(Thanks to My Brother, Sanzhe Alliance Leader)

Inside Qinghe Temple.

Slanting beams of light illuminated the colorful murals all around.

The gilded Wealth God Statue sat at the center, draped in a green divine robe, crowned upon its head, a ruyi held in its hand.

Below, several Daoists and incense guests knelt on prayer mats, gently kowtowing as they recited scriptures.

Among them, a young Daoist wrapped his left hand around his right fist and bowed down in worship.

This was the gesture used by the Daoist sect when worshipping gods, signifying Embrace Yin Holding Yang.

"Junior Brother Zhang is truly devout. Every time you return from an inspection outside, you come to the hall to worship."

A Wen Xiu senior brother at the side waited until he had finished worshipping, then smiled and spoke softly.

The young Daoist worshipping the god had a ruddy complexion, a sturdy build, and rather handsome features. He was none other than Zhang Rongfang, who had just snatched someone from the mountainside.

"You jest, Senior Brother. I'm merely grateful for the Wealth God's blessing. Since I happened upon a windfall, I'll feel more at ease after paying my respects," Zhang Rongfang said seriously.

"You picked up money?" the senior brother laughed.

Zhang Rongfang shook his head. "Just a little."

After worshipping the Wealth God, he rose to his feet. He nodded to the Daoists around him, respectfully bowed to the Hall Master at the side, then turned and left.

Stepping out through the main hall's entrance, Zhang Rongfang looked over at a glance.

Throughout the entire Dao Palace, servant disciples hurried back and forth.

The cultivation disciples strolled leisurely, far more calm and composed.

The old Daoist mages and stewards mostly wore solemn expressions, carrying themselves with the poise and bearing of great cultivators as they walked.

Lastly came the incense guests who had arrived at the main hall to worship.

From the mountain gate to the Wealth God Hall, Spirit Official Hall, and Profound Heart Hall, three streams of people of varying thickness formed respectively.

The Profound Heart Hall had the most visitors.

Among those coming and going were people dressed in wealthy brocade robes, as well as impoverished and destitute folk.

Occasionally, when a distinguished guest appeared, Daoists would guide them aside for special reception.

Most of them had come to the Profound Heart Hall to pray for safety.

Zhang Rongfang paused briefly. Looking at those suffering-faced commoner incense guests, he understood in his heart.

The officials throughout the land were corrupt nowadays. Officials and merchants colluded everywhere, while landlords, officials, and great clans wallowed together in the same mire, squeezing the common people dry.

Had his previous body's elder sister, Zhang Rongyu, not obtained a Daoist Registry for him, he would likely have fallen into the same plight as them.

Perhaps even worse.

With a silent sigh, Zhang Rongfang quickly headed down the mountain.

Today's gains were just enough for him to buy several other medicinal prescriptions.

He first went to report to his Master, Xiao Rong. Xiao Qingying was now more often accompanied by another servant disciple.

She seemed somewhat wary of Zhang Rongfang instead.

Thus, his request for leave was immediately approved.

Zhang Rongfang truly did not know what to say about that. After all, when he had used an animal trap to kill two mountain bandits last time, there had simply been too many suspicious points.

No matter how one looked at it, he was nothing like the simple and righteous man he appeared to be.

More than an hour later, Zhang Rongfang had bought eight different blood tonic prescriptions from various pharmacies in Huaxin County.

From that old bastard Zheng Zhonglin, he had not only taken back his own money, but also obtained an additional fifty taels.

Together with the 170 taels his elder sister and brother-in-law had given him, he now had a full 220 taels! To Zhang Rongfang, who had previously possessed only five taels, this was undoubtedly an enormous fortune.

He planned to turn it all into Attribute Points and improve himself as quickly as possible.

In a nation as rigidly hierarchical and harsh as Great Ling, only becoming powerful himself was the true ironclad principle.

After buying a huge bundle of medicine in one go, Zhang Rongfang carried it and moved as swiftly as if flying, quickly returning to Qinghe Temple. Without another word, he began brewing medicine.

Since Xiao Rong no longer trusted him much anyway, he might as well focus on his own affairs.

As long as Xiao Rong did not come looking for him, he would not go over there again.

For more than half a month afterward, Zhang Rongfang cultivated and trained in martial arts every day. Apart from Morning and Evening Classes, he spent all his remaining time brewing medicine and practicing martial arts.

Golden Blood Pills, Qi Dissolving Soup, Six Flavor Kidney Nourishing Soup, Bright Stomach Soup. Each prescription had different medicinal effects.

Some, such as Golden Blood Pills, directly replenished blood. Others, such as Qi Dissolving Soup, primarily replenished qi to indirectly replenish blood. There were also those that strengthened the spleen and stomach, improving digestion and food absorption to replenish blood, and so on.

The approaches behind the prescriptions varied. Zhang Rongfang tested them one by one and ultimately determined that the most effective one for him was a prescription called Red Qi Soup.

It primarily replenished blood, supplemented by qi replenishment, and had the best results.

Once he had tested its effectiveness, he spent all his silver at once on packets of Red Qi Soup.

This prescription could noticeably shorten the time it took him to accumulate Attribute Points to around one point every ten days.

And the Red Qi Soup bought with all that money was enough to last him three months!

Three months would be enough to accumulate nine points! In the blink of an eye, it was the End of November.

Zhang Rongfang splashed the water from the washbasin outside in one sweep.

Dong Dafang, in the adjacent room, was training hard. Even from outside, Zhang Rongfang could hear the whooshing sounds of his punches and kicks tearing through the air.

Carrying the basin back into his room, Zhang Rongfang glanced at the Attribute Panel at the bottom of his field of vision.

The training during this period had left him somewhat at a loss as to what to do next.

He had accumulated another Attribute Point.

But... the Yue Type Talisman could no longer be increased.

He was unsure whether the next stage of the Yue Type Talisman required more Attribute Points, or whether the Yue Type Talisman could only be raised to this level and no further.

The Thirty-two Moves of Yue Type Talisman had, at this moment, become instinctive to Zhang Rongfang, as though he had practiced them for many years.

His understanding of every move far surpassed what it had been before.

Moreover, his physical improvement had reached the level of Tendon Forging.

He simply had not competed against anyone outside, so he did not know what level his actual combat strength ranked at among Tendon Forging martial cultivators.

Thinking of this, Zhang Rongfang looked again at the Attribute Panel.

The plus sign behind Yue Type Talisman was still there.

He suspected that this talisman art could still receive Attribute Points, except it no longer required one point, but more.

He walked over to the bed, picked up a bowl of medicinal soup that had just been warmed from the table, tilted his head back, and gulped it all down.

After drinking it, he picked up the coarse grain mantou and dried meat he had brought back from the dining hall, stuffing them into his mouth in large bites before chewing and swallowing.

As he ate, he thought that perhaps he could gradually reveal some improvement now, so that he could obtain the training method for the second talisman art.

The Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic can only be taught by Xiao Rong. But something seems wrong with Xiao Rong's head. He has become suspicious of me and no longer trusts me.

I need to think of a way to see whether I can obtain martial arts from somewhere else.

Qinghe Temple's strict system gave Zhang Rongfang a slight headache. He began considering whether he should find other martial arts to practice besides the Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic.

But before he could think of a path, a warm current suddenly gathered within his chest and abdomen.

At this critical moment, a new Attribute Point had actually condensed! He froze slightly, then quickly looked toward the Attribute Panel.

Zhang Rongfang—Life 13-13.

Skills: Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic—Yue Type Talisman (Perfected), Guanxu Skill (First Layer Essence Aperture).

Available Attributes: 2.

"An increase in my Life limit is the result of my own training during this time. But can the new Attribute Point raise the Yue Type Talisman now?"

Zhang Rongfang hesitated for a moment, then tried focusing his attention again, imagining himself lightly tapping the plus sign behind Yue Type Talisman.

Sizzle.

This time, a faint noise seemed to ring out in his mind.

The words behind Yue Type Talisman immediately vanished.

This time, Zhang Rongfang merely felt his body tighten slightly as the blood and qi throughout his body rapidly circulated.

Other than the heat, there were no other symptoms.

Soon, the Attribute Panel finished updating.

Zhang Rongfang—Life 15-15.

Skills: Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic—Yue Type Talisman (Breaking Limits) (Breaking Limit Skill: Heavy Mountain), Guanxu Skill (First Layer Essence Aperture).

Available Attributes: 0.

"My Life increased by two points! And there's even an additional Breaking Limit Skill!?" Zhang Rongfang's eyes widened.

He had never heard of any Breaking Limit Skill before.

Breaking through one limit counted as Entering the Ranks, but among ranked martial cultivators, whether Zhang Xintai or Zhao Dacong, neither had ever mentioned anything about Breaking Limit Skills.

Before he could recover from his shock—

A torrent of memories suddenly crashed into his mind.

Zhang Rongfang clutched his head with both hands, lowered his head, and could not stop a soft groan of pain from escaping him.

Within those memories, he trained the Yue Type Talisman like a madman day and night. Finally, during an accident, he suddenly broke through his limits and shattered his own extreme.

At the same time, every move of the Yue Type Talisman he had practiced fused into a single state in that instant, because they had become too complete and perfect.

In that state, he accidentally comprehended a special technique called Heavy Mountain.

This technique could unleash speed and strength seven or eighty percent greater than his own in a single move, with astonishing power.

More than ten minutes later, the pain in Zhang Rongfang's mind gradually weakened.

His physique also changed once more. From being merely somewhat sturdy before, his upper body became especially robust. His arms in particular were knotted with muscle, bulging like tree roots whenever he exerted force.

Is this the effect of Heavy Mountain?

Zhang Rongfang raised both arms and clenched his fists, feeling that his strength had increased slightly from before.

But the increase was not great. The greatest change was still his skin.

He reached out and touched it. Its surface seemed covered in a thin layer of keratin, tough and elastic, yet rather coarse.

Standing up, he lightly punched the ground head-on.

He felt no pain whatsoever.

"Is this the effect of breaking through the limit?"

Zhang Rongfang carefully examined the rest of his body, but regrettably, no such phenomenon appeared elsewhere. Only his arms, knees, insteps, and soles had changed.

Isn't this similar to the calluses that naturally form on the body after excessive training in my previous life?

He suddenly came to a realization.

When he looked at the Attribute Panel again, the plus sign behind Yue Type Talisman had finally disappeared.

This probably meant it could no longer be improved.

"Too weak." Zhang Rongfang was slightly disappointed.

"Apart from a few areas, the rest of my body has the same defensive power as an ordinary person's. At most, I have a bit more muscle and fat, enough to withstand a little more. No wonder high grade experts, once they grow old, can no longer defeat younger experts."

Although the improvement had not been as great as he had expected, rising to Entering the Ranks in one go gave Zhang Rongfang an inexplicable urge to give it a try.

He had hidden his strength and suppressed himself for so long. His martial prowess had never been given a chance to display itself. Now that he had finally entered the ranks, he could be considered to possess some ability to protect himself.

He could not help wanting to test it out.

But he had no opportunity.

From the moment he began practicing martial arts until now, it had only been one full year.

Entering the ranks in a single year was even more astonishing than the speed of a genius like Zhou Ze.

"I can reveal a little more progress. Also, I urgently need actual combat sparring now, to improve my Combat Experience. Otherwise, no matter how high my training is, I'll still die if someone strikes my weak point."

Zhang Rongfang's thinking was realistic.

Without actual combat experience, no matter how high one's martial arts were, it was easy to suffer losses.

"Perhaps I can go sound out Senior Sister later."

No matter what Xiao Rong was like, Zhao Dacong was still quite dependable and took good care of her junior brothers and sisters.

Soon, Lunch Break ended, and Zhang Rongfang immediately went to the Martial Arts Daoist Temple to find Zhao Dacong.

Whenever she had nothing to do, Zhao Dacong would train martial arts at the Martial Arts Daoist Temple, seeking a faster breakthrough.

She had been born with great strength, and with such arduous training added to it, it was only natural that she could step into Second Grade.

When Zhang Rongfang found her, Zhao Dacong was exchanging blows with a Yellow-haired Daoist whose face was sallow and whose gaze was dull.

The two were loosely surrounded by the other Daoists in a circle. Standing at the center, their fists and palms almost became afterimages as they exchanged blows with extreme speed.

Crisp Impact Sounds exploded continuously. Even standing ten meters away, Zhang Rongfang could feel the faint breeze stirred up by their fists and kicks.

The Winter Sunlight was thin and pale. Dust kicked up by their collisions drifted and scattered through the Dry Air.

It only made their contest appear even more intense.

"What's going on? Who is Senior Sister Zhao fighting?" Zhang Rongfang spotted Li Fuhua among the crowd, so he moved closer and asked softly.

He, Dong Dafang, Xu Mingyu, and Li Fuhua had always been a Small Group that trained martial arts together.

They could be considered huddling together for warmth among the many small groups, so as to avoid being bullied.

Li Fuhua was still practicing the Yue Type Talisman and had only just begun not long ago. But unlike Xu Mingyu, that Black Person, she had always gotten along well with others and was fairly well informed.