The next day, Stirling returned to Farfield City.

  He first went back to the dojo to let Master Kim know he was safe.

  Next, Stirling went to the Night Watch office to report. Carlos reacted little to Stirling's return. He had been exhausted lately and could hardly straighten his back after several combats with the alluring women in the Wild Rose.

  Nighttime, in a private room.

  Stirling sat at the table, staring at the handwritten . He waited still.

  Soon, a line of text appeared in his vision.

  [Current enhancement required lifespan: 12 years and 15 days. Enhance?]

  So much?

  Stirling frowned, not rushing to choose yes, but hesitating.

  This method focuses on nurturing the Virl-Force within the viscera. It describes the ways and paths to cultivate this force.

  But Stirling was working on his viscera with the malice-refining method. So, this way of nurturing Virl-Force didn't work.

  The Viscera-irrigating Method shows the pure samurai roadmap to cultivate the viscera. It also makes this process less cost-effective.

  Stirling finally abandoned his plan to enhance the viscera cultivation method. He took some blood-nourishing powder and put it in a medicine bottle. Then, he wrote on the label.

  [Current enhancement lifespan required: 1 month and 28 days. Enhance?]

  Stirling frowned upon seeing this lifespan value. After thinking for a moment, he took out the blood-nourishing powder and replaced the hematopoietic pill in the bottle.

  Shortly afterwards, a line of text slowly appeared.

  [Current enhancement lifespan required: 28 days. Enhance?]

  Stirling saw this number and thought to himself,

  Master Kim says the hematopoietic pill has flesh and blood from demonic beasts and monsters. This is hard to find, especially in today's chaotic world.

  The viscera-irrigating stage needs more blood cycling. Therefore, Blood-nourishing powder's work performance is far inferior to hematopoietic pills.

  After thinking for a moment, Stirling no longer hesitated and directly chose "yes".

  The next moment, the porcelain bottle in Stirling's hand trembled a touch. He then pulled out the stopper and poured the pills out.

  【Blood-force Pill】

  Transforms blood and boosts strength, stores Aether within the viscera. Its exact origin is unknown, but for Samurai in the Viscera-irrigating stage, it should be a good pill.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Stirling looked at the pill in his palm, muttered, then pinched it and put it in his mouth without hesitation.

  The pill melted into a pool of fragrant liquid upon entering his mouth, condensing on the back of his tongue. This liquid was sweet, without the bitterness of medicinal herbs.

  Stirling's eyes brightened. He felt his blood quicken, and his Aether stirred.

  Stirling knew the elixir was taking effect. He stood up fast and took a fighting stance. Then, with the elixir's power, he circulated his blood through his viscera.

  Under the elixir's influence, Stirling felt his Aether transformation speed boost five times. The Virl-Force in his kidneys surged rapidly, creating a strange misconception.

  The Viscera Irrigation stage — just so-so!

  The elixir in Stirling's mouth eventually vanished. Then, his Virl-Force slowed down and returned to normal. Even at normal speed, it far surpassed that of an ordinary samurai.

  Stirling thought to himself, standing with his fists clenched and sensing the changes in his Aether.

  "Hematopoietic pills, I need to figure out a way."

  Stirling gazed at the pill bottle on the table, then shook his head.

  Anyway, the Yearning Malice is coming soon. That's Stirling's free nightly perk. He'll deal with the pill issues tomorrow.

  The next day, Stirling dressed smartly and headed to Night Watch's office.

  After roll call, everyone discussed going to Sean's Lounge for drinks at noon. Of course, everyone split the cost, so no one owed anyone anything.

  Stirling joined them. As a newcomer, he had to attend these kinds of events, especially since he had some things to inquire about.

  At noon, the group switched from their flying cloud robes to casual clothes. They walked to Sean's Lounge, arm around the shoulder, laughing and joking.

  The fellows were clearly familiar with the lounge. The manager led them straight to a private room on the third floor. This was Stirling's second time coming up to the third floor of Sean's Lounge.

  "Luis, is this your first time out with us?"

  After everyone sat down, someone asked Stirling.

  "Exactly."

  Stirling smiled a little.

  "Hey, fellows, the show here isn't exciting enough. We could have taken Luis to The Wild Rose for a sexy visit!"

  Someone shook his groin, which drew a burst of laughter.

  "With your poor salaries, do you think you can afford The Wild Rose? Aren't you afraid of being kicked out halfway when you battle a rose with a bare bottom?"

  Another one spat, and then the crowd laughed again.

  "Speaking of which, the outer city has been quite peaceful these past few days."

  Someone remarked.

  "What, do you want to see trouble here and there?"

  "A few years back, the outer city faced invasion from outer sects. Fights appeared one after another, like firecrackers popping in quick succession. How many brothers died during that time?

  Someone shook his head. "It must be the arrival of the special envoy that has deterred those external cults. With the Pathos we talked about before, there's still no clue. I don't dare to go to Six Horse District now because I don't have six balls." The crowd burst into laughter again upon hearing this.

  "Hey, Luis, aren't you from Six Horse District? Has anything unusual happened lately?" someone asked.

  "No, nothing much. There were some disturbances when Lady Lilith was here a while ago."

  Stirling was stuffing a chicken leg into his mouth.

  " Shhh, Luis, stop talking! Is this something we could hear?" someone hurriedly interrupted.

  "Yes, we can't talk about Upper Sect matters in public. If someone with bad intentions hears us, it could lead to a colossal disaster."

  One fellow reminded.

  "Oh, I see."

  Stirling was a little choked up. He then asked,

  "Do any of you gentlemen know where to get hematopoietic pills?"

  "Hematopoietic pills? Luis, do you have too much money?" someone asked.

  "No, Master gave me a hematopoietic pill, and I felt quite good after using it."

  Stirling picked up his beer glass and took a big gulp.

  "..…"

  "Luis, this hematopoietic pill is only available in the inner city. If you want to get it, you need connections with them." Someone chuckled.

  "The inner city isn't as simple as the outer city. Besides, oh, forget about it. Luis, just be a watchman in the outer city, making a living that way is passable." The speaker held back words.

  "Ah, Luis, what are you afraid of if others don't have connections within the inner city? Aren't all your senior brothers in the inner city? Why don't you ask for help?"

  Another man said.

  Hearing the reminder, Stirling suddenly remembered his senior brothers from the dojo.

  He had only met Figo and Pillnar, but everyone said his senior brothers were all in the inner city. Stirling thought to himself.