Sure enough, things were just as Lu Yuan had expected.
Although he had received another portion of meat at noon, even after eating it, he still couldn't recover quickly enough to practice the Five Animals Fist again.
He estimated he would need at least the whole afternoon to recover completely.
That meant Lu Yuan had the afternoon free.
He couldn't continue practicing, but it seemed he had time to earn money.
He could spend the afternoon earning money, then practice the Five Animals Fist once more at home that night, barely maintaining a pace of twice a day.
And that was only because he had just reached minor mastery of the Five Animals Fist. Once he reached major mastery or perfection, each session would nourish more blood qi, but it would also consume more. If he couldn't replenish it quickly, his body might even suffer severe depletion.
By then, he might not be able to keep up twice-a-day practice, or even once a day.
And to replenish what he used up quickly, ordinary meat probably wouldn't be enough. He would need proper quantities of meat, or even medicinal broth and Rejuvenation Pills. One could imagine how much silver that would cost.
That was the way of the world: books were for the poor, martial arts for the rich.
Practicing martial arts required not only diligence and hard work, but also a steady stream of money.
Yet in this day and age, ordinary people who wanted to earn money had few options beyond taking the crooked path or doing backbreaking labor. The work was exhausting, and at best it earned them a little money to fill their bellies.
But although Lu Yuan had yet to complete his first Blood Qi Tempering and couldn't summon Bright Energy, he had already reached minor mastery of the Five Animals Fist. That made him a true martial artist.
His strength, speed, and reflexes were all far beyond those of ordinary people.
If he had to deal with those two Black Tiger Gang thugs again, he wouldn't even need to rely on lime powder. He could take them down with ease.
After all, although the Five Animals Fist was really just an internal cultivation method and couldn't compare in lethality to true offensive techniques, as long as one was strong enough and fast enough, one could still kill a man with a casual blow.
It was safe to say that even if he went to do manual labor, he could do the work of several ordinary strongmen by himself.
Of course, he hadn't taken up martial arts so he could sell his strength and keep living like a beast of burden.
Manual labor didn't earn much. He probably wouldn't even make enough to cover what he consumed each day.
"With my current strength, I should have no trouble taking a position at an escort agency and accompanying caravans, or working as a bodyguard for a wealthy family. But it seems those jobs still pay too slowly!"
Lu Yuan made his way outside, mulling it over.
Besides, whether he took a position escorting caravans or became a bodyguard, he wouldn't have much time left to practice.
He might earn money, but it would greatly hinder his progress in cultivation. It simply wasn't worth it.
What he needed most right now was a way to make a lot of money quickly without consuming too much of his time.
"At this rate, it won't be long before we stop seeing A-Yuan at Song Academy!"
Seeing that Lu Yuan had practiced for only one morning, then left as soon as he'd eaten the free meat, Chen Pi couldn't help sighing and shaking his head.
Life took all kinds of forms, and everyone had their own way of living. He couldn't manage other people. If he could manage himself, that was already enough.
Naturally, the others had nothing to say either. They simply continued practicing with even greater effort.
Someone had already mastered the Five Animals Fist. Whether Lu Yuan felt any pressure was none of their concern, but they certainly felt the pressure.
"Someone like him isn't worthy of being my rival!"
Chen Yong couldn't help thinking that it was laughable he'd once regarded this fellow as a target to catch up with.
No matter what, he would practice one extra round today. At the next test, he would show this fellow what a true gulf in ability looked like!
"Forget it. I'll eat first!"
After spending almost the entire afternoon looking around, Lu Yuan still hadn't found a good way to make money, and now his stomach was starting to growl.
There was no need to rush when it came to making money. Especially when it came to making a lot of money, one needed a bit of luck. Perhaps he would come across an opportunity one day.
Besides, he could still just barely keep up with practicing twice a day, and his rate of progress wasn't slow.
In a few days, he would be able to bring the Five Animals Fist to major mastery. He might even be able to undergo Blood Qi Tempering and become a true External Energy Realm martial artist. By then, he would surely have more ways to earn money.
After bringing home the meat he had just bought, Lu Yuan played with Little Nannan for a while, then ate his fill.
As night fell, Madam Yang took Nannan to bed early.
Not long afterward, Lu Yuan had fully recovered and went alone into the courtyard.
Taking advantage of the night, he began practicing beneath the moon.
After reaching minor mastery, Lu Yuan had gained a deeper understanding and insight into the Five Animals Fist.
His movements were not only more fluid and natural, but his breathing had also fallen into a remarkably rhythmic pattern.
[Five Animals Fist, Minor Mastery (179/1000)]
"At this rate, I'll probably need no more than three days to bring the Five Animals Fist to major mastery."
Lu Yuan glanced at the Ancient Scroll in his mind and thought to himself.
After reaching minor mastery of the Five Animals Fist, he had already been able to attempt his first Blood Qi Tempering, thanks to the thread of blood qi within him.
But as Chen Pi had said, unless someone had exceptional natural aptitude, they would have only a two- or three-in-ten chance of succeeding.
If he failed, his blood qi would scatter, and all the time, effort, and silver he had spent before would go up in smoke.
Although he could attempt Blood Qi Tempering again after nourishing and tempering his blood qi anew, repeated failures would not only lower his chances of success further and further, they might also permanently ruin his foundation and leave him unable to make any further progress.
In short, Blood Qi Tempering was an extremely important hurdle for any martial artist.
He absolutely couldn't rush it. He could only attempt it once his blood qi was abundant.
But for others, nourishing their blood qi was a process of steady accumulation, day after day. For Lu Yuan, it would take no more than a few short days.
So he decided to wait another three days, then attempt his first Blood Qi Tempering in the best possible condition, once he had reached major mastery of the Five Animals Fist.
After this session, the blood qi within Lu Yuan had increased noticeably, but the toll was immense. It had nearly hollowed out his entire body.
After quickly wiping the sweat from his body, he lay down. Before long, he was fast asleep.
The next day, Lu Yuan slowly woke up.
After a night's rest, his body felt considerably recovered, but not enough to support another session of the Five Animals Fist.
There was no helping it. He could only eat all the meat he had left.
At this rate, even three meat-filled meals a day might not be enough to help him recover quickly.
Finding a way to make money had become urgent.
Only after he had mostly recovered did Lu Yuan finally make his way to Song Academy.
By then, Chen Pi, Wu Yu, Chen Yong, and the others had already been practicing with great enthusiasm for quite some time.
Lu Yuan also noticed a few new faces in the crowd, while several familiar ones were missing.
Clearly, people came and went. Some left, while others arrived.
As for Lu Yuan's arrival, hardly anyone paid attention anymore.
It seemed they had all decided he wouldn't last much longer either, and would soon disappear from Song Academy for good.
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