The Exemption Bead Had Finished Condensing!

After firmly memorizing the circulation route of the Five Harms Technique, Chen Jing carefully tucked the manual beneath his bed.

The Exemption Bead was still a hair's breadth from fully condensing. Chen Jing planned to wait until it had finished before practicing the Five Harms Technique.

After all, he hadn't properly tested the Exemption Bead's abilities yet. If he rashly practiced the Five Harms Technique and damaged his internal organs before the bead was ready, he'd be worse off than before.

Another half month passed. Chen Jing rose early as usual and arrived at the boxing school ahead of time to begin practicing his punches.

Over the past month and a half, Chen Jing had seen plenty of newcomers arrive, and plenty of old faces leave.

He, too, had gone from being a newcomer to one of the old hands.

The few disciples who had joined at the same time as Chen Jing now all looked worried.

Suddenly, a youth who looked about seventeen or eighteen bowed to Fei Feng with a sorrowful expression, then turned and walked out of the boxing school.

"I can't believe Senior Brother Cai left too!"

"I used to see Senior Brother Cai practicing hard every day. He was one of the first to arrive and the last to leave. I never thought... in the end, even he couldn't break through to Blood Creek."

Several senior brothers and junior brothers nearby watched Cai's retreating figure, their expressions darkening as if they were looking at their own futures.

Fei Feng had said before that if someone practicing martial arts couldn't break through to Blood Creek within three months, they were basically destined to have no future in martial arts.

Most martial artists who broke through did so within one or two months. The longer it took, the lower the odds of success.

Over the past month and a half, Chen Jing had watched more than twenty fellow disciples leave in silence. Several of them had been people he knew.

Only five or six had truly succeeded in entering First Blood—precious few.

Just then, Fei Feng's gaze swept across the crowd and finally settled on Chen Jing. "How long have you been here?"

Chen Jing answered respectfully, "Master, it's been a month and a half."

Fei Feng gave Chen Jing a long, searching look. "A month and a half, huh? Your blood and qi have been stagnant for almost three days. To be honest, there isn't much hope left."

Fei Feng paused, then added, "If you want to leave now, I can still refund you one month's tuition."

Fei Feng had said these words to countless others at the boxing school.

Chen Jing just hadn't expected him to say them to him this time.

At Fei Feng's words, Chen Jing fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and cupped his hands. "Master... this disciple would like to try a little longer."

Hearing Chen Jing's answer, Fei Feng waved a hand. "Do as you see fit."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Fei Feng had heard this answer countless times before, but everyone who gave it had failed to break through to Blood Creek and eventually left in disgrace.

"Junior Brother Chen, do you really still want to keep training?"

After Fei Feng left, a senior brother surnamed Zhang came over.

Senior Brother Zhang had arrived half a month before Chen Jing. His blood and qi had also stopped progressing, so the two of them were in the same boat.

"Mm."

Chen Jing nodded and answered.

Hearing Chen Jing's reply, Senior Brother Zhang swallowed and said slowly, "Junior Brother Chen, why don't you give up sooner rather than later? Your blood and qi have already stagnated. No matter how much more you train, it won't make a difference..."

"If you go back now, you can still get a month's tuition back. Besides, we could leave together..."

At his words, Chen Jing looked Senior Brother Zhang up and down.

Chen Jing had spoken with Senior Brother Zhang before. Like him, Zhang came from a poor family.

But now, Senior Brother Zhang's forehead was slick with sweat, and he could barely hide the panic in his eyes.

Clearly, Senior Brother Zhang had already thought about giving up. But with no one to leave with, he didn't dare go alone, so he could only grit his teeth and keep enduring.

Seeing this, Chen Jing said softly, "Senior Brother Zhang, everyone has different ideas. As for me, I believe you can't tell what'll happen until the very end!"

Besides, Chen Jing possessed the Exemption Bead and the Five Harms Technique. He had to see it through to the end.

Seeing Chen Jing refuse, Senior Brother Zhang gave him a long look. His face turned ashen, and then he turned and resumed training.

After Senior Brother Zhang left, Zhuang Tao walked over with a smile.

"Junior Brother Chen, you're right. No one knows what might happen until the very end!"

As he spoke, Zhuang Tao pulled a cloth bundle from his robes and placed it in Chen Jing's hands.

Looking at the thing in his hands, Chen Jing asked in confusion, "Senior Brother, what's this?"

Zhuang Tao didn't answer right away. Instead, he kept him in suspense. "Junior Brother, do you know why martial artists keep appearing in great clans and noble families, while ordinary people like you have only a one-in-a-thousand or one-in-ten-thousand chance?"

Hearing Zhuang Tao's rhetorical question, Chen Jing knew his fondness for lecturing was acting up again. He was deliberately waiting for Chen Jing to ask him about it, so Chen Jing obediently asked, "This junior doesn't know. Please enlighten me, Senior Brother!"

Pleased by Chen Jing's question, Zhuang Tao nodded. "Martial arts are thirty percent training and seventy percent eating."

"Training means working hard at your practice, while eating means eating meat and recuperating!"

As he spoke, Zhuang Tao pointed toward the distance.

The people he pointed to were all disciples from wealthy families.

"The great clans and noble families eat exotic beast meat at every meal, filling their bodies with blood and qi. After training, they also have heavenly treasures to nourish their bodies."

"So for those people, breaking through to First Blood is nothing at all!"

Hearing Zhuang Tao's explanation, Chen Jing nodded in agreement.

So that was what they meant by "the poor study, the rich practice martial arts."

If he hadn't had the Exemption Bead, he naturally wouldn't have thought of taking up martial arts.

"Then what's this, Senior Brother?"

Chen Jing glanced at the bundle in his hands and asked quietly.

Zhuang Tao smiled and explained, "This is exotic beast meat. It came from a creature called a Green-skinned Horned Pig."

"The meat contains far more blood-and-qi energy than ordinary meat! One piece can fill you up as much as three full meals!"

"Today is my grandfather's eightieth birthday. There's plenty of meat with so many people there, so have a piece."

At his words, Chen Jing hurriedly replied, "This... I haven't done anything to deserve it..."

Zhuang Tao waved a hand, unconcerned. "We're friends. Why say such nonsense!"

With that, Zhuang Tao turned and walked away. "Eat it as soon as you can. If you leave it too long, who knows what kind of trouble might crop up!"

Watching Zhuang Tao walk away, Chen Jing took a deep breath, found an empty corner, and carefully opened the bundle.

Inside was a piece of dried green pork. Its color was strange, and yet it seemed to give off a thick aura of blood and qi.

Looking at the oddly colored green pork in his hands, Chen Jing took a deep breath, then put it straight into his mouth and tore into it.

The moment he bit into it, Chen Jing felt how tough the meat was, and tasted a wild, gamey tang. But as he chewed, a warm current soon began to flow through his body.

Once the pork was completely swallowed, Chen Jing felt the hunger from his training vanish, replaced by a deep sense of fullness.

Just then, the Exemption Bead in Chen Jing's mind suddenly lit up with a hum!

The last sliver of missing energy was instantly filled.

The next moment, the Exemption Bead blazed with dazzling red light, so bright it almost illuminated Chen Jing's entire mind.

At this moment, the Exemption Bead... had finally finished condensing!