Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Chapter 85: Chapter 15 New Trait, the Effect is Astounding!

Martial Arts Hall.

Jiang Ning sat cross-legged in the courtyard, quietly waiting for the sunrise in the east.

At this moment, however, his mind had wandered to the heavens.

According to his understanding, the strength hierarchy of martial artists in Luoshui County was not considered high.

Martial Arts Ninth Grade was regarded as skilled, and across the whole of Luoshui County, they were truly the backbone of strength.

The county government arrest officers, hall masters of the three major gangs—all were skilled at Martial Arts Ninth Grade.

...

With such strength, one could have a good life no matter which power they chose to serve.

They were truly above the common folk.

Fully capable of transcending social classes, they were superior to ordinary people.

If one were to serve the court, it was very easy to land a minor official position.

Just like those arrest officers, all with official titles, holding authentic Ninth Grade government positions.

Although these were tiny official ranks, for ordinary people, they represented a significant social leap, a defiant change of fate.

As for Martial Arts Eighth Grade, looking across the entire Luoshui County, they were each figures of great importance, each controlling some vital resource within the county town.

Like the leaders of the three great gangs in Luoshui County, their strength was well-known—they were at Martial Arts Eighth Grade, skillful in Power Training, their physical strength exceeding a thousand pounds.

Martial Arts Eighth Grade, as Jiang Ning knew, involved channeling power to temper the muscles all over the body, increasing muscle density and quantity, thereby greatly enhancing one’s own strength.

The outstanding ones at this realm could, with a single arm swing, effortlessly exert force above two thousand pounds, and those with innate exceptional talent or Innate Divine Strength could even exert force above three thousand pounds.

The increase in strength at this realm was quite apparent and even several realms higher didn’t offer any increase in strength as remarkable as this one, unless one reached a realm above Inner Strength.

Therefore, the Martial Arts Eighth Grade realm was also known as the Divine Power Realm.

The top powerhouses in the Divine Power Realm could be viewed as overlords of Luoshui County.

Even snakes like the three big families had to treat these characters with due respect.

Above the Eighth Rank Martial Artists was the Martial Arts Seventh Grade.

These included the likes of Wang Jin and Cao Rong.

As well as the County Magistrate who managed all the constables, the Commander of the city gate office, the Commander of the army stationed outside the city, Master Wang, and the pillars of the three major families, all these were at Martial Arts Seventh Grade.

As for the higher Martial Arts Sixth Grade.

Looking across the entire Luoshui County, not a single one was openly known.

Therefore, Jiang Ning was crystal clear.

As long as he stepped into Martial Arts Ninth Grade, with all his methods enhanced, he would truly have the strength to protect himself throughout the whole Luoshui County.

And he would also qualify to join the Inspection Office.

Joining the Inspection Office would beckon a true change.

Without absolute unbeatable strength, the importance of power and influence is beyond question.

At this thought, Jiang Ning was filled with motivation.

The next moment,

The Great Sun rose completely.

Jiang Ning immediately entered a state of tranquil mind, facing the Great Sun and began practicing the breathing and releasing techniques.

Under his breathing,

Streams of invisible Sun Essence Qi continuously flowed into his internal organs from his nostrils.

Then, under the tempering of the Sun Essence Qi, he could distinctly feel his internal organs strengthening and increasing slowly.

[Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill EXP +1]

[Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill EXP +1]

[Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill EXP +1]

[…]

Time slowly passed, and the experience of his Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill on his display was also continually rising.

In a blink of an eye, more than two hours had passed.

7 a.m. to 9 a.m. was approaching.

Jiang Ning immediately stopped his breathing exercises.

As he opened his eyes,

[This session of Breathing and Releasing the Essence of the Great Sun, Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill experience increased by a total of 44 points.]

[Skill]: Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill (Beginner 802/1000)

“44 points, one more point than yesterday.”

“It seems, at this current level, the earlier the sunrise, the longer I can practice the breathing technique, and the more experience I can gain.”

“With today’s efficiency, I’ll be able to break through in another five days.”

“Hopefully, it won’t suddenly start raining in the next few days!”

No sooner had this thought emerged in Jiang Ning’s mind than he shook his head, feeling a bit guilty.

Never mind!

Let there be several downpours!

The entirety of Luoshui County had not seen rain for three months now; it seemed like heaven was unwilling to grant the people a way to live!

Fortunately, located beside the Luoshui River, they could still drink water and irrigate the fields.

Other areas must be suffering much more than Luoshui County.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning sighed inwardly.

These days he occasionally went back to visit his elder brother’s family, and walking through the outer city, he could clearly notice an increase in beggars.

From their behavior and dress, one could tell they were once just ordinary impoverished civilians.

They begged with evident shame and embarrassment.

Among them, there were those dragging children, kneeling and begging on the ground.

In such circumstances, he also encountered several worship activities of the God Worship Sect.

They worshiped heaven, praying for rain!

Hence, the number of members in the God Worship Sect was also growing by the day.

“A natural disaster, a sign of a nation’s doom!”

“In such an environment, I must grow stronger more quickly.”

Jiang Ning shook his head.

Then he refocused his mind and picked up the book that he had placed aside.

[Skill]: Reading and Writing (Second Limit Breaking 1995/2000) (trait: unforgettable)

“Just five more experience points! Let’s muster the energy to fill up this experience!”

With this thought in mind, he began to read the book.

[Literacy and Judgement Experience +1]

[Literacy and Judgement Experience +1]

[Literacy and Judgement Experience +1]

[…]

Experience was increasing bit by bit, getting ever closer to 2000 points.

After a moment,

[This session of reading, Literacy and Judgement Experience increased by a total of 5 points.]

[Skill]: Reading and Writing + (Second Limit Breaking 2000/2000) (trait: unforgettable)

“At last, it’s full!”

He glanced again at the Source Energy Points.

[Source Energy]: 34.8

“Everything is ready now, I hope the breakthrough in ‘Reading and Writing’ will bring me some decent help!”

The next moment,

Jiang Ning’s thoughts moved.

The Source Energy Points on the panel instantly diminished like flowing water.

At the same time,

He suddenly felt a jolt in his brain, as if a drop of ice water had fallen into his mind.

In an instant,

His mind entered a state of emptiness, devoid of joy or sorrow.

Under this condition, there seemed to be an abnormal twitch between his eyebrows, as if something was about to emerge.

“What’s going on?”

He whispered to himself.

Suddenly,

A strand of his consciousness sank, and an image instantly appeared in his mind – a human body diagram.

He saw the organs, the flow of blood, the six hundred and thirty-nine muscles, and the two hundred and six bones.

“This is… my body!”

“I can actually perform inner vision on myself!”

Jiang Ning murmured to himself.

Inner vision is an ability that one can have only when one’s spiritual power has grown to a certain extent.

This ability is extremely useful for any martial artist.

Having mastered the technique of inner vision, one would progress much faster on the path of martial arts than the average person.

Whether it’s Martial Arts Ninth Grade’s skin training, refining the epidermis and dermis, or Martial Arts Eighth Grade’s power training, refining muscle fibers.

With the skill of inner vision, one can refine themselves with much greater precision, unlike the blind leading the blind; naturally, this would greatly improve the efficiency of the refining process.

Generally speaking, unless one is a being with extraordinary talents, born with extremely strong spiritual power, achieving inner vision is not easy.

The strength of spiritual power depends more on innate talent.

As for acquired development, Jiang Ning knew that this world did not have a systematic technique to strengthen the spirit.

Although the Buddhist Dao and Confucian methods also have techniques for nourishing the spirit, they are related to their respective scriptures and do not significantly enhance spiritual power. Without high innate understanding and at least five to ten years of effort, the effects are not outstanding.

Aside from these two, there’s the Confucian way, where reading and understanding books can also gradually strengthen spiritual power, but the efficiency is very low.

Then there is the scholarly Dao, where one takes the imperial examinations, succeeds, and worships in the Holy Temple to receive the infusion of righteous qi, which can nourish the divine soul and strengthen spiritual power.

This, too, is difficult.

How many can stand out after ten years of hard study?

The path of martial arts is already arduous, to add onto that the study of poetry and literature to pass the exams.

Remember, a person only has twelve 2-hour periods in a day.

Subtract the time for three meals a day, sleep, and there’s not much left.

Dividing the remaining time between the scholarly and martial paths only compounds the difficulty.

Furthermore, each person’s talents are different, and excelling in an area they are not proficient in only makes achievements harder to attain.

“The imperial examination is so crucial, it’s so helpful to the path of martial arts, it’s no wonder that it must be monopolized by powerful families and the nobility!”

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning shook his head inwardly.

It might not be so easy to obtain some scholarly honor in the future.

“Hoping joining the Inspection Office will help me out!”

He thought to himself.

A moment later,

Jiang Ning opened his eyes and immediately opened the panel.

[Skill]: Literacy and Judgement (Second Limit Breaking 0/3000) (Trait: Unforgettable, Extraordinary Five Senses)

[Extraordinary Five Senses]: A feather cannot be added, a fly cannot land.

A feather cannot be added, a fly cannot land. @@novelbin@@

Seeing this phrase, his gaze sharpened, and he murmured to himself,

“Isn’t this what I read from Grandmaster Wang Zongyue in ‘Tai Chi Boxing Theory’ in my previous life?”

“The meaning of this phrase is that at the highest realm of Tai Chi Boxing, one’s bodily senses are extremely sensitive, such that even the light touch of a feather or the presence of a fly can be immediately sensed and reacted to.”

Jiang Ning contemplated.

What are the five senses?

They are sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. When unified, they are collectively known as the five senses.

With this thought,

He opened his eyes wide and looked around.

Instantly, he noticed his sight had undergone an earth-shattering change.

Even an ant searching for food in the corner of a wall was detectable by him.

Even a caterpillar nibbling on leaves was instantly caught by his eyes.

“This kind of vision! So exaggerated!!”

Jiang Ning was inwardly astonished.

This feeling, compared to before, was like a person with 500-degree nearsightedness suddenly wearing a pair of glasses – the difference was astounding!

Then,

He closed his eyes slightly and listened intently with his ears.

In an instant, all sorts of sounds entered his ears.

The footsteps of passersby outside the Martial Arts Hall, the buzzing wings of bees, the sound of leaves and twigs falling…

Sounds from all directions entered his ears, and he could precisely tell where each sound originated.

He took a slight breath through his nose.

The scents of earth, fresh grass, and even his own sweat were distinctly discernible.

The next moment,

“Cough, cough,”

He opened his eyes and coughed lightly.

Looking down at himself, he murmured,

“I need to take a bath later!”

Then, his expression turned to one of great joy.

“A feather cannot be added, a fly cannot land.”

“That’s just the description of my sense of touch.”

At that moment, the muscles in his arm trembled slightly, and a fly that had just landed was immediately flicked away.

“Extraordinary Five Senses!”

“What a trait!”

“Worth it!!”