The Gluttonous Crucible had been activated. The host could end cultivation at any time.
The instant he chose to enter the crucible, Han Zheng's vision went black. The next moment, he appeared in a pitch-black, hollow space.
Boundless and endless, lonely and cold.
There was no passage of time here. Han Zheng did not even possess a concept of time within this place.
Even the desires in his heart seemed to have been suppressed. His mind contained nothing but cultivation.
Moreover, Han Zheng discovered that as he cultivated within the Gluttonous Crucible, an Iron Elephant seemed to be striding through the void, vast and weighty, with the strength of a thousand jin.
Martial Intent!
Cultivating within the Gluttonous Crucible did not merely halt time. It also allowed one to see one's true nature clearly, revealing in the void the Martial Intent of the technique one cultivated.
When Li Jingzhong taught Han Zheng and the other disciples the Iron Elephant Skill, he merely taught it straight from the manual.
At most, he explained in greater detail how the disciples should circulate their force and such finer points.
Yet the Gluttonous Crucible could reveal Martial Intent. It was as though Han Zheng himself were the martial artist who had created the Iron Elephant Skill, watching a giant elephant stamp upon the earth and creating this technique from it.
When 8 points of Satiety had been consumed, eight days had passed. Han Zheng had already broken through fifty acupoints.
One acupoint a day—such speed was simply unimaginable in the outside world.
After reaching the required standard, Han Zheng did not rest. He broke through to sixty acupoints in one go before preparing to open his meridians.
Opening meridians carried a certain degree of danger.
If one failed to break through an acupoint, at most one would waste some physical strength for nothing. After resting, one could simply try again.
But meridians were comparatively fragile. If opening a meridian failed and caused damage, at best it would affect one's cultivation; at worst, one's martial arts would be completely ruined; in severe cases, one might even become crippled outright!
Breaking through a meridian required gathering the internal energy within one's acupoints. Thus, in theory, the more acupoints one had opened, the safer it was to break through a meridian.
Some martial artists began opening meridians after accumulating the power of thirty or forty acupoints. As the master of the Martial Arts Academy, Li Jingzhong favored caution and required his disciples to reach fifty acupoints before opening their meridians.
Now that he had the Gluttonous Crucible, Han Zheng simply chose to be even more cautious. Having accumulated the strength of sixty acupoints, he began to assault his meridians.
The meridian each internal technique struck first was different.
Because the Iron Elephant Skill was steady and weighty in nature, it first struck the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian. Opening the heart meridian and vital blood would produce the most obvious increase in strength.
Internal energy surged from his acupoints, crushing forward like floodwaters released from a breached dam.
Gathering the power of sixty acupoints, the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian encountered almost no obstruction and was broken through in an instant.
Normally, when one attacked a meridian, internal energy would surge into it, and the martial artist would feel excruciating pain.
But Han Zheng had sacrificed his sense of pain, so he was unaffected. He could control his internal energy with even greater precision. This was an unexpected delight.
He glanced at the time. The Gluttonous Crucible had already consumed 25 points of Satiety.
Han Zheng spent the remaining time practicing the Vajra Fist rather than continuing his breakthroughs.
After all, there was still the requirement to gain entry into the Vajra Fist. Since Li Jingzhong himself had set that standard, Han Zheng could only use his remaining time to improve his proficiency as much as possible.
Just as when he cultivated the Iron Elephant Skill, while practicing the Vajra Fist, the phantom of a martial monk with Vajra Wrathful Glare appeared in the void, demonstrating the Martial Intent of the Vajra Fist.
Satiety has been fully consumed. The Gluttonous Crucible is closing.
Current Iron Elephant Skill proficiency: 25%. Vajra Fist proficiency: 30%.
Opening his eyes, Han Zheng clenched his fists and felt the surging strength within his body.
Only now could he truly be considered to have entered the Early Acquired Stage.
Merely opening acupoints provided limited increases in strength. At most, it made one somewhat stronger than an ordinary person.
Only by opening meridians could one command the power within the acupoints, directly doubling one's combat strength.
The next morning, the Martial Arts Academy's major assessment began.
Over a hundred academy disciples stood in the training ground, all wearing tense expressions.
Li Jingzhong went through them one by one, placing a hand on each person's wrist. With a thread of internal energy probing within, he could naturally tell how many acupoints and meridians they had opened.
Those who passed were ecstatic, while those who failed wore gloomy faces.
Standing at the back, Li Sancheng quietly jabbed Han Zheng. "Why aren't you nervous, kid? Did you open your first meridian?"
Han Zheng nodded. "Didn't you open your first meridian too? What are you nervous about now?"
"Getting into the Vajra Fist! For the past three days, the Vajra Fist has filled my head. I was even practicing the fist techniques while taking a dump. Who knows whether I'll pass in the end?"
Li Sancheng muttered under his breath, then hurriedly shut his mouth when he saw Li Jingzhong approaching.
"Fifty-one acupoints, meridian opened. Pass."
Li Jingzhong glanced at Li Sancheng. This little fatty was somewhat slippery, but he was still diligent enough.
Then he placed his hand on Han Zheng's wrist, and could not help letting out a soft sound of surprise.
"Sixty acupoints, meridian opened. Pass."
Among the hundred-plus disciples at the Martial Arts Academy, Li Jingzhong had not held a particularly deep impression of Han Zheng.
He only remembered that Han Zheng's family circumstances did not seem very good. He was usually low-key and quiet, but hardworking. Li Jingzhong had not expected his talent to be so decent that he had actually opened sixty acupoints.
The other disciples present also looked at Han Zheng with surprise.
The academy disciples who had passed had only opened a little over fifty acupoints. At the absolute most, they had opened two or three more.
Fewer than ten had reached more than sixty acupoints, and they all came from wealthy families. Only by soaking in medicinal baths every day did they possess such an advantage.
Han Zheng had always kept a low profile, never showing off. No one had expected him to reach sixty acupoints as well.
Li Sancheng stared at Han Zheng from behind with a resentful gaze.
We agreed we'd grow old together, but you secretly dyed your hair!
He had thought Han Zheng had barely scraped through like him. Who would have expected that Han Zheng had been completely confident all along?
After one round of inspection, more than twenty disciples were eliminated on the spot.
"The rest of you, form groups of ten and begin demonstrating the Vajra Fist!"
Compared with internal techniques, martial arts such as the Vajra Fist tested one's comprehension more.
Quite a few disciples had not even grasped the method of exerting force for the Vajra Fist. Their punches were limp and weak, making Li Jingzhong frown repeatedly.
At that moment, Li Jingzhong suddenly looked toward Han Zheng, surprise appearing in his eyes.
Han Zheng was not simply throwing punches. The muscles, bones, and flesh throughout his body were gathered together, while his arm smashed straight down like a Vajra Pestle.
This punch carried the force of a smash. It was powerful and heavy, causing the air itself to erupt with a dull boom.
The Vajra Fists demonstrated by the other disciples possessed only the form, but Han Zheng had truly grasped a portion of the Vajra Demon Subduing intent within the Vajra Fist!
"Have you learned the Vajra Fist somewhere else?"
Li Jingzhong walked up before Han Zheng, staring at him without blinking.
"No."
"How did you cultivate the Vajra Fist during these three days?"
"This disciple simply practiced the fist with no distractions, immersing both body and mind entirely in it, while also visualizing the fist technique as I cultivated."
Han Zheng was not lying.
He had indeed practiced the fist with no distractions, only within the Gluttonous Crucible.
He had indeed visualized the fist technique, but not Li Jingzhong's fist technique. He had visualized the Martial Intent of the Vajra Fist.
Li Jingzhong's gaze toward Han Zheng became somewhat heated.
What a fine sapling!
In only three days, Han Zheng had cultivated the Vajra Fist to such a level. His comprehension in martial arts could be said to be the highest among this batch of disciples.
However, Li Jingzhong said nothing more and continued watching the others demonstrate their fist techniques.
The path of martial arts was like climbing to heaven. Each step led to another level of heaven, and it was incomparably difficult.
An early advantage did not mean much. He would still need to observe Han Zheng for a while longer.
If Han Zheng proved mediocre afterward, he would only become an ordinary academy disciple.
After studying for a few years, he would be sent off to escort goods for the escort agency or guard the homes and courtyards of great families.
Only disciples with true talent could receive the true transmission.
When the Vajra Fist demonstrations ended, Li Jingzhong called names one by one. This time, more than thirty disciples were eliminated outright, leaving only around fifty people present.
"The path of martial arts is as difficult as ascending to heaven. You have only taken the first step. Do not grow arrogant and complacent."
With a wave of his hand, Li Jingzhong dismissed the class.
"Couldn't tell, could I? You actually had another trick up your sleeve."
Li Sancheng grinned as he sidled over.
He had not been eliminated, so he could finally give an account to his family when he went home.
Han Zheng shook his head. "This wasn't me hiding anything. I was completely forced into unleashing my potential."
In truth, Han Zheng had indeed been forced by circumstances to choose to make sacrifices to the Gluttonous Crucible.
Only after sacrificing had he discovered that this golden finger of his was quite useful. He had even wondered whether there was anything else he could sacrifice.
But the thought appeared only for an instant before Han Zheng suppressed it.
The Gluttonous Crucible was somewhat sinister. It was practically like those evil gods.
It first made you pay a slight price in exchange for benefits, then guided you step by step into paying an ever greater price, until you sacrificed yourself completely.
Han Zheng had to restrain himself. Unless it was a critical moment, he absolutely could not sacrifice anything that belonged to him.
"I'm heading back first. My old man is waiting at home for me to bring him good news."
Li Sancheng hurried home, while Han Zheng left the Martial Arts Academy and found a small tavern. He ordered several dishes as a reward for himself.
After eating black rye buns for several days, he had nearly forgotten what meat tasted like.
He ordered one roast chicken, a plate of stir-fried greens, and a plate of braised meat stewed with tofu. Those three dishes alone cost a hundred coins. Prices in Black Stone County had recently soared to a rather outrageous degree.
The small tavern's cook was not particularly skilled, but Han Zheng still ate with great relish.
After eating and drinking his fill, Han Zheng rose to leave. The moment he stepped outside, a man in his early thirties came straight toward him, swaggering as he walked. The man had a wretched appearance, a face full of pockmarks, and looked like no good person at all.
The moment that man saw Han Zheng, he froze, then cried out in alarm, "Han Zheng!? Why are you still alive?"
"You know me? What do you mean, why am I still alive?"
Han Zheng's brows knitted fiercely as he tried to get an explanation.
But the other man turned and ran. Han Zheng rose to chase him, only for a passing merchant caravan outside to block his path.
Han Zheng leaped over the caravan in a single bound, but the man had already run into a nearby alley. After twisting and turning through it, he had long since vanished without a trace.
PS: During the new book period, there will be two chapters every day, one at 9 a.m. and one at 9 p.m.