Chapter 35: The Strength of Perfected Vitality and Blood

Li Qing?

Jiang Ning was surprised. It turned out Senior Sister Li Qing was making a final push to enter the martial arts ranks; no wonder he hadn't seen her these past few days.

He hadn't expected that despite her youthful appearance, Senior Sister Li Qing was on the verge of reaching the strength required for martial arts entry.

It seemed Senior Sister Li Qing was indeed one of the pre-selected candidates for Wang Jin's direct discipleship.

"What is Junior Brother Jiang thinking about?" Cheng Ran's voice rang in Jiang Ning's ear, snapping him back to reality.

Immediately after, Jiang Ning smiled. "I was just wondering what kind of divine might this tiger will possess in five days. With a body length of four meters, a single strike from its paw must exert at least a thousand catties of force, right?"

"More than that!" Cheng Ran nodded. "It's even more than that! Precisely because of this, only those Senior Brothers who have entered the martial arts ranks are qualified to fight this tiger! If we were to encounter it in the wild, the only thing we could do is let out a loud roar so that we might die somewhat heroically!"

Hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile faintly.

Cheng Ran, however, looked excited.

"The Five Animals Fist is derived from the tiger, bear, ape, crane, and deer! In five days, by observing the tiger's divine might and posture, I might be able to grasp the form and spirit of the Tiger Style. Only when both form and spirit are possessed can one reach the stage of Great Completion!"

"It's just a pity that our strength is too weak to take the field! If we could personally fight the tiger, perhaps we could capture that elusive trace of 'qi' and push the Tiger Style to the stage of Perfection!"

"Once one reaches Perfection and condenses the Tiger Might, one can unleash power far exceeding their own limits, not inferior to some mid-grade martial arts techniques!"

Just then, a man dressed in white training robes with a commanding presence walked over. This was Xiao Peng.

He was currently the absolute core figure of the Canglang Martial Arts Hall's front courtyard.

In the eyes of everyone present, among all those here, Xiao Peng was the one most likely to enter the Inspectorate in three months and complete the feat of "leaping over the dragon gate."

Before possessing incomparable strength, the importance of power was unquestionable.

Not to mention, the Inspectorate possessed not only authority but also martial arts techniques and precious medicinal herbs.

For anyone, it was a monumental opportunity.

As long as one could join them, the path of martial arts would surely go much further.

Thus, Xiao Peng's every move naturally drew everyone's attention.

As Xiao Peng approached, all eyes converged on him.

"What is Senior Brother Xiao Peng going to do?"

"I don't know!"

"..."

A few people whispered nearby.

Xiao Peng brushed past Jiang Ning and came before Cheng Ran, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Junior Brother Cheng, currently, you are the only one in the entire hall who can stand beside me. How about a spar?"

Looking at Xiao Peng, Cheng Ran said coldly, "Fine. Since you want a fight, I shall grant your wish!"

The two walked past Jiang Ning and arrived at an open area.

At the same time, the crowd watched the scene with excitement.

"Who do you think will win, Senior Brother Cheng Ran or Senior Brother Xiao Peng?"

"I think Xiao Peng will win. Senior Brother Xiao Peng has achieved Great Completion in the Tiger Style, giving him immense explosive power, and he has reached Minor Completion in the Ape Style. His movements are as agile as an ape; his strength must be very formidable!"

"I disagree!" someone countered. "Senior Brother Xiao Peng has the advantage in boxing techniques, but Senior Brother Cheng Ran has achieved Perfection in his blood and qi! With perfected blood and qi circulating through his entire body, his strength reaches five hundred catties!"

"With a single punch, the Minor Completion Tiger Style is enough for Senior Brother Cheng Ran to explode with over two thousand catties of force. As they say, 'one force overcomes ten skills'; Senior Brother Cheng Ran has a natural advantage in this regard!"

"Meanwhile, Senior Brother Xiao Peng has only achieved Great Completion in his blood and qi, with strength exceeding three hundred catties. Even if he has the advantage in technique, the difference in raw power between the two is massive!"

Meanwhile, in the front courtyard, Jiang Ning listened to the nearby discussions and clicked his tongue inwardly.

Senior Brother Cheng Ran, with perfected blood and qi, could strike with over two thousand catties of force in a single punch—this completely surpassed the limits of humans from his previous life.

He still remembered a set of data.

In his previous life, a world-class boxing champion could only strike with a maximum of sixteen hundred catties of force.

Yet Senior Brother Cheng Ran, whose physique did not look particularly bulky, could strike with over two thousand catties.

"Is this the charm of the martial arts? The legendary Martial Saints of Great Xia—just how terrifying must their strength be?"

Jiang Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.

At that moment, Xiao Peng and Cheng Ran engaged.

With a sudden movement, Cheng Ran's figure moved like a flying crane, sweeping toward Xiao Peng.

"Come!" Xiao Peng shouted.

He lowered his center of gravity, his feet slightly arched as if his claws were firmly gripping the ground.

In the next instant, Cheng Ran, sweeping in, descended like a tiger coming down a mountain, lunging straight at Xiao Peng.

Xiao Peng crouched slightly, looking like a king of beasts poised to strike.

As his blood and qi surged—

*Roar!*

A tiger-like roar erupted from Xiao Peng's mouth, and his low stance suddenly exploded upward.

The moment they moved, both unleashed their full strength.

Facing Cheng Ran, whose blood and qi were perfected and whose strength and physique were superior, Xiao Peng did not choose to retreat; instead, he chose a head-on collision.

Cheng Ran chose to meet the strongest strike head-on.

*Bang!*

With a muffled thud, both figures were thrown backward simultaneously.

Xiao Peng retreated more than two zhang, while Cheng Ran only retreated one and a half zhang.

However, a flash of surprise crossed Cheng Ran's eyes.

He hadn't gained much of an advantage in the direct clash, which greatly exceeded his expectations.

One had to realize that he had reached the level of blood and qi circulating through the entire body, a level that started at a minimum of five hundred catties of massive force.

Those born with divine strength could possess seven or eight hundred catties.

Cheng Ran's blood and qi were slightly inferior, having only reached Great Completion, a level where qi circulated through the limbs, with strength basically above three hundred catties.

Such a massive gap should have resulted in a much larger difference in a direct clash; there was only one possibility.

Cheng Ran spoke immediately: "It seems Senior Brother Xiao is not far from the level of blood and qi circulating through the entire body!"

The corners of Xiao Peng's mouth curled up. "My strength currently reaches over four hundred catties. I am not far from perfected blood and qi. Do you wish to continue, Junior Brother Cheng?"

"Of course!" Cheng Ran barked.

His figure moved again, instantly closing the distance to Xiao Peng.

The two engaged in fierce combat. As fists and feet collided, clouds of dust were kicked up, and the friction of sleeves against the air produced the sound of tigers roaring through the void.

Not far away, Jiang Ning watched the scene, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

"Perfected blood and qi, circulating through the entire body, reaching five hundred catties of force, capable of exploding with a thousand catties of power in every move... but they don't seem that strong?"

After achieving Minor Completion in his blood and qi, Jiang Ning had tested his own strength.

He could lift a two-hundred-catty stone lock with one arm, though a two-hundred-and-fifty-catty lock was still a bit of a struggle.

This meant his strength was close to two hundred and fifty catties.

Although this was only half the strength of someone with perfected blood and qi circulating through the entire body, the number didn't seem exaggerated. However, as far as he knew, the peak record for humans in his previous life seemed to be a single-handed lift of just over three hundred catties.

In other words, his ability to lift a two-hundred-plus catty stone lock with one hand already placed him at a very high level.

In his previous life, even a professional athlete would find it difficult to achieve.

After all, that record belonged to a one-in-a-billion natural talent who had undergone professional, devilish training to squeeze out every bit of physical potential.

At this moment, Jiang Ning felt that if he were to fight Cheng Ran or Xiao Peng, he could hold his own for several rounds.

Because in his current eyes, while Cheng Ran's strength was high—at least double his own—he lacked agility and his movements were not swift enough. Conversely, while Xiao Peng's movements were fast and his limbs as flexible as an ape's, his strength was much weaker, and his footwork was clearly full of holes and quite crude.

"No wonder Wang Jin said that cultivating all five animals together is the true path!"

"My current boxing and blood/qi are both at Minor Completion, which puts me close to half the strength of Senior Brother Cheng Ran's perfected blood and qi. This is clearly the effect of the Bear Style! Furthermore, cultivating all five animals doesn't just provide explosive power and speed; it also makes footwork agile and flawless. It is a truly well-rounded technique, an excellent foundation for martial arts."

"Looking at it now, it seems I have somewhat underestimated my own strength!"

Watching the two combatants, this thought surfaced in Jiang Ning's mind.