Leaps and Bounds!

On the way home, Huo Yuanhong first made a trip to Spring Return Hall. Taking out the medicine token his master had given him, he collected nine jars of medicinal paste for oral use in one go, along with thirty-six packets of medicinal plaster for external application.

That was an ordinary Manifest Strength practitioner's supply for three years! But for him, he could absorb it all in about three days!

"I'll put it on Senior Sister's tab for now and pay her back once I have money. This is enough to support my training all the way to the Manifest Strength Pinnacle..."

"Unfortunately, they say that once you reach the Manifest Strength Pinnacle, your body is tempered more deeply, and you need Crimson Refining Paste to nourish yourself and keep up with the consumption. But that kind of top-grade medicinal paste is a rarity even among aristocratic families. The output is pitifully small, and Spring Return Hall simply doesn't have any!"

"Though I heard the steward mention that in a few days, Divine Spear Martial Hall will be holding a small competition with other martial arts halls. The prize for first place is Crimson Refining Paste..."

After collecting a large pile of medicine for the Manifest Strength stage, Huo Yuanhong bought a large barrel of rapeseed oil at a nearby market, five jin of vermicelli, two jin of eggs, two jin of premium pork belly, and five cabbages that were still slightly green and tender.

Silver dollars were still very valuable in these days. One silver dollar could buy thirty jin of rice, or eight jin of ordinary pork.

Altogether, those things cost two silver dollars—roughly six or seven days of his father's income.

Expensive.

But he was practically sick of eating crabs. Before, he had lacked the money to buy vegetables, so he could only eat crabs picked up for free from the river. Now that he had money, he naturally had to improve his meals.

When he returned to the old, cramped house, his father had not yet come home. Carrying bag after bag, Huo Yuanhong entered the kitchen.

He sliced a piece of pork belly thinly and stir-fried it in the wok until it sizzled with oil.

Then he washed a cabbage, tore it apart, and tossed it into the wok, adding several handfuls of vermicelli along with it.

Before long, a great pot of pork, cabbage, and vermicelli stew was ready. The fragrance of meat filled the entire kitchen, drifting all the way into the living room and bedroom outside.

Since his father had yet to return, Huo Yuanhong left the vermicelli to stew in the pot and headed to the cramped Practice Room.

The room was empty. After the old punching bag had been broken, he had never had the money to replace it.

But now...

He no longer needed a punching bag!

He had obtained a more sophisticated Training Method. He no longer needed to train Internal Force the way he once had—disregarding the damage to his joints and body as he battered punching bags and wooden posts.

He could temper his control over Internal Force through the relatively gentle yet more efficient method of piercing paper with a Great Spear.

Not long after, Huo Yuanhong had set up a cushioning layer on the wall and hung ten neat layers of xuan paper over it.

After putting on wrist guards and knee-and-leg protectors to shield his joints, he picked up the White Wax Spear propped nearby and assumed his stance.

Inhale—! Exhale—! Inhale—! Exhale—!

As his chest rose and fell steadily in rhythm, as he felt air swallowed down his throat and expelled from the tip of his nose, Huo Yuanhong's heart gradually calmed.

The events of the day replayed and flowed through his mind, scene after scene.

Li Shuxing, Senior Sister, Sword Inquiry Martial Hall, Divine Spear Martial Hall, the paper-piercing Training Method, collecting money, buying meat...

"When life goes your way, make merry to the full, but... it isn't time to celebrate yet. The true disciple treatment I've received now may seem incomparably better than before, but I'm still duckweed floating on water..."

"If one day Master can no longer withstand the pressure from the Martial Guild and the other martial arts halls, everything I possess now will be beaten back to its original form..."

"Lean on a mountain, and the mountain may fall. Lean on water, and the water may run dry. For one who practices martial arts, the only things one can truly rely on are one's own fists and feet, and the Great Spear in one's hands..."

"Before I have fully grown, I can use my talent and potential to leverage Master's and the martial arts hall's strength, buying myself time. But I must never sink into this false sense of security. Instead, I must work twice as hard and strive twice as fiercely..."

"Do not grow proud. Do not grow rash."

Washing away the restlessness brought by soaring into the sky in a single bound, Huo Yuanhong's heart became utterly clear. The scenery before his eyes seemed to vanish, leaving only the Great Spear in his hands and the xuan paper at the end of its tip.

Focus! Fervor!

The spear moved...

Without regret!

"Hiss!"

The spear tip whistled through the air and struck the xuan paper on the wall, sending a distinct ripple visible to the naked eye across its surface.

But unlike before, the sound this time was no longer the familiar "hiss-rip." Instead, a short, sharp "hiss" rang out first, followed only then by the dragging sound of torn xuan paper.

He recovered his breath and withdrew the spear.

Stepping forward to inspect it, he saw that the outermost sheet of xuan paper had only a clean hole punched through by the spear tip. There was no additional damage from force spilling outward.

Baji Quan (Manifest Strength 210/600)

"I've gone another step further!"

Huo Yuanhong said.

Compared to the rippling waves he had produced when piercing paper at the martial arts hall that evening, being able to leave the outermost sheet without any excess damage was undoubtedly another breakthrough!

He had taken a milestone step toward Minor Accomplishment, where three layers of xuan paper would remain unbroken!

"I wonder how much stronger I am now compared to before..."

Huo Yuanhong was somewhat curious.

When he trained his Internal Force, he used a spear, but what he was actually practicing was still the Top Elbow Strike. Or rather, he used the Great Spear's vibrations and tremors to clearly reveal how Internal Force circulated within his body.

Of course, Baji Quan united spear and elbow as one. The Elbow Technique was spear technique, and spear technique was also the Elbow Technique!

"Why not test it on that old tree? See what difference there is from before I practiced piercing xuan paper."

Huo Yuanhong came before the old tree near his home. With a Tremor Stomp erupting beneath him, he drove out an elbow!

"Smack!!"

A fresh indentation half an inch deep appeared in the old tree. Compared to the shallow dent he had left before, it was more than twice as deep!

"I've gotten a whole lot stronger again!"

Huo Yuanhong revealed heartfelt delight, yet he did not grow proud or complacent. He quickly settled himself once more.

"Keep going! Train again!"

"I haven't become number one in Jin Gate yet. I'm still not strong enough to beat Gentleman Sword to death. Before I stand first in the martial path, we must still strive on!"

Twenty-six days remained until the grand competition, when he would beat Gentleman Sword to death!

Returning home, Huo Yuanhong lifted the Great Spear and stood in a solid, balanced stance. He bent his body, sank his waist, stomped, and erupted!

"Hiss!"

"Hiss!"

"Hiss!"

Sheet after sheet of xuan paper was pierced and punched through by the spear tip, then replaced with fresh sheets.

As the xuan paper in the box dwindled, Huo Yuanhong's grasp of Manifest Strength rose at an astonishing speed!

Leaps and bounds!

He trained so single-mindedly that it was not until his stomach growled with hunger and his vision began to blur that he finally emerged from that immersed state.

Hungry!

So hungry!

This paper-piercing Training Method appeared not to require much strength, but gathering Internal Force demanded extremely high levels of bodily control, coordination, and mental focus.

Throughout the training, virtually every part of his body remained taut. He had to concentrate, directing and controlling the gathering of every shred of force.

It consumed enormous amounts of both physical and mental energy, making hunger come easily!

Looking out the window, he saw that night had already fallen.

His father still had not returned.

Huo Yuanhong went into the kitchen, ladled himself a large bowl of pork, cabbage, and stewed vermicelli, then sat beside the Eight Immortals table and began wolfing it down.

He was too hungry!

The medicinal paste from Spring Return Hall could rapidly replenish the vital essence consumed by training and ensure that his body did not become depleted, but the hunger caused by his empty stomach was still painfully real.

As large mouthfuls of pork, cabbage, and vermicelli went down his throat, the gradually swelling fullness and satisfaction in his belly were sensations that even delicacies from mountain and sea could scarcely match.

When one was starving, even a plain steamed bun tasted incomparably delicious, let alone what he was eating now—it was far better than steamed buns!

"Finally, I don't have to eat crabs anymore."

Huo Yuanhong sighed with feeling. Leaning against the back of his chair and rubbing his stomach, he felt utterly satisfied.

In Jin Gate, crabs picked up for free from the river were an inescapable part of life for the common people at the bottom, a symbol of poverty.

He had eaten crabs for more than ten years. By now, the very sight of one made him want to vomit.

Tonight...

He had finally fulfilled his wish. He could gorge himself on pork belly and no longer had to touch those crabs he was sick to death of eating.

After finishing the vermicelli, he lifted the bowl and drained every drop of meat broth inside, then wiped the corner of his mouth with lingering reluctance.

Delicious. If Father were here too, it would be even better.

Once Father learned of his accomplishments, he would surely be able to hold his head high as well!

After eating, Huo Yuanhong took a moment to glance at the transparent panel.

Baji Quan (Manifest Strength 227/600)

That brief session of spear training before dinner had added another 17 points of progress!

His rate of improvement truly was faster when he was completely focused!

He was even closer to Minor Accomplishment!

Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, Huo Yuanhong slowly began practicing the Health Cultivation Stance.

It was not suitable to practice spearwork after eating his fill, but time could not be wasted. This gentle, energy-circulating Health Cultivation Stance was just right for the task.

Besides, after training with the spear for so long, his body was already exhausted. The Health Cultivation Stance could soothe it somewhat.

After practicing it roughly twice, a sound finally came from outside the door.

"Step... step... step..."

Familiar footsteps sounded, followed by the clinking of keys and the metallic scrape as a key entered the lock.

With a click, the heavy security door was pulled open.

His father had finally come home!