Minor Accomplishment, Pressure

[Five Animals Fist Beginner (197/200)]

After finishing his training, Lu Yuan wiped the sweat from his brow while checking the Ancient Scroll in his mind.

He discovered that his proficiency had actually reached 197, just 3 points shy of breaking through to the Minor Accomplishment stage.

This left him somewhat speechless; what would it have hurt to just give him those extra 3 points?

"I'll just have to wait until tomorrow!"

Lu Yuan assessed his current physical state and realized he clearly lacked the stamina to practice the Five Animals Fist again.

If he forced it, not only would it lead to severe physical depletion, but it might also damage his foundation—a loss that outweighed any gain. It wasn't worth it.

Just as Chen Pi had said before, martial arts was a process of accumulation over time; there was no need to rush.

Besides, he only had to wait one more night; he would reach his goal smoothly tomorrow morning.

Since he couldn't practice any further, Lu Yuan had no intention of lingering, so he turned and walked out of Song Academy.

He had earned three taels and two mace of silver yesterday. While it might not be enough to afford medicinal soups, it was certainly enough to treat himself to some meat for dinner.

Even if he couldn't fully recover, he could afford to wait one night.

Even setting aside his training, improving his diet was still quite necessary.

"That guy Lu Yuan is not only physically weak, but he also seems unable to endure the hardships of training. I'm afraid he'll lose his spot in the top three during the next assessment!"

Seeing Lu Yuan leave, Chen Pi couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

With the help of the meat provided at noon, if he gritted his teeth, he should have been able to squeeze in at least one or two extra sessions of the Five Animals Fist today.

Yet, Lu Yuan had only practiced twice before leaving.

While it was true that martial arts required daily accumulation, one also had to possess Perseverance and practice with diligent effort!

"Two sessions a day—even with the help of free meat, he's nothing to worry about!"

Chen Yong felt a sense of relief.

A guy who couldn't even endure a little hardship wasn't worth his attention.

As long as he shed more sweat and persisted with three, or even four sessions a day, he would surely knock Lu Yuan off that third-place spot in ten days.

The others felt much the same; as long as they worked harder, even if they couldn't surpass Wu Yu in first place or Chen Pi in second, they would certainly be able to overtake Lu Yuan in third.

On his way home, Lu Yuan not only bought some fine grain and white flour but also a few catties of pork.

Passing through the bustling market, he also bought a candied hawthorn skewer for Little Nannan.

"Why are you spending money so recklessly today?"

Madam Yang looked at Lu Yuan with concern, as if afraid he had gone down a crooked path.

"Don't worry, I've made progress in my martial arts training; this was all earned through my own ability!"

Lu Yuan smiled and said directly.

He didn't gamble or steal; it was earned by killing two heinous gang thugs, so it was naturally his own ability.

Madam Yang said no more, picked up the rice, flour, and meat, and went to the stove to get busy.

"Nannan, is the candied hawthorn good?"

Lu Yuan picked up Little Nannan and asked with a smile.

"So good... the hawthorn is sour, but the sugar is sweet, both sour and sweet... so good!"

Little Nannan nodded her head repeatedly, her eyes crinkling into thin lines as she smiled.

"Then Brother will buy you more next time!"

Lu Yuan rubbed Little Nannan's small head and laughed.

"Brother is the best, thank you, Brother!"

Nannan laughed and planted a firm kiss on Lu Yuan's cheek.

After playing with Little Nannan for a while, Madam Yang brought the meal over.

After a satisfying and hearty meal, they each went to rest.

Although Lu Yuan could clearly feel that his physical strength had recovered significantly after the meal, he knew that he was about to push for the Minor Accomplishment stage of the Five Animals Fist, which would consume even more energy.

To ensure nothing went wrong, it was better to rest for the night and fully restore his spirit and stamina first.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo~"

As the rooster crowed, dawn broke.

Grabbing two steamed buns stuffed with leftover meat, Lu Yuan hurried toward Song Academy.

Although he could practice at home, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he preferred to go to Song Academy and train alongside the others.

Moreover, he naturally could not miss out on the daily serving of free meat.

It was not just Lu Yuan; Wu Yu, Chen Pi, and the others had all arrived at Song Academy early as well.

Without excessive pleasantries, everyone quickly entered a state of cultivation.

Lu Yuan was no exception; after setting his stance, he continued starting from the Bear Form Stance.

As time passed, the Tiger Form Stance, Ape Form Stance, and Deer Form Stake were completed one after another.

Finally, with the conclusion of the last movement of the Crane Form Stake, Lu Yuan had once again completed a full practice of the Five Animals Fist.

[Five Animals Fist Minor Accomplishment (82/1000)]

There were no particularly obvious anomalies; as if it were the natural result of accumulated effort, the Five Animals Fist reached the realm of Minor Accomplishment.

Lu Yuan could feel that the blood-energy within his body had not only increased from three strands to ten, but they had also intertwined into a single wisp, flowing ceaselessly through his body.

Although this wisp of blood-energy was not yet enough to assist him in his first blood-energy tempering, it allowed him to unleash even greater strength.

Even without erupting his blood-energy, his current strength should be at least two hundred jin.

If he were to fully erupt it, reaching a strength of two hundred and thirty jin should be no problem at all.

Most importantly, although the proficiency cap had jumped to 1000 after reaching Minor Accomplishment, based on the proficiency gained from each practice session, it would still only take a few more days for him to reach Great Accomplishment.

By then, when he performed his first blood-energy tempering, his success rate would surely be much higher.

"That's great, I've finally entered the threshold! Two months, two whole months, I've finally sensed the blood-energy!"

At this moment, someone suddenly cheered with great surprise.

"So fast?"

Many people could not help but cast envious glances.

Although they had been practicing the Five Animals Fist for anywhere from ten days to half a month, or even two or three months for some, no one had yet successfully entered the threshold. They had all assumed their progress was similar, yet they did not expect someone to beat them to it today.

Lu Yuan also looked over with a strange expression; this person was neither the top-ranked Wu Yu nor the second-ranked Chen Pi, but a short-haired youth named Gu Ming who usually preferred to keep to himself.

For a time, some people cupped their fists in congratulations, while others stepped forward to curry favor and get close.

However, most of the others, including Wu Yu and Chen Pi, acted as if they had been injected with adrenaline, crazily continuing their cultivation.

"It seems I need to find a way to speed up my progress as well!"

Lu Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly, as he felt a hint of pressure.

He had only just reached Minor Accomplishment in the Five Animals Fist, yet someone had already entered the threshold; clearly, he had to work even harder.

However, his physical energy was basically exhausted now. Even if he ate that portion of meat at noon, he would likely need to rest for a long time to fully recover, and he probably wouldn't be able to continue training in the afternoon.

It was fortunate that he hadn't rushed to reach Minor Accomplishment last night, or he might have truly caused a severe depletion of his body.

It seemed that going forward, without the assistance of medicinal soups or even Rejuvenation Pills, his cultivation progress would definitely be greatly affected.

"Make money... I must find a way to make money as soon as possible!"