Three notifications popped up one after another. Gu Shaoan also stopped cultivating, having depleted all his internal power.
Looking at the three notifications before him, Gu Shaoan felt a warm glow in his heart.
"Having a cheat is great."
He wasn't surprised when he checked the proficiency of the Golden Summit Cotton Palm.
After all, it was a superior martial art. Even with the Anointing effect triggered, it wasn't possible to achieve mastery in a single leap.
Gu Shaoan was still young and full of vigor. Even after a training session that left him drenched in sweat, he didn't feel the slightest bit tired.
Practicing martial skills also consumed internal power, and the more advanced the art, the more internal power it took to practice.
Gu Shaoan already had very little internal power. After half an hour of practice, he had almost completely depleted the power in his Dantian.
But it was also the best time to cultivate an Internal Cultivation Method.
Gu Shaoan sat cross-legged where he was, and the Origin Internal Power in his Dantian began to circulate slowly.
[Congratulations, player. You practiced the Breathing Technique for half an hour. Achievement Points +1.]
Gu Shaoan had a thought.
[Emei Nine Yangs Technique First Layer (Beginner Level): Proficiency: 73/100.]
At this rate, in another two days, Gu Shaoan's Emei Nine Yangs Technique First Layer would reach Minor Accomplishment.
But the amount of internal power in his Dantian still wasn't much.
He had only just reached a hundred strands, and it wasn't growing particularly quickly.
Only when his Internal Cultivation Method proficiency increased and he learned the next method could he speed up the rate at which he condensed internal power.
"Grrr~"
Just as thoughts swirled through Gu Shaoan's mind, a faint rumble came from his stomach.
The hunger felt as if he hadn't eaten for nearly a day, and Gu Shaoan couldn't help rubbing his belly.
"Junior Brother."
Just then, Zhou Zhiruo's cheerful voice reached Gu Shaoan's ears.
She hurried toward him, carrying a wooden tray.
On the tray were some dishes and steamed buns.
At the sight of them, Gu Shaoan froze for a moment, then quickly stood and took the tray from Zhou Zhiruo.
Before Gu Shaoan could say anything, Zhou Zhiruo spoke softly, a fine sheen of sweat on her brow. "Third Senior Sister noticed you were practicing earlier. She guessed you might get hungry, Junior Brother, so she asked someone from the sect to bring you some food."
Hearing that, Gu Shaoan looked around, but he didn't see Bei Jinyi anywhere.
Guessing what Gu Shaoan was thinking, Zhou Zhiruo smiled and said, "Third Senior Sister has already gone back to her courtyard to practice."
Gu Shaoan said, "I didn't realize Third Senior Sister was so thoughtful."
Zhou Zhiruo nodded. "Third Senior Sister may not be the strongest, but she's the most thoughtful and gentle, and the kindest to others. You'll see once you've spent more time with her."
As she spoke, Zhou Zhiruo sat beside Gu Shaoan and watched him eat.
Gu Shaoan didn't stand on ceremony and began eating right in front of her.
In the jianghu, it was perfectly ordinary for martial artists at inns and restaurants to order several pounds of meat at a time.
That was because internal power came from the body's essence, energy, and spirit. Every strand of internal power they refined used up some of their own energy.
As a result, martial artists generally ate far more than ordinary people.
If they didn't replenish enough energy from outside, their cultivation progress would inevitably suffer.
Though the meal Gu Shaoan was eating wasn't particularly large, the porridge had medicinal ingredients mixed in, which could also restore his vitality.
Young people were still growing, and they naturally had big appetites.
Besides, Gu Shaoan was ravenous.
He polished off the food in less than a quarter of an hour.
After Gu Shaoan finished eating, Zhou Zhiruo took a pill bottle from her robes.
"This contains Emei's Qi Recovery Pills. Third Senior Sister said they're made entirely from medicinal ingredients and are specifically for cultivating internal power. From now on, Junior Brother, take one whenever you practice internal cultivation. It'll prevent the depletion caused by condensing internal power."
"The other Emei disciples have a fixed monthly allowance, but we aren't restricted that way. When we run out, we can just get more from the medicine hall."
Hearing what the Qi Recovery Pills could do, Gu Shaoan's eyes lit up.
Having these would save him quite a bit of time.
He smiled and said, "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Zhou Zhiruo shook her head, her little face earnest. "I'm your senior sister. Taking care of you is only right. Don't say such polite things again, Junior Brother."
Even after everything that had happened to her family, and despite experiencing the hardships of learning martial arts, Zhou Zhiruo's heart remained kind and pure. She still had the innocence of a child.
Who wouldn't like such a considerate, guileless, and pretty little senior sister?
Gu Shaoan knew that over the past few days, Zhou Zhiruo had wanted to come play with him every day.
But because he was practicing, she hadn't dared disturb him.
So he chatted with Zhou Zhiruo about all kinds of things for a while, then taught her a playful children's song. Only then did she leave with a light step, carrying the wooden tray.
After Zhou Zhiruo left, Gu Shaoan stood and resumed his practice.
The sun rose in the east and set in the west. The mountains remained, the rivers remained, and the wind remained as well.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the room, Gu Shaoan sat cross-legged in a blue-and-white robe, a jade belt around his waist, circulating his internal power according to the first layer of the Emei Nine Yangs Technique.
After a month of hard cultivation, the internal power in his body had grown beyond recognition. A month ago, it had been like wisps of cloud, faint and sparse. Now, it was like rising smoke.
Though everyone had the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Primary Meridians in their bodies, they differed in subtle ways, much like the veins of leaves. They might appear alike, but there were still slight differences.
All the world's Internal Cultivation Methods had been created by their predecessors based on their own circumstances. Since later practitioners had different Meridians, their results from training naturally differed as well.
But with the Proficiency Panel, Gu Shaoan could continually adjust his approach based on how much proficiency each session gained. That allowed the Emei Nine Yangs Technique to circulate through his body as effectively as possible.
His cultivation efficiency could naturally improve as well.
As his internal power circulated slowly, Gu Shaoan condensed a few more strands.
But with the appearance of those strands, a Hidden Meridian around his Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian seemed to reach its limit and was forcefully broken open.
As soon as that Hidden Meridian opened, the internal power circulating through Gu Shaoan's body suddenly sped up several times over.
A notification appeared before Gu Shaoan.
[Congratulations, player. Emei Nine Yangs Technique First Layer has reached Complete Mastery. Achievement Points +500.]
A moment later, once the Origin Internal Power had entered the Hidden Meridian and fully opened it, the internal power in Gu Shaoan's body began to change subtly with every cycle.
If someone could inject True Qi into Gu Shaoan's body, they would surely discover that his internal power was beginning to condense into strands that seemed almost tangible.
This was the internal power forming threads, a sign that appeared only when the Emei Nine Yangs Technique First Layer reached Complete Mastery.
Before you continue