A further advanced orthodox method?
As these words were spoken, everyone around who heard them all lifted their heads, looking toward An Jing with expressions of shock or joy, and then the noise level quickly rose.
"Congratulations, Eldest Senior Brother!" "Wow, that's our An!" "Could it be that Eldest Senior has already mastered those two mental methods and martial skills? So quickly?!" "Of course!" "That's Eldest Senior Brother for you..."
For a moment, the entire Martial Arts Field was filled with voices of congratulations and admiration, and everyone was happy for An Jing.
After all, An Jing had proven that when he learned a cultivation technique and wanted to teach others, he did so sincerely, sharing everything he knew without holding back, irrespective of whether they could learn it or not.
Given this, what did it matter if An Jing learned the orthodox methods ahead of time? If they lacked the talent and couldn't learn the orthodox methods, it didn't matter, but if they had the talent and An Jing had learned ahead, he could guide them in the future.
Rather, they thought that An Jing should indeed learn ahead! When that time came, An Jing could mentor them with even more experience!
As for envy, there were indeed those who envied him.
But what was the use of envy? Learning martial skills was not like learning literature; if you couldn't beat someone, you truly couldn't beat them, and bravado was useless, for any attempt to talk tough would just result in another beating.
In the face of such warm sentiments, An Jing clasped his hands together and gave a bow, then, half out of joy, followed Instructor Li toward the Medicine Pavilion.
His joy, naturally, stemmed from the orthodox methods—the Abyssal Qi Nourishing Stance and Piercing Armor True Strength were not particularly difficult for him; he had already cultivated them to a high level, nearing perfection. How could he not be joyous about the chance to rise another level with an advanced orthodox method that could improve him?
As for the other half, it was quite complicated—composed of curiosity, worry, confusion, and calm.
He had not expected to be so highly regarded, which disrupted his plans.
However, plans could be changed, and this was also an opportunity for him.
Ever since he heard strange noises last time in the Medicine Pavilion, An Jing had been paying close attention to this core building of Hanging Fate Manor.
Unfortunately, the time for inspections, which occurred once every five days, was too short, and because he had to lead the team, he didn't have the time to observe his surroundings carefully. He hoped this time he would have the chance.
An Jing also knew that the ferocious beast meat and potions all originally came from the Medicine Pavilion, and they were roughly processed before being sent to the back of the kitchen for preparation.
By calculation, today seemed to indeed be the 'meat-eating' day; if he was lucky, there was a high probability he could see the raw materials for the various types of ferocious beast meat and potions.
The time had come.
Soon, Instructor Li went to meet with the Manor Master, and An Jing waited at the entrance of the Medicine Pavilion.
"Hey, isn't this our Little Leader?" "Congratulations, it's rare to be granted the orthodox methods before the trial." "Not bad, kid."
The pharmacists who came and went from the Medicine Pavilion all recognized An Jing. Several of them had presided over physical inspections of An Jing and were quite familiar with him; they would specifically smile and greet him.
An Jing politely returned each greeting in turn, then pretended to casually observe his surroundings and the state of the pharmacists coming and going.
There weren't many pharmacists, just seven in total, all studying under the Master of the Medicine Manor. They entered and exited frequently, mostly to gather the herbs drying next to the Medicine Pavilion and transport them by the cartload into the pavilion.
An Jing recognized many of them as the main ingredients in the potions they drank. There were also some he did not recognize, and An Jing couldn't determine what these herbs were used for.
Besides that, there were also quite a few large water tanks placed on the vacant ground on both sides of the Medicine Pavilion. An Jing wasn't surprised by this—the world didn't have a water supply system, so it was natural to store more water for daily medicine preparation.
While waiting, An Jing just happened to see a group of servants come to move water tanks out of the Medicine Pavilion, then carry some others in.
The only peculiar thing was that these water tanks all emitted a strong, sweet, fishy medicinal scent.
And some of them wobbled heavily, as if filled with something.
"Could it be that they use water tanks to store medicines?"
At first, An Jing found it hard to imagine, but then he considered that most of the medicines in the Medicine Pavilion needed to be prepared in hundreds of doses, and suddenly it didn't seem strange.
Hmm?
Just as An Jing was about to note down the appearances of the herbs he saw, planning to go back and ask Gu Yeqi to identify them, he suddenly stopped his observation.
Frowning slightly, he sniffed the air and immediately smelled the familiar 'meat scent.'
It had arrived.
Rumble—the main doors of the Medicine Pavilion revealed a huge shadow as two pharmacists, sweating profusely, along with three instructors, chanted in unison, pushing an extremely large and heavy cargo cart out of the main entrance.
The rich aroma of meat wafted from it, and An Jing, staring intently, was instantly stunned.
Because what was in the cart wasn't just anything, it was filled with a large amount of bones.
A vast array of cleanly shaved bones from various beasts!
"What kind of wild beasts are these?"
An Jing could clearly distinguish that among these bones there were those of wolves and tigers, jackals and leopards, even a pair of huge bull horns, as well as the wing bones of flying birds.
The bones, scraped clean of all flesh, piled up into a small hill that required a cargo cart and several strong men to push down.
"It's stuck!" Halfway through, the cart got caught in a small depression at the Medicine Pavilion staircase. Seeing this, An Jing immediately knew it was an opportunity and stepped forward without hesitation.
"Can you do it, An Jing?" The instructors were about to exert their own force, but seeing An Jing voluntarily stepping forward to help, they all laughed: "Don't hurt your back, alright."
"Of course, I can." An Jing took a closer look and immediately discovered that these beast bones were indeed extraordinary. Merely the smell carried a unique vitality that induced irritability in one's heart. He suppressed this feeling and suddenly exerted his strength.
Piercing Armor True Strength burst forth, and in an instant, An Jing lifted the entire cart slightly, lifting it out of the depression.
"Strong!" Even the instructors couldn't help but praise: "Your Piercing Armor True Strength has already been integrated and mastered, not just in your arms and legs, but throughout your entire body. No wonder the Manor Master wants to teach you the proper technique."
"Alright, we still have work to do, lucky you."
An Jing watched as the group pushed the cart away, noting the envious expressions on the instructors' faces when they mentioned the 'proper technique'. He wondered, "Could it be that these instructors have never learned the complete proper technique?"
Indeed, they were probably those who had learned martial skills but hadn't mastered everything and were thus weeded out, even Instructor Li most likely hadn't learned the entire proper technique.
It could be possible, but it wasn't very important.
Because just now, while An Jing was close by, he noticed the true special feature of those beast bones.
Patterns...
An Jing murmured to himself, the details of the unusual patterns on the bones surfacing in his mind: "Those beast bones had a lot of grayish-black, dizzying strange patterns that made me feel slightly dizzy just by glancing at them..."
For a moment, he even felt an unjustified anger rise within him, but it quickly subsided, and An Jing became alert: "Could those patterns be the source of the 'Furious Roar'?"
Is enduring that crazy howling impulse the only way to stay in Hanging Fate Manor?
"This is definitely not the meat of ordinary ferocious beasts! I've seen ferocious beast meat before... could it be, these are from monsters, from... demons?"
While An Jing was pondering, Instructor Li came down.
"Go on."
He too had envy in his single eye: "The Manor Master is waiting for you."
An Jing came back to his senses, nodded immediately, and went upstairs.
Master of the Medicine Manor actually didn't stay in the Medicine Pavilion all the time, but walked around observing the growth of herbs in the fields and often came to inspect the children's training. He would only stay all day at the Medicine Pavilion on the day he checked everyone's health and the day they ate meat.
An Jing also knew that many instructors referred to the Master of the Medicine Manor as Vice Envoy of Medicine. Hanging Fate Manor was a branch of a large organization, and the Master of the Medicine Manor was an officer within that organization. His surname wasn't even Medicine; it referred to his position.
Vice Envoy indicated that there was also a Chief Officer. Besides grooming members, the main function of the manor was also to refine potions.
Soon, An Jing arrived on the fifth floor.
"Little An."
Master of the Medicine Manor was at his desk, reviewing some applications. On the table was a strange dark golden wide-mouth Vessel Instrument, emitting an unusual luster.
As he saw An Jing standing at the entrance, he looked up casually and said: "Come in, sit down."
Seeing that An Jing remained silent, sitting respectfully behind the desk, the Master of the Medicine Manor couldn't help feeling sentimental: "You're really calm. They already said they're going to teach you the proper technique, but you don't even seem happy. You're not like a child at all."
"Because I understand that more gifts mean greater expectations," An Jing replied sincerely, slightly bowing his head. "The Manor Master and all the instructors believe in me. While I am happy, I also understand that this is a serious responsibility that needs to be treated with utmost seriousness."
"Hmm."
Master of the Medicine Manor's expression remained unchanged. He took out a book that seemed ordinary from a drawer and handed it to An Jing: "Take a look."
An Jing glanced at the Master of the Medicine Manor before picking up the book.
Imperial Heaven Piercing Divine One Qi Cultivation Method