Display of Talent

That was his guess, but An Jing truly had no way to determine what all of this had to do with the beast meat and the medicinal concoctions.

Zhang Ying, who knew the most about beast meat, had already gone down the mountain. Although Gu Yeqi was more knowledgeable about herbs, she only understood the effects of individual ingredients and couldn't say much about the efficacy of finished medicines.

Ever since Zhang Ying, Ye Xiuyuan, and Zhan Feng left, An Jing had been pondering these questions day and night. Whether he was training or practicing martial arts, he seemed somewhat absent-minded.

He was always frowning in deep thought or staring blankly into the distance.

The situation became so apparent that even the instructors couldn't bear to watch; they specifically came over to ask about his condition, only to walk away shaking their heads.

No one found this strange.

After all, Zhang Ying and Ye Xiuyuan were An Jing's friends. Although Zhan Feng was said to be a mere lackey, children of this age didn't actually have that many complicated thoughts; it was nothing more than playing and training together.

Having played together for so long, it was no wonder An Jing felt dejected now that three friends had left the mountain one after another.

Fortunately, Gu Yeqi and Cang Linzu were still around, and An Jing would still show a hint of a smile when the three of them chatted.

However, even though An Jing was absent-minded and prone to zoning out, he remained the strongest among all the disciples.

Several people who had always wanted to challenge him thought they could take this opportunity to test An Jing's mettle, only to be easily defeated by an An Jing who was frowning, distracted, and not even putting in much effort.

In the end, An Jing couldn't even be bothered to use both hands.

He held his staff with one hand, unleashed Armor-Piercing True Energy, and knocked the weapons out of every challenger's hands; none of them could last more than two and a half moves.

--Has this guy been hiding his strength all along?!

Displaying power far beyond what he had shown in the past, everyone realized after their shock that the strength An Jing had previously revealed was merely the tip of the iceberg!

But upon closer reflection, it didn't exceed anyone's expectations.

An Jing had always been strong. Now that everyone had learned martial arts techniques and mental cultivation methods, the gap hadn't narrowed; instead, it had only grown wider.

Because An Jing had likely already mastered his martial arts, while they were just getting started, the flaws in their forms appeared several times more obvious in his eyes than before.

Once his hidden strength was exposed, An Jing simply stopped hiding and showed his true level.

However, this meant he could no longer find anyone to spar with—it wasn't that An Jing or the others were unwilling; An Jing didn't care, and the others didn't mind being defeated by someone stronger, as they could learn many techniques from their own defeats.

The ones truly dissatisfied were the instructors.

Sparring with ordinary children could no longer help An Jing grow stronger, which didn't align with their goals. Therefore, after An Jing stopped hiding his strength, the instructors decided to step in personally to spar with him.

An Jing had no objections.

If the instructors wanted him to show his full strength, he would show his full strength, sparring openly with them in both hand-to-hand combat and weapons training.

Although he was defeated every time and became the negative example for everyone else, no one looked down on him for it; instead, they felt admiration.

Because not everyone was willing to step onto the stage time and again, be thrown to the ground by an instructor, and then stand back up to challenge them again.

After a period of time, even when An Jing lost, he wouldn't easily fall to the ground. He could even trade a few blows head-on with the instructors, and occasionally, he could even counter-suppress them for a few moves.

The instructors also went from being casual to becoming serious. These men, who seemed to be without blood or tears, would even offer An Jing a word of praise.

After all, as martial artists, if they couldn't handle a mere child without using their real skills despite having a comprehensive advantage in physical fitness, they would have to admit their own incompetence if they didn't praise him.

But in reality, An Jing still hadn't used his full strength; he was still hiding.

It was just that in the past, he had hidden half his strength, whereas now he only hid ten percent. Aside from the few trump cards he kept for himself, he had fully exposed his capabilities.

As for why An Jing chose to do this, the reason was actually quite simple.

--Rather than hiding and calculating in his heart, it was better to strengthen himself openly and use the resources and faculty of Xuanming Manor to improve as much as possible.

Ever since he sensed that Xuanming Manor seemed to be hiding something and his friends began leaving the mountain one by one, the "sense of urgency" that had previously faded in An Jing's heart surged once again.

Even if there might be deep darkness behind Xuanming Manor, areas he couldn't reach, and unspeakable conspiracies targeting the children who were eliminated... it was clear that the other side was also here to screen for the "geniuses" they needed.

As long as he performed like a genius, perhaps he could learn the truth behind Xuanming Manor from another angle, or at least gain more opportunities to explore.

This was the path An Jing had chosen.

Although the path ahead was still shrouded in fog and strange "mysterious voices" remained hidden, An Jing knew there was only one thing he had to do: "become stronger."

Only by becoming stronger could he suppress the unease and urgency in his heart.

Now, he ate the most every day and practiced the most with the instructors. His already proficient martial arts gradually became even more refined, and the restless energy was gradually purged, making An Jing's movements more crisp, decisive, and understated.

An Jing even integrated Armor-Piercing True Energy with some of the combat techniques from his past-life wisdom; he could now use Armor-Piercing True Energy to unleash terrifying power in an instant with certain ground-fighting and grappling techniques.

However, this was still not enough.

"I must break through to the Internal Breath realm."

This was the goal An Jing had set for himself: "Only by reaching Internal Breath can I better conceal my aura and evade the perception of Internal Breath martial artists."

"And only by reaching Internal Breath can I use my own body to analyze what effects those 'beast meats' and 'medicinal concoctions' actually have."

The path of martial arts begins with the tempering of [mind, body, and technique].

When a martial artist's body and mind reach the standard and they can deliver a strike where spirit and flesh are unified, they can attempt to cultivate "Internal Breath."

Internal Breath is Innate Qi. It is the result of a martial artist using acquired techniques to temper themselves, allowing their mind, soul, and body to return to an innate state and cultivate a sliver of power.

Only by possessing Internal Breath can one call oneself a [martial artist]. Following that are the [three stages of Internal Breath: like silk, like a river, like a tide], with each sub-stage providing a massive improvement.

As long as he possessed Internal Breath, even if it were only the most basic "Internal Breath like silk," An Jing was confident he could evade all the instructors; even during their daily patrols, he would never be discovered.

An Jing had already met the conditions for Heart-Body, and his Technique was nearly there as well. As he gradually mastered Armor-Piercing True Energy, he even had a feeling that if given another month, he would have a one hundred percent success rate in breaking through to Internal Breath.

However, such a breakthrough would inevitably be discovered.

This was because almost all martial arts cultivation methods in Da Chen were based on the Method of Motion.

The healthier and stronger the [Body], the more abundant the Innate Qi.

When the body is active, the Innate Qi also becomes active, and a fully focused [Mind] can seize this opportunity to capture it.

The two will fuse during the [Technique], an action requiring the maximum coordination of thought and flesh, becoming [Internal Breath] that a martial artist can freely mobilize and circulate within the body.

This is the Method of Motion, which is the essence of Heart-Body-Technique.

In essence, it is a way to transform Innate Qi into one's own use while in an ideal state of self-forgetfulness and unity of body and mind.

To achieve this state, one must perform martial arts with abandon, engage in combat, or fight... in short, the momentum of the breakthrough is massive and impossible to conceal.

Breaking through to Internal Breath openly might indeed lead to being valued and appreciated by Xuanming Manor, but as someone under the close watch of the Manor Head and the instructors, he would never again be able to touch the secrets hidden within Xuanming Manor.

This was what An Jing truly wanted to keep hidden.

But An Jing had misunderstood one thing.

That was, he did not need to break through to Internal Breath; his performance was already dazzling enough.

He had already achieved his goal.

"An Jing."

One morning, after the morning exercises concluded, Instructor Li did not announce the dismissal, but instead called An Jing over.

With a tone tinged with a hint of envy, he said straightforwardly: "You have made great progress recently; we instructors really have nothing left to teach you."

"Don't go to the training grounds this afternoon."

"The Manor Head wants to see you at the Medicine Pavilion to bestow upon you a more advanced orthodox method."