Peiyuan Gong!

After returning home, Lu Feng opened the package again, then took out the jade pendant inside and examined it carefully for a while.

This jade pendant was indeed a keepsake once worn by the original host's father. The chip in it was from when the original host had accidentally dropped it as a child.

When County Lieutenant Li Muyuan had sent him this package, Captain Fang had said that the county lieutenant had obtained the item while suppressing bandits.

The original host's father, meanwhile, had gone missing during a pursuit a year ago.

After investigating, the County Yamen discovered signs of a struggle along the pursuit route. In the end, it concluded that the original host's father had died in the line of duty, which was why his position as a constable had been passed on to the original host.

Lu Feng pondered the jade pendant in his hand for a moment, then picked up the second item in the package.

It was a book, and the words "Peiyuan Gong" were written on its cover.

There was no need to guess: this was a martial arts manual.

He slowly turned the pages and discovered that the manual contained an Internal Cultivation Method, one that had reached the Mid-Grade, Upper-Tier level.

According to the original host's memories, martial arts in this world fell into two broad categories: Internal Cultivation Methods and Martial Skills.

Both types of martial arts were divided into grades. From lowest to highest, they were Lower-Grade, Mid-Grade, High-Grade, Spirit Martial, and the mightiest, Heavenly Martial!

Each major grade was further divided into three tiers: upper, middle, and lower.

For example, the Cloud-Dispelling Palm he was currently practicing was a High-Grade, Lower-Tier Martial Skill.

However, Internal Cultivation Methods were far more precious than Martial Skills.

Most Martial Artists had no Internal Cultivation Method to practice and instead relied on Martial Skills.

Although practicing Martial Skills could also improve one's Martial Realm, the progress was extremely slow.

Martial Artists who practiced Internal Cultivation Methods, on the other hand, improved their Martial Realm several times faster than ordinary Martial Artists.

Moreover, Martial Artists who practiced Internal Cultivation Methods had stronger bodies and greater Internal Force.

After leafing through the Peiyuan Gong, Lu Feng slowly closed the book.

A puzzled look appeared in his eyes. Li Muyuan had actually given him such a precious Internal Cultivation Method outright.

By doing so, the other man was clearly making Lu Feng owe him a favor. Even if Lu Feng didn't join his faction later, he wouldn't become his enemy.

"Forget it. I shouldn't overthink this! I'll see if I can practice this Internal Cultivation Method first."

After speaking, Lu Feng pushed the thoughts from his mind and began reading the manual carefully.

Half an hour later, just as he finished reading the manual, a flood of information about how to circulate the Peiyuan Gong suddenly poured into his mind.

At the same time, a new prompt appeared on the Proficiency Panel.

[You have learned the Mid-Grade, Upper-Tier Cultivation Method Peiyuan Gong. Its current proficiency level is Beginner.]

The sight left him utterly stunned. "Huh?! What's going on? How did I learn this Cultivation Method just by reading it once?"

Whether it was an Internal Cultivation Method or a Martial Skill, reaching the Beginner level usually took time.

How long it took depended on a person's martial talent.

Yet he had learned the Peiyuan Gong the moment he finished reading it, and had even reached the Beginner level. Not even a super-genius in martial arts could achieve such a terrifying speed.

"Could my cheat have the ability to comprehend Martial Skills, too?" Lu Feng wondered, his face puzzled. "No, that's not it! This isn't comprehension—it's recording!"

As it turned out, his cheat didn't just increase his cultivation speed; it could also record new Martial Skills.

Once he understood, Lu Feng was overjoyed!

"Haha! I thought my cheat was only so-so. Looks like I underestimated this Proficiency Panel. I wonder if it has any abilities besides recording Martial Skills?"

As he spoke, he willed the panel open to take a look.

[Name: Lu Feng]

[Age: 19/50]

[Realm: Seventh-Rank Martial Artist]

[Cultivation Method: Peiyuan Gong (Mid-Grade, Upper-Tier, Beginner 0/100)]

[Martial Skill: Cloud-Dispelling Palm (High-Grade, Lower-Tier, Perfected 258/1000)]

The Peiyuan Gong now appeared on the panel.

Though the Cultivation Method wasn't particularly high-grade, it had the effect of strengthening one's foundation and nourishing one's essence.

If he cultivated it to Greater Completion, the total amount of Internal Force in his body could increase by around fifty percent, while his physical strength and recovery would also improve by twenty to thirty percent.

Besides that, practicing an Internal Cultivation Method would speed up the advancement of one's Martial Realm.

By Lu Feng's reckoning, if he cultivated the Peiyuan Gong to Lesser Completion, he could reach the peak of the Seventh-Rank Martial Artist realm.

If he cultivated it to Greater Completion, breaking through to become an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist would be a sure thing.

At the thought, Lu Feng felt his excitement building.

Compared to the Cloud-Dispelling Palm, the Peiyuan Gong was much easier to raise in proficiency.

That meant he could reach the Eighth-Rank Martial Artist realm before the day after tomorrow's election for the new captain.

By then, no one would be able to threaten him in the captain's election.

After his excitement subsided, he closed his eyes and began practicing the Peiyuan Gong for the first time.

However, the methods for practicing Internal Cultivation Methods and Martial Skills were different. Practicing Martial Skills generally involved tempering oneself by combining Internal Force with external techniques.

Internal Cultivation Methods, meanwhile, involved circulating Internal Force through the body according to the method's prescribed course.

One was still, the other active, but both relied on Internal Force.

As Lu Feng began circulating the Peiyuan Gong, the Internal Force in his body flowed rapidly through his limbs and bones. Wherever it passed, a sensation of heat arose.

Thirty breaths passed in the blink of an eye, and the Peiyuan Gong completed one Greater Celestial Circuit.

[You circulated the Peiyuan Gong once. Proficiency +1]

Looking at the prompt on the Proficiency Panel, Lu Feng let out a long breath.

"Whew! It takes thirty breaths to complete one Greater Celestial Circuit. Looks like the Peiyuan Gong isn't as simple as I thought."

At this rate, raising the Peiyuan Gong to Lesser Completion would take at least three hours.

Then he closed his eyes again and continued practicing the Peiyuan Gong.

Time slipped by, and the night slowly deepened.

By the time the bright moon hung high in the sky, the Peiyuan Gong's proficiency had finally reached one hundred points.

[Your Peiyuan Gong proficiency has reached 100. Its proficiency level has advanced from Beginner to Lesser Completion.]

As the Cultivation Method broke through, a wave of warmth swept over Lu Feng's body.

At that moment, he felt as if he were floating in a warm ocean. The total amount of Internal Force in his body had also increased by around ten percent.

After feeling out the changes in his body, Lu Feng slowly opened his eyes.

"Mm! I finally broke through! I'll stop here for tonight and raise the Peiyuan Gong to Greater Completion tomorrow."

With that, Lu Feng lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.