(Thanks adrianfufu, Alliance Leader)

In September, uprisings broke out across the four southern routes of Great Ling.

Zhang Dongqing of the Man People and Li Zhi of the Bei People attacked county offices, plundered military arms, armed more than ten thousand men, and marched on nearby prefectures and counties.

Great Ling dispatched troops to suppress them. The Righteous Army could not hold out and scattered in defeat. Some fled into Pingyu Road of Shan Province, becoming mountain bandits.

Qinghe Temple, Huaxin County.

The sunlight was bright, dispersing the cold mist atop Qinghe Temple's peak.

On the Martial Arts Daoist Temple grounds, Martial Cultivators practiced in pairs. Among them was one pair with an enormous difference in size.

The man was somewhat lean, yet his face was rosy and healthy, covered in fine fuzz.

The woman was powerfully built, with a face as large as a platter, thick and strong limbs, and stood quite a bit taller than the man.

As they sparred together, they seemed to have developed some tacit understanding. Their exchanges of moves were highly practiced.

"Not bad, that's enough!" The burly woman stepped back. "Junior Brother Rongfang, you've now mastered every move of the Yue Type Talisman. Next, you need to nourish your blood and strengthen your vitality in preparation for Tendon Forging."

Zhang Rongfang nodded and glanced at his Attribute Panel. Sure enough, the skill listing for the Yue Type Talisman had finally appeared there.

It had taken two months to correctly master the thirty-two moves of the Yue Type Talisman. Recalling his daily efforts over that time, Zhang Rongfang finally became certain.

He was merely an ordinary person. Crossing over had not turned him into a martial arts prodigy.

Still, it was fortunate that he looked at the one Attribute Point behind his Attribute Panel. That gave him some comfort again.

Now that the Yue Type Talisman skill had appeared, he could finally add points to it. That encounter during the spring outing had left Zhang Rongfang without the slightest sense of security even now.

And now, it depended on how much improvement this Attribute Point could bring to his martial arts.

"Now that you've mastered the Yue Type Talisman, you should know that it is the foundation of our Great Dao Sect's martial arts. The Yue Type Talisman is upright, balanced, and gentle, and it is quite renowned in the martial world. It is one of the very roots of our Great Dao Sect.

"This set of moves advances and retreats with proper measure, its bearing stern and grand. It is of immense benefit in tempering a practitioner's temperament." Zhao Dacong explained.

"Senior Sister Zhao, how are the realms of Martial Cultivators divided?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

"Blood Nourishing and Tendon Forging. Once these two steps are completed, one's strength and vigor greatly increase. That is the prerequisite for Entering the Ranks. Once you have Entered the Ranks, a Martial Cultivator can be considered to have broken away from ordinary people.

"After that comes the Imperial Court's Ninth Grade ranking. There is no realm distinction; it depends on whom you have defeated."

"Whom you have defeated?"

"Exactly. The quality, strength, and weakness of martial arts are all fought out. The more victories you earn, the greater your reputation.

"Every year, there are many martial arts arenas throughout Pingyu Road. Winners not only receive prize money, but also gain fame and invitations for employment from wealthy merchants and great households. If you are strong enough, you may even draw the Imperial Court's attention."

Zhao Dacong grinned.

"If you're interested, you can give it a try. If not, go straight to the Spirit Official Hall. Pass the basic grade assessment, and you can take up a post under the Imperial Court and receive a salary. Of course, taking up a post means you have to do work."

Hearing this, Zhang Rongfang fell into thought.

Holding a post through the Spirit Official Hall was a collaboration between the Great Dao Sect and the Imperial Court. It was also an advantage unique to Buddhist and Daoist sects.

He had heard of it before.

"So as long as one passes Tendon Forging and Enters the Ranks, one can be assessed for an official post?" he asked again.

"Naturally." Zhao Dacong nodded.

Zhang Rongfang felt that something was off. Did one not need actual combat experience in between?

"And what do you mean, 'as long as'? Starting from now, if you practice the Talisman Canon and nourish your blood with good food and drink every day, it will generally take at least three years! That excludes the rare few born with extraordinary talent."

Zhao Dacong reached to the weapon rack beside her and took down a wooden hammer, swinging it with a howl.

"Then Tendon Forging takes another three years at minimum. Once those preparations are complete, Entering the Ranks and Breaking Limits is simple enough. So long as most people do not have congenital hidden ailments, they can pass. Half a year of conditioning will do. The difference lies in how you break through.

"Enough nonsense. Come! One more round!"

Zhao Dacong immediately set down the wooden hammer and used the Mountain Settling Heart move of the Yue Type Talisman, her palm striking diagonally downward toward Zhang Rongfang's shoulder.

She did not use much force, merely going through the moves.

Zhang Rongfang raised his right forearm to block while his left hand formed a fist and shot toward Zhao Dacong's waist like a released bolt.

This move combined offense and defense as one; it was precisely the Yang Piercing Needle of the Yue Type Talisman.

Their hands were wrapped in cloth bands as their arms rapidly clashed together. They attacked and countered, their movements flowing smoothly.

After exchanging moves came strength training: lifting stone locks, carrying stone balls, running with weights, and so on.

They could not do much of any of these exercises, since Qinghe Temple was, after all, a Dao Palace. These exercises were only for nourishing the blood.

After all that exertion, noon arrived, and Zhang Rongfang continued following Xiao Qingying.

Every day, he watched her run off to find Chen Wuyou. The two grew increasingly intimate in their behavior, like a pair of lovers.

If not for their concern over propriety, Xiao Qingying would likely have already been devoured clean, bones and all.

Over the past two months, following Xiao Rong's orders, Zhang Rongfang had promptly stopped the two from becoming overly intimate several times.

Besides that, Xiao Rong had arranged for another female Servant Disciple to follow Xiao Qingying. In many situations, she was more convenient than Zhang Rongfang.

In the blink of an eye, another day passed, and the sky gradually darkened.

Within Qinghe Temple, countless disciples moved like ants. After completing their evening lessons, they slowly dispersed with the drumbeats.

After paying his respects to Xiao Rong, Zhang Rongfang hurried back to his quarters.

He shut the door. The room was pitch-black, with moonlight filtering through thin mist and entering through the window.

Cultivation Disciples were Qinghe Temple's formal disciples, and their treatment was entirely different.

The room contained a wooden bed draped with a white mosquito net. At the side stood a desk and wooden chair, a wardrobe, and a candle stand.

The floor was laid with smooth, long gray wooden planks.

A formal dark-blue-and-white Daoist robe also hung on the wall.

Zhang Rongfang took a pair of flints and a fire striker from the desk drawer, lightly knocking the two pieces of flint together.

The sparks ignited the tinder and lit the striker. He then used its flame to light the wick.

As the candlelight rose, the room gradually brightened.

Zhang Rongfang picked up a teacup from the table. The water inside the wooden cup had long since gone cold.

He took a light sip, soothing his somewhat cracked lips.

After resting for a while, he dragged a wooden basin from beneath the bed and went outside.

Before long, he returned to the room carrying a basin of water.

Setting it on the floor, Zhang Rongfang looked at his reflection in the water.

The face reflected there was thin and long.

His nose bridge was high, his eyes narrow and long, his cheeks rosy and full, his tightly pressed lips thin, and his complexion pale yellow.

This face was already much improved from when he had first arrived at Qinghe Temple. Especially after becoming a Cultivation Disciple and beginning martial arts training, his complexion had improved even more.

"Blood Nourishing really is useful. I'm not as skinny as before either." Zhang Rongfang moved the basin aside.

He walked to the bed, removed his shoes, lay on his back, and calmed his mind and breath.

Then he raised his hand and looked at the back of it. Only after the attributes appeared did he focus his gaze on the Attribute Panel at the bottom of his field of vision.

The translucent Attribute Panel had changed somewhat from before.

'Zhang Rongfang—Life 10-10, Skills: Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic—Yue Type Talisman (Beginner), Guanxu Skill (First Layer Essence Aperture). Available Attributes: 1.'

'Life's previous upper limit was 9, but now it has become 10. It seems these past two months of hard training, good food, good drink, and good sleep have indeed been useful.

'Still, without improvements from attributes, the speed of progress will probably be this slow.'

'Now, let's see how much improvement Attribute Points can bring me.'

Zhang Rongfang stared at the Yue Type Talisman among his skills.

Taking a deep breath, he began to imagine lightly tapping the cross-shaped plus sign behind the Yue Type Talisman.

In an instant, the Free Attribute Points changed from 1 to 0. At the same time, the contents inside the parentheses after the Yue Type Talisman suddenly blurred.

The word "Beginner" swiftly vanished.

Before Zhang Rongfang could even process it, his body jolted violently, as though a massive hammer had smashed into his head.

In an instant, countless memories of his daily Yue Type Talisman training surged into his mind.

Day after day, from morning until night, he had cultivated without pause.

He repeatedly practiced the thirty-two moves of the Yue Type Talisman. The moves went from beginner level to mastery, then rapidly deepened, his understanding growing ever more profound.

Zhang Rongfang's physique also began to change slightly.

From its previous balanced, slender build, his muscles gradually swelled, though not noticeably. His body still retained its streamlined shape.

After roughly ten breaths, he gradually recovered from the dizziness.

At that moment, the body lying on the bed was drenched in sweat. Even his clothes had been soaked through, giving off a heavy stench of perspiration.

Slowly sitting up from the bed, Zhang Rongfang closed his eyes and carefully recalled the changes from just now.

'The previous improvement to the Guanxu Skill was not so clear, but this time I saw it quite plainly.

'This improvement from Attribute Points does not merely enhance a skill's technique. It also raises physical strength along with it, bringing the body up to the minimum level needed to smoothly execute skills of this level.'

'Or perhaps when a skill rises to this level, it naturally drives the body to reach that degree of strength.'

Zhang Rongfang let out a long breath and looked at his Attribute Panel again.

His attributes had now completed their changes.

'Zhang Rongfang—Life 10-11, Skills: Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic—Yue Type Talisman (Mastered), Guanxu Skill (First Layer Essence Aperture). Available Attributes: 0.'

"Life's upper limit increased by one point, and the Yue Type Talisman has changed from Beginner to Mastered. But there's no way to compare my strength with others'."

Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly. The Attribute Panel could only display Life and Skills; it was rather sparse.

But then he reconsidered. In actual combat, victory, defeat, and strength were not determined solely by martial arts and Life. They also depended on tactics at the time, equipment, physical condition, temporary striking force, striking speed, and so on.

Even if your strength was one hundred tons, if you used only one hundred-thousandth of it in a strike, it would still be useless.

It was understandable that the Attribute Panel did not provide a direct comparison of strength.

"Never mind. So long as it can directly raise my Martial Arts Level, that's enough. In an extremely short time, I can gain the strength others accumulate through years of martial cultivation!"

Zhang Rongfang got up from the bed, quickly wiped down his body with clean water, and changed into another set of clothes.

Only then did he stand in the room and experience the Yue Type Talisman he had just improved.

A Cultivation Disciple's room was at least five meters long and wide. Standing in the middle, there was still ample space, enough for him to move around a little.

Zhang Rongfang raised his hand as if holding a brush and slashed it downward, beginning with the opening stance of the Yue Type Talisman—Dot Clear Wind.

The Great Dao Sect's Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic had originally derived from the hand gestures and postures used in Daoist talisman drawing.

It was later blended with combat techniques and training methods, forming a unique Daoist martial art.

Within the Talisman Canon, the first seven Talisman Arts were used for protection, while the latter five were used for healing injuries.

The Great Dao Sect's Medicine and Martial Arts Integration was likewise a highly distinctive martial arts system.

Inside the room, Zhang Rongfang's punches were precise and deliberate, rigid and forceful. His footwork shifted back and forth, yet he remained rooted to the ground like tree roots.

Whether in moves, speed, or strength, he was far stronger than when he had sparred with Zhao Dacong during the day.

He practiced ten times in one breath before slowly relaxing.

"One point was worth at least three years of work!"

He often trained at the Martial Arts Daoist Temple and had gathered enough data on the Martial Cultivators. Comparing himself horizontally now, he immediately found his place.

After the excitement subsided, Zhang Rongfang tossed and turned in bed. Only after a long while did he extinguish the lamp and fall asleep.