Chapter Seventeen: Temptation

I don’t know how long I slept! It was an incredibly comfortable sleep. When I opened my sleepy eyes, Rod couldn’t help but close them again immediately, only opening them after a while. A ray of the setting sun shone directly on his face through the window.
“A whole day?” Frowning at this sight, Rod murmured to himself. He hadn’t expected that just one sleep could take up an entire day.
“Creak… creak…” After stretching lazily, the sound of his bones rubbing together filled the air. Taking a deep breath, energized, he couldn’t help but groan. The sense of relief after his bones relaxed even more intensified.
He quickly got up, put on his clothes, and headed out, complaining. Time was money, and he didn’t want to waste it sleeping. After practicing for a short while, Rod stopped abruptly, frowning and standing there, filled with confusion.
“What’s going on?” he murmured to himself after a while.
Something seemed off with today’s practice—it went much smoother than usual, and his flexibility had significantly improved. It seemed like he had made great progress in just one day.
“It must be the effect of that potion. Though I don’t know its ingredients, it seems to be very helpful to you!” The Sword Spirit’s excited voice came through, resolving Rod’s doubts.
“Could that old man really be that kind?” Rod pondered, feeling that the old man was increasingly mysterious. Just take this powder—indeed, apart from it, nothing else could help him so much.
“What else could it be? Do you think you could suddenly improve this much in just one day?”
“No, I have to ask!” With growing confusion, he turned around, ready to go back and inquire.
“Do you really think he’ll tell you? Let things take their course. At least he has no ill intentions toward you! Well, don’t waste time. The medicinal power in your body hasn’t completely dissipated yet. Hurry up and practice! You might achieve unexpected results!” The Sword Spirit stopped Rod’s impulse, speaking helplessly. But inwardly, it was complaining about why it had to follow such a master.
Hearing the Sword Spirit’s words, Rod stood there, frowning and hesitating for a long time. With a sigh, he returned to his original spot, giving up on his idea. He focused inward, putting aside external practice and turning to cultivate his internal energy instead!

As usual, after allowing his internal energy to circulate through his body for several rounds, he proceeded to the physical training phase. This time, perhaps due to the lingering effects of the medicine, he felt an immense surge of energy, almost overwhelming Rod. Enduring the pain and intense heat throughout his body, he finally managed to get back on track after some struggle. It seemed as though every cell in his body was dividing! Crack, crack, crack… Even his bones made crisp sounds. This state lasted for an unknown length of time, and only when his energy was exhausted did Rod draw back his internal energy and send it back to his dantian, bringing it to a halt. “Huff, huff, huff…” Breathing heavily, still emitting an unpleasant stench, he lay down, ignoring the cold and the dirty floor, too exhausted to care. … “Oh, kid, you’re back again? Hehehe… Good, that’s what I like. That’s what makes a proper good kid. Hmm, it seems fate is still kind to me old man—finally making you return to your senses and show filial piety!” The old man said excitedly, a smile on his lips as he watched Rod approaching with something in his hands. Rod rolled his eyes and ignored him. After discovering the situation that day, he had tried to get the medicinal powder from the old man, but the old man refused to give it to him, forcing Rod to start implementing his plan. Now was the time to carry out the plan, and he wasn’t going to ruin everything over such a trivial matter. After all, he hadn’t been idle these past weeks. Aside from his daily training, he had used almost all his free time to scrape together some money, constantly coming up with new ways to cook meals for the old man. “Hehe, kid, I never realized you had such great cooking skills. If I had known, I should have let you take care of our family’s meals!” The old man squinted as he devoured the food, not forgetting to give praise along the way. “Tell me, how could I not know what you’re thinking? You want that medicinal powder, right?” Enjoying the delicious food, the old man said with crossed legs, his annoying attitude making Rod furious inside. Yet on his face, he wore a flattering smile and said, “Yeah, the old man is really great. Hehe, my admiration for you is like an endless stream! Just like…”

“Enough, it’s like an endless stream of water. Forget it. Here, this is what you wanted—treasure it, as it’s worth a lot! Given your sincerity, I’ll reluctantly give it to you! Use it sparingly!”
With a pout, the old man also said words that even he found disgusting, going along with Rod.
At that moment, the old fellow wore a broad smile, looking utterly triumphant.
“Hahaha… Then I won’t be polite!”
Upon seeing the packet of powder, Rod immediately beamed with joy. Ignoring the old man’s expression, he grabbed the powder and ran outside, leaving the astonished old man behind.
“This brat changes too fast!” The old man muttered to himself with a wry smile, his mouth slightly agape.
“Never mind. Good luck to you, kid!” After a moment, he sighed softly and spoke to himself.
Of course, Rod, who had already left, couldn’t hear these words. His training over the past period had brought him significant progress, and he could faintly sense the seal loosening! Eager, he wouldn’t miss this opportunity—perfect for another round of training, followed by using this powder in hopes of achieving unexpected results.