Jiang Tian paused, surprised that Zhang Ergou, who looked so honest and simple, would take the initiative to tell him all this.
Zhang Ergou pointed toward a man not far away.
The man had fair skin. Though he was clearly wearing the Martial Arts Hall's padded uniform, he had a green brocade robe draped over it, its fabric embroidered with subtle patterns. It was obviously worth a fortune.
His phoenix eyes tilted slightly upward. His features seemed decent enough when considered separately, but put together on one face, they somehow looked a little off.
Several Martial Arts Hall disciples surrounded him. Every one of them wore a flattering smile, fawning over him as if they were ready to bend down and serve as his stool at any moment.
"Have you heard of Blackwater County's Three Great Families?" Zhang Ergou asked.
"I have." Jiang Tian nodded. "The Wang, Li, and Xu families."
"That's Li Batian, the fifth young master of the Li Family." Zhang Ergou lowered his voice.
"Don't let the fact that he's hanging around the Martial Arts Hall fool you. He's already at the Hidden Energy level. It won't be long before he might reach the threshold of Manifest Energy."
Jiang Tian took another look at him.
"He has a bit of a strange temper." Zhang Ergou's eyes flickered.
"Someone once sparred with him. They went back and forth evenly, but when it was over, he couldn't accept losing and flew into a rage right there."
He paused. "In short, keep your distance. Even if he tries to be friendly with you later, don't humor him."
"Got it."
Zhang Ergou pointed to one of the Martial Arts Hall's few female disciples.
She had a heart-shaped face, peach-blossom eyes, and a waist so slender it looked as if a gust of wind might snap it. Yet her full, shapely chest filled out the Martial Arts Hall uniform, giving it a trim, striking silhouette.
Most eye-catching was the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, just below the outer edge. It added a touch of alluring charm.
She stood there quietly, looking rather delicate, giving the impression that the slightest touch would make her fall over.
If Jiang Tian hadn't personally seen her lift a stone block bigger than herself with one hand and walk more than a dozen steps without even changing her expression, he might have believed it.
"That's Yuan Manzhi, the hall master's only daughter." Zhang Ergou's voice held a little more respect.
"Don't let her porcelain-doll looks fool you. In this Martial Arts Hall, she ranks among the top three in strength, counting even the senior disciple who's away guarding a caravan. She's a bona fide Manifest Energy expert."
"Whoa!"
Jiang Tian sucked in a sharp breath.
You really couldn't judge a person by their appearance.
"And that one." Zhang Ergou nodded toward another direction.
"The third young master of the Cai Family, Cai Yuming. He's at the Hidden Energy level."
"The Cai Family rose to prominence only in the last few years. Their standing and wealth still can't compare to the Three Great Families, but they've got a lot of momentum. They're on the verge of becoming Blackwater County's fourth great family."
He paused, then added, "Though Cai Yuming is a rich young master, he's a decent fellow. He's worth getting to know."
Jiang Tian nodded thoughtfully.
He didn't know why Senior Brother Zhang had suddenly decided to tell him all this, but he wasn't going to take everything at face value. He still had to make up his own mind.
"Come with me."
Zhang Ergou patted him on the shoulder. "Today, I'll teach you the signature martial art of our Five Animals Martial Hall."
"Great!"
Jiang Tian's eyes lit up. At last, they were getting to the main event.
Zhang Ergou led him to a secluded corner of the courtyard and first explained the origins and principles of the Five Animals Fist.
Tiger Style represented slaughter and ferocity. It was the most yang and forceful of the five, and its moves had the greatest single-target destructive power.
Bear Style represented defense and strength. It could attack when advancing and defend when retreating.
Ape Style represented agility and adaptability. Its strikes were swift as the wind, and it could shift between offense and defense with ease.
Deer Style was light and graceful, with an emphasis on footwork.
Bird Style drew on the bird's lightness and agility, training both body movement and footwork.
Each style had its own strengths. Only when combined did they form a complete Five Animals Fist.
After explaining everything, Zhang Ergou rolled up his sleeves and took two steps back.
"Watch carefully. I'll break each move down into a few small movements. Follow along and learn one step at a time."
"Okay." Jiang Tian nodded firmly.
Zhang Ergou took a deep breath, lowered his waist and hips, and slowly raised both arms.
The next moment, he moved.
As Tiger Style burst into action, his entire presence changed in an instant. His arms spun like windmills, and his fists shot out like a fierce tiger descending the mountain. Every punch carried a low, rushing whistle. His feet struck the ground with booming thuds, as if a real tiger were pacing through the courtyard.
Before Tiger Style's ferocity had faded, he lowered his body, wrapped his arms around himself, and let his breathing sink.
The five styles flowed one into another, seamlessly.
Jiang Tian watched intently, not blinking once.
With his Innate Wisdom Root boosting him, every one of Zhang Ergou's movements was firmly imprinted in his mind.
That wasn't all. The connected movements automatically broke down into frame after frame in his mind: where his knee should be when his arm reached a certain angle, which foot should bear his weight, and at what point his breathing should shift...
Every detail was crystal clear.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Zhang Ergou settled into a still stance, slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and nodded toward Jiang Tian.
"Give it a try. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. It took me a whole day to barely get started. The Five Animals Fist has a lot of moves, so there's no way you'll learn it after seeing it just once. Keep practicing, and I'll correct each one for you."
"Okay."
Jiang Tian took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and ran through the movements he had broken down in his mind, from beginning to end.
Then he opened his eyes and imitated what he had seen, assuming a basic fighting stance.
He started with Tiger Style, lowered his waist and hips, and swung his arms around.
He punched.
[Beep! You have an Innate Wisdom Root. Five Animals Fist proficiency +2!] [Name: Jiang Tian] [Lifespan: 16/17] [Realm: None] [Martial Arts Mastered: Five Animals Fist (Beginner) (2+/200)]
Jiang Tian's eyes lit up.
He'd already reached beginner level?
He suppressed his delight and threw several more punches in succession.
After Tiger Style came Bear Style, then Ape Style, Deer Style, and finally Bird Style. By the time he completed the set, his movements were still a little awkward, but he had already established the framework for every move and stance.
[Beep! You have Excellent Bone Structure and an Innate Wisdom Root! Five Animals Fist proficiency +3!] [Beep! You have Excellent Bone Structure and an Innate Wisdom Root! Five Animals Fist proficiency +3!] [Beep! You have Excellent Bone Structure and an Innate Wisdom Root! Five Animals Fist proficiency +3!]
Beside him, Zhang Ergou's expression grew more and more peculiar.
First he frowned slightly. Then his frown deepened, and his mouth fell open a little.
Wait, why did it feel like Jiang Tian had already reached the beginner level in the Five Animals Fist?
No, that couldn't be right.
How could anyone reach beginner level after watching it once? What was the point of being alive, then?
He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized every one of Jiang Tian's movements.
The framework of the stance was correct. There were still plenty of rough spots in the details: Tiger Style's force wasn't quite sharp enough, Ape Style's turn was a little stiff, and Deer Style's footwork was somewhat clumsy, but the foundation was right!
Every move was on the right track!
Zhang Ergou opened his mouth, but not a word came out.
He suddenly remembered how, when he'd first learned the Five Animals Fist, he'd followed his senior brother and copied each move one by one for a whole day before barely reaching beginner level.
And now, this junior brother, who hadn't even been in the hall for two days, had watched once and already got the stance right?
A genius?
No, even "genius" wasn't enough to describe him.
Zhang Ergou took a deep breath and did his best to keep his expression calm, but inside, a storm was raging.
No. He had to have a serious talk with Master tonight.
After completing the set, Jiang Tian lowered his fists and turned to Zhang Ergou. "Senior Brother, I finished the set."
"Mm... Not bad."
Zhang Ergou nodded, his voice calm.
He tried to look unfazed, but in truth, he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, his shock would show.
Just then, a sudden burst of cries erupted from the center of the courtyard.
"My heavens! Grade A Bone Structure!"
Jiang Tian turned to look. At some point, the courtyard's center had been surrounded by layer upon layer of people. The crowd pressed in so tightly that the open space in the middle was completely blocked from view.
"Grade A Bone Structure?"
Jiang Tian's eyes shifted. He was about to go take a look when two clouds of light, one purple and one blue, suddenly filled his vision.
[Detecting extractable traits] [Name: Zhou Mu] [Realm: None] [Traits: Innate Martial Bone (Purple), Innate Wisdom Root (Blue) (Extractable)]
Jiang Tian's pupils suddenly contracted.
One purple and one blue.
Since awakening the system, these were the most luxurious traits he had ever seen!
One trait was purple, and the other was blue.
One person had two top-tier traits.
"Extract!"
Jiang Tian didn't hesitate. He issued the command silently.
In an instant, two rays of light, one purple and one blue, shot out from the crowd and darted into the space between Jiang Tian's brows.
[Trait Points: 1,970]
Jiang Tian's eyelid twitched.
Just one person had given him a thousand and five hundred trait points!
No, he had to see what this "angel investor" looked like.
Jiang Tian focused his thoughts and pushed his way into the crowd.
A boy stood awkwardly beside Yuan Long.
He wore a battered padded jacket covered in patches. Cotton stuffing poked out from a few places, and the whole thing looked drab and dusty. Among the neatly dressed Martial Arts Hall disciples, he stood out like a sore thumb.
Several black smudges streaked his face. It was hard to tell whether they were soot or mud.
His features were fairly regular, but he looked a little dull and simple, like a farm boy from the countryside who had never seen much of the world.
As the disciples around him gave him all kinds of looks—some envious, some jealous, some assessing—he seemed a little bashful. He kept his head lowered, with no idea what to do with his hands, and nervously rubbed the hem of his jacket.
Yuan Long stood beside him. The face that was usually so calm and composed now glowed with excitement, as if he'd found some priceless treasure.
He couldn't hide how delighted he was as he looked at Zhou Mu.
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