Chapter 003: The Daily Routine of Endless Missions

"Uh... this... isn’t too appropriate, is it? You already have a bottle, that should be enough for you!" Xin Lang was eager to sell the Red Blossom Dew, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to name a price for Fatty Gu.

"One bottle is nowhere near enough!" Fatty Gu lifted his shirt, exposing his fleshy torso, pointing at the countless bruises mottling his skin. "Look here, and here, and here! Damn it, that bastard treated me like a punching bag!"

Given the sheer surface area of Fatty Gu’s body, and the extent of his bruises, it was clear that one bottle of Red Blossom Dew really wouldn’t suffice.

"Alright then! For the sake of us being classmates and neighbors, I’ll just charge you the cost price. Five silver coins for one bottle, ten for two," Xin Lang said.

Ordinary bruise ointments cost less than a silver coin. Although Xin Lang had asked Gu Ge for five silver coins, he knew that if he sold this medicine elsewhere, it would go for much more than that.

Fatty Gu produced a bulging coin pouch, counted out fifteen silver coins, and handed them to Xin Lang. "Count the previous bottle too—fifteen silver coins in all!"

Xin Lang took the coins, pocketed ten, and returned the remaining five. "As I said, the first bottle was a gift. No charge."

"Thanks, classmate!" After buying the medicine, Fatty Gu went back to his room to nurse his wounds in solitude.

The currency of the Grand Xia Dynasty consisted of copper, silver, and gold coins. One hundred copper coins made a silver coin, one hundred silver coins a gold. A common meat bun cost just a copper coin. With ten silver coins, an ordinary family could live for three or four months. That Fatty Gu could so casually produce ten silver coins explained why others might be tempted to extort him.

With money in hand, Xin Lang purchased a large quantity of medicinal herbs. If these were made into stamina recovery potions, he'd have enough for at least ten days. The herbs were cheap, costing only a single silver coin.

With the raw materials ready, Xin Lang began to concoct the stamina recovery potion. He had several recipes for such potions. According to his purchases, he could now produce two kinds: the Restorative Pill and Wolfberry Blossom Dew.

The Restorative Pill was a pellet, while the Wolfberry Blossom Dew was a liquid. Both restored stamina, but their effects differed due to their preparation.

The Restorative Pill had a mild, long-lasting effect, but was absorbed slowly and was weaker than the Dew. The Dew, being liquid, was absorbed quickly and was more potent, but its effects were short-lived.

After some consideration, Xin Lang decided to prepare the more potent Wolfberry Blossom Dew. Though its effect was brief, he could always make more.

Potions were divided into the following grades: Mundane, Rare, Precious, and Sacred—each with ten ranks.

Wolfberry Blossom Dew was a Rank One Rare potion. For Xin Lang, a Level Nine Potion Master, it was child’s play.

"Ding! Side quest complete: concoct stamina recovery potion. Reward: five experience points!" As soon as Xin Lang finished brewing the Dew, the Level-Up System’s prompt appeared.

Staring at those five experience points, Xin Lang’s gaze grew determined. "Five days closer to becoming a Level Two Martial Novice!"

In the world of mortals, martial artists were classified in four stages: Martial Novice, Martial Artist, Grandmaster, and Martial Saint, each divided into ten levels.

Martial Novice: ten levels, focuses on cultivating obvious strength, also known as the Obvious Strength phase.

Martial Artist: ten levels, focuses on hidden strength, also called the Hidden Strength phase.

Grandmaster: ten levels, specializes in refining and manipulating internal energy; this was the Energy Transformation phase. Essence is refined into energy; energy nourishes the body; strength follows the flow of energy. At this stage, one can channel energy to enhance martial arts—those who achieve this are considered Grandmasters, capable of founding their own schools.

Martial Saint: ten levels, the Qi Mastery phase. True energy can be projected beyond the body, wielded to devastate foes and shake the earth—a true saint among martial artists.

Xin Lang’s sworn enemy, the Immortal Gate, had already transcended the mundane world; their strongest members surpassed even Martial Saints. Thus, becoming a Level Two Martial Novice was only the beginning for Xin Lang—the road ahead was long and arduous.

After a simple lunch, Xin Lang skipped class and stayed in his dormitory to complete his daily Level-Up System tasks.

As always, there were ten exercises: push-ups, sit-ups, vertical punches, straight punches, front kicks, side kicks...

Xin Lang worked diligently. Whenever he exhausted his strength, he drank a bottle of Wolfberry Blossom Dew. Once his energy was restored, he continued.

Even with the stamina potion’s support, the training was grueling. Just as yesterday, it left him utterly spent.

To better manage his stamina, Xin Lang divided the ten exercises into ten sets, performing each exercise ten times before moving on to the next. After two sets, he realized this method was much more effective than doing a hundred repetitions of the same movement in one go. Yesterday, after a hundred push-ups, he could barely move his arms.

As Xin Lang focused on completing the Level-Up System’s daily tasks, someone pushed open the dormitory door.

A round face squeezed through the crack. Seeing Xin Lang’s hands planted firmly on the floor as he did push-ups with great seriousness, the newcomer teased, "Hey, classmate, is there someone under you? How can you thrust into thin air with such enthusiasm? I’m in awe! What’s this move called, anyway?"

Xin Lang glanced up—it was his neighbor, Fatty Gu Ge.

Without pausing his workout, Xin Lang replied, "Classmate, what brings you here? If you’re here to return the medicine, I have bad news: I’ve already spent all that money. If you’re here to buy more, I have even worse news: I only had three bottles left, and now they’re all gone!"

"What?! Damn! Why didn’t you say so earlier? If I’d known it was a limited edition, I’d have used it sparingly this morning! Now I’ve got less than a bottle left. Great, how am I supposed to go girl-hunting now?" Fatty Gu Ge wailed.

"Well... you’re so rich—if someone tries to extort you again, just pay them off!" Xin Lang said.

"No way! I’m not about to spoil them with that kind of habit!" Though Fatty Gu was often bullied, he was still quite optimistic.

Xin Lang agreed with his approach. As he’d said, if Fatty Gu really gave in, the extortion would never end.

Fatty as he was, Gu Ge was sharp-witted and stubborn by nature; there was an unyielding bullheadedness in his bones.

"Hey, classmate, are you sure you don’t have a thing for thrusting into thin air?" Fatty Gu Ge asked curiously.

PS: This novel is already under contract, so feel free to read with confidence!