Upon hearing Senior Sister Li's words, Jiang Ning smiled and didn't say much.
He had already learned from the Five Animals Fist boxing manual that the only correct way to practice was to cultivate all five forms simultaneously, advancing as one.
Because only by cultivating all five forms together can one rapidly condense Qi-Blood. When Qi-Blood is strong, flowing throughout the body, one can enter the ranks of Martial Arts, and only by doing so can one avoid hoarding the treasures of nature and wasting this foundational Martial Arts cultivation technique.
Focusing on a single form indeed makes it easier to make progress in that particular form, but it doesn't help much on the path of Martial Arts.
Even if Tiger Form Boxing were cultivated to great success, and one could throw a punch with both spirit and form, harnessing the strength of the whole body to unleash power several times that of an ordinary person, what of it?
If the physique is not trained and Qi-Blood is not strengthened, the body's condition will ultimately not be much better than that of an ordinary person.
In front of a Martial Artist whose Qi-Blood circulates through their limbs, so-called boxing skills are like child's play.
Absolute physical prowess can crush all skill.
A Martial Artist with Qi-Blood flowing through their entire body can overpower others with sheer force. With a casual punch, they can kill an ordinary person.
So how could Jiang Ning heed Li Qing's words and forsake the essence for the trifles?
With the panel, as long as he is diligent and grinds for experience, he can break through any bottleneck in Five Animals Fist without any issues.
Each breakthrough in boxing enhances the effects of Qi-Blood condensation to a higher level.
This is the root of his strength.
Relying on the panel, why would he, like those others who, in order to pass the assessment and become true disciples of the Martial Arts Hall, waste time practicing a single type of boxing, a single type of form?
Cultivating all five forms simultaneously, advancing in all five shapes, would allow him to quickly enhance his power. With increased strength, he could fearlessly face threats from people like Xu Yunfeng.
Afterward,
Standing in the front courtyard, Jiang Ning assumed a stance, adjusted his condition, ready to practice the Five Animals Fist, and grind for Experience Value to quickly reach the beginner level of the technique.
At this moment, the men in the front yard saw Jiang Ning starting to practice boxing and all stopped their own training, watching with curious expressions.
As Jiang Ning began to practice, someone immediately widened their eyes in shock.
"Isn't this guy the one who just joined the Martial Arts Hall at noon? Has he already memorized the essentials of the boxing manual?"
"Don't rush, just watch!" someone spoke, still insisting on their earlier view.
The rest watched Jiang Ning's practice intently.
They had just watched Elder Wang practice boxing and had been quietly discussing Jiang Ning.
Some of them remembered that Jiang Ning had just started at noon, and now, only in the afternoon, Elder Wang had personally demonstrated the Five Animals Fist, which made them curious.
New disciples of the Martial Arts Hall only qualify for Elder Wang to personally show the Five Animals Fist when they have memorized the entire boxing manual.
Now, as Jiang Ning moved through each posture and form, the onlookers gradually shifted from disbelief to belief.
"Unbelievable, he has actually memorized the entire boxing manual in such a short time!"
"Indeed, unbelievable. Moreover, his every move and rhythm of using breathing techniques perfectly match the records on the boxing manual. His talent is somewhat frightening!"
"..."
Hearing this, the burly men all voiced their astonishment.
At this moment, the blue-clad Li Qing frowned slightly because Jiang Ning was clearly practicing the entire Five Animals Fist and not just the Tiger Form Boxing.
After watching for the duration of a pot of tea, she gently shook her head.
Starting to learn martial arts at approximately eighteen years old, he had already fallen behind others by more than three golden years. He still doesn't grasp the opportunity! Possessing a decent exterior but failing to seize the chance to change his destiny.
At this moment, her heart was filled with a tinge of disappointment towards Jiang Ning.
Then she turned around and left.
At the same time, some also noticed Li Qing's expression.
After all, a tall and slender woman of fine deportment in a Martial Arts Hall would naturally attract many gazes, and even inspire hidden affection.
But they also knew that this woman's status must be extremely illustrious, far above theirs, and not something they could touch, so no one harbored any thoughts of pursuit, merely sneaking glances from time to time.
"Why is Senior Sister Li shaking her head?" someone whispered.
"Can't you tell? Senior Sister Li is somewhat disappointed in this junior brother!" someone else explained.
"Why are you disappointed?" the person asked with a puzzled expression.
"Have you not seen it yet? This newly initiated junior brother Jiang Ning, although talented, must certainly possess an exceptional memory. But it's clear he can't see himself clearly. He's around seventeen or eighteen years old, already a few years behind the golden age to learn martial arts. Instead of focusing on Tiger Form Boxing, he's practicing all five forms of the Five Animals Fist!"
"I understand now, no wonder Senior Sister Li is somewhat disappointed! Not knowing oneself only leads to wasting time and squandering the opportunity to change one's destiny!"
"That's right!" someone nodded in agreement. "Just by looking at this new disciple's attire, it's obvious he comes from an ordinary family. For ordinary families outside the city, gathering enough silver to join a martial arts hall is not easy. Judging by the age at which he has started training, it's clear that his family's circumstances are average. The best age to learn martial arts is when the body is fully grown, around fifteen years old, and he's obviously already seventeen or eighteen! Starting to learn martial arts at such an age, not realizing the chance he has to change his own destiny, is indeed not knowing how to seize opportunity!"
"Yes!" someone agreed with a nod: "In half a year, if one grasps the essence and form of the fierce tiger and pushes Tiger Form Boxing to Great Success, they can become a true disciple of Canglang Martial Arts Hall. The identity of a disciple of Canglang Martial Arts Hall is very important to us, let alone to ordinary people. For them, it is an opportunity to leap across class barriers and change their own destiny."
"..."
After a short discussion, the crowd of men dispersed and no longer paid much attention to Jiang Ning.
And at this moment.
Jiang Ning, following the images etched in his mind and coordinating with his breathing technique, kept correcting his movements, yet he found the practice increasingly exhilarating.
A warm current surged from within his abdomen to all parts of his body, preventing him from feeling drained at all. Instead, he felt more and more vigorous as if he had endless power.
[Five Animals Fist Experience Value +1]
Having completed one round of practice and seeing the familiar prompt, a surge of excitement filled his heart.
"Just practice eight more times, and my Five Animals Fist will reach the entry level!"
He then took advantage of the remaining medicinal power within his body and continued to practice the boxing for the second time.
...
Zhou Xing emerged from the backyard with a smile on his face as fresh as a spring breeze. His gaze swept over the people in the front yard and was instantly drawn to Jiang Ning, who was practicing his boxing.
"This is..." He was taken aback, his eyes filled with a strange light.
As a true disciple of the martial arts hall, already at the entry level of martial arts, he had brought his Five Animals Fist to true Great Success, especially Tiger Form Boxing, which he had understood the essence of, reaching the state of Perfection.
Such a level of boxing skill was considered one of the best in the entire martial arts hall.
A Perfection-level boxing skill not only requires a great insight but also an epiphanous moment.
That's why he immediately noticed the correctness of Jiang Ning's Five Animals Fist. Every move, although somewhat unpolished, was exactly as recorded in the boxing manual, especially the rhythm of the breathing, which was flawlessly maintained.
"Brother Jiang has such strong learning abilities!" He was inwardly shocked, "To achieve such a standard of boxing on the day of initiation, his memory and learning capabilities are surely too strong!"
Seeing this, he was no longer in a hurry to leave and instead stopped to continue watching Jiang Ning practice.
[Five Animals Fist Experience Value +1]
Seeing the prompt before him, Jiang Ning seized the moment and continued practicing the third round of boxing.
And at this moment.
Zhou Xing, after Jiang Ning had practiced the third round halfway, saw a burst of unusual light in his eyes.
By comparing with the previous round from an observer's perspective and from his own mastery of Five Animals Fist at Great Success, it was clear that Jiang Ning's boxing had progressed slightly.
The subtleties were more precise, the breathing technique flowed even better, and each move was quicker than before without compromising the accuracy.
[Five Animals Fist Experience Value +1]
It wasn't until the third round of boxing was finished that Jiang Ning began to feel a slight exhaustion.
"Huuh——"
He then exhaled a breath of impure energy and abandoned the idea of practicing the fourth round.
[This boxing session, Five Animals Fist has gained a total of three experience points.]
[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Uninitiated 4/10)
"I need to practice Six more times to achieve initiation of Five Animals Fist!" Jiang Ning muttered to himself.
Then he clenched his fists, immediately feeling the slightly tense muscles in his arms, a sensation of strength encompassing his entire body.
"Indeed, this is true martial arts, just a few rounds of practice have brought me a significant improvement," he once again praised silently.
"With this rate of improvement, I'll definitely pass the test set by Wang Jin and become a true disciple of the martial arts hall! At that time, even if I were to stand upfront with Xu Yunfeng, he wouldn't dare lay a hand on me!"
"Even Cao Bin, unless he's a fool, wouldn't dare strike! In the power struggle between the dragon and the snake, no one would choose to push someone of the Neutral Faction, potentially equal to them, to the other side. Even just the possibility of that would keep anyone from taking the risk!"
Thinking thus, Jiang Ning's heart was filled with soaring spirits.