Ask for Guidance

Standing before the One Hundred Fifty Jin stone dumbbell, Jiang Ning let out a soft breath and adjusted his condition.

Jiang Ning tightly gripped the handle of the stone dumbbell. As he exerted his strength, the muscles in his right arm suddenly bulged, their contours becoming clearly visible.

As his power erupted, the stone dumbbell abruptly left the ground.

A strange look flashed through Cheng Ran's eyes at this sight.

"I remember Junior Brother Jiang has only been learning martial arts for four days, right? His physique has actually grown this strong already. To be able to lift a One Hundred Fifty Jin stone dumbbell—truly remarkable!"

Jiang Ning slowly lowered the stone dumbbell before speaking. "Senior Brother Cheng, you flatter me! Even an ordinary farmer can probably lift a Two Hundred Jin stone dumbbell. What's so impressive about me lifting a One Hundred Fifty Jin one?"

"That's different!" Cheng Ran shook his head with great seriousness. "Junior Brother Jiang is frail and clearly someone who never worked his limbs or knew the five grains. By any reckoning, you've studied martial arts for at most four days, yet your physique and strength have increased so dramatically that you can lift a One Hundred Fifty Jin stone dumbbell. This shows that Junior Brother's Martial Talent is exceptionally outstanding!"

As Cheng Ran spoke, he shook his head and swayed it from side to side, his expression filled with emotion.

Then he asked, "Junior Brother Jiang, your Five Animal Frolics Fist should have reached Initiation several days ago, right?"

Jiang Ning nodded, making no attempt to deny it. "Senior Brother Cheng's eyes are as sharp as ever!"

Cheng Ran smiled. "Of course! Though this isn't difficult to see either. For Junior Brother Jiang to lift a One Hundred Fifty Jin stone dumbbell, your Blood Qi must have been condensed long ago. Once Blood Qi can be condensed, the fist technique naturally reaches Initiation!"

At this, a look of regret appeared on Cheng Ran's face.

"Junior Brother Jiang only reached Initiation a few days ago, yet he cultivated all five forms of the Five Animal Frolics Fist simultaneously and reached Initiation so quickly. When it comes to Junior Brother's Martial Talent, it is truly peerless—above mine, and above Xiao Peng's as well."

"What a pity you started learning martial arts too late! If Junior Brother Jiang had begun one or two years earlier, you would probably already be Teacher's Direct Disciple by now, an existence who had entered the ranks of the Martial Path. You could then have naturally joined the Patrol Office and completed the leap through the Dragon Gate. In that case, how could Xiao Peng have had the chance to act so arrogantly?"

By the end, Cheng Ran was shaking his head again and again.

Jiang Ning smiled but said nothing more.

He also set down the One Hundred Fifty Jin stone dumbbell in his hand.

After testing himself with the stone dumbbell, he had a rough idea of his current strength.

Around one hundred seventy or eighty jin.

Lifting the One Hundred Fifty Jin stone dumbbell had not placed much of a burden on him. He felt that he still had some strength left. It was not much, but forcibly lifting another twenty or thirty jin would not be difficult!

"After practicing the fist for only a few days, my physique has grown this much. The Martial Path of this world truly is wondrous!" Jiang Ning was quite satisfied. "My Five Animal Frolics Fist has now reached the realm of Proficiency. Practicing the fist once can condense two strands of Qi and Blood Power, doubling my previous efficiency!"

"The speed at which my physique is tempered will also increase greatly! I still have three months. Perhaps there is indeed enough time. After all, if my fist technique breaks through once more and reaches the Minor Achievement Realm, the efficiency of condensing Qi and Blood Power will rise again."

At this moment, Cheng Ran seemed to have been injected with stimulants as well.

"Junior Brother Jiang, I can't waste away here any longer. I want my fist technique to reach Great Completion! I want to become Teacher Wang Jin's Personal Disciple! I want to defeat Xiao Peng and become a member of the Patrol Office. If I can't do that, I'll have no choice but to go home and inherit my family's Thousand Acres of Fertile Land!!"

Inherit a Thousand Acres of Fertile Land!

Jiang Ning: "..."

What a filthy rich heir!!

Just a thousand acres of fertile land alone would be a fortune worth more than ten thousand taels of silver!!

And the thousand acres he spoke of might not even be a mere thousand acres.

What a landlord!!

Jiang Ning secretly complained.

After lunch.

After practicing the Five Animal Frolics Fist once, Jiang Ning ate the last remaining portion of Wild Ginseng in its entirety. Then he stopped wasting time and practiced the fist with all his might.

[Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points+1]

[Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points+1]

[Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points+2]

[...]

Throughout the entire afternoon, he practiced the fist technique ten times in all. Each time he practiced it, two strands of Qi and Blood Power condensed within his body.

Among those ten sessions, the prompt showing an increase of two Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points appeared twice.

[Skills]: Five Animal Frolics Fist (Proficiency 13/200)

Everyone had already left to collect their Medicinal Soup, while Jiang Ning was panting heavily.

After closing the Panel, he clenched his fist again. The Qi and Blood Power throughout his body surged and flowed straight into his right arm.

The next moment.

"Qi and Blood Power can pass through half of my right arm. At Eldest Brother's peak, the strength of his Qi and Blood Power could pass through all four limbs. In other words, my current Qi and Blood strength is roughly one-eighth of Eldest Brother's at his peak."

Feeling the changes within his body, Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction.

"At this rate of growth, it won't take many days for my strength to catch up with Eldest Brother's! This Panel truly is wondrous! If the Five Animal Frolics Fist breaks through again and reaches the Minor Achievement Realm, the total amount of Qi and Blood Power condensed with each practice will definitely be greater."

"What a pity!" Jiang Ning shook his head slightly and let out a soft sigh.

"Now that the Wild Ginseng has been completely used up, without medicinal materials like Wild Ginseng to help me in the future, even with the Martial Arts Hall's generous meals providing nourishment, I'll have to cut my practice frequency in half."

At this thought, Jiang Ning's brows drew tightly together.

A single stalk of Wild Ginseng was worth more than ten or twenty taels of silver. Now that he was in the Martial Arts Hall, how was he supposed to get that much money?

Ten taels of silver was equivalent to a month's living expenses for an ordinary family of three or four.

In terms of purchasing power, it was roughly equivalent to ten thousand yuan in his previous life.

Yet he could absorb a stalk of Wild Ginseng in only three or four days.

At this realization, Jiang Ning's head began to ache.

He patted his head. Forget it, he would stop thinking about this. Until he had the power to protect himself, he could not go out recklessly anyway!

Even if he went out, he had no way to make money, and might instead run into Xu Yunfeng.

If he were accidentally injured, it would only delay the progress of his fist practice.

He should lie low for now and raise his strength a little more. In any case, there would be no danger on Eldest Brother's side in the short term.

There was no need to take such a perilous risk. If things progressed more slowly for now, then so be it!

After sorting out his thoughts, Jiang Ning headed straight toward the Kitchen.

After several days of testing, he had found that the Martial Arts Hall's daily bowl of Medicinal Soup worked fairly well!

It allowed him to practice the fist one or two more times without placing too much strain on his body.

Perhaps he should continue revealing more of himself to Wang Jin and see whether he could obtain even greater benefits?

As Jiang Ning walked toward the Kitchen, he fell into deep thought.

The Martial Arts Hall was silent and desolate at night.

The cool moonlight spilled down from overhead, and even the patterns on the ground appeared clearly visible beneath its bright radiance.

"Master!" Jiang Ning bowed.

Wang Jin nodded. "You said you wanted to ask me about your insights into fist techniques?"

"Yes!" Jiang Ning bowed, then continued. "This disciple wants to know: what does it mean for the Tiger Form Fist to contain softness within hardness, and hardness within softness? What does it mean for the Bear Form Fist to conceal lightness within steadiness? What does it mean for the Ape Form Fist to be agile and nimble, with a body that changes unpredictably? What does it mean for the Deer Form Fist to combine movement and stillness, with stillness within movement and movement within stillness? What does it mean for the Crane Form Fist to soar into the clouds and vault through the air, and for movement to follow the heart's intent?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin looked at Jiang Ning with some surprise.

"What you've described can only be achieved once the Five Animal Frolics Fist reaches Minor Achievement. Considering it now is too far beyond you. When your Five Animal Frolics Fist reaches Proficiency one day, and the fist technique and breathing become bodily instincts, come ask me again!"