Terrifying Talent!

Zhao Heita was in the Martial Arts Hall, instructing several Inner Disciples.

At the Black Tower Martial Arts School, only Inner Disciples could regularly receive guidance from Zhao Heita.

As for Outer Disciples or ordinary school students, Zhao Heita basically assigned some disciples to serve as instructors and teach them; he himself did not go to instruct.

"Master."

Jiang Hao arrived at the Martial Arts Hall and saw several senior brothers and sisters practicing martial arts.

"Jiang Hao, you've been practicing the Great River Blood Nourishing Technique all afternoon. Your limbs will feel sore and weak—that's normal. Everyone feels this way the first time they practice."

"But don't give up. You have to persevere. Even after you go back, practice consistently if you have time."

"Your bones crack thirteen times in a single shake—your Bone Quality is not bad. With persistence, you should be able to nourish blood and qi within a few days."

Zhao Heita saw Jiang Hao's face covered in sweat and his heavy breathing; he had clearly been training hard.

Anyone practicing the Blood Nourishing Technique for the first time would feel very uncomfortable, with their whole body sore and aching.

But he also didn't want Jiang Hao to slack off because of the pain, so he offered some encouragement.

"Master, I think I've already nourished blood and qi..."

Jiang Hao knew his master had misunderstood, so he said it directly.

Silence!

The Martial Arts Hall, which had been noisy just moments ago, instantly fell quiet.

Those senior brothers and sisters who had been sparring and practicing all suddenly turned their gazes toward Jiang Hao.

Their expressions were all filled with shock.

What had they just heard?

Jiang Hao had nourished blood and qi?

How long had it been?

At most, three hours.

"Shua."

Zhao Heita abruptly stood up, his eyes fixed intently on Jiang Hao, and his voice even carried a hint of trembling: "Jiang Hao, what did you say? You've nourished blood and qi?"

Seeing everyone's reaction, Jiang Hao immediately realized that nourishing blood and qi this quickly was probably extremely shocking.

"Master, you can check for yourself. Your disciple isn't entirely sure either..."

Words were useless.

Jiang Hao would rather let Zhao Heita personally verify.

"Good, try circulating your blood and qi."

Zhao Heita grasped Jiang Hao's hand.

Jiang Hao began to circulate his blood and qi.

As he did, the blood and qi inside his body rumbled like a great river, roaring without pause.

In truth, the sound was very faint; if you weren't paying close attention, you wouldn't hear it.

But the Martial Arts Hall was now deathly silent, and everyone present was a martial artist, so they naturally heard it.

"Blood and qi surging like a tide, rushing like a great river—this really is the Great River Blood Nourishing Technique."

"This blood and qi... so abundant!"

"Only three hours, and the blood and qi he's nourished is already this vigorous? It seems Little Junior Brother has a solid foundation; he must have taken plenty of tonics since childhood."

"Of course—Little Junior Brother is the young master of Jiang Manor. With the Jiang family's wealth, it's only natural he'd have such a robust foundation."

"But this is still too incredible. I remember Third Senior Brother took two days to nourish blood and qi, and that was the fastest among us. But Little Junior Brother? Only three hours..."

"Little Junior Brother's talent is beyond imagination. This time, our school has struck gold..."

Many Inner Disciples were both shocked and excited.

The Black Tower Martial Arts School had only nine Inner Disciples, including Jiang Hao.

There wasn't much internal competition.

After all, everyone knew that with Jiang Hao's status, he wouldn't covet the school's assets.

Instead, the more talented Jiang Hao was, the higher his future achievements, and the more beneficial it would be for them.

After all, they were Jiang Hao's senior brothers and sisters!

"Hahaha, I never thought that after all these years, I'd finally found a true gem!"

Zhao Heita was also overjoyed.

"Alright, that's enough for today. You all go ahead. Jiang Hao, stay for a moment."

Hearing this, the disciples immediately knew that their master was going to give Jiang Hao some "special training."

But that was only to be expected.

They had all gone through the same thing back then.

So one after another, they congratulated Jiang Hao and then left the training hall.

Soon, only Jiang Hao and Zhao Heita remained in the Martial Arts Hall.

Zhao Heita fixed his gaze on Jiang Hao and asked in a low voice, "Jiang Hao, how many Circulation Cycles did you complete in the Meditation Room?"

Jiang Hao knew he couldn't hide it from Zhao Heita, and besides, he hadn't intended to conceal it.

"Nine."

"Nine Circulation Cycles—that means you've stepped into the Blood Qi Realm First Layer. No wonder your blood qi is so vigorous..."

Zhao Heita fell into thought.

Nurturing blood qi in a single day was certainly remarkable, but not unheard of.

But nurturing blood qi in a single day and completing nine Circulation Cycles to enter the Blood Qi Realm First Layer—that was different.

They were two entirely different concepts.

What's more, Jiang Hao hadn't even mentioned his limit yet.

"Jiang Hao, circulate your blood qi right here. Send a servant back to inform Steward Jiang that today is your first day of martial training, and I will oversee it personally. You may return home late."

"Remember, push your blood qi circulation to the utmost until your body can no longer hold out. Your master wants to see your limit!"

Zhao Heita had dismissed the many disciples precisely to gauge Jiang Hao's limit.

"Yes, Master."

Jiang Hao began circulating his blood qi again.

One cycle, two cycles, three cycles, four cycles, five cycles...

Time passed little by little.

After nearly another two hours, Jiang Hao stopped.

He felt that not a single finger on his entire body could move.

He lay on the ground, gasping heavily.

"Master, your disciple has reached his limit."

"How many more Circulation Cycles did you complete?"

"Your disciple just completed roughly eleven more Circulation Cycles."

Jiang Hao answered truthfully.

"Eleven cycles... if you add the previous nine, that's twenty cycles!"

Zhao Heita's heart shook!

Twenty cycles!

How terrifying was that?

An ordinary Blood Qi Realm martial artist could only manage two or three cycles a day.

And Jiang Hao?

A full twenty cycles—nearly seven times that of an ordinary person!

"Jiang Hao, don't tell anyone about being able to complete twenty cycles a day."

"Master, why is that?"

Jiang Hao was puzzled.

"Jiang Hao, you're still young and don't understand the wickedness of people's hearts. In short, listening to your master is definitely the right choice."

"Ordinary people training in martial arts can complete two or three cycles a day. Those with better talent can manage five or six. Even Du Futian, hailed as the number one genius among the major training halls, can only complete nine cycles a day."

"But you can complete twenty cycles in a single day, and that's without an Herbal Bath. If you added an Herbal Bath, the number of cycles you could complete would increase even further. And each time you complete a cycle, your blood qi increases. That means your blood qi growth rate is at least twice that of Du Futian!"

"With talent like this, you'd be an absolute genius even within the Huangtian Sect!"

Jiang Hao's eyes lit up.

"Master, then can I enter the Huangtian Sect?"

Jiang Hao's goal had always been to join the Huangtian Sect.

Zhao Heita knew this as well.

So he didn't mind.

"A genius like you can certainly enter the Huangtian Sect."

"But you're still too young, and you've only just reached the Blood Qi Realm. If you went to the Huangtian Sect now, you'd only be an Outer Gate disciple and wouldn't get much in the way of training resources."

"Stay put in the training hall. With your master's careful guidance, it will definitely be better than you lingering in the Huangtian Sect's Outer Gate. Once you step into Transforming Force, I'll use my recommendation quota to send you to the Huangtian Sect, directly into the Inner Gate!"

"Only Inner Disciples can be considered true disciples of the Huangtian Sect!"

Jiang Hao nodded thoughtfully.

He knew that Zhao Heita's ancestors had been high-ranking members of the Huangtian Sect, and that he was thoroughly familiar with the sect's inner workings.

It seemed that was indeed the case.

"Your disciple will follow Master's arrangements."

"By the way, I have a Herbal Bath prescription here. When you return, have Steward Jiang prepare a Herbal Bath for you every day. The herbs on this prescription are all very expensive, but with your Jiang family's wealth, it shouldn't be a problem."

"You can also supplement with food-based nourishment, such as century-old ginseng and the like. If you don't mind spending the silver, the more the better."

"The Blood Qi Realm is a stage for building a foundation, with the main focus on nurturing blood and qi. The more vigorous your blood and qi, the better. Herbal Baths, food supplements, and so on can all increase your blood and qi foundation."

Jiang Hao took the Herbal Bath prescription.

A prescription like this was actually quite valuable.

Yet Zhao Heita had given it to Jiang Hao directly, which also served to deepen their master-disciple bond.

"Thank you, Master."

Jiang Hao left the training hall with the prescription in hand.

Outside the training hall, the maidservant Du Juan had long been waiting.

Jiang Hao had been forcing himself to stay upright inside the training hall, but now that he saw Du Juan, his body immediately went limp and he collapsed into her arms.

He didn't want to move an inch.

"Hurry back, give the prescription to the steward, and have him prepare a Herbal Bath for me."

"Yes, young master."

Du Juan immediately carried Jiang Hao onto the carriage and sped off toward Jiang Manor.