Growing More Proficient

Growing More Proficient. Begin cultivation now?

Looking at the prompt in his ability vision, Lu Qing chose yes this time.

The next moment, a flood of information surged into his mind.

All sorts of insights into the Body Nourishing Fist rose in his heart like enlightenment pouring over his head.

Combined with his master's earlier guidance at the Half-Mountain Courtyard, Lu Qing unconsciously began practicing the Body Nourishing Fist.

First form, second form, third form...

His master apparently had not named each move in this set of Body Nourishing Fist, so Lu Qing could only refer to them by their order.

He practiced slowly and somewhat clumsily. After completing the ninth form, he had just wanted to perform the tenth when a wave of soreness ran through his body.

Though he knew every key point of the tenth form in his mind, his body found it extremely difficult to perform it.

Lu Qing recalled his master's warning and understood that the forms after the ninth were beyond what his current body could withstand.

If he forced himself to practice them, he would likely injure himself.

He immediately stopped attempting the tenth form and started over from the first.

Thus, Lu Qing practiced the first through ninth forms of the Body Nourishing Fist again and again.

Drawing on the insights in his mind, his movements gradually changed from clumsy to fluid.

If someone had been watching from the side, they would have noticed.

When Lu Qing practiced the first round, his movements were still stiff. Even his forms came out crooked and slanted, and he could barely keep his footing.

But by the second round, his movements had clearly become more connected, and his forms were much more standard.

By the third round, he had begun to look the part, no longer so awkward.

Fourth round...

Fifth round...

Every time Lu Qing practiced the sequence, he made visible progress.

By the time he reached the ninth round, his movements were already exceptionally smooth. Each move flowed naturally into the next, precise and pleasing to the eye.

It was as though he had immersed himself in this fist art for a long time.

After completing the ninth round, inspiration suddenly struck Lu Qing. He did not continue, but slowly drew his stance to a close.

Once he had finished, Lu Qing exhaled a breath of hot air.

His breathing was smooth, his mind tranquil, and warmth suffused his entire body. He felt incomparably comfortable.

Delight rose in his heart. He knew that, as far as the first through ninth forms of the Body Nourishing Fist were concerned, he had finally grasped a bit of the knack.

So long as he kept practicing diligently, it should not be long before he stepped into the Qi Blood Realm his master had spoken of.

At the same time, Lu Qing also came to understand a little more about how his ability's technique-simulation function worked.

Put plainly, even after the ability successfully simulated a technique, it did not allow him to directly master that technique.

Rather, it guided him by presenting the key cultivation points and insights of the technique within his mind.

This allowed him to use those insights to comprehend the technique more quickly.

But to truly master a technique and make it part of himself, he still had to personally put in the hard work of cultivation.

Just like now: his mind held a great many cultivation insights regarding the Body Nourishing Fist.

Yet he still needed to practice it over and over before he could digest those insights and strengthen himself.

"Gurgle..."

A rumble came from Lu Qing's stomach.

Feeling the hunger in his belly, he knew that his earlier fist practice had consumed a great deal of energy.

Remembering his master's earlier instructions, he returned to the house and took down a strip of cured meat he had made some days ago.

He then caught a river fish weighing roughly two or three jin from the bucket in the kitchen, one he had only caught yesterday.

After that, he went into the courtyard and pinched off a handful of wild vegetables.

The greens he had planted some time ago had only just sprouted a few tender green shoots. Otherwise, he would not have needed to eat wild vegetables.

Once all the ingredients were ready, Lu Qing began cooking.

He first washed the pot and steamed the rice. When the rice was nearly done, he began preparing the dishes.

Before long, a dish of Wild Vegetable Stir-fried Cured Meat and a Steamed Fish were ready.

Just as he placed the dishes on the table, he saw Xiao Yan emerge from her room, rubbing her eyes.

"Xiao Yan, you're awake. Are you hungry? Your brother was just about to wake you."

The little girl rubbed her stomach and answered seriously, "I think I'm hungry."

"Then come eat." Lu Qing smiled.

Children truly were remarkable. She had clearly eaten pastries at his master's place before going to sleep.

Yet she had only slept for a short while before declaring that she was hungry.

Only after finishing a bowl of rice did Lu Qing feel his hunger ease somewhat. He let out a long breath.

Other than the first two days after waking up, he had not felt this hungry in a long time.

One could well imagine just how much energy that earlier bout of fist practice had consumed.

During this meal, Lu Qing ate several bowls of rice and cleaned every dish completely, leaving nothing behind.

After eating, Lu Qing followed his usual routine and reclined in his lounge chair, digesting his food while beginning to sort through his thoughts.

A great deal had happened today, and he needed to straighten it all out.

First was the change in his identity.

He had finally become the Old Doctor's disciple. With this status, he finally had a thread of foundation in this Otherworld.

He would no longer be like duckweed without roots, unaware of where the road ahead might lead.

Next came the information about martial artists that his master had told him.

The martial artists of this world were even more powerful than Lu Qing had imagined.

From his master's descriptions of the several levels within the Acquired Realm alone, Lu Qing could tell that those martial artists were practically inhuman. Every one of them possessed astonishing strength and formidable survival abilities.

Not to mention the even higher-level Innate Realm Experts.

From his master's words, Innate Realm Experts seemed to be existences capable of suppressing a nation's fortune.

Martial arts could actually allow an individual to cultivate to such a powerful level. It was impossible for Lu Qing not to yearn for it.

Thus, he decided that in the days ahead, he would focus primarily on martial cultivation, with medical study as a secondary pursuit.

After all, with his ability, balancing both was not difficult for him.

Since he intended to practice martial arts, he also needed to consider everything else thoroughly.

After that meal just now, Lu Qing estimated that as he gradually mastered the Body Nourishing Fist and officially entered the Qi Blood Realm, his appetite would likely increase drastically.

If so, the nutrition in his daily meals would have to keep up.

As the saying went, a poor scholar and a rich warrior. Maintaining the daily expenditure required for martial training would likely cost no small sum.

He wondered how long the silver earned from selling the Red Moon Carp would last.

Lu Qing decided that in a few days, he would visit the Strange Fish Fishing Spot again and try his luck.

If fortune favored him and he caught another one or two Rare Fish, then he would not need to worry about money.

After considering all this, Lu Qing finally remembered the matter of the original owner's parents.

From what Grandpa Zhang had said, there was clearly more to the original owner's parents' deaths.

However, Lu Qing had no plans to investigate the matter for now.

Unless he achieved something in martial cultivation in the future and became strong enough, then, for Xiao Yan's sake, perhaps he would look into the truth.

For now, he should first live his own life in peace.

After pondering in the lounge chair for a while, Lu Qing had carefully considered everything that came to mind.

Only when he felt that he had mostly digested his food did he take out the book his master had given him before he descended the mountain.