Nourishing Life Technique Entry Level

When Jiang Ping finished practicing the third time, the Nourishing Life Technique's number rose from 17 to 27.

He was almost completely certain that he was a genius.

What ordinary person could be this absurd? At this rate, he would probably cultivate to the First level today.

Why would he need the ten days mentioned by Destiny?

Of course, every gain came with a loss.

Jiang Ping felt that his physical strength had been consumed at a frightening rate. After three rounds, he was utterly exhausted, more tired than after a full day of hard labor. At the same time, his stomach had begun to rumble with hunger.

"This must be what the Head Escort meant when he said food had to keep pace with training. Strengthening the body requires a great deal of nourishment; otherwise, the body will be dragged down."

He pondered inwardly.

He had improved greatly, and naturally, his consumption had increased as well.

"The Martial Artists of Yang City often say, 'Martial arts are a money pit.' That is indeed true. If you want to grow stronger, you must pour a great deal of silver into nourishing your body."

Jiang Ping was also glad that he had not chosen to wait another four years before going to the Martial Arts Hall to train.

Otherwise, his talent would have remained hidden for another four years, and he would not have had free beef to eat.

"After practicing three times, half of you still haven't mastered every movement. You're stupid beyond saving."

The Head Escort's curse rang out at just the right moment.

After the Head Escort's guidance and rousing encouragement, half the group had completely memorized the movements. Of course, some were still a little slow-witted and continued to make mistakes.

"One mistake, and you won't achieve the slightest effect!"

"The Escort Agency cultivates escorts who can stand on their own, not stupid, useless trash. I'll guide you through one final time. If you still make mistakes, forget about having beef for lunch. If you want some, pay for it yourselves."

Liang Sheng's voice carried a chilly edge, making the faces of the few slow or somewhat lazy young men change drastically.

"The Escort Agency is spending silver to cultivate you. Don't dream of being treated to good food and drink at every meal. What we want are fine talents and Uncarved Jade, not fools."

Escort Huang, who had been watching the show from the side, could not help sneering.

The Escort Agency was spending its own silver to cultivate genuine escorts, not to feed useless freeloaders.

Time passed.

When everyone completed the Sixth time through the Nourishing Life Technique, Head Escort Liang indeed left without looking back.

Escort Huang then read out the names of twenty or thirty people and said, "You still have mistakes. If you fail to meet the standard before lunch, no beef will be provided. Of course, before then, you may come to me for guidance. One Coin per session."

At those words, their expressions shifted slightly.

They could not bear to spend that money.

"Brother Qian!" Sun Zheng looked pitifully at his old friend. Qian Dele merely smiled. "Sure, I'll teach you."

"Tiegen, help us." Luo Tiegen's two fellow townsmen looked toward him.

Luo Tiegen looked somewhat hesitant. He had indeed learned the routine, but he wanted to use the time before lunch to practice several more times so he would not fall behind others. If he used his own half-baked understanding to guide others, his own cultivation progress would be slowed.

When Luo Tiegen saw his roommate sprawled on the ground, an idea immediately came to him. He said at once:

"Jiang, could you help guide these two fellow townsmen of mine?"

At that moment, Jiang Ping was panting heavily, gulping down breaths.

After six rounds, the Nourishing Life Technique's proficiency had risen to 56. His progress through the First level was already more than halfway complete.

Likewise, the expenditure was immense. Jiang Ping felt ravenously hungry. Without food to replenish his strength, it would be difficult for him to continue training.

Luo Tiegen had noticed precisely this. He had long known that Jiang Ping had mastered all the movements before him, so guiding his fellow townsmen would be no trouble.

But how could Jiang Ping possibly be in the mood? He was already tired as a dog.

"Spending one copper coin won't hurt. I suggest asking Escort Huang for guidance instead." He waved his hand.

That was his sincere advice. Everyone had only learned this for the first time; how could they compare with Escort Huang's understanding of the Nourishing Life Technique?

Besides, Escort Huang only charged one Coin for guidance. It could be said that he was quite kind-hearted and had no intention of deliberately squeezing them dry.

Perhaps he wanted to use that one Coin to make those who had not learned it take it seriously.

Unfortunately, too few understood his intention. Most still chose to ask friends or roommates who had learned it to correct their movements.

What was more, even if Jiang Ping agreed to guide them, if the two still practiced incorrectly and then turned around to suspect him of deliberately leading them astray, would he not be the one taking the blame?

Why should he agree to such a thankless, exhausting matter?

Besides, Luo Tiegen himself had mastered every movement but refused to teach them, instead calling on Jiang Ping to do it. He truly knew how to take advantage of others.

"Th-this..." Hearing Jiang Ping's words, Luo's two fellow townsmen looked troubled. Spending one Coin for a single session of guidance was still not worthwhile to them.

Seeing Jiang Ping refuse, Luo Tiegen could only teach them himself.

In the blink of an eye, it was noon.

"Luo Da Niu, Li Si..."

Escort Huang had those who had previously failed to perform the movements correctly demonstrate them once more. Then he read out eight or nine names and sneered:

"You really are stupid. If you had asked me to teach you, you could have learned it all after spending only a few Coins. Yet you were too stingy, insisting on practicing alone or asking other half-baked goods to guide you. You thought you had saved money, but you didn't realize that one bowl of beef in the dining hall costs ten coins."

At those words, their faces turned pale, and their intestines were green with regret.

"Da Niu, what a pity. You only got two movements wrong. With a little more time, you would have made it." Luo Tiegen patted his fellow townsman's shoulder.

Luo Da Niu softly murmured an acknowledgment. He glanced at Jiang Ping. He should have listened to Jiang Ping's advice earlier.

"The rest of you, go eat first. After they have collected their meals, you idiots who failed to perform the routine correctly may go in."

Escort Huang's words rang out again, and most of the group immediately entered the dining hall in high spirits.

Jiang Ping was among them.

He had been hungry for a long time. At last, he could eat.

After collecting his meal, Jiang Ping casually found an empty table and began wolfing it down.

After a bowl of beef entered his stomach, he felt warmth spread through his entire body. It was a sensation he had never experienced before.

He had clearly only eaten a bowl of beef, yet at that moment, he felt the food seeping into and moistening his spleen and stomach, nourishing his limbs and countless meridians. The exhaustion from practicing the Nourishing Life Technique seemed to dissipate.

"As expected, training changes things."

Jiang Ping thought to himself.

His only regret was that this meal was not very filling. He badly wanted another serving of beef.

With that thought, he glanced around and discovered that several people had taken two servings of beef.

These people were not among the Top Five in Fist Force, but they had chosen to pay for extra meat. Clearly, they had taken the Head Escort's words to heart, using food to support their training.

Jiang Ping also wanted to nourish his training through food, but he felt his pocket and could only shake his head helplessly.

After the meal.

Everyone sat or stood in the shade beneath the trees beside the Training Ground.

Since Escort Huang only gave them a quarter-hour to rest before they had to continue training, no one returned to the dormitory.

After all, the Head Escort had said that the best time to practice the Nourishing Life Technique was after a meal.

Going forward, their training periods would likely be the three points after meals.

The quarter-hour quickly passed.

Head Escort Liang arrived.

He led everyone through the Nourishing Life Technique once more, said a few words, and then hurriedly left.

This time, even Escort Huang no longer remained to supervise them.

"A master leads you to the door; cultivation depends on the individual," someone said solemnly.

Everyone nodded unconsciously, deeply agreeing.

The Escort Agency was cultivating them, but it could not possibly guide them at every moment or supervise them constantly.

Whether they could achieve results from here on would depend on themselves.

Amid the dull practice, time gradually passed.

Jiang Ping was the first to feel his strength give out.

After only three rounds, he felt incomparably exhausted. Even his legs were unsteady, trembling slightly.

Of course, the results were gratifying:

[Nourishing Life Technique First level (72/100)]

He was only one-third away from mastering the First level!

"If I could have another serving of beef right now, I'd probably reach Entry Level very soon."

Jiang Ping's eyes were filled with longing for beef.

Unfortunately, his purse was too small to hold even this little bit of food.

He simply stopped training and headed for the dormitory.

The Head Escort had said that food had to keep up with training. If he forced himself to continue, he would harm his body.

Jiang Ping had no money for an extra meal, so he could only return and rest.

Half an hour after he left, several more people ran out of strength and chose to stop and rest.

"Those people have all learned the Nourishing Life Technique, but they share one thing in common: they had no beef for lunch, so they tire quickly."

Liu Wensheng, one of the Top Five in Fist Force, looked at those people and pondered inwardly.

"The two escorts were right. Food must keep pace with training; beef is crucial." Liu Wensheng had realized the importance of beef to martial training.

"But why did that little white face also get so tired that he went straight back to the dormitory?" He recalled Jiang Ping. Jiang Ping had eaten beef, yet he looked utterly exhausted.

Not until he saw several more people who had also eaten beef but chose to return to the dormitory to rest did he understand.

"They can't endure the hardships of martial training."

Seeing himself covered in sweat yet still persisting with the routine, Liu Wensheng felt somewhat relieved and no longer paid attention to the others.

When a hundred people gather, there are all kinds of faces; everyone has their own way of living and aspirations.

After dinner.

This time, not to mention the Head Escort, even Escort Huang did not appear.

Clearly, whether they succeeded in learning it depended solely on themselves.

Still, everyone followed the two escorts' words and practiced after eating.

Jiang Ping was exceptionally serious among the crowd practicing the Nourishing Life Technique.

At Xushi, as he practiced for the third time.

[Nourishing Life Technique First level (100/100) → Nourishing Life Technique Second Level (0/100)]

There was no imagined surge of Blood Qi or sensation of his strength suddenly soaring.

It was merely an ordinary instant, unnoticed by anyone.

If there had been any sign, it was perhaps that he could vaguely sense a thread of Blood Qi flowing within his body. As he continued practicing the Nourishing Life Technique, that Blood Qi coursed through his body as though it were running. The longer he practiced, the more exhausted he felt.

Apart from that, there were no other signs.

Still, Jiang Ping was delighted. This meant he had mastered the First level, his Fist Force had risen by twenty jin, and he was beginning to close in on the top three in Fist Force.

Most importantly, he had taken only one day to go from zero to Entry Level, and that was under circumstances where his food and practice did not match.

His talent was plain to see!

When he finished the third time through the Nourishing Life Technique, his proficiency rose by another four points. The Second Level was also on its way.

After practicing the Nourishing Life Technique once more, Jiang Ping, feeling exhausted, decided to end his training and return to the dormitory to sleep.

He naturally would not show off. On the first day he arrived in this world, he had engraved the word "caution" firmly in his heart.

Without a powerful background or extraordinary strength, revealing his talent too early would easily invite jealousy.

Escort Agency escorts traveled north and south, so they would certainly make enemies. If he established his name as a genius too early, he might be strangled in the cradle by his enemies' foes.

The gun shoots the bird that sticks its head out. In life, it was better to be steady.

After returning to the dormitory, Jiang Ping bathed and rinsed his mouth, then lay directly on his bed. Before long, steady breathing came from him.

However, he did not sleep straight through until dawn. After sleeping for a while, the noise made him toss and turn.

The other nine people returned to the dormitory one after another, and the clamor was rather grating.

In his daze, Jiang Ping heard his roommates discussing the Nourishing Life Technique.

As they talked, one of them asked about everyone's training progress.

"It's only the first day. What effect could there be?" Luo Tiegen waved his hand.

"What about you?" Sun Zheng continued asking, going through them one by one.

Everyone was somewhat speechless, but they still shook their heads to indicate that they had felt nothing unusual.

Qian Dele, however, said loudly, "I do have some feeling. I'm confident that I'll sense Blood Qi within a few days."

Hearing this, everyone looked somewhat surprised, and quite a few immediately began flattering him.

After all, as the earliest person to master the movements, he had surely achieved some results.

As his old friend, Sun Zheng was naturally happy as well. As if recalling something, he looked upward at the person above him. "There's still one person we haven't asked."

Jiang Ping lay on his bed, still half-asleep, with only his consciousness a little clearer.

Of course, in that instant, he had already made up his mind: if this person truly dared to wake him by patting him, he would absolutely swing a slap with more than one hundred and sixty jin of force.

He would make him a practical tester of the First level's effects.

Jiang Ping could be cautious and low-key, refusing to show off, but that did not mean he could let others bully him at will.

He was already irritated from being disturbed. Did he also have to tolerate someone deliberately waking him up?

If he endured it this time, the others would definitely think he was easy to push around, and trouble would only keep coming.

In fact, Sun Zheng had already moved. His feet were planted on the bed as he prepared to straighten himself up, but someone spoke to stop him:

"He's sleeping. It wouldn't be good to disturb him. Asking tomorrow would be the same."

Yet Sun Zheng still straightened up and looked at Jiang Ping, whose eyes remained closed.

In the end, however, he made no further move. He shrank back into his own bed and said, "True enough. We'll ask tomorrow."