Chapter 26: The Bosque Serpent’s Gall

The "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra" was the first to be discarded by Qiao Mian. As a perennial bachelor, who could he possibly practice this dual cultivation technique with?

Next, he regretfully gave up on the "Nine Swords of Dugu." As impressive as the technique seemed, it would be odd for a modern man to carry a sword everywhere. Even if he mastered it to the point where grass and flowers could become swords, that hardly aligned with his original goal of strengthening his body.

Thus, he also excluded external martial arts like the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms."

"Since my aim is to strengthen my body, the 'Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic' should be more suitable," Qiao Mian mused. He decided to bring the top-rated techniques into reality first. According to the nature of the game, manifesting any item in the shop required 100 game coins each.

After some deliberation, Qiao Mian finally chose to manifest ten martial arts techniques: "Nine Yin Manual," "Nine Yang Divine Skill," "Nine Swords of Dugu," "Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic," "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms," "Dog-Beating Staff Technique," "Frog Skill," "Dragon Elephant Wisdom Power," "Single Yang Finger," and "Innate Power."

These were either renowned or personally favored by him. Once manifested, they appeared in the shop, each with its price clearly listed. Pricing was not up to Qiao Mian; only if he placed them in the Sutra Repository for public sale could he set the price himself.

He examined the listings closely. The "Nine Yin Manual," "Nine Yang Divine Skill," and "Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic" were the most expensive, each at 600 game coins, while the others ranged from 400 to 550.

He reviewed the descriptions of several techniques. The top three were similar in strength, each with its pros and cons. The "Nine Yin Manual" and "Nine Yang Divine Skill" had lower entry barriers but were difficult to master fully. The "Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic" was harder to enter, requiring exceptional comprehension, and was nearly impossible for the dull-witted. Even after entry, mastery was a distant goal—but once achieved, its benefits far surpassed the others.

But Qiao Mian was no ordinary man; he didn't need to worry about those hurdles. He simply spent 600 game coins and bought the "Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic."

Complex and obscure mantras filled his mind. Qiao Mian sat cross-legged and began to practice the technique.

Half an hour later, he opened his eyes. His inner energy coursed through his meridians, leaving him in an extraordinary state of comfort.

"Practicing martial arts is actually quite interesting," he murmured to himself.

Upon purchasing from the shop, he had instantly grasped the basics. Advancement, however, would require diligent meditation and gradual cultivation of his inner strength.

This differed entirely from buying a manual from the Sutra Repository, then reading and practicing it himself to gain entry. After all, the shop was designed for players and would not set any barriers beyond the required game coins.

Qiao Mian stood up and bounced on the spot. His head nearly hit the ceiling.

"If I raise my inner strength a bit more, I should spar with a little dinosaur," he mused.

He instinctively thought of the fitness square. There, martial arts training would increase his comprehension tenfold, and the speed at which he cultivated inner strength would also be ten times faster.

"Still too slow," he muttered, summoning the game interface to continue browsing the items he had previously discovered.

There were the Posqu Snake Gallbladder and the Precious Snake Blood Serum.

Qiao Mian chose to spend 200 game coins to bring both into the shop.

[Name: Posqu Snake Gallbladder; Price: 10 game coins; Effect: Adds one year of inner strength.]

[Name: Precious Snake Blood Serum; Price: 50 game coins; Effect: Adds two years of inner strength, grants immunity to all poisons.]

Qiao Mian glanced at the prices and grinned. "Not expensive at all."

By his estimation, possessing fifty years of inner strength would make one a top-tier expert in the world of "Return of the Condor Heroes." With a hundred years, even the Five Greats would have to step aside.

Of course, the term "years of inner strength" referred to the inner energy cultivated by an average person practicing ordinary techniques for one year. Those with extraordinary talent or who practiced superior techniques could achieve far more inner strength each year.

However, as one aged, everyone's training speed would inevitably slow, even regress, unless they transcended the limits of human lifespan...

But that was the realm of immortal cultivators, not mere martial artists.

"With just a thousand game coins, I could create a warrior stronger than the Five Greats..." Qiao Mian's eyes sparkled.

But then he thought of other items in the shop and relaxed.

Spending ten thousand game coins could buy an Iron Man suit; even a hundred of the Five Greats would be no match. Even with just the King Kong Blood Serum, valued at 100 game coins, an ordinary person could, during their one-minute transformation, kill the Five Greats several times over.

Such was the overwhelming power of higher-level worlds and advanced technology.

With this realization, Qiao Mian felt at ease. He still had over six thousand game coins, more than enough to enhance himself.

Yet, after examining the details of the two new items, he felt a lingering sense of regret.

Just like the Blood Orchid Extract, neither could be used without limit.

The Blood Orchid Extract’s effect would be halved after ten uses.

This meant that after ten uses, its effect would become negligible, giving at most two hundred more years of lifespan.

Both the Posqu Snake Gallbladder and the Precious Snake Blood Serum would have their effects halved after a hundred uses.

Even so, making full use of both could grant five hundred years of inner strength.

In the world of "Return of the Condor Heroes," such a master would be a veritable monster—even Dugu Qiubai, if resurrected, would have to bow down.

Yet, it hardly seemed worthwhile.

"No wonder martial arts faded—technology has inflated human desires without limit," Qiao Mian mused with a wry smile and a shake of his head.

He promptly purchased one Posqu Snake Gallbladder and one Precious Snake Blood Serum.

Staring at the pitch-black snake gall, Qiao Mian felt a wave of nausea.

He pinched his nose and sniffed it; the pungent smell nearly knocked him out.

"But it’s worth a year of inner strength!" he consoled himself.

Holding his nose, he shoved it into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed. He dashed to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of cola, and gulped it down.

The strange taste still lingered.

"No way would I eat this even if it were free!" he thought.

He found a cucumber and took several crisp bites. Once the taste in his mouth had faded, he picked up the Precious Snake Blood Serum.

The bright red liquid was stored in a tiny vial, no bigger than a thumb.

Qiao Mian opened it and took a cautious sniff.

A strong herbal aroma.

He grimaced and downed it in one gulp.

A warm current surged through his body, and he could clearly feel his inner strength increase.

But the aftertaste...

It was equally hard to describe.

"Only by enduring bitter hardships can one rise above others," Qiao Mian reminded himself sternly.

He glared fiercely at the Precious Snake Blood Serum. As potent as its taste was, fifty game coins for two years of inner strength was a bargain. As for the immunity to all poisons, one use was enough.

All things considered, the Posqu Snake Gallbladder was the better deal.