The Diligent Qin Huai 

Non-existent memories flashed past Qin Huai's mind like a slideshow. The mantra of the breathing technique also appeared in his mind.

Qin Huai used a special breathing method to punch on the drill ground in the 'dream.' Each breath lasted for a long time.

"It seems like I've already broken through," Qin Huai thought to himself as he looked at his personal panel.

Name: Qin Huai

[Cultivation Methods ]: [Breathing technique (level 1, 136/1000) ], [Qi nurturing technique (level 50, 7/1000) ], [Breath Control technique (level 10, 501/1000) ], [Thunderflash skill (level 0, 100/1000)]

[ Skills ]: [Alchemy (advanced, 571/1600) ], [Forging (intermediate, 73/400)]

[Stage: Level 2 Blood Refinement]

As expected, he had reached the first level of the breathing technique. The experience points that martial artists lost were just too much.

Qin Huai praised. He was also excited.

"Coach Gu, how many drill grounds do we have in our dojo?" Sun Ziyao asked.

"A total of five." 

When the ten rookies heard this number, they couldn't help but gasp.

"Five drill grounds with twenty-seven to twenty-eight people each. Does that mean there are one hundred and fifty to sixty fighters in our Changshan Dojo?" Sun Ziyao's face was filled with shock.

Gu Shengcai nodded, causing the pupils of the ten people around him to widen.

No wonder Gu Shengcai dared to say that any one of the eight major martial arts centers could wipe out all the mountain bandits within a hundred miles of Pingnan City.

There might not even be a hundred mountain bandits on a mountain. For example, the Blackhawk Gang that he had slaughtered only had about seventy to eighty people in total, and the only ten martial artists were still in the first refinement realm.

Qin Huai calculated in his heart. Even if the Changshan Dojo had the most people, the other martial arts schools would not have less than a hundred martial artists.

In addition, there were the City Lord's mansion and the scattered martial artists. In this way, there were at least a thousand martial artists in Pingnan City!

"As expected of a big city."

Gu Shengcai led the ten people to a small courtyard. The courtyard was rather desolate and was overgrown with weeds.

The rooms were all single rooms, but there was only a stone bed and a grass bed inside. The walls were covered in cobwebs, and there were ants, cockroaches, and other insects all over the ground.

This scene reminded Qin Huai of the time when he had just entered the Liu family apothecary as an apprentice.

When the others saw the accommodation, they frowned.

"From now on, this will be your residence," Gu Shengcai said. "Although you are all martial artists in the first and second refinement outside, in the Changshan Dojo, your attainment in the eternal Qi art is the standard to measure your strength.

"Perhaps you've been living a comfortable life outside, but it's different here. If you can't stay here, you can leave at any time.

"Of course, if you can't reach breathing technique level 10 within half a year, you'll have to leave as well!"

Gu Shengcai's voice was calm. He didn't pay much attention to experts like Qin Huai, who were in high demand outside.

And those who had seen the 'grand occasion' on the drill ground naturally knew that Gu Shengcai was not bluffing. 

Everyone remained silent, tacitly agreeing to this courtyard.

"However, if you succeed in cultivating the breathing technique, the welfare of the dojo will be quite good." Gu Shengcai changed the topic. "As long as you can cultivate the eternal Qi technique up to level 10, you can drink a bowl of qi and blood soup every three days." 

Everyone could not help but swallow their saliva.

Sun Ziyao's eyes were wide open. "Coach Gu, I'm from the town. You can't lie to us if I don't know much." he clearly didn't believe him.

"This bowl of blood essence soup is now worth 15 taels."

Qin Huai also felt that it was a bit of a dream. Although he had long known from Bai You that there would be qi and blood soup, he still felt that it was a bit of a dream.

But he didn't expect him to be so generous. If the Changshan Dojo could provide a bowl of blood Qi soup every three days, wouldn't they have to give a disciple 150 taels a month?

Those 150 to 160 martial artists would need more than 20,000 silver taels!

"Hehe!" Gu Shengcai chuckled. He liked to see this group of ignorant cultivators. "The vitality soup is not that expensive in the dojo because we have all the ingredients," he explained.

"May I ask, Coach Gu, what are the raw materials for the Qi and blood soup?" Qin Huai asked. His medical skills had already reached a high level, and he knew a lot of recipes for replenishing Qi and blood.

However, compared to Pingnan City's blood essence soup, it was a completely different type.

He still didn't know the recipe for the Qi and blood soup, but he knew the most important ingredient in making Qi and blood soup is the meat of a demon!

"Demons are born with strong vitality. Eating their meat can strengthen your vitality. 

"It's just that because the demons are powerful, the price of flesh and blood has also risen. In order to benefit more martial artists, there was the emergence of the blood Qi soup," Gu Shengcai said. "In the entire Pingnan City, only the eight major martial arts centers have the ability to hunt demons.

Qin Huai understood. No wonder he could taste the medicinal herbs in the Qi and blood soup. It turned out that the main ingredient, the flesh of demons, was missing.

Or rather, other than the demon meat, the other herbs were dispensable.

"That's great! I must stay in the dojo!" Sun Ziyao's fists were raised in the air, looking a little childish. He wasn't very old, only about eighteen or nineteen years old, so he still had the childish look of a teenager.

Gu Shengcai smiled and dropped another bombshell. "If you cultivate the eternal Qi technique to level 10, you'll only be a black-plate disciple. One bowl of blood Qi soup every three days.

"Eternal Qi technique level 20, bronze plate disciple. In addition to the above, you will receive one Qi and blood pill every month.

"Longevity technique level 30, silver medal, two Qi and blood pills per month.

"Level 40, gold medal, a bowl of blood Qi soup a day, and five blood Qi pills a month.

"Other than that, there's also blacksmithing. You'll be able to learn it according to beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, starting from the breathing technique level 10. However, you'll have to stay in the Changshan Dojo first.

Qin Huai and the others' eyes burned with passion. He knew the pain of insufficient Qi and blood all too well.

One of the reasons why he was rejected by the Thunderbolt Dojo and the Tyrant Fist Dojo was because his vitality was not strong enough.

To put it bluntly, the strength of a blood-refining martial artist lay in their powerful vitality. 

The strength of vitality could be described in a more direct way: great strength. One force breaks all techniques, and absolute power was enough to destroy all problems.

These martial artists from dojos and aristocratic families can drink vitality soup and take vitality pills frequently. Their vitality is probably far beyond mine.

"In the same realm, my Qi cultivation technique level 50 might not have any advantage against the disciples and might even be at a disadvantage," Qin Huai thought to himself. He then thought of Reihom and the pig demon.

The shock that the heaven's pride expert and the demon had towards him was like a dark cloud that had quietly arrived, shrouding his heart.

"I have to improve my realm and vitality!" Qin Huai's eyes were firm.

Gu Shengcai then gave Qin Huai and the others a black wooden tablet as thin as a leaf with their names engraved on it. 

There was also the breathing technique. Unlike the Qi nurturing art, the breathing technique didn't have the harsh conditions of cultivating when the purple Qi came from the east and the sun was born. He just had to follow the manual.

"You can go back to the city later to inform your family and friends and settle the chores." 

"Do I still need to return this manual?" Sun Ziyao pressed on. "I'm a little forgetful, so I'm afraid of losing it." 

"No, I'll handle it myself."

No one dared to pass on the long breath technique in private, because they would face the wrath of the entire dojo. Even the other seven dojos wouldn't touch this bad luck.

Gu Shengcai left after giving his instructions.

Qin Huai turned around and returned to his small room. He looked at the manual in his hand and hesitated.

Then, he picked up two wooden sticks with sharp edges from the ground and a handful of weeds. He started a fire.

 Hu!

The flame rose, and Qin Huai lit up the manual in his hand. He had already imprinted the breathing technique in his mind, so there was no point in keeping it.

He held the burning manual in his hand and could only watch helplessly as the flames gradually burned his fingers.

No reaction?

Qin Huai looked at the manual that had been burnt to nothing. "Does it have to be the original?"

Something was wrong. Qin Huai carefully recalled that it was the breath control technique that had a special smell. That technique also gave Qin Huai a strange feeling.

It seemed that when one was close to it, the circulation of breath control would be smoother.

"It should be a problem with that cultivation technique," Qin Huai muttered to himself. There was most likely an unspeakable story behind that cultivation technique. 

He then kept this matter to himself. The most important thing now was to improve his strength and vitality.

After tidying up the overgrown house, Qin Huai decided to return to the Luo residence to report his safety and good news.

He walked out of the small courtyard. 

Qin Huai didn't return to the city directly. Instead, he deliberately went in circles to find the other drill grounds in the dojo.

He followed the sounds, then leaned on the wall and stared at it.

After a while, the martial artists in the courtyard began to drop experience balls.

"Ding! You have collected a [Breathing Technique Essence (Green) ], [Breathing Technique] Experience +39!"

"Ding! You have collected a [Breathing Technique Essence (Green) ], [Breathing Technique] Experience +60!"

"Ding! You have collected a [Breathing Technique Essence (Blue) ], [Breathing Technique] Experience +100!"

… 

 "Hey! What are you doing?"

A burly man grabbed Qin Huai and pulled him down from the wall.

"Senior Brother, I'm watching you guys practice martial arts. I want to gain some experience."

"Is that so? You look unfamiliar. Are you a new apprentice?"

"That's right. I'm Junior Brother Qin Huai. May I know your name, Senior Brother? " Qin Huai was very respectful.

This man was extremely strong, and even his second refinement physique was easily caught by him. He was definitely not simple.

"I'm Fang Han. I came in five years earlier than you." Fang Han grinned and patted Qin Huai's shoulder. "Nowadays, there aren't many junior brothers like you who are so eager to learn."

"Senior Brother, you're too kind." Qin Huai was humble.

"Not bad. I like you very much. If you have anything you don't understand in the future, you can come and ask me!" Fang Han smiled and left. 

He was so happy that he even forgot to leave his address.