Skyrocketing

"Brother Zheng, should we keep fleecing him?"

After noticing Jiang Chen's cultivation, the older disciples' attitudes changed.

They stayed at the martial arts school to recruit and fund talented disciples.

A disciple as talented as Jiang Chen was exactly the sort they wanted to recruit.

"If we don't fleece him, who's going to help us pay off our debts? If our families find out we gambled away all the money meant for sponsorship, getting our legs broken will be the least of our worries."

Zheng Hao didn't seem particularly concerned.

So what if Jiang Chen had good comprehension?

At the end of the day, he only had Ordinary Bone Aptitude, and his prospects in martial arts were limited.

At best, he would stop at the Second Qi and Blood Gate, just like them.

And in Prefecture City, reaching the Second Qi and Blood Gate only made you a little stronger than an ordinary person.

Their clans were looking to recruit and fund promising talents who might enter the True Martial Realm, not someone stuck in the Blood Qi Realm.

Hearing Zheng Hao's words, the others said no more.

It was true: they'd lost all their sponsorship money and had to find someone to fill the gap.

They could talk about recruiting Jiang Chen after getting through this hurdle.

So the group waited idly beside the Practice Field for Jiang Chen to finish training.

As for deliberately disturbing him, that was strictly forbidden at the martial arts school.

Anyone who deliberately disrupted another person's training would be expelled on the spot.

That was why even Sun Wu, who was responsible for giving instruction, waited until Jiang Chen was resting before teaching him the Stone Moving Method.

And so they waited from beneath the blazing midday sun until dusk.

"Damn it! How can he stand in that stance for so long?"

Zheng Hao and the others, growing impatient, kept glancing toward the Practice Field.

It had already been more than two hours, and Jiang Chen hadn't rested once.

Was his body made of iron?

"Brother Zheng, should we keep waiting?"

One disciple looked at Zheng Hao.

"We've waited this long. What's a little longer?"

After glancing at the sky, Zheng Hao stayed put.

It was almost dinnertime. Even if Jiang Chen didn't need to rest, he still had to eat.

"Phew!"

Things went just as Zheng Hao expected. As soon as it was the middle of You Hour, Jiang Chen, who had stood as steady as an old bell, slowly lowered his fists and straightened up.

[Cultivation: First Qi and Blood Gate · Early Stage 41%]

On the Myriad Dao Chart, his martial blood and qi had surged, increasing by 24%.

That meant his afternoon training had averaged 4% an hour.

That was exactly twice as effective as the Blood-Qi Soup.

In other words, his cultivation speed would be twice what it had been before.

"No, not just twice!"

Feeling the medicinal power still surging through his body, Jiang Chen's eyes lit up.

The medicinal effects of Blood-Qi Soup lasted only a little over half a day.

For example, if he drank it at noon, it would last until evening at most. By the next morning, its effects would be gone, and his training speed would drop sharply.

Blood Ginseng Powder was different.

Judging by how much medicinal power he could still feel, it would probably last until tomorrow.

If he trained for six hours in the morning, six in the afternoon, and four at night, that would make sixteen hours in a day.

At a rate of 4% per hour, he'd gain 64% in a single day!

64% in one day!

What did that mean?

At most, it would take him four or five days to reach perfection at the First Qi and Blood Gate!

Other people naturally couldn't train for sixteen hours a day.

To say nothing of how focusing on training would consume a great deal of mental energy,

just standing in that stance nonstop would exhaust their bodies.

But he was different.

The Myriad Dao Chart could help him focus his mind as one.

And his Stance Sense, always active, let him ignore physical exhaustion.

So even though he only had Ordinary Bone Aptitude, as long as he had enough resources, his cultivation speed could still be quite impressive. His future looked bright.

"Junior Brother Jiang."

Jiang Chen had only just finished training when he heard a familiar voice.

"Zheng Hao?"

He followed the sound and, sure enough, saw Zheng Hao and the others.

For the past six months, he'd tried to get closer to Wang Qingzhu by taking the roundabout route of joining Zheng Hao's little clique. Instead, they'd treated him like a sucker and fleeced him.

His trip into the Cursed House a few days ago had also been indirectly connected to Zheng Hao and the others.

But, truth be told, he was rather grateful to them.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have awakened the spiritual wisdom from his previous life.

If he'd awakened it a few years later and missed the best age for martial arts training, then even with the Myriad Dao Chart's help, his prospects in martial arts would have been bleak.

"Junior Brother Jiang, how are you feeling? Is everything all right?"

Zheng Hao and the others looked concerned.

"Just a minor injury."

Jiang Chen answered casually.

"That's good."

Zheng Hao and the others exchanged glances, all noticing the change in Jiang Chen's attitude.

Jiang Chen wasn't fawning on them as he used to. Instead, he seemed a little... cold?

"By the way, Junior Brother Jiang, the Thousand Fragrance Pavilion is unveiling new dishes tomorrow, and Qingzhu will be going to try them. Don't miss this great opportunity."

Zheng Hao immediately played his trump card.

Although he didn't know why Jiang Chen's attitude toward them had changed so much, as long as Wang Qingzhu was involved, he wasn't worried that Jiang Chen wouldn't take the bait.

"I'm busy."

Jiang Chen stopped paying them any attention and headed to the dining hall.

"What's gotten into that kid?"

Watching Jiang Chen stride away, Zheng Hao and the others stood there, stunned.

When Jiang Chen heard Wang Qingzhu's name, he'd been so calm, almost as if he didn't care.

Was this really the same lovesick fool they remembered?

"Maybe he got spooked when he ran into something evil a few days ago."

One older disciple ventured a guess.

"If he's lost interest in Junior Sister Wang, what are we supposed to do about our gambling debts?"

The other older disciples all turned to Zheng Hao.

They were counting on Jiang Chen, their favorite sucker, to cover what they owed.

"He was probably chewed out by the Jiang Clan a few days ago. Don't worry. If we keep going to him, we'll get him hooked again."

Zheng Hao sneered.

He didn't think Jiang Chen could keep it up.

As the saying went, birds of a feather flocked together.

If Jiang Chen could mix with them, he couldn't be any good at heart.

His hard training now was just for show. In a few days, he'd revert to his true colors.

After arriving at the dining hall, Jiang Chen piled his tray high with food and added a bowl of hot soup.

After dinner, he didn't slack off. He went back to the Practice Field.

This time, he didn't stand in a stance. He picked up a Stone Lock and began practicing the Stone Moving Method, learning to control his Blood Qi.

Thump~

About a quarter of an hour later, the Myriad Dao Chart glowed with precious light:

[Martial Art: Stone Moving Method · Minor Mastery 0%]

Including the half an hour he'd trained at noon, he'd practiced the Stone Moving Method for only forty-five minutes in total, yet he had already reached minor mastery.

"My combat strength has increased by at least twenty percent."

After breaking through with the Stone Moving Method, Jiang Chen found it much easier to control his martial Blood Qi.

The Stone Lock, which weighed over a hundred jin, swung more and more easily in his hands.

The more proficient he became with his martial Blood Qi, the more it boosted his combat strength.

"Back to the stance!"

Jiang Chen set down the Stone Lock and began standing in his stance to nourish his Blood Qi.

His main focus now was still on improving his martial Blood Qi.

As for the Stone Moving Method, he could practice it during breaks.

Before he knew it, night had fallen.

Yet the entire Practice Field blazed with torchlight, and disciples continued to arrive.

Even at night, the martial arts school still provided a place to train.

The twenty taels of silver they paid each month weren't just tuition fees.

Amid the bustling atmosphere of training, time flew by.

Stars glittered, and the bright moon hung overhead.

As it grew later, the disciples on the Practice Field gradually left.

In the end, only Jiang Chen remained, standing quietly in his stance.

As mentioned before, not everyone could train nonstop like him.

He didn't return to himself and lower his fists until nearly Zi Hour.

[Cultivation: First Qi and Blood Gate · Early Stage 57%]

On the Myriad Dao Chart, his martial Blood Qi had increased by 16%, just as it had during the day.

He'd only condensed his Blood Qi yesterday, and today he was already more than halfway through the early stage of the First Qi and Blood Gate.

This cultivation speed was already better than that of an average person with Medium Bone Aptitude.

Thump, thump, thump.

Jiang Chen then went to a wooden post and unleashed a flurry of punches.

Faint fist marks appeared on the post.

"Strength, burst power, speed, and defense have all improved quite a bit."

Jiang Chen smiled, pleased with the feeling of growing stronger.

After checking the night sky, he went to the bathhouse to wash up, then returned to his lodgings.

The Outer Courtyard disciples lived in large dormitories, with ten people to a room.

So many disciples from nearby chose to go home every day.