Xie Guicai Bob Alliance Leader

The sky had darkened.

In the disciple quarters behind Qinghe Temple, among the rooms assigned to cultivation disciples.

Zhang Rongfang carefully lit the oil lamp with tinder.

The wick gave a tiny pop, as though it had gotten wet.

He picked up the lamp and placed it on the higher windowsill.

It was a specially designed fuel-efficient lamp.

A specially designed ring around it could be filled with water, making the lamp oil burn more slowly.

Watching the lamp's dim glow, Zhang Rongfang sighed inwardly.

People used to say that so-and-so wasn't a fuel-efficient lamp. Only now that I've seen this kind of lamp do I understand life's helplessness.

Qinghe Temple's cultivation disciples received a fixed allowance for lamp oil each month, which averaged out to roughly five cash a day.

By Zhang Rongfang's comparison over this period, its purchasing power was about the equivalent of fifty cents in his Previous Life.

He sniffed the Tung Oil Scent drifting through the air and looked up at the roof directly above the lamp, where there was a small black patch.

It had been blackened by the lamp smoke.

With only this bean-sized bit of light, burning from seven in the evening, when darkness fell, until half past nine—two and a half hours—would use up the day's fifty-cent subsidy.

"The key is that it strains the eyes. Staring at such a tiny bit of light for too long, I'll definitely become nearsighted. These conditions really are a little harsh."

Zhang Rongfang sighed.

He brought over a basin of water and used the Cold Water to wipe himself down.

His hair had not been washed for five days, and he could smell a sour odor from it.

After all, he trained intensely every day. His Sweat Volume was enormous.

Zhang Rongfang found it somewhat disgusting himself, but he endured it anyway.

Tomorrow, he could go into the county town. The Plundered Wealth on him would finally come in handy.

If nothing else, improving his living conditions would not be a problem.

All his money now was spent on 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 over ten minutes and letting the air clear.

He closed the window and lay flat on his back on a Straw Mat on the floor.

Ever since the last time he added points and sweated so heavily that he soaked his bedding through, after several hard days without bedding, Zhang Rongfang had firmly remembered one thing: never practice martial arts on the bed.

Lying flat, he tilted his head back and looked at the Ceiling Beam and the smooth wooden roof.

He focused his mind and calmed his breathing. Only after his entire body had 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 (Mastery)

Vitality Talisman (Beginner)

Available Attributes: 4.

"Let's begin."

He focused his gaze on the Plus Sign after Vitality Talisman.

He imagined pressing it with force.

At once, the word "Beginner" inside the parentheses behind Vitality Talisman rapidly blurred and vanished.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into the word "Mastery."

At the same time, his Attribute Points automatically decreased by one.

Streams of Warm Current also appeared from nowhere within Zhang Rongfang's body, spreading through him like a Hot Spring.

His skin began to split slightly, Blood Spots and Blood Streaks emerging across it.

His muscles tore and rejoined, becoming even stronger.

Vitality Talisman primarily cultivated the Legs and Palms. At this moment, most of the streams of Warm Current split off and surged into those two areas.

Zhang Rongfang could clearly see his Hands swelling, enlarging, and darkening slightly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Abundant power, as if inflated by air, continuously settled into his Hands.

A vast number of memories of painstakingly practicing Vitality Talisman flooded wildly into his mind like a tidal wave.

The transformation continued for roughly ten minutes before slowly coming to a halt.

By then, Zhang Rongfang was like someone who had fallen into a pool. His clothes were soaked through, and his hair and forehead were covered in sweat.

The Hands and Legs had even forcibly shed a layer of skin.

"Again!"

Without hesitation, Zhang Rongfang concentrated again and imagined pressing the Plus Sign of Vitality Talisman once more.

At once, the word "Mastery" inside the parentheses blurred again, and new words soon appeared.

This time, the words were clearly "Perfection."

Sure enough, every Talisman Art has the same stages: Beginner, Mastery, Perfection, 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 in number than before exploded instantly in his chest and abdomen like bombs.

The originally gentle Warm Current became extraordinarily violent, like unstable bombs that could split apart and explode at any moment.

This time, thick layers of callus began to grow over the skin of Zhang Rongfang's Palms and Legs.

The areas most frequently trained by Vitality Talisman were especially much thicker than the surrounding skin.

It was as though he had practiced Vitality Talisman for many years.

Accompanying this were three years of Vitality Talisman training memories and insights.

Insight after insight, understanding after understanding, clarity after clarity.

Under these memories, Zhang Rongfang's understanding of Vitality Talisman grew ever deeper and more practiced.

Every flaw and every advantage within it became crystal clear to him.

Who knew how long passed before Zhang Rongfang suddenly woke from his insights.

Everything before his eyes was dark. The oil lamp had gone out; the lamp oil had burned dry.

Faint moonlight filtered through the window paper, draping the room in a thin layer of gray.

He slowly climbed up from the floor.

The Plain Clothes on him no longer fit very well, stretched taut and bulging.

"I've gotten stronger again."

Zhang Rongfang let out a long breath and rubbed his wrists. Even his bones felt as though they had thickened by a full circle.

He looked at the Attribute Panel now before him.

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 (Mastery)

Vitality Talisman (Perfection)

Available Attributes: 2.

Life directly rose 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 points of attributes.

He clenched his fist and felt his strength increase by another stretch.

In terms of pure strength, he was probably now on the same level as Senior Sister Zhao Dacong.

Previously, he had needed to use Heavy Mountain to erupt with strength beyond Zhao Dacong's. Now, even striking normally on his own, he was much stronger than before.

"The final two points—I might as well break through the Limit directly. Secondary Limit Break. I'll enter Second Grade first!"

Although, judging from things now, the Second Grade of the Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic did not seem 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 inferior Eagle Claw Skill and Dragon Snake Movement Technique, could he? They were not even from the same system. If he switched to other martial arts, he would have to begin Breaking Limits again from First Grade. It was terribly troublesome.

Zhang Rongfang now vaguely understood that the difference between ranks entered through Breaking Limits with different martial arts was likely enormous.

"Begin."

Casting aside distracting thoughts, he focused his mind again and let his gaze fall on the Plus Sign of Vitality Talisman.

The Plus Sign gave a faint press.

The two Attribute Points abruptly fell to zero.

With a thunderous boom, Zhang Rongfang's mind went numb, and his entire body collapsed back onto the floor.

This time, Not Only did his Legs and Hands change, but his shoulders and Waist and Back began to swell with muscle as well.

Yet once the swollen muscles reached a certain point, they stopped growing and instead wriggled like flowing water toward the other internal parts of his body.

Under the moonlight, his body became increasingly solid and increasingly heavy.

His flesh and bones made soft sounds like rotten mud being churned. His flesh, bones, and internal organs were constantly increasing in density.

About an hour later.

Zhang Rongfang's body twitched slightly.

First came his fingers, then his wrists, then his Legs.

He slowly propped his upper body up from the floor.

"It's finally over."

Looking at the Attribute Panel before him, he felt something indescribable in his heart.

The immense amount of training insights and Vitality Talisman memories made it seem as though he had traversed nearly ten years in an extremely short time.

Over those nearly ten years, he had neither eaten, drunk, defecated, nor urinated, practicing Vitality Talisman day and night without rest.

Now, it had finally reached Perfection.

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 (Mastery)

Vitality Talisman (Breaking Limits)

Available Attributes: 0.

"Life has increased again. With a lower limit of 24, in all of 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 to 21, with the upper and lower limits identical.

Though she was likewise Second Grade, Zhao Dacong had only 15 to 19.

He could not make sense of this for the time being, but Zhang Rongfang was certain that Life was absolutely unrelated to things such as strength and speed.

He rubbed his face and arms lightly with his hand, immediately rubbing off large amounts of dead skin.

After a vigorous bout of rubbing, Zhang Rongfang had practically changed 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 moves of Vitality Talisman.

"Yue Type Talisman has a Breaking Limit Skill. Why does Vitality Talisman not?"

"No!"

Suddenly, Zhang Rongfang's steps halted. He spread his arms, assumed the stance of Heavy Mountain, and violently struck forward.

Swish! This Heavy Mountain carried a noticeably greater Aura than before.

Most crucially, after using it, he did not feel the same fatigue in his arms and shoulders as before.

A surge of excitement rose in his heart. Zhang Rongfang repeatedly slashed forward with both arms, combining the Bewildering Smoke Step of Vitality Talisman as he continuously unleashed Heavy Mountain from every angle.

Twice, three times, four times, five times! Only after the fifth time did he feel somewhat 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 this Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic support one another. Once Vitality Talisman breaks its Limit, it perfects and optimizes the exertion of Heavy Mountain."

After understanding this, he felt slightly excited.

Second Grade. Having reached this level, he could already go to Spirit Official Hall for a rank assessment.

Even with his status as a Barbarian Confucian, he could be counted as holding a First Grade appointment.

The only difficulty was explaining why he had gone from knowing no martial arts to reaching Second Grade in just one year.

Although the Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic was not some powerful martial art, it was not so easy to cultivate either.

Even among geniuses, he had never heard of anyone progressing this fast.