"Dad bought me a dose of Blood-Nourishing Powder last week—it cost three thousand yuan for just one."
"And that's the most basic type of tonic."
"Above that, there's Blood-Enriching Powder, Bone-Fortifying Powder, and Vitality-Nurturing Powder... Each one is much more expensive than the Blood-Nourishing Powder. The most expensive, the Vitality-Nurturing Powder, costs a staggering fifteen thousand yuan per dose. That price is just outrageous."
Zhong Zhenguo had promised Lu Sheng he could help him secure the top scholarship at Baihe No. 3 High School—thirty thousand yuan.
At the time, Lu Sheng had thought that was a generous sum. But looking at it now, it was barely anything.
Thirty thousand yuan was only enough to buy ten doses of Blood-Nourishing Powder, or just two of the Vitality-Nurturing Powder.
If he had stuck with his original plan to apply for the first-class scholarship worth ten thousand yuan, he wouldn't even be able to afford one dose of the Vitality-Nurturing Powder.
"Martial cultivation really is a money-burning path..."
Only now did Lu Sheng truly understand just how much money it took to support those dazzling martial arts prodigies he used to see at school—like Yang Yifei. Just how much had been poured into their training behind the scenes?
Kids like him and Liu Qiming, from ordinary families—how were they supposed to compete? What chance did they have?
The saying "outstanding children from humble homes" was painfully difficult to realize in this martial arts era.
Lu Sheng also became more aware of the heavy burden his parents were carrying.
"Lu Qinghe's thinking wasn't wrong at all. With her martial talent, if it weren't for being held back by a mediocre brother like me, she could've achieved far more by now..."
Right now, their father Lu Dahai had decided to provide each of them with two doses of Blood-Nourishing Powder every month. (That was already the family's limit.)
If all four doses were given to Lu Qinghe alone, the outcome would be obvious.
Thinking about that made Lu Sheng even more determined to make money.
"Whether for my own cultivation or for Lu Qinghe's martial path, I must work harder..."
Lu Sheng didn't dwell any further on it and left the shopping mall.
The central mall was quite far from his residential complex, but instead of taking the bus, Lu Sheng chose to walk home.
Given his high-intensity daily training, this kind of stroll was actually a relaxing wind-down for him.
"Let's push for Gold rank today! I've been practicing my Swordmaster—time for a kill streak!"
"Yeah, right. You're more like kindergarten-level…"
"Look down on my Swordmaster, will you?! Just you wait—I'll show you a thing or two..."
A group of high schoolers in uniforms, slinging backpacks and roughhousing, sprinted past Lu Sheng and darted into a nearby internet café.
A ripple passed through Lu Sheng's heart.
Just over a month ago, he had been like them—coasting through school, and heading straight for internet cafés after class.
Like a fish buried in muddy water, his eyes clouded by illusions and distractions—each day slipping by without direction or purpose.
Now, he had broken through the surface, his mind clear. He knew what he wanted, and he could see the path ahead.
"Do I regret it?"
Lu Sheng asked himself softly.
"No, I don't."
His gaze was calm, his voice firm.
He may have given up some fleeting pleasures, but his current life was fuller, more satisfying.
Just then, a torrent of fist technique memories flashed through his mind.
A flood of fragmented images swept across his vision.
In that instant, it felt like something clicked.
Something had been broken through.
Lu Sheng's mind became incredibly clear—something new had awakened within him.
"I've broken through..."
Lu Sheng stared at his hands in a daze.
He could clearly feel that the bottleneck in his fist technique mastery—one built up from absorbing massive amounts of knowledge—had shattered in this very moment. His understanding of fist techniques had reached a completely new level.
It was hard to describe.
Refined from chaos, reborn anew.
Now, Lu Sheng felt he could perfectly execute any fist technique in his mind.
He could adapt seamlessly to different situations with the most suitable moves.
Integration and mastery.
That was probably the best way to put it.
"I remember a class where the teacher said that truly powerful martial artists, under certain conditions and mental states, would experience a moment of profound clarity—allowing their martial path to undergo a dramatic transformation.
It's called enlightenment.
In Martial Arts, it's referred to as sudden insight."
"Did I just have a moment of sudden insight?"
Lu Sheng wasn't sure.
But it didn't matter.
All he knew was—his strength had definitely improved again.
If he fought his previous self now, he could end the fight in just a few moves.
That was the difference a breakthrough in fist technique could make.
He even felt an urge to head straight to the Hongchuan Martial Hall for a retest, but quickly suppressed the thought.
Strength wasn't defined by how many tests you took.
It was yours to keep, and wouldn't vanish just because you didn't measure it right away.
Besides, it was already late. If he stayed out too long, his parents would start asking questions.
With that, Lu Sheng quickened his pace.
…
"I'm heading to my room."
Lu Sheng put down his bowl and chopsticks, calmly greeted his family, and turned to go.
"What's up with Xiao Sheng today? Is he not feeling well..."
His mom, Zheng Yufen, looked at the leftover food in Lu Sheng's bowl and said with concern, "He ate half a bowl less than yesterday..."
"…"
Lu Qinghe rolled her eyes and said nothing. She stood up and added, "Dad, Mom, I'm going to my room to train."
With that, she quickly ran back to her room.
Perhaps because of all the changes happening with Lu Sheng recently, Lu Qinghe had developed a subtle sense of urgency and had started training harder than ever.
Lu Dahai gently patted his wife's hand and chuckled, "The kids are growing up, getting responsible, working hard at their studies. That's a good thing. No need for us to worry too much. Oh right—here's some money. Later, buy some nice bones for Xiao Sheng and Qinghe to get them properly nourished."
"You picked up another odd job again? Didn't you say your back hurt yesterday? Can your body take it?"
"It's no big deal. Just help me apply some medicated patches later."
"There's barely any space left to put them…"
…
Listening to his parents talking in the living room, Lu Sheng took a deep breath and slowly calmed his heart.
With his increased Vitality Index, his five senses had greatly sharpened—he could clearly hear their conversation even through the closed door.
A string inside Lu Sheng's heart pulled tighter.
After running through two sets of Body Tempering Art to clear out the distractions in his mind, Lu Sheng slowly drifted into sleep.
He could now easily put his brain into a restful state and fall asleep in just a few short minutes.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]