Chapter 87: Perfect Qi and Blood
Nighttime.
All the disciples had returned to their homes, and the gates of the martial hall were closed.
Jiang Ning continued practicing his fist techniques alone in the courtyard.
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
[...]
As time passed, each round of fist techniques increased his experience by one point.
The effect of the Five Animals Fist at the mastery level in refining qi and blood surpassed that of the minor mastery level. Each round of practice achieved the theoretical optimal effect, condensing four strands of qi and blood per session.
As his qi and blood grew, he felt himself getting closer and closer to perfecting his qi and blood.
When the moon hung high in the sky.
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Mastery 592/1000)
When the notification appeared again, another strand of qi and blood was condensed.
As this strand of qi and blood merged with the rest, a sudden change occurred.
Boom
Jiang Ning heard a thunderous roar within his body.
The qi and blood in his body surged violently, rushing toward his limbs.
Jiang Ning clenched his fist, and the surging qi and blood were instantly under his control.
Then, the qi and blood spread throughout his limbs and body, reaching every corner without any dead spots.
"Perfect qi and blood!!"
A pleased smile appeared on Jiang Ning's face.
At this moment, he felt a qualitative change compared to before, as his qi and blood now filled his entire body, connecting as one.
The strength in his body seemed endless. With a flick of his arm, he could mobilize the qi and blood throughout his body.
"So strong!!"
Feeling the changes in his body, Jiang Ning sighed in amazement.
He could feel that with perfect qi and blood, the strength he could unleash had increased significantly.
Previously, when his qi and blood only flowed through his limbs, each limb was an independent unit.
Each punch or kick could only fully unleash the qi and blood of one limb.
Now, with his qi and blood flowing throughout his body, each punch or kick could not only fully unleash the qi and blood of one limb but also mobilize part of the qi and blood from the rest of his body.
He could feel that compared to before when his qi and blood weren't yet perfect, the difference was immense.
He swung his arm through the air.
Snap
"Compared to before, I can now unleash about 30% more strength."
After a simple test, Jiang Ning murmured to himself.
Then, he walked over to the leather-wrapped wooden post.
He clenched his fist, and the muscles in his arm bulged as his qi and blood flowed throughout his body.
In the next moment.
"Break"
He shouted inwardly.
The strength in his body was fully mobilized. This punch, using the explosive technique of the Tiger Fist, represented his full strength.
As he threw the punch, Jiang Ning could feel the air flowing like water around his arm.
Boom
When his fist struck the wooden post, there was an explosion. The thick leather wrapping the post was torn apart, and wood splinters flew in all directions, scattering against the wall behind.
"So strong!!!"
Seeing this scene, Jiang Ning's eyes widened like copper bells.
He was utterly shocked by the strength he had just unleashed.
From what he knew, the wooden posts in the martial hall could only be completely shattered by someone with the explosive power of a ninth-rank martial artist.
This meant that his current explosive power was on par with a normal ninth-rank martial artist.
What's more, he hadn't even used the Ninefold Force technique to enhance his strength.
This was just his normal level of explosive power.
Standing still with his fist retracted, Jiang Ning's eyes gleamed.
"It seems that my normal explosive power is now on par with a ninth-rank martial artist!"
"Aside from the difference in skin and membrane defense, I should be evenly matched with a normal ninth-rank martial artist."
"And this is just my strength with bare hands. If I were to wield a blade, a single strike would unleash even faster and more powerful explosive force."
"If I add one layer of the Ninefold Force, the power would increase even further!"
"If I add two layers of the Ninefold Force, how terrifying would the explosive power be?"
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning felt a surge of excitement.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
Then, he calmed his mind and focused his gaze.
Looking at the shattered wooden post, he clenched his fist again.
He threw another punch, this time adding one layer of the Ninefold Force.
With this punch, Jiang Ning could feel that the power and speed were even greater!
He could feel the air being compressed by his fist, flowing through the gaps between his fingers and along his arm.
Boom
The punch landed, and wood splinters flew everywhere. The post was destroyed, leaving no trace of its original form.
Meanwhile.
Wang Jin had just appeared on the courtyard wall.
Seeing this scene, his mouth opened slightly, and his eyes filled with disbelief.
Being able to shatter the wooden post like this meant that Jiang Ning already possessed the strength of a ninth-rank martial artist.
Moreover, judging from this scene, Wang Jin felt that Jiang Ning wasn't just at the bottom of the ninth rank but had already reached a considerable level.
Among the true disciples in the martial hall, in Wang Jin's view, only disciples like Zhou Xing and Zhao Hu, who had been at the ninth rank for some time, could unleash greater strength than this.
As for Li Qing, a female disciple who had only achieved skin refinement and entered the ninth rank half a month ago, Wang Jin believed she probably couldn't match Jiang Ning's current strength.
Then, Wang Jin's eyes narrowed.
He murmured to himself, "Such explosive power... could it be that this kid has unleashed the Ninefold Force?"
"That must be it! If he used the Ninefold Force, then it makes sense!!"
"Otherwise, it would be too monstrous!"
Thinking of this, Wang Jin felt much more at ease.
He took another look and then quietly left.
Earlier, he had heard an explosion from Jiang Ning's courtyard and had immediately come to investigate.
Now that he knew the reason, he didn't want Jiang Ning to notice him.
If Jiang Ning saw his shocked expression, Wang Jin would feel embarrassed.
In the next moment, Wang Jin moved like a swift deer, disappearing from the wall in an instant.
Only after Wang Jin left did Jiang Ning glance in the direction where he had been.
Then, he smiled. "With my enhanced senses, even a seventh-rank martial artist like Wang Jin can't approach me unnoticed. It'll be much harder to ambush me in the future!"
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning felt a surge of joy.
As the saying goes, "It's easy to dodge an open attack, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow."
When traveling outside, the most feared thing is being ambushed!
No matter how skilled you are, if you're ambushed, you could still end up in trouble.
After all, it's difficult for anyone to remain vigilant at all times.
But with his extraordinary senses, thanks to his new trait, ambushing him in the future would be extremely difficult.
Whether it's a hidden arrow or poison, there will always be traces. With his enhanced senses, he wouldn't have much trouble detecting them.
While he might not be able to avoid all ambush methods in the world, he could at least evade over 90% of them, if not more.
Thinking of this, how could he not be delighted?
Then, his attention turned to his arm.
He clenched his fist and felt some lingering pain in his right arm.
Feeling this, Jiang Ning's expression didn't show disappointment but instead a faint smile.
He remembered the consequences of his last attempt to unleash the Ninefold Force.
Back then, when he unleashed one layer of the Ninefold Force while wielding a blade, the muscles in his right arm were torn, blood vessels ruptured, and his arm was covered in blood, looking utterly gruesome.
Now, when he tried to unleash one layer of the Ninefold Force again, his right arm appeared unharmed, with no visible injuries, only some lingering pain.
This meant that after his physique had improved over this period, he could now barely withstand the strain of one layer of the Ninefold Force.
This was good news!
It meant he could now use one layer of the Ninefold Force as a regular technique, rather than a last resort.
"Now, if I were to face Xu Yunfeng, I should have a 99% chance of winning!" Jiang Ning murmured.
Then, he looked up at the bright moon overhead.
The moon hung high, almost forming a right angle with him.
"Never mind! It's so late. I won't practice anymore!"
"I'll wait until tomorrow! If all goes well tomorrow, my Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique should also breakthrough!"
[Skill]: Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique (971/1000)
The next morning.
Jiang Ning got up and stretched as usual, loosening his muscles and bones. Then, he checked his status panel.
[Name]: Jiang Ning
: 27.8
[Skills]:
Literacy (First Breakthrough 98/3000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Extraordinary Senses)
Five Animals Fist (Mastery 592/1000)
Firewood Chopping Blade Technique (Second Breakthrough 3000/3000) (Traits: Versatility, Blade Like the Wind)
Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique (Initial Stage 971/1000)
Canglang Blade Technique (Proficient 1/200)
"Those strange gifts from the martial hall disciples yesterday seem to have been useful. They increased my source energy gain to 2.7, a new high for recent times."
"If my body hadn't reached its limit in absorbing the medicinal effects, it could have been even higher!"
Then, he thought to himself, "My source energy is almost at 30 points again. I wonder how many points the third breakthrough of the Firewood Chopping Blade Technique will require."
"Will it be 50 points or 100 points?"
"Never mind, I won't think about it! At my current rate, if it's 50 points, I'll have enough in ten days! If it's 100 points, it'll just take another ten to twenty days. That's not a big deal!"
Then, Jiang Ning's gaze fell on the Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique section.
[Skill]: Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique (Initial Stage 971/1000)
"Only 29 more experience points to go. It seems today is still a clear day. Although it's tough on the common people, at least it won't delay the breakthrough of my Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique."
"If the Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique breaks through and reaches the proficient level, I'll gain a new ability actively unleashing the potential within my body. This will be a huge boost to my strength!"
"Moreover, the enhancement of my internal organs' functions will allow me to maintain full-strength bursts for longer. That's also a significant help!"
Jiang Ning murmured to himself.
He had been looking forward to the breakthrough of the Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique for a long time.
Whether it was the ability to actively unleash his body's potential or the passive enhancement of his internal organs, allowing him to maintain full-strength bursts for longer, both would greatly enhance his strength.
The active effect, unleashing potential, was undoubtedly powerful.
The passive effect was also not to be underestimated.
After all, although ninth-rank martial artists had impressive explosive power, maintaining full-strength bursts consumed a lot of energy.
There wasn't much difference compared to ordinary people.
A typical ninth-rank martial artist could maintain peak explosive power for about twenty to thirty breaths, which was considered good endurance.
After that, their condition would decline, and the strength they could unleash would gradually weaken.
In this aspect, they weren't much different from ordinary people.
Therefore, most martial artists would only maintain about 60-70% of their strength during combat.
This way, the energy consumed and recovered would remain within a reasonable range, allowing them to fight longer.
Previously, Jiang Ning had tested this.
When his Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique was just at the initial stage, his endurance was three to five times that of an ordinary martial artist.
This meant he could maintain full-strength bursts for about a hundred breaths.
Now, as his Internal Elixir Nourishment Technique experience grew and he absorbed solar essence daily to refine his internal organs, this duration had increased significantly. He could now maintain full strength for about half a cup of tea's time.
Just the advantage in endurance alone put him far ahead of normal martial artists.
If he broke through to the next level, the changes would be even greater.
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