Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 82 Taking the Strong Muscle Powder

Qizhou City, Yunchen Inn, inside the room.

Mr. Sha was in high spirits. He leaned forward, his eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands, looking very expectant.

Faced with Mr. Sha's expectations, Jiang Xuan felt helpless.

He smiled and shook his head, then handed a small jade bottle to Old Sha.

Old Sha looked at the small jade bottle in his hand, lifted the bottle, placed it in front of his eyes, observed it for a week, and then immediately pulled out the cork.

As the small jade bottle was opened, the fragrance emitted by the medicinal powder inside immediately filled the entire room. Without any delay, Jiang Xuan smelled the rich herbal aroma, which was like grass, but extremely strong.

"The smell is so strong?" Jiang Xuan couldn't help but say.

"The effect of this Strengthening Muscle Powder is predicted by its smell. 'Strengthening Muscle Powder' has many different scents, but the real Strengthening Muscle Powder smells just like what you're smelling now."

Old Sha continued, "Strengthening Muscle Powder is not easy to refine. If there is even a slight deviation, the refined pill will not be like the one you smell now. There are all kinds of smells."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Xuan was a little confused.

"Actually, the herbs needed to refine this Strengthening Muscle Powder aren't difficult to find. However, the process requires the pharmacist to be extremely focused, and not even the slightest deviation is allowed. Furthermore, there can be no mistakes in finding and selecting the herbs. Even so, while the herbs aren't difficult to find, and aren't particularly rare, pharmacists make mistakes too often when refining Strengthening Muscle Powder. Over time, fewer and fewer pharmacists are willing to refine this powder."

"Even the most experienced pharmacist cannot guarantee that he can refine a muscle-strengthening powder of above-standard quality every time after many failures. He can even celebrate if he succeeds once in ten attempts. Therefore, even the most talented pharmacist cannot persist without a lot of financial support in the early stage." Old Sha continued.

"Most warriors have never seen Strengthening Muscle Powder. Even if the real thing is placed in front of them, most people can't tell the difference. Some counterfeit Strengthening Muscle Powders circulating on the market that only have health-promoting effects are even more exquisitely made than the real thing."

"That's why so many people gathered at the Green Lake Auction House the day the Strengthening Muscle Powder appeared. It's been a long time since a genuine Strengthening Muscle Powder has appeared on the market. And the Green Lake Auction House has built up a good reputation over the years, attracting many warriors to its doors."

"You were also at the Green Lake Auction House that day?" Jiang Xuan asked in surprise.

"Where did this old man get the spare money to go to the Green Lake Auction House? I've only heard about it." Old Sha added, "It seems this bottle of Strengthening Muscle Powder was bought at the Green Lake Auction House."

Jiang Xuan didn't know how to start, so he just gave an awkward smile.

Sha Lao waved his hand and said, "This old man is not interested in your personal affairs. If you don't want to answer, forget it."

He poured out the powder from the small jade bottle, twisted it lightly, and rubbed it into a dark green pill as big as the tip of his finger, and threw it directly into a tea bowl filled with clear water.

In an instant, the dark green pill quickly melted under the action of water, turning into a cup of dark black juice with green waves. There was no residue, but it was a bit turbid.

"Drink it." Sha Lao said seriously and firmly.

In Jiang Xuan's opinion, Sha Lao's series of actions seemed a bit sloppy. He looked at the unusual juice in the tea bowl again, really not knowing how to drink it. He met Sha Lao's eyes and asked, "Sha Lao, is this... drinkable?"

"Hahaha!"

Jiang Xuan just asked timidly. When Mr. Sha saw that Jiang Xuan was not confident enough to drink the juice of Qiangjinsan, he immediately burst into laughter and almost clapped his legs and jumped up and down.

It seemed as if all the seriousness before was for Jiang Xuan's reaction at this moment. The expression on Sha Lao's face at this moment was as if a naughty child's plan had succeeded.

Mr. Sha looked at Jiang Xuan with a smile and made a "please" gesture.

Jiang Xuan no longer hesitated and took a deep breath. With each breath, he was fully prepared, as if he had made up his mind.

He put one hand on his waist and quickly brought the tea bowl to his mouth. He took a light sniff, then held his breath and gulped down the bowl of thick ink-colored juice in one gulp.

What surprised Jiang Xuan was that after he swallowed the strange, ink-black juice and tasted the remaining liquid in his mouth, he found that it was not as unbearable as he had imagined, but only slightly bitter.

Old Sha stared at the silly boy in front of him, looking at him again and again, and finally nodded with great satisfaction. Jiang Xuan put down his hands on his waist and said, "Old Sha, is this enough?"

Mr. Sha gave a meaningful "hmm" and then asked, "How does it taste?"

"It's okay, a little bitter, but not as...unpalatable as it looks." Jiang Xuan looked down at the tea bowl in his hand, smacked his lips, and replied.

"It's really not that hard to swallow..." Mr. Sha murmured as he thought of the bowl of "clear water" he had prepared in advance.

"What did you say?" Jiang Xuan didn't hear what Mr. Sha said clearly and asked again.

"Ahem! Nothing." Old Sha continued, "For the next few days, you need to concentrate on meditating in your room and not go out. The specific improvement this Strengthening Powder can bring you depends, firstly, on its quality, and secondly, on your level of concentration after taking it."

"This bottle of Strengthening Muscle Powder is of decent quality, but the most important thing is your concentration during meditation. Only by coordinating the flow of the powder's medicinal properties can you maximize its effectiveness and elevate your martial arts skills."

Jiang Xuan pondered what Old Sha said, nodded slightly, and wanted to ask for clarification: "How many days exactly?"

"It will take about three days. When the tendon strengthening powder is completely consumed in your body, you will feel it. You can stop then."

After hearing what Mr. Sha said, Jiang Xuan nodded as if he didn't quite understand.

"Didn't our conversation just now delay us for a while?" Jiang Xuan suddenly felt anxious when he thought of this.

Mr. Sha said leisurely, "So what's your reaction now?"

Jiang Xuan carefully felt the changes in his body, shook his head, and said, "No reaction yet."

"That's right. The burning sensation in the body brought by the Strengthening Muscle Powder didn't take effect that quickly. It took about half an hour after taking it for it to start taking effect."

Jiang Xuan had a thoughtful look on his face, nodded slightly, and responded to Mr. Sha.

"Once you're ready, find a comfortable spot in the room and begin meditating." Elder Sha emphasized his tone and instructed seriously, "Remember! From now on, you must not leave the room and you must not stop meditating midway."

"Don't worry, I'll remember it." Jiang Xuan nodded slightly, but his tone was firm.

Since when, Jiang Xuan has been convinced by Mr. Sha's "experience" and no longer doubts what Mr. Sha says.

After giving Jiang Xuan his instructions, Mr. Sha immediately put on a relaxed and happy expression.

Just when he was about to go out, he came back.

"By the way, where is your wallet?" asked Mr. Sha.

Jiang Xuan pointed to a corner of the table where a small package was placed.

Following Jiang Xuan's direction, Sha Lao walked over and casually picked up the purse. "Looks like I'll have to stay in this Yunchen Inn for a few more days..."

He closed the door lightly and left...

Jiang Xuan looked at Sha Lao's brisk steps and smiled helplessly. He inexplicably felt that the old man in front of him was extraordinarily cute.

At this moment, Jiang Xuan suddenly thought of something, his smile suddenly froze, and he quickly ran to the door and shouted to Mr. Sha outside the door.

"We don't have much money left, so spend it sparingly!"

(End of this chapter)