Fist Master, Talented, Exceptionally Gifted

Wang Yue walked through the training grounds carrying the Harmonious Flow Fist secret manual, his gaze unintentionally sweeping across the field. He happened to spot Xu Li.

Xu Li was surrounded by four or five Martial Academy disciples, sparring with each other in Harmonious Flow Fist. Although he was at a disadvantage in almost every exchange, constantly being forced to retreat, he was still fighting with great enthusiasm, his face full of excitement and not a hint of frustration.

"It seems Xu Li is adapting well to the atmosphere here," Wang Yue mused inwardly, his footsteps not faltering. Xu Li's naturally easygoing personality meant it was within his expectations that he would quickly integrate into the competitive environment of the Martial Academy.

Passing through the training grounds, he arrived at the disciple residential area of the Martial Academy. In front of a row of neat rooms, small wooden plaques hung, bearing the names of the disciples.

Wang Yue walked along the rooms, and in the depths of the residential area, he finally saw the wooden plaque that read "Wang Yue."

He pushed open the door and entered, thinking to himself, "It's good that I was born into the Wang Clan. Even ordinary clan members are arranged to have literacy classes. If it were like the illegitimate disciples in the back courtyard, over ninety percent of them are illiterate. They probably can't even recognize their own names, let alone understand martial arts manuals and secret texts."

The room wasn't large, containing only a bed, a wooden desk, and a cabinet. The furnishings were simple, but the room was clean.

Wang Yue wasn't here for comfort, so he didn't have many demands regarding his living environment. He placed the bundle he brought onto the bed. Inside were his night-blooming clothes and the Black Cloud Fist guards. He then leaned the Good Victory Saber against the wall. After that, he sat down at the wooden desk and carefully took out the yellowed Harmonious Flow Fist secret manual.

As soon as he placed the secret manual on the desk, a dazzling golden light suddenly erupted from the scroll, brighter than when he had seen it in Wang Shuo's room, illuminating the entire small room.

Wang Yue's consciousness was instantly pulled into the Martial Soul panel, where lines of golden text clearly appeared:

[Item: Tier 1 Martial Art, Complete Harmonious Flow Fist Secret Manual (Wang Clan Heritage)]
[Description: Perfected and refined by generations of Wang Clan martial artists, it contains the martial dao blood and sweat of countless predecessors and is one of the core inheritances of the clan.]
[Contents: Complete Harmonious Flow Fist Breathing Technique, Complete Harmonious Flow Fist Technique, Complete Harmonious Flow Fist Footwork, Harmonious Flow Fist Energy Condensation Method (Incomplete, requires the Harmonious Flow Fist Energy Condensation Diagram for completion).]
[Extractable Talents:]
Fist Technique Talent [Fist Master]
Root Bone Talent [Talent Beyond Compare]
Comprehension Talent [Overflowing Talent]
[Remarks: All three talents are martial dao imprints left by the most gifted individuals of the Wang Clan throughout generations. Extraction will result in permanent efficacy.]

Wang Yue stared at the text on the panel, completely stunned, even stammering, "This... This... This is too incredible!"

These three talents alone – [Fist Master], [Talent Beyond Compare], and [Overflowing Talent] – were enough to elevate him from an "ordinary genius with above-average root bone" to a true prodigy!

He had initially thought that entering the Martial Academy and gaining more resources would be enough. He never expected Wang Shuo to directly give him such a precious gift. To Wang Yue, this secret manual was more valuable than anything else!

Wang Yue took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and his gaze fell on the cooldown time displayed below the panel: "Twenty-eight days and three hours."

There was less than a month until the next extraction. But it still felt too long. A month's wait felt like torture every single day, especially when he thought about how [Talent Beyond Compare] could improve his root bone and [Overflowing Talent] could enhance his comprehension. He couldn't suppress his impatience. After all, he knew his own situation; he needed these things.

As if guided by an unseen force, Wang Yue raised his hand, his fingertip lightly touching the area on the Martial Soul panel displaying the cooldown time.

The next second, a faint suction force emanated from the panel, as if an invisible power was drawing on the Qi and Blood within him. Wang Yue froze, then a flicker of curiosity flashed in his eyes. Could Qi and Blood shorten the cooldown time?

He pondered for a moment, then no longer hesitated. He actively circulated the six strands of Qi and Blood within his body, which had not yet fully recovered, injecting them into the panel through his fingertips. Although the total amount of his six strands of Qi and Blood was reduced by one-third due to the previous refinement for [Pure Blood Body Refining], its purity was extremely high, carrying a condensed aura as it flowed.

As the Qi and Blood poured in, the cooldown time on the panel began to fluctuate wildly: "Twenty-eight days and three hours," "Twenty-six days and one hour," "Twenty-four days and five hours"... The numbers continuously decreased until Wang Yue's six strands of Qi and Blood were completely depleted. The cooldown time finally stopped, settling at "Fourteen days."

"One strand of Qi and Blood can shorten the cooldown by two days?" Wang Yue was both shocked and delighted. This discovery was undoubtedly an unexpected joy!

However, his joy didn't last long. A strong wave of dizziness suddenly struck him, his vision darkened, and his body swayed, nearly making him fall off his chair. "Damn it! My Qi and Blood are all used up!" Wang Yue cried inwardly. He had been so focused on shortening the cooldown that he forgot his Qi and Blood hadn't recovered yet. Now, completely drained, even standing became difficult.

Trembling, he fumbled for the porcelain bottle of Blood Replenishing Pills, twisted off the cap, and unceremoniously poured all six remaining pills into his mouth. The pills dissolved instantly upon entering his mouth, and an intense warmth exploded in his stomach. A large amount of vital energy surged out like a tide, spreading through his meridians to every part of his body. But the force was too overwhelming; Wang Yue couldn't refine it in time. The vital energy coursed chaotically within him, causing a painful bloating sensation.

"This is bad!" Wang Yue cursed himself. He had been blinded by the temptation of those three talents and acted too impulsively, not only depleting his Qi and Blood but also greedily consuming a large number of Blood Replenishing Pills. If he wasn't careful, his Qi and Blood could become disordered, damaging his foundation.

He dared not delay any further. He immediately sat down cross-legged, assuming the starting posture of the Blood Dragon Secret Method. After practicing for some time, the first stance of the Blood Dragon Secret Method was more than half-learned. Although not yet perfected, it could still be used to guide the circulation of Qi and Blood.

Low, steady breaths echoed in the room. Wang Yue focused on circulating the secret method, gradually sorting out the chaotic vital energy within him and transforming it into his own Qi and Blood.

After an unknown amount of time, the sky outside gradually darkened, and the oil lamp in the room was enveloped by the twilight. Wang Yue slowly opened his eyes, and the outline of the six strands of Qi and Blood finally reappeared within him. However, his face was still pale. These six strands of Qi and Blood were even more depleted than before, like a candle in the wind, with their total amount further reduced. This was clearly the after-effect of forceful cultivation.

Wang Yue stopped the Blood Dragon Secret Method and leaned back against the chair, filled with lingering fear. "If I act so impulsively again and deplete my Qi and Blood like this a few more times, I might really damage my foundation. Then, forget about extracting talents, I might even have trouble continuing my cultivation."

Wang Yue silently admonished himself: He must first nourish his Qi and Blood, replenish the depletion, and then slowly plan how to shorten the cooldown. Otherwise, before he could extract any talents, he might end up on the verge of death, which would be a terrible loss.

Wang Yue got up and walked to the bedside, lay down, and closed his eyes to rest. The most important thing now was to let his body recover. As for shortening the cooldown and extracting talents, he could only plan for them in the long run.