He did not head straight to the Martial Arts Arena. Instead, he returned to the Common Dormitory first.
To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools.
During his training these past few days, Li Chuan had noticed something.
If that feeling of "hunger" was not relieved, it would slow his martial training progress considerably.
It was noon, normally the time to return for a meal, yet the dormitory was empty.
"Strange. Did Hu Yuan take leave today?" Li Chuan wondered.
Normally, Hu Yuan would be eating in the dormitory around this time.
Li Chuan did not dwell on it. He simply set up a pot and poured in two kettles of clean water.
Once the water boiled, Li Chuan tossed in several handfuls of scallions and garlic, added two spoonfuls of salt, and finally placed the dark-red donkey meat into the pot.
After boiling it for roughly half an hour, Li Chuan lifted the lid.
A cloud of white steam immediately billowed out, carrying with it the fresh fragrance of the donkey meat.
Once it had cooled slightly, Li Chuan picked up a piece and chewed it.
"The taste is actually not bad?" Li Chuan was somewhat surprised.
The generous amount of scallions and garlic masked the gamey flavor of the donkey meat itself, while the touch of salt made its freshness all the more fragrant.
Li Chuan puffed out his cheeks and chewed in great mouthfuls.
"Even donkey meat boiled in plain water tastes this good. I wonder how delicious braised donkey meat and donkey-meat flatbread would be?"
Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground—the saying truly was not wrong.
And compared with its flavor, donkey meat's nourishing effects were even more outstanding.
Li Chuan could feel the qi and blood contained in the donkey meat nourishing every inch of his body bit by bit.
Ever since breaking through to Bright Force, his body, which had been constantly hungry, gradually began to feel full.
"The qi and blood provided by donkey meat is of a higher quality than pork, which is why it can satisfy my body." Li Chuan pondered, confirming his guess.
After eating his fill, Li Chuan looked down and saw that all seven taels of donkey meat before him had been wiped out.
"Back in my previous life, a pound of pork could last me two or three days. If I could go back, I'd probably be able to enter an eating contest."
Li Chuan secretly laughed at himself.
After resting briefly, unwilling to waste any time, he immediately headed to the Martial Arts Arena.
After simply holding his stance for a while, Li Chuan checked the panel.
Sure enough, the proficiency of the Mountain-Holding Stance was increasing faster than before.
"It seems that replenishing enough qi and blood really can speed up my stance training."
Li Chuan was invigorated, feeling that all his efforts had been rewarded.
The Martial Exam half a year from now no longer seemed so distant.
Beneath the blazing sun, a youth's figure alternated between holding a stance and practicing his fists.
[Practiced Mountain-Holding Stance, proficiency +1] [Practiced Mountain-Holding Stance, proficiency +1] [Practiced Through-Arm Fist, proficiency +1] [Practiced Through-Arm Fist, proficiency +1]
About an hour later, Hu Yuan arrived.
"Senior Brother Li, try the flatbread my sister made!"
Hu Yuan took a flatbread from his cloth bag and handed it to Li Chuan.
Li Chuan stopped training and draped an outer garment over himself.
His training clothes were soaked through with sweat. If he did not keep warm, a gust of cold wind could easily make him ill.
Li Chuan accepted the flatbread and took a bite. It was soft, tender, and fragrant.
"Junior Brother Hu, why didn't I see you in the dormitory earlier?"
Hu Yuan chuckled.
"Senior Brother Li, my qi and blood are nearly fully accumulated. Tonight, I can attempt Gate-Knocking."
Li Chuan gave an acknowledging sound, though doubts arose in his heart.
Hu Yuan's family circumstances were not good. He relied solely on his sister's work to support him at the Martial Hall.
He usually ate even worse than Li Chuan did, so his qi and blood should not have accumulated this quickly...
Still, this was someone else's private matter, and Li Chuan could not pry.
"Senior Brother Li, do you have any insights about Gate-Knocking?" Hu Yuan asked hopefully.
Li Chuan glanced at the Primordial Jade Record before him.
How was he supposed to explain this?
Once the proficiency was high enough, success came naturally!
Li Chuan could only encourage him.
"Keep your state of mind steady, and feel the flow of qi and blood within your body."
Hu Yuan nodded repeatedly, as though he had grasped something.
At that moment, a sudden commotion arose from the Martial Arts Arena.
Li Chuan looked up and discovered that Liang Hangzhou had arrived.
Among the many instructors, Liang Hangzhou waved his hand, signaling that no one needed to gather around.
Behind him followed Qin Feng, Tang Xiang, and Jiang Ting.
During this period, those three had clearly formed a small clique.
Jiang Ting's gaze swept across the entire arena. When it passed over Li Chuan, it did not linger, merely gliding past him.
The group of four entered the Inner Courtyard in a straight line.
With a bang, the Inner Courtyard's door shut.
"I heard Senior Brother Qin's qi and blood are nearly fully accumulated, and he's preparing to attempt Gate-Knocking. Master is protecting him!"
"Good heavens, how long has it been? It's only been a little over two months since he broke through Bright Force, and he's already attempting Gate-Knocking for the second time?"
"It's only an attempt. That doesn't mean he'll succeed. Which of Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother didn't break through to Dark Force only after their second Gate-Knocking attempt?"
"But Senior Brother Qin has a High-Grade Bone Constitution..."
Everyone fell silent.
That was right. There was a vast difference between a High-Grade Bone Constitution and a middle-grade one.
Perhaps Qin Feng truly might succeed on his first Gate-Knocking attempt.
If he succeeded, it would mean that so long as he did not die, he was almost certain to become a future Transforming Force expert.
Even in the vast Anning County, he would rank among the very top.
Hu Yuan bit his lip, unwillingness to yield shining in his eyes.
Carrying a bag of flatbreads, he returned to the Common Dormitory to prepare for Gate-Knocking.
Li Chuan also sighed inwardly.
Fate was so unpredictable, playing Hu Yuan like a toy.
"I hope he succeeds." Li Chuan silently wished Hu Yuan strength.
"Not bad, Junior Brother Li! I heard from my uncle that your medicine delivery this time was flawless!" Luo Zheng threw an arm around Li Chuan's shoulders and laughed heartily.
Li Chuan shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Senior Brother Luo, stop teasing me. Compared to Dark Force experts like you, I'm still far too lacking."
Luo Zheng patted his chest as well.
"One more thing. You ran into a White-Browed Ape? That was a vicious character. Good thing my uncle led the team himself, otherwise..."
Luo Zheng did not continue.
But Li Chuan understood what he meant.
Otherwise, they would have been wiped out to the last man.
When that White-Browed Ape had appeared, the pressure it brought had nearly left Li Chuan unable to breathe.
That also made Li Chuan extremely curious.
"Senior Brother Luo, just how great is the gap between me and Dark Force? And what exactly is Dark Force?"
Luo Zheng thought for a moment.
"Bright Force means vigorous qi and blood, strength that bursts outward. One punch can create an explosive crack in the air. That is where the saying 'a sound is worth a thousand gold' comes from. Only Bright Force counts as stepping over the threshold of martial arts."
"Dark Force is a step higher. Strength turns from hard to soft. It can pass through the body to injure an enemy, or it can be condensed at a single point and unleashed."
Li Chuan nodded, gaining a preliminary understanding of Dark Force.
Dark Force had two functions. First, it could "pierce armor." Second, it was like using a surface to carry a point in his previous life—concentrating scattered power into one place and erupting with tremendous force.
Bright Force and Dark Force were like the difference between punching through a steel plate and punching a single point into a steel plate.
The former seemed more ferocious, but the latter's difficulty and power far surpassed the former.
"What, you want to try Dark Force?" Luo Zheng teased.
Li Chuan smiled.
"Of course I do. That way, I can gauge my own level. If I encounter it in the future, I'll know to run immediately."
Luo Zheng burst into laughter.
"Junior Brother Li, once you encounter it, you won't be able to run."
The moment his words fell, his figure flashed forward like a ghost, instantly stabbing toward Li Chuan. He even left a footprint in the bluestone slabs beneath him!
Luo Zheng's right hand clenched into a fist and whistled toward Li Chuan's face.
Alarm exploded in Li Chuan's heart, and his pupils contracted sharply. He hurriedly turned sideways, trying to deflect Luo Zheng's right arm.
But when their arms made contact, he discovered that Luo Zheng's right hand had not exerted any force at all.
It was a feint!
Luo Zheng extended his left palm and lightly stamped it against Li Chuan's chest.
Bang!
Li Chuan felt as if a cart had crashed into his chest. His entire body flew backward and slammed straight into the wooden post behind him.
The pain in his chest nearly left him unable to breathe. It took him a long while to recover.
"Dark Force... was actually this powerful?"
Luo Zheng had defeated him in a single move.
Luo Zheng comforted him.
"The gap between Dark Force and Bright Force is inherently enormous. Just think about how a Dark Force expert can easily catch a half-hanging strike weighing ten taels, and you'll understand. You already did very well earlier. When many Bright Force practitioners exchange moves with me, they cannot even react."
"Still, your experience in actual fighting is too shallow. I'll teach you a few key points. First, avoid the solid and strike the hollow. Do you remember the essence of Through-Arm Fist I told you about before?"
Luo Zheng stopped moving and personally guided Li Chuan through what responses he should make in different situations.
"Never let your opponent guess what you intend to do."
"And when you train your combat methods in the future, think about what you should do if your opponent uses different moves."
"You must train these things into instinct, blend them into your bones and blood, so that even unconsciously, you can make the perfect response."
Luo Zheng gave Li Chuan a deep look.
"Only then will your fighting have a soul, rather than being a simple pile of techniques. After all, your opponent will not foolishly wait for you to finish an entire move."
"If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me. As for payment... treating me to a bowl of noodles from your home will be enough."
Li Chuan smiled.
"At most, I'll give you two steamed buns!"
Before you continue