Chapter 9: The Effect of Photographic Memory

A long time passed.

As Jiang Ning turned to the final page, he had finished reading the manual for the Five-Animal Fist in its entirety.

【Reading the fist manual has increased your Literacy experience by 10 points.】

Seeing this notification, Jiang Ning felt a slight sense of surprise. He hadn't expected such a brief reading session to yield ten experience points; the efficiency far exceeded his expectations.

He immediately pushed the matter to the back of his mind and closed his eyes slightly.

In an instant, everything recorded in the Five-Animal Fist manual he had just read appeared in his mind, page by page.

He now had a general understanding of the Five-Animal Fist.

It was a graded, lower-tier martial art, a style of boxing created by observing five animals in nature: the tiger, bear, ape, deer, and crane.

The tiger form, when mastered, possessed explosive power; the bear form greatly increased strength; the ape form provided agility and fluid movement; the crane form offered extreme speed and lightness, allowing one to leap over a distance of a zhang with a single lift of breath.

As for the deer form, it was nimble and light, capable of leaping over high walls, and served as a boxing style that strengthened one's essence, energy, and spirit while regulating the body's state.

The manual contained both breathing techniques and training methods.

Long-term practice of the Five-Animal Fist had the effect of strengthening the blood and qi within the body. Once the blood and qi were strong enough to circulate through the entire body, filling the limbs and bones, it formed the foundation required before entering the ranks of martial arts.

If one practiced all five animals together, the martial foundation built would be exceptionally solid and rare, making it an ideal technique for laying the groundwork for one's martial path.

Beyond being suitable for building a foundation, the tiger form provided explosive power and the ape form provided movement techniques, making it quite formidable in combat as well.

After fully understanding the Five-Animal Fist, Jiang Ning’s appreciation for this martial art grew even higher.

For him, it was indeed a highly suitable technique.

At the same time, he felt a secret sense of gratitude that he had spent the previous two months reading the books in his home.

If he hadn't read so many books and stored so much knowledge about this world in his mind, how could he have possibly understood the manual?

For an ordinary person, even if they could read the words, they would be unable to learn from a manual alone. They wouldn't understand it, and if they rashly attempted to practice, they would inevitably go astray and easily damage their bodies.

This was why learning martial arts required a guide to teach one personally.

A manual was the sublimation of countless insights, containing the crystallized wisdom of predecessors.

【Name】: Jiang Ning

【Source Energy】: 3.6

【Skills】

Literacy (First Break-through 57/2000) (Trait: Eidetic Memory)

Five-Animal Fist (Not yet initiated 0/10)

Looking at the panel, seeing the Five-Animal Fist appear there instantly settled the slight anxiety he had been feeling.

His "Literacy" skill had also gained a full 10 experience points in a short time due to his diligent study of the manual.

Jiang Ning opened his eyes, the manual in his hands already closed.

"Senior Sister, I've finished reading!"

"You memorized it?"

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded.

"You memorized the whole thing??!" The woman’s eyes widened instantly, and she looked at Jiang Ning in disbelief.

"I memorized it all!" Jiang Ning affirmed. "If Senior Sister doesn't believe me, you can test me!"

"Alright!" The woman nodded, agreeing with his proposal.

She then asked, "What is recorded on the eighth page?"

Hearing the question, Jiang Ning spoke without hesitation: "The Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain; the spirit manifests in the eyes and claws, strengthening the tendons and bones."

Hearing his answer, the woman’s eyes widened further. She then asked, "What about the third line of the tenth page?"

"The momentum of wings spreading above the clouds is the only way to merge form and spirit into one, originating from..." Jiang Ning recited directly.

The woman stared at Jiang Ning, her eyes gradually rounding in shock.

After a long moment, Jiang Ning asked, "Does Senior Sister have anything else to ask?"

The woman shook her head, looking at Jiang Ning with admiration, her previous professional demeanor gone. "I have finally witnessed what it means to have an eidetic memory! With your talent, you shouldn't be learning martial arts; you should be taking the imperial examinations."

Jiang Ning smiled but did not respond.

The woman spoke again, "Let's go! Since you have memorized the essence of the manual, come with me to find Elder Wang. Having him demonstrate the Five-Animal Fist for you will make it easier to get started."

"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Jiang Ning bowed.

The two returned to the martial arts school's backyard.

"Why are you back?" The old man lying on the rattan chair opened his eyes and looked at the two entering the courtyard.

The woman said, "Master, Jiang Ning has memorized the entire essence of the manual."

"Memorized it all?" The old man’s eyes narrowed, his sharp gaze fixed on Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning bowed and said, "Master, I was born with an eidetic memory, so I was able to memorize the essence of the manual after reading it just once."

"I see!" The old man nodded and stood up. "In that case, I will demonstrate the Five-Animal Fist for you personally. Watch closely, remember well, and learn well!"

"Yes, Master!" Jiang Ning replied.

"Li Qing, go call those practicing in the front yard. Let them watch it again!" the old man ordered.

"Yes, Master!" The woman nodded.

Moving with great speed, she crossed the courtyard in just a few steps, her movements filled with lightness.

A few moments later, over a dozen people crowded into the entrance of the backyard.

"You all watch and learn well! Only by mastering this fist can you change your lives! Only then can you master your own destiny!" the old man said.

"The teacher is right!" A man immediately chimed in with flattery.

The next moment, the old man took his stance.

Suddenly.

*Roar—*

A tiger's roar erupted from his throat.

In that instant, Jiang Ning felt as if he were seeing a fierce tiger roaring down from a mountain, the aura of the king of beasts present right there.

Jiang Ning’s eyes narrowed, his focus entirely on the old man’s every move, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.

The woman stood to the side, also watching the old man’s demonstration with extreme seriousness.

Even for her, every time she watched the fully perfected Five-Animal Fist, she gained new insights.

Even she had not yet mastered all five forms—tiger, bear, ape, crane, and deer.

Under the old man’s demonstration, he began with the tiger form, followed by the bear form.

If the tiger form was filled with the explosive power of the king of beasts, the bear form gave one a sense of being rooted to the ground, possessing immense strength.

By the time the Five-Animal Fist was fully demonstrated, a cup of tea's time had passed.

After the old man finished, Jiang Ning immediately closed his eyes.

In his mind, the scene he had just witnessed played back like a recorded film.

At a wave of the old man’s hand, the dozen or so men behind them silently exited the backyard.

After a long while, Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes.

"How much did you remember?" the old man asked.

"Reporting to Teacher, I have memorized it all!" Jiang Ning replied.

"You truly memorized it all?" the old man pressed again.

Jiang Ning nodded firmly: "I have memorized it all."

"Good. Then demonstrate it for me!" the old man said.

"Yes!" Jiang Ning bowed in salute.