"Impossible."

But after a moment of stunned silence, Qin Fang furrowed his brow. He felt it was impossible.

Wang Long had such a terrifying Physique, yet even he hadn’t reached Mingjin.

And now, although he had been nurturing his body for three months, his Physique was clearly still far inferior compared to Wang Long’s.

Even Wang Long hadn’t reached Mingjin yet...

’How could *I* have reached Mingjin?’

...Then what was this Skin Membrane Drum Sound all about?

According to his master, as long as one could consistently produce the ’Skin Membrane Drum Sound’ while performing the Standing Pile, it meant they had reached the standard of Mingjin...

A hint of confusion appeared in Qin Fang’s eyes as he frowned and stared at the panel.

After a moment, a guess suddenly formed in his mind...

’Could it be... the effect of the Eternal Dao Fruit?’

’Because I unintentionally produced the Muscle and Bone Sound once during my Standing Pile practice, the Eternal Dao Fruit recorded it. So... even though my Physique is far from the Mingjin level, I can still, to some extent, replicate the Muscle and Bone Sound?’

Qin Fang pondered this carefully and felt his guess was likely correct.

It wasn’t hard to see the difference upon careful comparison...

His master’s Skin Membrane Drum Sound was like the roll of military drums, deep and resonant.

But Qin Fang’s Skin Membrane Drum Sound... while it made a noise, it was clearly nowhere near as loud as his master’s.

’This means my Physique and power are still far from the Mingjin stage.’

’That’s right. Master said that a Root Technique consists of not just the Pile, but also the Strength.’

’The Pile, thanks to the panel, can be considered at the entry-level now.’

’But the Strength is still a long way off.’

’Only when the two combine to form ’Whole Force’ can one be considered to have truly reached Mingjin...’

Having figured this out, Qin Fang let out a long sigh of relief...

’I knew it. How could reaching Mingjin be so easy?’

’But this Eternal Dao Fruit’s effect is truly terrifying... According to Master, one can only achieve the Muscle and Bone Sound when they have Power Transparency. Yet I’ve already grasped the feeling of ’Power Transparency’ when my Pile Method is only at the entry-level...’

’Still, it’s just the entry-level, so I’ve only reached the stage of the ’Skin Membrane Drum Sound’... and because my Physique is too weak, the sound is very faint.’

’To perfectly achieve a true ’Skin Membrane Drum Sound’... my Physique has to improve.’

’Then, when I reach Minor Achievement, I should be able to reach the level of ’Muscle-Bone Thunder Sound’...’

’And at Great Success... it should be the ’Qi and Blood Tide’...’

An unprecedented sense of anticipation lit up Qin Fang’s eyes.

A brand new world was slowly unfurling before him.

Just then...

RUMBLE.

His stomach growled.

Qin Fang snapped back to reality and let out a long breath.

’Haste makes waste. I should eat first.’

He went into the kitchen and started to cook.

...

But when he finished the meal, Qin Fang was a bit dumbfounded.

He had cooked his usual amount of food, but after eating, he still felt incredibly hungry.

Having no other choice, he quickly cooked a second meal... this time making a little more than usual.

Only after finishing the second meal did he manage to suppress his hunger.

’...Have I become a bottomless pit?’

’No wonder they say cultivation is a process of training and eating... and that eating is even more important.’

The Root Technique is the hammer, and food is the forge’s fire.

Only in this way could the Physique be forged!

After understanding this crucial point, Qin Fang let out a light breath.

Then, his eyes gleamed.

He immediately thought of the Qi Blood Pill...

Licking his lips, he took a deep breath.

He suppressed the urge to take a Qi Blood Pill right away. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

’Resources aren’t unlimited. I may have over a hundred silver, but according to Master, a single Qi Blood Pill costs a full ten silver...’

’With just over a hundred silver, I can only afford about ten Qi Blood Pills.’

’And I have no other source of income right now... I have to be frugal.’

Thinking of this, Qin Fang felt a headache coming on.

On the night of the New Year, his master had told him many things, including the matter of his Identity.

His Identity problem hadn’t been resolved yet; he would have to wait.

...The Great Yu Dynasty was extremely strict about household registration.

Without an Identity, it would be difficult for him to even find a job.

But his master had said he was working on it...

’In any case, before that’s settled, I not only have to cultivate, but I also have to eat... so I need to be sparing with the Qi Blood Pills... I need to be more efficient.’

’First, let’s see how many Skill Points I can gain from a normal day of Standing Pile practice without using a Qi Blood Pill...’

He thought...

...

「A day later.」

That evening, Qin Fang lay in bed, feeling waves of exhaustion wash over his body. He stared at the panel, lost in thought.

’I didn’t gain a single Skill Point... What’s going on?’

Qin Fang frowned.

When he practiced Darts, at the very least, he could gain ten or so Skill Points a day.

But this Root Technique... apart from the 1 point he got when it was first recorded on the panel, he hadn’t gained a single point after practicing for half a day?

After pondering for a while,

He let out a light breath.

’I’ll take a Qi Blood Pill tomorrow and see what happens.’

He thought.

The next morning, he got up and went out into the courtyard.

Light snowflakes drifted down; it was snowing again today.

Qin Fang took a deep breath, took out the Porcelain Bottle, and poured out a single Qi Blood Pill.

’An Elixir...’

To be honest, he felt a little strange.

After all, he had never taken an Elixir before.

And in his previous life, for well-known reasons, the word ’Elixir’ had become synonymous with ’unscientific’ and ’ignorant’.

But now, he was about to take one.

’...Master definitely wouldn’t deceive me.’

Taking a deep breath, he placed the Qi Blood Pill in his mouth.

The medicinal scent filled his mouth and nose.

The moment his saliva touched the pill, it instantly dissolved.

Stunned, Qin Fang subconsciously swallowed.

It went down like a stream of liquid.

’This is amazing!’

’It dissolves on contact with saliva?’

He then closed his eyes to feel the effects.

Not long after, he felt a warm, searing sensation suddenly rise from his abdomen.

It was faint at first, but after just a moment, it intensified dramatically!

In an instant, it swept through his entire body, and his face flushed beet red!

"This potent medicinal strength?!"

Qin Fang was astonished.

This was undoubtedly an unprecedented experience.

But the next moment, a thought struck him, and he quickly assumed his stance.

"Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile!"

He threw himself into it and began his Standing Pile practice.

The strange, searing heat erupted from deep within his body. Qin Fang felt a continuous stream of power, which he integrated during his Standing Pile. The sound of his skin membrane began to rise. Amidst this strange vibration, his muscles and fascia grew as hot as if they were on fire.

It felt as if they were about to melt.

Yet within the pain, there was an indescribable comfort.

The feeling was hard to put into words. Qin Fang struggled to maintain his breathing and hold the Pile Skill...

...

He actually held the stance for a full hour.

Finally, at some point, the power in his abdomen vanished.

Qin Fang came out of his Standing Pile trance.

The next moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of clarity and comfort.

He let out a long breath.

A white mist condensed, shooting out one or two feet before dissipating.

That breath... was unexpectedly long.

An unprecedented lightness spread throughout his body.

"This is..."

Qin Fang was shocked.

Then he subconsciously looked at his panel.

’Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile (Low Grade Root) (entry-level): 13/500’

Qin Fang’s eyes widened.

A single Qi Blood Pill... had actually given him 12 Skill Points?

This...

He blinked.

This was...

Eating?