Chapter 298: Improvement

Making sure to avoid the guards, Chu Qiguang jumped over the wall and landed on the street outside the Miao Clan's back entrance.

It was still very early in the morning, so the street was quiet. However, after rounding a corner, Chu Qiguang encountered a large group of beggars dressed in tattered clothes, their cheeks red and chapped from the cold winter air.

They were gathered expectantly in front of a small door.

Shortly afterward, the Miao Clan's servants returned from their grocery trip, and the beggars immediately began begging them for food.

The servants treated the beggars like animals, occasionally tossing pieces of flatbread onto the ground and watching them fight over the food for their amusement.

Chu Qiguang's brows furrowed slightly at the sight.

According to the information gathered by Chen Gang, over seventy percent of the land in the Ba Manor had been claimed by the prominent clans, forcing the commoners to become either tenant farmers or beggars.

The existence of these powerful clans has severely reduced the diversity of the work force. Right now, there are barely any skilled workers in the manor, only tenant farmers and beggars. If I want to establish manufactories in Shu Province in the future, this is going to be a problem that I'll have to overcome.

Chu Qiguang continued pondering his future plans as he made his way back to Earth Gate Fort.

His main objective in coming to Shu Province was to find a path to the Dao Comprehension state, but he was also eager to establish a base of operations here as well.

The imperial court's influence in this region was rather weak, making it a perfect place for him to exploit.

Once I sell off all my stocks in the north, I'll have enough money to invest in Shu Province.

***

On the way back to Earth Gate Fort, Chu Qiguang noticed that the population of the Ba Manor City seemed to have declined, and many restaurants and banks had temporarily closed their doors.

At the same time, there were more martial artists and followers of the Tribulation Religion and the Heavenly Master Religion on the streets. In fact, he even came across a physical altercation between a group of Daoist priests and several followers of the Tribulation Religion.

The two sides had completely demolished a teahouse in their clash. Meanwhile, more and more fiends were gathering in the shadows outside the city.

A palpable air of tension hung over the entire manor city, and crimes such as robbery, murder, and fiends devouring humans had become more frequent.

More and more commoners were taking refuge in their homes, not daring to venture outside.

A storm is coming, Chu Qiguang thought. Not only do I have to grow stronger, but Chen Gang, Lei Yushu, and Zhang Jitian must do the same.

With that in mind, Chu Qiguang took out his Golden Millet Sprout Pill after returning to Earth Gate Fort.

This pill was one of the rewards he had received for his stellar performance in the half-yearly examination on Jade Face Mountain.

The Golden Millet Sprout Pill could temporarily enhance the consumer's learning ability, making it perfect for mastering different martial arts and making breakthroughs.

He had already taken the other three pills, but he had never needed the Golden Millet Sprout Pill. The boons granted by his Ring of Ignorance made learning ability irrelevant to him.

If I keep holding on to this pill, its value will only continue to depreciate over time. I don't see myself ever needing it, so I may as well give it to someone else.

With that in mind, he turned his gaze toward Lei Yushu and Chen Gang, both of whom were standing before him with expectant looks in their eyes.

In order to divide the pill between them, Chu Qiguang dissolved it in water and split the resulting medicinal water into two small bowls for them to drink.

Chen Gang's body was still covered in plasters from the injuries he had sustained at the hands of Liu Yao's underlings. He immediately picked up his bowl and gulped down the contents.

It had already been nine months since he reached the second state. To reach the third state, he needed to clearly sense his qi and blood and direct it into his four extremities.

After drinking the pill-infused water, his mind instantly became countless times sharper. All of a sudden, he could clearly sense the qi and blood that had always seemed murky and elusive to him.

A faint thump rang out from within his body, and he made a breakthrough to the third state on the spot.

Tears of joy began streaming down his face.

I never even dared to imagine that I could reach the third state one day! I can even take part in the martial examination now if I want to!

For the commoners of the Great Han Empire, reaching the third state was an unfathomable blessing. It presented unimaginable opportunities that could bring an end to generations of poverty.

Chen Gang turned to Chu Qiguang with gratitude in his eyes, only to discover that Chu Qiguang wasn't even looking at him.

Instead, Chu Qiguang's attention was focused solely on Lei Yushu, and his eyes were glowing with joy and approval. "You skipped straight to the third state! Amazing!"

Chen Gang wasn't bothered in the slightest by Chu Qiguang's blatant favoritism. Instead, he made a promise to himself that he would serve Chu Qiguang for the rest of his life.

Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang was affectionately rubbing Lei Yushu's head like a doting senior.

Even though Lei Yushu was only at the first state, drinking the pill-infused water had allowed her to sense the qi and blood within her body.

"Now that you've developed a sense of your qi and blood, all you have to do is wait for your physical constitution to catch up," Chu Qiguang said with delight. "Keep training, eating, and taking pills, and you should reach the third state in about half a month."

Chu Qiguang had previously tried to have Lei Yushu cultivate Dao arts, but she had no talent in that regard whatsoever. However, when it came to martial arts, her aptitude was superior even to Jiang Longyu's.

"Keep up the good work," Chu Qiguang encouraged. "Once you reach the fifth state, you'll be able to help me."

"Yes, Master! I'll work hard and help you change the world!" Lei Yushu promised excitedly.

After that, Chen Gang continued to rest and recuperate, while Lei Yushu resumed her cultivation with renewed vigor.

Once the two of them were gone, Chu Qiguang took out the Sumeru King Scripture. He immediately sensed the positive effect that reaching the second level of the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts had on his cultivation of the Sumeru King Scripture.

2,714 days 9 hours 12 minutes 46 seconds.

That's a reduction of more than four hundred days!

***

In the Hibiscus Brocade Manor City, throngs of Tribulation Religion followers gathered in front of the Daoist temple. Armed with things like rocks, torches, they rushed inside with righteous fury on their faces.

The front gate was smashed open, and a spree of destruction followed.

The Daoist priests quickly arrived and were furious at what they saw. Most of the Tribulation Religion followers attacking the Daoist temple were just commoners, so the Daoist priests quickly subdued them. However, the damage they had caused to the Daoist temple was irreversible.

Two hours later, Abbot Xie De returned to the temple.

He was a thin, elderly man, and his face was filled with fury as he demanded, "Who are these people?"

"They're all followers of the Tribulation Religion," a Daoist priest answered.

"Who put them up to this?" Xie De snapped.

Unfortunately, the Tribulation Religion followers were completely uneducated and unable to answer any of the Daoist priests' questions. Even after an extensive interrogation, it remained unclear who had orchestrated the attack.

Just then, a Daoist attendant rushed onto the scene with a panicked expression.

"Abbot! The deity statue has been damaged!"

Xie De immediately rushed over to the deity statue of the Profound Origin Dao Lord and discovered that someone had pierced several holes into its head.

"Who did this?!" he roared, barely able to contain his fury.

In a teahouse outside the Daoist temple, the Greed Demon of the Tribulation Religion sipped his tea as he watched the chaos unfold inside the temple.

At the same time, various other Daoist temples across Shu Province were also being attacked by followers of the Tribulation Religion.