Five Animals Martial Hall

The next day, after finishing breakfast, Jiang Tian followed his older brother out the door.

The streets, paved with bluestone slabs, were filled with ragged, sallow-faced refugees, either squatting or sitting with hollow, vacant eyes.

Above the heads of every one of these people floated a system panel, and without exception, they were all white-tier traits.

Jiang Tian extracted them one by one.

After walking for about half an hour, as they neared the city center, the scene gradually began to improve.

On both sides of the road, there were farmers carrying poles selling vegetables, and occasionally, wealthy individuals dressed in fine clothes would step down from carriages, followed by servants and entourages.

As he walked, Jiang Tian scanned the passing pedestrians with a calm, unnoticeable gaze.

Above everyone's head, a system panel flickered, some bright and some dim.

[Life Like Grass (White)]

[Utterly Ordinary (White)]

[Common Mortal (White)]

[Good for Nothing (White)]

Just as he had expected, almost every passerby he encountered possessed only white-tier traits.

Occasionally, he would spot a green one, and Jiang Tian would extract it without hesitation.

Of course, many people had nothing at all above their heads.

Those with empty space above them were all burly individuals with steady gaits, exuding a sharp, vigorous aura in every movement; they were clearly practitioners who had entered the martial path and attained a realm.

Jiang Tian silently calculated in his mind.

Along the way, he had gathered quite a few points here and there.

[Trait Points: 360]

He pulled up his own panel and glanced at his two traits.

[Trait: Poor Bone Structure (White) (10+/100), Innate Wisdom Root (Blue) (27+/1000)]

The Wisdom Root still needed nine hundred and seventy-three points to evolve into purple, while his Bone Structure only needed ninety points to become green.

"Add points."

Jiang Tian did not hesitate and dumped all his points into his Bone Structure.

[Trait: Poor Bone Structure (White) → Average Bone Structure (Green) (290+/500)]

"Crack, crack."

A series of subtle, crisp sounds emanated from deep within his bones, like someone rubbing a handful of soybeans between their palms. Jiang Tian's stride came to an abrupt halt, and he froze in place.

His entire skeleton felt as if it were being reshaped by an invisible hand, or perhaps tossed into an unseen mold to be forcibly stretched and corrected.

His stature quietly grew by more than an inch, and his previously thin, frail shoulders visibly broadened.

His loose, old cotton robe now strained against his frame, revealing a hint of his new silhouette.

Jiang Minghai, walking ahead, seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn't stop, failing to notice the anomaly behind him.

Before long, an imposing storefront appeared in their field of vision.

A plaque with black characters on a yellow background hung high above, the four bold, vigorous characters written with the fluidity of a dragon and snake.

Five Animals Martial Hall.

As Jiang Minghai walked toward the main entrance, he instructed without looking back: "Don't be nervous in a moment."

"To enter the martial hall, silver alone isn't enough; they also test your bone structure. Although your body is weak, there shouldn't be any problem."

As he spoke, he turned his head.

Then, he froze.

"Hmm?"

Jiang Minghai rubbed his eyes hard, unable to believe what he was seeing as he carefully looked Jiang Tian up and down.

Why did he feel... as if his younger brother had suddenly grown taller? And his shoulders seemed broader than before?

Was it an illusion?

He shook his head, dismissed the thought, and raised his hand to knock on the red-lacquered gate of the Five Animals Martial Hall.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A moment later, the door opened a crack.

An elderly man with a wrinkled face and gray hair poked his head out. With deep-set eye sockets and a hunched back, he gave the impression of someone with one foot already in the grave.

But Jiang Tian narrowed his eyes slightly; there was nothing above the old man's head.

As expected, he was also a martial practitioner, not just an ordinary gatekeeper.

"What is it?" The old man lifted his eyelids, his voice raspy.

Jiang Minghai cupped his hands and said in a deep voice: "I've come to bring my brother to learn boxing."

The old man lifted his eyes to scan Jiang Tian, his expression blank: "Did you bring the silver?"

"I did."

"Follow me."

The main gate swung open, and Jiang Minghai and Jiang Tian followed closely inside.

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has been changed!

The courtyard was much larger than Jiang Tian had imagined, paved with heavy black stone slabs that emitted a dull thud with every step.

On the left, stone locks, stone pedestals, wooden posts, sandbags... all sorts of training equipment were lined up in a row.

Over a dozen people were buried in intense practice; some stood in horse stances without moving a muscle, while others kicked and punched wooden posts, the dull "thud, thud" sounds echoing through the yard.

Most of them looked to be around Jiang Tian's age, roughly fifteen or sixteen.

There were also a few younger ones, looking no more than twelve or thirteen.

Then there were a few in their early twenties, their faces steady, their movements already showing a degree of proficiency.

Jiang Tian made a rough estimate: there were about forty people in total.

His gaze swept over their heads, and those with panels were few and far between.

In other words, the rest, with nothing above their heads, had already entered the path of martial arts.

As for the few who did have panels, they were all green-tier traits! Some even carried two green traits simultaneously, or a combination of green and white traits.

[Average Talent (Green) - Evil Ghost (White)]

[Common Bone Structure (Green)]

[Average Talent (Green)]

[Mediocre Bone Structure (Green)]

Jiang Tian's eyes lit up slightly, and he muttered to himself—

"Extract."

[Trait Points: 710 points]

Good heavens!

Jiang Tian clicked his tongue in secret; just these few people in the martial hall were worth nearly double the total harvest he had gathered along the way!

On the right side of the courtyard, under an old locust tree, a middle-aged man was lying on a grandmaster chair, eyes closed in rest.

On the mahogany table beside him sat a cup of hot tea, with white steam curling upward.

The man's facial features were soft, his temples slightly graying, and he wore a blue-gray long gown; he didn't look like a martial hall master, but rather like a schoolteacher.

"Master Yuan."

Jiang Minghai stepped forward, cupping his hands in a salute, his tone respectful.

Before coming, he had explained to Jiang Tian that the master of the Five Animals Martial Hall was named Yuan Long. They had worked together in their younger years; they weren't close, but at least they knew each other's roots and understood his temperament.

"Lad Jiang."

Yuan Long opened his eyes, glanced at Jiang Minghai, and nodded slightly before shifting his gaze to Jiang Tian.

The gaze lingered on Jiang Tian for only a moment before retracting to Jiang Minghai's face, and he spoke slowly: "You want your brother to learn boxing?"

"Yes."

Jiang Minghai handed over a pouch of silver and said in a deep voice: "Master Yuan, I know the rules; this is twenty taels of silver."

Yuan Long did not take it, continuing: "Within three months, if he cannot achieve Body Tempering, he must leave the martial hall on his own. You know this rule, don't you?"

"I do," Jiang Minghai replied solemnly.

Jiang Tian stood behind him, his heart sinking.

Twenty taels of silver, and it only covers three months of training?

And if he can't achieve Body Tempering, he has to get out?

"Good." Yuan Long slowly stood up from the grandmaster chair, standing with his hands behind his back, his expression calm. "However, I must first test this lad's bone structure. If his bone structure is no good... take your money back."

With that, he looked at Jiang Tian, his tone indifferent: "Lad, bear with it; it will hurt a little."

"Understood." Jiang Tian nodded.

The moment the words fell, a figure flickered before his eyes.

Yuan Long's figure appeared beside him like a ghost.

So fast! Jiang Tian exclaimed inwardly.

He hadn't even seen how the man moved.

A large hand reached out, fingers splayed like a steel ruler, tracing from his neck bones down to his arm bones, shoulder blades, and ribs... the knuckles moved rapidly across his skeleton, the hand gripping him like iron pincers until it hurt.

In just a few short breaths, a fine layer of cold sweat had seeped onto Jiang Tian's forehead.

Yuan Long withdrew his palm, placing it behind his back. His eyes flickered slightly before returning to a calm state.

"Average Bone Structure... Grade C Bone Structure."

He spoke slowly, his tone neither warm nor cold, "If you are willing to put in the hard work, there is a chance you might break through the Blood Barrier within three months."

As his words fell, the disciples practicing nearby didn't stop their movements, but their ears pricked up.

Upon hearing the words "Grade C Bone Structure," most of them kept their expressions neutral, merely letting out a faint "oh."

However, a few of them curled their lips, revealing a trace of undisguised mockery.

And when Yuan Long uttered that hackneyed phrase, "there is a chance," even more people secretly shook their heads.

Clearly, when they first joined the Martial Arts Hall, Yuan Long had said the exact same thing to them.

But Body Tempering was not so easily achieved.

Once you failed, you would have to spend another year or half a year accumulating resources. Grade C Bone Structure... heh.

Right now, everyone in the Martial Arts Hall who hadn't broken through their realm possessed nothing but Grade C Bone Structure.

Jiang Tian took in the reactions of the crowd, remaining silent with his expression as calm as ever.

So what if it was Grade C Bone Structure? He had a system!