"A Medicinal Herb Collection Boy!"
Confusion appeared on Shi Gaoshun's face before understanding dawned on him.
He understood what Yang Chan meant.
Yang Chan knew the real price of a batch of Qi Nourishing Soup, and he knew just how ridiculously inflated his own price was.
After scamming so many new disciples, he hadn't expected to run into someone who knew the ropes. This was a bit awkward.
"Senior Brother was just joking with you, Junior Brother. For one tael of silver, you can have a bowl of Qi Nourishing Soup."
The awkwardness on Shi Gaoshun's face vanished in a flash, replaced once again by a smile.
He practically radiated the attitude of 'as long as I'm not embarrassed, someone else will be'.
"One batch of herbs for Qi Nourishing Soup can make at least three bowls," Yang Chan stated, his face expressionless.
"The Pharmacists in the communal kitchen prepare it according to the optimal ratio for potency. Its effects are the best," Shi Gaoshun pressed on.
"Does Senior Brother think someone like me needs the best medicinal effect, or a larger quantity?" Yang Chan retorted.
Hearing this, Shi Gaoshun wanted to speak but didn't know what to say, because the answer was simple.
They'd choose the larger quantity. That was the choice every Beginner disciple made once they learned the secret.
This left Shi Gaoshun feeling rather frustrated. He'd wanted to fleece a lamb, but it turned out the lamb knew everything.
"However, seeing as Senior Brother is so warm-hearted, this Junior Brother can accept a price of half a tael of silver per bowl. I can buy a month's supply from you—a total of ten bowls," Yang Chan offered.
Gathering herbs and brewing medicine took a lot of time. Having just become an Official Disciple, he naturally wanted to spend this period focusing on his cultivation. Directly buying the Qi Nourishing Soup was a good option.
"Fine, you've got a deal."
Shi Gaoshun heard this and quickly agreed. It wasn't every day he found a long-term customer, so he certainly couldn't miss this opportunity.
Many disciples became wary after being ripped off once, making it hard to fleece them again.
As for next month, he'd just have to wait for the next batch of new Official Disciples.
"So, can Senior Brother now continue telling me about the situation here?"
Yang Chan said. This was his real goal: understanding the affairs between Official Disciples would help him avoid trouble.
"Of course. Let your Senior Brother tell you everything in detail..."
Shi Gaoshun led Yang Chan along, explaining the situation in detail, including which experts not to provoke.
Among them was the person Yang Chan had seen for himself—the one who had become an Official Disciple in just one year. He had now reached Great Success with his Power and was starting to prepare for External Refining. His progress was considered quite fast.
This person was named Zhang Hongda. He was incredibly burly and looked like trouble at a glance.
According to Shi Gaoshun, the man had a fiery temper and was best left alone. Otherwise, he would challenge you to a spar. While he wouldn't inflict serious injuries, a black and blue face was unavoidable.
In fact, it wasn't just him. Most of those who had reached Great Success in Wild Ox Force had bad tempers, and they were quick to start spars.
At the same time, there was competition among these people. They vied for rankings in the monthly martial competition among the Medicine Hall's Official Disciples. The top five would even receive rewards from the Medicine Hall—sometimes precious medicinal herbs, other times money. The rewards changed every month, but they were always good things.
Yang Chan noticed a look of envy in Shi Gaoshun's eyes as he spoke of this. Clearly, his own strength was not yet enough to compete for the top five.
Within the Sect, there was a deliberate effort to cultivate a "competitive" nature among these Official Disciples. Martial Arts Cultivation required the support of various cultivation resources to progress further.
To obtain these cultivation resources, one had to fight for them. There was nothing wrong with this approach. It was the choice most people made, but Yang Chan didn't want to follow that path. He had other options. He already possessed two Health Cultivation Techniques. If he could cultivate them to the Perfection realm, his Lifespan would surely far exceed that of an ordinary Martial Arts Expert, giving him more time for cultivation.
Most people fought to seize the day, but he was more interested in an everlasting existence.
To put himself in danger and risk his life for a temporary struggle was not what Yang Chan wanted.
He wanted to sit back and watch dynasties rise and fall while he himself remained, immortal and eternal.
Yang Chan now had a general understanding of the situation among the Official Disciples. Among the Medicine Hall's Official Disciples, there were five particularly powerful individuals. The disciples had also formed six small cliques. The sixth was a miscellaneous group, composed of those who hadn't joined the other five.
Yang Chan couldn't help but feel a bit surprised after hearing this. He hadn't expected so many small factions to exist among the two hundred-plus Official Disciples of the Medicine Hall.
The Noble Family Descendants made up three of these cliques, while the commoner disciples formed the other three. It seemed like an even split, but in reality, the Noble Family Descendants were a bit stronger.
With cultivation resources sent from their families, their strength naturally increased faster, giving them an advantage.
Among the commoner factions was Zhang Hongda, the one Yang Chan knew had become an Official Disciple in just a year. He too had reached Great Success in Wild Ox Force and was preparing to begin External Refining.
As for Shi Gaoshun, the one explaining all this to Yang Chan, he belonged to the sixth clique—the largest in number, but not very strong.
After finishing his explanation, Shi Gaoshun extended an invitation to Yang Chan. Yang Chan neither accepted nor refused, simply saying he would consider it.
Every new place came with a new set of interpersonal relationships to manage.
Shi Gaoshun's words were only one side of the story. He needed to observe more to avoid trouble.
As long as he kept a low profile and improved his strength, surpassing these small cliques was only a matter of time.
After they made their arrangement, Shi Gaoshun left. Yang Chan went to the Martial Arts Training Ground and began practicing the Ox Demon's Mighty Fist. Before he had been cultivating for long, the sky turned completely dark.
He still had some Qi and Blood Power left in his body. This was partly because the food for Official Disciples was better, and partly due to the effects of the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill, which slowly increased his body's Qi and Blood Power. While the increase was small, it became very significant when accumulated over time.
Yang Chan didn't continue practicing his fist techniques on the Martial Arts Training Ground but returned to his new residence.
'Sure enough, no matter where you are, if you want a stable life, you need backing, influence, and strength,' Yang Chan thought to himself after pouring a glass of water.
Shi Gaoshun's meaning was also clear: after joining one of the small cliques, he wouldn't be suddenly dragged into duels or practice spars.
'If I want to keep a low profile and quietly improve my strength, I'll have to blend in. Marching to the beat of my own drum is a path for genius protagonists like a Long Aotian, which is different from the path I want to take.'
'But there's no rush. First, I'll cultivate the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill to restore my Qi and Blood, then I'll take a look at this Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill!'
Yang Chan's gaze fell upon the Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill manual lying on the table—a Health Cultivation Technique that wasn't highly regarded in the Cyan Yuan Sect.
'When it comes to Health Cultivation Techniques, the more, the better. In the Early Stage of cultivation, with my proficiency panel, my progress is very fast, and I can even track it.'
Yang Chan's Qi and Blood recovered quickly, returning to its peak state in no time. He picked up the Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill and began to leaf through it by candlelight.
He had only given the book a cursory flip-through back in the Instructor Hall and hadn't examined it closely. Only now did he open it to read properly.
The Turtle Breath Body Cultivation Skill was a Health Cultivation Technique that imitated the breathing of a Spirit Turtle. Its key characteristics were regulating the body, breath, and mind. It focused primarily on breath regulation, aiming to achieve long, drawn-out breaths while the body was coordinated, thereby cultivating health and longevity.