The sky had grown dim.
In the disciple room area behind Qinghe Temple, among the cluster of rooms belonging to cultivation disciples.
Zhang Rongfang carefully lit the oil lamp with tinder.
The wick crackled faintly, as if it had gotten a little wet.
He picked up the lamp and placed it on the higher windowsill.
It was a specially made fuel-efficient lamp.
A ring around its upper portion had a special design that allowed water to be added, making the lamp oil burn more slowly.
Looking at the dim glow of the oil lamp, Zhang Rongfang sighed inwardly.
People used to say that so-and-so wasn't a fuel-efficient lamp. Now that I've actually seen this kind of lamp, I understand the helplessness of life.
Qinghe Temple's cultivation disciples received a fixed amount of lamp oil money each month. Split evenly, it came to roughly five copper coins per day.
Based on Zhang Rongfang's comparisons over this period, its purchasing power was probably equivalent to fifty cents in his previous life.
Breathing in the tung oil scent drifting through the air, he raised his head and looked at the roof directly above the lamp, where there was a small patch of black.
It had been blackened by the lamp smoke.
With just this bean-sized light, burning from seven in the evening when darkness fell until nine-thirty—two and a half hours—would consume his daily fifty-cent subsidy.
"The key is that it strains the eyes. If I keep using such weak light, I'll definitely become nearsighted. These conditions are a bit harsh."
Zhang Rongfang sighed.
He carried over a basin of water and used the cold water to wipe himself down.
He had not washed his hair for five days, and he could smell a sour stench from it.
After all, he trained intensely every day. His sweat volume was enormous.
Even Zhang Rongfang found it somewhat disgusting, but he endured it.
Tomorrow, he could go to the county seat. Then, the plundered wealth on him would finally come in handy.
If nothing else, improving his living conditions would not be a problem.
All his current money had gone toward buying medicine.
After washing his arms, Zhang Rongfang opened the window, and a cool breeze blew in from outside.
The chill of spring cold poured back into the room, making him shudder.
After waiting for more than ten minutes and letting the air circulate.
He closed the window and lay on his back on a straw mat on the floor.
Ever since adding points last time had made his body sweat profusely and soaked all his bedding through, after several miserable days without bedding, Zhang Rongfang had deeply remembered one thing: never practice martial arts on the bed.
Lying flat, he stared upward at the ceiling beam and the smooth wooden roof.
He focused his mind and calmed his breathing. Only after his whole body relaxed did he raise a hand and focus his gaze on it.
Swish.
The Attribute Panel silently appeared at the bottom of his field of vision.
Zhang Rongfang—Life 16-16. Skills: Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic—Yue Type Talisman (Breaking Limits) (Breaking Limit Skill: Heavy Mountain), Guanxu Skill (First Layer Essence Aperture). Dragon Snake Movement Technique (Mastered) Vitality Talisman (Beginner) Available Attributes: 4.
"Let's begin."
His gaze focused on the plus sign after Vitality Talisman.
He imagined pressing it with force.
At once, the word "Beginner" within the parentheses after Vitality Talisman rapidly blurred and vanished.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into the word "Mastered."
At the same time, his Attribute Points automatically decreased by one.
Streams of warm current began to emerge from nowhere within Zhang Rongfang's body, spreading through his entire body like a hot spring.
His skin began to split slightly, blood spots and blood streaks appearing over it.
His muscles tore apart and reconnected, becoming even stronger.
Vitality Talisman primarily trained the legs and palms. At this moment, most of the warm currents split off and surged into those two areas.
Zhang Rongfang could clearly see that his hands were swelling, growing larger, and darkening slightly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Abundant power, as if being blown into them, continuously settled into his hands.
A great mass of memories of his painstaking training in Vitality Talisman flooded crazily into his mind like a tidal wave.
The transformation continued for roughly ten minutes before slowly coming to a stop.
By then, Zhang Rongfang was like someone who had fallen into a pool. His clothes were soaked through, and sweat covered his hair and forehead.
The palms of his hands and his legs had even forcibly shed a layer of skin.
"Again!"
Without hesitation, Zhang Rongfang focused once more and imagined pressing the plus sign beside Vitality Talisman again.
At once, the word "Mastered" inside the parentheses blurred again, and new words quickly appeared.
This time, the words were unmistakably "perfected."
Sure enough, every talisman art follows the same stages: Beginner, Mastered, perfected, and finally, there should be Breaking Limits.
Zhang Rongfang understood.
Before he could think further, a new wave of intense pain surged forth like a spring.
Streams of warm current far greater than before exploded in his chest and abdomen like bombs.
The formerly gentle warm current had become extraordinarily violent, like unstable bombs that could rupture and explode at any moment.
This time, a thick layer of callus began growing on the skin of Zhang Rongfang's palms and legs.
The parts most frequently trained by Vitality Talisman were especially much thicker and tougher than the surrounding areas.
It was as if he had practiced Vitality Talisman for many years.
At the same time came three years' worth of training memories and insights for Vitality Talisman.
Insight after insight, understanding after understanding, clarity after clarity.
Under those memories, Zhang Rongfang's comprehension of Vitality Talisman became increasingly profound and practiced.
Every flaw and every advantage within it was grasped with perfect clarity.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Rongfang suddenly awakened from his insights.
Darkness filled his vision. The oil lamp had gone out; the lamp oil had burned away.
Faint moonlight filtered through the window paper, laying a thin layer of gray over the room.
He slowly climbed up from the floor.
His plain clothes no longer fit him very well, stretched tight and bulging.
"I got stronger again."
Zhang Rongfang let out a long breath and touched his wrists. Even his bones felt a whole size thicker.
He looked at his current Attribute Panel.
Zhang Rongfang—Life 20-22. Skills: Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic—Yue Type Talisman (Breaking Limits) (Breaking Limit Skill: Heavy Mountain). Guanxu Skill (First Layer Essence Aperture). Dragon Snake Movement Technique (Mastered) Vitality Talisman (perfected) Available Attributes: 2.
Life jumped directly from 16 to a lower limit of 20. Impressive. No wonder my body changed so much.
Zhang Rongfang understood inwardly.
Looking at the final two attribute points.
He clenched his fist and felt that his strength had increased by another measure.
As he was now, in terms of pure strength alone, he was probably already on the same level as Senior Sister Zhao Dacong.
Before, he had needed Heavy Mountain to unleash power beyond Zhao Dacong's. Now, even in a normal strike without it, he was much stronger than before.
"The final two points. I'll break through the limit directly. Secondary Limit Break—first, I'll enter Second Grade!"
Though it seemed that the Second Grade of Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic was not particularly formidable.
He had already felt that when he sneak attacked Chen Wuyou and fought Jiao Teng.
But at this moment, he had no better choice.
He could not possibly use the even worse Eagle Claw Skill and Dragon Snake Movement Technique, could he? They were not part of the same system. Switching to other martial arts meant breaking limits all over again from First Grade. It was extremely troublesome.
Zhang Rongfang now vaguely understood that so-called grades, entered through different martial arts by breaking limits, likely had enormous disparities between them.
"Begin."
Casting aside distracting thoughts, he focused his mind again, his gaze falling on the plus sign beside Vitality Talisman.
The plus sign gave a slight tap.
His two attribute points abruptly dropped to zero.
With a thunderous boom, Zhang Rongfang's mind went numb, and his entire body collapsed onto the floor again.
This time, not only his legs and hands, but his shoulders and waist and back as well began to swell with muscle.
But once the swelling muscles reached a certain point, they stopped. Instead, they writhed like flowing water toward the other parts inside his body.
Under the moonlight, his body began becoming increasingly solid, increasingly heavy.
His flesh and bones made faint sounds like rotting mud being stirred. His flesh, bones, and internal organs were continuously increasing in density.
Roughly an hour later.
Zhang Rongfang's body twitched slightly.
First his fingers, then his wrists, then his legs.
He slowly pushed his upper body up from the ground.
"Finally finished."
Looking at the current Attribute Panel, he felt something indescribable.
The vast amount of training insights and Vitality Talisman memories made him feel as though he had traversed nearly ten years in an extremely short span.
Over those nearly ten years, he had not eaten, drunk, relieved himself, or slept. From dawn until dusk, day and night without rest, he had bitterly trained Vitality Talisman.
Now, it was finally perfected.
Zhang Rongfang—Life 24-25. Skills: Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic—Yue Type Talisman (Breaking Limits) (Breaking Limit Skill: Heavy Mountain). Guanxu Skill (First Layer Essence Aperture). Dragon Snake Movement Technique (Mastered) Vitality Talisman (Breaking Limits) Available Attributes: 0.
"Life increased again. With a lower limit of 24, in all Qinghe Temple, only Wen Xiu and several high-grade experts can stand shoulder to shoulder with me.
"But why is Senior Brother Zhang Xintai also Second Grade, yet his Life is lower than mine?"
Zhang Xintai's Life was 21-21, with the upper and lower limits identical.
Though she was likewise Second Grade, Zhao Dacong only had 15-19.
For the time being, Zhang Rongfang could not understand this point, but one thing he was certain of was that Life was absolutely unrelated to strength, speed, and the like.
He reached up and lightly rubbed his face and arms, immediately rubbing off a great deal of dead skin.
After a vigorous round of rubbing, Zhang Rongfang had practically replaced the skin over his entire body.
He used a broom to sweep all the dead skin into a pile, then stood in the center of the room and slowly practiced the footwork and techniques of Vitality Talisman.
"Yue Type Talisman has a Breaking Limit Skill. Why doesn't Vitality Talisman have one?"
"No!"
Suddenly, Zhang Rongfang's steps halted. He spread his arms, assumed the Heavy Mountain stance, and fiercely struck forward.
Swish! This Heavy Mountain's aura was clearly far greater than before.
Most importantly, after using it, he did not feel the same exhaustion in his arms and shoulders as before.
Excitement rose in his heart. Zhang Rongfang repeatedly chopped forward with both arms, combining the Bewildering Smoke Step of Vitality Talisman and continuously unleashing Heavy Mountain from every angle.
Twice, three times, four times, five times! Only after the fifth time did he feel slightly out of breath and fatigued.
Only then did he slowly stop.
"It takes five full-force uses of Heavy Mountain before I tire. It seems the Breaking Limit Skills of Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic are likely mutually reinforcing. After Vitality Talisman broke its limit, it perfected and optimized the force generation of Heavy Mountain."
After understanding this, he felt a little excited.
Second Grade. At this level, he could already go to Spirit Official Hall for a grade assessment.
Even with his Barbarian Confucian status, he could be counted as holding a First Grade appointment.
The only problem was explaining why he could go from knowing no martial arts at all to reaching Second Grade in a single year.
Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic might not be a powerful martial art, but it was not so easy to cultivate either.
Even among geniuses, he had never heard of anyone progressing this fast.
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