Taiji Fist's Effects!

[Taiji Fist Proficiency +1]

"Whew~"

Li Chengfeng had just finished his final round of Taiji Fist, drenched in sweat. Hearing Yu Niang's words, he smiled and nodded. He got up, wiped the sweat from his body with a dry towel, then held his rice bowl and cradled the mutton soup as he wolfed everything down.

After eating his fill, he did not rush off for an afternoon nap. Instead, he took several deep breaths and endured his exhaustion to practice another round of Taiji Fist.

Only after finishing the set and letting the food in his stomach digest a little did he lie down on the bed for an afternoon nap.

Liu Yuniang stayed by his side and watched him sleep for barely half an hour before getting up again to continue practicing martial arts.

Watching Li Chengfeng sweat endlessly beneath the sun as he practiced those natural, harmonious movements, Liu Yuniang increasingly felt that her man had grown up.

Time flashed by, and another three days passed amid his training at home.

For those three days, other than going to the market to buy vegetables, Li Chengfeng never stepped beyond the front gate or the inner door. He focused solely on eating meat and practicing martial arts in the courtyard.

Until one evening, a flustered neighbor hurried past Li Chengfeng's courtyard. Seeing Li Chengfeng swaying about in the bamboo grove for some unknown reason, he suddenly remembered something. Joy appeared between his brows as he shouted, "Li Chengfeng, Liu Hong is dead!"

"What? Liu Hong is dead?"

To keep others from secretly learning, Li Chengfeng had been using the courtyard and bamboo grove to block people's view while practicing Taiji Fist. At those words, a gleam flashed through his eyes. He ran straight out of the bamboo grove, delight written all over his face. "He actually died? Wonderful! Hahaha!"

"Heh, that scourge really died a good death!"

Seeing Li Chengfeng dance with joy, the neighbor recalled how Liu Hong had stolen his wages. He shook his head and said with some sympathy, then smacked his lips and quickened his pace. "Everyone's looking at Liu Hong's corpse now. His brother, Liu Yong, has a face as dark as a storm cloud. I'm going to gather some people and take a look..."

As he spoke, it was as though he had come across some rare spectacle. He was especially excited as he hurried away from Li Chengfeng's door.

"Chengfeng!"

After the neighbor left, Liu Yuniang, whose body had gone a little stiff upon hearing of Liu Hong's death, could not help looking at him with concern as she called softly.

"It's fine. Don't be nervous, Yu Niang. If he knew who killed him and had evidence, he would have come looking for us long ago."

Seeing Liu Yuniang's reaction, Li Chengfeng smiled, walked over, and patted her hand in comfort. "Don't think about anything. Just stay home and eat, drink, and take good care of yourself."

"Ah, all right!"

Liu Yuniang nodded repeatedly. She had still been somewhat nervous, but after seeing Li Chengfeng calmly return to practicing martial arts, her heart gradually settled as well.

After catching her breath, she got up and began practicing the Eight Brocades that Li Chengfeng had taught her in his spare time over the past few days.

She practiced quietly until nightfall. When no one came knocking at their door, Liu Yuniang finally put her mind completely at ease. She got up, reheated the mutton left over from noon, and brought it out to eat with Li Chengfeng.

"Whew~"

Li Chengfeng held his rice bowl and took huge bites of mutton, his eyes gleaming brightly.

It took them five days to discover the body. They probably only found it after it started stinking. I even stabbed the arrow wound with a knife that day and messed it up. By the time they find a coroner for the corpse and get the results, it'll take several more days.

Another thought rose in Li Chengfeng's mind. That hired hand Liu Yong is actually Liu Hong's brother. Hmph. Liu Yong definitely had a hand in Liu Hong stealing my money. Perfect. With this happening, it'll probably delay things for a few more days and give me plenty of time to prepare.

With those thoughts in mind, Li Chengfeng counted today as his fourth day of diligent martial arts practice. Feeling that his body had become much sturdier, he ate his fill with satisfaction.

By the end of the meal, Liu Yuniang had relaxed even more and was no longer so worried.

She took the bowls and chopsticks to wash up, while Li Chengfeng practiced another set of punches in the courtyard to aid digestion.

After finishing his punches, working off his meal, and wiping away the sweat on his body, Li Chengfeng lay down with Liu Yuniang. Before falling asleep, he could not help glancing at the panel.

[Skill: Taiji Fist]

[Level: Not Yet Initiated (88/100)]

"Practicing boxing isn't like shooting arrows. Every set requires complete concentration and the use of all one's strength. Even if I devoted an entire day to it, I still couldn't practice that many sets."

Feeling the information on the panel, Li Chengfeng sighed inwardly at the slow growth of his proficiency. Yet his eyes shone brightly. "But the miraculous thing is that after my proficiency increases, my appetite also becomes enormous. After training for a day, I can clearly feel my body becoming much stronger the next day."

"It's not just that my body is getting stronger. Even my understanding of how to practice Taiji Fist—how to use more correct postures and methods to train it—has grown deeper and deeper as my proficiency increases."

As Li Chengfeng pondered this, he touched his increasingly solid arm. Looking at the panel skill, a trace of anticipation rose in his heart.

"This must be the effect of a high-level skill appearing on the panel. And this is only the change at the Not Yet Initiated level."

Thoughts surged through Li Chengfeng's mind. What effects would Taiji Fist have after he entered the beginner level?

He immediately reined in his emotions. Thinking of the dead Liu Hong, a smile appeared on his face again. Then, feeling the exhaustion in his body, he returned to the room and lay down on the bed with Liu Yuniang, falling into a deep sleep.

The next day, early morning.

Li Chengfeng rose early. After eating a hearty meal of mutton and rice, he trained his fists and legs with all his heart behind the cover of the bamboo grove, cultivating Taiji Fist.

He trained from morning until noon, ate lunch, took an afternoon nap, then continued cultivating.

Until the afternoon.

[Skill: Taiji Fist]

[Level: Beginner (1/800)]

[Effect: Whole-Body Power (You can gather the strength of your entire body into one)]

Information appeared on the panel, and Li Chengfeng instantly felt a profound, mysterious state rise throughout his body.

He could not help raising his hand and casually striking at the air.

Whoosh~

In an instant, the strength of his entire body moved as one, turning perfectly through his waist and gathering in his right fist. He punched fiercely into the air, producing a sharp whooshing sound.

Whole-Body Power—using the strength of my entire body to attack. It already has such miraculous effects the moment I enter the beginner level!

A radiance instantly filled Li Chengfeng's eyes. He could not help throwing punch after punch, clearly feeling the power he possessed in this state!

Any casual punch was a blow that concentrated the strength of his entire body.

Even a mere wave of his hand contained surging force.

If he combined it with some of the moves in his memories...

"Whew... Liu Yong."

Li Chengfeng exhaled and a name flashed through his mind, his gaze turning sharp.

But in the next instant, an intense hunger suddenly rose from within him. His expression changed, and he hurriedly looked up at Liu Yuniang. "Yu Niang, make dinner. It's time to eat."