He could only guess. An Jing truly had no way of knowing what any of this had to do with Fierce Beast meat and the medicine.
Zhang Ying, who knew the most about Fierce Beast meat, had already gone down the mountain. Gu Yeqi knew more about medicinal herbs, but she only understood the effects of individual ingredients and couldn't say much about the effects of finished medicines.
Ever since Zhang Ying, Ye Xiuyuan, and Zhan Feng left, An Jing had spent day and night pondering these questions. Whether he was training or practicing martial arts, he seemed distracted.
He was always frowning in thought or staring into the distance in a daze.
Even the instructors couldn't stand seeing him like this. One of them came over specially to ask what was wrong, then shook his head and left.
No one found this strange.
After all, Zhang Ying and Ye Xiuyuan were An Jing's friends. Though Zhan Feng called himself An Jing's lackey, kids this age didn't have that many thoughts. They simply followed whoever they liked to play and train with.
They had all played together for so long, and now three friends had gone down the mountain one after another. No wonder An Jing seemed so dejected.
Fortunately, Gu Yeqi and Cang Linzu were still there. When the three of them chatted, An Jing would still manage a faint smile.
But even though An Jing was distracted and kept zoning out, he was still the strongest among all the disciples.
A few people who had long wanted to challenge him thought they could take advantage of the opportunity to test his mettle. But An Jing, frowning slightly and lost in thought, beat them with ease without even trying very hard.
By the end, he couldn't even be bothered to use both hands.
Holding his staff in one hand, he unleashed his Armor-Piercing True Energy and knocked away every challenger's weapon. None of them lasted more than two and a half moves.
—Had this guy been holding back all along?!
After seeing him display strength far beyond what he'd shown before, everyone was stunned. Then they understood: the strength An Jing had shown in the past was only the tip of the iceberg, a mere corner above the water!
But thinking it over, it wasn't beyond anyone's expectations.
An Jing had always been strong. Once everyone had learned martial techniques and mental methods, the gap between them wouldn't shrink. It would only grow wider.
An Jing had probably already mastered his martial techniques, while they had only just begun learning them. To him, their flaws were now several times more obvious than before.
Once people saw through his act, An Jing simply stopped hiding his strength and showed them what he could really do.
However, that meant there was no one left for An Jing to spar with. It wasn't that he or the others were unwilling. An Jing didn't care, and the others didn't mind being beaten by someone stronger. They could still learn plenty from their defeats.
The ones who were truly dissatisfied were the instructors.
Sparring with ordinary children couldn't make An Jing any stronger, and that wasn't in line with their goals. So once An Jing stopped holding back, the instructors decided to spar with him themselves.
An Jing had no objections.
When the instructors told him to give it his all, he did, openly sparring with them in hand-to-hand combat and with weapons.
Though he lost every time and became a cautionary example for everyone, no one looked down on him for it. Instead, they admired him.
Not everyone was willing to step onto the training ground again and again, get thrown to the ground by an instructor, then rise to their feet and challenge them once more.
After a while, even when An Jing lost, he no longer went down easily. He could even trade a few blows with the instructors head-on, and sometimes turn the tables and suppress them for a few moves.
The instructors went from being casual to taking him seriously. Even those men, who seemed bloodless and heartless, praised An Jing from time to time.
After all, as martial artists with every physical advantage over him, if they couldn't bring down a mere child like An Jing without using their real skills, then if they couldn't praise him, they might as well admit their own incompetence.
But in truth, An Jing still wasn't giving it his all. He was still holding back.
Before, he had hidden half his strength. Now, he held back only a tenth. Aside from a few trump cards he kept to himself, he had laid his full strength bare.
The reason An Jing did this was simple.
—Rather than skulk around and scheme, it was better to grow stronger in the open, making the most of Xuanming Manor's resources and instructors.
Ever since he noticed that Xuanming Manor seemed to be hiding something, and that his friends were going down the mountain one after another, the sense of urgency that had once faded from An Jing's heart returned.
Even if there was a deep darkness behind Xuanming Manor, regions he couldn't reach, and an unspeakable conspiracy targeting the children who were eliminated... the people behind it were clearly also selecting the "geniuses" they needed from his group.
If he showed enough talent, perhaps he could learn the truth behind Xuanming Manor from another angle—or at least get more chances to investigate.
That was the path An Jing had chosen.
Though the road ahead was still shrouded in mist, and the strange "mysterious voice" remained hidden, An Jing knew there was only one thing he needed to do: become stronger.
Only by growing stronger could he suppress the unease and urgency in his heart.
Now, he ate the most every day and trained with the instructors more than anyone else. His already well-practiced martial techniques grew more refined, while the restless energy within him was gradually purged. When An Jing moved, he became more decisive and nimble, yet gave away less of his strength.
An Jing even fused the Armor-Piercing True Energy with some of the fighting techniques from his Past Life Wisdom. He could now unleash terrifying power in an instant through certain ground techniques and grappling moves.
But it still wasn't enough.
"I need to break through to the Internal Breath realm."
That was the goal An Jing had set for himself. "Only once I reach the Internal Breath realm can I better conceal my aura and fool the senses of Internal Breath martial artists."
"Only then can I use my body to analyze what those 'beast meats' and 'medicines' actually do."
The path of martial arts began by tempering the [Heart, Body, and Technique].
Once a martial artist's body and mind reached the standard, and they could deliver a strike in which flesh and spirit were one, they could attempt to nurture "Internal Breath."
Internal Breath was Innate Qi. It was a wisp of power nurtured through a martial artist's acquired skills and tempering, bringing the spirit and body back to their innate state.
Only those with Internal Breath could call themselves [Martial Artists]. After that came [Three Nourishments of Internal Breath: Like Silk, Like a River, Like a Tide], each minor stage bringing an immense improvement.
As long as he had Internal Breath, even at the earliest stage of "Internal Breath Like Silk," An Jing was confident he could evade every instructor. Even during their routine patrols, they would never find him.
An Jing's Heart and Body had already met the requirements, and his Technique was nearly there. As he gradually mastered Armor-Piercing True Energy, he even had a feeling that if he were given another month, he could break through to Internal Breath with absolute certainty.
But a breakthrough like that would surely be noticed.
That was because nearly all martial arts cultivation methods in Da Chen practiced the "Method of Motion."
The healthier and stronger the [Body], the more abundant one's Innate Qi.
When the body was active, Innate Qi would stir as well. Then the fully focused [Mind] could seize the opportunity to capture it.
The two would merge through [Technique], an action demanding the greatest coordination between thought and body, becoming [Internal Breath]—something a martial artist could freely control and circulate within their body.
This was the [Method of Motion], the essence of [Heart-Body-Technique].
At its core, it meant turning Innate Qi to one's own use in a state of complete immersion, when body and mind were one.
To reach this state, one had to practice martial arts until utterly spent and fight others in life-or-death combat... In short, a breakthrough was a grand, imposing affair. There was no way to hide it.
Breaking through to Internal Breath openly might indeed earn him greater importance and Xuanming Manor's favor. But if the Manor Master and instructors started watching him closely, he would have no chance of touching Xuanming Manor's secrets again.
That was what An Jing truly wanted to keep hidden.
But An Jing had gotten one thing wrong.
He didn't 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 exercises ended, Instructor Li didn't dismiss the group. Instead, he called An Jing over.
With a hint of envy in his voice, he got straight to the point. "You've made tremendous progress lately. We instructors can hardly teach you anything more."
"Don't go to the training ground this afternoon."
"The Manor Master wants to meet you at the Medicine Pavilion and teach you a more advanced method."
Before you continue