Great Accomplishment, Qi and Blood Body Tempering

Lu Yuan did not delay, immediately following along to practice.

[Five Animals Fist Minor Accomplishment (275/1000)]

Over half an hour later, as Lu Yuan finished a complete cycle of the Five Animals Fist, his proficiency changed once again.

Not only that, but the blood and qi within his body had clearly increased by another three strands, though the cost was that his body felt almost completely hollowed out once more.

Consequently, the following period saw everyone else continuing to toil away in bitter cultivation, while only Lu Yuan sat to the side, resting leisurely.

The others were clearly accustomed to this by now, continuing to focus on their own diligent efforts.

During the lunch break, many gathered together to chat.

The few newcomers who had arrived were mostly poor youths from humble backgrounds who could not afford proper martial arts schools.

Someone asked them why they had come to practice martial arts.

"I don't want to be bullied anymore, so I have to practice and become strong!"

"Martial artists can earn more money, so my parents and siblings can all have enough to eat!"

"I practice martial arts because I want to be a cut above the rest, step by step, climbing to the very top!"

In truth, the reasons everyone came to practice martial arts were largely the same.

Either they wanted to become stronger to stop being bullied, or they wanted to rise above the common masses.

However, the difficulty of the martial path meant that hard work alone was far from enough.

Setting aside the chasm of innate talent, which was nearly impossible to bridge, the sheer cost of the silver required was enough to stop the vast majority of people from ever crossing the threshold in their lifetimes.

Those familiar faces who had stopped showing up had likely chosen to give up for this very reason.

Either they could no longer produce the one tael of tuition required each month, or they could no longer sustain the physical consumption needed for training.

Whether it was the former or the latter, it ultimately boiled down to a lack of silver, leaving them unable to continue.

After finishing his portion of meat, Lu Yuan left directly once again.

"Why does he leave so early every day?"

Seeing Lu Yuan depart alone, a newcomer asked out of curiosity.

"Don't worry about him. In a few more days, you won't even see him anymore!"

"It's such a waste to give him that daily portion of free meat!"

Wang Er, Zhu Ba, and the others all spoke with visible resentment.

If that free meat were given to them, combined with their diligent training, they would have likely mastered the Five Animals Fist long ago.

Without paying him much more mind, the group rested for a moment before continuing to pour out their sweat.

Cultivation knows no time; the days passed in a blur.

Three days went by in the blink of an eye.

Over these past three days, Lu Yuan had essentially arrived at Song Academy each morning to practice the Five Animals Fist once.

After finishing his free portion of meat at noon, he would leave immediately.

Although he still hadn't found a suitable way to earn money, his progress remained impressively rapid.

[Five Animals Fist Minor Accomplishment (889/1000)]

Judging by his proficiency, Lu Yuan only needed to practice one more time today to likely bring the Five Animals Fist to Great Accomplishment.

"Ah Yuan, you only practice the Five Animals Fist once a day; it's really hurting your progress. Among all the seniors, not only have Wu Yu and I mastered the Five Animals Fist, but even Chen Yong and the others managed to master it yesterday."

Chen Pi glanced at Lu Yuan, who had arrived late again, and couldn't help but advise him: "If you don't work harder, you definitely won't be able to keep your third-place spot during the assessment in three days. If you lose the support of the free meat, your cultivation progress will be even more severely impacted."

"Brother Chen Pi, I understand!"

Lu Yuan nodded with a smile; he naturally knew that Chen Pi meant well.

It was just that his daily recovery rate could only support him practicing once in the morning and once in the evening at most.

After each session, although there was clear progress, he felt as if his entire body had been hollowed out, entering a state of total exhaustion that made a second session in a short window nearly impossible.

Unless he ate three large meals of meat a day, or even had medicinal soups to assist him, practicing three times or more was simply not feasible.

"Chen Pi, there's no point in saying all that to him; just let him be!"

"Exactly, if he doesn't want to strive, no matter how much we say, it's useless!"

"It's better if he doesn't work hard. During the assessment in three days, we'll at least have a chance to fight for third place!"

Lu Yuan turned a deaf ear to these discussions.

He was here to practice martial arts and make himself strong, not to socialize.

In this world, it wasn't human relationships that mattered, but the strength of one's fists.

Without delay, Lu Yuan began his own practice.

After more than an hour, the five stance exercises were completed one after another.

[Five Animals Fist Mastery (7/10000)]

Almost at the same time, the proficiency level had changed.

This marked that Lu Yuan had successfully cultivated the Five Animals Fist to the stage of mastery.

It was not just a change in proficiency; he also gained a deeper understanding and insight into the Five Animals Fist.

The blood and qi within his body had surged directly to three strands.

"My strength should now have reached at least three hundred jin. If I were to erupt with these three strands of blood and qi, I fear that even breaking four hundred jin would be no problem at all."

Lu Yuan carefully sensed the changes in his body, and a trace of joy could not help but rise in his heart.

Beyond strength, his speed, reaction time, and other aspects had inevitably seen significant enhancement.

Most importantly, he could finally begin his first blood and qi body tempering.

However, Lu Yuan did not rush to start the tempering; he wanted to wait until his state had fully recovered.

After finishing his portion of meat for lunch, he left once again.

The others continued to train arduously, making a final sprint for the assessment in three days.

After an afternoon of recuperation, combined with two consecutive meat-heavy meals, Lu Yuan's state had finally returned to its peak.

"Then... let's begin!"

Without hesitation, Lu Yuan took his stance, adjusted his breathing, and began to guide the three strands of blood and qi within him to circulate throughout his body.

Wherever the blood and qi passed, a faint, burning sensation followed.

Over and over again, his flesh and blood were continuously scoured, and his tendons and bones seemed to emit crackling sounds in response.

As time passed, Lu Yuan felt a sense of obstruction.

He knew that the blood and qi body tempering had reached its most critical moment.

Without a shred of hesitation, he guided all his blood and qi to launch a final charge.

His flesh trembled, and his blood and qi boiled.

He did not know how much time had passed, but Lu Yuan felt as if his entire body had been thoroughly cleared.

The blood and qi within him seemed to be cheering and leaping, circulating ceaselessly without any obstruction.

At this moment, Lu Yuan discovered that his five senses had become even sharper.

The chirping of insects outside the house was not only clearer, but he felt as if he could even tell which brick crevice the insect was hiding under based on the sound.

Looking up, although he could not yet see in the dark, he could take in everything within ten paces.

"The first blood and qi body tempering, it's a success!"

Lu Yuan could not help but feel invigorated. In less than half a month, he had not only cultivated the Five Animals Fist to mastery but had also completed his first blood and qi body tempering, becoming a true External Strength martial artist.

"Pa! Pa! Pa..."

Stepping into the courtyard, Lu Yuan threw a few casual punches.

The wind from his fists produced crisp sounds, as if tearing the very air apart.

The next moment, Lu Yuan violently swung his fist toward a wooden stake.

As his blood and qi circulated rapidly, a condensed force erupted.

"Bang!"