Chapter 9: The Effect of Photographic Memory

After a long while. 

As Jiangning flipped to the last page, he finished reading the entire Five Beast Fist manual. 

[After reading the manual, Literacy Experience has increased by 10 points.] 

Seeing this prompt, Jiangning felt a slight surprise. Such a brief reading session had yielded ten experience points, far exceeding his expectations. 

For now, he set this matter aside and closed his eyes. 

In his mind, the pages of the Five Beast Fist manual he had just read began to appear one by one. 

At this moment, he had a general understanding of the Five Beast Fist. 

It was a lower-grade martial art that had been officially ranked. It was the fist technique inspired by observing five animals in nature: the tiger, bear, ape, deer, and crane. 

Mastering the Tiger form granted immense explosive power, the Bear form greatly increased strength, the Ape form enhanced agility and flexibility, the Crane form provided extreme speed and lightness, allowing one to leap great distances with ease, and the Deer form improved vitality, spirit, and overall physical condition. 

Like the woman surnamed Li standing beside him. 

The manual included both breathing techniques and training methods. 

Practicing the Five Beast Fist over time could strengthen one's internal energy and blood circulation. When the energy and blood circulation became strong enough to permeate the entire body, it would lay the foundation for becoming a ranked martial artist. 

If one mastered all five forms of the Five Beast Fist, the martial foundation built would be extremely solid, making it a rare and highly suitable foundational martial art. 

In addition to being an excellent foundation, the Tiger form provided explosive power, and the Ape form enhanced movement, making it highly effective in combat. 

After fully understanding the Five Beast Fist, Jiangning's appreciation for this technique grew even stronger. 

For him at this stage, this was indeed an extremely suitable martial art. 

At the same time, he couldn't help but reflect on how important the past two months of reading books at home had been. 

If he hadn't read so many books and accumulated a wealth of knowledge about this world, how could he have understood the manual? 

For ordinary people, even if they could read the text, giving them a martial arts manual would be useless. They wouldn't be able to learn or understand it, and if they tried to practice it blindly, they would likely deviate from the correct path and end up harming their bodies. 

This was why learning martial arts required guidance and personal instruction. 

A martial arts manual was the culmination of countless insights and the wisdom of predecessors. 

[Name]: Jiangning 

[Source Energy]: 3.6 

[Skills]: 

Literacy (First Breakthrough 57/2000) (Trait: Photographic Memory) 

Five Beast Fist (Not Started 0/10) 

Looking at the panel, the appearance of the Five Beast Fist on his skill list immediately put his slightly anxious heart at ease. 

His literacy skill on the panel had also increased by a full 10 experience points due to his careful reading of the Five Beast Fist manual in such a short time. 

Then, Jiangning opened his eyes, having already closed the manual in his hands. 

"Senior Sister, I've finished reading." 

"You've memorized it?" 

"Yes," Jiangning nodded. 

"All of it??!" The woman's eyes widened slightly, her face filled with disbelief as she looked at Jiangning. 

"I've memorized all of it," Jiangning confirmed. "If Senior Sister doesn't believe me, you can test me." 

"Alright," the woman nodded, agreeing with Jiangning's suggestion. 

She then asked, "What's written on page eight?" 

Hearing this question, Jiangning answered without hesitation, "The tiger descends the mountain, its spirit emanating from its eyes and claws, strengthening tendons and bones..." 

As Jiangning answered, the woman's eyes widened even further. She then asked, "What about the third line on page ten?" 

"The crane spreads its wings, soaring into the clouds, integrating form and spirit, emanating from..." Jiangning replied directly. 

The woman's eyes gradually widened into perfect circles as she stared at Jiangning. 

After a long moment, Jiangning asked, "Does Senior Sister have any more questions?" 

The woman shook her head, looking at Jiangning with admiration, her earlier seriousness completely gone. "I've finally seen what it means to have a photographic memory! With your talent, you shouldn't be learning martial arts. You should be taking the imperial exams." 

Jiangning smiled but didn't respond. 

Then, the woman spoke again, "Let's go! Since you've memorized the essence of the manual, come with me to see Master Wang. He'll demonstrate the Five Beast Fist for you, which will make it easier for you to get started." 

"Thank you, Senior Sister," Jiangning said, cupping his hands in gratitude. 

The two returned to the backyard of the martial arts school. 

"Why are you back so soon?" The old man lying in the rattan chair opened his eyes and looked at the two who had just entered the courtyard. 

The woman replied, "Master, Jiangning has already memorized the entire manual." 

"Memorized all of it?" The old man's eyes narrowed slightly, his sharp gaze falling on Jiangning. 

Jiangning cupped his hands and said, "Master, I have a natural photographic memory, so I only needed to read the manual once to memorize its essence." 

"I see," the old man nodded. He then stood up. "In that case, I'll personally demonstrate the Five Beast Fist for you. Watch carefully, remember well, and learn well!" 

"Yes, Master!" Jiangning replied. 

"Li Qing, go call the people practicing in the front yard. Let them watch again," the old man instructed. 

"Yes, Master," the woman nodded. 

With a few light steps, she quickly left the courtyard, her movements filled with grace. 

A few moments later, more than a dozen men crowded into the backyard, standing at the entrance. 

"You all should watch carefully and learn well! Only by mastering martial arts can you change your lives and take control of your destinies!" the old man said. 

"Master is right!" one of the men immediately flattered. 

The next moment. 

The old man assumed a stance. 

Suddenly. 

Roar

A tiger's roar erupted from his mouth. 

In an instant, Jiangning felt as if he were witnessing a fierce tiger descending the mountain, the aura of the king of beasts palpable in the air. 

Jiangning's eyes narrowed as he focused intently on the old man's every move, not daring to let his attention waver for even a moment. 

Beside him, the woman also watched the old man's demonstration with utmost seriousness. 

Even for her, who had already mastered the Five Beast Fist, watching the complete demonstration always brought new insights. 

Mastering all five forms Tiger, Bear, Ape, Crane, and Deer was something even she had not yet achieved. 

As the old man demonstrated, he began with the Tiger form, followed by the Bear form. 

If the Tiger form was filled with the explosive power of the king of beasts, the Bear form gave a sense of being rooted to the ground, exuding immense strength. 

By the time the old man finished demonstrating all five forms, a cup of tea's worth of time had passed. 

After the demonstration ended, Jiangning closed his eyes. 

In his mind, the scene he had just witnessed replayed like a recorded movie. 

The dozen or so men behind him, at the old man's gesture, quietly left the backyard. 

After a long while, Jiangning slowly opened his eyes. 

"How much did you remember?" the old man asked. 

"Master, I remembered all of it," Jiangning replied. 

"Really? All of it?" the old man pressed. 

Jiangning nodded firmly. "All of it." 

"Good. Then demonstrate it for me," the old man said. 

"Yes," Jiangning bowed respectfully.