Jiang Ning's Strength

Afterward.

The two clashed once more.

Yet the longer they fought, the more alarmed Cheng Ran became.

Jiang Ning's movements were far too nimble, and there was no pattern to his attacks.

Especially in the shifts between stillness and motion—his body and fists veered left and right, as though utterly free of the inertia of force. It made Cheng Ran feel extremely uncomfortable.

He simply could not predict Jiang Ning's movements.

"So this is the true strength of cultivating all five forms at once? Technique can actually matter this much?"

After Jiang Ning struck his chest again, Cheng Ran could not help having that thought.

The look in his eyes as he watched Jiang Ning changed again and again.

He knew that if his qi and blood had not reached perfection and flowed through his entire body, granting him a resistance to blows far beyond ordinary people, those few strikes alone would have been enough to rob him of his ability to fight.

At this moment, Jiang Ning also gained some insight from this first battle.

Why had Wang Jin repeatedly told him that the Five Animals Fist should be cultivated in all five forms at once?

Cultivating all five forms at once made one outstanding in strength, explosive power, footwork, and speed. There were practically no weaknesses.

Though Cheng Ran was strong, with qi and blood flowing through his entire body and five hundred jin of strength in a single arm, every movement of his could easily erupt with over a thousand jin of force.

But if Jiang Ning did not wish to meet him head-on, even Cheng Ran's full-force strikes found it difficult to hit him.

After reaching minor accomplishment, Ape Form Fist had brought his footwork to a level that could be called exquisitely precise.

Even in close combat with Cheng Ran, he could make him miss by a hair and lose by a thousand miles, while also seizing the gaps when Cheng Ran's old force had faded and his new force had yet to arise.

Thus, Jiang Ning now realized that although Cheng Ran's explosive force matched his own, Cheng Ran was being utterly suppressed by him.

"Senior Brother Cheng, please go all out!" Jiang Ning said with a solemn expression.

Seeing Jiang Ning's serious expression, Cheng Ran slowly nodded. "Very well. Junior Brother Jiang, be careful!"

As his words fell.

Cheng Ran moved again, utterly different from before, as far apart as heaven and earth.

With qi and blood coursing through his entire body and his full strength unleashed, his speed suddenly increased by fifty percent.

With a flicker of his body, he closed to within an arm's length of Jiang Ning.

Cheng Ran's arms suddenly whipped about like the wind, an overwhelming pressure rushing straight at Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning, too, circulated his qi and blood through more than one arm, striking as he retreated.

At that moment, Jiang Ning understood what it meant for one force to overcome ten techniques.

Cheng Ran's single-arm strength exceeded five hundred jin, more than twice Jiang Ning's own.

Under such circumstances, Jiang Ning discovered that even if he could seize the gap between Cheng Ran's old force fading and new force arising, and only had to contend with sixty or seventy percent of Cheng Ran's strength.

The force in Cheng Ran's fists and kicks was still several times greater than his own.

He still could not withstand it head-on.

Every collision left Jiang Ning's arms aching and numb, while his body was forced steadily backward.

And with Cheng Ran erupting at full strength, the pressure was immense.

Jiang Ning had no way to unleash his own full power. The force he hurriedly mustered only made Cheng Ran's arm sway slightly before it was completely dispersed.

Driven back into a corner, Jiang Ning leaped up. Like a nimble white ape, he instantly appeared atop the wall.

"Senior Brother Cheng truly is formidable. I am inferior!"

Standing on the wall, Jiang Ning cupped his fists.

Huff—

Huff—

Cheng Ran had now halted his storm-like offensive and was gasping heavily.

Hearing Jiang Ning's words, he could not help but smile bitterly to himself.

He had only managed this by erupting with all his strength and crushing Jiang Ning with brute force. It would be humiliating if word got out.

It looked as though he had won, but in truth, he had lost completely.

Yet at that moment, he understood even more clearly that Jiang Ning's talent in the Martial Dao and in fist techniques far surpassed his own.

Then he secretly felt fortunate.

"Fortunately!"

"Fortunately, there are only around three months left before the Inspection Office opens."

"If Junior Brother Jiang were given a year or half a year, Xiao Peng and I would not even need to compete. We could just give up."

"Now there are only three months left. Even if Junior Brother Jiang's talent for fist techniques is astonishing and his comprehension equally astounding, allowing his fist technique to reach major accomplishment or even perfection and master internal force."

"His qi and blood cannot possibly reach perfection, much less reach the initial stage of skin tempering, where skin and membrane become one."

"All of these require the grinding work of water wearing through stone."

Thinking of this, Cheng Ran felt greatly relieved.

Relieved that there were only barely three months left before the Inspection Office opened.

He still had confidence in competing on the same stage against Xiao Peng when their qi and blood and fist techniques were nearly equal.

But after witnessing Jiang Ning's strength today, if he had to compete with him when their qi and blood were nearly equal, he had no confidence or assurance whatsoever.

Afterward.

Cheng Ran steadied his rapid breathing, then raised his head to look at Jiang Ning atop the wall. A strange light could not help appearing in his eyes.

"Junior Brother Jiang, you truly have excellent stamina. After such an intense battle, your face is not red and your breath is not labored."

Jiang Ning smiled, leaping down from the wall and landing before Cheng Ran.

"Senior Brother Cheng's assault consumed a great deal of stamina. I am different—I mainly fought while moving about, so my stamina consumption was naturally lower."

"That is true!" Cheng Ran nodded, agreeing with the explanation.

Yet Jiang Ning understood in his heart that the reason he had not expended as much as Cheng Ran was because his Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique had already reached the entry level.

His internal organs had been tempered, granting him functions beyond those of ordinary people.

Therefore, an exchange of this level could not make him feel the exhaustion of depleted stamina.

Looking at the prompt that had already appeared before him, he could not help feeling delighted.

[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]

[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Minor Accomplishment 50/500)

In just a few minutes of fighting, my Five Animals Fist experience increased by two points.

Combat truly is one way to increase fist technique experience.

But my qi and blood did not increase!

Jiang Ning then closed the panel.

By then, Cheng Ran's breathing had gradually returned to normal.

He looked at Jiang Ning. "Junior Brother Jiang's overall realm in fist techniques is above even Xiao Peng's. Sparring with you was indeed a wise choice. I feel that I gained a great deal!"

"So did I!" Jiang Ning said with a smile and a nod.

A moment later.

Watching Cheng Ran's departing figure, Jiang Ning also fell into brief contemplation.

If I held a blade, could I defeat Senior Brother Cheng by relying on the advantages of my footwork and blade techniques?

After briefly recalling the battle just now, Jiang Ning nodded slightly.

I should be able to!

With a sharp blade in hand, the advantages of footwork and technique surpassed the advantage of brute force.

No matter how great one's strength was, as long as one had not entered the ranks of the Martial Dao, one was still flesh and blood.

One slash would still send blood splashing five paces away.

But what if Senior Brother Cheng were replaced by Xu Yunfeng?

Jiang Ning's gaze flickered slightly as he fell into thought.

Senior Brother Cheng had already reached the level of qi and blood perfection, flowing through his entire body. His single-arm strength exceeded five hundred jin, and he was about to enter the ranks of the Martial Dao.

Xu Yunfeng had likewise reached qi and blood perfection, with qi and blood flowing through his entire body.

But without question, Xu Yunfeng had to be stronger than Senior Brother Cheng.

After all, Xu Yunfeng was a constable of Luoshui County. He must have experienced countless life-and-death struggles and possessed abundant practical combat experience.

Senior Brother Cheng was different. Like Jiang Ning, he was a flower raised in a greenhouse. If they faced Xu Yunfeng in a life-or-death battle with equal strength, Senior Brother Cheng would undoubtedly lose to Xu Yunfeng.

With a blade in hand, I could probably defeat Senior Brother Cheng.

Jiang Ning then recalled how, every time he had seen Xu Yunfeng, the latter's blade had never left his hand, his right hand always resting on the hilt at his waist.

He then shook his head slightly. "I may not be Xu Yunfeng's opponent yet!"

"I still need some time!" Jiang Ning murmured to himself.

(End of Chapter)