East Courtyard.
Pushing open the door, Jiang Ning was greeted by a world of white.
The bitter wind howled, and heavy snow swirled through the air, blanketing the courtyard in a thick layer of snow at least ten centimeters deep. The sky was a dull gray, with only the faintest hint of dawn breaking through.
The temperature had dropped sharply compared to yesterday by at least ten degrees in perceived chill. He estimated it was now between -15°C and -20°C.
While this was still milder than the extreme cold of the northern regions in his past life, it was nothing to scoff at.
In his previous world, with its highly developed productivity, such harsh weather would have been manageable. Even the poorest laborers rarely lacked clothing, food, or shelter. Most had the basic means to survive, so deaths from extreme cold were practically unheard of.
But this era was different.
The lower classes lived in conditions similar to ancient times chronic shortages of food and clothing, let alone proper heating or insulation. For the common folk, such brutal weather meant inevitable deaths from hunger and exposure.
"I hope the Xie family keeps their promise and opens their granaries. If they do, then fine."
Gazing at the falling snow and the biting wind, Jiang Ning muttered to himself before turning back and shutting the door firmly.
For now, he couldn't be bothered with his usual morning routine.
All the conditions for breaking the limits of Five Animals Fist were met, and he was eager to see the results.
The room was too cramped for a breakthrough, but the courtyard was perfect ample space, and no risk of accidental destruction.
At his current level of strength, even the slightest uncontrolled movement could easily demolish a house.
[Source Energy]: 2357.88
[Skills]: Five Animals Fist+ (Third Break Limit 4000/4000) (Traits: Essence Stored in the Five Organs, Five Elements Spirit, Grandmaster of Fist Techniques)
After one last glance at his panel, he made his decision without hesitation.
With a thought, his Source Energy points rapidly drained away. Standing in the heavy snow, he closed his eyes.
In an instant
His mind was flooded with visions of five extraordinary mythical Animals.
A ferocious tiger amidst a sea of flames.
A serene deer in an ancient forest.
A free-spirited white ape scaling mountain cliffs.
A soaring roc cutting through the skies.
A savage bear exuding primal fury.
Tiger. Deer. Ape. Roc. Bear.
Each Animal appeared vividly in his mind, their every detail rendered in perfect clarity especially their eyes, brimming with divine essence.
The tyrannical dominance of the tiger.
The tranquil wisdom of the deer.
The untamed wildness of the ape.
The boundless freedom of the roc.
The brutal ferocity of the bear.
The five Animals unfolded before him, rotating in a full 360-degree display. Jiang Ning studied them intently, absorbing every nuance.
Seasons passed. The sun rose and set. Time lost meaning.
After what felt like an eternity, every detail of the Animals from the finest strands of fur to the powerful contours of their limbs was seared into his mind with perfect precision.
Then, abruptly, the vision faded.
When Jiang Ning opened his eyes again
"Young Master!" Lü Yi's voice finally reached him.
Seeing her bundled in thick winter robes, Jiang Ning said, "Prepare ink and pigments for me."
"Yes, Young Master!" Lü Yi hurried to comply.
The two returned indoors.
Inside the chamber.
Sitting on a rosewood chair, Jiang Ning kept his eyes lightly closed, continuously visualizing the five Animals diagrams in his mind. He couldn't afford to let the images blur.
For ordinary people, no matter how carefully they observed something, the memory would inevitably fade the moment they closed their eyes. No recollection could remain perfectly sharp, down to the finest detail.
But Jiang Ning had achieved just that.
The five Animal diagrams in his mind were as clear as if they had been carved into his consciousness every texture, every contour preserved with flawless accuracy.
He cycled through them repeatedly, engraving them deeper into his memory.
After a while
"Young Master, the ink is ready," Lü Yi whispered.
Nodding, Jiang Ning picked up a brush and began painting.
Last time, his artwork had prioritized capturing the essence over strict form.
This time, he aimed for both form and spirit, striving to recreate the five Animals as accurately as possible to further solidify his mental visualization.
At this moment, he was well aware that the five Animal diagrams in his mind were one of the greatest rewards of his recent breakthrough in his fist technique.
These five Animals diagrams were also the core of the current Five Animals Fist.
The next moment.
He remained with his eyes closed.
In his mind, he continuously visualized the tiger diagram.
On the scroll, the outline of a fierce tiger amidst a sea of flames gradually took shape.
[Painting Experience +1]
[Painting Experience +1]
[Painting Experience +1]
[...]
As he began painting, the experience value of the art of painting started to rise.
Time passed relentlessly.
The sky gradually brightened, and the snow outside the window grew lighter, though the wind still howled fiercely.
Dongling City.
Inspection Bureau.
"Everyone, Jiang Ning from Luoshui County has accomplished yet another remarkable feat."
"Jiang Ning? Who is that?"
"From Luoshui County on New Year's Eve, he single-handedly quelled a rebellion by a Black Mountain Army unit attacking the city with just a bow!"
"Oh, it's him!" After the reminder, everyone immediately understood.
Then, someone asked, "Chief, what feat has he achieved this time?"
"He killed two fifth-rank martial artists from the Worship Sect alone."
"Fifth-rank? That can't be real?!"
"Exactly! How could he possibly kill them?"
"Don't dwell on whether it's real or not. Help me consider what reward to give. The previous directive stated that killing a sixth-rank martial artist from the Worship Sect was a major merit, rewarded with 50,000 contribution points. As for fifth rank, it wasn't even mentioned no one expected anyone to achieve such a feat."
"Chief, I believe we shouldn't discourage our subordinates. I'm willing to contribute to the reward myself, but I hope you can assign Jiang Ning to my team."
"You're quite generous fitting for someone from the Plains Wang Family!" The chief seated at the head of the table glanced faintly at the man who had spoken.
Then he continued, "Well said. The Inspection Bureaus in various prefectures, counties, and cities have just been established we must not discourage our subordinates."
"Since we set this rule earlier, we'll reward him with one million contribution points, deducted from the quota allocated to our Dongling Prefecture."
"Dispatch the reward first, then we'll revise the rules!"
At this point, the chief couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile.
"If that guy keeps milking us like this, we might soon be unable to pay salaries!"
Meanwhile.
Jiang Ning was unaware of this good news from Dongling City.
He continued painting indoors.
In the blink of an eye.
Time passed from afternoon to night.
As night fell.
The world was plunged into darkness, and the heavy snow had completely stopped.
Lüyi stood by with a lamp, occasionally replenishing Jiang Ning's pigments and grinding ink for him.
Beyond that, she remained silent, holding the lamp without any disturbance.
She knew Jiang Ning was in an extremely important state at this moment.
In the face of such a state, all other matters had to take a backseat.
For an entire day, neither of them had eaten or drunk a thing.
Until
"Caw caw"
The cries of a few cold crows rang out.
Only then did Jiang Ning set down his brush.
"Phew"
He exhaled deeply.
Then, he picked up the tea Lüyi had placed beside him, sipping it to moisten his throat while examining the scroll before him, a satisfied expression on his face.
The landscape on the scroll was sketched with ink in an impressionistic style.
The white ape, however, had lively eyes, and its fur and body textures were meticulously depicted.
Though it couldn't fully capture the five Animal diagrams in his mind, after all, those diagrams were three-dimensional and flawless.
The scroll was still just a scroll.
Being able to reproduce thirty to forty percent of the Animals diagrams in his mind was already his limit.
"Young Master, you must be hungry!" Lüyi spoke up when she saw Jiang Ning had finished his work.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning snapped back to reality.
He touched his abdomen though hollow, he didn't feel particularly hungry.
"With Inner Strength achieved, the body naturally regulates metabolism. While not yet reaching the level of fasting, it carries a hint of that essence!"
Sensing his body's feedback, Jiang Ning mused silently.
Just then
"Gurgle" A loud growl erupted from Lüyi's stomach.
"Young Master, I..." Blushing under Jiang Ning's gaze, Lüyi stammered in embarrassment.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile.
"I am indeed hungry!"
"Young Master, I'll bring the food right away. Lady Liu has been keeping the dishes warm for you!" Lüyi quickly replied.
"Good!" Jiang Ning smiled and added, "Prepare an extra set of utensils!"
"Young Master, I..." Lüyi froze mid-step.
"Eating alone is tasteless," Jiang Ning said.
Lüyi nodded slightly, then pushed open the door and stepped out into the snow.
After a brief exchange, Jiang Ning's gaze settled on the last entry on his panel.
[Skill]: Painting Art (Mastery 873/1000)
"Mastery in painting? No wonder my technique has improved so much since last time."
He looked at the five scrolls before him and murmured inwardly,
"There's some semblance of spirit and form now, but it's still far from the five diagrams in my mind."
Then he shook his head slightly, thinking to himself, "Compared to scrolls, sculptures would better replicate the five Animals diagrams in my mind."
Thinking of this, he shook his head again and dismissed the idea.
Adding another skill like woodcarving would be too much for him to handle.
Right now, he wished he could split every minute into two.
There were too many skills that needed improvement.
After hearing those words from Granny Bai yesterday, he had gained a deeper understanding of the power of the Indestructible Vajra Body.
Now that he possessed the Indestructible Vajra Body, thanks to the system's marvel and his efforts,
as long as he put in the time, he could break through to the perfected stage of the Indestructible Vajra Body.
A perfected Indestructible Vajra Body would allow him to forge the legendary Golden Body.
A ninth-rank martial artist who forged a Golden Body could contend with sixth-rank experts relying solely on the Golden Body's power.
This level of combat prowess was enough to demonstrate the Golden Body's might.
[Skills]: Indestructible Vajra Body (Minor Achievement 453/5000)
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at the skills section of his system panel.
Then he shook his head.
Currently, his Indestructible Vajra Body is only at the minor achievement stage.
This skill was a sect-guarding martial art that surpassed even top-tier techniques, and the experience points required were staggering.
To reach the major achievement stage, he needed a full 5,000 experience points.
And to forge the Golden Body, he needed to reach the perfected stage requiring a total of 15,000 experience points.
This amount of experience couldn't be accumulated overnight.
Moreover, he simply didn't have enough time to spare.
For now, he could only temporarily set aside his cultivation of the Indestructible Vajra Body and focus on completing the tempering of his Jade Bones to fully step into the fifth rank.
With this in mind,
his gaze returned to the system panel.
He hadn't yet examined the gains from his morning breakthrough in the Five Animals Fist.
His entire day had been spent on painting, reinforcing the impressions of the five animal diagrams in his mind to ensure he wouldn't forget even the slightest detail.
At this level of fist technique, he could sense that the five animal diagrams in his mind were related to fist intent.
Just like with the Firewood Splitting Saber Technique after mastering saber intent, successive breakthroughs in the technique had elevated his saber intent to new heights.
Now, the same principle applied to his fist technique.
The breakthrough in Five Animals Fist had most directly enhanced his fist intent.
The strengthening of his fist intent was closely tied to the five animal diagrams in his mind.
Those diagrams were the key to the growth of his fist intent.
[Source Energy]: 1357.88
[Skills]: Five Animals Fist (Fourth Breakthrough 633/5000) (Traits: Essence Stored in the Five Organs, Five Elements Spirit, Grandmaster of Fist Techniques, Bear-Tiger Physique)
[Bear-Tiger Physique]: The physique is extraordinary, inherently superior, and born with the strength of bears and tigers.
Bear-Tiger Physique?
Seeing this description on the panel, Jiang Ning's expression shifted to surprise.
Then, he redirected his attention to his own body.
Immediately, he noticed something different his body now contained explosive power, and his physique felt unlike before.
It was as if he had undergone a complete transformation.
His physical body had grown significantly stronger in an instant.
He clenched his fist.
His tendons tightened, the muscles in his arm slightly bulging, and an overwhelming sense of solidity instantly surged through his entire arm.
He felt that with just a casual swing of his arm now, he could send his former self-flying.
An unparalleled confidence flooded his entire being.
This was the blind self-assurance that came with a sudden, massive increase in strength.
When ordinary people trained their strength, they would also experience this kind of overconfidence from rapid improvement.
This was also why martial artists were more prone to conflicts
the confidence stemming from their physical prowess inflated their egos.
"With just a casual swing of my arm, I should easily surpass ten thousand jin, right?" Sensing the power in his right arm, Jiang Ning murmured to himself.
Back when he was at the peak of the eighth rank, the force of a single arm had already exceeded four thousand jin.
The seventh rank primarily focused on tempering the body's tendons, enhancing explosive power rather than significantly increasing raw strength or physique.
Even achieving Dragon Tendons or Flood Dragon Tendons might not add more than a thousand jin of force.
It was nowhere near as noticeable as the eighth rank's Strength Training stage in boosting physical power.
Compared to the seventh rank, the sixth rank provided a much greater enhancement to strength.
The transformation of the skeletal system would lead to a comprehensive improvement in the physique.
Naturally, strength would also increase significantly.
But even then, it still couldn't match the sheer boost the eighth rank provided to raw power.
The eighth rank was entirely dedicated to strength development.
An average eighth-rank martial artist, after fully tempering their muscle groups, could instantly exert two to three thousand jin of force.
Those born with divine strength or possessing rare constitutions could even reach the four thousand jin mark.
He had achieved that level back then.
But only now did he feel confident that his strength had surpassed ten thousand jin per arm, entering an entirely new realm.
A single arm, casually swung, could unleash over ten thousand jin of force equivalent to five tons per arm.
"Five tons per arm… I could flip a small truck with ease!"
"At full power, I could probably punch through a tank!"
Imagining the scene in his mind, he couldn't help but inhale sharply.
Only by making such comparisons did he realize that, in his previous world's context, his current self was practically a superhuman.
He could even say something like, I don't feel like eating beef today!
This level of strength meant his physique could now withstand light firearms.
Coupled with his terrifying regenerative ability and extreme agility, he was practically qualified to be a Homelander.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader