Testing Strength

The moonlight was cold and clear.

Jiang Ning stood in the courtyard.

[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Beginner 0/100)

He looked at his status panel, deep in thought.

"While practicing my fist techniques this afternoon, I actually gained another four experience points! It seems that practicing a fist technique once does not mean I can only gain one experience point. Rather, as long as I practice seriously, I should gain at least one experience point!"

After thinking it over briefly, Jiang Ning found this perfectly reasonable.

Ordinary people spoke of attaining sudden enlightenment through martial arts, and there were also sayings about standing at a lofty height to gain a broad view, drawing inferences from one instance to another.

If practicing a technique could increase experience by at most one point each time, then when his Martial Dao reached great achievement someday, would he not need to practice an ordinary low-grade martial art ten times just to get started?

That would be far too unreasonable!

"This is how it should be!!!" He was even more excited inside.

With this panel, it meant the heavens rewarded diligence, and effort would certainly bring rewards.

This was practically a road leading straight to the heavens.

How could he not be excited?

Then—

"Hu—"

He exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly suppressed his surging emotions.

What changes would the Five Animals Fist have after reaching the Beginner stage?

According to the records in the fist manual, condensing the first wisp of qi and blood through fist practice signified that one had entered the Five Animals Fist.

Once the Five Animals Fist reached the Beginner stage, every complete practice session could temper the body and provide a chance to condense the power of qi and blood.

He might as well give it a try!

Jiang Ning clenched his fists. The physical strength he had expended practicing earlier that afternoon had long since fully recovered after the bowl of medicinal soup and his filling meal. He was brimming with energy, his body filled with power that had nowhere to go.

This was exactly the right state for practicing fist techniques.

The next moment, Jiang Ning assumed a stance and began practicing.

On the steps, Jiang Li sat quietly in a chair and watched.

Seeing Jiang Ning coordinate every move with his breathing technique, his fists and feet carrying the might of a tiger—

"Not bad! Truly not bad!!" He nodded in satisfaction.

[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]

The instant that prompt appeared, Jiang Ning immediately felt another wisp of warmth emerge within his body.

Wherever the warm current passed, it was like bathing in a hot spring, incomparably comfortable.

He could feel his physique continuously growing under the nourishment of that power of qi and blood.

[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Beginner 1/100)

In an instant, the Five Animals Fist had broken through and reached the Beginner stage.

"I now have two wisps of qi and blood!"

Jiang Ning clenched his fist. The two wisps of qi and blood coursed through his body as easily as commanding his own arms.

When the power of qi and blood reached his right palm, Jiang Ning could feel it become even more powerful under its reinforcement.

This was the effect of reaching the Beginner stage in the Five Animals Fist: he could circulate the power of qi and blood in conjunction with the Five Animals Fist.

Under such circumstances, when qi and blood surged into his fists and he used Tiger Form, his explosive force became extraordinarily fierce. When he used Bear Form, his strength rose sharply, his feet taking root in the earth.

When qi and blood surged into his feet and he used Ape Form, his body became nimble and agile, able to shift and dodge as he pleased. When he used Crane Form, his speed rose sharply.

The next moment—

His qi and blood merged as one. He used Tiger Form Fist and punched at the tree trunk before him, his fist force erupting.

Bang—

With a dull thud, the small tree swayed, its leaves rustling loudly.

"This is!!!" Jiang Li, seated in his chair, instantly widened his eyes at the sight.

"Is this qi and blood reinforcing his fist?" He could hardly believe it.

After Jiang Ning withdrew his fist, he saw that the fist, far more fragile than the tree trunk, was merely reddened at the skin, without so much as a wound.

"So it really is true. Only by grasping the power of qi and blood can one barely be considered a martial artist!"

He murmured to himself and walked toward a corner of the courtyard.

Two rows of stone locks sat in that corner, ranging from fifty pounds, one hundred pounds, and one hundred fifty pounds, all the way to one thousand pounds.

"I wonder whether practicing fists for an afternoon has increased my strength!"

He came before the smallest stone lock.

It was a fifty-pound stone lock.

With one hand, he lifted it effortlessly.

"It really is much easier. It seems that after practicing fists for an afternoon, my strength has indeed increased!"

Jiang Ning placed the fifty-pound stone lock back on the ground, then gripped the adjacent one-hundred-pound stone lock with his right hand.

"I wonder if I can lift this one-hundred-pound stone lock." He murmured inwardly.

He had tried lifting this one-hundred-pound stone lock before, yet no matter how he strained with all the strength he had, he could not lift it fully off the ground.

That was perfectly normal.

From what he knew, even in his previous life, it was uncommon for an adult man to lift a one-hundred-pound dumbbell with one hand.

What was more, he was only eighteen in this life, living in an era similar to feudal times, where nutrition was far inferior to that of ordinary men in his previous life.

So he had found it entirely normal that he could not previously lift a one-hundred-pound stone lock with one hand.

The stray thoughts flashed through his mind, and Jiang Ning's right hand instantly exerted force.

The one-hundred-pound stone lock instantly left the ground, held aloft in one hand.

"My strength really has increased!!"

Jiang Ning tried hefting it several more times with one hand, only setting down the stone lock when his strength was nearly spent.

"I still had strength left after lifting a one-hundred-pound stone lock with one hand. It seems my strength increased by ten to twenty percent in just one afternoon. The effect is truly obvious!!"

"This is merely a pure change in my body. If I combine it with the power of qi and blood, the increase in my strength will be even more obvious!"

At that moment, Jiang Ning gained a preliminary understanding of the Martial Dao in this world. The effects of martial arts techniques were far more miraculous than any method of training from his previous life.

Meanwhile, Jiang Li stared wide-eyed at Jiang Ning's actions.

"Could my little brother be a martial arts prodigy? He achieved such results after practicing martial arts for only one afternoon??"

After finishing his test—

Jiang Ning struck while the iron was hot and continued practicing his fist techniques.

This time, it took him only a little over a quarter of an hour to complete one round of the Five Animals Fist.

[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]

He sensed his body again, and joy rose in his heart.

"According to the records in the fist manual, only after the Five Animals Fist reaches the Beginner stage can one have a chance to condense qi and blood—but it is merely a possibility!"

"Ordinary people often need to practice the fist technique three or four times before they can condense one wisp of qi and blood. Only those with extremely high talent and comprehension can ensure that they condense a wisp of qi and blood nearly every time they practice the fist technique."

"I have now practiced the fist technique twice, and condensed qi and blood each time. Does this mean I can condense qi and blood one hundred percent of the time?"

Jiang Ning assessed his own condition. Thanks to the martial academy's bowl of medicinal soup and that lavish dinner, he could likely still support two more rounds of fist practice.

"I might as well try!" he murmured inwardly.

Just then, Jiang Li's voice rang out beside him.

"Little brother, have you condensed qi and blood?"

Jiang Ning looked up and saw Jiang Li rise from his chair, staring at him with eyes full of astonishment.

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded, choosing to tell the truth.

"So it really is true!!" Jiang Li could not help widening his eyes as he looked at Jiang Ning, as though this were the first time he had ever known him.

Seeing Jiang Li's expression, Jiang Ning smiled. "The Five Animals Fist is a low-grade martial art. As long as one reaches the Beginner stage in the fist technique, condensing qi and blood is simply a matter of water flowing into its channel! I have a strong memory and can remember the fist manual after seeing it once. I watched Academy Master Wang Jin practice the fist technique once and remembered it completely. And one senior brother was generous enough to give me a wild ginseng root worth more than ten taels when I joined."

"Then sending you to the Blue-Wave Martial Academy to learn martial arts was indeed the right choice! You recovered more than ten taels of silver as soon as you entered. Not bad, truly not bad!!" Jiang Li laughed heartily.

Jiang Ning merely smiled faintly without confirming or denying it. A wild ginseng root worth more than ten taels of silver had indeed been an unexpected delight.

Without the potent medicinal effects of the wild ginseng, he could not have reached the Beginner stage in a single day.

That night—

Jiang Ning practiced the fist technique two more times. Though there was no unexpected delight and he merely gained another two experience points in the Five Animals Fist, he also condensed two more wisps of qi and blood.

Thus, his total amount of qi and blood had reached four wisps.

As those four wisps of qi and blood fused together, that stream of qi and blood became thicker and stronger.

It circulated through his body, continuously nourishing his physique.

After completing those two rounds of fist practice, Jiang Ning could also feel that his body could no longer continue practicing.

Once he noticed this condition, he did not force himself.

Forcing himself to practice would be going too far and falling short, and would inevitably damage his body.

He then asked Jiang Li about the doubt in his heart.

That was the exact level of Xu Yunfeng's strength.

After Jiang Li described it, Jiang Ning roughly learned about his elder brother's former strength and Xu Yunfeng's strength.

Before his elder brother Jiang Li was injured, at his peak, the power of qi and blood had already penetrated through all four of his limbs. The technique he cultivated had also been an extremely common low-grade saber art, primarily intended for killing enemies and secondarily for tempering qi and blood.

Xu Yunfeng, however, was different. Xu Yunfeng had most likely reached the limit beneath a ninth-rank martial artist, with qi and blood coursing through his entire body.

Comparing the two, Xu Yunfeng was clearly a step above Jiang Li.

After learning this, Jiang Ning understood that he was still very far from Xu Yunfeng.

Their strength was simply not on the same level.

Yet he was neither discouraged nor particularly afraid.

Given the speed of his progress, as long as he was given some time, he would surpass Xu Yunfeng sooner or later.

Now that he had joined the Blue-Wave Martial Academy, at least during these few months at the academy, a clever man like Xu Yunfeng would neither dare nor choose to attack him.

But Jiang Ning also knew that one day, he might be dragged into a bloody armed clash between the two major gangs.

Xu Yunfeng worked for Cao Bin, and in order to force his elder brother to submit, his previous threats might become reality.

Before that happened, he had to improve his fist technique realm as quickly as possible.

As long as his fist technique reached great achievement, he could pass Wang Jin's test and become a true disciple of the martial academy.

As the saying went, leaning against a great tree made for cool shade. Once he became Wang Jin's true disciple, his status and position would be no less than that of ordinary officials and wealthy merchants.

Under those circumstances, Xu Yunfeng would not dare touch him, much less the gangs Xu Yunfeng could command.

(End of Chapter)