Breakneck Progress Was No Dream

Breakneck Progress Was No Dream

The Zhao Family.

A middle-aged physician finished wrapping Zhao Feng's last bandage and straightened up, letting out a long breath.

"Physician Qin, how is my son?" Zhao Feng's mother, a slightly plump woman, hurried over to ask.

Physician Qin wiped the sweat from his face and congratulated her. "Fortunately, although the bones in Young Master Zhao's arm were broken, the impact was so forceful that they snapped cleanly, without any jagged edges. I've set his arm now. After he uses my Yellow Jade Bone-Mending Paste, he'll only need a little time to recuperate. In about half a year, the bones in his arm will have healed."

"Half a year before the bones heal? Then I won't be able to take the Martial Child Test!" Lying in bed, Zhao Feng heard the news and immediately roared in frustration. "You quack! Hurry up and find me the fastest solution!"

A flicker of displeasure crossed Physician Qin's eyes. What an ungrateful bastard. Without his precious Yellow Jade Bone-Mending Paste, it would take at least a year for Zhao Feng's bones to heal enough to begin recovering, and he might be left with aftereffects!

He'd worked his fingers to the bone, only to be cursed as a quack by this little brat!

Father Zhao shot his son a fierce glare, then quickly apologized to Physician Qin. "Please don't take that bastard's words to heart, Physician Qin. He's just upset because he's injured and can't take the Martial Child Test. I hope you'll forgive him." As he spoke, Father Zhao pulled a banknote from his robes and slipped it to Physician Qin.

After seeing the amount, Physician Qin's expression softened slightly. "Actually, I understand Young Master Zhao's feelings. But a strained tendon or broken bone takes a hundred days to heal, let alone bones broken in the arm. If he doesn't rest and recuperate properly, his arm could be left with aftereffects. Wouldn't that be even worse? All your son needs to do now is recuperate in peace. If anything else comes up, you can come find me. I have another house call to make, so I'll take my leave."

Physician Qin took his leave.

"Father, am I really going to be stuck like this? I still have to take the Martial Child Test!" Zhao Feng looked at his father in despair.

"I've already written to your uncle, asking him to find a skilled pharmacist in Luowang Prefecture and bring them here. The physicians around here can only handle minor illnesses and injuries; they can't do anything major. I'm sure we'll hear back soon. I guarantee you'll be up and about before the Martial Child Test," Father Zhao reassured him.

"Excellent!" Zhao Feng immediately perked up, his face alight with joy. "So I can still take the Martial Child Test! The Great Yang Pill should arrive in a few days, too. Then I'll be able to cultivate true qi."

"You're still thinking about revenge? Look at the state you're in! Can't you just settle down for once?" Zhao Feng's mother grew furious at her son's words. She glared at him and immediately scolded him.

"Mother, don't worry. Once I cultivate true qi, I definitely won't have to fear him anymore!" Zhao Feng replied confidently.

Father Zhao furrowed his brows slightly. "Son, there's something unusual about Zhang He's background. It's clear now that he's been hiding his true abilities all along. If you keep confronting him head-on, I'm afraid you'll be the one to suffer."

"Father, are you telling me to give up on getting revenge?" Zhao Feng stared at him in disbelief.

"A gentleman's revenge may take ten years, but he will have his revenge. Anyone who bullies you will pay the price! I'm only saying you shouldn't confront him head-on for now. You can think of another way. In fact, you could temporarily show him some goodwill and see if you can win him over. If he won't be your friend or work for you, then we can think of something else and deal with him little by little."

Father Zhao smiled.

Zhao Feng nodded, but a vicious glint flashed in his eyes. A gentleman's revenge may take ten years? Hmph, ten years was far too long. I'll make him pay for offending me right away!

"You're saying Zhang He broke Zhao Feng's bones with a single punch?" Wang Renjie was stunned by his son's news. "Wasn't Zhao Feng already in the Marrow Refining Realm? He was about on par with you, just one step away from breaking through his limits and cultivating true qi. And Zhang He broke his bones with one punch? Where did you hear this?"

"I heard it from other Martial Children who were there. They saw it with their own eyes that night. And Zhao Feng has already gone home to recover from his injuries, so it must be true," Wang Fengjie said.

"Could Zhang He have cultivated true qi?" Wang Renjie looked utterly bewildered. That boy had been born with a birthmark on his forehead, and his cultivation talent had been judged ordinary. His elder brother had disliked him for it. Yet after all these years away, he'd managed to reach such a level?

He glanced at his son beside him. The boy had some cultivation talent, too, and had reached the Marrow Refining Realm. He was only one step away from breaking through. Wang Renjie had always been proud of him, but compared to Zhang He, it seemed his son fell far short!

"Father, if we tell Uncle about this, do you think Aunt and the others might come back?"

"Your uncle went a little too far back then, but your aunt was the one who insisted on leaving with nothing. To your uncle, that was a terrible humiliation. Getting your aunt and the others to come back won't be easy," Wang Renjie said, shaking his head.

"Are we really going to let that fox spirit keep ruining the Wang Family? Uncle listens to every word she says, blindly trusting her. If this goes on, and her son really does inherit the Wang Family, the rest of our branches will be crushed!" Wang Fengjie said angrily.

"Silence! You can't go around saying things like that!" Wang Renjie was startled. "Don't repeat this to anyone outside the family. As for Zhang He, I'll find the right opportunity to tell your uncle. Your aunt's situation is a taboo subject in this family. Don't bring it up carelessly and upset your uncle!"

Wang Fengjie nodded, looking frustrated.

He really couldn't understand why his uncle disliked his kind and generous aunt, yet favored that sinister, scheming woman!

At that moment, Zhang He knew nothing about any of this. He was busy with his own affairs.

The courtyard was vacant, with no one living there, and it was spacious enough to serve as a training ground.

"Here are two training schedules. Starting now, you're to follow the steps on them to the letter!"

Zhang He pulled out two training schedules, his expression serious.

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui exchanged glances, then took their respective schedules and opened them. Their expressions changed at once.

"This training load is so light? And we only train for half the day?"

"The breaks are so long! How is this supposed to work?"

Zhang He had expected this reaction, and gave a cold laugh. "You dare look down on it? If you think the breaks are too long, you can cut them in half yourselves. Try the routine first, then talk!"

Unconvinced, Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui immediately started following the steps. They'd barely made it through a third of the full routine when both of them were exhausted, sprawled out like dead dogs.

"How can this be? The workload is clearly lighter than what we get at the Martial Child Academy. Why are we so exhausted?"

"I get it. The exercises are arranged in a different order from the ones at the Martial Child Academy, and the number of repetitions is different, too. Squats are what I'm best at, but this schedule cuts them down. Meanwhile, it increases the workload on my weak spot: weighted jumps."

"What? They increased the number of squats on mine! Damn, our training schedules are different!" Fatty Tang took a look and gaped.

Zhang He watched the two of them lying on the ground like dead dogs and smiled faintly. "Your training schedules are different. Every exercise is tailored to your weaknesses. So, do you understand now that these schedules aren't as easy as they look?"

"But training like this doesn't seem much different from training at the Martial Child Academy..." Wang Dachui looked at Zhang He uncertainly. If he kept training like this, he was sure he wouldn't improve much before the Martial Child Test!

"Of course it won't be that simple!" Zhang He smiled faintly. "These exercises are just the foreplay. The real show is the medicinal bath I prepared for you!"

Zhang He led the two of them into the main hall. Two bathing tubs stood there, already filled with hot water. Steam billowed from them, and the water inside was murky green. A pungent smell rose from the tubs.

"A medicinal bath?" Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui exchanged glances, both taken aback.

"Once you've finished the exercises on your schedules, come take a medicinal bath! These medicinal liquids can help temper your bodies. You're both exhausted now, right? Go ahead and try them." Zhang He said.

"The water's not hot!" Fatty Tang dipped a hand in to test it and found the temperature just right. Delighted, he immediately stripped off, revealing a body full of white, jiggling fat. "I'm already drenched in sweat, so a hot bath sounds perfect!"

Fatty Tang jumped in, but a moment later, he let out a strange cry, making Wang Dachui beside him jump.

"Damn, it's so intense! It feels amazing!" Fatty Tang's face went from shock to delight. "I can feel a powerful sensation of qi rising inside me. This works even better than Body Tempering Liquid!"

Wang Dachui had been a little nervous, afraid the medicinal bath might harm his body. But after hearing Fatty Tang, anticipation rose on his face. He quickly stripped and cautiously climbed into the tub.

He felt the intense sensation of qi rising within him.

Wang Dachui's eyes immediately widened, and his dark face turned ruddy. Excitement filled his eyes. "That's incredible! This is dozens of times more effective than Body Tempering Liquid at tempering the body and producing a sensation of qi!"

The two of them seized the opportunity, savoring the sensation as qi surged through their bodies and tempered them.

Zhang He watched with a knowing smile. The medicinal liquid in these two tubs was actually a weakened version of Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi. He didn't dare give them the real Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi, because the two of them didn't know how to control the sensation of qi in their bodies. Without strong willpower, taking it directly would stimulate their minds so violently that they might lose their sanity. In serious cases, they could go mad on the spot!

"As long as they keep tempering their bodies with these medicinal baths, their physical strength should improve greatly in just ten days. They should soon reach the Marrow Refining Realm. Then I can use True Qi Condensing Liquid to help them successfully cultivate True Qi Seeds."

A confident glint flashed in Zhang He's eyes.

Fatty Tang suddenly remembered something and asked with a frown, "Zhang He, have you heard that this year's Martial Child Test is said to be different from previous years? It won't simply test the Martial Children's strength, speed, and reflexes anymore. Instead, they'll be assessed comprehensively through a series of challenges."