Second Optimization [Mighty Bull Strength]

The next day.

Dawn had barely broken.

As usual.

No, he was even more driven and passionate than usual.

Rising early, Zhang Ming quickly washed up and got dressed, then went to the Private Training Ground in the rear courtyard to begin the day's training.

"Now I've just entered the Vital Energy realm as a Warrior. According to what my teachers taught before, when one's Vital Energy is full and can spread through every inch of skin and flesh, one reaches the limit of Great Perfection in the Vital Energy realm and may hope to enter the Postnatal realm."

Sensing that wisp of Vital Energy moving through his body, Zhang Ming made an estimate of how long it would take to grow it large enough to cover his entire body.

"Based on my current experience with [Mighty Bull Strength], it will probably take a year!"

"If I use great medicines to assist my cultivation, I can shorten that time."

"So... one year?"

The corners of Zhang Ming's lips curled upward.

Reaching Vital Energy completion within a year was not especially fast.

But in a small place like Yang City,

being able to complete one's Vital Energy within a year and touch the realm of a Postnatal Martial Artist already made one a genius among geniuses.

More Warriors squandered their entire lives and still could not fill their bodies with Vital Energy or reach the limit of martial arts before their Vital Energy declined in their thirties or forties.

"One year!"

Zhang Ming narrowed his eyes, somewhat dissatisfied with that length of time.

"A year is too long. I can be faster."

How could he be faster?

There were two methods.

The first was, naturally, great medicines.

Warriors in this world all used great medicines to aid their cultivation and speed up its effects and progress.

There were even rumors that some martial arts could not be cultivated or even begun without their corresponding great medicines.

Of course, a low-grade Cultivation Method like [Mighty Bull Strength] could be begun without great medicines.

The old Zhang Ming had not even entered the door of [Mighty Bull Strength], had no need for great medicines, and did not know what they were.

But the current Zhang Ming possessed martial arts experience in [Mighty Bull Strength] at the perfected level. His understanding of [Mighty Bull Strength] rivaled that of its creator.

He knew exactly what great medicines were and what ingredients were needed to brew them.

"Ox horn powder, heart's blood from an ox, hundred-year ginseng, and..."

And so on—he wrote down every medicinal ingredient required, dividing them across several sheets of paper.

"The Zhang Family pharmacy carries most ordinary basic medicinal ingredients."

"But obtaining ox horn powder and ox heart's blood will be somewhat troublesome."

The Mighty Bull Martial Arts School had been in Yang City for decades, so naturally it had channels for obtaining the ingredients for great medicines.

If someone else suddenly went to purchase ingredients for great medicines, it would surely arouse the Mighty Bull Martial Arts School's vigilance.

That would bring unnecessary trouble.

"Forget it. I'll just have the Zhang Family enter the livestock breeding and slaughtering business."

Zhang Ming did not know how to raise cattle, but the Zhang Family had money.

Besides, Zhang Ming did not expect breeding and slaughtering to make money. They were merely means of acquiring ingredients for great medicines.

And there was also...

"With perfected-level martial arts experience in [Mighty Bull Strength], I stand on par with its creator."

"If I casually gave some pointers to other martial artists cultivating [Mighty Bull Strength], they would benefit immensely."

"If I put in a little effort and taught them hand in hand, I could let any martial artist whose aptitude was not outrageously poor sense Vital Energy and step through the gates of martial arts."

"Once I become a little stronger, I can select some trusted subordinates and have them cultivate strength, so they can better guard my Zhang Family."

The feudal notions that martial arts Cultivation Methods should not be passed on to outsiders, or passed to men but not women, were unacceptable.

"Besides... I now have the confidence to push the situation forward one day instead of simply drifting with the current."

As a transmigrator, Zhang Ming naturally had ambitions.

Or rather, every transmigrator inevitably had ambitions; only their scale differed.

Before, before obtaining [Ignite Comprehension], no matter how ambitious Zhang Ming was, he could only follow the tide of events.

For example, completely controlling Xinhe Commandery, becoming its overlord, and turning Xinhe Commandery into "Zhang Commandery."

So long as the Empire remained stable and Jiangnan Province was filled with song and dance, Zhang Ming would find it extremely difficult to act.

After all, Zhang Ming did not possess strength beyond all norms or the ability to ignore the rules.

Now, things were different.

The existence of [Ignite Comprehension] allowed Zhang Ming to see the possibility of crushing the circumstances and rules of Great Zhou with the power of one man.

In that case,

laying out plans for the breeding and slaughtering industries in advance was just like how no one had understood why he had funded those poor scholars back then!

"And medicinal ingredients!"

"Next, let the Merchant Guild shift some of its focus toward medicinal ingredients, livestock breeding, slaughtering, and such."

Drawing back his thoughts,

the second method to rapidly complete his Vital Energy and reach the limit of a Warrior

was [Ignite Comprehension].

"I wonder what surprise the second [Ignite Comprehension] will bring me?"

Perfection once, then enhancement the second time?

He did not know.

But Zhang Ming was filled with confidence and anticipation.

Suppressing his thoughts of the future, Zhang Ming calmed himself.

"Train properly. No matter which method I use to hasten my arrival at the limit of a Warrior..."

"Hard cultivation can never be neglected."

As that thought fell, waves of whistling blasts erupted from the Private Training Ground!

Time flowed by, and in the blink of an eye, four days passed.

That day, in the study.

Looking at the aroma wafting from the lunchbox on the table, Zhang Ming took a deep breath and suppressed the distracting thoughts in his heart.

He slowly rose, lay down on the specially made bed in the study, and found a comfortable position.

"Exactly five days have passed since the first [Ignite Comprehension]."

"After the first [Ignite Comprehension], I gained perfected-level martial arts experience in [Mighty Bull Strength]. For these five days, I've trained with all my strength every day."

"Supported by that martial arts experience, I can feel that after only five days, my physical fitness has improved by at least thirty percent."

The previous Zhang Ming's physical fitness could only be called decent—above average health.

But after this thirty-percent improvement, his physical fitness had reached the level of a world champion in his previous life.

"Five days have passed now. The first [Ignite Comprehension] was already such a tremendous help, so let me see what the second will be like."

With that, Zhang Ming closed his eyes and adjusted into a comfortable position.

He lightly touched the switch in his mind.

"[Ignite Comprehension] activated."

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

In an instant, heaven and earth changed. All things in the world, everything from the past, flashed through his mind.

His distraction lasted only the blink of an eye. He swiftly gathered his mind and focused all his attention on [Mighty Bull Strength].

[Mighty Bull Strength] contained a total of four thousand six hundred and sixty-six characters, two hundred illustrations, and forty-three meridian Acupoints through which the Cultivation Method circulated. It was classified as a Postnatal Cultivation Method.

As he analyzed it step by step, every detail of [Mighty Bull Strength] flashed through his mind.

Combined with his past cultivation experiences and his body's reactions as Vital Energy flowed through it.

A moment later.

[You attempt to comprehend Mighty Bull Strength. Your comprehension and understanding of Mighty Bull Strength improve.]

[Based on yourself, you discover that sixty-six nodes in Mighty Bull Strength can be optimized.]

[You attempt optimization, altering those nodes.]

[Optimization of the first node successful... optimization of the eleventh node successful... optimization of the twenty-second node failed... optimization of the fifty-sixth node failed... optimization of the sixty-sixth node failed...]

[You realize that optimization failed because your martial arts foundation is too limited.]

[Ignite Comprehension duration ended.]

[You obtain Mighty Bull Strength with twenty-one optimized nodes.]

[You obtain Mighty Bull Strength Version 1.21.]

Huff—huff—huff—

Zhang Ming panted heavily, like a worn-out bellows.

Sweat beads the size of soybeans covered his smooth forehead.

The pain coursing from his mind into his body soaked his clothes in sweat within mere seconds, and even the wooden bed beneath him was drenched over a large area.

A human-shaped water stain was left on the bed.

After a long while.

As he gasped violently and gritted his teeth until his gums bled, the pain in his mind and body finally began to recede.

Zhang Ming slowly sat up. After drinking a cup of cold water, his mind cleared considerably.

This harvest made the corners of his lips rise.

"So the second time is optimization?"

"The first time gave me perfected-level martial arts experience in [Mighty Bull Strength], allowing me to stand shoulder to shoulder with its creator."

"The second time further optimized and improved [Mighty Bull Strength]."

"If, before today, my understanding of [Mighty Bull Strength] had merely been equal to its creator's..."

"Then now, I've surpassed them completely."

"It would not be an exaggeration to say that I am now the ancestor of [Mighty Bull Strength] in this world."

A smile appeared on his lips as Zhang Ming burst into laughter.

"[Mighty Bull Strength] optimized twenty-one times!"

At this moment, the twenty-one-times-optimized [Mighty Bull Strength] was in Zhang Ming's mind.

Every detail of the Cultivation Method, every cause and consequence, was utterly clear to him.

"It's truly powerful. Optimized only twenty-one times, yet compared to the original version, it is at least fifty percent stronger!"

Yes, fifty percent!

In the past, when Mighty Bull Strength was cultivated to great mastery, a Postnatal Martial Artist could throw a punch with the force of ten thousand jin.

Now, it had directly increased by fifty percent, reaching fifteen thousand jin of force.

And that was only the difference in strength. Physical fitness, defense, endurance, and more had all improved as well.

Even cultivation speed had increased somewhat.

Calling it a comprehensive enhancement would not be an exaggeration in the slightest!

"Good!"

Zhang Ming laughed heartily, his heart incomparably exhilarated.

"The current [Mighty Bull Strength] can be called a top-grade Postnatal Cultivation Method without any exaggeration!"

"Before, I needed a year to complete my Vital Energy. Now, it will probably take only ten months."

"Ten months to complete my Vital Energy. [Ignite Comprehension] truly has not disappointed me. The second time alone brought such an improvement."

Zhang Ming's gaze blazed. At this moment, he felt as if the future lay entirely in his hands!

He could reach out and pluck the stars.

"The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time!"

He stretched out his hand and made a grasping motion toward the blazing sun in the sky, as though it were already within his grasp.