Important Figure

After reviewing the experience he had gained from that battle, Jiang Ning continued practicing his fists in his courtyard.

Ever since he had begun living at the martial arts hall and obtained his own small courtyard, he spent most of his time practicing there.

Especially after he had achieved something in his fist technique, he rarely went to the martial arts hall's front yard anymore.

Ordinary disciples could not tell much difference between the Initiation and Proficiency of the Five Animal Frolics Fist.

However, after the fist technique reached Minor Completion, every move began to brim with flexibility. In particular, his Blood Qi gradually grew stronger, and when he practiced his fists, it was easy to sense his powerful Blood Qi.

Under these circumstances, any martial arts hall disciple with decent strength, such as Xiao Peng, could detect some clues.

He did not want to reveal his progress to people like Xiao Peng too early. That would only invite trouble.

Cheng Ran, however, was different. After interacting with him for these past few days, Jiang Ning had developed a certain degree of trust in him. He knew Cheng Ran's character was fairly decent and that he was worth befriending.

[Five Animal Frolics Fist Experience Points +1]

After completing a set of the fist technique, Jiang Ning opened his Panel and took a look.

[Name]: Jiang Ning

[Source Energy]: 9.2

[Skills]:

Literacy (First Breakthrough 568/2000) (Trait: Photographic Memory)

Five Animal Frolics Fist (Minor Completion 50/500)

Firewood Chopping Blade Technique (Perfected Realm 1000/1000)

Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill (Initiation 18/1000)

By today, he had made considerable progress once again.

His Qi and Blood Power had run through more than one arm, and he was already more than halfway toward connecting it through his second arm.

The refinement of his Blood Qi had also strengthened his power and physique.

As for the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill, after reaching Initiation, he could only inhale the Great Sun Essence Qi from sunrise until the eighth quarter of Mao Hour.

As a result, he had gained only twelve Experience Points in the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill today. Although this was still less than the Experience Points he had gained from absorbing the essence qi at sunrise on the first day,

he felt that his progress was still quite obvious. Absorbing the more vigorous essence qi of the Sunlight Realm had a more pronounced strengthening effect on his Five Viscera and Six Bowels. His organs had grown stronger, and his stamina had become much more enduring.

Every day, Jiang Ning could feel himself improving.

Moreover, unlike other people, whose progress slowed the farther they advanced and might even come to a complete halt,

his rate of progress had not slowed at all, whether in the early or later stages. It had remained constant, breaking through step by step with one solid footprint after another.

"Two more days. In two days, the energy I've accumulated will be enough for my Firewood Chopping Blade Technique to undergo a Breakthrough!"

"The addition of a blade technique Trait should help my strength. When that happens, my strength will advance another step."

"Besides that, my accumulation in Literacy has already passed a quarter of the progress! I can't afford to ignore the new Trait and the growth of Spiritual Power this Skill will bring either."

Looking at his Panel, Jiang Ning muttered inwardly.

"If I could replenish myself with a precious medicinal herb like Wild Ginseng again, my rate of progress would be even faster!"

At this thought, anticipation filled Jiang Ning's heart.

Zhou Xing would certainly appear today.

After seeing Zhou Xing, he would be able to purchase the Wild Ginseng that had helped him greatly.

Outside, a ten-year-old Wild Ginseng cost roughly fifteen taels of silver per stalk, but buying one from Zhou Xing cost only ten taels.

With such a low price and such an impressive value for money, he would naturally choose to purchase Wild Ginseng from Zhou Xing.

Although this seemed to require him to pay what was called a favor, in Jiang Ning's eyes, what did a favor matter?

The benefits at hand were what mattered most.

He had to seize every opportunity to grow rapidly and gain enough strength to protect himself.

Being able to protect himself and the people he cared about was the true principle.

In his previous life, he had felt the truth of the saying, "Clinging to pride only brings suffering while alive," deeply.

Afterward.

Jiang Ning continued practicing the Five Animal Frolics Fist in the courtyard, one set after another.

Every time he completed a set, he gained one Experience Point. The Five Animal Frolics Fist at the Minor Completion realm could also successfully condense three strands of Blood Qi within his body.

Now that his Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill had reached Initiation and his Five Viscera and Six Bowels had been strengthened, Jiang Ning could clearly feel that his body could support more rounds of fist practice each day.

His stronger organ functions gave him greater endurance, and his physical strength recovered faster as well.

At the same time, he also ate more than before.

For martial artists, being able to eat was a good thing.

Only by eating, and eating more, could they absorb enough energy to fuel their growth.

When Jiang Ning had eaten with Wang Jin the previous evening, he had already noticed that Wang Jin had detected something unusual about his appetite. Wang Jin had simply said nothing at the time, only telling him not to hold back, to eat more, and to eat his fill.

At lunchtime.

Everyone gathered around a table. The dining table was rectangular, with everyone sitting on either side, while Wang Jin sat upright at the far end.

The table was covered with basins of large white Steamed Buns and green vegetables, while each person had a bowl of meat streaked with fat in front of them. This was the lunch Canglang Martial Hall provided every day.

There were unlimited Steamed Buns and vegetables, but each person received only one bowl of meat. This ensured that the martial arts hall disciples could all have some meat and grease every day.

That way, practicing fists would not easily wreck their bodies.

After practicing their fists for the entire morning, everyone was ravenous.

Once they sat down, they all grabbed the food on the table and wolfed it down.

At the seat of honor, Wang Jin drank tea after the meal, cleansing his stomach and intestines.

He watched the ravenously eating crowd with a calm expression, occasionally giving a slight nod, his face showing satisfaction.

Suddenly.

A disciple hurried into the Great Hall from outside.

He came before Wang Jin, clasped his fists, and bowed.

"Hall Master, someone has come to visit outside. He says his name is Shen Congyun."

"Shen Congyun?"

Wang Jin looked astonished and abruptly rose to his feet.

The chair beneath him was pushed backward, producing several loud bangs.

The commotion instantly drew everyone's attention, naturally drawing Jiang Ning's attention as well.

Shen Congyun?

Upon hearing those three words, Jiang Ning was also slightly surprised.

Shen Congyun was the Deputy Pavilion Master of Myriad Blossom Pavilion stationed in Luoshui County, one of its two Pavilion Masters there.

Although he was only a Deputy Pavilion Master, Myriad Blossom Pavilion was a superpower spread throughout Great Xia's Nine Provinces. Almost every State City, Prefecture City, Prefecture City, and county in Great Xia had a Myriad Blossom Pavilion.

Myriad Blossom Pavilion's business was quite simple: it catered to martial artists.

It sold everything from Martial Path techniques and secret manuals to precious medicines and elixirs, Divine Weapons, sharp weapons, protective armor, and all kinds of intelligence and information.

At Myriad Blossom Pavilion, as long as one had enough silver, one could purchase most of the resources needed for Martial Path cultivation.

From techniques and secret manuals for those who had not even entered the ranks, to the foundational laws that could lead one to become a Grandmaster or Great Grandmaster,

as long as one had the money, one could buy them all at Myriad Blossom Pavilion.

With such an enormous force, even though Shen Congyun was merely a Deputy Pavilion Master of a branch stationed in Luoshui County, his status and position were still extremely high there. In the eyes of all the local influential figures, he was unquestionably an Important Figure.

Whether it was the Luoshui County Magistrate, an official of Seventh Rank, or the local Cao, Liu, and Xie Families, all had to show him some respect.

The reason Myriad Blossom Pavilion could spread throughout every state, prefecture, and county was also because it had always upheld the attitude of conducting business neutrally and making money harmoniously, never interfering in conflicts between any factions.

Only absolute neutrality could earn the trust of Various Factions.

In Great Xia, no matter how powerful one was, who could possibly be stronger than the Imperial Court of Great Xia?

"Strange. Why has Shen Congyun come to visit Teacher?" Cheng Ran, sitting beside Jiang Ning, asked in confusion.

"Brother Jiang, do you know?" He then turned and asked Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning shook his head slightly. "How would I know?"

"Could it be because of that matter?" Cheng Ran said thoughtfully.

"What matter?" Jiang Ning asked.

Cheng Ran said, "I heard that because the Patrol Office is about to Establish Prefecture, many factions in the county have been investing in people who might enter the office. After all, Brother Jiang, you know that once we successfully enter the office, we'll have the Patrol Office backed by a Martial Saint and wield the authority to Execute First Report Later—to decide life and death. That would be no different from a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate."

"Investing before someone enters the office and strengthening their Martial Path is sending charcoal in the snow. It creates a favor, and many people are happy to make this kind of investment."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded in considerable agreement.

"That really is a good investment. The value for money is extremely high."

Cheng Ran continued, "But what's strange is that with Shen Congyun's status as the Deputy Pavilion Master of Myriad Blossom Pavilion, even if Myriad Blossom Pavilion wanted to invest, why would he need to personally get involved?"

"Moreover, as far as I know, Myriad Blossom Pavilion doesn't easily invest in geniuses. Every time, it invests only in true Martial Path geniuses."

"A Patrol Office in a county isn't worth Myriad Blossom Pavilion going to such lengths to invest in, and it's even less worthy of an Important Figure like Shen Congyun personally stepping in. Myriad Blossom Pavilion should also look down on the returns, which wouldn't be particularly substantial to them even if the investment succeeded."

Meanwhile.

Wang Jin walked out of the Great Hall.

Shen Congyun.

At the thought of this man, Wang Jin could not help feeling a surge of excitement.

He had been stuck at the Seventh Rank Peak for many years, but with Shen Congyun's help, he had finally seen an opportunity to advance another step.

He could not help quickening his pace as he hurried through Qian Yuan toward the martial arts hall's entrance.

After crossing the threshold, Wang Jin saw the middle-aged man outside. He wore a gray robe, had an elegant face, and his temples were lightly grizzled.

"Brother Shen!"

Wang Jin walked toward Shen Congyun with his hands clasped.

"Brother Wang!" The middle-aged man, who looked to be over forty, also revealed an easygoing smile and cupped his hands toward Wang Jin.

"Brother Shen, you came all this way without giving me advance notice. I didn't even have time to prepare good wine and meat to receive you!"

Shen Congyun smiled. "I came without warning. It was presumptuous of me."

"You're being too much of an outsider. Since you and I call each other brothers, my home is Brother Shen's home. Come whenever you like."

Shen Congyun smiled at his words. "Aren't you going to invite me in to sit, Brother Wang?"

"Please, please, please—come in!" Wang Jin raised a hand in invitation. The two then walked side by side into the martial arts hall.