A Child's Heart

After learning all this, Jiang Che stopped putting effort into practicing the Layered Cloud Fist.

Every day, he merely went to the Martial Arts Hall to practice symbolically for a while before returning home to begin practicing the Flying Swallow Steps.

After all, no matter how much he practiced the Layered Cloud Fist, its proficiency would no longer increase.

He might as well devote more energy to improving the Flying Swallow Steps. At least it could increase his combat strength.

Of course, his frequent early departures also drew Luo Kun's disappointment and everyone else's disdain.

But Jiang Che had no choice.

After all, strength came first.

To increase his strength faster,

he had also considered how he could accelerate the accumulation of Qi-Blood.

He tried eating huge amounts of Exotic Beast Meat in a single meal.

At one point, he ate until it was practically lodged in his throat.

But unfortunately, the rate at which his Qi-Blood increased did not seem to depend on how much food he ate.

The key was his digestive ability.

Once he reached the threshold of digestion, eating more was useless.

He had even gotten diarrhea because of it.

One had to know that Martial Artists who had broken through in Qi-Blood rarely experienced any physical abnormalities.

Thus, Jiang Che could only helplessly wait for his Qi-Blood to increase bit by bit.

Of course, he had also asked around. If it were Mid-Grade Exotic Beast Meat, he could absorb more from it.

But never mind that it cost one hundred taels of silver per jin—he could not afford it at all right now.

And it was not even available on the market!

It was basically all controlled by the various great powers and never circulated outside.

Moreover, to join one of those great powers that possessed Mid-Grade Exotic Beast Meat, the minimum requirement was reaching the Stone Skin Realm.

And not just any retainer would do. One also had to make enough contributions before being able to exchange for it!

Therefore, Jiang Che temporarily stopped thinking about such things.

That day, after Jiang Che finished a set of punches and was just about to leave, Luo Kun called everyone over.

"I didn't expect one of you to have already filled your Qi-Blood. Very good! There are some things I should tell you now, lest you go astray in your training later!"

As Luo Kun spoke, he looked toward Gong Yulei.

Only then did everyone learn that Gong Yulei had already filled his Qi-Blood!

Feeling everyone's gazes, Gong Yulei could not help raising his head, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward, his face full of pride.

Jiang Che sensed himself and found that his own Qi-Blood had not even reached one-tenth.

"The difference between people really is enormous..."

He laughed bitterly to himself.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Luo Kun slowly walked before the crowd and said in a deep voice:

"Having full Qi-Blood is merely the beginning. It does not mean you can break through smoothly!

"Most people can cultivate their Qi-Blood in the Ox-Hide Realm to Perfection Realm. It is merely a matter of time. What is truly difficult to train is the fist technique!

"Not everyone can practice a fist technique to its utmost limit! If your fist technique is not proficient enough, then even with full Qi-Blood, it will be very difficult to break through!"

"Then if both are full, will one naturally break through?" Zhang Xiong asked.

Luo Kun shook his head.

"It is not that simple. Having both at full capacity only means you possess the opportunity to break through. Whether you can actually do so depends on comprehension, innate physique, and luck as well.

"The Stone Skin Realm is relatively easier to break through. After both are cultivated to the limit, the fastest can break through in one or two months.

"Of course, some people cannot break through even after several years. Then, as they grow older and their Qi-Blood declines, they will never have hope again. Such people have the Ox-Hide Realm as their limit.

"But breaking through from the Stone Skin Realm to the Iron Skin Realm is exceedingly difficult. Most people cannot do it in their entire lives!

"And breaking through from the Iron Skin Realm into the Force-Entering Realm is not only difficult—failure also carries enormous risks!"

"Master, what happens if one fails?" Gong Yulei could not help asking.

"At best, your tendons and veins rupture, leaving you crippled! At worst, you die on the spot!"

Everyone drew in a sharp breath.

"This is also why Force-Entering martial masters are so rare. Many people reach Perfection Realm in the Iron Skin Realm and no longer seek a breakthrough.

"After all, an Iron Skin Realm Martial Artist at Perfection Realm is still a first-rate expert!"

"Master, is there no other way?" Gong Yulei asked.

"Of course there is. There is a medicine known as the Pulse-Protecting Pill that can protect one's meridians.

"Even if one fails to enter the Force-Entering Realm, one's Qi-Blood will merely regress without injuring the meridians. As long as one trains back to full capacity, there will be a second chance to strike.

"However, Pulse-Protecting Pills are exceedingly rare. Ordinary people should not even think about them."

After hearing this, everyone fell silent.

The road of martial arts was actually this difficult!

However, Jiang Che was not worried about whether he could break through into the Stone Skin Realm.

For ordinary people,

their Qi-Blood would often fill first, and only then could they slowly train their fist techniques to the utmost limit.

But he had the Proficiency Panel. Every time he practiced a fist technique, its proficiency would certainly increase.

After Entry Realm, he would definitely break through to Minor Accomplishment Realm; after Minor Accomplishment Realm, he would definitely advance to Major Accomplishment Realm.

In the end, he would certainly train it to Perfection Realm, reaching the highest realm possible in theory.

He might even activate a talent skill.

His Layered Cloud Fist had already reached the Minor Accomplishment Realm of the Stone Skin Realm while he was still in the Ox-Hide Realm.

As long as his Qi-Blood reached Perfection Realm in the Ox-Hide Realm, he could enter the Stone Skin Realm directly.

In other words, the perilous barrier that was so dangerous to others

did not exist for him at all!

The only thing he lacked was Qi-Blood.

And although Qi-Blood accumulated slowly, it would eventually become full.

This was the true terrifying aspect of the Proficiency Panel.

After Luo Kun finished speaking, he saw that Gong Yulei, Lin Xue'er, and Zhang Xiong all looked somewhat grave, while Jiang Che still appeared completely relaxed. He could not help feeling puzzled.

"Has this kid Jiang Che completely given up?"

He secretly guessed to himself.

In the days that followed, Jiang Che still practiced only briefly each day before returning home.

Because of this, Luo Kun concluded that he had completely given up on improving himself.

But that was normal. Many people had ordinary innate physiques, and the Ox-Hide Realm was their upper limit.

Rather than waste energy chasing a goal that was nearly impossible to break through,

it was better to start earning money early. That was more practical.

Yet he could not shake a feeling of loss.

The expectations he had once held after Jiang Che developed Heart-Insight gradually faded away as well.

On the training ground,

Zhang Xiong, Gong Yulei, and Lin Xue'er watched Jiang Che's departing back and spoke in low voices.

"This Jiang Che—why does he leave every day after practicing for only a little while? With that kind of attitude toward training, I have no idea why Master accepted him in the first place!"

Lin Xue'er folded her arms and frowned.

After a month, everyone had gradually gotten to know one another, so they would occasionally chat.

Although Lin Xue'er looked like a slender, delicate girl,

she was actually extremely competitive inside and trained with exceptional diligence every day.

She had always worshipped strength alone and held the utmost contempt for those who were weak yet unwilling to work hard.

"Isn't that perfectly normal? Many people cannot break through to the Stone Skin Realm in their entire lives.

"This kid knows he has no talent and no hope of breaking through. Going to earn silver early means he at least knows his own place!"

Gong Yulei's tone carried a trace of mockery.

He was now only a hair's breadth away from the Stone Skin Realm, progressing far beyond the others.

Master Luo Kun had also begun frequently giving him private instruction, valuing him far more than the others.

Gong Yulei had always thought highly of himself, and now he looked down on everyone else even more.

Although the others were somewhat dissatisfied, they did know that they could not compare to him.

"Maybe... he has some unspeakable difficulty. Jiang Che's fist technique is actually excellent; it is just that his Qi-Blood is lacking somewhat," Zhang Xiong sighed.

Lin Xue'er glanced at Zhang Xiong and said:

"Senior Brother Zhang, why do you regard that Jiang Che so highly? The three of us can all break through to the Stone Skin Realm, perhaps even the Iron Skin Realm.

"And that Jiang Che clearly has no talent. By then, he and us will belong to two different worlds.

"To put it bluntly, though we are from the same Martial Arts Hall,

"Jiang Che has neither family background nor talent. What benefits can he possibly bring us?"

Zhang Xiong fell silent for a while, then smiled.

"When I make friends, I look only at character. I do not care what benefits they can bring me."

Gong Yulei sneered. "I never expected Senior Brother Zhang to possess such a child's heart."

Lin Xue'er frowned, said nothing more, and walked to one side to practice her punches.

After learning of Zhang Xiong's family background, she had once regarded him more highly.

She had thought that, as the young master of a medicine shop, he should possess some degree of insight.

But upon hearing Zhang Xiong's words, she immediately found him incomparably naive. Her previous desire to befriend him gradually faded as well.

She looked at Gong Yulei again, a glimmer flashing through her eyes.

She secretly thought, This man may be arrogant, but his talent is unparalleled, and Luo Kun favors him greatly. He is worth investing in.

Lin Xue'er had been born into a wealthy household and had been greatly pampered since childhood.

But some time ago, her father had been framed by someone. In a fit of rage, he suffered a serious illness and became bedridden.

At once, when the tree fell, the monkeys scattered. The managers and assistants who had once received generous treatment all slipped away one by one.

Although the family still possessed assets, it no longer enjoyed its former glory.

Some of her father's brothers had also begun stirring restlessly, seeking to take advantage of the situation and swallow her family's properties.

To revive the Lin Family,

Lin Xue'er began practicing martial arts like mad while making connections with everyone she could use, secretly building up her own power.

"Hmph, a child's heart? If I had conditions as good as his, I would have an even purer child's heart than him!"

Lin Xue'er punched the wooden post again and again, as though venting the pent-up gloom in her heart.