Testing Strength

The moonlight was cool.

Jiang Ning stood in the courtyard.

[Skills]: Five Animal Frolics Fist (Initiation 0/100)

He looked at his panel, lost in thought.

"When I practiced boxing this afternoon, my Experience Points actually increased by four again! It seems that it isn't that practicing the fist technique once can only increase them by one point. As long as I practice seriously, I should gain at least one Experience Point!"

After thinking it over briefly, Jiang Ning found this perfectly reasonable.

Ordinary people spoke of enlightenment when practicing martial arts, and there were also sayings like standing at a commanding height and understanding by analogy.

If practicing a technique could increase Experience Points by no more than one point each time, then once his Martial Path reached Great Completion, wouldn't it take ten rounds just to initiate an ordinary Lower Grade Martial Art?

That would be far too unreasonable!

"This is how it should be!!!" He was even more excited inside.

With this panel, it meant the Heavenly Dao rewarded diligence—his efforts would certainly bear fruit.

This was practically a road leading straight to the heavens.

How could he not be excited?

Then.

"Phew—"

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and gradually suppressed the excitement in his heart.

What changes would there be after Five Animal Frolics Fist reached Initiation?

According to the records in the Fist Manual, condensing one's first wisp of Blood Qi through practicing the fist technique signified that Five Animal Frolics Fist had reached Initiation.

Once Five Animal Frolics Fist reached the Initiation realm, every practice session could temper the physique and offered a chance to condense Qi and Blood Power.

He would give it a try!

Jiang Ning clenched his fists. The physical strength he had expended while practicing this afternoon had long since fully recovered after that bowl of medicinal soup and a filling meal. He was brimming with energy, his body filled with strength with nowhere to vent.

This was the perfect state for practicing boxing.

The next moment, Jiang Ning assumed his stance and began practicing.

Jiang Li sat quietly in a chair atop the steps, watching him.

Watching Jiang Ning coordinate every move with the Breathing Method, his fists and form radiating the might of a tiger.

"Not bad! Very good!!" He nodded in satisfaction.

[Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points +1]

The instant this notification appeared, Jiang Ning felt another warm current arise within him.

Wherever the warm current passed, it felt as though he were bathing in a hot spring, incomparably comfortable.

He could feel his physique steadily strengthening under the nourishment of this Qi and Blood Power.

[Skills]: Five Animal Frolics Fist (Initiation 1/100)

In an instant, as Five Animal Frolics Fist broke through and reached Initiation—

"I now have two wisps of Blood Qi!"

Jiang Ning clenched his fist. The two wisps of Blood Qi coursed through his body as obediently as his own arms.

When the Qi and Blood Power reached his right palm, Jiang Ning could feel it become even more powerful under its enhancement.

This was the effect of Five Animal Frolics Fist after reaching Initiation: he could circulate Qi and Blood Power in conjunction with the fist technique.

Under such circumstances, when Qi and Blood Power surged into his fists, Tiger Form produced tremendous explosive force; when he circulated Bear Form, his strength soared and he stood rooted to the ground.

When Qi and Blood Power surged into his feet, Ape Form made his body nimble and his movements agile; when he circulated Crane Form, his speed greatly increased.

The next moment.

His Blood Qi merged as one. He circulated Tiger Form Fist and threw a punch at the tree trunk before him, his fist force exploding outward.

Bang—

With a muffled thud, the small tree swayed, its leaves rustling loudly.

"This is!!!" Jiang Li, sitting in the chair, instantly widened his eyes at the sight.

"Is that Qi and Blood Power enhancing his fist?" He could hardly believe it.

After Jiang Ning withdrew his fist, he saw that the fist, which had originally been far more fragile than the tree trunk, was merely reddened at the skin, without any wounds.

"So it was true—only by mastering Qi and Blood Power can one barely be considered a Martial Artist!"

He murmured inwardly and walked toward a corner of the courtyard.

Two rows of Stone Dumbbells stood in that corner, ranging from fifty jin, one hundred jin, and one hundred fifty jin, all the way up to one thousand jin.

"I wonder whether my strength has increased after practicing boxing for an entire afternoon!"

He walked over to the smallest Stone Dumbbell.

It was a fifty-jin Stone Dumbbell.

With one hand, he lifted it easily.

"It really is much easier. It seems that after practicing boxing all afternoon, my strength has indeed increased!"

Jiang Ning set the fifty-jin Stone Dumbbell back on the ground, then gripped the one-hundred-jin Stone Dumbbell beside it with his right hand.

"I wonder if I can lift this one-hundred-jin Stone Dumbbell." He muttered inwardly.

He had tried lifting this one-hundred-jin Stone Dumbbell before, yet no matter how hard he strained, he had been unable to lift it completely.

That was perfectly normal.

Based on what he knew, even in his previous life, it was uncommon for an adult man to lift a one-hundred-jin dumbbell with one hand.

What was more, in this life, he was only eighteen and lived in an era resembling the feudal age. His nutrition was far inferior to that of an ordinary man in his previous life.

Thus, he had found it perfectly normal that he could not lift a one-hundred-jin Stone Dumbbell one-handed before.

The stray thoughts flashed through his mind, and Jiang Ning instantly exerted force with his right hand.

The one-hundred-jin Stone Dumbbell immediately left the ground, held suspended in the air by one hand.

"My strength has indeed increased!!"

Jiang Ning tried hefting it a few more times with one hand before finally setting it down when he began to run out of strength.

"I can lift a one-hundred-jin Stone Dumbbell with one hand and still have strength to spare. It seems my strength increased by ten to twenty percent in just one afternoon. The effect is truly obvious!!"

"This is only a pure change in my body. If I combine it with Qi and Blood Power, the Strength Enhancement will be even more apparent!"

At that moment, Jiang Ning gained a preliminary understanding of the Martial Path in this world. The effects of Martial Arts Techniques were vastly more miraculous than any method of exercise from his previous life.

Meanwhile, Jiang Li stared wide-eyed at Jiang Ning's actions.

"Could my Little Brother be a martial arts prodigy? He has achieved such results after practicing martial arts for only one afternoon??"

After finishing the test.

Jiang Ning struck while the iron was hot and continued practicing boxing.

This time, he completed one round of Five Animal Frolics Fist in just over a quarter of an hour.

[Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points +1]

He sensed the state within his body again, and joy rose in his heart.

"According to the Fist Manual, one only has the chance to condense Blood Qi after Five Animal Frolics Fist reaches Initiation, but it is merely a possibility!"

"Ordinary people generally need to practice the fist technique three or four times before they can condense one wisp of Blood Qi. Only those with exceptionally high talent and comprehension can ensure that nearly every round of practice condenses a wisp of Blood Qi."

"I have now practiced the fist technique twice, and condensed Blood Qi each time. Does this mean I can condense Blood Qi with a one hundred percent success rate?"

Jiang Ning assessed his condition. Thanks to the Martial Arts Hall's bowl of medicinal soup and that plentiful dinner, he could likely support another two rounds of fist practice.

"I'll try it!" he muttered inwardly.

Just then, Jiang Li's voice sounded beside him.

"Little Brother, have you condensed Blood Qi?"

Jiang Ning looked up and saw Jiang Li standing there, looking at him with stunned eyes.

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded, choosing to tell the truth.

"It really is so!!" Jiang Li could not help widening his eyes at Jiang Ning, as though he were meeting him for the first time.

Seeing Jiang Li's expression, Jiang Ning smiled. "Five Animal Frolics Fist is a Lower Grade Martial Art. As long as one reaches Initiation in the fist technique, condensing Blood Qi follows as naturally as water flowing into a channel! I have a strong memory and can remember the Fist Manual after reading it once. After watching Hall Master Wang Jin practice the fist technique once, I could remember it completely. On top of that, a Senior Brother was generous enough to give me a Wild Ginseng worth more than ten taels when I joined."

"It seems sending Little Brother to Canglang Martial Hall to learn martial arts was indeed the right choice! Reaching Initiation alone has already earned back more than ten taels of silver. Good, very good!!" Jiang Li laughed heartily.

Jiang Ning merely smiled faintly without denying it. A Wild Ginseng worth more than ten taels of silver truly was an unexpected delight.

Without the powerful medicinal effects of the Wild Ginseng, he would not have been able to reach Initiation in the fist technique within a single day.

That night.

Jiang Ning practiced the fist technique another two times. Although there was no unexpected delight and he only gained two more Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points, he condensed another two wisps of Blood Qi.

Thus, the total amount of Blood Qi he possessed reached four wisps.

As those four wisps of Qi and Blood Power merged together, that stream of Qi and Blood Power became thicker.

It circulated throughout his body, continuously nourishing his physique.

After finishing those two rounds of fist practice, Jiang Ning could also feel that his body could no longer continue practicing.

Having noticed this state, he did not force himself further.

Forcing himself to practice would be too much of a good thing and would surely injure his body.

He then asked Jiang Li about the doubt in his heart.

Namely, what level of strength Xu Yunfeng had truly reached.

After Jiang Li's explanation, Jiang Ning roughly came to understand both his Eldest Brother's former strength and Xu Yunfeng's strength.

Before Eldest Brother Jiang Li was injured, at his peak, his Qi and Blood Power had already penetrated his limbs. The technique he cultivated was also an extremely common Lower Grade Saber Technique, primarily intended for killing enemies and secondarily for tempering Blood Qi.

Xu Yunfeng, on the other hand, was different. He had very likely reached the limit below a Ninth Rank Martial Artist, with his Blood Qi penetrating his entire body.

Comparing the two, Xu Yunfeng was clearly a level above Jiang Li.

After learning this, Jiang Ning understood that he was still far inferior to Xu Yunfeng.

Their strengths were simply not on the same level.

Yet he was neither discouraged nor particularly afraid.

Given the speed of his progress, as long as he was given some time, he would sooner or later surpass Xu Yunfeng.

Now that he had joined Canglang Martial Hall, at least during these months at the hall, a clever man like Xu Yunfeng would neither dare nor be willing to make a move against him.

However, Jiang Ning also knew that one day, he might be dragged into a deadly Melee Fight between the two Gangs.

Xu Yunfeng worked for Cao Bin. In order to force Eldest Brother to submit, his previous threats might become reality.

Before that happened, he had to raise the realm of his fist technique as quickly as possible.

As long as his fist technique reached Great Completion, he would pass Wang Jin's test and become a Direct Disciple of the Martial Arts Hall.

As the saying went, leaning against a great tree made for good shade. Once he became Wang Jin's Direct Disciple, his status would be no less than that of ordinary officials or wealthy merchants.

Under those circumstances, Xu Yunfeng would not dare touch him, much less the Gangs Xu Yunfeng could command.