tipsy, Liu Tianyun got up to take his leave, leaving a spacious carriage for Xu Yunfan to rest in.

Looking at the large portion of deer ribs still left on the table, Xu Yunfan chuckled. ’This Liu Tianyun really knows how to treat people.’

He no longer stood on ceremony and began to heartily devour the ribs. He even carefully crunched up the bones, which had been roasted to a crisp, and swallowed them.

After dozens of catties of deer meat settled in his stomach, it wasn’t long before a warmth slowly spread from his gut throughout his entire body, making him feel incredibly content.

After eating and drinking his fill, Xu Yunfan glanced at the remaining twenty to thirty catties of deer meat, wrapped it up, and then lay down to rest. He took out a porcelain vial from his robes, poured out a single Deer Marrow Rejuvenation Pill, and licked it lightly.

’You have licked a pill that replenishes qi and blood. Your body has not undergone any change.’

Seeing the prompt that appeared in his field of vision, Xu Yunfan no longer hesitated. He poured a handful of Pills directly from the vial and swallowed them with a gulp of water.

He looked down at his body. The winding, dark purple blood-marks still clung to his skin like gruesome tattoos. It was clear they would need more time to fade completely.

Xu Yunfan sat cross-legged, formed the Linn Character Seal with his hands, and silently recited the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell.

Stray thoughts were quickly eliminated, and he soon entered a state that was both empty and not empty.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Self God slowly walked out from the churning mist, taking its seat in the center to suppress all else.

You have diligently cultivated the Linn Character Technique. With a flicker of insight, your understanding of the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell has deepened. Linn Character Technique Skill Level has increased.

’By diligently studying the Linn Character Technique, you repeatedly refined every pathway of its spiritual flow. Skill Level has increased.’

’...’

An hour later, Xu Yunfan slowly opened his eyes. There wasn’t a trace of fatigue in his expression; on the contrary, he looked refreshed and full of energy. His previous exhaustion had been completely swept away.

So that was how it worked.

Realization dawned on Xu Yunfan.

Previously, when he practiced the Linn Character Technique, all his energy was spent on the Meditation of visualizing the Self God, so he would feel mentally exhausted after each session.

Now that he had mastered the basics of the Linn Character Technique and the Self God was already formed, it naturally nourished him in return. In other words, as long as he spent two to four hours a day practicing the Linn Character Technique, he could go without sleep entirely.

His spirits rose at the thought.

This way, he could devote more time to his Martial Arts Cultivation and push his muscles, bones, and skin to the Perfection Realm much faster.

It wasn’t that he enjoyed the life of an Ascetic Monk, but that every increase in his Skill Level brought him an immense sense of accomplishment.

This thrill, similar to leveling up in a game, was something he never tired of.

Due to his injuries, Xu Yunfan couldn’t perform any strenuous activities, so he used the techniques from the Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter to silently temper his bones.

This Kung Fu could be practiced both passively and actively. However, the prerequisite for passive practice was reaching the Great Success stage with one’s muscles and tendons. Only then could one use the twitching of muscles and the snapping of Great Tendons to continuously apply pressure to the bones.

’You are silently cultivating, focusing on the contraction of your muscles and tendons around your bones. Your bones are being compressed and stretched. Iron Bridge Town Bone Training Chapter Skill Level has increased.’

’...’

Early the next day, Xu Yunfan was woken by the swaying of the carriage.

He opened his eyes, lifted the carriage’s window curtain, and found that the entire merchant caravan had already finished its preparations and was on its way.

Liu Tianyun rode over on a tall horse, flicked the reins, and said with a smile, "Younger Brother Xu, just rest up in the carriage for the next few days. When we get to Changyi, your big brother will treat you to a good meal."

Xu Yunfan naturally agreed at once. ’Between the Red Feather Deer Ribs and the Rejuvenation Pills, Liu Tianyun had made at least a twenty-percent profit off him. He certainly wasn’t going to miss out on that nice meal.’

For the next few days, the caravan traveled smoothly, and nothing major happened along the way.

Every day, aside from practicing the Linn Character Technique and tempering his bones, Xu Yunfan would occasionally lift the carriage curtain to look at the scenery along the road.

The caravan’s pace wasn’t fast, and the landscape along the way was quite refreshing.

If someone got close enough, they might even hear the sound of muscles rubbing together and the crisp snap of Great Tendons.

But the sound was quickly drowned out by the noise of the moving caravan.

It wasn’t until the third day, near a Camphor Wood Forest about ten miles from Flying Crane Pier, that Liu Tianyun came to give him a serious warning. The pier was occupied by ’heroes’ of the Green Forest, and they would have to pay a toll to pass.

It was the first time Xu Yunfan had heard of such a thing, so he was naturally a bit curious.

"Brother Liu, are these forest bandits common?"

"Common? Of course they’re common. Forget all of Yanbei Dao—just in Qingzhou alone, there are dozens of large and small bandit groups. You can’t kill them all, and you can’t get rid of them. Put out one group, and a new one springs up."

Liu Tianyun sighed. "In this age, the nobles naturally feel that the world is peaceful and prosperous, but the common folk suffer."

After a pause, he added, "Whatever happens next, Younger Brother Xu, don’t you worry about it. I’m a familiar face to those guys. I’ll just greet them and give them some silver coins, and that’ll be that. If they see an unfamiliar face, it might just cause unnecessary trouble."