"Young Master, this old servant is only a steward..." A trace of embarrassment crossed Fang Xiao's eyes.
What he meant was that the highest martial realm he knew of was Organ Refining. But whether he truly didn't know any higher realms, or simply thought there was no need to say more, was another matter.
Chu Ming heard him and disappointment flashed across his face. "I'm tired."
He waved his hand, grabbed the Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique, and headed inside.
He really was exhausted. Since getting up that morning, he had practiced the Wind-Slapping Palm and Tiger Python Force, then spent some time reading. From beginning to end, he had barely rested.
"The Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique is extremely domineering. Young Master, you must never skip ahead and practice the later sections without first mastering the Tiger Python Force. This old servant will prepare some medicinal decoctions tomorrow, then teach you how to guide your qi and blood..."
Fang Xiao looked worried.
His young master was exceptionally talented, but he was also prone to getting carried away.
The Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique was the Tiger Armor Army's cultivation method. Practicing the Tiger Python Force was one thing, but the later force techniques had to be accompanied by medicinal decoctions. Otherwise, the body simply wouldn't be able to withstand them.
He was worried that the young master would memorize the technique and secretly practice it.
Chu Ming patiently listened to Steward Fang's lecturing for a while longer before he was finally allowed inside.
To sum it up, he couldn't practice the Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique recklessly. He needed to follow Fang Xiao's guidance, supplement it with medicinal decoctions, and progress gradually.
Fang Xiao gazed at Chu Ming's thin back, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.
"Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, decades have passed. I wonder how many of my old brothers from back then are still alive."
"Blood Vitalizing, Bone Strengthening, Organ Refining..."
"Heh, Young Master, the martial path is much harder than you imagine."
"One strand of Qi and Blood Power is only the beginning. It isn't even enough to qualify you to fight on the battlefield."
"With three strands of Qi and Blood Power, you can join the Tiger Armor Army. Six make you eligible to become a Corporal, and ten or more a Squad Leader."
"Only martial artists in the Bone Strengthening Realm can become Hundred-Man Commanders or Thousand-Man Commanders."
"..."
"Martial artists, qi and blood, body-forging techniques..."
Back in his room, Chu Ming didn't pause. He eagerly opened the first martial arts manual he had obtained since arriving in this world.
The first dozen or so pages of the Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique covered the Tiger Python Force, which he already knew very well.
"Tiger Python Force, Tiger-Roar Force..."
He hadn't read much of the manual before a prompt appeared on the panel.
[Reading (Great Accomplishment): Mastery and Integration] [Progress: 55/100]
56... 57... 58...
"Martial arts manuals can increase my reading progress too!"
Chu Ming's eyes gleamed. Without stopping, he continued studying.
By the time he finished the entire body-forging manual, his [Reading] progress had reached 77.
At the same time, the original Tiger Python Force was replaced by new text.
[Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique] [Progress (Beginner): 17/100]
"The Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique has twelve forces, each with ten forms. Each form contains between eight and ten movements, making a total of about twelve hundred movements."
"The movements become more complicated the further you go. No wonder Steward Fang repeatedly warned me not to practice on my own."
"Without a strong physical foundation and Qi and Blood Power to support me, practicing by force would throw my meridians into disarray and wear down my body."
"Even if I practice in sequence, the high-intensity training method will still cause all sorts of injuries."
"Medicinal decoctions can provide energy and heal injuries. Steward Fang wasn't just being fussy."
Night fell.
Chu Ming practiced the Tiger Python Force a few times. He pushed the Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique's progress up to 23 before finally stopping.
He wanted to keep practicing, but he still had the Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration to read, and the private academy's exam was fast approaching.
[Reading (Great Accomplishment): Mastery and Integration] [Progress: 77/100]
78... 79... 80...
After reaching great accomplishment in the Tiger Python Force and condensing Qi and Blood Power, his body had grown stronger, and his energy and spirits had improved as well.
On ordinary days, after practicing for the whole day, he would be so sleepy after dark that he couldn't read for long. Today, though, he felt exceptionally energetic.
"At this rate, I'll finish the Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration tomorrow."
Late that night, Chu Ming closed the book, his reading progress at 87.
The next day went much the same. He got up early, feeling refreshed.
After practicing the Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique and Wind-Slapping Palm, he continued reading the Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration, and his reading progress kept climbing.
87... 88... 89...
When he finished the entire Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration, a new prompt appeared on the panel.
[Reading (Perfection): Drawing Inferences]
"Reading has reached perfection, and the progress has disappeared. Looks like that's the limit."
"What does this Drawing Inferences ability do...?"
Chu Ming closed his eyes. The knowledge stored in his mind flashed past at incredible speed.
Mastery and Integration had allowed him to comprehend the [Sword Gourd Spiritual Sense]—the ability to look within himself—from the travelogue Sword Gourd Travels. Could Drawing Inferences lead to an even greater insight...?
In his mind, the contents of more than twenty travelogues, the three books of poetry and prose—General Theory of the Book of Songs, Collection of Classics and Histories, and Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration—and the Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique began to intermingle.
The Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique was like a lake, while the contents of the travelogues and three books of poetry and prose were like streams flowing into it, trickling along.
The stream formed by more than twenty travelogues in particular flowed on without end. As it continued to gather strength, it seemed to be transforming into a river.
No one knew how much time passed before Chu Ming abruptly opened his eyes. His gaze was brighter than ever before.
His brow relaxed, and a faint smile appeared.
"Other than the first force, the Tiger Python Force, which is relatively gentle, the remaining eleven forces of the Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique are fierce and domineering. Without medicinal decoctions to nourish the body, practicing them will only cause more and more injuries."
"But..."
Chu Ming pushed the manual and books of poetry and prose aside, then took out paper, ink, and a brush.
He paused for a moment to organize his thoughts, dipped the brush in ink, and began writing, each stroke steady and unhurried.
On the slightly yellowed paper, he drew a series of graceful movements and added detailed written explanations.
"The Tiger Python Force has one hundred and twenty movements. They look profound, but in truth, half of them are unnecessary. They're not only complicated and difficult to perform, they also cause needless harm to the body."
"With Drawing Inferences to assist me, I can combine what I've read with the Tiger Python Force that my mind has been practicing automatically, sifting the sand to find the gold. I can simplify it to thirty movements, then use those as a foundation to expand and refine the technique, deducing and summarizing another thirty movements."
"After that, the number of movements in the originally obscure Tiger Python Force has been cut in half, down to just sixty. They're closely connected, flow together more smoothly, and are much easier to perform..."
Looking at the technique on the page, its ink still wet, Chu Ming felt immensely exhilarated.
He was a martial artist who had only just condensed one strand of Qi and Blood Power. His body hadn't even recovered yet, and still, he could improve a cultivation method...
Looking again at the Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique's progress on the panel, he saw that it had jumped straight from 23 to 67.
He hadn't practiced it specifically. He had merely improved the technique, yet its progress had surged by a huge amount. That was the immediate benefit of Drawing Inferences.
Moreover, he could feel a second strand of Qi and Blood Power condensing in his meridians.
Chu Ming gently closed his eyes and activated [Sword Gourd Spiritual Sense], looking within himself.
The first strand of Qi and Blood Power, originally as thin as a silver needle, had grown much thicker. The second strand was thinner, but not by much.
If he converted that into the Tiger Python Force's progress, he could say that he had reached perfection through deduction and refinement alone.
Not only that, but the Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique in his mind was still evolving, attempting to distill the contents of the second force, Tiger-Roar Force.
"In other words, even if I don't deliberately practice, the body-forging technique's progress can still shoot up just through the deductions of Drawing Inferences!"
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