Seeking Guidance

Chapter 25: Seeking Guidance

Standing before the 150-pound stone lock, Jiang Ning let out a light breath and adjusted his state.

Jiang Ning gripped the handle of the stone lock tightly. As he exerted force, the muscles in his right arm immediately bulged, their lines becoming clearly visible.

The stone lock abruptly left the ground as his strength erupted.

Seeing this, a strange look flashed through Cheng Ran's eyes.

"I remember Junior Brother Jiang has only been studying martial arts for four days, right? Yet his physique has already improved to this extent—he can lift a 150-pound stone lock. Incredible!"

Jiang Ning slowly set down the stone lock before speaking. "Senior Brother Cheng, you flatter me! Even ordinary farmers can lift 200-pound stone locks. What does it count for that I can lift 150 pounds?"

"That's different!" Cheng Ran shook his head solemnly. "Junior Brother Jiang is thin and weak. At a glance, you look like someone who neither works with his limbs nor distinguishes the five grains. Yet after, at most, four days of martial arts training, your physique and strength have increased so greatly that you can lift a 150-pound stone lock. It shows that your martial arts talent is quite outstanding!"

As Cheng Ran spoke, he shook his head and sighed with emotion.

Then he asked, "Junior Brother Jiang, your Five Animals Fist should have entered the beginner stage a few days ago, right?"

Jiang Ning nodded without denying it. "Senior Brother Cheng really does have a sharp eye!"

Cheng Ran smiled. "Of course! Though it isn't hard to tell! If Junior Brother Jiang can lift a 150-pound stone lock, then you must have already condensed your qi and blood. Once qi and blood can be condensed, your fist art naturally enters the beginner stage!"

At this point, regret appeared on Cheng Ran's face.

"Junior Brother Jiang only entered the beginner stage a few days ago, yet you cultivate all five forms of the Five Animals Fist together and have already reached this point. Speaking of it, Junior Brother Jiang's martial arts talent is truly exceptional—greater than mine, and greater than Xiao Peng's."

"What a pity you started martial arts too late! If Junior Brother Jiang had begun one or two years earlier, you would probably already be Teacher's true disciple and a martial artist who had entered the ranks. Then you could naturally join the Inspection Office and make the leap from fish to dragon. How could Xiao Peng have had the chance to strut about like this?"

By the end, Cheng Ran was shaking his head again and again.

Jiang Ning merely smiled and said nothing.

He also set down the 150-pound stone lock in his hand.

After testing himself with that stone lock, he roughly understood the extent of his current strength.

It was probably around 170 or 180 pounds.

Lifting the 150-pound stone lock had not put much strain on him. He felt he still had some strength left. Though it was not much, forcing himself to lift another twenty or thirty pounds would not be difficult.

After only a few days of practicing fist arts, my physique has improved by this much. Martial arts in this world truly are miraculous! Jiang Ning was deeply satisfied. My Five Animals Fist has now reached the proficient realm. Each time I practice the fist art, I can condense two wisps of qi and blood. Compared to before, the efficiency has doubled!

The speed at which my physique is tempered will also increase greatly! There are still three months left. Perhaps that will be enough. After all, if my fist art breaks through once more and reaches the minor accomplishment realm, the efficiency of condensing qi and blood will rise again.

At this moment, Cheng Ran seemed to have been injected with chicken blood.

"Junior Brother Jiang, I can't keep wallowing here! I want to bring my fist art to great accomplishment, I want to become Teacher Wang Jin's personal disciple, I want to defeat Xiao Peng and become a member of the Inspection Office. If I can't do that, I'll have no choice but to go home and inherit my family's thousand mu of fertile fields!!"

Inherit a thousand mu of fertile fields!

Jiang Ning: "..."

Filthy rich bastard!!

A thousand mu of fertile fields alone was an estate worth over ten thousand taels of silver!!

And the "thousand mu" he spoke of might not mean merely a thousand mu.

Damn landlord!!

Jiang Ning grumbled inwardly.

After lunch.

After practicing the Five Animals Fist once, Jiang Ning finished the last remaining portion of wild ginseng. Then, without wasting any more time, he practiced his fist art with all his strength.

[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]

[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]

[Five Animals Fist Experience +2]

[...]

Over the entire afternoon, he practiced the fist art ten times. With every round, two wisps of qi and blood condensed within his body.

Among those ten rounds, there were also two notifications that his Five Animals Fist experience had increased by two.

[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Proficient 13/200)

The others had already gone to collect their medicinal soup, while Jiang Ning was panting heavily.

After closing the panel, he clenched his fist again. The power of qi and blood surged through his body, flowing straight into his right arm.

The next moment.

The power of qi and blood can reach halfway through my right arm. At Big Brother's peak, the intensity of his qi and blood could run through all four limbs. In other words, my current qi and blood is roughly one-eighth of Big Brother's at his peak.

Feeling the changes in his body, Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction.

At this rate, it won't take many days for my strength to catch up to Big Brother's! This panel truly is miraculous! If the Five Animals Fist can break through again and reach the minor accomplishment realm, the total amount of qi and blood condensed with every practice round will surely be even greater.

"What a pity!" Jiang Ning shook his head slightly and sighed softly.

Now that the wild ginseng has been completely used up, without medicine like wild ginseng to help me from now on, even with the martial school's generous meals replenishing my nutrition, I'll have to cut the frequency of my Five Animals Fist practice in half.

At that thought, Jiang Ning's brow furrowed tightly.

A single wild ginseng root was worth more than ten or twenty taels of silver. Now that he was at the martial school, where was he supposed to get that much silver?

Ten taels of silver was equivalent to a month's living expenses for an ordinary family of three or four.

In terms of purchasing power, that was roughly equal to ten thousand yuan in his previous life.

Yet he could absorb one wild ginseng root in only three or four days.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning's head immediately began to ache.

He patted his head. Forget it, no point thinking about this. Before I have the power to protect myself, I can't casually go out anyway!

Even if I went out, I had no way to make money. Instead, I might run into Xu Yunfeng.

If I were injured by accident, it would delay my fist practice instead.

Better to lie low for now and raise my strength a little more. Big Brother won't be in danger anytime soon anyway.

There was no need to do something so reckless. Even if it meant being slower, so be it!

After sorting out his thoughts, Jiang Ning headed directly toward the kitchen.

After several days of testing, the martial school's daily bowl of medicinal soup had proven quite effective!

It let him practice one or two additional rounds of fist arts without placing too much burden on his body.

Perhaps he should continue displaying his abilities before Wang Jin and see whether he could obtain more benefits?

As Jiang Ning walked toward the kitchen, he sank into thought.

The martial school was silent and desolate at night.

Cold moonlight poured down from overhead, making even the patterns on the ground clearly visible beneath its bright glow.

"Master!" Jiang Ning bowed.

Wang Jin nodded. "You said you wanted to ask me about some insights into fist arts?"

"Yes!" Jiang Ning bowed, then continued, "This disciple wishes to know what is meant by softness within hardness and hardness within softness in Tiger Form Fist. What is meant by light agility contained within steadiness in Bear Form Fist. What is meant by agility and flexibility, with an unpredictable, ever-changing body in Ape Form Fist. What is meant by the union of movement and stillness in Deer Form Fist—stillness within movement, movement within stillness. What is meant by soaring into the clouds in Crane Form Fist, and what is meant by movements following the heart's intent?"

Hearing this, Wang Jin looked at Jiang Ning with some surprise.

"What you speak of can only be achieved once the Five Animals Fist reaches minor accomplishment. It is too far away for you to consider now. When your Five Animals Fist reaches the proficient realm one day, and your fist art and breathing become bodily instincts, come ask me again!"

(End of Chapter)