Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Chapter 70: Chapter 1: The Soaring Source Energy Points

Wanhua Building.

In the midst of Shen Congyun’s contemplation.

Tap tap tap—

The sound of footsteps echoed on the wooden floors of the loft, ringing in Shen Congyun’s ears.

Hearing this noise, he immediately snapped out of his thoughts.

The next moment.

A woman in her thirties appeared in front of Shen Congyun.

She was dressed in a cyan robe, moving gracefully, her expression exuding an aristocratic demeanor.

“Qingyi!” Shen Congyun greeted her with a smile.

Upon hearing this nickname, the woman in the cyan dress, with an aura of graceful opulence, smiled at Shen Congyun.

“Congyun, I’ve heard you’ve been frequently investigating someone these past two days, have you discovered some promising talent?”

Shen Congyun smiled, “Why? Is Sister Qingyi also interested?”

The woman, showing her noble demeanor, said, “I know you always have high standards; I’m naturally curious about anyone you deem to have potential.”

Shen Congyun laughed. This Vice Building Owner named Qingyi had suddenly visited, and then brought up the topic so directly; he certainly knew what the intentions of this Vice Building Owner of Wanhua Building were.

Perhaps having heard the news from below, she, like him, wanted to do a good deed, a timely act of kindness.

The next moment.

He tossed over the scroll containing all the reports gathered by his subordinates these past few days about Jiang Ning.

“Since Sister Qingyi is curious, take a look for yourself!”

Facing the incoming paper scroll, the Vice Building Owner named Qingyi flicked her long sleeve, and the flying scroll landed securely in her hand.

She immediately opened the scroll to inspect it.

She had some understanding of Shen Congyun’s frequent actions.

Thus, her purpose for visiting Shen Congyun today was simple, to probe Shen Congyun’s opinion and see if he had discovered a martial genius worthy of investment.

Having worked with Shen Congyun for many years, she believed she understood his vision and character well.

Shen Congyun was highly selective; during the years he spent in Luoshui County, not a single individual had met his exacting standards.

Meanwhile, she herself had made connections and investments in two talents who had caught her eye, which showcased just how high Shen Congyun’s standards were.

Her visit today was driven by curiosity, keen to see who could meet Shen Congyun’s standards.

Another factor was her desire to see if this individual truly had exceptional martial prowess; if so, she would try to seize the opportunity to form an early relationship.

In doing so, if the martial talent reached fruition, she could then naturally invite them to become a Guest Elder at Wanhua Building, a significant accomplishment for her.

With this in mind, Qingyi’s gaze landed on the paper scroll recording information about Jiang Ning.

A moment later.

Is this it?

She thought internally and shook her head discreetly.

Then, looking up at Shen Congyun, she asked, “Is this young man named Jiang Ning the martial prodigy you value, Brother Congyun?”

Seeing Qingyi’s reaction, Shen Congyun smiled, “Any thoughts? I wonder what Sister Qingyi thinks of him?”

Qingyi responded with a slight shake of her head, “I don’t see anything extraordinary! According to the report, just an ordinary young man.”

Shen Congyun said, “I have seen him, and his Qi-Blood has already reached small success!”

“Well, that’s decent!” Qingyi nodded.

In her eyes, practicing martial arts for over ten days and achieving small success in Qi-Blood was indeed decent.

But only just decent, not enough to earn her higher praise.

Accumulating Qi-Blood, for those with real power and advantage, was not worth mentioning.

At Wanhua Building, there were major medicines for enhancing Qi-Blood, which, when refined with a martial arts technique, could drastically increase Qi-Blood in just a few days.

If one was willing to spend enough resources, reaching Qi-Blood Perfection within a month was not difficult.

It’s just that few people actually did this.

Because these powerful medicines were priced in gold, consuming vast fortunes that few could afford.

Seeing Qingyi’s reaction, Shen Congyun only smiled and said no more.

…

In the blink of an eye, two days later.

In the afternoon.

Jiang Ning was sweating profusely practicing his boxing under the scorching sun in the courtyard.

Despite the still intense heat, he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

He relished the process of steadily growing stronger, the ongoing increase of his skill Experience Value.

Seeing the visible progress toward his goals kept him highly motivated.

[Five Animals Fist Experience Value +2]

After completing a series of boxing movements, Jiang Ning prepared to take a break.

He moved to a slightly cooler spot under the eaves, guzzled a large bowl of water, and then casually checked his panel.

[Name]: Jiang Ning

[Source Energy]: 5.8

[Skills]:

Reading and Writing (Break Limit 697/2000) (Trait: unforgettable)

Five Animals Fist (Small Success 252/500)

Chopping Wood Blade Skill (Break Limit 2000/2000) (Trait: touch and understand)

Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill (Beginner 58/1000)

Canglang Blade Skill (Master 0/200)

Looking at his panel, Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction.

In just two days, with the aid of such tonic herbs as Wild Ginseng, his progress had been remarkably evident.

Source Energy Points increased from 2 to 5.8, a growth of 3.8 in two days, an efficiency of growth starkly different than before, extremely apparent.

With such progress, the consumption was also huge; each day, he had to consume one and a half wild ginsengs, half in the morning, half in the afternoon, and half at night.

Only this could support his relentlessly trained physique, ensuring he didn’t exhaust himself unknowingly.

But the effects of such diligence were not limited to the rapid increase in Source Energy Points—the most significant change was the increased frequency of practising boxing.

Each day, bolstered by the medicinal effects of wild ginseng, he could practice the Boxing Skill over forty times.

And each time he practiced the skill, he would gain two points of Five Animals Fist experience and condense three strands of Qi-Blood.

Aside from these two significant changes, the experience values for the skills Reading and Writing, and Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill also saw growth.

The experience value for Chopping Wood Blade Skill reached its maximum once again, allowing for a Second Limit Breaking, yet although the accumulation speed of Source Energy Points was fast, it still fell far short of the requirements needed for a second limit break of the Chopping Wood Blade Skill.

As for how many Source Energy Points were needed to allow a Second Limit Breaking for the Chopping Wood Blade Skill to transform the decay into something miraculous, Jiang Ning also didn’t know.

But he did know it would definitely be more than what was needed for the first limit break.

As for the last item on the panel, a record of the Canglang Blade Skill, a Middle-class Martial Art, he hadn’t practised it once these past two days.

Because there was no need.

Even if the Canglang Blade Skill were to break through to small success realm, it would not have a significant impact on his strength.

The stacking of multiple power bursts would overwhelm his body first.

Thus, continuing to practice this saber technique would only waste his time.

His current priority was to accumulate Qi-Blood and enhance his physique to quickly enter the Martial Arts Nine Grade ranks.

The next moment,

he clenched his fist.

Boom—thundered through him,

Qi-Blood surged within him, instantly flowing through his arms, and then his right leg was almost fully connected.

Feeling the changes in his body, Jiang Ning felt somewhat exhilarated.

“With this efficiency, in a few days, my Qi-Blood will reach a Great Success, flowing through my limbs! With this, my physique will surely further strengthen!”

He then glanced at the Skill section on the panel again.

[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (small success 252/500)

Experience Value more than halfway!

“With my current efficiency, it will take at most four more days to push Five Animals Fist to Great Success.”

“By then, my Qi-Blood should also be able to reach Great Success Realm.” @@novelbin@@

He immediately picked up the cloth sack he had placed aside, and upon opening it, it was filled with wild ginseng.

After a quick scan,

“Only four and a half left!”

“I have to use up one and a half each day; such consumption is really extravagant!!”

Jiang Ning slightly clicked his tongue, feeling a bit pained.

Calculated at market value, wild ginseng worth more than a hundred taels of silver, consumed substantially in just a few days.

“To train in martial arts effectively indeed costs money!” he couldn’t help but sigh lightly, then carefully re-packed the remaining few wild ginseng.

Immediately, he muttered to himself: “In a few days, I’ll have to figure out a way to get money again! Without money and medicinal supplements, the efficiency of training is too low!!”

Then, after resting for a moment, he continued practicing boxing.

…

Elsewhere.

Canglang Martial Arts Hall entrance.

A carriage stopped abruptly.

Then, Cheng Ran leaped from the carriage and rushed into the Martial Arts Hall without even looking back.

Anxiety was evident on his face as he muttered,

“Brother Jiang is in trouble now!”

“He must escape the county town as quickly as possible.”

“Otherwise, if Cao Bin and his men capture him, all is lost!”

“Hoping it’s not too late!”

Thinking of when the information reached his hands, Cao Bin was already mobilizing, he silently prayed.

The next moment, his figure swift as the wind, he sped through the front yard of the Martial Arts Hall, heading straight for Jiang Ning’s courtyard.

…

Canglang Martial Arts Hall entrance.

There’s a tea pavilion, a noodle shop, and a food stall.

At this moment, it was the afternoon, people sat in groups of threes and twos.

Drinking cold tea, eating melon seeds and snacks, each idly chattering.

Suddenly,

Someone’s face showed a look of shock,

“Look!!”

“What could shock Brother Wang so much?” someone beside him joked.

Then, following the gaze of the shocked person, he also showed an expression of shock on his face: “That’s… the county government constables.”

At that moment, at the end of the street,

Two squads of sword-wielding constables suddenly appeared; there were more than twenty of them, each dressed in deep black soap robes, with long swords slung across their waists, flashing a sharp light.

Their eyes all showed a fierce aura, their strides firm and powerful, clearly experienced in combat.

Among them, two people at the forefront wore uniforms different from the twenty behind them.

They wore uniforms primarily black with red accents, the fabric looked much smoother and finer, clearly much higher grade, signifying their status and rank above those County Government Constables.

“These government office constables are out to arrest someone! What an impressive formation, deploying two arrest officers and twenty constables!” spoke a well-informed person acquainted withCounty government workings.

“Who knows?” someone shook their head and continued, “Just follow them to find out! Such a grand formation is rare indeed!”

“Yes!” another person nodded in agreement. “It’s quite rare for two Martial Arts Nine Grade arrest officers to go out together!”