In the courtyard, bathed in the rising morning sun.
Whew—
Upon exhaling a breath of impure energy from his belly, Jiang Ning got up.
Instantly, he felt incredibly light all over, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his five viscera and six bowels.
Skill: Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill (not yet started 13/100)
"Progress has surpassed one-tenth, another eight days and I should be able to begin, then I'll know if this cultivation technique can still be broken through!"
Just at that moment.
Gurgle—
A sudden sharp pain came from his stomach.
"Not good!" Jiang Ning's face changed, and he turned and hurried straight to the outhouse.
After a cup of tea's time.
Jiang Ning returned to the small courtyard, his feet slightly unsteady.
At this moment, however, his face was brimming with smiles.
That had been a detoxification of the visceral organs, which undoubtedly indicated that the Inner Elixir Cultivation was effective.
"No wonder the torn page of the Inner Elixir Cultivation was found on Wang Jin's desk, at his age, he really does need this kind of health cultivation technique to regulate his body and maintain his physical functions longer, preventing a decline in condition."
Afterward, Jiang Ning rested for a moment then headed toward the kitchen courtyard.
He had spent the entire day yesterday practicing boxing and reading files and naturally did not have time to chop wood.
Today, he needed to catch up.
Shortly after, he arrived at the backyard of the kitchen.
In his hands now, the originally heavy logs only required him to exert seventy to eighty percent of his strength to easily split them in one chop.
Compared to the very beginning when splitting a log in one chop required full exertion of Qi Blood Power, it was a difference between heaven and earth.
As his chopping blade fell continuously, the hefty logs cracked and split in two.
He then set them up again and split each in half once more.
Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1
Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1
Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1
In just a few breaths, a thick log had been divided into four pieces of wood, and Jiang Ning had successfully gained three experience points.
Skill: Chopping Wood Blade Skill (Great Success 112/1000)
"So easy!!"
Looking at the three points of experience increasing rapidly on his panel, he inwardly exclaimed, "If gaining experience for other skills were this simple, that would be great!"
He soon laughed at the thought he had unconsciously entertained.
Shaking his head, he continued to chop wood.
Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1
Chopping Wood Blade Skill Experience Value +1
...
Much later.
Jiang Ning stopped his hand and checked his panel.
Skill: Chopping Wood Blade Skill (Great Success 633/1000)
"So fast!"
He flicked his chopping blade away.
Thud—
The sound of the blade embedding into wood resonated from under his feet.
That's enough for today!
If I come to chop wood and work tomorrow, my Chopping Wood Blade Skill should be able to break through.
Jiang Ning dusted off his hands and walked toward the kitchen.
By now, the aroma of breakfast had reached his nose.
"Sister Sun!"
At the sound of Jiang Ning's voice, Aunt Sun poked her head out.
"Hey! You, young man, show up right on time! My steamed buns are just about done!!"
Jiang Ning pointed to his nose, "Sister, it's not that I'm timely, it's that your cooking is so good that I already smelled the aroma!"
"Look at you, always buttering people up!" Aunt Sun said with a hearty laugh.
Entering the kitchen, the steam from the steamer had already filled the room.
Watching Aunt Sun still busying herself with the fire.
Jiang Ning, with his left hand, opened the top of the steamer, and with his right hand, he grabbed for the big, fluffy meat-stuffed buns inside.
"Ouch! Hot!!!"
He kept shaking his hands, grimacing, the true nature of a youth sneaking a taste.
Seeing this, Aunt Sun's face broke into a wide grin.
"You're too impatient, little guy. How could it not be hot?"
Jiang Ning held his belly, "Sister Sun, I'm just really hungry!"
"Here you go!" Aunt Sun got up and opened the steamer at the back of the stove, "These two baskets of meat buns have been steamed already and aren't as hot. You eat these first! I'll deliver the rest to Master Wang in a bit."
Jiang Ning grinned, "Sister Sun, you're the best!!!"
He then grabbed a big meat bun and stuffed it into his mouth, gobbling it down quickly, and with a gulp, the meat bun went into his stomach.
With the meat bun in his belly, he squinted his eyes, a look of enjoyment spreading across his face.
"Sister Sun, your cooking skills are truly amazing. The skin is so thin yet there's so much meat, and it's delicious, too!"
"Eat up! And make sure to drink this herbal decoction when you're done!" Aunt Sun said, then went to fetch a clay pot from which steam was still steadily rising.
Gurgling—
With Aunt Sun pouring out the herbal medicine that had been well-simmered, a thick fragrance of herbs spread throughout the kitchen.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning quickly polished off the meat-stuffed buns in front of him.
In just a few bites, another meat bun vanished into his belly.
With Wang Jin's support, Jiang Ning wasn't afraid of eating too much, he was just afraid he couldn't eat enough.
Now, the more he ate, the more his body could endure longer periods of boxing practice, and the faster the Experience Value of the Five Animals Fist would increase.
Moreover, the Source Energy Points on the display panel would grow at an even faster rate.
In the blink of an eye,
A whole tray of ten palm-sized meat buns had gone into his belly.
Jiang Ning patted his stomach, a contented smile appearing on his face.
Then he picked up a still-hot bowl of the herbal decoction.
"Take it slow, little guy! It's too hot, let it cool down a bit," Aunt Sun advised, watching him sip the hot medicine with a pinched expression.
"No worries! It's not that hot," Jiang Ning replied with a smile as he continued to sip from the bowl.
A dozen breaths later, Jiang Ning put down the porcelain bowl, his forehead was covered in sweat.
"Sister Sun, I'm off to practice my boxing!"
Watching Jiang Ning hurry off, Aunt Sun couldn't help but shake her head slightly: "This kid really pushes himself too hard, he can take so much. It kind of breaks my heart."
...
Arriving at the front courtyard, the sun had already risen.
But it was not yet 8:00 a.m., and the doors to the Martial Arts Hall would not open until then.
Jiang Ning took this opportunity, with a full stomach and the medicine downed, to start practicing his boxing.
[Five Animals Fist Experience Value +1]
After one round, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Just a little more, I haven't found the feeling from last night!"
After a brief adjustment, he practiced boxing again.
[Five Animals Fist Experience Value +2]
As the round of boxing ended and the prompt appeared before him, a smile instantly lit up Jiang Ning's face.
"That's more like it! Grasping both the hard within the soft and the soft within the hard—practicing a round of boxing now doubles the Experience Value I get."
He clenched his fists, feeling the flow of Qi-Blood in his body.
"Unfortunately, with the Boxing Experience Value at plus two, practicing Five Animals Fist at Mastery level only condenses two strands of Qi-Blood, not four."
"If it could double, I would achieve small success in Qi-Blood in just two days and unblock an arm."
All day long, Jiang Ning spent practicing boxing and reading books intensively.
Now, each time he practiced boxing, he could gain two points of Experience Value—his efficiency had doubled.
Privately laboring over these skills and feeling his own gradual improvement, Jiang Ning couldn't be happier.
He knew that, with such a panel, this was a once-in-a-million chance that he had to seize.