Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, another half month had passed.
Li Yuan had undergone a complete transformation in appearance and spirit.
His eyes were bright, his bearing calm, and his once thin, frail body was growing strong.
Especially after becoming a formal disciple, he received medicinal soup every day at the Five Animals Academy to nourish his qi and blood. From time to time, they also provided medicinal wine for him to rub on his body.
It helped ease the muscle soreness after training.
Li Yuan could clearly feel his qi and blood growing more vigorous.
As for Lin Mingsheng, he had broken through the Stone Skin Realm not long after entering the academy.
It was only natural for scions of great families to advance quickly. They ate well and had a solid foundation.
Lin Mingsheng was exceptionally talented and came from a prominent family. Before long, he had gathered a small circle of people around him.
Besides Lu Ming, who had long been eager to get in with the great families, there were also a senior brother named Huang Ren and Second Senior Sister Liu Yan.
Liu Yan was formidable and quite pretty, while Huang Ren's family ran an escort agency.
They were all disciples from relatively well-off backgrounds.
Someone like Li Yuan, who came from a hunter's family, naturally wasn't part of their circle.
Li Yuan occasionally saw the group gathered together, chatting.
He didn't care.
Li Yuan's goal was clear: grow stronger, survive, and live better.
One afternoon, he practiced his fist forms alone in the courtyard, feeling his qi and blood surge through his body with each punch.
After finishing a set of Tiger Form Fist, he settled into a stance and adjusted his breathing.
With a thought, the panel appeared.
[Art: Five Animals Tiger Form Fist (Beginner)] [Progress: 490/500 points] [Notice: Heaven Rewards Diligence. As long as you put in the effort, you will be rewarded.]
"There are only ten points left. Then Tiger Form Fist will break through to minor mastery." Li Yuan was thrilled.
Once he reached minor mastery in Tiger Form Fist, his combat ability would surely rise another level.
He tamped down his excitement, planning to rest briefly before continuing to practice.
Not far away, Lin Mingsheng and the others were gathered together.
"Three days from now, it's my treat. I've reserved a private room in the Heaven-Class section for seven at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant in the Inner City. I'd like to invite you all to drink with me," Lin Mingsheng said to the people in his circle.
"Senior Brother Zhao, why don't you join us?"
He spotted Zhao Qin nearby and invited him as well. Zhao Qin's family background also met Lin Mingsheng's standards.
Practicing martial arts took money. Without money, how could anyone train?
Hadn't Lin Mingsheng broken through to the Ox Skin Realm so quickly because he'd spent enough silver and built a good foundation?
"Sure," Zhao Qin replied.
"There are still seats available. If any of you have senior brothers or sisters you'd like to recommend, feel free to bring them along."
Of course, they had to meet Lin Mingsheng's standards.
"Why not bring Junior Brother Li Yuan along? He comes from a hunter's family and has never been to the Inner City. This would be a good chance to show him around," Zhao Qin suggested after hesitating and thinking of Li Yuan's background.
If Li Yuan joined this circle, it would probably make things easier for him in the future.
"Senior Brother Zhao, when did I say I was inviting him?"
At that, Lin Mingsheng glanced at Li Yuan in the distance and smiled faintly.
"The Drunken Immortal Restaurant is where the prominent people of the Inner City go. Not just anyone can sit at the table.
"In my Lin Family, even capable guards and servants never eat at the main table. Rules can't be broken."
The implication was clear: he was comparing Li Yuan to a servant or guard.
At such a young age, he had already memorized the rules of the great families.
Someone like Li Yuan would sooner or later join a gang or become the head guard of some family.
The Inner City was full of people like him.
Lu Ming laughed in agreement from the side, repeating, "Yes, yes, yes."
Seeing how accommodating Lu Ming was, Lin Mingsheng was in a good mood.
He hadn't meant to put Li Yuan down. He simply thought it was the way things were.
Liu Yan and Huang Ren looked away, pretending they hadn't heard.
Zhao Qin looked a little awkward. He opened his mouth, then said nothing.
After the group left, Zhao Qin went over to Li Yuan, who was practicing his punches.
He told Li Yuan what had just happened.
The opportunity was rare, and Zhao Qin hoped Li Yuan would approach the group himself. Maybe things could still work out.
"They're from a great family. If we can get in with them, it'll be easier to find work after we leave the academy, won't it?"
"Third Senior Brother, thanks for thinking of me, but I'd rather not go."
Li Yuan was eager to break through and had no interest in playing along with him.
Zhao Qin tried to persuade him several times, but Li Yuan refused. Finally, he said, "Junior Brother Lin comes from a different background. Don't take all those rules and formalities to heart."
Li Yuan smiled. "I understand. Don't put yourself in an awkward position, Senior Brother Zhao. I'm not interested in socializing anyway. I'd rather spend the time practicing a few more sets."
Seeing that Li Yuan truly didn't mind, Zhao Qin relaxed and patted him on the shoulder. "All right, then. You carry on. I'll head back."
After Zhao Qin left, Li Yuan gathered his thoughts and focused all his attention on his fist technique.
The image of a fierce tiger descending the mountain rose in his mind, and a ferocious intent welled up inside him.
"Roar!" A faint tiger's growl escaped Li Yuan's throat.
This time, everything felt different. His qi and blood seemed to have caught fire, surging and roaring as they melded perfectly with his punches.
With every punch, his muscles and bones seemed to ring in unison, and his strength flowed through him without the slightest trace of the sluggishness he'd felt before.
One set, two sets, three...
Sweat soaked his clothes, but he paid it no mind. He only felt his qi and blood growing hotter and his fist technique growing smoother.
Finally, just as he was finishing a set—he couldn't remember how many he'd done—a soft boom sounded in Li Yuan's mind, as though some kind of shackle had broken.
He slowly lowered his fists and let out a long breath of stale air.
With a thought, the panel appeared.
[Art: Five Animals Tiger Form Fist (Minor Mastery)] [Progress: 20/1000 points] [Effect: Strengthens muscles and bones; greatly increases strength] ... [Art: Five Animals Stance Technique (Minor Mastery)] [Progress: 330/1000 points] [Effect: Refines qi and blood; gathers force at the fingertips] [Notice: Heaven Rewards Diligence. As long as you put in the effort, you will be rewarded.]
He'd broken through! Tiger Form Fist had officially reached minor mastery!
A heartfelt joy surged through him.
Li Yuan clenched his fist, feeling the increased strength in his body and the way his qi and blood now flowed with greater ease. His confidence soared.
He could tell he was now close to the middle stage of the Ox Skin Realm in terms of qi and blood.
And he'd reached minor mastery in one fist technique in just over half a month. That was an impressive pace.
Even Second Senior Sister Liu Yan and Third Senior Brother Zhao Qin had been practicing for years, yet they'd only reached major mastery in two fist techniques.
Some formal disciples had practiced for over half a year without reaching minor mastery in even one fist technique.
With Tiger Form Fist at minor mastery, he was more than capable of securing a place among his peers.
Li Yuan felt invigorated. He stopped practicing, changed into clean clothes, and left the Five Animals Academy.
He decided to treat himself.
He hadn't gone far when he spotted Chicken Brother at a street corner.
Not long ago, Chicken Brother had enrolled at a martial arts school a few streets away from Li Yuan's.
That school taught Iron Sand Palm.
"Chicken Brother!"
After his breakthrough, Li Yuan's voice was a little louder, too.
Chicken Brother turned at the sound. When he saw Li Yuan, he broke into a smile. "Brother Yuan! Hahaha, what a happy occasion!"
The moment Chicken Brother saw Li Yuan, he grinned from ear to ear.
"Oh? What's the good news?" Li Yuan raised an eyebrow. He hadn't even had a chance to celebrate yet.
"Wahaha! You know that hoodlum Yan Xiang, the one who was always collecting protection money at the market?"
"The kid offended someone and went to apologize, but the guy wouldn't accept it. He beat him to death and left him lying in the house for days. He was crawling with maggots!"
Li Yuan laughed when he heard that.
"Good riddance!"
"Come on, it's a double celebration today. I'll treat you to chicken butts!"
Chicken Brother's eyes lit up. "Now you're talking! I'll make sure you pay through the nose today."
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