Seeking Guidance

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

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

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

Cheng Ran's eyes flashed with an unusual look at the sight.

"I remember Junior Brother Jiang has only been studying martial arts for four days, right? Yet his physique has already strengthened to this extent, and 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 farm laborers can lift 200-pound stone locks. What is there to boast about if I can lift 150 pounds?"

"That is different!" Cheng Ran shook his head rather seriously. "Junior Brother Jiang is thin and frail. One look tells me you are someone who does not toil with his limbs or distinguish the five grains. Yet after, at most, four days of martial training, your physique and strength have grown so greatly that you can lift a 150-pound stone lock. It is clear that your Martial Dao talent is quite outstanding!"

As Cheng Ran spoke, he shook his head and swayed it, his expression full of emotion.

Then he asked, "Junior Brother Jiang, you must have entered the gate of Five Animals Fist several days ago, right?"

Jiang Ning nodded without denying it. "Senior Brother Cheng truly has a sharp eye!"

Cheng Ran smiled. "Of course! Though it is not hard to tell! Since Junior Brother Jiang can lift a 150-pound stone lock, you must have long since condensed your qi and blood. Once one can condense qi and blood, naturally one's fist art has entered the gate!"

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

"Junior Brother Jiang only entered the gate a few days ago, yet you cultivate all five stances of Five Animals Fist together and have already reached the level of entry. Speaking of it, Junior Brother Jiang's Martial Dao talent is truly peerless—greater than mine, and greater than Xiao Peng's."

"What a pity you began martial training too late! If Junior Brother Jiang had started one or two years earlier, you would likely already be Teacher's true disciple, a Martial Dao expert who had entered the ranks. Then you could have naturally joined the Inspection Office and accomplished the leap of a fish through the dragon gate. How could Xiao Peng have had the chance to strut about so arrogantly?"

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

Jiang Ning merely smiled and said nothing more.

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

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

It was probably around 170 or 180 pounds.

Lifting a 150-pound stone lock did not place much burden 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 fist practice, my physique has strengthened this much. The Martial Dao of this world truly is miraculous! Jiang Ning was immensely satisfied. Now that my Five Animals Fist has reached the proficient realm, practicing the fist art once can condense two strands of qi and blood. The efficiency has doubled compared with before!

The speed at which it tempers my physique will also greatly increase! There are still three months left, so perhaps there is enough time. After all, if my fist art breaks through once more and reaches the minor accomplishment realm, the efficiency of condensing qi and blood will increase again.

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

"Junior Brother Jiang, I cannot keep wasting away here! I want to bring my fist art to great accomplishment, become Teacher Wang Jin's personal disciple, defeat Xiao Peng, and become a member of the Inspection Office. If I cannot do that, I can only go home and inherit my family's thousand mu of fertile land!!"

Inherit a thousand mu of fertile land!

Jiang Ning: "."

Filthy rich bastard!!

A thousand mu of fertile land alone was property worth more than ten thousand taels of silver!!

And the thousand mu he mentioned might not be merely one thousand mu.

Filthy landlord!!

Jiang Ning grumbled to himself.

After lunch.

After practicing Five Animals Fist once, Jiang Ning finished the last remaining portion of wild ginseng. Then he stopped wasting time and devoted himself fully to practicing his fist art.

[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. Each time he practiced it, he condensed two strands of qi and blood within his body.

Among those ten rounds, there were also two notifications of Five Animals Fist experience increasing by two.

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

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

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

The next moment.

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

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

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

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

"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 hall's generous meals to replenish my nutrition, I will have to halve the frequency at which I practice Five Animals Fist."

At that thought, Jiang Ning's brows knit tightly.

One wild ginseng plant was worth more than ten or twenty taels of silver. Now that he was at the martial hall, where was he supposed to get so much silver?

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

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

Yet he could absorb one wild ginseng plant in merely three or four days.

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

He patted his head. Forget it, no use thinking about this. Before I have the ability to protect myself, I cannot casually go out anyway!

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

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

I should lie low for now and raise my strength a little more. Big Brother will not be in danger anytime soon anyway.

There is no need to do something so perilous. So what if I progress a little slower!

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

Through his experiments over the past few days, the daily bowl of medicinal soup provided by the martial hall had proven fairly effective!

It allowed him to practice one or two more rounds of fist art without placing too much strain 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 rear kitchen, he sank into thought.

The martial hall at night was silent and desolate.

Cold moonlight spilled down from overhead, and even the patterns on the ground appeared clearly visible beneath the bright moonlight.

"Master!" Jiang Ning bowed.

Wang Jin nodded. "You said you wished to ask me for some guidance regarding your insights into fist arts?"

"Yes!" Jiang Ning bowed, then continued, "This disciple wishes to know what Tiger Form Fist means by softness within hardness, and hardness within softness. What Bear Form Fist means by light agility concealed within steadiness. What Ape Form Fist means by nimble flexibility and an unpredictable, ever-changing body. What Deer Form Fist means by the union of movement and stillness—stillness within movement, movement within stillness. What Crane Form Fist means by soaring into the clouds, and what it means for movement to follow the heart's intent."

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

"What you speak of can only be achieved after Five Animals Fist reaches minor accomplishment. Thinking about it now is far too distant for you. When Five Animals Fist reaches the proficient realm one day, and your fist art and breathing become bodily instinct, then come ask me for guidance."