Rapid Progress

Rapid Progress

A violent storm had left the streets utterly deserted and pitch-black; no one could see anyone else.

Liang Qu wrapped the scattered little stove in his wet cotton coat and dragged his exhausted body back to shore.

He plucked two withered yellow reed leaves from the nearby reeds, tore them into fine strips, threaded them through the Red Blood Perch's gill covers, and carried the Treasure Fish straight home.

After getting home and closing the door, he set up the little stove again, added firewood, and lit the fire. Once the water boiled, he dropped in the fish chunks.

Just before they were fully cooked, Liang Qu got up to make sure every crack in the house was tightly sealed, then found the Spirit Concentration Incense he had brought back earlier and lit it.

A delicate fragrance gradually filled the room. Liang Qu could feel his focus sharpen and his thoughts quicken.

The fatigue in his body had made him drowsy, yet after breathing in the Spirit Concentration Incense, he became as refreshed as if he had naturally awakened after a good night's sleep.

With the Spirit Concentration Incense burning, Liang Qu fished out the fish meat, ignored the heat, wolfed it down, and began practicing Ape Fist.

Marsh Essence +3.5

The blood and qi he had expended during the day condensed once more. As it circulated, Liang Qu felt the soreness in his muscles ease, leaving him thoroughly comfortable.

Blood and qi were one manifestation of a Martial Artist's physical strength, but a Martial Artist was not powerful simply because he possessed abundant blood and qi. Rather, only a body strong enough could condense sufficient blood and qi.

Blood and qi were not the cause of strength, but its result. And that result could, in turn, nourish the cause.

The two formed a cycle, endless and unceasing.

So long as the body did not suffer any major deficiency, once one's blood and qi had been depleted, it could be condensed again quickly. Especially with ample energy, one could replenish it more than twice in a single day.

Hu Qi estimated that Liang Qu would need two ten-day periods to break through. By calculation, that meant around fifty rounds of Skin Refining before he could make a breakthrough and undergo a qualitative transformation.

Food churned in his stomach and intestines as surging energy was extracted from the fish meat.

Strand after strand of blood and qi gathered together, growing from the thickness of a few hairs, to the thickness of chopsticks, then a little finger, and finally an index finger—all within just a few minutes.

Liang Qu took a deep breath of the fragrance and, following the sensation Hu Qi had given him during the day, used his mind to guide the blood and qi into circulation and spread it outward.

With the Spirit Concentration Incense's help, guiding the blood and qi went extremely smoothly. It quickly turned into a warm current and melted into his skin and fascia.

His skin rapidly reddened and once again radiated astonishing heat, which lasted for a full quarter-hour before finally subsiding.

Liang Qu let out a long breath, and rolling white mist billowed endlessly from his mouth and nose.

His taut skin relaxed. It still felt soft to the touch, but when attacked, it seemed to have become a little tougher.

After one round of Skin Refining, Liang Qu did not rest. He continued condensing blood and qi.

The energy the Red Blood Perch could provide was far from exhausted.

He had simply extinguished the Spirit Concentration Incense beforehand. This stuff was precious—Senior Brother Hu had said one stick cost half a tael of silver! The room was sealed, and the fragrance still lingered, so he could save a little.

Liang Qu's status and living conditions had undergone a qualitative leap after becoming Yang Dongxiong's disciple, but his Master was not truly his father. It was already more than enough that Master Yang was willing to teach him. Liang Qu had only just entered the school; naturally, his Senior Brothers showed him considerable care. But he could not hold out his hand for everything. In the end, he still had to earn resources himself. Otherwise, how would he be any different from a parasite? Not to mention Yang Dongxiong—Liang Qu himself would look down on himself. He had hands, feet, and a cheat; he was no worse than anyone else! The fish meat continued to digest, surging energy pouring out from his body and condensing into blood and qi again and again.

Before his crimson skin could return to normal, it tightened once more, growing ever more extraordinary under countless rounds of tempering.

He cultivated until dawn. Relying on the Red Blood Perch, Liang Qu condensed blood and qi a full twenty-eight times, continuously washing over his skin and fascia.

The energy within the Red Blood Perch had been completely digested. Not a single trace could be squeezed out any longer.

What had originally required two ten-day periods and fifty rounds of Skin Refining now needed only another twenty-two rounds—less than one ten-day period, fewer than ten days.

The price was that Liang Qu had become exhausted beyond measure. Listening to noise drifting from somewhere unknown and the rumble of cart wheels rolling over bluestone slabs, he collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke again, the sky was still dark.

In his daze, Liang Qu was a little disoriented, as though he did not know what year it was. Only after sitting in silence for a long while did he remember what had happened.

He had actually slept from morning until night.

The Martial Arts School certainly would not be open in the middle of the night, and there was no way to find his Senior Brothers.

Hearing footsteps outside the door, he guessed some fishermen were preparing to set out. Perfect—he could head into the water and train his underwater abilities.

Liang Qu clenched his fist and threw a punch. His fist cut through the air with tiger-like force, and the excitement in his heart was beyond measure.

His fusion rate with the Marsh Spirit was nearing fifty. He had a feeling that once it truly exceeded fifty, an entirely different change might come.

The Skin Barrier in his martial path was also about to be breached, and he would become a true Martial Artist.

Though Martial Artists differed from Martial Masters and could not eat Imperial Grain, they were like xiucai and juren scholars. Even a xiucai stood separated from Ordinary People by a vast gulf, the dream of countless people.

Two paths were advancing side by side. Oh, and there were A Fei and Cannot Move as well.

The two beasts required less Marsh Essence to evolve than Liang Qu did, and their progress had already passed halfway.

It could be called three flowers blooming at once.

By then, in the Shallow Water Area of the Jianghuai Marshlands, so long as no Demon Beasts from the Deep Water Area came over, Liang Qu could absolutely be called the tyrant of the Shallow Water Area, the big boss of Yi Xing City!

After getting dressed, Liang Qu followed the road to the dock.

The temperature had dropped even further today. Perhaps yesterday's rain had marked the arrival of colder air.

When he reached the shore, scattered lights made the place much brighter than last night. Yet there were still quite a few boats moored at the dock, around half the usual number. Groups of two and three fishermen gathered in the teahouses along the shore, discussing something unknown.

Liang Qu was about to untie a boat when a voice called out to him.

"A Shui, are you heading out?"

He turned and saw that it was Li LiBo's father, Li Dakang, who had spoken, so he stayed ashore. "Yeah. Is something wrong, Uncle Li?"

"Nothing major. I just wanted to ask—why hasn't my boy come home for two days? Is he still at the Martial Arts School, or did he go off fooling around somewhere?"

Another voice immediately cut in. It belonged to Chen Jiechang's father, Chen Cheng. "Yeah, my boy hasn't come home either. I was going to Ping Yang Town to find you all, but then I thought, three grown men together couldn't possibly get lost, so I left it alone. Now that I've run into you, I thought I'd ask."

"Oh, we came back late yesterday and forgot to tell you, Uncle Li and Uncle Chen. The three of us performed well and caught a Martial Master's eye. He specially cleared out a room in the courtyard for us to stay in, so we haven't returned. We've been focusing on martial arts training."

Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang had both been injured, and both injuries were on their faces. Too embarrassed to go home and make their parents worry, they had specifically asked Liang Qu to pass along a message and help them tell a lie.

Liang Qu had saved Chen Qingjiang's family a few days ago, greatly changing the image Yi Xing City's people had of him. He was still a hundred thousand miles away from being a respected local worthy, but at least his words carried credibility.

Yet after returning, he had gone straight out to catch a Treasure Fish and encountered two Great Demons. Terrified out of his wits, how could he have remembered this matter? Only when asked now did it come back to him.

As for becoming a true disciple—wealth and rank unrevealed in one's hometown were like Parading in Brocade at Night.

Liang Qu really wanted to say it, but looking at the groups of fishermen around him, this did not seem like a good time.

He just could not hold in anything big.

After hearing this, Chen Cheng and Li Dakang beamed with joy. Throwing their arms around the shoulders of nearby fishermen, they shouted loudly.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear that? My son was noticed by a Martial Master! My son was noticed by a Martial Master!"

"We heard, we heard. Congratulations, congratulations!"

"I always knew A Shui, A Jie, and A Bo were different from other kids. They were the three cleverest children in our village. See? They were bound to achieve great things!"

"Good heavens, has Yi Xing City ever produced a Martial Artist? We're about to have three at once?"

"There have been a few, I think, but they all moved to Ping Yang Town and never came back."

The expressions in the nearby fishermen's eyes changed on the spot. No matter how uncomfortable they felt inside, they still had to say pleasant things to their faces.

"Hahaha, shared joy, shared joy. Once they really become Martial Artists, I'll treat you all to drinks!"

At that moment, Li Dakang and Chen Cheng wished they could tell everyone about their sons' promising futures.

Liang Qu had seen this sort of scene countless times in his previous life. He shook his head and was about to head for the boat when Li Dakang stopped him again.

"A Shui, I wanted to stop you just now. I didn't explain it clearly—did you know there was a heavy rain last night?"

"I did. What about it?"

"Then you don't know that the River God revealed himself last night!"

Liang Qu looked utterly bewildered. "The River God?"

"Yeah! The River God leaped out of the river and caught a huge flaming bird! It even shattered the sky! Better wait two days before heading out. Let the Village Head get a few wealthy households to take the lead, have every household contribute some money, and hold a River God Sacrifice. We can head out only after the sacrifice is done. Otherwise, no one will feel at ease going out on the water."

The fishermen nearby nodded repeatedly.

"Exactly. If the River God appeared, we definitely have to offer sacrifices. Otherwise, if we make the old man unhappy, failing to catch fish would be the least of it. The River God's wrath would be the real major event!"