In the courtyard.
Jiang Ning grabbed another thick log and placed it atop a stump.
His hand rose, and the blade fell.
Crack—
The axe made it nine-tenths of the way through the wood.
With another exertion of strength from his arms, Jiang Ning finally split the heavy log in two.
[Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1]
Jiang Ning kicked the scattered pieces of wood to one side and once again picked up another thick log.
"With my current efficiency, I should be able to max out these two hundred experience points tonight, right? The Chopping Wood Blade Skill at the small success level, that should be enough to let me split firewood with one cut, right?"
Thinking this, the goal within reach spurred Jiang Ning's hands to work with even more vigor.
Compared to the Five Animals Fist, earning experience points with the Chopping Wood Blade Skill was undoubtedly much easier.
Although the Chopping Wood Blade Skill was rubbish enough, its effect on enhancing his strength was far from that of the Five Animals Fist.
But in the face of these swiftly gained experience points, the shortcomings of the Chopping Wood Blade Skill were completely acceptable.
Jiang Ning held certain expectations for this blade skill.
Because previously, the breakthrough in his Reading and Writing skill brought him a trait, the trait of unforgettable.
Thus, Jiang Ning also looked forward to the breakthrough of the Chopping Wood Blade Skill.
With such expectations, Jiang Ning held the axe and made one cut after another.
[Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1]
[Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1]
[...]
[Skill]: Chopping Wood Blade Skill (Mastered 86/200)
After glancing at his panel, Jiang Ning stopped to rest for a moment.
During the rest, he picked up a book from nearby, the very book he carried with him when he went out today, its purpose to earn Literacy and Judgement Experience while he recovered his strength.
This would not only increase his knowledge but also slowly strengthen his spirit, also known as spiritual power.
At the same time, he was also looking forward to the next break limit of his Literacy and Judgement.
According to his speculation, each subsequent break limit should bring a new trait.
[Literacy and Judgement Experience +1]
[Literacy and Judgement Experience +1]
[...]
[Skill]: Reading and Writing (One Break Limit 93/2000) (Trait: Unforgettable)
After taking a glance at his own panel, Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing himself slowly but surely improving gave him a bit of an obsession, particularly when the goal was tangible, and every bit of effort brought a harvest, bringing him one step closer to his goal.
Ever since he learned that perfection followed by a break limit would bring traits, his expectations had only grown higher and stronger.
Once he had rested enough, Jiang Ning continued his work of chopping wood.
With each cut, every split piece of wood led him to feel an almost imperceptible change.
His hand was steadier, his cuts more accurate, and his strength flowed more smoothly.
When the bright moon hung high in the tree branches, Jiang Ning looked at his panel, filled with a suppressed excitement.
[Skill]: Chopping Wood Blade Skill (Mastered 199/200)
"Only one more experience point to go!"
He placed a heavy log on the stump and propped it upright.
Then, he wielded the axe.
Whoosh—
The sound of the blade's edge rubbing against the air suddenly filled the air.
Crack—
The heavy axe nearly split the whole log in one go, leaving only a little bit connected, undoubtedly signifying that the strength in his arms had grown slightly stronger than before.
Though the increase was not evident, it could be clearly seen.
After all, at this moment, having chopped nearly two hundred logs in a short time, his arms were somewhat fatigued, and the base of his thumb was numb from vibration, nowhere near the strength of his prime.
Yet even under these circumstances, the cut he made was deeper than the previous ones, almost reaching ninety-five percent of the way through.
Then, as he exerted force in his arms, the whole log was completely split in two.
[Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1]
At this moment, when the prompt appeared, quantitative change led to qualitative change, and the Chopping Wood Blade Skill on the panel shifted from mastered to small success.
[Skill]: Chopping Wood Blade Skill (Small Success 0/500)
At the same time, Jiang Ning's mind rapidly flashed through the two hundred cuts he had just made.
How to exert force with each cut, where to land each cut, were continually corrected in his mind.
Finally, countless images fused into one—a cut cleaving through the air, landing on the log.
Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes, and it seemed as if a slash of light from that cut passed through them.
```
The next moment.
With the woodcutting knife in hand, he struck down on the logs before him.
Swoosh—
The knife sliced through the air, hitting the center of the log.
Crack—
As the splitting sound echoed, the previously unyielding log was neatly cut in two by his single, swift stroke.
[Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1]
"It really is different now!" Jiang Ning said, gripping the woodcutting knife, he casually swung it a couple more times.
He immediately picked up another log, propping it up, aiming for a dark grain running along the wood.
Swoosh—
The knife came down again.
Precisely landing on the dark line of the grain.
Crack—
The log was once again split cleanly in half.
[Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1]
"The small success level of the Chopping Wood Blade Skill really is different! Not only is the force applied more brilliantly, but also the eyes and hands move in unison - without the slightest inaccuracy. With such efficiency, I will also improve more rapidly in leveling up the skill experience value."
Jiang Ning immediately nodded in extreme satisfaction.
Then, he glanced up at the bright moon hanging overhead.
"It's getting late!" he muttered, "I can practice the fist two more times before I have to go to sleep."
Under the pale moonlight, Jiang Ning simply found a spacious spot on the spot and began practicing the Five Animals Fist.
With threats from Xu Yunfeng, from Cao Bin, and possibly even from the God Worship Sect, Jiang Ning did not dare to slack off.
Coming to the Martial Arts Hall had been possible only because his elder brother had taken on debts by selling his pots and pans, giving him this opportunity to leap into prominence.
[Five Animals Fist Experience Value +1]
[Five Animals Fist Experience Value +1]
After practicing the fist twice, Jiang Ning's skin turned slightly red, his sweat completely soaking through his short robe, and steam rose continuously from his head.
"The Five Animals Fist really consumes a lot of stamina!" Jiang Ning shook his head helplessly.
Having already felt somewhat fatigued and then practicing the Five Animals Fist twice more, even with the considerable energy intake in the evening and some precious earth ginseng, he still felt waves of weakness coursing through his body.
He clenched his fists, feeling the Qi Blood Power flowing within him.
Jiang Ning nodded slightly: "I've condensed two more strands of Qi Blood Power. The Five Animals Fist, used as a foundational, lower cultivation technique in martial arts, truly is incomparable to the Chopping Wood Blade Skill. Though the improvement is hard, the rewards are indeed worth the effort."
[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Entry Level 28/100)
After glancing at the progress of his Five Animals Fist, the interface disappeared from Jiang Ning's sight.
"I've surpassed one-quarter of the progress. With today's efficiency, the Five Animals Fist might break through to mastery in three more days. By then, the Qi-Blood in my body will be even more abundant. However, the medicinal herbs will become a problem in three days!"
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning suddenly felt a headache.
The reason he had made such efficient progress today was largely due to the role played by the wild ginseng.
The consumption of wild ginseng and the effect of its medicinal power allowed him to sustain practicing the Five Animals Fist time and again.
Without the support of the wild ginseng, Jiang Ning felt that his frequency of practicing the fist would have to be halved, or even reduced to a third of today's efficiency.
This was not without reason.
The strength, agility, and physique improvements brought by practicing the fist were extremely rapid, far surpassing the so-called fitness of his past life.
Moreover, it could condense a unique power: Qi Blood Power.
Such a dramatic method of improvement unavoidably put a huge strain on the body.
Without the support of tonics, one could only control the frequency, like grinding a millstone, slowly improving the body. Only in this way could one avoid overtraining the body.
Now facing such circumstances, how could Jiang Ning be content with slow physique improvements?
The threat from Xu Yunfeng was imminent.
Jiang Ning was acutely aware that Xu Yunfeng, in his eagerness to rise, to make achievements, and to join the colossal Cao family, would gradually lose his patience.
Especially once his elder brother lost his clerical post, Xu Yunfeng's considerations would decrease even further.
Although normally, his elder brother would lose his clerical post only after failing an assessment at the year's end.
But with Cao Bin standing behind Xu Yunfeng, and the Cao family standing behind Cao Bin.
The Cao family controlled the mining, water transport, and household registration of Luoshui County. As one of the local powerhouses of Luoshui County, their power was unimaginably vast.
Once they began to maneuver, it would take only a few days to find reasons to dismiss his elder brother from his post and even thrown him into prison.
So Jiang Ning did not know how much time he had left.
Having been in this world for over two months, he had already grown to accept his elder brother and sister-in-law as his family.
He was even more affectionate towards Little Dumpling.
Even though he was now safe due to staying in the Canglang Martial Arts Hall, he could not stand by and watch as his family in this life faced great calamity.
Therefore, he must expedite his progress. Only with the Boxing reaching great success could he pass Wang Jin's assessments and become Wang Jin's true disciple.
Only then could he protect his elder brother's family!
```