The cold wind whistled and came down from the top of the steep mountain.
Jiang Ming stood on the frozen river with his upper body bare, practicing the Tiger Subduing Fist over and over again.
His chest heaved up and down as he breathed in and out rhythmically. His entire person exuded a fierce aura, and every move he made was like a real tiger.
If the external training was the form, the internal training was the combination of the will, the form, and the breathing. Only then could the Tiger Subduing Fist's greatest power be unleashed.
As he breathed, Jiang Ming's skin gradually turned red, exuding wisps of white gas, but it eventually faded away. The blood in his body was still out of control.
"I've almost mastered the breathing technique, but I'm still a step away from refining the blood Qi," Jiang Ming muttered to himself. He slowly stopped and returned to the wooden house.
The room was filled with the fragrance of herbs, and a pot of medicinal herbs was being stewed on the fire. Scarlet blood vine, ginseng, and some mushrooms simmered merrily. Of course, the most important was still the fire cloud grass.
After coming to this world for a long time, Jiang Ming realized the rarity of fire cloud grass. Even for those martial artists who were high above, it was a rare treasure that could only be encountered but not sought. It was of great use to the progress of martial arts.
When the medicinal stew was ready to eat, Jiang Ming gulped it down. He licked his bowl clean.
As the medicinal stew entered his stomach, Jiang Ming immediately felt a trace of heat spreading along his limbs and bones. At this moment, he seemed to have endless power.
The blood Qi in his body seemed to be more active at this moment.
Jiang Ming threw down the bowl and immediately rushed out of the house. He stood in the snow and continued to practice.
Jiang Ming practiced relentlessly. He could feel that the blood in his body was restless as if it had formed a hot flow that was running amok.
He subconsciously circulated his breathing technique in an attempt to guide and control the surging heat flow, but it was to no avail.
Jiang Ming's eyes were a little red from the impact of the blood Qi. When he was upset, he suddenly had a flash of understanding in his mind!
"If you want to subdue the tiger, you must be fiercer and more ruthless than the tiger."
So this was the true meaning of the Tiger Subduing Fist!
He had the power of immortality. No matter his situation, he always thought there was still a way out. Thus, he had never been really angry.
Even when he killed those few vendors, he did it out of rational consideration.
When he was practicing martial arts, although Jiang Ming persevered and never slacked, he never had the belief to advance bravely. When he was tired, he would take a break. He only thought that his life was endless and that one day he would succeed.
However, his intent needed to master the Tiger Subduing Fist was wrong. He needed to stop being lax and learn to fight to the death!
"Since that's the case, I won't stop until I take you down today!"
A fierce nature rose in Jiang Ming's heart. He tried his best to practice the Tiger Subduing Fist. Gradually, his breathing seemed to be synchronized with the rhythm of the blood in his body and gradually became indistinguishable.
Boom! Jiang Ming threw out his last punch and suddenly stopped.
At this moment, he was naturally circulating the internal training method of the breathing technique. His breath was thick, and his entire person seemed to contain an inexplicable power.
Under his skin, a red light flashed and disappeared. The blood Qi in his body moved rhythmically with his breathing. It was completely refined by Jiang Ming and developed a new power.
Jiang Ming took a deep breath, gathered the power of the blood Qi, and punched the frozen river.
Ice shards flew in all directions, and a hole the size of a human head appeared on the ice, revealing the river water flowing underneath.
Jiang Ming shook his slightly numb arm, but he was unscathed.
"After months of hard work, I've finally become a martial artist! From today onwards, I can be considered to have truly embarked on the path of martial arts."
Jiang Ming's heart was surging with emotions, and he was more and more convinced that there must be a way to cultivate immortality in this world.
Because just martial arts alone had shocked Jiang Ming, he broke the thick ice with the power of one punch and was unscathed. This was not a power that ordinary people could have.
Then he took a deep breath. "But this consumes too much blood Qi. This punch has drained half of my blood Qi. I still have to continue cultivating and controlling the blood Qi to circulate throughout my body. Only then can I step into the third-class realm and control more blood Qi."
As for the second-class martial artists, they needed to use blood Qi to temper their skin membranes. The top ones were almost invulnerable and were the strongest.
However, becoming a second-class martial artist would normally take at least a decade or two of effort.
"Although I don't lack time, it's indeed time for me to leave this peaceful place."
After the excitement of breaking through as a martial artist died down, Jiang Ming also began to think about his future path.
The many medicinal herbs in the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest were a treasure, but he did not have the recipe for the secret medicine for martial arts. Every time he made a big pot of stew, he would waste almost half of the medicinal effects.
It did not matter if he was not a martial artist in the past, but if he wanted to continue practicing martial arts in the future, this method probably would not work anymore. Perhaps even drinking ten pots would not have any effect.
Jiang Ming wanted to learn more profound martial arts and real combat methods and learn recipes for secret medicines that would enhance his strength. These were things that Peace Town could not give him.
Only Great Cloud City would have what he needed.
"Besides, I can't always be a herb gatherer."
The true way of living was not about keeping a low profile but choosing the most appropriate way of doing things according to one's own strength, time, and opportunity. Only then could one live smoothly in this world.
When Jiang Ming was weak, he was an ordinary herb gatherer. He secretly saved money and practiced martial arts. Naturally, there was no problem.
However, now that he was a martial artist, he needed to earn more money to sustain his martial arts expenses and spend more effort to find a way to cultivate to a higher realm. If he continued to pretend to be a herb gatherer, he would only become more and more out of place.
"After this winter, I'll go to the prefecture for a walk."
Jiang Ming recalled what he saw and heard when he went to the prefecture last time and gradually made a decision.
* * *
It was the dead of winter, and Peace Town was very lively.
Many people in the town were working in the prefecture. Now that it was close to the end of the year, they returned to the town to slaughter pigs and chickens to prepare for the new year.
To these poor people, this was perhaps the highlight of their year.
Jiang Ming stepped on the snow and returned from the depths of the forest.
He liked peace and quiet, but he was not a hermit. During the new year, there had to be some fireworks.
In addition, Ah Fei was getting married soon. Therefore, he also brought a fish as a gift.
Jiang Ming greeted people along the way and returned home with his herb basket.
"I haven't been home for a few months. I'm afraid it's already a mess, eh?"
Jiang Ming looked at the door and was a little stunned.