Wiping off the medicinal liquid from his body, Zhang Yuan dressed himself and quietly left the room, heading for the small courtyard outside.
He looked up at the bright moon hanging in the night sky, and his mind was particularly calm.
Following the illustrations in the "Rock Foundation Skill", Zhang Yuan stretched his limbs, squatted down, and assumed the posture of a crouching tiger.
The "Rock Foundation Skill" is a basic cultivation technique for the Entering Force Realm, consisting of nine forms corresponding to three tiers: Light Force, Dark Force, and Transformation Realm.
What he had just assumed was the first form.
In the previous two days at home while recuperating, Zhang Yuan had not idly wasted time.
He had read the "Rock Foundation Skill" manual repeatedly, memorizing all its contents, including illustrations and annotations, in his mind without missing a single word.
Zhang Yuan had a strong memory, coupled with the experience and knowledge from living two lives, so when he studied literature and characters under Elder Master Chen, the latter often felt regretful for him.
With Zhang Yuan's learning ability, if he had been born a few decades earlier, he could have achieved fame through the imperial examinations.
Thereby changing his life.
Unfortunately, the imperial examination system in this world had been reduced to a mere formality fifty years ago, no longer a chance for impoverished youths to rise up.
But Zhang Yuan did not feel regret.
He pursued personal strength, to truly control his own destiny.
Martial arts is the true path!
Comparing himself with the manual's illustrations, Zhang Yuan continuously adjusted his body posture, practicing repeatedly in rhythm with his breathing.
As a newcomer, he had no experience nor anyone to guide him, so he had to search repeatedly for the entering force connection described in the manual.
Focusing wholeheartedly without any distractions!
As time went on, the qi blood within Zhang Yuan began to surge and swell.
His muscles constantly rose and contracted, skin stretched tight then relaxed, veins bulged then subsided, and crystalline sweat beads seeped through his pores.
This process continued in cycles, a finely-forged power forced out from the violent trembling of muscles and flesh.
At first converging into a trickling stream, then into a roaring tide, surging back and forth within Zhang Yuan's body.
Ferociously impacting his muscles and acupoints.
At this moment, a look of pain appeared on Zhang Yuan's face.
He felt his muscles being forcibly torn apart, as sweat not only soaked his clothes but also dripped onto the ground, raising tiny dust clouds.
Such pain was unbearable for ordinary people!
But Zhang Yuan understood clearly.
If he couldn't even take the first step into the Entering Force realm, becoming a martial artist would be a joke.
With great willpower, he suppressed the tempting thought of giving up.
Gritting his teeth, tightening his bones, he continued to persevere.
Until all the power merged into a torrent, abruptly breaking through an invisible barrier within Zhang Yuan's body.
Entering Force accomplished!
All the pain ebbed away like a tide, and he felt as if soaking in a hot spring, warm and incredibly comfortable.
Zhang Yuan instinctively clenched his fist, feeling stronger than he ever had before.
As if he could punch through a mountain!
Is this what it means to be a martial artist?
After a long while, Zhang Yuan shook off the intoxicating state and regained his calm and rationality.
He opened the Divine Nest interface.
[Host: Zhang Yuan]
[Realm: Tier One (Light Force)]
[Divine Nest: Level 1 (30%)]
[Host: Level 2 Black Giant Ant (18%) / Fourfold Power]
[Host: Level 1 Jade Mantis (2%) / Basic Sword Mastery]
[Qi Blood: 12/100]
[Source Material: 0]
Zhang Yuan noticed a new section on the Divine Nest interface displaying his realm.
This undoubtedly corresponds to character levels in the game from his previous life.
Having become an Entering Force martial artist, his qi blood value directly increased by 15 points.
The maximum just reached a hundred.
The higher the qi blood, the longer Zhang Yuan could sustain the host's power, marking a true leap in his strength!
Even though he had become stronger, Zhang Yuan reminded himself.
Even after rising from an ordinary person to a martial artist, he was still the lowest existence.
In this world, numerous powerful individuals could slap Zhang Yuan to death!
He must not act arrogantly.
Suppressing his excitement and thrill, he took a long breath.
It was then that Zhang Yuan noticed a line of white in the eastern sky—the dawn was about to break!
Unknowingly, he had been training in the small courtyard the whole night.
One night to enter the force realm!
With no one to instruct him, Zhang Yuan didn't know whether this speed was fast or slow.
Presumably, it wasn't bad.
This made him further confirm that his body had talent!
Originally, Zhang Yuan intended to test.
As an Entering Force martial artist, whether he could bear the augmentation of the Black Giant Ant's fourfold strength.
But seeing his qi blood value on the verge of dropping to a two-digit number, he wisely gave up the idea.
Taking advantage that his mother hadn't woken up, Zhang Yuan quietly returned to his room.
He took another cold shower.
The medicinal liquid in the tub still had some residual potency.
However, for Zhang Yuan now, it no longer had any effect.
He washed away the sweat and grime on his body.
Resulting in the tub of medicinal liquid turning into ink!
Grumble～
After cleaning up and putting on his clothes again, Zhang Yuan's stomach roared thunderously.
He felt like he could eat a whole cow!
So Zhang Yuan quickly took the bathing tub outside to empty it, then grabbed the smoked meat hanging under the eaves, devouring it ravenously.
The wild boar meat was already smoked and cooked, and the meat itself was quite tough, making it dry and hard to eat.
But Zhang Yuan didn't mind at all, using his teeth to tear into the tough meat strips, chewing a few times before hurriedly swallowing.
His digestive ability had greatly increased compared to before, as his stomach and intestines moved on their own.
When Mother Zhang heard the commotion outside and got up, Zhang Yuan had already consumed three whole strips of smoked meat.
Each strip weighed over two jin, and he had just polished off six or seven jin in one go!
"You child!"
Mother Zhang was startled by her son's eating habits, hurriedly bringing Zhang Yuan some tea, "Don't choke."
Zhang Yuan chuckled, taking the tea cup and drinking it all down.
His heart was indescribably delighted.
He wanted to tell his mother.
That he was now an Entering Force martial artist and no longer needed to fear that bastard Landlord Chen.
But he feared scaring his mother.
For most people, martial artists are high and mighty beings, and for ordinary folks, especially poor children, becoming a martial artist is exceedingly difficult.
Since it was hard to explain, Zhang Yuan held back from saying anything.
Leaving it as a surprise for the future!
Zhang Yuan didn't go out today.
He brewed another pot of medicinal liquid, soaking again to absorb its power and restore his qi blood.
In the afternoon, the sky gradually grew overcast, with big clusters of clouds gathering to obscure the sun.
Before long, a drizzly rain began to fall.
Zhang Yuan sat in the tub, quietly listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the roof tiles.
His gaze passed through the room's window, watching the wind and rain gradually intensify outside.
Truly heaven's blessing!
Zhang Yuan thought secretly.
By evening, the wind and rain began to subside.
But at this moment, after Mother Zhang fell asleep, Zhang Yuan quietly left his home.
Braving the wind and rain, he stealthily approached Hunter Gao's yard in the dark.
A stormy night, a night to kill.
He was there to kill!