Chapter 6: Transformation of Perception; The Bearing of an Average Man!

Night fell, and moonlight spilled across the quiet grounds of Miaoshou Garden.

In a secluded corner, Lu Changsheng’s status panel appeared before him. He learned that he had reached Perfection in the Tiger Pounce Strike and subsequently elevated his Perception by two points.

Lu Changsheng blinked in surprise. "My Perception has increased by two points, not just one. When I perfected the Basic Fist Technique, it only gave me a single point. Could it be that the Tiger Pounce Strike grants more Perception because it's a higher-tier technique?"

It made sense that the more difficult and advanced a martial art was, the more Perception it granted. The Tiger Pounce Strike was not a basic technique, so naturally, elevating his proficiency in it to Perfection had rewarded Lu Changsheng with two points instead of just one.

As Lu Changsheng closed his eyes, he felt like his thoughts had become much clearer. Things that had once been complex or hard to grasp now clicked into place after a moment of reflection.

Previously, he had been perplexed by the notion of strengthening blood qi, unsure what that actually meant. Now, as if a flash of insight passed through his mind, he understood at once what the Great River Blood Fortification Art was really about.

The Great River Blood Fortification Art relied on unique vibrations to continuously temper the body, prompting it to replenish and strengthen its blood qi. However, the body required fuel to sustain that growth—nutrients drawn from meat, medicinal meals, and other sources of strength.

Days of confusion had vanished in an instant.

Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng checked his status panel once more.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 101 (The Bearing of an Average Man)

[Skills]

Basic Saber: Initial Mastery

Basic Sword: Initial Mastery

Basic Staff: Initial Mastery

Tiger Pounce Strike: Perfection

Great River Blood Fortification Art: First Layer

Lu Changsheng's Perception had risen from 99 to 101, and the evaluation had changed from "Ordinary and Unremarkable" to "The Bearing of an Average Man," marking a qualitative transformation.

He couldn't help but wonder,

So this is what an increase in Perception feels like? The Bearing of an Average Man might sound plain, but the effects are immediate...

He began practicing the Great River Blood Fortification Art again. The improvement didn’t make his blood qi grow faster outright, but it allowed him to sense the flow clearly and analyze it, allowing for more efficient circulation. Over time, this would still aid the growth of his blood qi.

Lu Changsheng was satisfied, especially since he only had "The Bearing of an Average Man." If he elevated his Perception further, the results would surely be even greater.

He shifted his focus to the Basic Saber, Sword, and Staff Techniques. The improvement in his Perception was reflected most clearly in his martial techniques, and he was certain it wouldn’t take long to reach Perfection in all three. When that happened, his Perception would rise by another three points.

After concluding his training session, Lu Changsheng reflected on his clash with the two bandits. Though he had managed to kill them, he knew well how dangerous it had been to face them alone. They had been nothing more than strong, burly men with no real martial training, yet using the Tiger Pounce Strike in such a life-or-death situation had been quite the gamble. One misstep, and it would've been him lying in a shallow grave.

I need a weapon.

He didn't want to carry around something too conspicuous, like a sword or a long saber. A dagger would suit him just right. Paired with Tiger Pounce Strike at Perfection, it was all he needed to deal with most opponents. Indeed, in his current situation, a dagger would be the most practical choice.

Over the next few days, Lu Changsheng returned to his usual routine, making himself busy from sunrise to sunset with hardly any rest. He wanted to buy medicinal meals to support his training, but being a menial apprentice, even stepping outside Miaoshou Garden was difficult. The restrictions were far too severe.

I need to find a way to shed this identity, to have some freedom.

Sitting atop a mountain of treasures without being able to touch any of them was nothing short of agonizing. He had over eight hundred taels hidden away; it was more than enough to buy medicinal meals for his martial practice, yet he had no way to retrieve them. He was chained by his status.

As a menial apprentice of Miaoshou Garden, there were only three paths forward. The first was to become a guard unit apprentice, the best and most direct choice. But given the lackluster performance he had shown at the start, that path was already closed to Lu Changsheng.

The second path was to become an ordinary apprentice. Ordinary apprentices were assigned to work under bookkeepers, shopkeepers, and other staff in various apothecaries, going wherever there was work to be done. The chores were endless, the chances of promotion were slim, and there was little free time. Thus, this was hardly an ideal choice.

The last option was becoming an apothecary's apprentice. Apothecaries were not physicians; they specialized in preparing medicinal herbs. They couldn't treat patients directly, but apothecaries were responsible for processing all the herbs purchased from the medicinal shops. Their position, therefore, was second only to that of a physician.

With that being said, being an apothecary's apprentice meant spending the day identifying and processing herbs, learning directly from the master, and earning a wage much higher than that of an ordinary apprentice. In addition, the apprentice of an apothecary might be fortunate enough to catch the attention of a physician and ultimately become their apprentice.

After mulling over his options, Lu Changsheng made his decision. He would become an apothecary's apprentice!

Of course, such an undertaking wouldn't be easy. He would have to memorize the names of countless herbs, as well as their lifespans and medicinal properties. That demanded long hours of study and a sharp mind; otherwise, this challenge would be impossible.

"Looks like I won’t be able to retrieve the silver taels in the cave for now. I’ll focus on becoming an apothecary’s apprentice first," Lu Changsheng said as he let out a long breath.

He had been fixated on retrieving the silver taels, but now that he realized there was no hope of doing so anytime soon, he felt, strangely, more at ease.

In the days that followed, Lu Changsheng threw himself into study by attending Master Mo's extra lessons to improve his literacy and spent every spare moment memorizing medicinal herbs. After more than ten days of this routine, he felt fine physically, but his mind was utterly spent. Without mental clarity, studying was nothing short of torture.

Fortunately, in that same period, Lu Changsheng had achieved Perfection in all three of his basic martial techniques.

"That’s another three points to Perception," he murmured to himself.

Lu Changsheng’s Perception had risen from 101 to 104. This level not only benefited his martial training but also made reading and memorizing medicinal herbs far easier. He even felt his memory had improved noticeably.

The bad news was that he had run out of basic martial arts techniques to learn. Although the so-called Eighteen Weapons[1]were all represented, the more obscure ones had no basic techniques to speak of. Only popular martial arts that wielded weapons like the saber, sword, and fist had them.

Weapons such as whips, spears, or hammers required specialized styles like Zhao's Whip Art, Ma's Long Spear, or Wang's Twin Hammers. Acquiring the manuals for such niche techniques was not easy, certainly not for a menial apprentice like Lu Changsheng. This only made him more determined to become a pharmacist’s apprentice as soon as possible.

Time flew by, and three months had passed.

"I'm finally done memorizing." Lu Changsheng exhaled. "Master Mo says I know all the words I need for now. The rest is just text interpretation. That can wait. I’ve memorized hundreds of herbs these past months. It should be enough to qualify. No more waiting, I’m taking the test today."

He was done wasting time as a menial apprentice.

After all, in three months, he had gained no new techniques, and his Perception had remained stuck at 104. Progress in the Great River Blood Fortification Art was painfully slow without the aid of medicinal meals.

That morning, as all the apprentices gathered in the plaza, Lu Changsheng stepped forward. "Steward Zhang, I wish to apply for the pharmacist’s apprentice examination. Please grant me permission to do so."

Whoosh...

It wasn't just Steward Zhang that stared at him; every other apprentice turned to look at Lu Changsheng, their faces filled with surprise.

1. The Eighteen Weapons (十八般兵器) is a traditional Chinese martial arts classification that refers to a standardized set of weapon types commonly recognized in historical military training and folk martial culture ☜