Cao Feng's Shock!

Zhao Tianxing gave a derisive laugh. "Naturally, it was spurred on by your diligence..."

"Although your foundation is weak, your talent for martial arts is absolutely no worse than mine... Yesterday, when Instructor Cao was teaching, even those who had been here for a month had to take one or two lashes while practicing Twelve Forms Boxing, but you didn't take a single lash!"

Chu Fan merely smiled without replying.

Zhao Tianxing continued, "With talent like yours, you still cultivate so diligently... Yesterday, you practiced until late at night, yet today you rose earlier than anyone else."

"If I slack off any further, you'll surpass me."

The three young men reacted to these words by looking at Chu Fan with changed expressions.

Chu Fan could not help asking, "How many times did you practice?"

Zhao Tianxing raised his right hand and spread his five fingers. "I practiced the complete Twelve Forms Boxing five times, and the Monkey Form alone six times."

What a freak... A trace of envy flashed through Chu Fan's eyes despite himself.

The three men on the other side were even more shocked, their mouths hanging open and their eyes filled with disbelief...

Twelve Forms Boxing placed an extremely heavy burden on the body.

When they had just begun cultivating, ordinary people considered practicing it twice in one morning their limit.

Most people could not even endure two rounds.

It consumed too much spirit and strength, leaving one as limp as if all their strength had been drained.

Even Instructor Cao Feng often said that the greatest taboo in practicing boxing was greed. One had to progress gradually, lest they damage their foundation.

Yet Zhao Tianxing had practiced the entire set five times in one go, then practiced the Monkey Form another six times. Such a physique was truly terrifying!

No wonder Instructor Cao had said that his Qi and Blood Force far surpassed that of ordinary people. With such talent, he truly was no ordinary person.

People really were different from one another...

Chu Fan's brows stirred slightly. He asked, "Tianxing, can we still get that Crimson-Scaled Blood Python meat?"

"Hard!" Zhao Tianxing shook his head. "I heard people say that there are some in Mirage Dream Marsh."

"But that place is incomparably dangerous. Even veteran hunters don't dare enter lightly."

"Even I would have to wait until after reaching Blood Nourishment before daring to go there."

"I'm troubled by that too..."

"How can I get the money?"

"If I could drink two more bowls of Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup a day like Ling Feng..."

"The speed at which I break through to the Nourishing Blood Realm could at least increase by a large margin!"

At this moment, a young man on the other side could not help speaking. "Brother Tianxing, you're a hunter. Doesn't hunting earn money?"

At those words, the rascally smile vanished from Zhao Tianxing's face.

A cold glint flashed through his eyes!

He snorted coldly. "How could it be that simple?"

"Hunting a few wild rabbits and pheasants is naturally enough to scrape by."

"But to make real money, you have to venture into the deep mountains and Wilderness Jungle to hunt Exotic Beasts..."

"At that point, what we face won't just be vicious Exotic Beasts."

"There are also roving Bandits, and even... demons!"

"Every hunt is a fight for our lives!"

Exotic Beasts, demons...

Chu Fan became thoughtful.

His memories contained little information about the world beyond the city.

Even when he had gone fishing in Blackwater River over the past two years, he had never gone far from Qingyang Ancient City.

But after piecing together all kinds of information, he could still roughly confirm one thing...

The wild beasts of this world were far stronger and more terrifying than those before his transmigration!

According to legend, there were also all kinds of inconceivable demons!

It was only natural when one thought about it...

If humans could cultivate, then wild beasts naturally could as well.

Those people from the Moon Worshipping Sect claimed every day that worshiping the Blood Moon allowed them to absorb Blood Moon's Radiance and transcend the cycle of reincarnation, did they not?

"Demons?!"

A refined-looking young man was startled. "I've often heard people say that there are powerful demons in the Wilderness Jungle, but I've never seen one."

"Brother Tianxing, have you encountered one? What did it look like?"

"What did it look like..." Zhao Tianxing opened and closed his mouth. After a long while, he said, "In any case, you won't want to see it..."

"Of those who saw one, only a few managed to survive."

Chu Fan and the others exchanged glances.

The man had clearly encountered one, but was unwilling to continue talking about it.

They could even glimpse a trace of undisguisable fear in his eyes!

"But actually..."

Zhao Tianxing narrowed his eyes, and a light of hatred rekindled in them. "Demons aren't the most terrifying thing..."

"Demons aren't the most terrifying thing?" The three men stopped chopping firewood as well, carrying their little stools over to Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing.

They stared at Zhao Tianxing with curiosity written all over their faces.

"The most terrifying thing is people!"

Zhao Tianxing sighed. "Eight Hundred Li Qingyang County, Three Thousand Li Blackwater River... Those lands rich in resources had long since been completely divided up among the various Forces."

"As for the areas that hadn't been divided up, either Bandits occupied them or demons ran rampant..."

"To hunt in a relatively safe area, you have to pay Taxes to those Forces."

"Even if you hunt valuable prey, you must sell it to them at a low price..."

"If being a hunter really made money that easily, why would I have joined the Seven Star Gang?"

As he said this, the vicious light in his eyes grew even stronger.

That hatred could no longer be concealed!

This fellow usually wears a foolish grin and seems heartless, but it turns out he has a story too.

Chu Fan glanced at Zhao Tianxing.

Even without Zhao Tianxing saying more, he could guess the plight of hunters.

The hunters were probably much like the fishermen, in his own situation.

In his memories, he had been a fisherman for two years.

The Fishing Dock, already controlled by the Blood Saber Sect, had long since been squeezed dry.

His neighbor, Uncle Zhao, made a living weaving baskets, but no matter where he set up a stall to sell them, he still had to pay protection money to those gang Forces.

In this world, there were actually quite a few ways to make money.

Blackwater River supported countless fishermen.

There had even been people who fished up Precious Fish and became rich overnight.

But without a bit of strength, even if one possessed wealth worth ten thousand strings of cash, one might not find peace.

That wealth could instead become a death warrant!

Just like Big Brother Liu, who had fished up Precious Fish and wanted to sell it privately to a martial academy, only to be beaten to death in the street by the Fishery Bully...

Seeing that Zhao Tianxing and the three men were chatting animatedly, Chu Fan rose and walked toward the Library Pavilion.

"Now, if I want money to buy Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup, I'm afraid selling the ancestral home is the only way..."

He calculated as he walked.

Selling the ancestral home should bring in more than thirty taels of silver.

Two bowls of Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup a day came to six taels a month.

That silver would be enough to last several months.

But...

Whether he sold the ancestral home or not.

He would absolutely never let Liu Da and the Huang Family off!

The sun sank in the west.

Sparse remnants of clouds drifted across the sky.

On the grass of the Training Ground, Chu Fan began extending his arms, squatting and stretching his legs, and swinging his shoulders.

He was cultivating the Soft Skill Twelve Forms of Twelve Forms Boxing.

The Soft Skill Twelve Forms were the basic exercises of Twelve Forms Boxing.

Although practicing the basics did not Circulate Qi and Blood,

it opened the sinews and tempered the bones, making every part of the body draw taut like a bow.

And "drawing the bow" was crucial to Twelve Forms Boxing.

Accumulated Force was like drawing a bow.

Touching an opponent was like releasing an arrow!

If the bow could not be drawn, then even with powerful Qi and Blood, many moves of Twelve Forms Boxing would be difficult to execute smoothly.

It would be even harder to unleash their true might.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn...

Chu Fan released the split position.

He struggled to climb to his feet.

Both his legs were numb...

Loosening the sinews and stretching the hips was not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.

He moved his shoulders and back, then began slowly practicing Twelve Forms Boxing.

Unlike the several rounds he had practiced the day before,

this time, he focused on comprehending the elbow techniques of Twelve Forms Boxing.

That was because Instructor Cao Feng had focused on explaining the Eighteen Elbows of Twelve Forms Boxing that morning.

The essentials of Twelve Forms Boxing were: the heart and intent united, the intent and qi united, the qi and strength united, the shoulders and hips united, the elbows and knees united, and the hands and feet united.

The elbow techniques relied precisely on these essentials.

From the Six Mother Elbows of Sinking Elbow, Dropping Elbow, Pressing Elbow, Lifting Elbow, Coiling Elbow, and Turning Elbow, eighteen forms were derived.

Kick from afar, strike up close, and throw at close quarters.

At close range, unleash fierce elbows and vicious knee strikes.

Among close-quarters attacks, the Eighteen Elbows were the most crucial, and their attacks were also the most ferocious.

As the saying went, "It was better to take ten punches than a single elbow."

An elbow carrying the force of a thousand jin was by no means Not False.

If one could condense Qi and Blood Force and pour it into the Elbow Tip, then when that elbow struck, even a fierce tiger would be Gutted!

Chu Fan recalled the secrets Cao Feng had taught him.

He slowed his movements as much as possible, repeatedly practicing when he reached the Eighteen Elbows.

He locked his hips and twisted his waist.

His elbow was like a Spear Tip.

The Eighteen Elbows emphasized short-range explosive power and lethality.

The Pressing Elbow was a straight-line attack technique.

The Turning Elbow borrowed the force of twisting the waist to counterattack a target behind him...

Although it was called the Eighteen Elbows, it was not restricted to fixed Moves.

It emphasized "Attack East, Strike West, Point South, Strike North, False and True, seize the opening amid chaos."

By combining the movements of the fists, knees, head, and other body parts, the actual attacking Moves numbered far more than eighteen.

Every move and form of Twelve Forms Boxing aimed to defeat and kill the opponent.

Transforming Force was like Drawing Silk.

Releasing Force was like thunder.

The Eighteen Elbows were precisely the most swift and vicious attacking Moves among them.

How could such profound Mysteries be fully comprehended after Cao Feng explained them only twice?

Chu Fan slowed his movements and painstakingly polished each one.

Every move had to be tempered a thousand or eight hundred times before it could truly become his own killing move.

Practice the fists a hundred times, and their meaning revealed itself.

Chu Fan controlled his breathing, corrected his footwork, and performed every move of Twelve Forms Boxing.

Although his movements were slow, every move stirred up fierce Force of Qi!

Ever since he first practiced Twelve Forms Boxing, Qi and Blood Force had already arisen within his body.

When his qi and blood surged, every punch and palm strike possessed strength that no ordinary person could withstand!

At this moment, inside the pavilion.

Cao Feng watched the Setting Sun descend little by little, helplessness and unwillingness surging in his heart.

Back in the day, he had been the undisputed Number One Person of the Seven Star Gang.

Leading his Subordinates, he had beaten the Blood Saber Sect and Ironclad Sect back step by step.

Now, however, he could only carry his Old Injury, stay tucked away in a corner, and watch the sun rise and set...

Cao Feng sighed and turned his gaze toward the Training Ground.

The pavilion where he sat stood on a slope. Without even rising, he could take in the entire vast Training Ground.

Soon, Cao Feng's gaze landed on Zhao Tianxing.

Zhao Tianxing had started martial training late, only learning the Twelve Forms Boxing when he was almost eighteen.

But his more than ten years as a hunter had given him a solid foundation.

His vital energy was vigorous, and his sinews and bones were sturdy—far beyond what an ordinary person could compare with.

Moreover, this kid was extremely diligent.

A disciple reported that Zhao Tianxing had practiced the Twelve Forms Boxing five times that morning, only stopping after training himself into a "Soft-Legged Shrimp."

This made Cao Feng pay him three times as much attention.

Watching Zhao Tianxing's movements, Cao Feng nodded in satisfaction.

At this rate, perhaps tomorrow Zhao Tianxing would achieve Entry in the Monkey Form of the Twelve Forms Boxing.

At that speed, he would be several days faster than Ling Feng, who was known as a "genius."

He was more than capable of competing with his niece, Li Qingxue.

But based on this alone, it was still impossible to tell whether he possessed any talent for martial training.

After all, achieving Entry in the Twelve Forms Boxing was not particularly difficult.

Those with vigorous vital energy could succeed after practicing it a few more times.

Cao Feng shifted his gaze to Chu Fan on the other side.

This kid was also very diligent, practicing his boxing whenever he had free time.

Unfortunately, he was somewhat older than Zhao Tianxing, had a weaker physique, and was barely stronger than the vagrants. He was nowhere near Zhao Tianxing.

On the martial path, talent was more important than effort.

Unless his family had money to let him drink Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup continuously for several months,

it was practically impossible for him to catch up with Zhao Tianxing, who was the same age.

Wait...

Cao Feng had just turned his head away when he suddenly spun back, his gaze locking onto Chu Fan!

This kid had only joined the Seven Star Gang yesterday afternoon. He probably had not even finished learning the Fist Manual, so how was he throwing his punches with such fluency?

Yesterday, Cao Feng had also made him demonstrate the Twelve Forms Boxing once, but compared with then, there was a World Apart between that performance and his current one!

In less than a day, he had actually undergone such a heaven-and-earth-shaking transformation?!

Cao Feng's pupils contracted slightly. He stared at Chu Fan for a moment, his eyes widening further and further. "Damn it! In just one day, he's already achieved Entry in the Swallow Form and Bear Form? He's even faster than Zhao Tianxing?!"

His vital energy was clearly weak, and from yesterday afternoon until now, he could not have practiced more than a few times.

How was that possible...

As Cao Feng pondered, his eyes suddenly went wide. "He's achieved Entry in the Tiger Form too?!"