Body Tempering!

[Beep! You have an Innate Martial Bone! Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Fist +11!]

[Beep! You have an Innate Martial Bone! Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Fist +11!]

[Beep! You have an Innate Martial Bone! Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Fist +11!]

The prompts on the panel flickered incessantly, and the look in Jiang Tian's eyes gradually grew fervent.

At this rate... He clenched his fists, feeling the blood and qi within his body surging and strengthening with every punch he threw.

Perhaps by tomorrow, I can bring the Five Animals Fist to the Minor Accomplishment stage and break through to the Body Tempering Realm in one go!

And currently, only three days had passed out of the three-month deadline set by the Martial Arts Hall.

"Very good."

The next day, after finishing breakfast, Jiang Tian headed to the Martial Arts Hall to continue practicing his punches.

Today, Zhou Mu and Li Batian arrived the latest.

When Zhou Mu walked into the courtyard, Jiang Tian almost didn't recognize him.

After only one night, this country boy who had been so honest and timid just yesterday seemed like a completely different person.

He held his head high with his chest out, his gait was steady, a faint, elusive smile hung at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes held newfound confidence—along with a hint of... arrogance.

Facing Tan Hongyu, the female disciple who had wiped his sweat yesterday, he was no longer shy.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you've arrived quite late today." Tan Hongyu sidled up to him, her voice soft and her tone coy.

Zhou Mu raised an eyebrow, reached out to grab the hand she was using to offer a handkerchief, and gently rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand.

Tan Hongyu was startled, coyly saying, "Junior Brother, what are you doing?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of Zhou Mu's mouth: "Senior Sister wipes my sweat, so I massage Senior Sister's hand; isn't that just helping each other out?"

Tan Hongyu froze, then her cheeks flushed red as she pouted, "Let go, there are so many people here..."

There wasn't a shred of rejection in that voice.

Zhou Mu didn't answer; he leaned in slightly, brought his mouth to Tan Hongyu's ear, and lowered his voice to say something.

Jiang Tian's hearing had been enhanced since last night, and his auditory perception far exceeded that of an ordinary person; those whispered words drifted into his ears without a single syllable missed.

"Senior Sister, didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to go to the riverbank to watch the lanterns with me tonight? I'm free this evening."

Jiang Tian listened for a few moments, then stopped paying attention.

Other people's business had nothing to do with him.

He took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distractions, sank his hips, and assumed his stance.

[Beep! You have an Innate Martial Bone! Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Fist +10!]

[Beep! You have an Innate Martial Bone! Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Fist +10!]

With every punch thrown, the blood and qi in his body grew stronger, like a pot of water about to boil, its temperature climbing bit by bit.

At this moment, Li Batian sauntered over and hooked his arm around Zhou Mu's shoulder, a frivolous smile typical of a dissolute young master on his face: "Oh, Junior Brother Zhou, you played with so many beauties yesterday, and you still have the energy to flirt with Junior Sister Tan today? Tsk tsk tsk, a Grade A Bone Structure really is different; your stamina is truly impressive!"

The lackeys nearby chimed in with a round of low chuckles.

Not far away, Yuan Long took all of this in.

He frowned slightly and shook his head to himself.

Grade A Bone Structure, and his comprehension is quite good, too.

It's a pity; his character is lacking.

He had known yesterday that Li Batian would definitely try to win Zhou Mu over.

As his master, all he could do was drop a few hints and let Zhou Mu gauge the boundaries himself.

After all, practicing martial arts required a vast amount of silver; while the Martial Arts Hall provided medicinal pills to outstanding disciples, it couldn't fully support them. Sometimes, relying on a certain family was unavoidable.

But the key was to maintain that balance and not let oneself get sucked in.

Clearly, Zhou Mu hadn't been able to hold the line.

In just one night, Zhou Mu's mindset had undergone a complete, earth-shattering transformation.

Yuan Long sighed softly.

A waste of excitement.

At this rate, I'm afraid Zhou Mu's achievements won't amount to much.

I'll try one more time to see if I can pull him back.

With that thought, he beckoned to Zhou Mu: "Zhou Mu."

"Disciple is here!" Zhou Mu's expression turned serious as he trotted over, his demeanor respectful.

Yuan Long didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "You have a Grade A Bone Structure and your comprehension is quite good. But do you know what is more important than bone structure and comprehension in martial arts?"

"This disciple does not know."

"Character," Yuan Long said in a deep voice, his gaze like a torch.

"People often say that bone structure determines the lower limit of martial arts practice, while comprehension determines the upper limit."

"But I don't think so."

His gaze swept lightly over Tan Hongyu and Li Batian not far away, pausing meaningfully before continuing, "I believe that what determines how far a person can go on the martial path is their temperament."

Zhou Mu felt a "thump" in his heart, the color draining from his face.

His eyes began to dart around, not daring to meet Yuan Long's gaze.

Yuan Long had clearly told him these things yesterday, but he...

Zhou Mu opened his mouth, just about to say something to show his resolve, when a voice suddenly exploded from afar.

"Master! Master!"

Zhang Ergou came stumbling over, his eyes wide as saucers, his expression as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

Even though it wasn't a long distance, he was running completely out of breath.

Yuan Long frowned, feeling somewhat displeased.

He was in the middle of lecturing his disciples, and this Zhang Ergou had to come charging over, all flustered, to interrupt.

"Ergou! You're a grown man, why are you still so lacking in composure?"

Before he could finish, Zhang Ergou gasped for air, a single sentence cutting off everything he had left to say.

"Master! Junior Brother Jiang has reached the Body Tempering Realm!"

"What did you say?!"

Yuan Long stood up from his stool with a "whoosh," his eyes widening abruptly, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

The entire courtyard fell silent.

Yuan Long had been lecturing, so everyone's attention was focused on this side.

Zhang Ergou's shout had clearly reached the ears of every disciple present.

"Junior Brother Jiang? Is that the Jiang Tian who only arrived a few days ago? Doesn't he have a Grade C Bone Structure?"

"Tsk, Senior Brother Zhang really knows how to joke. He's only been here three days, how could he have reached the Body Tempering Realm?"

"Exactly, exactly. With a Grade C Bone Structure, it would be good if he could reach it within three months."

Whispers rose and fell, and most people's faces were written with disbelief.

Yuan Long ignored these voices.

His eyes flickered, and without hesitation, he strode toward where Jiang Tian was located.

Behind a large tree.

Jiang Tian sat cross-legged on the ground, white steam rising from his entire body, looking like a steamed bun just taken out of a steamer.

His face was flushed red and burning, yet his lips were somewhat pale, and the veins on his forehead were slightly bulging, as if he were enduring something.

Yuan Long squatted down and reached out to check Jiang Tian's pulse, his pupils shrinking violently once more.

It was true.

His blood vitality was like boiling water, his bones and tendons humming in unison—these were the signs of having crossed the threshold of the Body Tempering Realm!

"Ergou!" Yuan Long ordered without looking back, his voice urgent, "Go get the Blood Vitality Pill! Bring a bottle!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Ergou turned and ran, his soles scraping against the bluestone floor with a harsh sound.

After Jiang Tian had cultivated the Five Animals Fist to the minor completion stage, his internal blood vitality had taken the opportunity to break through that threshold; the Body Tempering Realm was achieved.

However, after crossing this threshold, the blood vitality within him seemed to have been ignited, burning crazily, scorching his bones, meridians, tendons, and internal organs... In just a few breaths, the blood vitality in his body had been burned clean.

Yet, that momentum of burning showed no signs of stopping.

His body was like an engine drained of oil, still idling, still consuming.

Fortunately, Zhang Ergou ran fast; in just a moment, a small white jade bottle was shoved into Yuan Long's hand.

Yuan Long unscrewed the cap, poured out a round, brown pill, and fed it to Jiang Tian's mouth himself.

One, two, three...

The moment the pills entered his stomach, waves of warm heat exploded in his Dantian, turning into rolling blood vitality that poured back into his parched meridians, continuing to support that invisible burning.

Jiang Tian's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed slowly.

Blackwater County, Drunken Wind Pavilion.

In a private room on the second floor, the sound of strings and bamboo drifted faintly through the door, mixed with the laughter of people clinking glasses.

By the window, a young man wearing a cotton jacket embroidered with gold thread was toasting the person opposite him with a face full of smiles. On the table in front of him were seven or eight dishes, and two wine pots were already empty.

This person in the gold-threaded cotton jacket was none other than Zhang Qingfeng.

Sitting opposite him was a young man wearing the uniform of the Kaishan Martial Hall, with a mountain peak pattern embroidered on his chest; he had broad shoulders and a wide back, clearly someone who practiced martial arts.

"Brother Xiao." Zhang Qingfeng held the cup with both hands, his eyes crinkling into slits as he smiled. "Since you've helped me out with this favor, how about I give you a Blood Vitality Pill?"

A single Blood Vitality Pill could sell for thirty taels of silver in Blackwater County, which was enough to cover the living expenses of an ordinary family for over half a year.

The young man addressed as "Brother Xiao" picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and let out a scoff before setting the cup down on the table with a sharp thud.

"One?"

He slanted a glance at Zhang Qingfeng, his face full of disdain.

"Zhang Qingfeng, are you trying to brush me off like a beggar?"

"Not to mention that the kid has joined the Five Animals Martial Hall, his brother is also a Squad Leader in the City Patrol Division! You want me to take on all this trouble for just thirty taels of silver?"

"Pah."

He spat on the ground, held out his palm, spread his five fingers, and waved them in front of Zhang Qingfeng.

"Deal! Pay! Up!"