’Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile (Lower Grade Root) (entry-level): 29/500’

’Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile (Lower Grade Root) (entry-level): 30/500’

...

The Skill Points were increasing slowly.

As the effects of the Qi Blood Pill erupted, Qin Fang felt as if his very bones were melting, his entire body turning into a great furnace.

But judging from the Skill Points and the subsequent sensations in his body, this was clearly a process of improving his Physique.

After half an hour, the pill’s effects had mostly faded. Qin Fang let out a long breath...

Half an hour was about the time it took to complete one session of the Pile Method.

He looked at his panel again...

’Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile (Lower Grade Root) (entry-level): 43/500’

His Skill Points had reached 43.

An increase of 15 points.

This efficiency...

Tsk.

’If I could take a Qi Blood Pill every day, reaching Mingjin... wouldn’t take too long, would it?’ Qin Fang thought.

Then he looked away from the panel and toward his master.

The shock in his master’s eyes had already subsided. He let out a soft breath, then nodded, looking calm. "Not bad."

’If I hadn’t accidentally glanced at the old man’s shocked expression when I started the Standing Pile, I might have actually believed him.’

Qin Fang said respectfully, "Thank you for the praise, Master."

"However, internalizing the basics is just the first step, so don’t get arrogant. On the path of Martial Cultivation, comprehension is certainly important, but what matters more, in the end, is cultivating ’Strength.’ Otherwise, it’s all for nothing."

His master looked at him and shook his head gently. "Your root bones are not good. It won’t be easy for you to cultivate Strength, especially when it comes to Breaking Through..."

Qin Fang’s heart stirred... He certainly hadn’t forgotten the day he became a disciple, when his master had felt his bones.

Afterward, his master had said his root bones were average.

"Master, root bones... what’s the deal with them?"

Elder Wu paused for a moment before speaking slowly. "To put it simply, root bones are your body’s frame. Is your frame nimble or clumsy? Is your Qi Blood vigorous or weak? Are your meridians clear or blocked?"

"Someone with good root bones can advance a thousand miles a day in their cultivation. Without relying on Elixirs, they might reach Mingjin in a month or two. Someone with poor root bones can’t catch up even with the help of Elixirs..."

"And as one’s Cultivation deepens, this disparity will only grow larger."

Elder Wu sighed. "The heavens have never been fair. Some people are just born for Martial Cultivation."

Qin Fang was astonished.

’A month or two to reach Mingjin?’

He hadn’t forgotten that Elder Wu’s expectation for him was to reach Mingjin in three years...

"So... are my root bones really that bad?"

Qin Fang scratched his head, curious.

Hearing Qin Fang’s question, Elder Wu paused again, then said, "I wouldn’t say bad, exactly... more like average talent. Your comprehension, however, is better than most."

Qin Fang blinked.

He looked at Elder Wu suspiciously.

’Really just average talent?’

Elder Wu didn’t continue the topic, averting his gaze. "Ahem, your Pile Method practice is coming along well. I didn’t teach you a Fist Technique before because you hadn’t internalized the basics yet. It would have been useless and you would have likely developed bad habits... If you start practicing fists rashly without being familiar with how to exert force through the Pile Method, correcting it later would waste a great deal of time."

"But now that you’ve got the hang of the Pile Method, and your Senior Brother has taught you a Fist Technique... just practice that for now. The Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist is indeed a good match for the Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile."

Qin Fang came back to his senses and quickly said, "Yes."

Elder Wu nodded, subconsciously wanting to ask Qin Fang to perform the Fist Technique for him.

But the words caught in his throat...

’Internalizing the basics in three days is already astonishing.’

’He only learned the Fist Technique yesterday. If I have him perform it today, what could he possibly show me?’

’...He couldn’t have reached the entry-level for that too, could he?’

With that thought, he shook his head and didn’t say anything more.

"Alright, keep practicing on your own. I’ll be going now."

After speaking, his master waved a hand and turned to leave.

"Take care, Master."

Qin Fang quickly saw his master to the door. Only after watching him walk into the distance did he turn back.

’Master was probably afraid of discouraging me, so he didn’t tell me the truth... My root bones are probably terrible.’

Qin Fang was still mulling it over as he returned to his training area.

’Those with good root bones can reach Mingjin in a month or two, and that’s without relying on Elixirs.’

’Without Elixirs... I can’t even gain 1 Skill Point in a day.’

’That’s enough to prove a lot...’

"However."

Qin Fang looked at his panel and a smile spread across his face.

’Oh, Master, you really are worrying for nothing. So what if my root bones are terrible? It’s impossible to discourage me.’

After all, he was a man with a cheat!

Letting out a soft breath, Qin Fang didn’t dwell on the issue any longer.

He took his stance...

Time to practice the Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist!

...

Although he had only practiced for a day, his progress had been recorded by the panel. Under the effect of the ’Eternal Dao Fruit,’ Qin Fang’s performance of the Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist was quite decent.

He kept in mind the key points his Senior Brother had taught him: spine like a bow, fists and feet like arrows, movements wide and open, always pressing forward...

The wind from his fists whistled, though not yet with great force...

...

「In the blink of an eye, the morning passed.」

Qin Fang was panting, but his results were remarkable!

’As expected, cultivating a Leaf Skill is much faster than a Root Skill...’

Qin Fang looked at the panel before him with satisfaction.

’Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist (Low Grade Fist Technique) (entry-level): 11/500’

A morning of cultivation had directly increased his proficiency by 10 points!

He wasn’t sure if the lingering effects of the Qi Blood Pill contributed to this, but even if they did, the help probably wasn’t significant. The vast majority of the medicinal power had been absorbed by the Pile Method.

If he focused solely on practicing the Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist, he could probably reach the Minor Achievement stage in less than two months.

However, according to his plan, he would set the Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist aside for today.

’I’ll practice Darts until I reach the next stage, then adjust my plan accordingly.’

Qin Fang stretched his slightly weak body, then entered the kitchen to prepare a meal.

After a look around, he found there were no ingredients left. Qin Fang decided to go out and buy some groceries.

After putting on his thick, cotton-padded jacket, Qin Fang felt a difference in his body from the day before as he walked down the street.

’My body is getting better day by day... Before, even wearing my cotton clothes, I couldn’t help but shiver, feeling a chill that seemed to seep from my bones.’

’But now, that feeling has clearly vanished.’

If anything, his whole body now felt pleasantly warm. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

This was a sign that his Qi Blood was becoming more vigorous.

Arriving at the butcher shop, Qin Fang called out, "Boss, weigh out a few catties of meat."

"Alright, coming, coming..."

The owner called back.

Qin Fang knew he had an accent, making it easy for people to tell he wasn’t a True Martial Practitioner. To avoid trouble, he had started consciously changing his accent a long time ago, imitating the True Martial Accent.

After several months of deliberate effort, his work had paid off.

Unless one listened closely, it was basically impossible to hear any major difference.

...This was also one of the reasons he dared to shout so loudly that night at Lan Gui Fang.

Now that his body had recovered significantly, his vigorous Qi Blood had filled out his face. With little sun over the past few months, his skin had also lightened considerably.

Even wrapped in a thick, old padded jacket, he couldn’t hide his refined air.

He bought ten catties of pork belly, which cost him 300 wen...

That was a whole 3 qian of silver.

The cost made Qin Fang suck air through his teeth.

’So this is what they mean by martial arts being a pursuit for the wealthy...’

’I wonder when this Identity issue will be resolved?’

The lack of an Identity was a major problem. As long as it remained unresolved, he could only curl up at home and avoid going out. Even finding a job would be difficult.

Otherwise, if he were discovered by someone from the Government Office Entrance... he would most likely be deported.

He had finally managed to settle down in the True Martial world; he certainly didn’t want to be sent back to some "hometown"...

That was the original owner’s hometown, not his.

Right now, in the severely disaster-stricken areas of Jingping County, they were probably already conscripting labor to restore production and whatnot.

Going back would mean becoming a beast of burden.

Besides, the journey was a thousand li long.

Even with his bit of Cultivation, making such a long journey... would be a life-or-death gamble.

’Logically, since Senior Brother works at the Government Office Entrance, resolving a registration issue shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Why has it been delayed for so long?’

Qin Fang frowned, thinking.

His intuition told him something was wrong.

But he couldn’t quite pinpoint what the problem was at the moment.

’Is Senior Brother unwilling to help? Or is it something else?’

Of course, he judged the former to be unlikely.

His Senior Brother deeply respected their master’s wife, which meant he would also respect their master. If their master asked him for help, he was unlikely to refuse.

Besides, during their first meeting yesterday, his Senior Brother had been very kind to him. He didn’t seem like the type to refuse to help.

’Then there must be some other problem...’

Mulling it over, he put away the meat, bought some vegetables nearby, and prepared to head home.

Just then, he overheard a few vegetable vendors chatting nearby.

"South Street is bustling today..."

"Heard a big official arrived... an imperial envoy, they say..."

"An imperial envoy?"

"Yeah, they said it’s probably about the refugee rebellion last time..."

"Sigh, those refugees, they’re not even human. I heard more than a dozen nearby towns and villages were devastated. After the refugees passed through, nine out of ten homes were empty... What a sin..."

The vegetable vendors gathered together, sighing endlessly.

Qin Fang was a little stunned by what he heard.

’An imperial envoy is here?’

’Because of the refugee rebellion?’

His brow furrowed deeply.

A sense of unease inexplicably welled up in his heart.

’...This refugee background is a ticking time bomb, just as I thought.’

’I have to find a way to get my Identity sorted out as soon as possible... Otherwise, it could blow up in my face at any moment.’