Martial Artist

A heavy rain fell over Yang City. The sky was gloomy, and the faint breeze carried a thread of chill.

In the Inner Courtyard of the Four Seas Escort Agency, on the open ground outside the dormitories, it was the best time to train after lunch. Everyone else was practicing the Nourishing Life Technique at the Training Ground, while Jiang Ping alone appeared here.

Huff, huff, huff...

Jiang Ping practiced the Nourishing Life Technique bare-chested. Vigorous Blood Qi coursed through his veins. Though the weather had turned cold, he did not feel the slightest chill. Instead, his body felt like a furnace about to erupt, faintly on the verge of bursting forth.

He was about to break through, about to transform into a Martial Artist. That was why he had chosen to train here.

At this moment, Jiang Ping only felt the Blood Qi within him roiling at every instant. Even if he stopped using the Breathing Technique of the Nourishing Life Technique, he could not halt the surging Blood Qi.

Buzz, buzz.

As he neared the Martial Artist realm, his Fist Force had long since surpassed five hundred jin. Every punch he threw carried a powerful Wind Force, brimming with oppression.

To put it bluntly, Fang Yong, who publicly held first place in Fist Force, might not even be able to withstand a single punch from him. Even if one punch did not kill him, two surely would.

Looking at the bigger picture, forget Fang Yong—even if the Top Five in Fist Force joined forces, they probably would not be enough for him to fight.

Jiang Ping wanted to fight ten at once.

And the reason he had progressed this far was still his own extraordinary talent.

Even without the Purple-Gold Fate, he could still rapidly become a Martial Artist!

From the first day he discovered his own talent, Jiang Ping's cultivation had advanced a thousand miles a day. Yet it had taken less than half a month for him to reach the verge of becoming a Martial Artist.

And that was while practicing the Nourishing Life Technique, famed for being difficult to cultivate. If he had used a Stance Technique as his foundation, how fast would he have progressed?

Suddenly!

Jiang Ping, who was in the middle of training, felt the Blood Qi throughout his body boil violently. His heart pounded with immense force, so loudly that he could even hear its thumping.

His furnace-like body seemed to erupt in an instant, fresh streams of Blood Qi continuously emerging.

He clenched his fist.

Streams of Blood Qi surged toward his arm, while something like Thunder Sound seemed to rumble within Jiang Ping's body.

Moreover, an inexplicable thought arose. He seemed to have calculated the force produced by that clenched fist.

"Over a thousand jin!" Jiang Ping murmured, disbelief on his face.

He understood. He had broken through and officially become a Blood-Qi Martial Artist.

Martial Artists "internally refine a breath of qi, externally temper muscles, bones, and skin." Jiang Ping's current state meant that his internal refinement of Blood Qi had been preliminarily completed, and his physical constitution had begun to leave the realm of ordinary people.

A powerful sensation surged through him. Jiang Ping was absolutely certain that he could punch Fang Yong to death.

And a Blood-Qi Martial Artist was not defined solely by obvious strength. Their control over their body also underwent subtle changes.

At this moment, he could clearly sense the flow of Blood Qi. Through it, he could perceive every part of his body—from the pounding of his Five viscera and six bowels, the surging blood pumped by his heart, down to the Four limbs and hundreds of bones and the blood flowing through his vessels.

That was why he could estimate his own Fist Force.

More importantly, he no longer needed the breathing secrets of the Nourishing Life Technique to naturally mobilize his Blood Qi. The Blood Qi within his body rose and fell with his thoughts, allowing him to wield it freely, releasing and withdrawing it at will.

In other words, Jiang Ping could unleash his greatest strength in an instant. As long as he wished it, he could do it.

"The current me is terrifyingly strong!"

Excitement shone in Jiang Ping's eyes.

The Martial Artist he had dreamed of for six years had finally become reality.

It was like having a dream for six years, only for it to suddenly come true one day. Such joy, such a sense of accomplishment, was beyond words.

Huff, huff.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Jiang Ping experienced the power of a Blood-Qi Martial Artist a little longer. He only felt the Blood Qi within him rolling like waves, every casual movement carrying an inexplicable Wind Force.

[Nourishing Life Technique Eighth Level (0/200)]

He glanced at his Destiny and thought to himself:

"According to the Nourishing Life Technique, once it reaches the Eighth Level, Blood Qi can leave the body by more than an inch and form a blood shield around the body. Though it cannot compare to Eighth Grade Skin Refining, it can still barely block a sword or blade once or twice. Once Blood Qi reaches Great Accomplishment, it resembles Blood Armor—even catching bare blades with one's hands would be nothing difficult."

"But if I truly reach the Eighth Level later, I'll have to be more careful when using my strength. I need to hide my abilities."

Jiang Ping's cultivation speed was simply too fast. He had originally thought he would only barely pull one or two levels ahead of everyone else.

Yet as the days passed, even Fang Yong, the most outstanding among them, had only reached the Third Level of the Nourishing Life Technique, while Jiang Ping had already become a Martial Artist. There was a gap of four levels. It did not look large, but when converted into time, it was likely even more outrageous.

Therefore, this sort of talent was best kept hidden. If others noticed it, that might not necessarily be a good thing—it could also bring disaster.

Jiang Ping had always upheld one principle: if he possessed ten parts, he would show less than three or four before others. His idol was "Han the Celestial, Savior of the Suffering."

After becoming a Martial Artist,

Jiang Ping felt much more at ease.

This meant that he had gained a certain foothold in the Escort Agency and in Yang City. Likewise, he would have a tiny bit more confidence when taking Escort Missions in the future.

"Blood Cultivation is actually a process of consuming Blood Qi. Martial Artists use Blood Qi flowing through their entire bodies to temper their physical constitution and generate even more Blood Qi, but there will be losses during the process of training."

"The higher the level, the more Blood Qi is required. That is why one must nourish training through food—the more nourishing the food, the longer one can train, and the better the results."

"But now that I am a Blood-Qi Martial Artist, I can train for much longer."

Jiang Ping thought to himself. As a Martial Artist, he now had a deeper understanding of the Blood Qi Realm.

"Of course, the path of Martial Dao also requires knowing when to ease and when to press. One cannot force it."

Afterward, feeling somewhat tired, Jiang Ping stopped and returned to the dormitory to study the Flying Snow Saber.

In truth, the Flying Snow Saber had broken through even earlier than the Nourishing Life Technique. He was now not only a Ninth Grade Martial Artist, but his Blade Art had also reached Minor Accomplishment, producing forty streaks of cold gleam.

But that was merely the process. Saber Qi was the ultimate goal.

He had asked Escort Huang about it. The Flying Snow Saber Technique could produce Flying Snow Saber Qi. Once one reached that realm, Saber Qi could strike enemies eighty zhang away, killing people as easily as reaching into a bag for something.

Jiang Ping had also heard that some blade arts possessed even more profound principles. Their Saber Qi could stretch for a hundred zhang, with power terrifying enough to make one tremble.

But those were not things he could obtain. Having Saber Qi that reached eighty zhang would already be very good. The Flying Snow Saber was also a powerful Fast Saber.

More importantly, though blade arts were powerful, they still depended on the individual. Not everyone could cultivate Saber Qi.

Those saber wielders who could master Saber Qi were all people blessed with exceptional talent. In Yang City, finding even a handful of them would be considered good.

Creak.

At that moment, the dormitory door suddenly opened. Several roommates entered one after another, preparing to take a short afternoon nap.

"Brother Jiang, are you still practicing your saber?"

Luo Tiegen wore an eager smile. Seeing Jiang Ping sitting at the edge of his bed, fiddling with a Wooden Blade, he could not help asking.

"Come to think of it, I didn't see Brother Jiang at the Training Ground this afternoon either." Luo Da Niu also asked.

"Oh, I practiced the saber a little longer in the open ground outside the dormitory. It's quieter there." Jiang Ping tucked the Wooden Blade beneath his bedding and casually replied.

"Brother Jiang is truly hardworking. Knowing his Blade Art is slightly inferior to Fang Yong's, he doubled his training." Luo Tiegen still wanted to draw closer to this Top Five Fist Force expert, but Jiang Ping turned a deaf ear to him and did not wish to respond.

Seeing Jiang Ping's attitude, Luo Tiegen no longer made a nuisance of himself and returned to his own bed. Even so, he still wore a beaming smile.

Luo Da Niu remained where he was, then suddenly recalled something. "Oh, right, Brother Jiang, you don't know yet, do you? That Qian Dele has also broken through to the Second Level of the Nourishing Life Technique. You should have seen that smug—"

Bang!

Before Da Niu could finish speaking, the dormitory door that had just been closed was violently kicked open.

Sun Zheng strode in with his head held high.