The hundred-year-old Golden Blood Ginseng was nearly twenty centimeters long and as thick as a baby's arm.
Upon opening the brocade box, Chu Qingyun was hit with an aromatic fragrance that refreshed his mind and spirit. The fatigue from a long day pent up at the auction house was instantly swept away.
Cultivating the First Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern involved using the power of a Gold Attribute Spiritual Medicine to inscribe a Gold Pattern onto the body.
However, a mere hundred-year-old Golden Blood Ginseng was clearly not enough to master the First Layer.
According to Chu Qingyun's estimate, this single stalk of Golden Blood Ginseng would probably be enough for him to complete the Gold Pattern on one arm.
For him, however, that was enough.
His most pressing need right now was to strengthen his right arm to execute the Sword Drawing Technique.
Chu Qingyun tore off the Golden Blood Ginseng's skin, revealing a viscous, dark-gold liquid inside. This was the essence of the top-grade Tier Two Spiritual Medicine, the Golden Blood Ginseng.
After consuming every last drop of the ginseng liquid, Chu Qingyun followed the method in the Celestial Profound Divine Pattern Secret Manual and began inscribing the Divine Pattern on his right arm.
It took him over an hour, but Chu Qingyun used up all the Golden Blood Ginseng's power and successfully inscribed the complete Divine Pattern on his right arm.
"Profound Celestial Divine Pattern!"
Chu Qingyun let out a low shout. A large amount of Primordial Power flooded into the Divine Pattern, and intricate, dark-gold lines lit up on his right hand and arm.
The dark-gold lines formed a Divine Pattern that looked mysterious, yet possessed a majestic and beautiful aesthetic.
After the dark-gold Divine Pattern appeared, Chu Qingyun felt his right arm surge with immense power.
He drew his longsword with his left hand and, using fifty percent of his strength, swung it at his right arm.
The moment the blade touched his arm, the dark-gold Divine Pattern flared brightly and, with a CLANG, repelled the Refined Iron Longsword.
Seeing this, Chu Qingyun's eyes couldn't help but light up.
With the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern activated, the strength of his right arm had indeed increased significantly.
By his estimation, he could probably withstand the impact on his right arm even when executing the Sword Drawing Technique now.
With this, Chu Qingyun now had a hope of fighting a ninth-level Martial Artist head-on.
Having comprehended the Fifth Sword: Dawn Wind and Waning Moon and inscribed the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern on his right arm, his strength had greatly increased. Satisfied, Chu Qingyun went to bed.
However, when he woke up, he was faced with another problem.
He had spent all his money on the Golden Blood Ginseng. Now, Chu Qingyun was utterly broke; even paying for food and lodging had become an issue.
'Right, today seems to be the day the Great Xia Martial Palace is open!'
'My strength has just increased, so it's the perfect time to challenge for a six-win streak!'
Chu Qingyun hastily washed up and hurried to the Great Xia Martial Palace.
Chu Qingyun was already very familiar with the place. He went directly to the back area to register with Gao Feng.
"Chu Qingyun!"
"You little rascal, I've finally caught you!"
Upon reaching the back area of the Martial Artist District, Chu Qingyun ran into a familiar face.
Just then, Ye Qi's pretty face was filled with annoyance. She stared at Chu Qingyun with a pout, looking as if she had been searching for him for a long time.
"Ye Qi, it's you! What are you doing here?"
Chu Qingyun said in pleasant surprise.
The Sword Drawing Technique Ye Qi had given him had been a huge help, both in the previous wedding-procession tournament against Zhao Yishui and in his fight against Zhu Yuanzhi at the Great Xia Martial Palace.
By that measure, Chu Qingyun owed Ye Qi a huge favor.
It was just that at the time, Chu Qingyun hadn't realized how powerful the Sword Drawing Technique was, so he had never properly thanked her.
"What am I doing here? I should be asking you that!"
"Didn't I tell you to come find me when you got to Qingshan City?"
Ye Qi said, a little angrily.
The day before, at the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower auction, Ye Qi had spotted Chu Qingyun.
But after the auction ended, she had run downstairs, only to lose him in the crowd. She never expected to run into him at the Great Xia Martial Palace today.
"Er, you can't blame me for that."
"You only told me to master the Sword Drawing Technique and find you in Qingshan City. You never said *where* to find you."
Chu Qingyun said, shaking his head. He'd be damned if he took the blame for this.
"Didn't I tell you my name... Oh, I get it. You actually don't know..."
"Never mind, never mind. You're forgiven!"
Ye Qi seemed to have figured something out. She laughed, patted Chu Qingyun's arm, and spoke.
"By the way, have you mastered the Sword Drawing Technique?"
Ye Qi asked, her face full of anticipation.
She had personally witnessed Chu Qingyun's talent in the Sword Dao. It was safe to say he was the person she'd met with the best chance of mastering the Sword Drawing Technique.
"Of course. I mastered it a month after you left."
Chu Qingyun said with a smile.
"Really? You really mastered the Sword Drawing Technique!?"
Ye Qi's face flushed red with excitement, and she grabbed both of Chu Qingyun's arms.
No one understood better than her what mastering the Sword Drawing Technique meant!
"Sigh, it's a shame. Your Martial Soul is the Three-Star Vine, only Tier One, and it's not even a Sword Martial Soul..."
Then, Ye Qi's expression turned disappointed. She shook Chu Qingyun's arm and spoke with regret.
The two of them chatted happily, like old friends reuniting, completely failing to notice the increasingly sour expression on the face of a young man standing behind Ye Qi.
"Ahem, Qi, who is this? You haven't introduced us."
The young master said, forcing a smile.
Ye Qi shot him a glare and said irritably, "Deng Zhuxuan, how many times have I told you not to call me Qi? And besides, why should I introduce you to him!"
Deng Zhuxuan's expression darkened, but he suppressed his jealousy and cupped his fists at Chu Qingyun. "I am Deng Zhuxuan, young master of Qingshan City's Deng Family. And who might this gentleman be?"
'The Deng Family of Qingshan City.'
Chu Qingyun raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but look Deng Zhuxuan up and down.
Although he hadn't been in Qingshan City for long, he had heard of the Deng Family many times.
The Deng Family Patriarch was a powerful Martial Artist, and the Deng Family itself was one of the top families in Qingshan City. In terms of strength, they were likely second only to the Blood Wolf Gang.
"I am Chu Qingyun, from Chu Family Village outside the city."
Chu Qingyun replied politely, also cupping his fists.
Chu Qingyun had never been shy about coming from Chu Family Village; he was always direct about it.
In his view, a Martial Artist's origins were completely unimportant. What truly mattered, always, was one's own strength.
Deng Zhuxuan had assumed that for Chu Qingyun to be so close to Ye Qi, he must be the noble scion of some great family, which was why he had forced himself to remain polite.
He never imagined that Chu Qingyun was actually from one of those broken-down villages outside the city.
Instantly, his face filled with thick disdain and arrogance.
"Hmph, and here I was wondering which young master you were. Turns out you're just a country bumpkin from some village."
"Qi, hanging out with someone like this really lowers your status."
Deng Zhuxuan said with extreme contempt and provocation.
"Deng Zhuxuan, what are you saying! Chu Qingyun is my guest!"
Ye Qi glared at Deng Zhuxuan and said, deeply displeased.
Deng Zhuxuan didn't dare say anything back to Ye Qi, so he turned his attention back to Chu Qingyun. Seeing the longsword hanging at his waist, a smirk flashed in his eyes.
"Chu Qingyun, I didn't expect you to be a sword user too. Do you know what else swords are called?"