Chapter 36: The Effect of the Medicine
After Zhou Ming swallowed the Amethyst Potion, during his meditation, it seemed as if he saw a picture unfold before his eyes.
On a barren and cracked land, no sign of life existed—only the dry, fissured soil stretched endlessly.
In the next moment, purple lightning flashed across the sky. After a mass of dark clouds drifted by, a drizzle like spring rain, carrying a gentle cool breeze, began to nourish the earth.
Raindrops gradually soaked into the soil, seeping deeper and deeper underground. Beneath the surface, the seeds of life absorbed this nourishment and began to take root and sprout.
A tender bud broke through the earth, and vitality returned to the world.
Zhou Ming did not know whether this vision was an illusion or a normal reaction after consuming the Amethyst Potion.
When he came back to his senses, he could already see a ray of the rising sun through the window. The entire night had passed in the blink of an eye.
“Should be around level five now.”
Waking from the effects of the Amethyst Potion, Zhou Ming immediately examined the changes in his Spiritual Power.
If a human’s Spiritual Power limit was nine, then breaking through that limit meant advancing from a single digit to a double digit.
The Advancement Ceremony of Transcendence was the process of breaking through one’s innate limits through acquired methods.
In this process, a Beast Tamer’s Spiritual Power had to first reach nine—this was the primary goal for an Apprentice Beast Tamer.
After a year of meditation since condensing his Spiritual Seed, and with the aid of the Serpent Saliva Fruit, Zhou Ming’s Spiritual Power had already reached between three and four. This time, after taking the Amethyst Potion, he expected to break through to five.
“Didn’t expect it to be close to six… I wonder if it’s the potion’s effect, or if I actually possess a hidden talent.”
The result exceeded Zhou Ming’s expectations, and a faint trace of uncontrollable excitement surfaced on his face.
However, he quickly calmed down, feeling refreshed as he got up to wash and prepare for a new day.
……
Inside the training room of the Mad Python Martial Hall, Zhou Ming stood upright in his training uniform, his back straight and limbs slightly relaxed.
The next moment, like a thunderclap, his right hand lashed out like a giant python whip, striking the ironwood post before him.
“Bang.”
The sound was not as loud as Liu Shihu’s, but it was sharper and more precise than before.
“Hiss…”
One second he was brimming with confidence, the next Zhou Ming was clutching his right hand, sucking in cold air from the pain.
“Hahaha.”
Seeing this amusing scene, Liu Shihu couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Master Liu, what’s going on with me?”
Looking at his now swollen right hand, Zhou Ming asked in puzzlement.
“I don’t know exactly what happened to you, but I can tell your control over force and technique has improved greatly. However, your physical fitness hasn’t caught up, which causes your body to be unable to withstand the power of your strikes.”
“Take this—it’s our martial hall’s secret medicinal wine. It’ll prevent you from leaving hidden injuries.”
As the senior disciple of the hall, Liu Shihu immediately saw the issue with Zhou Ming’s condition. Still, he didn’t pry further—everyone had their own secrets.
After briefly explaining, he took out a bottle of medicinal wine and handed it to Zhou Ming.
“How do I fix this?”
As Zhou Ming applied the wine, his face twisted in pain, but he still asked how to resolve the problem.
“That’s easy—just strengthen your body with more resistance training, and continue your herbal meals and medicinal baths.”
“For us martial artists, mastering force techniques is the hardest part—it all comes down to long, patient training. You’re lucky to progress so quickly.”
“Thank you for your guidance, Master Liu. I have personal matters to handle tomorrow, but after that, you may arrange my training as you see fit.”
Enduring the fiery sting of the medicinal wine, Zhou Ming still respectfully asked Liu Shihu to continue his training schedule afterward.
His “personal matter” tomorrow was Xiao Yun’s birthday—something Zhou Ming hadn’t forgotten.
“Alright, as long as you don’t fear hardship.”
“Also, don’t force training with that injured hand. Rest for a bit, and practice movement and footwork instead. Think of it as a rest day—balance is vital in martial arts.”
“Thank you for your teaching, Master Liu. If you have business to attend to, don’t worry about me. My hand’s already like this anyway.”
Seeing Liu Shihu’s sincere guidance, Zhou Ming didn’t want to waste any more of his time.
“Alright then, I won’t be polite.”
Grateful yet straightforward, Liu Shihu accepted Zhou Ming’s words, thanked him, and left directly.
Due to the sudden surge in Spiritual Power, Zhou Ming’s control over his body had improved drastically, leading to his hand injury.
Though his right hand wasn’t seriously damaged, it was still difficult to exert force. Following Liu Shihu’s advice, Zhou Ming obediently spent the day practicing various movement and footwork techniques instead.
Before leaving the Mad Python Martial Hall, Zhou Ming specifically informed Liu Shihu that he wouldn’t come the next day due to personal matters. Liu Shihu readily agreed—after all, Zhou Ming was the paying client.
Returning home, Zhou Ming took out the booklet he’d purchased from the Black Market—Detailed Explanation and Insights on Basic Meditation Technique—and looked through it to find answers to the questions that had troubled him during meditation.
After resolving several doubts, he lit a stick of Focus Incense to verify its effectiveness.
Finding that his meditation efficiency had indeed improved, Zhou Ming fully immersed his mind into meditation once again.
January 9th—Xiao Yun’s birthday. It was Zhou Ming’s first time celebrating a friend’s birthday in this world, so he got up early to prepare her gift.
However, as a straightforward man, Zhou Ming had no experience in this. After some thought, he decided to buy a piece of jewelry.
He didn’t purchase it from the Black Market—not only to avoid causing Xiao Yun trouble, but also because he believed that gifts were about sincerity. Buying anything else would feel insincere.
After spending a year together, Zhou Ming knew Xiao Yun usually wore light makeup and didn’t care much for adornments. After visiting several shops, he decided a jade bracelet would suffice.
“Sir, how about this pink jade bracelet?”
In the inner city’s Treasure Jade Pavilion, a jewelry shop specializing in jade ornaments, a young saleswoman dressed in a short skirt despite the cold winter presented Zhou Ming with an exquisite jade bracelet.
Though Zhou Ming wasn’t an expert in jade appraisal, judging from its color, texture, and purity, this bracelet was indeed of good quality.
However, it wasn’t quite what he wanted—the pink color seemed too easily misunderstood.
“Please pick me a beautiful green jade one. It’s a birthday gift for a regular friend.”
Hearing his request, the saleswoman quickly brought out several high-quality, well-crafted bracelets for him to choose from.
Though Zhou Ming had mild decision-making troubles, since it was for Xiao Yun’s birthday, he carefully chose a bracelet with a smooth, lustrous color and minimal decorative patterns.
108,000 Alliance Coins—the most expensive among them. Zhou Ming’s taste was impeccable, and he paid without hesitation.
Though he had been frugal at the Black Market, he was generous here at checkout—so much so that the saleswoman beside him kept dropping hints, yet Zhou Ming remained oblivious.