The strength of a single arm exceeded two hundred catties.
Though that was not a terrifying figure in Cheng Ran's eyes.
After all, once his qi and blood had reached completion and circulated throughout his body, the strength of one arm had already surpassed five hundred catties—more than twice Jiang Ning's current strength.
But for someone who had only been practicing martial arts for a short time, strength exceeding two hundred catties left Cheng Ran greatly shocked.
At that rate of growth, it would not be long before Jiang Ning caught up to him.
Though growth could not truly be calculated that way.
The further one progressed, the harder it became to increase one's strength.
That was why, despite his qi and blood reaching completion and flowing through his entire body, his strength only exceeded five hundred catties.
Yet strength of more than two hundred catties also allowed him to roughly estimate the level Jiang Ning's qi and blood had reached.
His qi and blood had at least reached minor accomplishment; perhaps they had even circulated through both arms.
Moreover, given his relationship with Jiang Ning, he knew perfectly well that Jiang Ning's only supplements were the wild ginseng Zhou Xing had given him and the medicinal soup provided by the martial hall.
Other than that, there was nothing else.
With such ordinary training conditions, yet strength that had risen to this extent, there was only one possibility in his mind.
Jiang Ning's talent for Martial Dao was extraordinary. Simply relying on the Five Animals Fist, a foundational martial art, he could condense an enormous amount of qi and blood.
Furthermore, Jiang Ning's fist technique must have advanced at an astonishing pace, likely reaching proficiency or even minor accomplishment.
The thought sent waves crashing through Cheng Ran's heart.
Having personally experienced the changes in Jiang Ning, he understood Jiang Ning better than anyone present.
He had never imagined that a friend he had casually made would possess such outrageous Martial Dao talent.
Such talent stood above the masses; even across all of Luoshui County, it was exceedingly rare.
At that moment.
After thinking briefly, Cheng Ran chose not to make it known.
He then smiled and clasped his hands once more. "Many thanks for your help, Junior Brother Jiang!"
"Senior Brother has already thanked me," Jiang Ning said with a smile.
Cheng Ran gave a self-mocking laugh. "As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to heal broken bones and torn sinews. At such a crucial juncture, if I had injured my tendons and bones, Junior Brother Jiang would have spared me the misery of being bedridden for a long time. How could a mere word of thanks express my gratitude?"
"How about this?" Cheng Ran said. He searched inside his robes, then pulled out a silver note. "Junior Brother Jiang, this is the last fifty taels I have on me. It is not much, but it is a token of my appreciation. Please accept it."
Jiang Ning looked at Cheng Ran in surprise.
A faint smile then appeared on his face. "Senior Brother Cheng is so generous. I certainly will not refuse. Just do not secretly regret it later."
Cheng Ran immediately burst into laughter. "What I like about Junior Brother Jiang is precisely this unpretentious, clean-cut, straightforward nature of yours!"
As he spoke, Cheng Ran stuffed the silver note into Jiang Ning's hand. "Anything I, Cheng Ran, give away is given sincerely. How could there be any reason for regret?"
"Besides, while I am not from some immensely wealthy family, I can still afford this little money for a good friend. Not to mention that Junior Brother Jiang stepped in to help me, sparing me bruised flesh, aching bones, and the misery of lying in bed!"
"Compared to that, what are a mere fifty taels of silver? If Junior Brother Jiang refuses to accept it, that would mean you look down on me!"
Jiang Ning smiled. "In that case, I shall accept without further ceremony!"
He then tucked the fifty-tael silver note into his pocket.
At this moment, the people in the distance watched the scene.
Their eyes were filled with envy, especially those well-born disciples from the outer city, whose envy was even stronger.
"He handed over fifty taels of silver just like that. Cheng Ran really is generous!"
"Of course. Cheng Ran is the only male heir in his family. His family not only owns several thousand mu of fertile land, but also a restaurant. Senior Brother Cheng is naturally rich and powerful. Otherwise, how could he have reached the level of completed qi and blood flowing through his entire body? The silver spent on that was no small sum!"
"Jiang Ning is truly lucky to have become friends with Senior Brother Cheng and earned his favor."
"If he earned Senior Brother Cheng's favor, that is due to his own merit. He spared Senior Brother Cheng an injury that would have damaged his tendons and bones. There are only around three months until the Inspection Office opens in Luoshui County. If Senior Brother Cheng wishes to compete for a place in the Inspection Office, even several days lost recovering would matter far more to him than fifty taels of silver."
"That is true. For people of Luoshui County, entering the Inspection Office would be like a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Their futures would be utterly transformed."
Elsewhere.
Jiang Ning accepted the fifty-tael silver note without hesitation.
He had no intention of putting on a show by refusing it back and forth.
At present, fifty taels of silver would help him greatly, while it was insignificant to Cheng Ran.
He was also at a time when he was desperately short of resources.
On the path of Martial Dao, lacking resources would greatly affect one's progress and efficiency.
Ever since he no longer had wild ginseng to aid him, the number of times he practiced his fists each day had fallen significantly, and the source energy points he gained each day had likewise decreased.
With these fifty taels of silver, he could return to his former level of efficiency.
That way, his fist technique would progress faster, and his accumulation of qi and blood would also speed up.
This would greatly increase his chances of joining the Inspection Office three months later.
All along, he had already made up his mind to join the Inspection Office.
But whether he could actually succeed, he did not know.
After all, he had little time left. Three months was far too short.
In three months, he had to bring his qi and blood to great accomplishment, achieve Martial Dao rank, and pass the practical assessment for entering the office.
As for the first requirement, he was confident now. It should not be a problem.
But regarding the second requirement, attaining Martial Dao rank, he had no confidence at all.
On the path of Martial Dao, even if one's qi and blood reached completion and flowed through the entire body, one was still merely an ordinary person—an ordinary person who had yet to shatter the limits of the human body.
Only by attaining Martial Dao rank could one be said to have formally stepped onto the path of Martial Dao.
As far as he knew, to enter the ninth rank of Martial Dao, one needed to circulate qi and blood throughout the body, use secret methods and external materials, temper inside and out together, and forge a layer of membrane beneath the skin—a membrane connected to the flesh.
Once the membrane had formed, the entire body would be without leaks, like the layer beneath a sheet of cowhide, linking together the flesh across the entire body.
Only upon reaching that stage could one be considered to have entered Martial Dao rank: a skin-tempering martial artist, known as a ninth-rank martial artist.
A newly formed ninth rank did not bring an obvious transformation in strength. It merely increased the intensity of one's qi and blood and one's physical power to some extent, while slightly improving resistance to blows. Against weapons and sharp blades, that increased resistance still offered little real protection.
But once one advanced further in the skin-tempering realm and reached minor accomplishment, with the skin membrane as hard as stone—the level known as stone skin—it would be entirely different.
Not only would ordinary weapons find it difficult to inflict much harm upon a martial artist of that level, but their resistance to blows would increase enormously.
More importantly, their qi and blood and physical strength would increase further.
If such martial artists donned armor and carried weapons to form an army, they would become a nightmare on the battlefield. Ten men could shatter an ordinary army of a thousand; a hundred men could shatter an ordinary army of ten thousand.
If one reached great accomplishment in the skin-tempering realm, one would transform yet again.
The membrane would connect with the flesh and rival bronze; ordinary swords and blades would struggle to wound it.
At great accomplishment in skin tempering, even wearing only a single layer of clothing would be no different from being clad in armor.
Such was the strength of a ranked martial artist.
Before you continue