Medicinal Nourishment! Arhat Fist Major Accomplishment! Murderous Intent on a Rainy Night!

After moving to his new quarters, Su Haoran's life became simple yet fulfilling.

Every morning, he finished his chores as quickly as possible, then plunged into the secluded woodshed on the western side, bolted the door, and began his frenzied cultivation.

He sliced that half of the Blood Ginseng into dozens of thin pieces. Before cultivating each day, he would place a fingernail-sized slice beneath his tongue.

The Blood Ginseng melted the moment it entered his mouth, turning into streams of pure, surging warmth that flowed down his throat and into his Limbs and Bones.

Su Haoran did not dare waste a shred of it. He immediately took up his stance and practiced the Arhat Fist over and over again.

Hah! Ha!

Inside the cramped woodshed, Fist Wind howled, beating the air until it gave off dull, explosive booms.

As time passed, Su Haoran's fist techniques grew increasingly fierce and refined.

At first, every move he made still carried a touch of awkwardness.

But with the Blood Ginseng's medicinal power constantly nourishing him, along with the formidable state of mind and concentration brought by the Meditation Scripture, his progress was nothing short of soaring by the day!

During the first week, whenever he threw a punch, the muscles all over his body would knot and bulge like the roots of an ancient tree, brimming with power.

Under his control, the heat flowing from the Blood Ginseng began actively tempering the flesh, skin, tendons, and bones throughout his body.

By the second week, the toughness of his skin had noticeably increased. When he punched the wall, plaster rained down in flakes, yet only a few white marks appeared on his fist.

The heat within him no longer ran wild. Instead, following the momentum of his punches, it formed a fixed cycle through his meridians. With every circuit, his strength increased a little, and he faintly felt as though it was about to break through his skin.

Arhat Fist, Minor Accomplishment (38%)

Arhat Fist, Minor Accomplishment (65%)

Arhat Fist, Minor Accomplishment (91%)

He could clearly feel that his body was undergoing earth-shaking changes.

His once somewhat frail body, thinned by long-term malnutrition, became well-proportioned and lean. Beneath every inch of muscle lay astonishing explosive power.

His appetite became staggering as well. The four Coarse Grain Steamed Buns he received each day were no longer enough to fill the gaps between his teeth. Fortunately, even the fragrance of the Blood Ginseng brought a sense of fullness, keeping hunger from interrupting his cultivation.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

That night, the moon shone bright while the stars were sparse.

Inside the woodshed, Su Haoran swallowed the final slice of Blood Ginseng.

Boom!

A torrent of warmth greater than any before exploded within him, like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam, violently washing over every inch of flesh and every bone in his body!

"Now!"

Su Haoran's eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulging as he endured the tearing agony. Then he fiercely unleashed the final move of the Arhat Fist—Wrathful Vajra!

Bzzzt—!

As he threw the punch, all the heat inside him seemed to find an outlet, instantly gathering in his right fist with a strange hum.

Arhat Fist, Minor Accomplishment (99%)

Arhat Fist, Minor Accomplishment (100%)

Ding! Arhat Fist has broken through to the Major Accomplishment realm!

In that instant, Su Haoran felt a boom inside his mind. It was as though the phantom image of an Arhat, eyes wide with wrath and muscles knotted tight, flashed behind him.

An unprecedented realization surged into his heart.

Every stance, force-generating technique, essence, and profound mystery of the Arhat Fist fused together in that moment, completely becoming his body's instinct.

He could feel that the strength within him had increased by more than double!

That stream of warmth had also completely merged with his Qi and Blood. He no longer needed to deliberately guide it; with every breath, it circulated through his body on its own, nourishing his flesh at every moment.

"So this is... the Arhat Fist at Major Accomplishment?"

Su Haoran slowly withdrew his fist and lowered his head to look at his hands.

They looked utterly ordinary, yet beneath them lay power enough to split steles and shatter stone!

His heart swelled with heroic spirit, and he felt an urge he could not suppress.

His gaze swept over the area and landed on a locust tree in the corner of the outer courtyard, its trunk as thick as a bowl's mouth.

He took a deep breath, stomped down hard, and shot forward like an arrow, arriving before the tree in an instant.

There was no fancy technique—just a simple straight punch!

"Break!"

Bang!!!

With a tremendous crash, wood chips flew everywhere!

That locust tree, which would have taken one person to encircle with both arms, was forcibly snapped in two by his punch!

The upper half of the trunk broke with a crack and crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust in the silent night.

Su Haoran slowly withdrew his fist. There was only a faint white mark on his knuckles; not even the outermost layer of skin had broken.

A flash of understanding rose in his heart. With his current strength, even if he faced four or five versions of his pre-breakthrough self at once, he could crush them with ease!

"Now I finally have the means to protect myself in this chaotic world!"

At the same time, the aptitude panel changed as well:

Aptitude: 5–8 (Somewhat Gifted)

He had risen from Mediocre Talent to somewhat gifted!

Su Haoran was overjoyed. An increase in aptitude meant that he would achieve twice the result with half the effort when cultivating any technique in the future!

This system truly was his greatest trump card!

However, just as Su Haoran was immersed in the joy of his soaring strength, faint sounds drifted in through the drizzling night rain outside the window.

Outside the western wall of Prajna Temple, three figures stood silently within the shadows.

The leader was none other than Li Gui, who had been Expelled from the sect and should have been left to fend for himself at the foot of the mountain!

At this moment, none of his former wretchedness remained. In its place was a twisted, venomous hatred.

"Two big brothers, this is the place." Li Gui lowered his voice and pointed at the woodshed in the distance, where a lone oil lamp still burned. He fawned over the two men beside him. "That brat is called Su Haoran. He lives here alone, and there isn't anyone else within dozens of yards. This is the most secluded spot in the temple—perfect for making a move!"

The two men beside him were broad and sturdy, their auras fierce. Their eyes carried a savagery and Sha Qi that ordinary Refugees did not possess.

They wore tattered laborers' clothes, but each had a standard military saber tucked at his waist. The handles had been polished smooth, clearly weapons that had seen many battlefields.

It was obvious that these two had once served in the ranks!

One of them, a burly man with a scar across his face, snorted coldly and said disdainfully, "A mere temple drudge is worth all this trouble? If not for the things on him, I wouldn't have bothered making this trip."

Li Gui immediately nodded and bowed. **"You're right, big brother. It's just that this brat is a little strange. He's incredibly strong, and he once killed three Refugees who were robbing passersby by himself.

That's why I was afraid of capsizing in a gutter, so I specially invited you two big brothers to act, just to make absolutely sure!"**

The other man, One-Eyed Dragon, licked his cracked lips, greed flashing in his eye. "Are you sure he's got something good on him? Something that could make a lowly drudge become so strong in such a short time?"

"Absolutely!" Li Gui said through gritted teeth. "I saw it with my own eyes! He must have obtained some treasure! Otherwise, how could a drudge who couldn't even eat his fill become so strong? Once we kill him, that treasure will belong to you two big brothers! When your strength rises greatly, won't you be able to swagger sideways through this chaotic world?"

Scarface and One-Eyed Dragon exchanged a glance, and both saw the blazing desire in the other's eyes.

Heavenly treasures!

Those four words held fatal allure for men like them, who licked blood from the edges of their blades.

And this mere drudge posed little threat to them. So what if he had killed three Refugees before?

They could each take on three starving Refugees themselves!

"Fine! Once we finish this job, we'll flee far away!" Scarface made up his mind.

"Heh heh, he's just a green kid. With us brothers joining forces, we could even contend with hardened soldiers from the army. Killing him will be like slaughtering a chicken!" One-Eyed Dragon sneered.

Li Gui stared at that woodshed, a savage grin spreading across his face, as though he could already see Su Haoran dying miserably before him.

Su Haoran, you cut off my path to survival. Today, I will make you repay blood with blood!

"Move!"

Scarface gave a low shout. The three of them silently climbed over the wall and closed in on the lamp-lit woodshed.