Night fell, and the cold wind howled.
Inside the shabby house, a family of three sat around the candlelight.
"Nannan... Are the vegetable pancakes good?"
Lu Yuan asked with a smile as Nannan sat there, clutching a vegetable pancake and devouring it.
On his way back, he had bought candles, a bag of coarse grains, and several wild-vegetable pancakes.
The coarse grains, mixed with wild vegetables and boiled into gruel, along with the vegetable pancakes, still couldn't be called a feast, but they were at least edible. Madam Yang no longer had to dig up Guanyin Clay or make meat soup just to fill their stomachs.
Besides, this was only the beginning. He believed things would get better and better!
"Good... good!"
Nannan's little head bobbed up and down without stopping.
"Xiao Yuan, are you really planning to practice martial arts?"
Madam Yang didn't ask where Lu Yuan had gotten the money to buy all this. Instead, she asked about his plans to practice martial arts.
"Mm. Only martial arts can change everything and let you and Nannan live a better life!"
Lu Yuan answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Don't push yourself. If you can't do it, just come back!"
After a brief silence, Madam Yang said.
"I understand!"
Lu Yuan smiled and nodded.
The next morning, at dawn.
Lu Yuan had barely stepped out of the house when he saw Fang Chang waiting outside.
Clearly, this fellow was even more eager than he was to head to Song Academy.
The two didn't dawdle. They jogged all the way to the entrance of Song Academy.
As if he had expected them to arrive at this hour, the gray-robed old man appeared at the gate just then.
The two said nothing, simply bowing and clasping their fists in greeting.
"Come in!"
The gray-robed old man nodded slightly at them and spoke.
The two exchanged a glance, then walked into the courtyard, hearts brimming with anticipation.
Inside, they could see wooden posts, stone locks, and other training equipment.
Two or three dozen boys about their age were already working hard at their drills, the place alive with activity.
Clearly, the two of them weren't the only ones practicing martial arts at Song Academy.
"Chen Pi, come teach him."
The gray-robed old man beckoned to a tall, lean boy, then pointed at Lu Yuan.
"Yes, sir!"
The tall, lean boy named Chen Pi strode over to Lu Yuan.
"Come with me."
The gray-robed old man turned to Fang Chang with a smile.
"Looks like Brother Hong's about to have a rival."
Watching Fang Chang follow the gray-robed old man toward the Inner Courtyard, Chen Pi remarked with a curious look in his eyes.
"My name's Chen Pi. What's yours?"
Turning around, Chen Pi asked Lu Yuan.
"Lu Yuan!"
Lu Yuan smiled.
"Then I'll call you Yuan."
Chen Pi smiled and nodded. Then he said, "Yuan, I'll teach you the Five Animals Fist now. Watch closely."
"The Five Animals Fist is a genuine Yellow Grade technique, consisting of two parts: stance training and breathing methods. The stance training has thirty movements in total, divided into six movements each for Bear Stance, Tiger Stance, Ape Stance, Crane Stance, and Deer Stance, along with a corresponding breathing method for each."
"This is Bear Stance. It emphasizes steadiness and solidity. The breathing method requires you to..."
"This is Ape Stance. It emphasizes agility and adaptability. Its breathing method, however, uses..."
"This is Deer Stance. It emphasizes..."
Chen Pi demonstrated each move as he explained it in detail.
It was clear that he had already become quite proficient in the Five Animals Fist.
"Yuan... have you memorized it?"
After demonstrating the whole routine, Chen Pi wiped the sweat from his brow and asked Lu Yuan.
"Whether I've memorized it doesn't matter. I think my cheat's finally arrived!"
Of course, Lu Yuan couldn't say that aloud. He had discovered that an Ancient Scroll had suddenly unfolded in his mind.
Two lines of golden text appeared on the scroll.
[Practice Makes Perfect (Perseverance, the more you practice, the faster you improve, and success is assured)] [Five Animals Fist: Not Yet Initiated (1/100)]
Was this the late-but-never-missing perk of a transmigrator, a cheat that could defy fate?
If so, didn't that mean that practicing the Five Animals Fist would guarantee success—and that he would get faster the more he trained?
Without another moment's hesitation, Lu Yuan began practicing just as Chen Pi had shown him.
At first, he looked terribly clumsy, drawing plenty of laughter.
But before long, he began to look like he knew what he was doing.
Though he was already panting and his whole body ached as if every muscle were sore, he still forced himself to keep going.
Once he had completed the Five Animals Fist routine, the golden text in his mind changed as well.
[Five Animals Fist: Not Yet Initiated (2/100)]
Lu Yuan was instantly brimming with motivation. He couldn't help starting another round right away.
[Five Animals Fist: Not Yet Initiated (5/100)]
Sure enough, after he finished this round, his proficiency had risen again—and by three points this time. Wasn't that exactly what it meant to get faster the more he practiced?
Just as Lu Yuan was about to do it once more, he suddenly felt not only sore all over, but dizzy and lightheaded too.
"Your body's too weak. Being able to practice twice in one day is already pretty good. Besides, Master Song didn't take a special interest in you, which clearly means your bones aren't any better than the rest of ours. You won't be able to master the Five Animals Fist and become a true External Energy Realm martial artist in a short time. There's no need to rush."
Chen Pi glanced at Lu Yuan and shook his head slightly. "You probably won't manage a third round today. For now, twice a day is the most you can do. If you force yourself to train, you'll only damage your body. It'll do more harm than good."
"Brother Chen Pi, could you tell me more about External Energy Realm martial artists?"
Lu Yuan really wanted to try the Five Animals Fist one more time and test his theory, but he knew his own body well enough. So, curious, he asked.
"Once you've mastered the Five Animals Fist, you can begin cultivating and tempering your blood qi. When the blood qi in your body reaches a certain level, you can undergo your first Blood Qi Tempering. If you succeed, you can unleash Bright Energy and become a true Bright Energy Realm martial artist!"
Chen Pi explained with a smile, not holding anything back. "But people with mediocre bones like us have, at best, a two- or three-in-ten chance of succeeding. If you fail, your blood qi will scatter. You'll have to cultivate and temper it all over again before you can try Blood Qi Tempering a second time!"
"Haste won't cook a hot meal. Martial arts take years of steady work. You have to study hard and train relentlessly with Perseverance. Unless you have exceptional bones or a powerful family backing you, all you can do is grind away, drop by drop."
Chen Pi gently patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder, then shook his head and walked back with a sigh.
Clearly, he lamented that he had neither exceptional bones nor a family powerful enough to support him.
"Maybe other people really do have to train hard, with no shortcuts. Even if they put in the effort, they can still hit bottlenecks and fail. But I'm different. I've got a cheat!"
A dazzling light seemed to shine in Lu Yuan's eyes. He felt more motivated than ever.
Practice Makes Perfect: the more you train, the faster you improve, and success is assured.
As long as he practiced, he was guaranteed to succeed—and he would only get faster.
"Yuan, I'm really happy today! I'll treat you to a good meal, and I've got some amazing news to tell you while we're at it. Hehehe!"
Just then, Fang Chang came rushing out of the Inner Courtyard, beaming with excitement.
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