Breakthrough

The news of Lu Ming breaking through to become an official disciple further spurred everyone's cultivation.

Three more days passed.

[Skill: Five Animals Fist Stance (Entry)]

[Progress: 295/300 points]

[Skill: Five Animals Tiger Form Fist (Entry)]

[Progress: 60/500 points]

"Almost there. I should be able to reach Minor Accomplishment in the stance today and break through to the Ox Skin Realm."

Watching the progress bar drawing ever closer, Li Yuan felt increasingly motivated.

Suddenly, a figure covered in dust walked into the front courtyard, immediately drawing everyone's gaze.

It was a young woman, roughly in her early twenties, dressed in a sharp cyan martial outfit with a saber slung at her waist. Her legs were long, and her features carried a sense of heroism and capability rarely seen in ordinary women.

Her skin was a healthy wheat color, and her eyes were bright.

"It's the Second Senior Sister!"

"The Second Senior Sister is back from her escort mission!"

Disciples who recognized her whispered, their tones filled with respect.

This Second Senior Sister was named Liu Yan, one of Yang Chong's direct disciples.

She was already at the Stone Skin Realm and would occasionally go out to take on missions to temper herself, holding high prestige among the disciples.

Liu Qing returned and headed straight for the backyard without stopping.

"I've already said it, you just keep practicing. You practice until you break through," Lu Ming waved his hand impatiently, as if he were shooing away annoying flies.

After breaking through to the Ox Skin Realm, he was no longer on the same level as these apprentices, and he found it annoying whenever they came to pester him.

It was only thanks to the Third Senior Brother's kind heart that he still bothered to teach them.

In one corner of the courtyard, a disciple who had been practicing for a long time suddenly shuddered. A flush of unnatural red flashed across his face before quickly fading, leaving him looking somewhat pale.

Xu Chuan tried to stir his blood and qi; air currents surged faintly beneath his skin, but he could never manage to condense that layer of tough membrane.

Failed again... He lowered his arms dejectedly, his eyes dimming.

He had been coming here to practice for nearly half a year and still couldn't break through. Today was his last day at the Five Animals Academy.

Xu Chuan no longer had the money to pay the tuition; with this failure, he had no more chances.

He silently packed his things, bowed to Yang Chong, and left.

Many of the surrounding disciples noticed his actions.

Just yesterday, someone had successfully become an official disciple, and today, someone had failed and left.

In truth, situations like Xu Chuan's happened every day, but Lu Ming's breakthrough had suddenly magnified this reality.

A stifling atmosphere began to spread throughout the martial arts hall.

Although the hall never stated it explicitly, failing to break through multiple times meant one's potential was limited.

One either left of their own accord or was asked to leave by the hall.

Lu Ming, Zhao Qin, and several other senior brothers stood together, watching the disciples polishing their stance work.

At this moment, Li Yuan had no heart to concern himself with such things.

His mind was completely immersed in his cultivation.

Nearly a month of bitter practice, the insights gained from his studies, and the nourishment from the Silver-Backed Bear meat all seemed to converge at this very moment.

"Stillness within motion..."

"Fierce, violent, swift, venomous..."

A flash of inspiration struck his mind. He stopped pursuing mere physical imitation and instead attempted to fuse the solid foundation of "stillness" from his stance work into the "motion" of the pounce.

The moment his body lunged forward, his lower stance remained as steady as a rock, while his upper body erupted with astonishing speed and power. His claws tore through the air, whipping up a distinct gust of wind!

At that very instant, the blood and qi within Li Yuan's body accelerated naturally, following the pathways of his stance work.

A new surge of power seemed to flood into his limbs and bones.

His blood and qi trembled slightly, and a warm current rose from his dantian, flowing quietly toward his limbs.

"Success!"

[Skill: Five Animals Stance (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Progress: 1/1000 points]

[Effect: Condense blood and qi, focus power to the extremities]

Li Yuan opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his face as his heart finally settled.

Breaking through to the Ox Skin Realm meant not only a reduction in his tuition fees but also a brief guarantee of safety here in Wuxi County.

More importantly, Li Yuan's way of earning money would no longer be limited to just hunting.

Yang Chong, who had been feigning sleep, noticed Li Yuan's anomaly at this moment.

He flashed to Li Yuan's side in the blink of an eye, conducted a brief examination, and revealed a smile.

"Qi and blood are full, the skin membrane is initially formed, as tough as Ox Skin!"

"Good! Good! Good!" Yang Chong said "good" three times in a row.

With someone breaking through to the Ox Skin Realm for two consecutive days, Yang Chong was naturally overjoyed.

A smile even broader than yesterday's appeared on his face as he announced in a booming voice, "Li Yuan, from today on, you are an official disciple of my Five Animals Martial Hall!"

Boom!

The entire courtyard erupted once again, causing an even greater sensation than when Lu Ming had broken through earlier.

"B-broke through? Li Yuan broke through too?"

"It seems he's only been here for a month. This... this is even faster than Senior Brother Sun."

"An official disciple in less than a month..."

Li Yuan was not surprised by this; he had his skills to rely on, and as long as his cultivation progress reached the threshold, he would not fail to break through.

For him, as long as there was enough food, he only needed to keep practicing.

Yang Chong patted Li Yuan on the shoulder and said:

"Li Yuan has been in the hall for less than a month, yet through his own hard work and comprehension, he has successfully stepped into the Ox Skin Realm!

His diligence and talent are plain for all to see.

I hope you all take him as an example and practice diligently."

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Li!"

"Senior Brother Li, congratulations, congratulations!"

For a time, many people crowded around, their expressions excited.

Xu Chuan, who had left the martial hall in dejection not long ago, was now ignored by everyone.

After becoming an official disciple, Li Yuan's tuition was reduced to one tael of silver.

However, Li Yuan did not know how long it would take to progress from Ox Skin to Stone Skin.

Second Senior Sister Liu Yan and Third Senior Brother Zhao Qin were currently at this stage.

Moreover, one had spent three years and the other four years to break through to the Stone Skin Realm.

"Now that I've become an official disciple, my tuition is lower, so I can save more of the income from my hunting."

"I can buy better bows and arrows to hunt bigger game."

After breaking through to the Ox Skin Realm, although tuition had decreased, the silver required for martial arts practice would only increase.

When he returned to the village entrance, the sky was already growing dark.

Several hunters who had just come down the mountain path saw him and greeted him one after another.

"Brother Yuan is back?"

"Did you go into the county town to sell goods again?"

"No." Li Yuan shook his head in response, his pace not slowing.

Watching his retreating figure, one hunter smacked his lips, "This kid Yuan, why does he look more and more spirited?"

Returning to his house, Li Yuan tidied up briefly before falling into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Li Yuan rose early to practice his stance training.

Not long after he began his practice:

"The tax collectors are here!" someone shouted, and the village was instantly thrown into chaos.

Hearing this, Li Yuan was not surprised; calculating the time, it had indeed been nearly a month.

He took out the silver he had prepared in advance and headed straight for the village entrance.

He tucked the silver away, walked out the door, and headed toward the village square where the commotion was coming from.

At the village entrance, several tax collectors dressed in official uniforms with broadswords at their waists were surrounding a tax official in a silk robe with a protruding belly.

That tax official was surnamed Qian, a clerk from the county government's household department.

He was specifically responsible for tax collection in the Blue Stone Village area and was known for being greedy and mean; the villagers privately called him "Qian Skin-Peeler."

Standing beside him were two men with sharp eyes and slightly bulging temples.

At a glance, they were clearly martial artists, likely constables from the county government sent to keep order.