Chapter 36: Hey! Found it

“Hey, you!”

Feng Shaolong was left speechless by Zhang Lingshan's words. Wasn't he just trying to buy demon rabbit meat a moment ago? How had he lost interest so suddenly?

Seeing his dazed expression, Zhang Lingshan chuckled inwardly.

*With such little cunning, he's actually trying to play mind games.*

*If you want me to join the hunting team, then be sincere. Don't act like you're making me beg for it, acting all high and mighty after getting what you wanted.*

Zhang Lingshan couldn't be bothered with Feng Shaolong's nonsense. He devoured the demon rabbit meat on the table like a whirlwind and said, "Senior Brother Feng, is there any more?"

"None left."

Feng Shaolong cursed inwardly. *I told you to eat your fill, and you actually did. Aren't you afraid you'll choke yourself to death?*

Zhang Lingshan cupped his hands and said, "I have some matters to attend to at home, so I shall take my leave first."

With that, he returned home and opened his panel.

Name: Zhang Lingshan Martial Arts: Wind-Stabilizing Stance (Uninitiated+), Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique (Uninitiated), Red Line Fist (Proficient), Hunyuan True Yang Stance (Consummate) Energy: 10.9

'Demon rabbit meat is indeed good; my energy points have immediately returned to double digits. But even with over 10 points of energy, I still can't add points to the Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique. It seems the level of this technique is even higher than the Red Line Fist.'

Zhang Lingshan thought to himself.

Without a second thought, he directed his intent toward the "+" symbol next to Wind-Stabilizing Stance.

*Buzz!*

The flashing yellow "+" quickly vanished.

The words "Uninitiated" immediately changed to "Initiated."

As this change occurred, a sudden, sharp pain surged from his feet, ankles, shins, and calves. Caught off guard, Zhang Lingshan nearly cried out.

Fortunately, the pain came quickly and left just as fast.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Lingshan regained his composure, as if that momentary sensation had been nothing more than an illusion.

However, when he stood up, he immediately noticed a difference from before.

His body felt light, almost weightless.

No, that wasn't quite right.

To be precise, the strength in his lower legs had increased overall. When he exerted force, his muscles bulged, feeling as hard as stone to the touch.

Even in his small hops and jumps, he covered nearly half the distance he could before.

This left Zhang Lingshan feeling somewhat unaccustomed for a moment.

Walking felt like he was floating.

It took him a full half-day to adjust his state. He then practiced the Wind-Stabilizing Stance once and found that his body had become even more flexible; he could twist and turn in place without straining his tendons or bones.

'It seems reaching the "Initiated" stage of the Wind-Stabilizing Stance doesn't just strengthen the calves; it also enhances the overall flexibility of the entire body to a certain degree.'

Zhang Lingshan was overjoyed.

This Wind-Stabilizing Stance was even more outstanding than he had imagined. No wonder breaking through to the "Initiated" stage cost nearly 10 energy points; its grade was no inferior to the Red Line Fist.

To be able to learn the Wind-Stabilizing Stance for only twenty taels was an absolute steal.

'However, Wu Zheng is a calculating man. If he finds out I've mastered the Wind-Stabilizing Stance, he certainly won't teach me the subsequent leg techniques properly. I won't bother him for now; I'll go to him to learn the leg techniques when the end of the month approaches.'

Zhang Lingshan pondered privately, not in a hurry to seek out Wu Zheng.

Those leg techniques were based on the Wind-Stabilizing Stance. If he hadn't mastered the stance, learning them early would be meaningless.

He checked his panel again.

He found he had 1.1 energy points remaining, but there was nowhere to apply them.

Because for the martial arts currently in his possession, the energy required to continue upgrading was at least in the double digits.

Unless he encountered a basic, fundamental stance like the True Yang Stance, he would have to accumulate more energy quickly if he wanted to continue adding points.

'I have 80 taels on hand. I'll set aside 30 for Wu Zheng to learn the leg techniques, 10 for household emergencies, and I might as well spend the remaining 40 on Snow Silver Flowers.'

Zhang Lingshan thought to himself.

Although Snow Silver Flowers had lower cost-effectiveness, their efficiency was high. With his current strength, he could digest 4 taels in a single day, gaining 4 energy points.

If he used Spirit Root Grass, it would take at least four days to get 4 energy points.

'Forget it, I'll be more frugal. I'll buy 20 taels worth of Snow Silver Flowers first and see how things go. As long as I don't leave the city, there isn't much danger within. I'll wait until Master Hong returns to inspect my cultivation progress and see what he has to say.'

Zhang Lingshan calculated carefully, deciding to take things one step at a time rather than spending all his money at once.

At the end of the day, he was still poor.

A martial artist's cultivation required either time or money.

Eighty taels seemed like a lot, but for a growing martial artist, it was actually pitifully small.

The next four days passed in a flash.

During this time, Hong Zhengdao had still not returned, and the Feng Family Pharmacy had no herb-gathering missions.

Aside from accumulating energy, Zhang Lingshan spent his daily time practicing the combat applications of the Red Line Fist.

He was either sparring with his fellow skin-grinding disciples from the martial arts hall or sparring with the herb-gathering guards from the Feng family.

After his battle with the demon rabbit, he realized he had many shortcomings.

Although he had withstood a strike from the demon rabbit, it was only because he had cultivated the "momentum" of the Hunyuan True Yang Stance. In terms of combat experience, he was inferior even to that herb-gathering guard who had fled in terror.

Therefore, he had to increase the intensity of his sparring and find more people to practice with. Only then could he accumulate combat experience and react more accurately the next time he faced a demon beast.

On this day.

After finishing a sparring session with Yu Mengyuan in the martial arts hall's backyard, Zhang Lingshan drank a bowl of Four-Harmony Soup and silently checked his panel.

Name: Zhang Lingshan Martial Arts: Wind-Stabilizing Stance (Initiated), Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique (Uninitiated), Red Line Fist (Proficient), Hunyuan True Yang Stance (Consummate) Energy: 19.7

'The Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique still can't be upgraded.'

Zhang Lingshan was surprised. He was nearly at 20 energy points; just how high was the grade of the Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique that so much energy couldn't even get him to the "Initiated" stage?

One had to remember that this was merely something a wandering expert had casually passed down to Uncle Tie. One could only imagine how terrifying that expert's strength must be.

The gap between himself and a true master was clearly visible.

'But even if I could add points to the Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique, it wouldn't matter without a suitable axe. That would be another expense.'

Zhang Lingshan couldn't help but worry.

Money was hard to come by.

He didn't know where Feng Shaolong had disappeared to lately; he was no longer recruiting him for hunting. It was likely because the New Year was approaching, and everyone was preparing for a stable holiday, so hunting missions had to be put on hold.

It was the same for Lyu Feng and the Zhenwei Escort Agency; they had no escort missions either.

It seemed he would have to wait until after the New Year to earn more money.

Speaking of the New Year, he also planned to buy some extra festive goods for his family.

In the past, when he had no money, he lived frugally out of necessity, but things were different now. With extra money on hand, he should have a good New Year to bring good luck.

'Mother likes walnuts, Xiaoyu likes candied fruits, Father likes... it hasn't been half a year, so he probably won't be back. And Xiaofeng, I wonder...'

As Zhang Lingshan walked and thought, he suddenly felt his vision darken.

A tall figure wearing a high crown and Taoist robes blocked his path.

The person held a small plate in their hand, upon which sat the broken tip of a hairpin.

The tip of the hairpin pointed directly at Zhang Lingshan, humming with a low vibration.

"Heh, found you."

The tall figure's tone was smiling, but his face held no expression at all, his cold eyes looking at Zhang Lingshan with indifference.

Zhang Lingshan's heart tightened for no apparent reason.