Harvest

Jiang Tian moved briskly, turning Zhang Qingfeng's home upside down in search of banknotes and silver.

A thousand taels in banknotes, plus three hundred taels of gleaming silver.

This windfall had finally eased his immediate predicament.

The next day, at the Five Animals Martial Hall.

The morning light had yet to fill the courtyard, but a figure was already darting back and forth across it. His posture was straight as a pine, and his fists cut through the air with a fierce, whistling force.

It was none other than Zhou Mu.

These past few days, Zhou Mu seemed like a different person. He might not have been the earliest to arrive, but he was always the last to leave.

"I've reached Body Tempering!"

The corner of Zhou Mu's mouth lifted, and he couldn't hide his delight.

He rolled his neck and glanced toward a corner of the courtyard. There, another figure was just as diligently practicing his fists.

Jiang Tian.

"Hmph, I'm only a few days behind you." Zhou Mu's eyes sharpened, and a bold thought exploded in his mind.

They were both in the Body Tempering Realm. He might not be any weaker than Jiang Tian.

What's more, he could make a good show of himself in front of Tan Hongyu and Li Batian... and climb over Jiang Tian to rise to the top!

At the thought, his resolve hardened completely.

At noon, the sun blazed overhead.

As usual, Jiang Tian sat cross-legged beneath a big tree to eat. Mm, the meal had been brought by Li Batian again.

Just as he shoveled down the last few bites, the light before him suddenly dimmed. A figure blocked the sunlight overhead.

"Senior Brother Jiang, I'd like to spar with you."

Jiang Tian raised an eyebrow and looked up. Zhou Mu stood before him, confidence all over his face, with a hint of provocation hidden in his eyes.

Body Tempering Realm.

No wonder he wanted to spar. He'd made a breakthrough.

As for why Zhou Mu had singled him out, Jiang Tian knew perfectly well. He simply thought Jiang Tian had taken something that should have belonged to him.

Jiang Tian brushed off his backside and slowly rose to his feet. He tipped his chin at Zhou Mu. "Come on. My food's about to get cold."

"What?!"

Zhou Mu's eyes widened, and his face flushed crimson. He'd never imagined Jiang Tian would actually... look down on him so much!

"Fine! Fine! Fine!" He was so angry that he laughed instead.

"Then let me experience your Five Animals Fist!"

With that, he stepped back a few paces, cleared some space, and settled into a tight, guarded stance.

"Come on!"

It was lunchtime, and the scene instantly drew the attention of nearly everyone.

"Oh? We get a show with lunch?"

"Why did Zhou Mu pick a fight with Jiang Tian? Anyone can see that Jiang Tian's Master Yuan's favorite now."

"Why else? He's jealous, that's why."

"Looks like Zhou Mu has reached Body Tempering too... Hey, who do you think will win?"

"Isn't it obvious? Jiang Tian, of course. Zhou Mu probably just reached Body Tempering, while Jiang Tian's been there for days."

"Not necessarily. Look at how hard Zhou Mu's been training these past few days..."

Jiang Tian kept one hand behind his back and casually beckoned to Zhou Mu with the other.

"Arrogant!" Zhou Mu growled. His blood and vital energy surged as he lunged forward, his fist striking like a tiger, his momentum heavy as a bear!

But the instant he took that first step—

His feet abruptly rooted themselves to the ground. He froze in place as if under a spell, unable to move.

"Boom!"

It was as if something had slammed into him head-on. The air suddenly thickened, pressing the breath from his lungs.

Jiang Tian before him was like a fierce-eyed white tiger trapped in a cage. Just standing there, he exuded an overwhelming pressure that seemed to cover the sky and blot out the earth.

It felt as though the moment Jiang Tian struck, he would burst from his cage like a猛虎 and deliver a fatal blow!

Zhou Mu's calves began to tremble against his will, terror filling his eyes.

"Are you coming or not? If not, I'm going to eat." Jiang Tian picked at his ear, his tone full of impatience.

He'd only released a trace of his Momentum, and it had already scared the kid into this sorry state.

How boring.

Zhou Mu gritted his teeth. Ignoring the puzzled looks around him, he turned and left.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded.

"What happened?"

"Why did he just run off? Junior Brother Jiang Tian didn't even make a move!"

Ordinary Hidden Energy was beyond the notice of Body Tempering disciples.

But Yuan Manzhi and another Manifest Energy disciple in the hall had seen it clearly.

Yuan Manzhi's eyes flickered, her small mouth slightly open. Her usually icy face was now filled with shock.

The other Manifest Energy disciple called out outright.

"Hidden Energy!"

His shout left the other disciples bewildered.

But when they saw the burning intensity in the senior brother's eyes as he looked at Jiang Tian, they understood at once.

"What? Senior Brother Jiang Tian has already broken through to Hidden Energy?!"

"My heavens! Is... is he even human?"

"Senior Brother Jiang Tian hasn't even been at the martial hall for ten days, has he? Tsk... That's terrifying!"

Not far away, Li Batian's eyes blazed. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and excitement flushed his face red.

Hidden Energy!

He'd broken through to Hidden Energy in less than ten days!

If he could bring Jiang Tian completely under his control... then who else could possibly claim the position of the Li Family's next head?

At that moment, he'd made up his mind.

He would bring Jiang Tian under his wing at any cost!

Tan Hongyu, standing in a corner, wore much the same expression.

Tan Hongyu's eyes shone as she stared at Jiang Tian, eating cross-legged on the ground, and happily began imagining what lay ahead.

In the not-too-distant future... she'd become a rich man's wife, sipping tea in the afternoon and enjoying midnight snacks, never needing to practice her fists again or run around trying to make ends meet...

Jiang Tian knew nothing about any of this.

After finishing his meal and resting briefly, he continued practicing his fists.

Transformation Energy wasn't far off.

He practiced for a while, then tipped a Blood Vitality Pill into his mouth.

[System: You possess an Innate Martial Bone and Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9]

[System: You possess an Innate Martial Bone and Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9]

[System: You possess an Innate Martial Bone and Superb Comprehension! Five Animals Creation Play +9]

That evening, just as he left the martial hall, a figure stepped in front of him.

It was Li Batian.

Before, whenever Li Batian faced him, he always wore a recruiting smile, but Jiang Tian, a man who had lived two lives, could see the contempt lurking beneath it.

Today, that contempt had disappeared completely. Li Batian's smile had grown more ingratiating, and even the way he addressed him had changed.

"Brother Jiang!" Li Batian said with a smile. "Would you do me the honor of joining me today? I've reserved a table at the Drunken Wind Pavilion..."

Jiang Tian waved him off and casually came up with an excuse.

"I'm a little tired from practicing today. Maybe in a few days."

Now that he had thirteen hundred taels of silver, he no longer needed Li Batian's Blood Vitality Pills. He'd actually been thinking that if Li Batian invited him again, he'd have to go.

Li Batian's smile suddenly stiffened. A flash of anger crossed his eyes, but it quickly vanished, and he put his smile back on. "Then a few days from now."

Jiang Tian nodded slightly and walked away.