Chapter 14: Testing Strength

The moonlight was cold and clear. 

Jiangning stood in the courtyard. 

[Skills]: Five Beast Fist (Beginner 0/100) 

He looked at his panel, deep in thought. 

"Earlier this afternoon, I gained four experience points in one practice session! It seems that practicing the fist technique once doesn't just give one experience point. As long as I practice seriously, the minimum gain is one experience point." 

After some thought, Jiangning felt this was quite reasonable. 

In martial arts, there was the concept of sudden enlightenment and the idea of building on a solid foundation to understand related techniques. 

If every practice session could only yield a maximum of one experience point, then in the future, when he had mastered martial arts, wouldn't it take him ten practice sessions just to reach the beginner level in an ordinary lower-grade martial art? 

That would be far too unreasonable! 

"This makes much more sense now!!!" He felt even more excited. 

With this panel, it meant that hard work would always be rewarded. 

This was a direct path to the pinnacle of martial arts. 

How could he not be excited? 

Then. 

Phew

He exhaled lightly, calming his excited heart. 

Let's see what changes the Five Beast Fist has after reaching the beginner level. 

According to the manual, generating the first strand of qi and blood energy meant that the Five Beast Fist had reached the beginner level. 

At the beginner level, each practice session could temper the body and provide an opportunity to refine qi and blood energy. 

Let's give it a try! 

Jiangning clenched his fist. The exhaustion from practicing earlier in the afternoon had completely dissipated after drinking the medicinal soup and having a hearty meal. Now, he was full of energy, with strength coursing through his body, waiting to be unleashed. 

This was the perfect state for practicing martial arts. 

The next moment, Jiangning assumed a stance and began practicing the fist technique. 

On the steps, Jiang Li sat in a chair, quietly watching. 

Seeing Jiangning's movements and the rhythm of his breathing, Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction. 

"Not bad! Not bad!!" 

[Five Beast Fist Experience +1] 

When this prompt appeared, Jiangning immediately felt another warm current flowing through his body. 

Wherever the warm current passed, it felt like soaking in a hot spring, incredibly soothing. 

He could feel his physique strengthening under the nourishment of the qi and blood energy. 

[Skills]: Five Beast Fist (Beginner 1/100) 

In that instant, the Five Beast Fist broke through to the beginner level. 

"Now I have two strands of qi and blood!" 

Jiangning clenched his fist, and the two strands of qi and blood energy flowed through his body as if they were extensions of his limbs. 

When the qi and blood energy reached his right palm, Jiangning could feel his palm becoming even more powerful under its influence. 

This was the effect of reaching the beginner level in the Five Beast Fist being able to channel qi and blood energy to enhance the technique. 

In this state, when qi and blood energy flowed into his fists, using the Tiger form would grant explosive power, while the Bear form would greatly increase strength, making him feel rooted to the ground. 

When the energy flowed into his feet, the Ape form would make him agile and flexible, while the Crane form would greatly enhance his speed. 

The next moment. 

With the qi and blood energy fused, Jiangning executed the Tiger form and punched the tree trunk in front of him, unleashing the force of his fist. 

Thud

A dull sound echoed, and the small tree shook, its leaves rustling. 

"What is this?!" Jiang Li, sitting in his chair, widened his eyes in shock. 

"Is this the power of qi and blood energy enhancing his fist?" He couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

At this moment, Jiangning retracted his fist. The skin on his knuckles, which should have been vulnerable compared to the tree trunk, was only slightly reddened, with no wounds. 

"As expected, only by mastering qi and blood energy can one truly be considered a martial artist!" 

He muttered to himself and then walked to a corner of the courtyard. 

In that corner were two rows of stone locks, ranging from 50 pounds, 100 pounds, 150 pounds, up to 1000 pounds. 

"I wonder if my strength has increased after practicing martial arts all afternoon." 

He approached the smallest stone lock. 

This was a 50-pound stone lock. 

He lifted it with one hand, effortlessly. 

"It's much easier. It seems my strength has increased after practicing martial arts this afternoon." 

Jiangning placed the 50-pound stone lock back on the ground and then gripped the 100-pound stone lock with his right hand. 

"I wonder if I can lift this 100-pound stone lock now," he thought to himself. 

He had tried lifting this 100-pound stone lock before, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fully lift it. 

This was normal. 

From what he knew, in his previous life, even an adult male would find it challenging to lift a 100-pound dumbbell with one hand. 

Moreover, in this life, he was only eighteen and lived in a feudal era where nutrition was far inferior to that of an average male in his previous life. 

So, it was no surprise that he couldn't lift the 100-pound stone lock before. 

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Jiangning exerted force with his right hand. 

The 100-pound stone lock instantly left the ground, lifted into the air by his single hand. 

"My strength has indeed increased!!" 

Jiangning tested the weight a few more times with one hand before finally putting the stone in lockdown when he started to feel tired. 

"I can lift a 100-pound stone lock with one hand and still have some strength left. It seems my strength has increased by 10 to 20% in just one afternoon. The effects are noticeable!!" 

"This is just the physical change. If I combine it with qi and blood energy, the improvement in strength will be even more significant!" 

At this moment, Jiangning had a preliminary understanding of martial arts in this world. The effects of martial arts techniques were far more miraculous than any training method from his previous life. 

Meanwhile, Jiang Li stared at Jiangning's actions in shock. 

"Is my little brother a martial arts prodigy? After just one afternoon of practice, he's already achieved such results??" 

After testing his strength. 

Jiangning seized the moment and began practicing the fist technique again. 

This time, it took him just over fifteen minutes to complete one round of the Five Beast Fist. 

[Five Beast Fist Experience +1] 

He then checked his internal state and felt a surge of joy. 

"According to the manual, after reaching the beginner level in the Five Beast Fist, one has a chance to refine qi and blood energy, but it's only a possibility!" 

"Ordinary people might need to practice three or four times to refine one strand of qi and blood energy. Only those with exceptional talent and comprehension can almost guarantee to refine a strand of qi and blood energy with each practice session." 

"I've practiced twice now and refined a strand of qi and blood energy each time. Does this mean I can refine qi and blood energy with 100% certainty?" 

Jiangning assessed his condition. Thanks to the medicinal soup from the martial arts school and the hearty dinner, he estimated he could practice two more rounds of the fist technique. 

"Let's give it a try!" he thought to himself. 

Just then, Jiang Li's voice reached his ears. 

"Little brother, have you refined qi and blood energy?" 

Jiangning looked up and saw Jiang Li standing up, his eyes filled with astonishment as he looked at Jiangning. 

"Yes," Jiangning nodded, choosing to be honest. 

"It's true!!" Jiang Li couldn't help but widen his eyes as if he were seeing Jiangning for the first time. 

Seeing Jiang Li's reaction, Jiangning smiled. "The Five Beast Fist is a lower-grade martial art. Once you reach the beginner level, refining qi, and blood energy becomes a natural progression. I have a strong memory I only needed to read the manual once to memorize it, and I only needed to watch Master Wang demonstrate the technique once to remember it completely. Plus, a senior brother generously gave me a wild ginseng worth over ten taels of silver." 

"In that case, sending you to the Canglang Martial Arts School was the right decision! Reaching the beginner level is equivalent to recouping over ten taels of silver. Not bad, really not bad!!" Jiang Li laughed heartily. 

Jiangning also smiled noncommittally. The wild ginseng, worth over ten taels of silver, was indeed a pleasant surprise. 

Without the powerful effects of the wild ginseng, he wouldn't have been able to reach the beginner level in just one day. 

That night. 

Jiangning practiced the fist technique two more times. Although there were no surprises, and he only gained two more experience points for the Five Beast Fist, he did refine two more strands of qi and blood energy. 

Now, his total qi and blood energy had reached four strands. 

When these four strands merged, the qi and blood energy became even more robust. 

It flowed through his body, continuously tempering his physique. 

After completing the two practice sessions, Jiangning could feel that his body couldn't handle any more training. 

Realizing this, he didn't push himself further. 

Overdoing it would only harm his body. 

He then asked Jiang Li about something that had been on his mind. 

Namely, what level of strength Xu Yunfeng was at. 

After Jiang Li's explanation, Jiangning gained a rough understanding of his elder brother's former strength and Xu Yunfeng's current strength. 

Before Jiang Li was injured, at his peak, his qi and blood energy had already circulated through his limbs. The martial art he practiced was a common lower-grade saber technique, focused on killing and secondarily on refining qi and blood energy. 

Xu Yunfeng, on the other hand, was likely at the peak just below the ninth rank of martial artists, with his qi and blood energy circulating throughout his entire body. 

In comparison, Xu Yunfeng was a step above Jiang Li. 

After understanding this, Jiangning realized that he was still far behind Xu Yunfeng in terms of strength. 

The two were not on the same level. 

But Jiangning wasn't discouraged, nor was he afraid. 

With his rate of progress, as long as he had some time, he would eventually surpass Xu Yunfeng. 

Now that he had joined the Canglang Martial Arts School, at least for the next few months, someone as shrewd as Xu Yunfeng wouldn't dare or even want to take action against him. 

However, Jiangning also knew that he might one day be caught in the crossfire of gang fights and battles. 

Xu Yunfeng worked for Cao Bin, and to pressure his elder brother, the earlier threats might soon become reality. 

Before that happened, Jiangning needed to improve his fist technique as quickly as possible. 

Once his fist technique reached the mastery level, he could pass Master Wang's test and become a true disciple of the martial arts school. 

As the saying goes, it's easier to relax under the shade of a big tree. Becoming Master Wang's true disciple would grant him a status comparable to that of ordinary officials or wealthy merchants. 

In that case, Xu Yunfeng wouldn't dare to touch him, let alone the gang members Xu Yunfeng could command.