Commanding Heights

Dinner was Braised Pork. Two thick, succulent pieces had just come out of the pot, tucked into steamed buns still warm to the touch. The sauce from the Braised Pork soaked into the risen dough, enough to make one swallow just looking at it.

Zhong Lin and Shi Tou exchanged a glance, then began chewing in huge, wolfish bites.

Chicken soup was still simmering in the earthenware pot. A layer of yellow chicken fat floated atop the milky-white broth; one glance was enough to tell that it had been made with an old hen.

After wolfing down their buns with Braised Pork in a few bites, Zhong Lin took two pairs of chopsticks and pulled apart the old hen, which had been stewed until it was falling apart. He then fetched coarse porcelain bowls and a wooden ladle, serving them each a bowl of soup.

One bowl apiece. The chicken soup was rich and mellow upon entering the mouth, wonderfully fresh, making them want bowl after bowl.

"System."

Host: Zhong Lin

Skills: Archery (Max Level), Flying Locust Stone (Max Level), Three-Dimensional Painting (Max Level), Calligraphy (Max Level), Cooking (Max Level), Iron Mountain Skill (Beginner)

Skill Points: ∞

Two more skills had appeared on the System Panel. One was Cooking, while the other was the Iron Mountain Skill he had just learned that afternoon.

Ever since crossing over, Zhong Lin had done most of the cooking, so it was only natural for Cooking to form on the System Panel. The Braised Pork and hand-shredded old hen just now had merely been a small trial of his skill. A max-level Cooking skill truly lived up to its name—the taste was indeed excellent. Little Shi was so greedy for it that he was practically about to swallow his own tongue.

After dinner, Little Shi conscientiously went to scrub the pot and wash the dishes, while Zhong Lin returned to the open space in the courtyard.

With a thought, the word "Beginner" after "Iron Mountain Skill" began to shift. Moments later, it became "Max Level."

Memories of cultivating the Iron Mountain Skill then surged into his mind.

In those memories, he had practiced this martial art day after day for ten years without change. Every day, he tempered his fists and feet and honed his strength, practicing the art more than ten times daily. After a full twenty years, he had cultivated it to its limit, until its fist techniques, footwork, and body movements had become as instinctive as breathing.

Host: Zhong Lin

Skills: Archery (Max Level), Flying Locust Stone (Max Level), Three-Dimensional Painting (Max Level), Calligraphy (Max Level), Cooking (Max Level), Iron Mountain Skill (Max Level)

Skill Points: ∞

Zhong Lin slowly opened his eyes and murmured, "Light as willow fronds brushing in the wind, deep as the wind itself; the old ape strides across the sun and props up my crown. So that's how it is. So that's how it is."

His body moved, and Zhong Lin shifted and turned through the courtyard, beginning to practice a fist technique.

It was unmistakably the Iron Mountain Skill that Old Zhou had taught that afternoon. Yet compared to the stiffness and softness of a beginner, Zhong Lin's movements now seemed as though he had practiced them for more than ten years. He wielded them with effortless familiarity, bursting with power.

His spine was like a great dragon, his hands like Dragon Claws. His entire body suddenly twisted, like a giant python coiling around itself, every muscle drawn taut.

After practicing the form only once, Zhong Lin could feel the blood inside him surging like mighty rivers, flowing with each beat of his heart into every corner of his body, into every cell.

"The Iron Mountain Skill's fist techniques are not merely about shifting and turning between fists and feet. The extension of fists and feet drives the circulation of blood, but it must be paired with breathing. Breathing stirs the internal organs, and the vibrations of the organs promote the flow of blood. The true essence of the Iron Mountain Skill lies in the breathing method contained within it."

Zhong Lin's mind churned. With another thought, he began the fist form again from start to finish. This time, however, he adjusted his breathing with every punch and every shift—sometimes fast, sometimes slow; sometimes taking a long breath, sometimes holding his breath to swell his chest and abdomen.

After completing the entire form, Zhong Lin suddenly stood still. His skin was now flushed red all over, like a boiled shrimp. Sweat poured down like rain, bean-sized droplets rolling off him in an instant. Steam rose from the profuse sweat above his head, even forming a hazy mist around it.

Only after a long while did Zhong Lin slowly open his eyes and exhale a long breath of Turbid Qi.

Though his body was exhausted, Zhong Lin's spirit was wildly exhilarated.

"Good, good, good! This is the proper way to use a golden finger. The cultivation experience of a max-level Iron Mountain Skill is simply looking down from commanding heights, just like reincarnating and cultivating anew in a novel."

Zhong Lin was beside himself with excitement. His point-adding system merely added experience; it did not alter his body in the slightest. Everything still required his own effort. Yet even that alone was the greatest cheat compared to others. With max-level experience guiding his cultivation, he could look down from commanding heights, just like reincarnating and cultivating anew.

Looking down at himself, Zhong Lin felt that the muscles on his body had swollen, solid as stone.

He walked straight to the millstone by the wall. With an effortless grab and lift, he raised it. He lifted it up and down several more times in succession, yet did not feel the slightest soreness or numbness.

"It wasn't an illusion. A single session of cultivation has already had such an effect. At this rate, it won't be long before I enter the ranks of martial arts." Zhong Lin was overjoyed.

"Gurgle~"

A sound came from his abdomen, and a strange expression appeared on Zhong Lin's face.

He knew that sound well—it was the sound of hunger. Zhong Lin had just eaten his fill, yet after only half an hour, his body had become hungry again.

"Conservation of energy!"

Zhong Lin gave a bitter smile, turned, and entered the kitchen, where he began stuffing himself with the leftover rice from the pot.

"In the memories, whenever I cultivated the Iron Mountain Skill, I took Medicated Diets and meat every day to nourish my body. Looks like in reality, I need to eat more things that replenish qi and blood as well. Otherwise, I'll train myself to death before I ever master this kind of martial art."

Zhong Lin knew the saying: poor scholars, rich martial artists. Every day required enough meat, eggs, and other nourishment for the body; otherwise, it was impossible to cultivate a powerful physique.

Early the next morning, after sending Little Shi to Teacher Liu, Zhong Lin turned and went to the yamen to report for duty.

The workload for the yamen's portrait artists was not heavy. After all, it was not as if notorious bandits appeared every day. Encountering one or two over the course of a year was already quite a lot.

After showing his face at the yamen as a newcomer and making his presence known, Zhong Lin carried his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to East Market once more.

Today, he had an appointment to paint a portrait for a wealthy gentleman surnamed Li. Over the past few days, Zhong Lin had become exceedingly practiced at making a living through painting. Once he arrived, he swiftly got to work. Half an hour later, he left with six taels of silver as his Calligraphy Fee, strolling back at an unhurried pace. However, instead of returning to the yamen, he headed for an apothecary in West City.

The moment Zhong Lin entered, the physician on duty asked gently, "Where are you feeling unwell?"

Zhong Lin shook his head. "I'm not here to see a doctor. I'm here to buy medicine."

"Oh! Do you have a prescription?"

"No. I'm here to buy a Medicated Diet for martial arts training."

The physician seemed thoughtful. He looked Zhong Lin over, then nodded. "Aside from secret medicines required for certain special martial arts, martial arts training mainly strengthens one's qi and blood. I happen to have a formula for Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup. It requires eight precious medicinal ingredients to prepare, and it is greatly beneficial for strengthening qi and blood through martial arts training. It is rather expensive, though. That depends on whether you are willing to spend the silver."