Vitality is a Fierce Tiger, Li Qianqian's Goodwill? Practicing Tough Body Techniques, Buying Meat from Yan Kai

"Senior Brother Li, you jest. I've only just joined the Fist Academy; how could I possibly have cultivated blood-qi?"

Shi Wen shook his head, denying it outright.

This allowed Li Tiezhu to heave a sigh of relief, attributing everything to Shi Wen's natural aptitude. "Junior Brother Shi, your comprehension is truly high, it's just a pity your family background is so thin."

"The early stages of training are fine, but once you find that sensation of tempering your blood-qi, that is when the truly deadly part begins."

"Eating your fill and having meat at every meal is only the bare minimum. If conditions allow, you need to buy meat from exotic beasts, eating it every few days to nourish your body, and purchase blood-nourishing and bone-strengthening medicines to boil into soups. You must consume these potent supplements to ensure your foundation is sufficient."

"Blood-qi is like a tiger; it can harm others, but it can also harm yourself!"

"When I first arrived, I heard of an Outer Courtyard senior brother, someone from a humble background like us, who damaged his foundation while forcing a breakthrough..."

As he spoke, a look of deep worry appeared on Li Tiezhu's face.

He was approaching that stage himself, and having prepared for so long, he truly didn't know what he would do if he failed to break through to the Blood-Tempering Realm.

Li Tiezhu looked at the silent Shi Wen and sighed, "It's a pity, Junior Brother Shi. With your high aptitude and fierce training, if you had the resources, you would certainly be able to hone your blood-qi. It's a shame the seniors didn't choose you yesterday."

"Perhaps this is just fate."

Shi Wen shook his head, sensing the blood-qi that had grown slightly stronger from his morning efforts, and also wore an expression of regret.

"Junior Brother Li, I'm heading to the Boat Gang to stand guard tomorrow. I'll see if I can beg a position for you then; it's just too much of a waste for you to be here."

Li Tiezhu shook his head, his face full of melancholy.

With Shi Wen's aptitude, if his foundation were solid, he might truly have been able to hone his blood-qi within two months.

After a while, Li Tiezhu left.

Shi Wen said nothing, focusing solely on his training.

When noon arrived, he went to eat, consuming five large bowls of rice in a row, leaving those around him dumbfounded.

Noticing the odd looks, Shi Wen silently set down his bowl and chopsticks.

He returned to a corner of the Outer Courtyard to chew on dried meat, resting for a moment before continuing his training.

He didn't sleep at all throughout the afternoon. When Li Qianqian came to distribute the medicinal soup, he downed ten bowls in succession, stunning the other Outer Courtyard disciples waiting in line.

Did this poor kid think that since he couldn't break through to the Blood-Tempering Realm, he should eat enough now to get his money's worth?

Even Li Qianqian was stunned. She coughed lightly and said, "Junior Brother Li, although you paid the fee and the soup is unlimited, drinking it like this isn't right. Too much won't nourish you; it will only harm your body!"

"My apologies, Senior Sister."

Shi Wen turned and left, feeling sheepish.

In truth, he had discovered that after becoming a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist, the medicinal soup had lost its effect on him.

He no longer felt that lingering sense of rejuvenation that a single bowl used to provide.

He had just wanted to see how many bowls it would take to be useful.

As it turned out, it wasn't even as good as a piece of dried meat.

Watching Shi Wen's lonely figure as he walked away, Li Qianqian felt a twinge of guilt.

He had indeed paid the fee, and when he did, he had specifically asked if it was truly unlimited.

She had nodded, and the youth had paid with such joy.

But now...

Recalling how Shi Wen had never slacked off since joining the Fist Academy, always being the last to leave and even helping her tidy up the equipment, Li Qianqian lowered her eyelids slightly and made a silent decision.

So, the medicinal soup really is useless for the Blood-Tempering Realm. No wonder no other martial artists drink it.

Once you hone your blood-qi, that's when the real spending begins.

Although I don't need to rest for a long time after basic training like before, the consumption of physical strength while circulating blood-qi during continuous training is immense. I must consume dried meat or Blood-Nourishing Paste to maintain my bodily functions.

Martial arts really is a bottomless pit!

Shi Wen sat under a tree, silently staring at his palm.

[Extreme Seal]

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Minor Achievement (9/100), Trait: Penetrating Momentum]

[Iron Whip Leg: Not Initiated (0/1)]

"Let's try practicing the Iron Whip Leg first."

Shi Wen found an unused wooden stake, brought it to a spot in the Outer Courtyard where a banyan tree blocked everyone's view, set it up, and assumed his stance to begin training.

The training method for the Iron Whip Leg was truly simple.

It was a form of hard-body training that relied on day-after-day tempering to force the legs to hone blood-qi.

The early stages involved kicking sandbags and wooden stakes, rubbing them with sand, and striking them with wooden sticks. The middle and later stages involved kicking iron stakes, daily grinding of the legs with iron sand, and striking the legs with iron rods, choosing one as the primary method of tempering.

In addition to this, there was a set of simple, rapid-sprinting, and force-generating footwork.

It hardens the legs while tempering the blood and qi!

Logically speaking, one must use medicinal baths daily after leg training to prevent the accumulation of hidden injuries.

Unfortunately, the sheepskin scroll contained no such records.

However, he possessed the Extreme Seal; he only needed to increase his proficiency to achieve perfect improvement, with no need to worry about old wounds or hidden ailments!

The force-generating method of the Iron Whip Leg was somewhat similar to the Baji Fist Introductory Foundation, emphasizing the rotation of the waist and the thrust of the hips to channel power into the legs. It was characterized by high speed and explosive power.

As for the techniques, they were truly few in number.

There were only three moves.

The first move, Mountain Splitting Leg, required one to sink their weight, store power in the waist and hips, and then lift the iron leg to unleash an explosive downward chop capable of snapping stone tablets!

The second move, Lightning Chop, emphasized swift and fierce momentum. The first two kicks were feints aimed at the knees or lower back, while the final kick was the true strike, concentrating the body's entire power into a single blow aimed at the head, capable of shattering boulders!

The final move, Chain Leg, targeted five directions—upper, middle, lower, front, and back. It was a versatile move for daily combat; while it appeared ordinary, it was highly deceptive. Its multi-angle attacks were not only unpredictable but could be unleashed in a continuous, unbroken stream.

If one failed to find a way to break it in a short time, they would likely end up with every bone in their body shattered by the Chain Leg!

The techniques were few, but they were concise and effective, compensating for his lack of long-range offensive capabilities.

Following this, Shi Wen practiced the footwork according to his memory, kicking the wooden stake five hundred times with each leg and drilling the techniques.

After an hour of exploration, he finally brought this hard-body technique to the introductory level.

[Iron Whip Leg: Introductory (1/30)]

In an instant, a surge of memory flooded Shi Wen's mind, and a warm current flowed through his legs.

He looked down and saw that the skin on his shins had become tougher, resembling calluses formed from long-term training, and his muscle definition had become more pronounced.

Information regarding the footwork, force-generating methods, and the three killing moves surged through his mind.

This deepened his understanding of the Iron Whip Leg significantly.

BOOM!

Shi Wen unleashed a Mountain Splitting Leg against the wooden stake, and the stake cracked upon impact.

For this kick, he had not used any blood or qi, employing only about eighty percent of his strength.

If I were to unleash a full-power Chain Leg, even without using blood or qi, I would likely be able to snap this wooden stake in two.

Shi Wen observed the stake at close range, a flash of surprise crossing his brow.

The Cypress Stake had been specially treated; it was difficult to split even with a blade, yet his kick had managed to crack it.

If he were using the Baji Fist Foundation, he would likely have to use his Heart-Piercing Elbow—the hardest part of his body—to generate enough explosive force to crack it.

Indeed, heroes under the heavens are as numerous as carp crossing a river. No person or martial art should be underestimated. There are only weak practitioners, never weak martial arts!

None of those who can become martial artists are simple characters.

Shi Wen pondered, his gaze shifting to the Extreme Seal.

The requirements for reaching the Minor Success stage of the Iron Whip Leg were lower than those for the foundation techniques; he only needed to practice it 30 times to reach Minor Success.

It would be better to bring the Iron Whip Leg to Minor Success over these next two days.

Then, he could return to practicing the foundation techniques.

After all, the foundation techniques were difficult to master in a short time.

If he could bring the Iron Whip Leg to Minor Success first, perhaps two martial arts at the Minor Success stage would allow his blood and qi to grow even stronger.

"Junior Brother Shi, what are you doing?" Suddenly, the voice of Li Tiezhu came from behind him.

"I noticed this wooden stake cracked."

Shi Wen pointed to the mark on the Cypress Stake. Li Tiezhu leaned in to look, and sure enough, he found a crack the size of a palm. He dismissed it carelessly, "So many people train here every day, exposed to the wind and sun; it's normal for it to crack after a long time."

"That's true."

"By the way, Junior Brother Shi, weren't you looking for Senior Brother Yan? He just came by earlier and is in the Inner Courtyard," Li Tiezhu mentioned.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Li."

Shi Wen chatted with Li Tiezhu for a while.

He then went to wait outside the Inner Courtyard, waiting for a short while.

Yan Kai emerged with several other Inner Courtyard disciples.

These individuals were Sun Mingting, Zhou Heling, Wei Shan, and Qin Huan. They left in a group, clearly intending to carry out some sort of major task.

"Junior Brother Shi, do you have something you need from me?"

Yan Kai was somewhat surprised.

He said a few words to the others before walking over to a tree with Shi Wen, asking curiously, "Junior Brother Shi, what is it you need today?"

"Senior Brother Yan, it is like this: I would like to purchase more beast meat."

Shi Wen stated his purpose directly.

He had taken a simple stroll this morning, and Senior Brother Yan was indeed correct; the exotic beast meat sold here was of high quality and reasonably priced.

"So that's how it is." Yan Kai chuckled and said, "Junior Brother, you're still looking to buy Stone Raw Meat, right? How many catties do you intend to buy this time?"

"That's right, Stone Raw Meat. I'll take 150 catties." Shi Wen nodded.

Yan Kai was just about to agree with a smile, but as the realization hit him, his expression immediately shifted to one of shock. "150 catties of Stone Raw Meat? Junior Brother, you aren't joking with me, are you?"

This sum of money was nothing to him.

But how could Shi Wen possibly come up with such an amount?

Could it be...

Yan Kai's gaze shifted slightly.

Shi Wen asked, "Senior Brother, can you procure it?"

"I can certainly get it, but since you need such a large quantity, it won't be at the previous price." Yan Kai said calmly, "I suggest that instead of spending that money on Stone Raw Meat, you might as well buy higher-quality exotic beast meat."

"Higher-quality exotic beast meat is not only more satiating, but more importantly, it offers stronger nourishing effects and is also very easy to resell."

"My family's merchant guild also has products tailored for more demanding martial artists."

"The exotic beast meat with the best reputation and highest sales volume on the market is Red Python Meat. It comes from a beast deep in the mountains and is prepared using a large amount of precious medicinal herbs and special techniques. It is not only filling but also nourishes the tendons, bones, and physique, while moistening the blood and qi. Even martial artists in the Blood-Coagulation Realm use Red Python Meat."

"As for medicine, I recommend Blood Strengthening Powder."

"Blood Strengthening Powder is also prepared from various expensive herbs combined with the tendons and bones of fierce beasts. It is an excellent medicine for daily physical nourishment and preventing the decline of blood and qi!"

Subsequently, Yan Kai introduced other exotic beast meats promoted by his family's guild.

However, compared to the two he had just mentioned, they were either far inferior or prohibitively expensive.

"Senior Brother Yan, how much do the Red Python Meat and Blood Strengthening Powder cost respectively?"

Shi Wen asked out of curiosity, and upon learning the prices, he couldn't help but click his tongue.

Red Python Meat had a market price of 28 guan per catty, and Yan Kai was offering it to him for 25 guan.

Blood Strengthening Powder was 10 guan per dose, and he was selling it to him for 8 guan.

These were the lowest possible prices, the kind that could stand up to any comparison.

"Senior Brother, I would like to buy 8 catties of Red Python Meat and 10 doses of Blood Strengthening Powder. Sorry for the trouble."

Shi Wen pulled a money pouch from his basket and handed it to Yan Kai.

Yan Kai counted it and found an extra tael of silver; this time, he didn't say anything, simply taking charge of the matter.

As he turned to leave, he suddenly stopped and said with profound meaning, "Junior Brother Shi, there won't be a price like this next time you buy exotic beast meat. Make sure to tell whoever you're buying this for."

Shi Wen was slightly stunned, then cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks, Senior Brother Yan."

Yan Kai said nothing more and turned back to rejoin the line.