Eve of Departure

More than a month flashed by like a flying arrow.

The bitter winter gradually receded, and early spring quietly arrived.

Tender green buds had already emerged on the branches of the Martial Academy, while unknown blades of grass pushed up from the corners of the walls, swaying gently in the breeze.

In the training ground, Martial Disciples who had trained for half a year but had not renewed their fees had silently departed.

At the same time, another batch of newcomers, carrying silver and dreams, stepped through the Martial Academy's gates. With eager anticipation written across their faces, they came here.

Standing on the platform, Jiang Qinghe looked at these unfamiliar faces, and his thoughts drifted back to half a year ago.

Had he not looked exactly the same back then?

Without the panel's aid, he would probably now be nothing more than an ordinary Martial Disciple on the Martial Academy's assembly line, leaving when his term expired and vanishing into the crowd.

After a brief lapse of attention, Jiang Qinghe gathered his thoughts and called out loudly, "All right, Junior Brothers, that concludes today's lesson. When you return next time, I'll be testing your progress!"

"Yes, Senior Brother Jiang!"

"Goodbye, Senior Brother Jiang!"

The newly enrolled Martial Disciples bowed in salute one after another, and the crowd gradually grew lively and noisy.

Some gathered together to discuss what they had just learned, while others had already paired off to spar.

When he returned to his little courtyard, Jiang Qinghe spotted his younger sister at a glance and could not help but smile.

Jiang Ziyue was standing on tiptoe, carefully watering a row of potted plants on the windowsill.

Recently, the little girl had become fascinated with growing flowers and tending grass. She was, in fact, remarkably gifted at cultivating greenery.

The flowers and plants she tended, even when they had only just sprouted tender shoots, radiated vigorous life.

"Brother, you're back!"

Ziyue turned around with a smile. A little dirt smudged her face, making her seem all the more playful.

Jiang Qinghe nodded with a smile, rubbed her hair, and turned to enter the room.

After drinking some water and resting briefly, he immediately focused his mind on the panel:

[Realm: Muscle Tendon Strengthening (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Technique: Tiger Form Muscle Tendon Strengthening Technique (Minor Accomplishment - 79/80)]

[Martial Skills: Mountain Shaking Palm (Minor Accomplishment - 20/50), Levitation Technique (Minor Accomplishment - 20/50), Wind Shaking Saber Technique (Minor Accomplishment - 0/10)]

[Potential Points: 60 (0-2 points obtainable daily)]

After bitter training during this period, his progress could be called astonishingly swift, with every statistic rising across the board.

Although this body was somewhat lacking in raw strength talent, its tolerance for medicinal pills and comprehension of martial skills far surpassed that of ordinary people.

With the Bear Tendon Pills continuously replenishing him, he was only one step away from Major Accomplishment in Muscle Tendon Strengthening.

Furthermore, his previous experience in cultivating Rock Crushing Palm to perfection had allowed him to learn the Mountain Shaking Palm, which shared the same origin, with twice the result for half the effort. He had long since reached Minor Accomplishment.

Jiang Qinghe took a deep breath and circulated the Tiger Form Muscle Tendon Strengthening Technique once more.

His qi and blood surged like a rushing river. The great tendons within his body trembled endlessly, emitting a hum like taut bowstrings, while faint crackling sounds, like tiny firecrackers exploding, could be heard.

After circulating the technique several times, the panel rippled like water and changed again:

[Technique: Tiger Form Muscle Tendon Strengthening Technique (Major Accomplishment - 0/100)]

Ten points of tendon strength marked Minor Accomplishment, twenty marked Major Accomplishment, and thirty brought it to perfection. One point equaled one hundred jin, capable of adding three thousand jin of strength.

Though his strength talent was somewhat poorer, it had still increased by around eighteen points, amounting to eighteen hundred jin of strength.

Added to the thousand jin from the Wood Splitting Skill and the fifteen hundred jin from the peak of the Body Tempering Realm—

His entire body now possessed roughly forty-three hundred jin of force, slightly surpassing an ordinary martial master at the perfection of Muscle Tendon Strengthening.

Feeling the surging power within him, Jiang Qinghe could not help but feel his spirits soar.

His gaze fell upon the sixty Potential Points he had accumulated over more than a month, and with a thought, he said, "Continue upgrading!"

[Martial Skills: Mountain Shaking Palm (Major Accomplishment - 0/100), Levitation Technique (Major Accomplishment - 0/100)]

In an instant, a vast amount of cultivation experience flooded into his mind, as though he had painstakingly trained these two martial skills for more than a decade.

His palms faintly swelled, and even the bones beneath his skin seemed to have hardened several degrees, their toughness surpassing ordinary copper and iron.

At the same time, his body became extraordinarily light. When he moved and shifted, he nearly left behind streaks of afterimages.

"Hmm, I'll go find Senior Brother and test it out in actual combat!"

Jiang Qinghe chuckled to himself and pushed open the door.

Inside Zhao Guangyi's courtyard, Zhao Guangyi grew more astonished the longer they fought.

After exchanging more than a dozen moves with Jiang Qinghe, he possessed the force of Minor Accomplishment in Bone Forging, yet Jiang Qinghe's nimble movements always evaded him.

"Junior Brother, there's something strange about your footwork!"

Zhao Guangyi abruptly withdrew his stance, caught between laughter and tears.

He could neither catch up nor land a blow. This feeling of having nowhere to exert his strength made him unbearably uncomfortable.

"Hey, why do you keep dodging? I'm done, I'm done. This is no fun."

"Hahaha."

Jiang Qinghe stopped as well, looking thoroughly delighted. He took something from his robes and handed it over. "Senior Brother, here. I happened to obtain this Levitation Technique. Take a look!"

"I knew it. You brat really had something good hidden away!"

Zhao Guangyi accepted it and flipped through it. Before long, astonishment appeared on his face.

"Lightness techniques are rarely passed down in our county. The ordinary varieties have limited effects and are difficult to train, so few people study them."

"But this one looks far from ordinary. Its rank can rival our secret art, the Mountain Shaking Palm!"

Jiang Qinghe understood at once upon hearing this.

The fact that he could leave his Senior Brother, who had reached Minor Accomplishment in Bone Forging, completely helpless with a Major Accomplishment Levitation Technique showed the value of this lightness skill.

"Take it, Senior Brother. Once you've achieved something with it, we can try again."

Hearing Jiang Qinghe's lightly teasing words, Zhao Guangyi laughed and cursed as he slapped a palm at him. "You little brat, your wings have really hardened now!"

After taking the blow, Jiang Qinghe pretended to be in pain, baring his teeth. "Senior Brother, you really don't know your own strength."

After the joking ended, he turned serious. "Senior Brother, tomorrow I'll be accompanying the Yongxing Escort Agency to Cangfeng City. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with the Martial Disciple assessment in half a month."

"Oh?" Zhao Guangyi raised a brow. "You're going with Gong Jie?"

Jiang Qinghe nodded, then added, "This trip may take as little as ten-odd days or as long as over a month. During that time, I'll leave the Martial Academy's affairs to you, Senior Brother."

Zhao Guangyi knew Jiang Qinghe would be traveling with the Escort Agency, so there was not much danger involved.

Thus, he did not ask further and merely waved a large hand. "Haha, it's a Small Matter. Go without worry, Junior Brother. If you pass by Zui Feng Tower, spend a little and try their spicy pork trotters. They definitely won't disappoint you!"

Jiang Qinghe hesitated slightly before saying, "Senior Brother, Master is still recuperating in seclusion. When he comes out, please pass along a message and offer him my regards."

During this time, Elder Ping had remained secluded in the pavilion, hardly stepping outside.

It was clear that when he had forcibly raised his strength to drive back Jin Sanqiu Last Time, his body had suffered an even more severe backlash.

Jiang Qinghe had discovered the Vermillion Fruit in the Wasteland Forest and originally thought it could heal Master's hidden injuries.

Yet after taking it, before enough time had been left for it to restore and ease his condition, Jin Sanqiu had come to provoke them over the Vermillion Fruit the very next day.

Master was already over sixty, with his bodily functions naturally declining. Suffering such a heavy blow again left Jiang Qinghe unable to avoid feeling somewhat guilty.

Zhao Guangyi saw through his thoughts and offered comfort. "Junior Brother, don't overthink it. After Master recuperates, he should be all right."

"If not for the Vermillion Fruit's power that day, Master might not have been able to defeat him, and the consequences might have been even more serious."

Jiang Qinghe's expression froze upon hearing that.

That was right. Even without the Vermillion Fruit incident, that dead fatso Jin Sanqiu would have found some other excuse to probe Master's true condition.

Of Lin'an County's two great Martial Academies, if one grew weak, the other would inevitably suppress it.

In the end, it might even face dissolution.

Elder Ping's display had intimidated Jin Sanqiu, and the latter certainly would not dare make any rash moves for quite some time.

The two chatted idly a while longer before going their separate ways.

Outside the window, the new moon hung like a hook, quietly climbing over the treetops.

Jiang Qinghe sat cross-legged on his bed and continued circulating his technique.

Regardless of heat or cold, cultivating without pause had long become a habit.

The path of martial arts was like rowing a boat against the current: if one did not advance, one retreated.

Though he had the panel's aid, he had never relaxed in the slightest.

As night deepened and all sounds fell silent, only the sound of qi and blood surging through his body remained.

Like a stream, it flowed on without end.