A New Look

A New Look

The martial academy's front courtyard.

[Five Animals Fist experience +1]

[Five Animals Fist experience +1]

[This practice of Five Animals Fist increased Five Animals Fist experience by a total of two points.]

[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Beginner 8/100)

Dressed in a short jacket, Jiang Ning finished practicing his punches. Wisps of steam rose from above his head.

He clenched his fists, feeling several more strands of qi and blood strength grow within him. The gloom in his heart was swept away, and his steadily increasing strength put him in a brighter mood.

He came to the well in the martial academy's front courtyard.

Gulp—

Gulp—

Jiang Ning downed several large mouthfuls of cool well water before taking a red rectangular brocade box from his robes.

When he opened the red brocade box, he saw a wild ginseng root lying inside.

Jiang Ning pinched off a small piece with his fingers, about one-tenth of the entire wild ginseng root.

The moment that small piece of wild ginseng entered his stomach, Jiang Ning felt it being continuously digested and absorbed.

As his qi and blood circulated, the medicinal potency released by the wild ginseng swiftly spread through all four limbs and a hundred bones.

His body, which had felt weak and drained after practicing the Five Animals Fist twice, now recovered at a remarkably obvious rate.

"Senior Brother Zhou Xing is indeed generous! This wild ginseng is truly a great help to me!" Jiang Ning quietly sensed the changes in his body.

Suddenly—

"Master Wang is here!" someone cheered.

Jiang Ning opened his eyes and immediately saw Wang Jin slowly emerge from the rear courtyard. He wore a short jacket, his thick bare arms packed with muscle.

The instant Wang Jin appeared, everyone stopped what they were doing and stood properly where they were.

Wang Jin glanced at the vibrant crowd and nodded in satisfaction.

"Spread out and practice your own punches! I'll point out each of your problems one by one!" Wang Jin spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Wang!"

Someone stepped forward and bowed to Wang Jin.

The others followed suit, bowing to Wang Jin as well.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Wang!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Wang!"

.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning likewise cupped his fists and bowed.

Then his eyes flickered. After pondering briefly, he retreated to an open area off to the side.

"Do not look around, and do not whisper among yourselves. Show me the full results of your training!" With his hands behind his back, Wang Jin slowly walked forward.

One by one, the crowd began demonstrating the Five Animals Fist they had studied.

As Wang Jin walked forward, he watched the fist techniques they displayed, his expression utterly calm.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ning also began practicing the Five Animals Fist with all his strength.

He knew this was an opportunity—an opportunity to show himself.

Under normal circumstances, Blue-Wave Martial Academy would never lack people, nor would it recruit new ones.

It would not be easy for him to remain at the martial academy long-term.

Therefore, he understood very clearly that only by showing himself—showing his talent and his worth—would there be a possibility.

As Jiang Ning practiced with all his strength, the rhythm of his movements and breathing gradually aligned with the Five Animals Fist Wang Jin had demonstrated and recorded in his mind yesterday.

He continuously refined the minute details of his movements and adjusted his breathing rhythm. The more he practiced, the smoother it became, until his whole body entered a peculiar state.

At that moment, Wang Jin's footsteps abruptly paused.

A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes as he looked at Jiang Ning.

"His Tiger Form Fist has already reached the beginner level. Did he enter the gate in a single day? His qi and blood have just been born?"

Wang Jin paused for less than a breath, then continued forward slowly, quietly observing without giving anything away.

At the same time, he occasionally pointed out the incorrect stances and breathing rhythms of the other men.

Yet when it came to Jiang Ning, he could not find any flaws at all for the moment. At most, there were only a few negligible imperfections.

The more he secretly observed, the more astonished he became.

Suddenly, surprise flashed through his eyes.

At this moment, every movement Jiang Ning made was heavy and powerful, his feet seeming to take root in the ground.

"His Bear Form Fist has entered the beginner level too?"

Wang Jin was secretly startled. By then, he had already made a full circuit around the crowd.

"Keep practicing. Until I tell you to stop, no one is allowed to stop!"

The moment Wang Jin spoke, everyone tensed and no longer dared slack off in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ning had long forgotten everything else. There were no distracting thoughts in his mind, only the pure act of practicing his punches.

Jiang Ning's fists moved faster and faster, and his form grew increasingly fluid.

After finishing the Bear Form Fist, his body abruptly changed, and so did his breathing method.

He now moved with the nimble agility of an ape, darting, shifting, and turning within a tiny patch of ground.

"His Ape Form Fist has entered the beginner level as well!" Wang Jin's gaze sharpened as he mused, "Could this kid have mastered all five animals, with every form entering the gate?"

At that thought, Wang Jin's heart stirred slightly.

As the saying went, a good teacher was hard to find, but a disciple capable of inheriting one's mantle was just as hard to find.

In Wang Jin's eyes, Jiang Ning had now caught his attention.

Afterward, Wang Jin was in no hurry to leave. He simply stood where he was and watched everyone practice.

Since Wang Jin did not move, neither did the others.

Jiang Ning moved from the Ape Form Fist to the Crane Form Fist, his body changing once more and his breathing method changing with it.

Finally, he ended with the Deer Form Fist. His movements shifted directly from fierce intensity to gentle ease, while his breathing became exceptionally slow and long.

[Five Animals Fist experience +3]

[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Beginner 11/100)

Seeing the panel before him, Jiang Ning was delighted.

The progress is past one-tenth! At this rate, I'll complete a breakthrough in the Five Animals Fist within three to five days at most!

Elsewhere—

This kid has indeed truly entered the gate of the Five Animals Fist, and he has also begun condensing qi and blood!

Not bad! Very good!

He's far better than those little brats who want to stay by taking shortcuts!

What kind of Five Animals Fist is it if one doesn't cultivate all five animals together?!

Wang Jin nodded slightly and gave Jiang Ning two satisfied looks.

Then he came before the crowd.

"Today, I'll demonstrate the fist technique once more for you to observe! Watch carefully, and learn well!"

"Yes! Thank you, Master Wang!" Everyone bowed.

In an instant, the entire courtyard fell silent.

Wang Jin assumed his stance and began slowly practicing each move and form before the crowd.

His movements were not fast. In Jiang Ning's eyes, they even seemed somewhat slow. He was likely deliberately slowing them down so everyone could observe.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn.

Jiang Ning watched carefully until the end, then closed his eyes.

The Five Animals Fist Wang Jin had just practiced immediately replayed in his mind.

Not long afterward, he opened his eyes and sighed inwardly.

The Five Animals Fist Wang Jin demonstrated this time was meticulous in every move, textbook-perfect.

But this standard Five Animals Fist no longer helps me.

By then, Wang Jin had already left.

The entire front courtyard gradually became noisy once more.

All morning, aided by the medicinal potency spreading from the wild ginseng, Jiang Ning rested only briefly before continuing to practice his punches, unwilling to waste even a shred of its effects.

A single wild ginseng root was worth more than ten taels of silver.

From what he knew of prices in this world, one tael of silver had purchasing power roughly equal to a thousand yuan in his previous life. It could sustain a poor family for an entire month.

The value of one wild ginseng root in this world was enough to support a poor family of four for a year.

How could he bear to waste it?

Without the wild ginseng's aid, the efficiency with which he gained Five Animals Fist experience would greatly decrease, and his strength would improve much more slowly.

[Five Animals Fist experience +1]

[Five Animals Fist experience +1]

Throughout the morning, as he practiced his punches over and over, his Five Animals Fist experience continuously rose.

Until before lunch.

[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Beginner 14/100)

At noon.

After lunch.

Knock, knock, knock—

Jiang Ning knocked on the gate to the rear courtyard where Wang Jin was staying.