Jiang Ning positioned himself in the courtyard, instantly recalling the Five Animals Fist that Elder Wang had just practiced.
In a flash, the scene vividly appeared before him as if Elder Wang was performing the boxing in front of him again.
"The effect of 'unforgettable' really aids my martial arts practice enormously!" Jiang Ning thought with joy.
Then he began to practice the Five Animals Fist according to the memories in his mind.
Every move was an imitation of the images in his mind, combined with the breathing methods recorded in the boxing manual.
Elder Wang, watching Jiang Ning's practice, kept nodding slightly.
Even though Jiang Ning's every move seemed incredibly naive in his eyes, almost like copying a cat after a tiger.
It was still sufficient to satisfy him.
For from Jiang Ning's every move and the rhythm of his breathing, it was clear that Jiang Ning was on the right path.
Even if his movements and postures were clumsy now, they were still on the right path.
In Jiang Ning's hands, it took a full thirty minutes before he officially completed practicing the Five Animals Fist.
At that moment, his chest heaved like a bellows, and his entire body was drenched in sweat.
The continuous half-hour of boxing had already pushed his body to its limits, and if not for his sheer willpower, he would have stopped much earlier.
But he could faintly feel that although he was weak now, his body seemed to have grown stronger and his arms were filled with more power.
[Experience Value for Five Animals Fist +1]
[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Uninitiated 1/10)
When Jiang Ning saw this familiar prompt, a tired smile appeared on his face.
"Excellent! Truly excellent!" Elder Wang repeatedly nodded in praise.
Jiang Ning said breathlessly, "It's all thanks to Master's great teaching!"
Elder Wang nodded slightly, "You have indeed remembered it all! It appears that you were not deceiving me earlier; you really do possess the talent of 'unforgettable'!"
Then he added with a face full of emotion, "With your talent, you should go take the imperial examinations and pursue official status! That would truly be the most suitable and promising path for you."
Jiang Ning responded, "Teacher, you also know the way the world is now. If one doesn't have some martial skills, they wouldn't be able to protect themselves in times of trouble!"
Elder Wang, upon hearing this, nodded in agreement, "That's true; learning some martial arts is indeed necessary in today's world. Your thinking is definitely correct!"
He then waved his hand, "Practicing the boxing in one go for the first time has consumed quite a bit of your bodily essence. Go down and rest well, and pick up a bowl of medicinal soup from the kitchen before you leave, and have lunch at the Martial Arts Hall tomorrow noon! Remember, excessive practice is as detrimental as insufficient practice, just like overly frequent revelry; too much diligence can harm the body's essence."
"Thank you, Teacher, for your instructions! Your disciple understands!" Jiang Ning bowed with a grateful look.
"No need to thank me! Having paid the tuition, I will take care of your meals for six months at noon, saving you the trouble of running back and forth and wasting time. As for the evening meals, take care of them at home after drinking the medicinal soup," Elder Wang waved his hand, "You may leave now! Don't disturb my rest unless necessary!"
"Yes!" Jiang Ning bowed and took his leave.
After Jiang Ning had left the backyard, Elder Wang turned to the woman beside him, "Li Qing, what do you think of him?"
"Not bad!" The woman nodded slightly, "He holds some promise."
"Oh? Then I must observe!" Elder Wang laughed while reclining on a rattan chair.
...
On the other side.
As soon as Jiang Ning appeared in the front courtyard, a man approached him.
The man wore a fine blue robe and a headpiece, carrying himself with a dignified bearing, clearly of wealthy or noble descent at a glance.
"Are you the disciple who joined the Martial Arts Hall today?" the man in the blue robe asked, saluting Jiang Ning with his hand.
"Yes!" Jiang Ning also saluted, "May I know who you are?"
"Oh!" The man in the blue robe smiled slightly, then said, "My name is Zhou Xing, just call me Brother Zhou."
Jiang Ning realized, "I'm Jiang Ning, it's nice to meet you, Brother Zhou!"
"So, it's Junior Brother Jiang!" Zhou Xing in the blue robe smiled,
"May I ask which family in the city does Junior Brother Jiang come from?"
"I come from an ordinary family outside the city!" Jiang Ning replied truthfully.
"From outside the city!" Upon hearing this, Zhou Xing did not show any signs of disdain but became even more enthusiastic, "Junior Brother Jiang coming from an ordinary family and managing to gather enough silver to join our Canglang Martial Arts Hall must have been through a lot, I truly admire that."
As he spoke, he searched around his waist, and the next moment, he took out a brocade box from his bosom.
"Since I'm a senior brother and it is our first meeting, and since Junior Brother has just started practicing martial arts, I will give you a piece of Wild Ginseng. In the days to come, we brothers should get to know each other better."
Zhou Xing handed him a red rectangular brocade box that he had fetched from among his robes and presented it in front of Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning was immediately taken aback, staring at him in surprise.
"Junior Brother Jiang, please accept this!" Zhou Xing said, smiling amicably.
Then, he added, "Since it's like this, thank you very much, Brother!" Jiang Ning spoke.
"Being brothers, we're like family. There's no need for such formalities!" Zhou Xing waved dismissively, quite nonchalantly.
He soon spoke again, "I won't bother Junior Brother Jiang any longer. I'm off to visit Master Wang. Junior Brother, practice your boxing diligently. If one day you pass Master Wang's test and become a true disciple of the Martial Arts Hall, I'll treat you to drinks, and we won't return until we're drunk!"
"Alright!" Jiang Ning replied.
...
"Brother Zhou is really generous! To give away Wild Ginseng!"
"Yes! Among the brothers in the Martial Arts Hall, Brother Zhou is the most righteous."
"That's right, he's also warmly approachable for all of us, never looking down on disciples who come from outside the city!"
...
After Zhou Xing had left, Jiang Ning began to understand as he heard the surrounding discussions.
"This Zhou Xing really puts on a role of a righteous and generous person. In these times, he's a clever man!" he muttered to himself.
Then, opening the red brocade box in his hands, he immediately saw a ginseng about ten centimeters long lying in the box.
"Indeed generous, a ginseng like this would cost between ten and twenty taels of silver!" Jiang Ning inwardly praised, "And I wonder from whence Brother Zhou hails."
Immediately, he ripped off a few ginseng whiskers, about a tenth of the ginseng, and placed them into his mouth to slowly chew.
He had just thoroughly practiced the Five Animals Fist with a breathing technique, and now his body was drained, completely drenched in sweat.
However, as he swallowed the mashed-up ginseng whiskers, he immediately felt his body gradually regaining strength.
"This really is good stuff! No wonder they say 'the poor cultivate literature, the rich practice martial arts!'"
Jiang Ning then carefully placed the brocade box with the ginseng into his belt.
Feeling his strength continuously restoring, Jiang Ning moved over to the ancient well and drank deeply of its cool water.
ROAR—
Suddenly, a roaring sound erupted next to his ear like thunder.
Jiang Ning looked up to see the King of Ten Thousand Beasts, which had been sleeping in an iron cage, now awake and growling fiercely at the people in the clearing.
"Junior Brother Jiang, you see! This is the fierce tiger Master Wang personally captured. Observing this tiger over a long period will help you grasp both the spirit and form of Tiger Form Boxing. If you grasp its spirit, you can achieve Great Success in the boxing form. If you achieve Great Success within six months, it indicates sufficient comprehension and qualifies you to become a true disciple of the Martial Arts Hall and access its core teachings!"
A female voice with a trace of ethereality sounded next to him.
Without turning, Jiang Ning knew the speaker was the sister clothed in blue, named Li Qing, who had just spoken.
He nodded, understanding.
"Sister, does that mean that most people in the Martial Arts Hall specialize in Tiger Form Boxing?"
"Exactly! Tiger Form Boxing is crucial for explosive power. It's not only a fine practice method but also suitable for combat!" Li Qing affirmed Jiang Ning's statement and continued, "That's why I also recommend that you specialize in Tiger Form Boxing. Born neither rich nor noble, whether you can become a true disciple of the Martial Arts Hall can change your future fate!"
As they conversed, Jiang Ning could feel his energy gradually restoring; within this short while, he had already recovered quite a lot.
"This Wild Ginseng has incredible medicinal power!" Feeling the changes within, he inwardly marveled again.
"Did you eat the Wild Ginseng Zhou Xing sent you?" Li Qing suddenly asked.
"Yes! Sister, how did you know?" Jiang Ning inquired.
"Your face is flushed, your heartbeat is faster, and there's steam rising from your head, clearly the signs of consuming potent medicine."
"Sister, there won't be any problems, right?"
"No worries. Zhou Xing's family deals in herbs. They're authentic Wild Ginseng. This kind of ginseng is very nourishing for someone untrained in martial arts like you. You need to practice your boxing to digest it! With the medicinal power of the ginseng, you can practice boxing without harming your body's core essence." Li Qing explained.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning was instantly reassured.
"Sister, then I'll go practice boxing to digest it!"
Li Qing stepped back, clearing space.
She added a caution, "Junior Brother Jiang, it's best to only focus on Tiger Form Boxing. This way, you might grasp the spirit and form of the tiger within six months and achieve Great Success in Tiger Form Boxing."