Chapter 25: Seeking Guidance
Standing in front of the 150-pound stone lock, Jiang Ning took a deep breath and adjusted his state.
His hands firmly gripped the handle of the stone lock. As he exerted force, the muscles in his right arm bulged noticeably, their texture becoming visible.
The stone lock lifted off the ground abruptly under his strength.
Seeing this, Cheng Ran's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.
"I remember Junior Brother Jiang has only been practicing martial arts for four days, right? His physique has already improved to the extent he can lift a 150-pound stone lock. Impressive!"
Jiang Ning slowly set the stone to lock down and replied, "Senior Brother Cheng, you flatter me! Even an ordinary farmer can lift a 200-pound stone lock. Lifting 150 pounds is nothing special."
"That's not the same!" Cheng Ran shook his head seriously. "Junior Brother Jiang, you were thin and frail, clearly someone who wasn't used to physical labor. Now, after just four days of training, your physique and strength have improved so much that you can lift a 150-pound stone lock. This shows that your martial talent is exceptional!"
As he spoke, Cheng Ran swayed his head, his expression filled with admiration.
Then, he asked, "Junior Brother Jiang, you must have reached the beginner level in the Five Animal Forms a few days ago, right?"
Jiang Ning nodded, not denying it. "Senior Brother Cheng, you have a keen eye!"
Cheng Ran smiled. "Of course! But it's not hard to see. Junior Brother Jiang, being able to lift a 150-pound stone lock means you've already refined your Qi and Blood. If you can refine Qi and Blood, your fist techniques must have reached the beginner level."
At this point, a look of regret appeared on Cheng Ran's face.
"Junior Brother Jiang, you've only been practicing for a few days, yet you've already reached the beginner level in all five forms of the Five Animal Forms. This shows that your martial talent is extraordinary, surpassing even mine and Xiao Peng's."
"It's a pity you started training so late! If you had begun a year or two earlier, you would likely already be Master Wang Jin's true disciple, a martial rank holder, and naturally join the Inspection Bureau, achieving a leap into a higher status. If that were the case, how could Xiao Peng have the chance to show off like this?"
As he spoke, Cheng Ran shook his head repeatedly.
Jiang Ning smiled but said nothing.
He set down the 150-pound stone lock.
After testing with this stone lock, he had a rough idea of his current strength.
It was around 170 to 180 pounds.
Lifting the 150-pound stone lock wasn't too strenuous for him. He felt he still had some strength left, though not much. However, lifting an additional 20 to 30 pounds wouldn't be too difficult.
"After just a few days of practicing fist techniques, my physique has improved so much. The martial arts of this world are truly miraculous!" Jiang Ning was quite satisfied. "Now that my Five Animal Forms have reached the proficient level, each round of practice refines two strands of Qi and Blood, doubling my efficiency compared to before."
"My physical training speed will also increase significantly! With three months left, there's still plenty of time. If my fist techniques break through again to the minor mastery level, the efficiency of refining Qi and Blood will improve even further."
At this moment, Cheng Ran seemed to be filled with renewed vigor.
"Junior Brother Jiang, I can't afford to be discouraged anymore. I must achieve major mastery in my fist techniques, become Master Wang Jin's true disciple, defeat Xiao Peng, and join the Inspection Bureau. If I can't do that, I'll have no choice but to go back and inherit the thousand acres of fertile land at home!!"
Inherit a thousand acres of fertile land!
Jiang Ning: "..."
Rich brat!!
A thousand acres of fertile land alone would be worth more than ten thousand taels of silver!!
And when he said "a thousand acres," it might not be just a mere thousand.
Damn, landlord!!
Jiang Ning silently cursed.
After lunch.
Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animal Forms once more and finished the last remaining piece of wild ginseng. Without wasting any more time, he threw himself into practicing.
[Five Animal Forms Experience +1]
[Five Animal Forms Experience +1]
[Five Animal Forms Experience +2]
[...]
Throughout the afternoon, he practiced a total of ten rounds. With each round, two strands of Qi and Blood were refined within him.
During these ten rounds, there were also two instances where the experience points increased by two.
[Skill]: Five Animal Forms (Proficient 13/200)
As the others headed to collect their medicinal soup, Jiang Ning was panting heavily.
After closing his status panel, he clenched his fists, feeling the surging Qi and Blood flow directly into his right arm.
In the next moment.
"My Qi and Blood can now circulate through half of my right arm. At my peak, my elder brother's Qi and Blood could circulate through all four limbs. That means my current Qi and Blood strength is about one-eighth of his peak."
Feeling the changes within his body, Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction.
"At this rate of growth, it won't be long before my strength catches up to my elder brother's! This status panel is truly miraculous! If my Five Animal Forms can break through again to the minor mastery level, the amount of Qi and Blood refined with each round will undoubtedly increase."
"Unfortunately!" Jiang Ning shook his head slightly and sighed.
"Now that the wild ginseng is completely used up, without the help of such medicinal supplements, even with the nutritious meals provided by the martial hall, my practice frequency will be halved."
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning frowned.
A single wild ginseng was worth over ten to twenty taels of silver. How could he possibly obtain so much money while staying in the martial hall?
Ten taels of silver were equivalent to three to four months of living expenses for an ordinary family.
In terms of purchasing power, it was roughly equivalent to ten thousand yuan in his previous life.
And he could absorb a wild ginseng in just three to four days.
At this thought, Jiang Ning felt a headache coming on.
He patted his head. Forget it, there's no point worrying about this now. I can't go out recklessly until I can protect myself!
Even if I go out, I don't have a way to make money, and I might run into Xu Yunfeng.
If I get injured accidentally, it'll only delay my training progress.
It's better to lay low for now and focus on improving my strength. After all, my elder brother won't be in immediate danger for the time being.
There's no need to take unnecessary risks. It's fine to progress a bit slower for now!
After organizing his thoughts, Jiang Ning headed straight for the kitchen.
The daily bowl of medicinal soup provided by the martial hall had proven quite effective over the past few days!
It allowed him to practice one or two extra rounds of fist techniques without putting too much strain on his body.
Why not continue to reveal my progress to Wang Jin and see if I can gain more benefits?
As Jiang Ning walked toward the kitchen, he fell into deep thought.
The martial hall at night was quiet and cold.
The pale moonlight shone down from above, illuminating the ground so brightly that even the patterns on the floor were visible.
"Master!" Jiang Ning bowed.
Wang Jin nodded. "You said you wanted to seek my guidance on fist techniques?"
"Yes!" Jiang Ning bowed again and continued, "I want to understand what it means for the Tiger Form to have softness within hardness and hardness within softness. For the Bear Form, what does it mean to have agility within stability? For the Ape Form, how does one achieve agility and unpredictability in movement? For the Deer Form, how does one combine motion and stillness, with motion within stillness and stillness within motion? And for the Crane Form, what does it mean to soar into the clouds, and how does one move with the heart's intent?"
Hearing this, Wang Jin looked at Jiang Ning with some surprise.
"These are things that can only be achieved when the Five Animal Forms reach minor mastery. It's too early for you to consider these. When your Five Animal Forms reach the proficient level, and your fist techniques and breathing become instinctive, then come back and seek my guidance."