Chapter 43: Big Shot

After summarizing the experience from the recent battle, Jiang Ning continued practicing his fist techniques in his courtyard.

Ever since he moved into the martial arts hall permanently and gained his own small courtyard, he spent most of his time practicing there. Especially after his fist techniques reached a certain level of proficiency, he rarely visited the front courtyard of the hall.

While ordinary disciples could not easily discern his progress at the "Entry" and "Proficiency" stages of the Five Animals Fist, once his technique reached the "Small Success" stage, every move began to overflow with fluidity. Furthermore, as his blood qi gradually strengthened, it became easy to sense his powerful vitality while practicing.

Under these circumstances, any martial arts disciple with decent strength, such as Xiao Peng, could sense something was amiss. He did not want to expose his progress to people like Xiao Peng too early, as that would only invite trouble.

Cheng Ran, however, was different. Through their interactions over the past few days, Jiang Ning had developed a certain level of trust in him, knowing that he was a decent person worth befriending.

【Five Animals Fist Experience +1】

Having finished one set of the technique, Jiang Ning opened his panel to take a look.

【Name】: Jiang Ning 【Source Energy】: 9.2 【Skills】 Literacy (Limit Break 1: 568/2000) (Trait: Photographic Memory) Five Animals Fist (Small Success: 50/500) Firewood Chopping Saber Technique (Perfection: 1000/1000) Internal Alchemy Longevity Art (Entry: 18/1000)

He had made significant progress again today.

The power of his blood qi could now flow through an entire arm, and he was more than halfway toward connecting it to his second arm. The condensation of blood qi simultaneously brought enhancements to his strength and physique.

Because his Internal Alchemy Longevity Art was only at the "Entry" stage, he could only absorb the essence of the sun from sunrise until the end of the Mao hour (around 7:00 AM). Consequently, his Internal Alchemy Longevity Art only gained 12 experience points today, which was less than the growth he saw on the first day when he absorbed the essence at the moment of sunrise.

However, he felt his progress was quite noticeable. The state of absorbing more intense solar essence provided a more significant boost to his visceral functions. As his organs grew stronger, his stamina also became more enduring.

Every day, Jiang Ning could feel himself improving. Moreover, unlike others whose progress slowed down or even stagnated as they advanced, his rate of improvement showed no signs of slowing; it remained consistent, advancing steadily step by step.

"Two more days. In two days, the energy I've accumulated will allow me to break the limit of my Firewood Chopping Saber Technique!"

"The addition of new traits to the saber technique should help my strength! This will push my combat power even further."

"Besides that, my progress in Literacy has passed the one-quarter mark! I cannot ignore the potential for new traits and the strengthening of my mental power from this skill either."

Looking at his panel, Jiang Ning muttered to himself.

"If I could supplement my diet with precious medicinal herbs like wild ginseng again, my progress would be even faster!"

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning's heart filled with anticipation. Today, Zhou Xing would surely appear. Once he saw him, he could purchase the wild ginseng that would be of great help to him.

Out in the world, a ten-year-old wild ginseng would cost about fifteen taels of silver, but from Zhou Xing, it would only cost ten. With such a low price and high cost-performance ratio, he naturally chose to buy from Zhou Xing.

While this seemed like paying a "social favor," in Jiang Ning's eyes, what did a favor matter? Current interests were the most important. Seize every opportunity to grow rapidly and possess enough power to protect oneself. Being able to protect oneself and those one cares about—that was the only truth. He had learned the hard way in his previous life that being obsessed with "saving face" only leads to unnecessary suffering.

Afterward, Jiang Ning continued to practice the Five Animals Fist in the courtyard, set after set.

Each set of the technique granted one point of experience. At the "Small Success" stage, the Five Animals Fist could also successfully condense three strands of blood qi within the body. Now, with his Internal Alchemy Longevity Art having reached the "Entry" stage and his internal organs being enhanced, Jiang Ning could clearly feel that the number of times he could practice each day was increasing.

Stronger visceral functions gave him more endurance and faster physical recovery. At the same time, his appetite had grown larger than before. For a martial artist, being able to eat was a good thing. Only by eating a lot could one take in enough energy to fuel growth.

When eating with Wang Jin last night, Jiang Ning noticed that Wang Jin had already sensed his abnormal appetite. However, Wang Jin didn't say much at the time, merely telling him not to be reserved and to eat his fill.

At lunchtime.

Everyone gathered around a long rectangular table, sitting on both sides. Wang Jin sat formally at the head of the table. On the table were bowls of large white steamed buns, green vegetables, and a bowl of meat—alternating fat and lean—in front of each person. This was the daily lunch provided by the Canglang Martial Arts Hall.

Buns and vegetables were unlimited, but each person only received one bowl of meat. This ensured that the disciples could consume meat and oil every day, preventing them from accidentally overtraining and breaking their bodies.

After a whole morning of practicing, everyone was famished. Once they sat down, they began devouring the food on the table. At the head of the table, Wang Jin sipped tea to settle his stomach. He watched the crowd eating voraciously with a calm expression, occasionally nodding in satisfaction.

Suddenly, a disciple rushed into the hall from outside. He approached Wang Jin and bowed with cupped hands.

"Hall Master, someone is here to visit. He says his name is Shen Congyun."

"Shen Congyun?"

Wang Jin's expression turned surprised, and he stood up abruptly. His chair slid backward with a loud "thud." This sudden commotion drew everyone's attention, including Jiang Ning's.

Shen Congyun?

Hearing these three words, Jiang Ning was also slightly surprised. Shen Congyun was one of the vice-branch leaders (one head, two deputies) of the Wanhua Pavilion stationed in Luoshui County.

Although he was only a deputy leader, the Wanhua Pavilion was a superpower spanning the nine provinces of Great Xia. Almost every provincial capital, prefectural city, commandery city, and county had a Wanhua Pavilion. Their business was simple: catering to martial artists. They sold everything from martial arts manuals and precious medicines to divine weapons, protective armor, and various types of intelligence.

In the Wanhua Pavilion, as long as you had enough silver, you could buy almost any resource needed for martial cultivation—from low-level manuals to the fundamental methods used by Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters.

With such a massive organization, even if Shen Congyun was only a deputy leader of a branch in Luoshui County, his status was extremely high within the county. In the eyes of the local nobility, he was a significant figure. Whether it was the seventh-rank County Magistrate of Luoshui or the three local great families—Cao, Liu, and Xie—they would all show him a degree of respect.

The reason the Wanhua Pavilion could spread across all provinces and counties was their adherence to the principle of "neutrality in business" and "harmony brings wealth." They never interfered in the struggles between different factions. Only through absolute neutrality could they earn the trust of all powers. In Great Xia, no matter how strong a faction was, who could be stronger than the Imperial Court?

"Strange, why is Shen Congyun visiting the teacher?" Cheng Ran, sitting next to Jiang Ning, asked with confusion. "Brother Jiang, do you know?" He then turned to ask Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning shook his head slightly. "How would I know?"

"Could it be because of *that* matter?" Cheng Ran mused.

"What matter?" Jiang Ning asked.

Cheng Ran replied, "I heard that because the Inspectorate is about to be established, many factions in the county are investing in those who might join it. As you know, Brother Jiang, once we enter the Inspectorate, we will have the Martial Saint backing us and possess the power to execute first and report later—it's like a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Investing in someone before they enter to boost their martial strength is like providing charcoal in the snow; it's a favor, and many are happy to make such investments."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded in agreement. "It is indeed a good investment with a high return."

Cheng Ran continued, "But it's strange. With Shen Congyun's status as a Wanhua Pavilion deputy leader, even if the Pavilion wanted to invest, why would he personally show up? And from what I know, Wanhua Pavilion doesn't easily invest in geniuses; they only invest in true martial geniuses. A county-level Inspectorate isn't worth the Wanhua Pavilion going to such lengths, let alone a big shot like Shen Congyun. The Wanhua Pavilion probably wouldn't care for the relatively small return even if they succeeded."

On the other side, Wang Jin emerged from the hall.

Shen Congyun.

Thinking of this man, Wang Jin's heart felt a surge of excitement. He had been stuck at the peak of the seventh rank for many years, and with Shen Congyun's help, he finally saw a chance to advance further. He quickened his pace, crossing the courtyard toward the main gate of the martial arts hall.

Stepping over the threshold, Wang Jin saw the middle-aged man outside, dressed in a gray robe with a refined countenance and slightly graying temples.

"Brother Shen!!" Wang Jin walked toward him, cupping his hands.

"Brother Wang!" The middle-aged man, who looked to be in his forties, also revealed a friendly smile and returned the gesture.

"Brother Shen, why did you visit so suddenly without notifying me? I haven't prepared good wine and meat to host you!"

Shen Congyun smiled. "My sudden visit was indeed presumptuous."

"You're being too formal. Since we call each other brothers, my home is your home. You are welcome to come anytime."

Hearing this, Shen Congyun smiled. "Won't Brother Wang invite me in for a seat?"

"Please, please, please!!" Wang Jin gestured, and the two walked side by side into the martial arts hall.