Blood Nourishment 3%, Crimson-Scaled Blood Python Meat

Chu Fan wiped his mouth with his sleeve and turned toward the Training Ground outside the dining hall.

The sky was nearly dark, and the howling North Wind swept up the fallen leaves, pounding beside his ears like war drums.

The gentle warmth spreading through his body from the medicinal soup happened to counterbalance the bitter Cold wind, filling him with an indescribable sense of exhilaration, as though every pore had opened wide.

Instructor Cao Feng had once said that after drinking the medicinal soup, one could still practice the Twelve Forms Boxing once more.

Chu Fan paced around the Training Ground twice. Once his mind had settled, he cast aside all distractions, sank into a horse stance, and began practicing the Twelve Forms Boxing again.

Not far away, under the last traces of daylight, he could see that aside from Zhao Tianxing, quite a few gang members who had drunk the medicinal soup had also taken up their stances and begun practicing, shouting as they did so.

For a time, the howls of their fists intertwined with the sound of the wind.

[Twelve-Shape Fist experience +1]

After completing a set of boxing, fine sweat beaded on Chu Fan's forehead. He was panting heavily, but he felt far less exhausted than before.

"This Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup really is miraculous... In a couple of days, I'll have to go back and sell the ancestral home for some silver."

Having experienced the benefits of the medicinal soup firsthand, Chu Fan secretly made up his mind.

Night gradually deepened, and all sounds fell silent.

A Blood Moon hung high in the sky, with sparse stars twinkling around it.

After finishing his final round of the Twelve Forms Boxing, Chu Fan was utterly exhausted. Dragging his heavy feet, he walked into his quarters.

The house looked rather crude. Its four walls were mottled, and the bricks, stones, packed earth, reeds, and other building materials were exposed, all plainly visible.

Inside, there was only one large communal bed. A layer of dry straw covered it, while the quilt was so old and tattered that its original color could no longer be made out. Clearly, it had not been washed in a long time.

But for youths from poor families, such conditions were already a luxury.

On the bed, Zhao Tianxing sat cross-legged, holding a small carving knife and concentrating on trimming arrows.

The blade slid across the arrow shafts, producing a faint rustling sound.

The other six, slightly younger boys were in high spirits, chattering excitedly about everything they had seen and heard since joining the gang.

Chu Fan took a wooden ladle and scooped a full ladle of cold water from the Water Tank. Without caring that it was freezing cold, he tipped his head back and gulped it down.

He walked to his own place, breathing heavily, and collapsed as soon as his body tilted. Then he pulled the tattered quilt over himself, closed his eyes, and no longer wanted to move.

[Cultivation: Foundation Establishment First Realm, Blood Nourishment 3%]

[Skill: Twelve-Shape Fist (Not yet initiated) (Trait: None)]

[Progress: (5/10)]

Just as he had expected...

With his current physique, he could practice the Twelve Forms Boxing twice each in the morning, noon, and evening.

With the help of that bowl of Blood Nourishment medicinal soup after dinner, he could still practice one additional round.

However, this method of training placed a tremendous strain on his body. At that moment, he could not be sure whether he would recover fully after one night's sleep.

If he failed to recover properly, he would probably have to reduce the number of boxing sessions tomorrow.

The boys beside him were not as hardworking as he was, nor were they as disciplined. They were still full of energy, chattering away without pause.

Chu Fan could not even be bothered to lift his eyelids. He felt as though his entire skeleton had fallen apart, and he no longer had the strength to move even a finger.

"Hey..."

Zhao Tianxing turned his head and cast a sidelong glance at Chu Fan beside him. Curling his lips, he said, "There's no need to work yourself to death, is there? You only trained for half a day, yet you've already worn yourself out like a collapsed stray dog."

"With the way you're training, whether you can even crawl out of bed tomorrow morning is still up in the air."

Chu Fan kept his eyes closed and did not respond. He truly could not be bothered to speak.

At that moment, his mind was completely empty, with only one thought remaining—Even if the sky falls, I have to get a good, satisfying sleep first!

As for everything else, to hell with it!

Zhao Tianxing rummaged through his bulging coarse-cloth bundle for a while before pulling out an object wrapped tightly in lotus leaves.

He reached out and gently patted Chu Fan's arm.

Chu Fan opened his eyes, somewhat irritated, and said impatiently, "It's the middle of the night. Why aren't you sleeping? What exactly are you messing around with?"

Zhao Tianxing was not annoyed. He simply spread the lotus-leaf bundle beside Chu Fan's pillow.

Inside were chunks of dark, dried meat, marked with strange patterns. A layer of cracked, greasy grime and salt frost crusted the skin, making it look like old oxhide dried beneath the blazing sun.

Zhao Tianxing picked out two pieces and handed them to Chu Fan. "These are for you."

"What animal is this meat from?" Chu Fan took the two pieces of dried meat. They felt slightly heavy in his hand, and he could not help swallowing audibly.

Zhao Tianxing wrapped the lotus leaves back up, stuffed them into his bundle, and tied it tight. Lowering his voice, he said, "This is Crimson-Scaled Blood Python meat..."

"This stuff is no ordinary thing. It's exceptionally good at strengthening a person's qi and blood. Even if an ordinary household had Gold and silver, they might not be able to find any!"

"I've lived all these years and only ever encountered one. I was lucky enough to shoot it in its vital weak point at the seventh vertebra with my swift arrows, and that was how I managed to get these few pieces!"

"From what I can tell, this meat is several grades more effective than that Blood Nourishment medicinal soup."

"After drinking the soup, I didn't feel anything nearly as intense as I did after eating a piece of this Crimson-Scaled Blood Python meat!"

"It has benefits like that?" The moment Chu Fan heard this, more than half of his earlier exhaustion seemed to vanish, and his eyes lit up.

He pinched up a piece with two fingers and put it into his mouth.

The dried meat was somewhat hard.

It also had a strange taste that was difficult to describe.

At first, it smelled like rotten fruit mixed with the rusty tang of blood.

When he sniffed more closely, he could detect the rank odor of damp soil, as though a century-old layer of humus had suddenly churned up from underground.

A bitter flavor like a mixture of sulfur, asphalt, and expired medicine lingered in Chu Fan's throat. It made him want to spit it out, yet he could not resist taking another bite.

Chu Fan struggled down from the bed and gulped two more mouthfuls of cold water, only then chewing the meat thoroughly and swallowing it.

However, the meat's effects were not as immediate as those of the medicinal soup.

After swallowing the piece, Chu Fan closed his eyes and rested for roughly half an incense stick's time. Only then did he feel a trace of warmth slowly rise from his Dantian, gradually spreading to his Limbs and Bones and transforming into a gentle current of heat.

Zhao Tianxing's words had indeed been true.

The effects of a single piece of Crimson-Scaled Blood Python meat were actually far stronger than those of the Blood Nourishment medicinal soup!

Upon savoring it carefully, he found that the medicinal effects also lasted longer!

Chu Fan opened his eyes and raised a hand to gently pat Zhao Tianxing, who was still fiddling with his arrows beside him. "Thanks!"

Zhao Tianxing did not reply. He merely grinned, revealing two rows of stark-white teeth, then lowered his head and continued working on his arrows.

At that moment, the six chattering boys from earlier gathered around Zhao Tianxing one after another.

One of them wore a fawning smile as he said ingratiatingly, "Brother Tianxing, Instructor Cao said that your muscles and bones are tough and your qi and blood are vigorous. How did you train them up before?"

Zhao Tianxing proudly lifted his chin. "When I was younger, I never trained in any proper martial arts. I just used a Stone Lock to build some brute strength and spent a lot of time running in the mountains."

"Since I was little, I followed my Father into the mountains to hunt. I could chase a Roe deer for dozens of miles along the Mountain path, wrestle wild wolves with my bare hands, and hack apart highly venomous spotted snakes..."

"When I was thirsty, I drank from mountain springs. When I was hungry, I roasted beast meat. As for mountain ginseng, Crimson Blood Vine, and other medicinal herbs, I've chewed more of them than I can remember."

"So it's only natural that my qi and blood are somewhat stronger than yours."

A short-haired boy asked, "Once we break through Blood Nourishment, can we officially become disciples of the Seven Star Gang?"

"Mm." Zhao Tianxing nodded slightly. "Either break through Blood Nourishment, or train one Form of the Twelve Forms Boxing to Major Accomplishment. Then you can count as an official member of the Seven Star Gang."

"At that point, we'll receive better cultivation from the gang, and our treatment will rise with the tide."

He narrowed his eyes, a trace of yearning in his voice, and continued, "A disciple of the Seven Star Gang alone can receive at least three taels of silver every month. An ordinary person might not even spend that much in an entire year!"

The boys' eyes shone as they listened, as though they could already see silver coins dancing before them.

Zhao Tianxing continued, "Besides, after Blood Nourishment, our strength and speed will far surpass those of ordinary people. Then we can take on missions and earn money."

"For example, escorting herbalists into the mountains to search for medicine, or transporting goods for an Escort Agency. Both can earn quite a bit."

The boys grew even more excited. They flattered him one after another, praising Zhao Tianxing until his face beamed and his entire body felt comfortable.

Suddenly, one of them asked, "Then... after Blood Nourishment, what realm comes next?"

"..."

Zhao Tianxing was instantly rendered speechless.

He opened his mouth, then immediately put on a stern face and scolded them. "You're so young, yet you don't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth! You're still a hundred thousand miles from Blood Nourishment, and you're already thinking about the realms beyond it?"

"Do you really think Blood Nourishment is a wild weed growing by the roadside, something you can pluck whenever you want?"

"How many people muddle along for eight or ten years and still fail to touch the edge of Blood Nourishment?"

"If you have the energy to chatter about this in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, why not go outside and practice the Twelve Forms Boxing a few more times?"

"All of you, get back into bed!"

The six boys shrank their necks beneath his scolding and no longer dared to say another word. They obediently lay back down in their own places.

Zhao Tianxing turned around, lowered his head, and whispered to Chu Fan, "Chu Fan, do you know what realm comes after Blood Nourishment?"

Chu Fan: "..."

[Spirit Essence: 2.8]

A mere small piece of Crimson-Scaled Blood Python meat had actually increased his Spiritual Essence by 1.5.

That bowl of Blood Nourishment medicinal soup earlier had only increased it by 0.5.

Chu Fan's heart stirred, and he almost got up to practice boxing again. But after thinking it over, he restrained himself...

Only by nourishing his spirit fully could he achieve twice the result with half the effort in his subsequent cultivation.

If he rushed for quick success and damaged his foundation, he feared he would regret it too late.

That night, Chu Fan slept exceptionally deeply.

Even in his dreams, he was practicing the Twelve Forms Boxing, One move at a time.

When the first light of dawn seeped in, he tumbled out of bed.

The expected soreness in his waist and back did not come.

The exhaustion from the previous night had already been swept away completely.

The medicinal power of the bowl of soup and the Crimson-Scaled Blood Python meat seemed to have made his recovery several times stronger than usual!

Chu Fan pushed open the door and walked outside. After stretching his muscles and bones, he felt light and nimble all over. Not only was there no trace of stiffness, but an inexhaustible strength seemed to surge through his Meridians.

Yesterday, he had practiced the Twelve Forms Boxing only five times, drunk a bowl of medicinal soup, and eaten a piece of Python Meat. Yet after just one night, his body had already undergone such an obvious transformation!

Quite a few people were already practicing on the Training Ground, their shouts rising and falling one after another.

Chu Fan jogged slowly around the ground for a while, loosening his muscles and bones. Then he gathered his concentration and energy and began practicing his boxing in earnest.

Each time he completed a full set of boxing, he gained one point of experience.

After five more rounds, the Twelve Forms Boxing would reach Entry.

With his goal so close at hand, he was filled with motivation...