Fierce Beast Meat

Sun Yong nodded and turned to walk toward the inner courtyard.

Lin Yue glanced at Yang Jing from the side, his face expressionless, as if Yang Jing's breakthrough to Bright Strength was nothing more than a trivial matter.

He was exceptionally talented, having broken through to Bright Strength not long after joining the sect, and was now close to touching Hidden Strength. Confident in his own abilities, he felt sure he could break through to Hidden Strength. In his eyes, someone like Yang Jing, with mediocre talent, had already reached his limit by luckily succeeding in a Breakthrough attempt. He would likely be stuck at Bright Strength for life, on an entirely different level from himself—so naturally, he didn't take Yang Jing seriously.

Yang Jing paid it no mind, calmly withdrawing his gaze, but his heart held its own certainty.

The existence of the System Panel meant he had never doubted his path forward.

Bright Strength was just the starting point. Hidden Strength, Transforming Strength, and even higher realms—he was confident he would tread them all.

"Junior Brother, congratulations!"

Just then, a hearty voice rang out.

Liu Maolin strode over, his face beaming with undisguised delight. He raised a hand and gave Yang Jing's shoulder a firm slap. "I knew you could do it! That grit of yours—few can match it!"

Yang Jing swayed from the slap but still broke into a grin, the relief in his eyes plain to see. "I owe it to Fourth Senior Brother's guidance these past days. Otherwise, I might not have pulled it off so smoothly."

He did feel much lighter inside.

Becoming an official disciple meant the training hall would waive most of the apprenticeship fee, saving him a significant expense.

More importantly, he was now qualified to take on commissioned jobs.

Acting as a guard captain for a prominent family, escorting goods for a shop, or running convoy missions for a courier agency.

These commissioned jobs paid well, since they required a Bright Strength expert. It would be enough to support his martial training without having to ask his family for money.

Liu Maolin chuckled, stepped back two paces, and assumed a sparring stance. "Come on, Junior Brother, let me see how well you've mastered that Bright Strength."

Yang Jing's heart stirred at this. He knew Fourth Senior Brother wanted to help him get familiar with Bright Strength faster, and felt deeply grateful. Without hesitation, he flexed his wrists, settled his stance, and braced himself.

The other disciples practicing nearby stopped their movements and gathered around, curiosity in their eyes.

"Fourth Senior Brother, I'll make a fool of myself, then." As soon as the words left his mouth, Yang Jing threw the first punch. The wind carried his newly formed Bright Strength, heavier than usual.

Liu Maolin raised an arm to block. Their arms collided with a muffled thud.

"Not bad! That strength is solid!"

Liu Maolin praised, twisting his wrist to deflect Yang Jing's force and pushing back with a counter.

Yang Jing used the momentum to step back half a pace, adjusted his stance, and threw another punch. This time, he deliberately focused on the flow of Bright Strength through his body, and his movements gained a fluidity he hadn't had before.

The watching disciples paid close attention, occasionally murmuring in admiration.

They exchanged over a dozen moves. Liu Maolin always held back, but let Yang Jing feel the changes after his breakthrough more and more clearly.

The same techniques, empowered by Bright Strength, had doubled in power.

As they finished the final move, sweat beaded on Yang Jing's forehead, but his mind was crystal clear.

Liu Maolin smiled and patted Yang Jing's arm. "Impressive, Junior Brother. Just broke through, and you're already using Bright Strength this well. Your foundation is rock solid, haha!"

"You flatter me, Senior Brother." Yang Jing worked his arms and shoulders, feeling the lingering force radiating through them.

Liu Maolin grinned. "Junior Brother, your breakthrough to Bright Strength is great news for both you and the training hall. It deserves a proper celebration."

He glanced toward the street outside the hall and added, "The braised meat at Jufou Restaurant in Chonghua District, west of the city, is top-notch. My treat—let's go grab a meal!"

Yang Jing instinctively wanted to wave it off.

Liu Maolin had invited him twice before, and he'd turned both down, citing a tight budget or fear of slacking on training. He didn't like owing favors, feeling that accepting a meal was like taking advantage—even though he and Liu Maolin were close.

But seeing the genuine warmth in Liu Maolin's eyes, and recalling the countless times over the past half year the man had guided him—from technique details to power mechanics, holding nothing back—the refusal stuck in his throat.

Besides, the joy surging in his chest from the breakthrough made him want to share it with someone.

He scratched his head, a rare, relaxed smile spreading across his face. "Then thanks, Fourth Senior Brother. But next time, it's on me."

"Don't be so polite with me!" Liu Maolin laughed heartily and pulled him along. "Come on, if we're late, we might have to wait for a table."

Yang Jing let himself be dragged along, his steps light. The slight awkwardness he'd felt about accepting the meal had already been washed away by the thrill of his breakthrough and the warmth between fellow disciples.

Chonghua District, Jufou Restaurant.

The restaurant buzzed with noise. Liu Maolin led Yang Jing up to a second-floor private booth with practiced ease. Despite Yang Jing's protests, he ordered quite a few dishes, making Yang Jing's heart twinge a little.

As dish after dish arrived, the table was soon packed.

A plate of braised fish glistened with oil, a stir-fry of seasonal greens was a vivid emerald, and a bowl of stewed chicken, tender and falling apart, steamed with fragrant aroma.

But the most eye-catching was the centerpiece: a hefty two-jin plate of braised Bear Meat, cut into thick chunks, coated in a rich sauce, exuding a wild, meaty fragrance.

"Junior Brother, dig in. This bear meat is among the better Fierce Beast Meats—much more nourishing than ordinary meat. The waiter just said it was fresh from a hunter today."

Liu Maolin handed Yang Jing a new pair of chopsticks with a smile, then picked up a piece of fish for himself. "I often come here with my family elders. This bear meat is Jufou's specialty. Eat plenty to solidify your breakthrough—don't hold back."

Yang Jing stared at the plate of bear meat before him, his throat bobbing.

He knew how expensive this meat was. Ordinary families couldn't afford it; only someone from Liu Maolin's background could eat it regularly.

He picked up a piece of bear meat. It was soft and sticky in his mouth, carrying the deep flavor of the sauce and the natural sweetness of the meat. Not long after swallowing, a warmth rose from his Dantian and spread through his entire body—far more nourishing than the Horse Meat or beef he usually ate.

"How is it? Way better than that rough meat you usually eat, right?" Liu Maolin took a sip of soup and looked at Yang Jing.

"Yeah, the nourishing effect is amazing. Thanks, Senior Brother." Yang Jing nodded and picked up another piece.

He could feel the blood and qi energy contained in this bear meat, several times stronger than ordinary meat—a real tonic for a martial artist.

If he'd been eating this kind of Fierce Beast Meat from the start, he probably would've broken through to Bright Strength long ago.

Liu Maolin watched Yang Jing eat with relish, but he barely touched the bear meat himself, mostly just picking at some greens and fish, and only taking a small bite of the bear meat now and then.

"I've been eating this stuff since I was a kid, I'm sick of it. You eat more—look how skinny you are, you need the extra nourishment."

Liu Maolin's tone was casual, as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary.

The corner of Yang Jing's mouth twitched. His body wasn't fat, but it was lean and muscular, packed with definition—how could anyone call him skinny? But when he looked up and saw Liu Maolin's frame, a full size bulkier than his own, he didn't bother arguing.

Deep down, he knew the Fourth Senior Brother was well aware of his tight family finances and was using this excuse to help him out, letting him eat more bear meat without feeling indebted.

Yang Jing didn't waste words on pleasantries. He just kept his head down and ate.

He had just broken through to Bright Strength today, and his body needed nourishment to stabilize his foundation. Since he'd agreed to Liu Maolin's treat, he wasn't going to hold back.

As he ate, he felt the changes the bear meat brought to his body.

The surge of power from the meat was unmistakable. Every limb and joint felt like it was being soaked in warm water, and the hidden injuries from his fist training ached faintly, as if being soothed and repaired.

The dishes on the table gradually dwindled, and the plate of bear meat was completely cleaned out, most of it ending up in Yang Jing's stomach.

When he set down his chopsticks, he felt full of strength, and even his thoughts seemed sharper.

"This Fierce Beast Meat... it's really something. Way better than ordinary livestock." Yang Jing said with genuine admiration.

"The best is yet to come." Liu Maolin smiled. "Once you get stronger, I'll treat you to even fiercer stuff—the Wild Boar King in the mountains, the Tiger, even the Spirit Fish deep in the big river. Now that's some real meat."

Yang Jing didn't reply, but he made a silent vow to himself.

He patted the money pouch at his waist. Inside were only a few dozen large coins—not even half a tael of silver, not enough to cover even a fraction of this meal.

He appreciated Liu Maolin's kindness, but he couldn't rely on others forever.

He needed to find a way to make money, not just to support himself, but to afford this kind of Fierce Beast Meat that could aid his training.

He had a faint sense that the effects in this meat were hugely beneficial to his martial arts practice, and could drastically shorten the time it took to push the Mountain Collapse Fist's minor mastery stage to its limit.

And with the System Panel, once he pushed that minor mastery stage to its peak, he would naturally break through the bottleneck and reach the Hidden Strength realm.

The Hidden Strength level was where Senior Brother Xu Hong, Qi Yun, Zhao Wenzheng, and Liu Maolin currently stood. In the decades since the Sun Clan Martial Arts School was founded, only a handful of disciples had reached this level—aside from those still at the school, there weren't many others.

Once a disciple broke through to Hidden Strength, they became a core disciple of the master, Sun Yong. Not only would they no longer have to pay tuition fees, but they could also eat and live at the school for free, spending no money at all.

Yang Jing had heard that the meals for core disciples were quite good, and Sun Yong would occasionally gift them precious medicines and high-quality beast meat.

If the gap between formal disciples and registered disciples was huge, then the gap between formal disciples and core disciples was a world apart.