Assessment

The Gluttonous Crucible is open. The host may end cultivation at any time.

The moment he chose to enter the crucible, Han Zheng's vision went dark, and then he found himself in a pitch-black, hollow space.

Boundless, endless, lonely and cold.

Time did not pass here. Han Zheng didn't even have a concept of time.

Even the desires in his heart seemed suppressed. In his mind, there was nothing but cultivation.

And Han Zheng also discovered that while cultivating inside the Gluttonous Crucible, a massive iron elephant seemed to stride through the void—sturdy, heavy, with the strength of a thousand jin.

Martial Intent!

Cultivating inside the Gluttonous Crucible didn't just stop time; it also clarified the mind and revealed the Martial Intent of the practiced technique in the void.

When Li Jingzhong taught Han Zheng and the other disciples the Iron Elephant Skill, he only taught it by rote from the manual.

At most, he went into finer detail on how to circulate force and other specifics.

But inside the Gluttonous Crucible, the Martial Intent was laid bare. It was as if Han Zheng himself were the martial artist who had originally created the Iron Elephant Skill, observing a giant elephant stomping the earth and forging the technique from that sight.

When the satiety dropped by 8 points, it meant eight days had passed. Han Zheng had already broken through to fifty Acupoints.

One Acupoint per day—a speed unimaginable in the outside world.

Having reached the standard, Han Zheng didn't rest. He broke through all the way to sixty Acupoints before preparing to open his Meridians.

Opening Meridians carried some risk.

Failing to break through an Acupoint only wasted some physical strength; you could rest and try again.

But Meridians were fragile. If opening a Meridian failed and caused damage, the lightest consequence was affecting one's cultivation, the moderate was crippling one's martial arts, and the worst could leave one permanently disabled!

Breaking through Meridians required gathering the internal force from Acupoints, so in theory, the more Acupoints opened, the safer the Meridian breakthrough.

Some martial artists started opening Meridians after accumulating the force of thirty or forty Acupoints. Li Jingzhong, as the martial hall's master, preferred caution, requiring his disciples to reach fifty Acupoints before attempting it.

Now that he had the Gluttonous Crucible, Han Zheng was even more cautious, accumulating the force of sixty Acupoints before beginning to assault his Meridians.

Each internal technique targeted a different Meridian first.

Because the Iron Elephant Skill was steady and heavy, it first assaulted the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, opening the heart's blood vessels for the greatest boost in strength.

With the internal force in his Acupoints surging like a flood, it crushed forward like a dam breaking.

Gathering the power of sixty Acupoints, the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian offered almost no resistance and was breached in an instant.

Normally, when assaulting Meridians, the violent influx of internal force into the Meridian caused intense pain.

But because Han Zheng had sacrificed his sense of pain, he felt nothing, allowing him to control the internal force with even finer precision—an unexpected bonus.

He checked the time. The Gluttonous Crucible had already consumed 25 points of satiety.

He spent the remaining time practicing the Vajra Fist instead of continuing to break through.

After all, he still needed to meet the Vajra Fist's entry requirement, and that standard was set by Li Jingzhong himself. Han Zheng could only use the remaining time to raise his proficiency as much as possible.

Just like when cultivating the Iron Elephant Skill, a phantom of a wrathful Vajra monk appeared in the void while practicing the Vajra Fist, demonstrating the Martial Intent of the technique.

Satiety fully consumed. The Gluttonous Crucible is closing.

Current Iron Elephant Skill proficiency: 25%. Current Vajra Fist proficiency: 30%.

Opening his eyes, Han Zheng clenched his fists and felt the surging power within his body.

He was now truly at the Early Acquired Stage.

Opening only Acupoints gave a limited boost in strength—at most, it made one a bit stronger than an ordinary person.

Only by opening Meridians could one control the power within the Acupoints, directly doubling combat effectiveness.

The next morning, the martial hall's major examination began.

Over a hundred disciples stood in the training ground, all wearing tense expressions.

Li Jingzhong walked past each one, placed a hand on their wrist, and sent a thread of internal force inside, naturally detecting how many Acupoints and Meridians they had opened.

Those who passed were ecstatic; those who failed looked grim.

Li Sancheng stood in the back and quietly nudged Han Zheng. "How are you not nervous, man? Did you open your first Meridian?"

Han Zheng nodded. "Didn't you open your first Meridian too? What are you still nervous about?"

"The Vajra Fist entry requirement! I've had nothing but the Vajra Fist in my head for three days. I was even practicing the forms while taking a dump. Who knows if I'll pass."

Li Sancheng muttered, then quickly shut up as Li Jingzhong approached.

"Fifty-one Acupoints, Meridian opened. Pass."

Li Jingzhong glanced at Li Sancheng. The chubby kid was a bit slick, but he was diligent enough.

Then he placed his hand on Han Zheng's wrist and let out a soft exclamation.

"Sixty Acupoints, Meridian opened. Pass."

Among the hundred-plus disciples, Li Jingzhong didn't have a deep impression of Han Zheng.

He only remembered that Han Zheng's family circumstances seemed poor, that he was usually low-key and quiet, but very hardworking. He hadn't expected him to have such talent—opening sixty Acupoints.

The other disciples present also looked at Han Zheng with surprise.

In the martial hall, even the qualified disciples had only opened a little over fifty acupoints, at most two or three more. Those who reached sixty or more numbered fewer than ten, and they all came from wealthy families, soaking in medicinal baths day in and day out to gain that edge. Han Zheng had never stood out before, so no one expected him to have reached sixty acupoints too.

Li Sancheng shot Han Zheng a resentful look from behind. They'd agreed to grow old together, yet he'd secretly greased his hair! He'd thought Han Zheng was just barely scraping by like him, but it turned out the guy was brimming with confidence.

After the round of inspection, over twenty disciples were eliminated on the spot.

"The rest of you, form groups of ten and start practicing the Vajra Fist!"

Compared to internal energy, martial arts like the Vajra Fist tested comprehension more. Quite a few disciples hadn't even mastered the force-release method of the Vajra Fist, their punches soft and flimsy, making Li Jingzhong frown deeply.

Then Li Jingzhong suddenly looked at Han Zheng, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Han Zheng wasn't just throwing punches; his entire body's sinews, bones, and muscles were taut, his arm dropping straight like a Vajra Pestle. That punch carried the 'smashing' force—heavy and powerful, the air bursting with a dull thud. The other disciples' Vajra Fist forms had only the shape, but Han Zheng had truly grasped part of the Vajra Demon Subduing Martial Intent within the fist!

"Have you studied the Vajra Fist somewhere else?" Li Jingzhong walked up to Han Zheng, staring at him without blinking.

"No."

"How did you practice the Vajra Fist these three days?"

"This disciple simply focused solely on the fist, immersing body and mind completely, while visualizing the fist technique to train."

Han Zheng wasn't lying. He had focused solely on the fist—just inside the Gluttonous Crucible. He had visualized the fist technique, but not Li Jingzhong's version—the Martial Intent of the Vajra Fist itself.

Li Jingzhong's gaze at Han Zheng grew fervent. A good seedling! In three days, he'd brought the Vajra Fist to this level; his comprehension in martial arts was the highest among this batch of disciples. But Li Jingzhong said nothing more, continuing to watch the others practice.

The martial path was like climbing to heaven—one step, one realm, arduous beyond measure. Early advantages meant nothing; he'd need to observe further. If Han Zheng turned mediocre later, he'd just be an ordinary disciple of the hall, sent off to escort goods for a courier agency or guard a wealthy family's estate after a few years. Only truly gifted disciples earned the true transmission.

When the Vajra Fist practice ended, Li Jingzhong called out names one by one, eliminating over thirty disciples this time, leaving only about fifty present.

"The martial path is as hard as climbing to heaven. You've only taken the first step—don't get complacent." Li Jingzhong waved a hand and dismissed the class.

"I never figured you for holding back," Li Sancheng said, grinning as he sidled over. He hadn't been eliminated, so at least he had something to report back home.

Han Zheng shook his head. "I wasn't holding back; I was forced to tap into my potential."

In truth, Han Zheng had only chosen to sacrifice the Gluttonous Crucible because he had no other option. But after the sacrifice, he realized this golden finger of his was pretty useful. He even wondered if he had anything else to offer up. That thought only flickered for a moment before he suppressed it. The Gluttonous Crucible had a sinister edge, almost like those evil gods—first making you pay a small price for a benefit, then luring you step by step into paying more, until you sacrificed yourself entirely. Han Zheng had to stay in control, never sacrificing anything on his person unless it was a critical moment.

"I'm heading back. My old man's waiting for good news at home." Li Sancheng hurried off, while Han Zheng left the martial hall and found a small tavern, ordering a few dishes to treat himself. After days of black wheat buns, he'd almost forgotten what meat tasted like. He got a roast chicken, a plate of stir-fried greens, and a dish of braised meat with tofu—three dishes costing a hundred coppers. Prices in Black Stone County had been soaring ridiculously lately. The tavern cook's skills weren't great, but Han Zheng still ate with relish.

After eating and drinking his fill, Han Zheng got up to leave. As he stepped out of the shop, he came face to face with a man in his early thirties—swaggering, lecherous-looking, pockmarked all over his face, and clearly not a good sort.

The man froze at the sight of Han Zheng, then exclaimed in shock, "Han Zheng!? You're still alive?"

"You know me? What do you mean, 'still alive'?"

Han Zheng's brow furrowed sharply. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.

But the man turned and bolted. Han Zheng gave chase, only to be blocked by a merchant caravan passing by outside.

He vaulted over the caravan in a single stride, but the man had already ducked into a side alley, twisting and turning until he vanished from sight.

P.S.: During the new book period, two chapters daily—one at 9 AM, one at 9 PM.