Meat Pill

Fang Zhixing immediately turned around, went back for the other four martial arts manuals, and flipped open each one to read the introductions at the front.

Then he fell silent.

Skinny Dog asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Fang Zhixing took a deep breath. "These five martial arts manuals only contain the first two levels. There's nothing after that."

Skinny Dog's eyes widened. "What's going on? Are the manuals incomplete, or do these martial arts only have two levels in total?"

"They have more than two levels, but Luo Kegong apparently didn't bring complete versions of the manuals with him."

Skinny Dog shuddered. "Maybe it was to protect the martial arts manuals. Or maybe Luo Kegong was just a nobody in the Luo Family and didn't have the authority to obtain the complete versions."

"Right. After all, martial arts are monopolized by powerful clans. They would never allow someone to carry complete manuals with them and travel elsewhere..."

Fang Zhixing nodded. Without further hesitation, he walked to the desk, moved it in front of the window, took out paper, brushes, and ink, and quickly began copying.

Fang Zhixing already knew the introductory section and first level of the Iron Mountain Art by heart.

He began copying directly from the second level.

Because of his writing habits, he did not use a brush, nor did he know calligraphy. Instead, he used a chicken tail feather dipped in ink.

His writing was tiny and swift.

Four hours passed in a flash, and dawn was beginning to break outside.

Skinny Dog, who was keeping watch by the door, urged him again, "Are you done yet?"

Fang Zhixing said nothing. He focused fully on copying, his hand flying across the page.

A moment later, he let out a long breath, folded the papers, and tucked them into his robes. Then he moved the desk back into place and restored every item on it to its original position.

He then picked up Skinny Dog, climbed out through the window, and quickly returned to his room.

In a corner of the side courtyard, another Skinny Dog appeared before dissolving itself into black smoke that seeped into the ground.

The next instant, Skinny Dog transmitted, "Wang Yitong has been asleep the whole time. He didn't notice that you left."

Fang Zhixing immediately breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Skinny Dog could divide into four, giving it eight eyes. Combined with its sharp sense of smell and hearing, its help could not be underestimated.

It could be said that without Skinny Dog's assistance, stealing the martial arts manuals alone would have been absurdly difficult for Fang Zhixing.

He sat down, took a sip of tea, then pulled a stack of papers from his robes and spread them out.

Almost at the same moment, the system panel flashed with light.

[Iron Mountain Art, Second Level—Max-Level Requirements:

1. Master the first level completely (Completed)

2. Use first-level moves to defeat or kill 5 lifeforms of the same level (Incomplete)

3. Recite the contents of the second level 10 times (Incomplete)

4. 600 jin of Grade One exotic beast meat, or 365 Grade One superior Meat Pills (Incomplete)]

"Huh, it showed up so quickly."

Fang Zhixing could not help but freeze.

Skinny Dog was also stunned. "What does this mean? You haven't even comprehended the second level yet. Why have the max-level requirements already appeared? Could it be..."

Fang Zhixing shuddered as well, pondering, "There may be a system bug here. Perhaps as long as I possess a martial arts manual for a certain amount of time, the system assumes that I own it and automatically begins analyzing it, thereby deriving the max-level requirements."

Skinny Dog clicked its tongue in amazement. "Holy shit, doesn't that mean you didn't need to copy it at all?"

Fang Zhixing nodded and drew a deep breath. "If that's the case, then I can exploit the bug!"

Skinny Dog carefully examined the four requirements. Aside from the first one, which was already complete, the second and third should be easy enough. The fourth one was rather interesting.

"Grade One superior exotic beast meat? Looks like exotic beasts are ranked too!"

Skinny Dog clicked its tongue repeatedly, suddenly curious. "What grade of exotic beast do you think I am?"

Fang Zhixing pondered. "When you use your bloodline burst skill, you should count as a Grade One exotic beast."

The moment those words fell!

Skinny Dog's fur stood on end, and it said in horror, "Fang Zhixing, I'm fucking warning you, don't you dare sacrifice my flesh and blood!"

Fang Zhixing looked at it disdainfully. "You think you qualify? Do you even weigh six hundred jin? Killing you three times wouldn't even add up to a hundred jin."

Skinny Dog secretly sighed in relief and quickly changed the subject. "What exactly is a Meat Pill?"

Fang Zhixing did not know either.

A short while later, a servant brought breakfast.

Fang Zhixing ate his breakfast unhurriedly.

Before long, Wang Yitong walked onto the grass in the courtyard, loosened up his body a little, and began practicing his punches in an orderly manner.

Seeing this, Fang Zhixing quickly finished eating, walked over, and smiled. "Old Wang, want to spar?"

Wang Yitong smiled. "We can spar, but no burst skills."

"Fine!"

The instant Fang Zhixing finished speaking, he lunged forward and threw a jab straight at him.

"You sneak-attacked me!" Wang Yitong hurriedly retreated a step, reacting in an instant.

He bent his forearm at the elbow, held his lead palm upward at chest level, and guarded his ribs with his rear hand. His palm spiraled forward from the outside inward as he formed a vertical fist and unleashed Inch Force, striking toward Fang Zhixing's chest.

Fang Zhixing stomped and swung his fist, power rising from his heel, traveling through his waist, and reaching his fingertips as he knocked Wang Yitong's fist aside.

The two exchanged blows. Within a single breath, they had clashed several times, every move whistling with force.

Wang Yitong's Inch Fist was a supreme force-generation technique that pursued the greatest possible power over the shortest possible distance.

Thus, his attack style was simple, nimble, imposing, and fierce!

Fang Zhixing's Iron Mountain Art, meanwhile, was hard and fierce as iron, steady as a mountain. Its moves were plain and unadorned, its power swift and explosive, brimming with practical combat characteristics.

A shoulder shake could topple the heavens; a stomp could shake the nine provinces!

This was a clash between two tough men and two hard martial arts!

Yet Fang Zhixing was ultimately younger, stronger, and more enduring. On top of that, he had the enhancement of "dynamic vision," allowing him to consistently catch Wang Yitong's attack trajectories and making his offense and defense smoother and more fluid.

Gradually, Wang Yitong began to run out of strength. He panted like an ox, with no tricks left to use.

"No more, no more. I surrender."

Wang Yitong collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat.

Fang Zhixing remained composed. Aside from taking a few heavy breaths, he had won the sparring match with ease.

[2. Use first-level moves to defeat or kill 5 lifeforms of the same level (1/5)]

The corners of Fang Zhixing's mouth lifted slightly. He sat beside Wang Yitong and smiled. "Old Wang, let me ask you something. I happened to hear someone mention the term 'Meat Pill.' Do you know what it means?"

Wang Yitong replied, "Meat Pills are nourishing supplements refined from exotic beast meat along with various medicinal herbs. They're easy to digest, easy to absorb, and packed with nutrients. They're made specifically for martial artists and are an indispensable consumable for anyone who practices martial arts!"

Fang Zhixing was immediately puzzled. "Something this good, and Cheng Tian'en never mentioned it to me?"

"Well, you can't blame him for that. Meat Pills are specially supplied and prohibited from sale. They're only provided to the powerful and wealthy. Ordinary people can't come into contact with them at all, and they aren't sold on the streets or in shops."

Wang Yitong emphasized, "Those qualified to eat Meat Pills are either rich or noble. With Meat Pills nourishing them, their martial arts progress is extremely fast—more than ten or even a hundred times faster than ours."