Cao Feng's Shock!

Zhao Tianxing gave a hey. "Naturally, I was spurred on by your diligence..."

"Your foundation may be weak, but your talent for martial arts is in no way inferior to mine... Yesterday, when Instructor Cao taught, even those who had been here for a month got whipped once or twice while practicing Twelve Forms Boxing. Yet you did not take a single lash!"

Chu Fan merely smiled and said nothing.

Zhao Tianxing went on, "With talent like yours, you still train so diligently... Yesterday, you practiced until midnight, yet today you got up earlier than anyone."

"If I keep slacking off, you'll surpass me."

Upon hearing this, the three young men looked at Chu Fan differently as well.

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. Monkey Form alone, I practiced six times."

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

The three others were even more shocked, their mouths hanging open and their eyes full of disbelief...

Twelve Forms Boxing placed an enormous burden on the body.

When first beginning cultivation, two rounds in a morning were already the limit for an ordinary person.

Most people could not even endure two rounds.

It consumed too much spirit and strength; after practicing, one would feel completely drained.

Even Instructor Cao Feng often said that the greatest taboo in boxing practice was greed for quantity. One had to proceed step by step, lest one damage one's foundation.

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

No wonder Instructor Cao said his Blood Qi far surpassed that of ordinary people. With such talent, he truly could not be compared to normal people.

People really were different from one another...

Chu Fan's brows shifted slightly as he asked, "Tianxing, can we still get Crimson-Scaled Blood Python meat?"

"Difficult!" Zhao Tianxing shook his head. "I heard there are some in Mirage Dream Marsh."

"But that place is perilous beyond measure. Even old hunters would not dare enter lightly."

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

"I'm worrying about it myself right now..."

"How can I get some money?"

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

"My speed of breaking through to the Nourishing Blood Realm would increase by a great deal at the very least!"

At that moment, one of the young men nearby could not help speaking. "Brother Tianxing, you're a hunter. Doesn't hunting make money?"

At those words, the frivolous grin on Zhao Tianxing's face instantly vanished.

A glint of cold light flashed in his eyes!

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

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

"But if you want to make real money, you have to venture into the deep mountains and old forests to hunt Exotic Beasts..."

"Then, what we face is no longer just savage Exotic Beasts."

"There are also wandering bandits, and even... Monsters!"

"Every hunt is a gamble with your life!"

Exotic Beasts, Monsters...

Chu Fan fell into thought.

His memories contained little information about outside the city.

Even when he had fished in Blackwater River these past two years, he had never gone far from Qingyang Ancient City.

Yet after piecing together all sorts of information, he had roughly confirmed one thing...

The beasts in this world were far more powerful and terrifying than those before his transmigration!

Legend had it that there were all manner of unimaginable Monsters as well!

Come to think of it, that was only natural...

Humans could cultivate, so naturally beasts could too.

Didn't those people from the Moon Worshipping Sect speak every day of worshipping the Blood Moon to absorb Blood Moon's Radiance and transcend the cycle of reincarnation?

"Monsters?!"

One refined-looking young man was startled. "I often hear that powerful Monsters dwell in the Wilderness Jungle, but I've never seen one."

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

"What did it look like..." Zhao Tianxing opened his mouth, then only spoke after a long while. "Anyway, you wouldn't want to see one..."

"Of those who have seen them, few survived."

Chu Fan and the others exchanged looks.

This fellow had clearly seen one, but he did not wish to continue the topic.

They could still catch a glimpse of fear in his eyes, fear he could not conceal!

"But actually..."

Zhao Tianxing narrowed his eyes, and the light of hatred ignited in them once more. "Monsters are not the most terrifying things..."

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

They stared at Zhao Tianxing with faces full of curiosity.

"The most terrifying thing is people!"

Zhao Tianxing sighed. "Eight Hundred Li Qingyang County, Three Thousand Li Blackwater River... all those resource-rich territories have long been carved up among the various forces."

"And in the regions that have not been carved up, either bandits lurk there or Monsters run rampant..."

"If you want to hunt in relatively safe areas, you have to pay taxes to those forces."

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

"If hunters truly made money so easily, why would I have joined the Seven Star Gang?"

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

That hatred could no longer be concealed!

"This fellow normally acts carefree and grinning, as though he has no heart or lungs. So he has his own story too."

Chu Fan glanced at Zhao Tianxing.

There was no need for Zhao Tianxing to continue; he could already guess at the hunters' plight.

Presumably, hunters were not much different from fishermen like himself.

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

The Fishing Dock, controlled by the Blood Saber Sect, had long since squeezed every drop of profit from them.

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

In this world, there were actually many ways to make money.

Blackwater River alone supported countless fishermen.

Some had even caught Precious Fish and become rich overnight.

But without strength, even if one possessed immense wealth, one might not find peace.

That immense wealth might instead become a life-taking talisman!

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

Seeing Zhao Tianxing chatting animatedly with the three young men, Chu Fan stood and headed toward the Library Pavilion.

"If I want money to buy Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup now, I'm afraid selling the ancestral house is my only path..."

He calculated as he walked.

Selling the ancestral house should bring in over thirty taels of silver.

Two bowls of Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup a day would cost six taels a month.

That silver would be enough for several months.

But...

Whether he sold the ancestral house or not,

he would absolutely not let Liu Da and the Huang Family off!

The setting sun sank westward.

Sparse remnants of clouds hung in the sky.

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

He was practicing the Soft Skill Twelve Forms from Twelve Forms Boxing.

Soft Skill Twelve Forms was the foundational training of Twelve Forms Boxing.

Although foundational training could not Circulate Qi and Blood,

it could loosen the tendons and temper the bones, drawing every part of the body like a bow.

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

Store force as though drawing a bow.

Touch a person as though loosing an arrow!

If the bow was not drawn, then even with powerful Blood Qi, many moves of Twelve Forms Boxing could not be executed freely.

It would be even harder to unleash their true power.

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

Chu Fan released his split position.

He climbed to his feet with some difficulty.

Both legs had gone numb...

Loosening the tendons and opening the hips was not something that could be achieved in a day or two.

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

Unlike his several practice sessions the day before yesterday,

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: heart united with intent, intent united with Qi, Qi united with force; shoulder united with hip, elbow united with knee, hand united with foot.

The elbow techniques took these essentials as their key.

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

Kick from afar, strike up close, wrestle at close quarters.

At close range, use fierce elbows and savage knee strikes.

Among close-range techniques, the Eighteen Elbows were the most crucial, and their attacks the most vicious.

As the saying went, "Better take ten punches than one elbow."

The force of a single elbow was a thousand jin—this was no exaggeration.

If one could condense Qi and Blood Force and pour it into the elbow tip, then a single elbow strike could Gut even a fierce tiger!

Chu Fan recalled the essentials Cao Feng had taught.

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

Lock the hips, twist the waist.

The elbow was like a spear tip.

The Eighteen Elbows emphasized explosive power and lethality over short distances.

Among them, the Pressing Elbow was a straight-line striking technique.

The Turning Elbow used the force of a Twisting Waist to counterattack targets behind oneself...

Though called the Eighteen Elbows, they were not bound to fixed moves.

They emphasized "Attack East, Strike West; Point South, Strike North; False and True; seize amid chaos."

Integrating coordinated movement from multiple parts—the fists, knees, head, and more—the actual attacking moves numbered far beyond eighteen.

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

Transforming Force was like Drawing Silk.

Releasing Force was like thunder.

The Eighteen Elbows were precisely the swiftest and most vicious attacking techniques among them.

How could their mysteries be understood merely because Cao Feng had explained them twice?

Chu Fan slowed down and meticulously refined them.

One move at a time had to be tempered eight hundred or a thousand times before it could truly become one's own killing move.

Practice a punch a hundred times, and its meaning would reveal itself.

Controlling his breathing and correcting his footwork, Chu Fan performed every move of Twelve Forms Boxing.

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

From the first time he practiced Twelve Forms Boxing, Qi and Blood Force had already arisen within his body.

When his Blood Qi surged, no ordinary person could withstand a single punch or palm strike!

At this moment, inside the pavilion,

Cao Feng watched the setting sun descend little by little, helplessness and unwillingness rising in his heart.

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

Leading his subordinates, he had slaughtered the Blood Saber Sect and Ironclad Sect until they retreated step by step.

Now, burdened by an old injury, he could only remain confined to one 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 at a glance.

Before long, Cao Feng's gaze fell upon Zhao Tianxing.

Zhao Tianxing had started training in martial arts relatively late, only learning Twelve Forms Boxing when he was nearly eighteen.

But more than a decade as a hunter had laid a solid foundation for him.

His Blood Qi was abundant, his sinews and bones tough—far beyond those of ordinary people.

And the kid was exceptionally diligent.

A disciple reported that Zhao Tianxing had practiced Twelve Forms Boxing five times straight that morning, not stopping until he had turned into a soft-legged shrimp.

This made Cao Feng pay him a little more attention.

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

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

Such speed was even several days faster than Ling Feng, who was called a "genius."

It was enough for him to contend with Cao Feng's niece, Li Qingxue.

But this alone was not enough to reveal his talent for martial arts.

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

Those with abundant Blood Qi could manage it after practicing a few more times.

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

That kid was diligent too, practicing his fists whenever he had a spare moment.

Unfortunately, he was even older than Zhao Tianxing, and his physique was frail—not much stronger than the vagrants, and nowhere near Zhao Tianxing.

On the path of martial arts, talent mattered more than hard work.

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

Otherwise, catching up to Zhao Tianxing, who was the same age, would be nearly impossible.

Wait...

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

That kid had only joined the Seven Star Gang yesterday afternoon. He probably had not even finished learning the fist manual—so why were his moves flowing so smoothly?

Cao Feng had also made him demonstrate Twelve Forms Boxing once yesterday, but compared to now, it was like the difference between heaven and earth!

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

Cao Feng's pupils contracted slightly. He stared at Chu Fan for a moment, his eyes widening wider and wider. "Damn it! In just one day, the Swallow Form and Bear Form have both reached Entry? Faster than Zhao Tianxing?!"

His Blood Qi was clearly weak, and from yesterday afternoon until now, he could not have practiced many times.

How was that possible...

As he pondered, Cao Feng's eyes suddenly went round. "The Tiger Form has reached Entry too?!"