Cultivating the Wild Goose Formation Fist

"Trial Event (No Rating): Hundred Days Entry Completed, EXP +100."

Zhou You lay on the bed, recuperating, and unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. He had finally passed.

After cultivating Internal Force and receiving personal acknowledgment from the Hall Master Wang Jianxiong, he was officially promoted to a formal apprentice of the Martial Arts School.

From now on, the monthly tuition fee of 20 taels would be waived, and Tiger Bone Paste would be dispensed every three days.

However, he still had to cover his own food and accommodation expenses.

These were the details conveyed to him by the apprentices who had brought him back.

Yet, whether intentionally or not, these individuals had sent him back to his original room—the room Fang Guiqi had occupied.

Didn't they find it creepy?

Knowing that Fang Guiqi had been replaced by a Phantom and had degenerated into a monster, neither human nor ghost, why would they still send him to this room?

Zhou You gently touched his chest. This time, it was a blessing in disguise.

The half-pill Lu Qiang had fed him possessed immense medicinal power, far surpassing that of the Tiger Bone Paste.

The chilling energy the Phantom had injected into his body was melting away inch by inch, like ice encountering a scorching sun.

Concurrently, the pill's power was consolidating and strengthening Zhou You's flesh and blood.

On the System Panel, the numbers for Strength, Speed, and Defense were fluctuating between 20 and 21, not yet stabilized.

It was conceivable that the Phantom's malevolent power had been completely cleared, and with the pill's boost, his stats would increase by another one or two points.

"Mountain Lord Life-Replacing Pill, a unique benefit for inner court disciples."

Zhou You recalled the events of the day, and all the apprentices were kept in the dark.

However, all the inner court disciples, including Lu Qiang, seemed to have known Fang Guiqi's true identity for a long time.

Even when 'Fang Guiqi' tore off his human skin and went on a rampage, the inner court disciples did not panic.

"Blood Qi is the key. Inner court disciples who can generate Blood Qi have a way to counter the Phantom's power."

Zhou You had personal experience; mere Internal Force was not enough to resist the Phantom's evil power.

Any apprentice who stood in the Phantom's path was torn to shreds by 'Fang Guiqi' without being able to withstand even a single move.

But when Lu Qiang stepped in, he tore the creature in half as if it were paper, easily killing it.

This world was far more complex and treacherous than he had imagined, harboring endless secrets.

Take the Phantom, for instance. Ordinary citizens had no idea of its existence, let alone how to fight it.

Only those who practiced martial arts, warriors who had mastered Blood Qi, were qualified to encounter beings of this level.

"Become stronger. Only by becoming stronger can I protect myself and my family."

The thought of the tragic fate of Fang Guiqi's brother-in-law's entire family brought a sense of vigilance and urgency to Zhou You's heart.

After the chaos in Sucheng City, countless refugees had fled to the local area. Undoubtedly, many, like Fang Guiqi, had already been replaced by Phantoms.

These monsters, disguised in human skin, infiltrated the city and preyed on people during the chaos. They might be just a few streets away.

Zhou You had already decided on his next goal: Tiger Subduing Fist level 20, to break through its Blood Qi Gate.

Before that...

Zhou You took a few deep breaths, stretching his sore arms and limbs. Every slight movement sent a needle-like pain through him.

His desperate effort to block 'Fang Guiqi' during the day had unleashed an unprecedented surge of strength, causing countless microscopic tears in his muscles.

After pushing his body beyond its limits, the consequences were now catching up with him!

His movements were more clumsy than usual as he stumbled towards 'Fang Guiqi's' bed.

He began to search...

'Fang Guiqi', disguised as a young martial arts student, must have carried valuables on him.

This Phantom, possessing both the ferocity of a beast and the cunning of a human, would have surely looted valuables after devouring Fang Guiqi's brother-in-law's family.

After all, to blend in at the Martial Arts School, he had to maintain a normal facade to avoid detection.

"As expected, there's something."

Zhou You, sweating profusely from exhaustion, found a small bag of gold and silver jewelry. He weighed it in his hand; it was worth a little over 100 taels.

These gold and silver trinkets were the savings of the victim's family, now claimed by the Phantom and turned into his spoils of war.

"Now, the total wealth I possess is a little over 200 taels."

"The Tiger Bone Paste will definitely not be enough for my upcoming training."

"If only I had a Mountain Lord Life-Replacing Pill."

This type of pill was exclusive to inner court disciples, a core supply of the Martial Arts School.

Tiger Bone Paste was rarely circulated outside, let alone the higher-grade Mountain Lord Life-Replacing Pill.

Zhou You's target was Tiger Bone Wine, the secret medicine Li Hao had used to break through to Internal Force.

The medicinal effects of Tiger Bone Wine were compatible with the style of Tiger Subduing Fist, and its potency was even greater than that of Tiger Bone Paste.

More importantly, this secret medicine was sold openly and could be bought outside with clearly marked prices, without any barriers or restrictions.

"A jar of Tiger Bone Wine costs 50 taels, which means I can only buy four jars."

"If I knew the effect of Tiger Bone Wine in increasing attributes, I could get a more direct expectation."

After becoming a formal apprentice, the urgency of cultivation increased, pushing him to work even harder.

The previous mode of accumulating experience points to raise skill levels and increase attribute points within three months was no longer sufficient.

The threshold for improving the Tiger Subduing Fist was not only proficiency but also a comprehensive increase in physical attributes.

At his rate of 20 experience points per day, only one point was added to each of the three attributes.

Therefore, he had to gain the boost from the secret medicine and save more experience points for upgrading skills.

"With Imperial Strike Hand and Square Step at two more levels of completion, the only way to 'farm' experience points from now on is..."

Zhou You touched his chest, where a booklet lay. It was the secret manual for the Wild Goose Formation Fist left by Lu Zhigang.

By also cultivating this martial art, he might gain more experience points and slightly alleviate his current predicament.

The Tiger Subduing Fist was simply too troublesome, with a full one hundred and eight movements. Completing a set was time-consuming and exhausting, yet yielded little experience.

He took advantage of his recovery period to read through the contents of the booklet, familiarizing himself with the style of the Wild Goose Formation Fist in advance.

Like the Tiger Subduing Fist, the Wild Goose Formation Fist was a style that mimicked living creatures. The difference was that one mimicked flying birds, and the other mimicked beasts.

The Tiger Subduing Fist focused on strength and defense, while the Wild Goose Formation Fist emphasized speed.

When Lu Zhigang had attacked before, he moved like the wind, often striking from unexpected blind spots, making him impossible to defend against.

Interspersed with attacks from above, using the momentum of his position to strike, even the defense of the Tiger Subduing Fist struggled.

"If I could combine the advantages of the Tiger Subduing Fist and the Wild Goose Formation Fist, wouldn't the power reach a new level?"

Zhou You pondered. For an ordinary person, cultivating the Tiger Subduing Fist was already the limit, and they wouldn't dare to think about dividing their attention to a second martial art.

But he was different; he had the System Panel, experience points, and the attribute point allocation system.

As the saying goes, "More skills are never a burden." Learning another craft wouldn't hurt.

However, there was one thing: this matter had to be kept secret and not known by others.

Currently, there was Zhong Shaoying in the inner court who clearly disliked him and had repeatedly badmouthed him to the Martial Arts School Master.

Zhou You would have to be even more cautious and careful in the future, never letting him find an opening.

After another few days of recuperation, the Phantom evil energy within Zhou You was completely cleared, and his attribute points also increased.

"Name: Zhou You. Strength: 22. Speed: 21. Defense: 22. Experience Points: 556. Profession: Martial Arts Apprentice. Level: Initial Internal Force. Skills: Imperial Strike Hand Lv8, Square Step Lv8, Tiger Subduing Fist Lv10, Wild Goose Formation Fist Lv0."