Animals were kept in cages, all of them rabbits. Zhang Ling stood beside them, quietly observing. Although these rabbits were confined, they were very active. Some of them were two or three times larger than ordinary rabbits. "It seems my previous guess was correct." He murmured to himself. These rabbits were used for researching the mysterious little bead. After several studies, they had roughly grasped its function. The thin ice on the small bead could only be used on plants; if used on animals, they would explode and die. He once dissolved the thin ice from the bead in water and fed it to a rabbit. However, the rabbit exploded and died within a few breaths. Every twelve days, a layer of thin ice would condense on the earthy yellow bead, and the resulting water droplets could cause changes in plants. Usually, overnight, it could make plants grow as if they were decades or even centuries old. With this magical effect, using the bead on medicinal herbs could indeed make them grow quickly. Previously, he experimented with weeds, making it difficult to discern the pattern of change. However, the most direct change when used on medicinal materials was the increase in the herb's age. Taking a ginseng as an example, using all the thin ice from the mysterious bead at once could make the ginseng grow into a hundred-year-old herb overnight. This discovery once made Zhang Ling wonder if he was seeing things.
To this end, he spent a hundred taels of silver to buy several hundred-year-old ginsengs. After repeated comparisons, the herbs cultivated by the bead were genuinely effective. The rabbits that ate the enhanced spiritual herbs were all strong and healthy. After watching the animals in the cage for a while, Zhang Ling thought that more than half a month had passed, and these animals had not shown any adverse reactions. He also planned to use the enhanced medicinal materials for his own cultivation. Then, he walked towards the other side of the garden. A corner area was opened up by him into a half-mu-sized medicinal field. It was planted with seven or eight different kinds of medicinal herbs, including a three-hundred-year-old ginseng. These medicinal herbs were growing very well, all of them cultivated with the mysterious bead. The herbs in the medicinal field were all ingredients for a Dragon-Tiger Bone Forging Soup, used for medicinal baths. Medicinal baths could assist martial artists in their cultivation, achieving the effect of strengthening the body. Every ten days, the Dragon-Tiger Gate would let them use it once. Each time, they would soak for an hour, which could enhance the power of Qi and blood in the body and heal a certain degree of hidden injuries. However, as good as the medicinal bath was, it was not something ordinary people could afford. The Dragon-Tiger Gate would not let them use it for free; one medicinal bath cost fifty taels of silver. This price was also unbearable for Zhang Ling, who had several thousand taels of silver. Fortunately, the formula for the Dragon-Tiger Bone Forging Soup was not a secret and could be easily obtained. The reason it was not cheap was because the medicinal materials used were mostly precious herbs, and they all had to be more than ten years old. A medicinal bath every ten days cost hundreds of taels of silver a month, and thousands of taels of silver a year. Fortunately, with the mysterious little bead, the age of the medicinal materials was not a problem for Zhang Ling. This also made him value the mysterious bead even more. The ability of the mysterious bead to enhance medicinal materials alone was beyond what mortals could imagine. It was completely a legendary immortal treasure. With the assistance of medicinal baths, Zhang Ling made rapid progress in martial arts. … Time passed quickly. On this day, dozens of wooden logs of varying thickness were placed on the open space. Zhang Ling wielded the vine, creating bursts of explosive sounds. The vine in his hand was like a long whip, hitting wherever he pointed. To adapt to the vine on his arm, he had specially learned a set of whip techniques. The vine danced, creating afterimages in the air, forming an invisible force. Wherever it went, the wooden stakes on the ground burst apart. After performing a set of whip techniques, Zhang Ling took a long breath, feeling refreshed. He sat on a stone pier, leisurely drinking cool tea. Calculating the time, it had been three years since he came to Ming City, and his martial arts cultivation was becoming increasingly profound. His strength had reached the peak of a third-rate martial artist.
He only stayed in the Dragon-Tiger Gate for two years before leaving. The Dragon-Tiger Gate had no restrictions on those who paid to learn martial arts; they could leave at any time. After using medicinal baths to assist in cultivation, Zhang Ling could condense Gang energy within a year. This greatly surprised some of the instructors at the Dragon-Tiger Gate. For this reason, the Dragon-Tiger Escort Agency had also sent people to recruit him, but he refused. After all, he had many secrets, so it was better to have less contact with these people in the martial world. Now, his strength was approaching the level of a second-rate expert. With the parasitic vine on his arm, he no longer cared about ordinary second-rate experts. In the past three years, what made him most happy was the Qi in his body. This Qi was different from the Gang energy he generated from practicing martial arts. The Gang energy in his body was domineering and powerful, while the Qi was as gentle and long-lasting as a stream. However, the flow of Qi in his body increased very slowly. As Zhang Ling's knowledge grew, he also had a deeper understanding of the Qi in his body. It was very similar to the true Qi of a congenital martial artist recorded in martial arts texts, but he could not yet perform attacks outside his body. After sitting quietly for a while, Zhang Ling got up and walked towards a house in the backyard. With a creak, he pushed the door open. The furnishings in the house were simple, with only a large wooden barrel, which was used for taking medicinal baths. Then he busied himself. Half an hour later, the wooden barrel was filled with a brown liquid, with wisps of hot air rising from it. Looking at the medicinal liquid in the wooden barrel, Zhang Ling stirred it a few times with his hand. The medicinal materials used today were all thirty years old, and he planned to use these medicinal powers to break through to become a second-rate martial artist. After the medicinal bath was prepared, Zhang Ling did not hesitate to take off his clothes and sit inside. Sitting cross-legged in the wooden barrel, he used the breathing technique of the Dragon-Tiger Fist to mobilize the Gang energy in his body and constantly absorb the medicinal power. He sat motionless like this for two hours, until he was sweating profusely and his face was flushed red. The medicinal liquid in the wooden barrel also bubbled and boiled, and Zhang Ling's body trembled slightly. At this moment, strange changes were taking place in his body. Using the breathing technique to mobilize the Gang energy in his body, he encountered a problem this time. For some unknown reason, the Qi mass originally entrenched in his Dantian suddenly stopped being dormant and began to wander through his meridians. Zhang Ling was caught off guard by this change. The Qi mass turned into a Qi flow and wandered through his meridians, causing the Qi and blood in his body to become disordered. For a time, he turned to suppress the Qi in his body. However, the more he suppressed it, the more active the Qi mass became, as if it had taken an excitement drug, rampaging through the meridians. With the change of the Qi mass, traces of blood also overflowed from the corners of Zhang Ling's mouth. He didn't know how long it had been before he fell into a coma. The Qi mass in his body was still frantically impacting his meridians. Suddenly, the vine on his left hand also had new changes, flashing with cyan-red light. The original emerald green vine became thicker, and the color also turned to dark brown, with streaks of blood-red lines on it. The extended and lengthened vine instantly grew to seven or eight zhang long, completely wrapping the entire wooden barrel and Zhang Ling in it.