Ambition, Breakthrough

Six days later.

At sunset, on the Training Ground.

Li Zhiwu was resting in a corner when he saw Gu Yang still drilling the forms and routines of his Martial Technique. Curious, he asked, "With your current strength, you should pass the Minor Competition without breaking a sweat. Why are you still training so desperately?"

"Heh-heh." Gu Yang merely chuckled and continued practicing the punches and footwork of the Azure Dragon Dance.

He could easily pass the Minor Competition and avoid the danger of coming in last, but how could merely avoiding the bottom be enough for what he sought?

Since the Martial Academy's Minor Competition had punishments, it naturally had rewards as well. The bottom hundred faced the risk of elimination, while the top hundred received a bottle of Military Rations Pills.

Military Rations Pills were not precious medicines for strengthening the body, tempering the physique, or refining one's blood and qi, but they contained abundant nutrients. A Strength Training martial artist only needed one pill to sustain three days of cultivation.

A bottle of Military Rations Pills contained ten pills. For a Strength Training martial artist, it was a decent supply of cultivation resources—at the very least, Gu Yang could not normally get his hands on them.

For this Minor Competition, Gu Yang's goal was to rank among the top hundred and obtain a bottle of Military Rations Pills.

However, he did not intend to tell anyone his thoughts yet. Recklessly boasting about it would bring nothing but ridicule from others. Why bother?

Seeing that Gu Yang merely smiled and ignored him, Li Zhiwu tactfully stopped speaking and simply sat nearby in a daze.

Meanwhile, Gu Yang continued practicing the Azure Dragon Dance with no distractions in his mind.

Over the past ten-odd days, he had maintained a schedule of "one sparring session every two days," and his strength had visibly improved.

That improvement was not only reflected in his skill proficiency. His grasp of when to use different movements—fist techniques, leg techniques, footwork, and more—had also greatly increased.

Footwork in particular had improved by leaps and bounds ever since he suddenly understood the importance of controlling distance that day.

Fists and kicks struck people, but footwork ensured that he could strike others while preventing his opponents from striking him.

He did not know what others thought, but in his heart, he had already ranked footwork as the most important thing.

Dong dong~

The bell rang, and Li Zhiwu immediately got up and left.

Gu Yang, however, unhurriedly completed a set of fist movements combined with footwork before stopping.

Skill 'Azure Dragon Dance' proficiency +1

"Exhale, inhale..."

Slowly calming his heavy breathing, Gu Yang gently closed his eyes.

Skill: Blood Nourishing Stance · Minor Mastery (64/200); Azure Dragon Dance · Beginner (495/500)

Talent: Vitality Surge

Two lines of text appeared before his eyes, but Gu Yang's attention was completely fixed on the Azure Dragon Dance's proficiency.

"Just five points left... If nothing unexpected happens, I can break through tonight."

The Azure Dragon Dance was about to break through. That was the confidence behind his plan to contend for the Minor Competition's top hundred.

After all these days of constant sparring, his win rate against Li Zhiwu had now reached four to six.

Of course, he was the four, while Li Zhiwu was the six.

One had to know that Li Zhiwu's strength ranked among the top ten on this Training Ground. Even among all the Martial Academy's new disciples this year, he was a strong contender for the top hundred.

He could already fight Li Zhiwu to a four-six split. Once the Azure Dragon Dance skill broke through, his strength would surely rise by a huge margin.

By then, wouldn't the Minor Competition's top hundred be his for the taking?

After resting for a while and feeling that most of his strength had recovered, Gu Yang turned and walked out of the Training Ground.

But he did not head straight home. Instead, he went to a meat market near Nine Bends Ward.

When Gu Yang had first earned money from Li Zhiwu a few days ago, he had handed the silver to Gu Dashan. But when he returned home the next day and saw that Gu Dashan had indeed ignored his instructions and bought no meat, he decided to buy it himself.

Gu Yang truly could not bear to see his entire family eating husks and swallowing vegetables while he alone ate meat.

If the family truly had no money, that would have been one thing. But now that he had earned money, there was naturally no need for them to keep tightening their belts and living frugally.

Wasn't he working so hard to earn money precisely so his family could live a good life?

Knowing the way like the back of his hand, Gu Yang arrived at the meat market, swept his gaze around, and headed straight for a pork stall that looked especially clean.

Having come to buy meat often these past few days, the stall owner already remembered Gu Yang. Seeing him approach, the man immediately smiled. "Want leaner meat again today?"

"No. Give me ten jin of pork leaf fat, and two jin of hind leg meat with more fat than lean."

The pork leaf fat was for rendering oil, while the hind leg meat was for stewing with vegetables.

At first, Gu Yang had only bought lean meat because he feared that, after going so long without meat, his family's stomachs would not be able to handle too much fatty meat and would give them diarrhea.

After eating slices of fatty meat last time, his youngest sister Gu Yingying had tossed and turned all night.

But after eating lean meat for several days, his family's stomachs were no longer as fragile as before. They could now eat fattier meat.

These days, fatty meat was what had enough oil and richness. It tasted fragrant.

Of course, it was also much more expensive than lean meat.

Hind leg meat cost thirteen copper coins per jin, while pork leaf fat cost six copper coins per jin.

A short while later, Gu Yang walked out of the meat market carrying two gleaming slabs of white fat-streaked meat, immediately drawing envious gazes from everyone around him.

Even though Cangzhou's officials were honest and its people did not live too harshly, families that could eat meat frequently were still few and far between.

Gu Yang paid no attention to the gazes of others. After leaving the meat market, he did not delay and headed straight toward home.

Late at night.

In the small courtyard of Nine Bends Ward, Gu Yang was practicing the Azure Dragon Dance's forms.

His movements were neither hurried nor slow. His advances and retreats were crisp and decisive, every punch and kick powerful and forceful.

After a long while, once he had completed a full set of movements, a small line of text floated before his eyes.

Skill 'Azure Dragon Dance' proficiency +1

After the family had eaten dinner tonight, Gu Yang had not continued cultivating the Blood Nourishing Stance Art. Instead, he had switched to practicing the Azure Dragon Dance.

The Azure Dragon Dance skill was on the verge of a proficiency breakthrough. He did not intend to wait slowly any longer, but planned to break through in one go tonight.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Yang felt his strength continuously recovering. He did not plan to rest and immediately began the next round of practice.

Time was tight, and the task was heavy. The efficiency of gaining proficiency through empty strikes was still far too poor.

The bright moon hung high, yet the youth's movements continued.

Gu Dashan's call rang out from inside the house. This time, Gu Yang did not go in. He merely answered, "Don't wait for me," before throwing himself back into cultivation.

The moonlight faded, and the hour before dawn arrived.

At a certain moment, after Gu Yang finished a set of movements, his body suddenly shook. Waves of insight into cultivating the Azure Dragon Dance surfaced in his heart.

Fist techniques, leg techniques, footwork...

The various combinations and transformations of each movement, the timing for using each move against an enemy...

In that brief daze, Gu Yang felt his understanding of this skill deepen considerably.

At the same time, two lines of small text flashed before his eyes.

Skill 'Azure Dragon Dance' proficiency +1

Skill 'Azure Dragon Dance' realm has broken through, potential being developed...