Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System-Chapter 94: Growth

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu’s hearts grew heavy when they learned that the Governor’s Mansion Family had sent their own disciples to South City to participate in the Martial Arts Examination. The Family was doing this just to make it easier for their people to secure the top ranks. Many of these Noble Family Descendants were exceptionally talented with immense Qi Power, effortlessly overpowering the other contestants from the county towns.

The two had been training relentlessly, day and night, hoping to make a strong showing in a few days. If they encountered those guys during the examination and were knocked out of the running, neither Chu Lingguang nor Hei Hu would be able to accept it.

Suddenly, even the exotic delicacies at Master Yan’s home lost their appeal.

Guo Wei noticed the change in their mood. To help ease their minds, he took them for a stroll down to the Canal Wharf that afternoon.

Cargo ships docked here every day.

Many wandering Martial Artists of the Jianghu would come ashore to rest.

Guo Wei told Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu to carefully observe every person who walked by. Every so often, he would ask them to estimate the Qi Power of someone who had just passed.

He would also ask what weapon a passing Martial Artist might specialize in.

For the most part, Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu could only guess.

Some men were burly with thick arms, looking like expert boxers at first glance. But Guo Wei would point to a leather belt at one man’s waist, explaining that it was a specially made whip. The man’s light footsteps and nimble arms revealed he was an expert in the Whip Technique.

Other times, a man would clearly be carrying a sword, but Guo Wei could tell from his grip that it was merely a distraction. The man’s true ace in the hole was his Saber Technique.

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu learned a great deal. Guo Wei’s vast experience in the Jianghu was invaluable, and if they could take his lessons to heart, they could avoid many dangers in the future.

That evening, fireworks lit up the sky over the Canal Wharf. Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu watched as numerous Song Boats sailed up from downstream, causing the banks of the Canal to erupt with excitement.

Many wealthy young masters, guided by attendants, boarded the Song Boats one by one.

South City was a prosperous place.

It was a city teeming with merchants, scholars, and aristocrats. The Song Boats constantly plied the waters of the Canal. With the Daoist Examination drawing near, and word spreading that Noble Family Descendants from the Governor’s Mansion were coming to South City for the Martial Arts Examination, the boat masters had clearly caught wind of it. That was why over a dozen Song Boats had come up from downstream tonight, each one featuring a famous courtesan.

Many hot-blooded young masters came out in droves at the sight.

"MAKE WAY!" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Suddenly, a powerful roar echoed across the Canal Wharf.

It startled many in the crowd that was blocking the bank, all scrambling to board the vessels and get onto a Song Boat.

Standing beside Guo Wei, Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu stood on their tiptoes in the crowd to look at the Song Boats docked by the bank. The boats were festooned with lanterns and streamers, where beautiful women struck alluring poses.

Both Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu wanted to go aboard for a closer look.

The roar had startled them as well. Looking toward the source of the sound, they saw that the one who had silenced the crowd was just a small, thin man. He was clearing a path for two imposing young masters who followed behind him. They cut ahead of everyone else to board the most luxurious of the Song Boats.

The boat’s owner personally came out to welcome them.

"Just as I thought. Plenty of Noble Family Descendants."

Guo Wei sighed.

He had brought Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu to the wharf not just to enjoy the spectacle, but more importantly, to identify which of the Noble Family Descendants had come to South City for the Martial Arts Examination.

"Master," Hei Hu asked, "how could a single shout from that skinny fellow just now sound like a clap of thunder?"

As a martial arts practitioner himself, Hei Hu knew that even if he had the same amount of Qi Power, his own voice could never produce such a formidable sound.

"The Lion’s Roar Technique."

"It’s a Kung Fu that combines a Breathing Technique to create a thunderous sound in the user’s chest," Guo Wei explained.

"Master, do you know it?" Chu Lingguang asked curiously.

’In a movie from his previous life, he’d seen the Landlady use the Lion’s Roar Technique with a giant bell, nearly killing the Fire Cloud Evil God. The skinny fellow’s roar wasn’t nearly as powerful, but it was still like a sudden clap of thunder, shocking everyone.’

At the very least, he and Hei Hu had both jumped.

’If someone did that suddenly in a fight, even if it didn’t shatter your eardrums, it would completely throw you off balance.’

"I do not."

Guo Wei shook his head.

"Why haven’t you learned it, Master? My junior brother and I could learn it from you," Hei Hu said, disappointed.

"We’ll talk after you’ve mastered all the Kung Fu I have to teach you," Guo Wei said with a cold snort.

The Lion’s Roar Technique was passed down among the noble families. Originally, it was a Kung Fu developed by the rich and powerful to intimidate and better command their subordinates.

It had been refined by several masters over the years and now possessed considerable Attack Power. However, because it consumed a great deal of Qi Blood and placed a heavy strain on the chest, even among the Noble Family Descendants, very few specialized in it.

Instead, it was often practiced by the Hospital Martial Artists attached to the Noble Families. When they went out on errands for their masters, just like the man earlier, a single shout was often enough to solve the problem.

It saved them trouble while being an impressive display, bringing glory to their master as well.

That is why the Lion’s Roar Technique was looked down upon in the Jianghu.

Even if Guo Wei knew the method to practice this Kung Fu, he would disdain doing so.

Hei Hu’s question had clearly touched a nerve.

"Yes, Master."

Hei Hu hurriedly lowered his head.

"Let’s go back."

Having memorized the groups of people who boarded the Song Boats, Guo Wei led Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu out of the crowd. They returned to Master Yan’s courtyard in the Central Courtyard alley.

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu soon fell asleep.

Master Yan returned from outside carrying several bags of medicinal herbs, and he and Guo Wei talked late into the night.

「The next morning.」

Guo Wei placed two bowls of steaming, pitch-black medicinal tea in front of Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu.

"You two youngsters are truly fortunate. When you succeed in the future, don’t you forget what your master has done for you," Master Yan said, looking at them with a mixture of envy and heartache. "He had me use my connections to find all sorts of precious herbs from around the city for these two bowls of medicinal tea, which I brewed for you myself. Their effects are far more potent than any Qi Blood Pill."

"Master."

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu looked at Guo Wei, their faces filled with gratitude.

Guo Wei waved his hand. "Don’t go out for the next two days. I will brew six bowls of this tea for each of you. Use your Breathing Technique to absorb its potency. How much your Qi Power increases after these two days will be up to your own capabilities."

With the arrival of the Noble Family Descendants, Guo Wei had to take precautions. He wanted to help Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu as much as possible in this final stretch, to prevent them from being knocked out of the competition should they face one of those prodigies.

"Thank you, Master."

Wasting no time, Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu picked up the bowls of tea and drank them down on empty stomachs.

The tea’s smell was pungent and nauseating, but they both held it down. Once they had drained the bowls to the last drop, they both felt their skin grow hot as a current of warmth spread through their abdomens.

They quickly sat cross-legged and activated their Breathing Technique, working to absorb the medicinal power completely.

Chu Lingguang had already cultivated his Tidal Breathing Technique to the Perfection realm, so he absorbed the medicinal power much faster and more thoroughly than Hei Hu. His Qi Power began to transform, growing stronger without him even realizing it.

Starting from over four hundred and thirty jin, it slowly increased. As he absorbed the power from bowl after bowl of the medicinal tea, his Qi Power finally broke through the four-hundred-and-fifty-jin mark.