Jian Yu's expression turned unsightly at an instant as he felt his balls get kicked. With that kick, he even imagined his body starting to float in the air, his legs had grown numb.

"That'll teach you, you... you son of a bitch! You know what? I just lost interest in you. Come brothers, let's go for a walk!"

Fatty spat on the trembling Jian Yu on the ground as he gestured his friends by his side to walk away from this scene. The crowd that had gathered from all of the commotion parted ways to allow the despicable Ferocity sect disciples to leave. Some were admiring the power and authority of sect disciples while others were silently laughing at Jian Yu's misfortune.

With Fatty and the other two gone, there was not much to see anymore so the crowd dispersed. Now, Jian Yu was left recovering in the middle of the street.

"Again, I'm humiliated by that damned Fatty. Argh I can't take this anymore!" Jian Yu muttered to himself on the ground.

With madness quickly covering his eyes, he did his best to shout out his words of vengeance.

"I'LL KICK YOUR BALLS TOO!!"

Then, Jian Yu got up and walked back home quickly through sheer willpower. If Fatty had come back and kicked him in the balls again, he was afraid he would turn into an eunuch. His balls would truly go.

When Jian Yu did reach his house did he stop and check on the condition of his balls in his room.

After noting that it was at least recoverable did he finally heave a sigh of relief. A profound look of terror emerged on his face when he recalled the day's events.

"You want to flaunt your status? Wait till I become a disciple of Blood Reaches Sect. Then, I'll drag you out and kick your balls personally in the Martial Stadium."

Jian Yu's thoughts that were usually jumbled up and focused on his reputation shifted its attention slightly towards vengeance.

"I need money to buy medicinal pills to advance my cultivation, I can't show it off to others... Wait, but I can technically show off medicinal pills to flaunt my money as well as use them up afterwards to advance my cultivation! I'm so smart!"

Thinking up to this point, Jian Yu's face nearly flushed red with excitement.

"Ahh, the feeling of having killing 2 birds with 1 stone sure is nice. Tomorrow I'll get my pay from Uncle Xie and search for medicinal pills to buy. Preferably the kind that are cheap yet effective."

With that, Jian Yu patiently practiced his blacksmithing skills and cultivated in his room until the next day.

In fact, after his long hours of meditation, he discovered a breathing technique that allowed easier absorption of qi by himself. This was definitely a pleasant surprise as any help to his cultivation was welcome.

The next day...

"I'm here Uncle Xie!" Jian Yu exclaimed after barging through the front door of the smithy.

"Just asking, how much money did I earn from yesterday's work?"

Uncle Xie was sitting very comfortably on his favorite stool before he realised Jian Yu was actually very early to work. He also noticed that whatever bearing that Jian Yu walked into the smithy with the previous day had been utterly replaced with the bearing of an innocent and overly excited child.

"I don't know, maybe you should call me boss from now on before I consider giving you your payment," Uncle Xie teased Jian Yu as he stroked his short beard.

But seeing that Jian Yu did not react to his approach as expected, he quickly told Jian Yu that he had earned himself a 6 gold coins.

Hearing what he had earned, Jian Yu nearly leaped up in joy. Throughout the city, the same currency is used in the form of copper, silver, and gold coins. 100 copper coins would be equivalent to 1 silver coin and 100 silver coins would be equivalent to 1 gold coin.

Mentally, Jian Yu calculated his gains. His average meal was 50 silver coins. The only things he would have to spend money on would be his meals. That would leave...

"I can save up 4 gold coins and 50 silver coins everyday on average!"

At this point, Jian Yu saw a glimmer of hope shine in front of him in the form of a well paid job. With more money, he would have a much easier time with all aspects of his life.

"Now, I wonder how much a pill would cost?"

"Ahem, would you please work now?"

Uncle Xie nudged Jian Yu towards his workshop from behind. Jian Yu's thoughts were interrupte by the sudden push and fell.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

After he finished off his last refinement, his eyes glowed as he summed up the day's earnings.

"8 gold coins! Although my arms ache a lot, it is entirely worth it. I'll be back to optimal condition tomorrow."

Jian Yu's mind was basking in the feeling of having his efforts being paid back tenfold. After all, money could not be obtained while sleeping but his arms could recover while sleeping.

"Uncle Xie! I'll be leaving early today!"

Without even turning his head, Jian Yu left the smithy to head towards the nearest store that sold medicinal pills. His good mood was soon dampened by the soft mutters by the people around him.

"Hey, isn't that Jian Yu? I wonder if he's fine after Li Ming kicked him in the groin yesterday..."

"That guy? I think he deserves to be beat up but kicking his balls like that is too ruthless..."

Immediately, Jian Yu's head tucked downwards towards his chest and his neck quickly turned red. Unlike what most people nearby were assuming, he was not embarassed but boiling with rage. To recall how he had been trampled upon by that filthy Fatty filled him with utter rage.

By walking faster to avoid the consistent murmuring around him, he quickly arrived at a branch of the Pinnacle Pavilion.

The Pinnacle Pavilion was a big organisation that sells a variety of items from magical treasures to medicinal pills. It's foundations were deep and stable, allowing it to open up countless branches throughout the four continents. It was known to be a reliable place for anyone to buy what they needed whatever it was.

*Ding-a-ling*

The bell placed above the door rang out as Jian Yu opened it. As soon as the first gust of wind entered the store from the open door, Jian Yu was amazed. Amazed at the vast collections of items that his eyes met shimmerering under the lighting provided.

"Greetings sir, what can I do to help you?"

From the side, a young man dressed in a fashionable robe came up to Jian Yu and offered his assistance. Pleased with the service provided by the store, Jian Yu straightforwardly set his demands.

"I want to check on your cheapest medicinal pill suitable for cultivators to advance from the 1st level of qi condensation to the 2nd level."

"Hold on for a moment sir."

The young man rushed off to a nearby shelf and picked up a bag. To Jian Yu's shock, a jade slip magically appeared on the palm of his other hand before which he placed back the bag onto the shelf.

The young man rushed back to Jian Yu and handed him the jade slip.

"Here, you can check on all the types of medicinal pills that suit your requirements in it."

Clueless, Jian Yu examined the jade slip from top to bottom only to end up even more clueless. Seeing this behavior made the young man chuckle.

"Sir, you have to infuse the jade slip with your qi to inspect the information inside it. Didn't you listen to what your seniors said?"

"Seniors? Uhh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot."

Holding the jade slip in his right hand, Jian Yu guided the qi to be infused into the jade slip. After that was done, Jian Yu was greeted with an influx of information similar to what the old man had done months ago. However, contrary to the first time, Jian Yu's head remained clear and no pain had come with the information.

1 qi gathering pill, 3 spirit stones or 6,000 gold coins.

1 qi flowing pill, 5 spirit stones or 10,000 gold coins.

...

Seeing the prices of these medicinal pills left Jian Yu's mouth wide open. Jian Yu stood aghast at the abnormal prices of the medicinal pills. According to the young man, these were the cheapest ones too...

"Anything wrong sir?"

The young man noticed Jian Yu's slight discomfort upon inspecting the jade slip. Perhaps he had given the wrong jade slip and caused this potential customer to be displeased.

"No, it's nothing... I just didn't bring...  I don't have enough spirit stones to buy in bulk, that's it."

"Oh, I see. Have a safe trip and we hope you come back soon!"

Jian Yu was about to leave the Pinnacle Pavilion through the front door when he bumped into somebody.

"Ow!"

It felt like bumping into a hard stone wall face first. Jian Yu looked upwards to find himself competing in a staring contest with a big burly man.

However, he quickly cut the contest short as he moved to squeeze through the small gap between the big man and the door only to meet somebody else.

"Wow! Good to see you here Jian Yu. Did you come to look at fortunes you will never receive?"

It was a face filled with scorn and arrogance. His eyes filled with a fire that made it hard for Jian Yu to look at for too long. But the most amazing feature of all was his body that was ripped with muscles that were stretching his clothes. Everytime he moved, there would be small ripples as his muscles contracted and relaxed.

"Ahh, if it isn't my good old buddy Tian Yu! Too bad I'm in a rush today. If I weren't, I'd be much more willing to stay behind and chat with you. Umm, see ya."

Throughout his small talk with the muscular young man, his body wiggled and wiggled faster to break free of his awkward position between the big burly man and the door.

"Now, why are you trying to leave? My junior brother Li Ming told me that you screamed for his balls to be kicked. Don't you know how humiliating for a Ferocity sect disciple to hear those words? Come with me. I'll let you feel how a Ferocity sect disciple practices. Then maybe you'll have a much higher base of respect for us."

Tian Yu waved his finger and gestured for the big burly man beside Jian Yu to pick him up and carry him. Despite his struggle, Jian Yu couldn't even get the big burly man to flinch.

"Ah come on Tian Yu, we have similar names. This is fate. Perhaps we were even brothers in a previous life. Would you kindly put your brother from a previous life down?"

After struggling with the big burly man's arm which was tightly wrapped around his waist, Jian Yu quickly resorted to the skill he had trained his entire life thus far, shamelessly talking. Yet, he was ignored by Tian Yu as the big burly man carried him.

Tian Yu walked towards the young man who had been silently watching the event unfold before the entrance. This was the same young man who had offered assistance to Jian Yu.

"Young master Tian, greetings. May I offer you my assistance?"

"I'd like to buy 10 qi gathering pills please."

The young man's eyes glittered as he quickly handed Tian Yu the 10 qi gathering pills in a bag. After inspecting it's contents and handing over 30 crystal-like object to the young man, Tian Yu left Pinnacle Pavilion.

Meanwhile, Jian Yu was crying internally. He had thought he was going to get rich in a short time and be able to flaunt his riches in front of everybody he knew. In reality, he could not even buy a single medicinal pill while Tian Yu had bought 10 altogether. There wasn't even a need to compare their wealth. It was clear who had more.

Outside the Pinnacle Pavilion, Tian Yu flicked his sleeve, beckoning the big burly man to follow.

"Come, we're heading towards the Martial Stadium! I'd like to see how you, Jian Yu fare against wild, untamed beasts."

Again, Jian Yu wanted to cry from being put into this hopeless situation by none other than himself...