The next day.
[Name]: Jiang Ning
[Source Energy]: 177.3
[Skills]:
Woodchopping Blade Technique (Fourth Breakthrough 5000/5000) (Traits: Versatility, Swift as the Wind, Mastery of the Blade, Unity of Man and Blade)
Water Affinity (Fifth Breakthrough 6000/6000) (Traits: Underwater Breathing, Water Manipulation, Water Spirit Affinity, Cloud and Rain Control, Water Spirit Body)
Wind and Thunder Archery+ (Perfection 2000/2000)
Looking at his status panel, Jiang Ning couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
In just one day, his Source Energy points had skyrocketed by over a hundred.
This was the result of digesting the so-called natural treasures he had acquired yesterday.
And this improvement was only from consuming a single hundred-year-old Blood Lotus.
That hundred-year-old Blood Lotus had only cost him five thousand taels of silver.
For Jiang Ning, five thousand taels of silver bringing over a hundred Source Energy points was an excellent value.
Moreover, the increase in Source Energy points was just a side benefit.
The true effect of the hundred-year-old Blood Lotus was the boost to his vitality.
The improvement in vitality from the hundred-year-old Blood Lotus yesterday was equivalent to at least half a month of his usual full-effort vitality training.
It was important to note that he had only reached this level in about four months.
Half a month's worth of effort was equivalent to an eighth of his total vitality.
This improvement was nothing to scoff at.
Refining the hundred-year-old Blood Lotus yesterday had truly shown Jiang Ning the importance of martial arts resources.
Even though "medicine is three parts poison," the right use of resources could bring about significant and crucial improvements.
In the path of martial arts, being one step ahead meant staying ahead.
The golden years of martial arts advancement were only a decade or two. Any step that could save months of effort would greatly increase the chances of reaching the fifth-grade Internal Strengthening realm.
Once he reached the fifth-grade Internal Strengthening realm, the functions of his internal organs would improve, extending his golden years by several years or even decades.
Various thoughts flashed through Jiang Ning's mind, and he sighed inwardly before refocusing on his status panel.
With over a hundred Source Energy points, his Wind and Thunder Archery Technique met the conditions for its first breakthrough.
In the next moment.
Without any hesitation, Jiang Ning willed it.
The Source Energy points on his panel rapidly decreased.
Boom
At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed in his mind, and his consciousness fell into chaos.
In his consciousness, thunder descended.
The terrifying thunder momentarily threw his consciousness into disarray.
When Jiang Ning's consciousness returned, the changes on his panel were complete.
[Source Energy]: 77.3
[Skills]:
Woodchopping Blade Technique (Fourth Breakthrough 5000/5000) (Traits: Versatility, Swift as the Wind, Mastery of the Blade, Unity of Man and Blade)
Water Affinity (Fifth Breakthrough 6000/6000) (Traits: Underwater Breathing, Water Manipulation, Water Spirit Affinity, Cloud and Rain Control, Water Spirit Body)
Wind and Thunder Archery (First Breakthrough 0/3000) (Trait: Wind and Thunder Breath)
[Wind and Thunder Breath]: Move like the wind, act like thunder, able to sense the presence of wind and thunder in the world.
Looking at the changes on his panel, Jiang Ning closed his eyes.
In the next moment, his vision turned pitch black.
Then.
In the dark world, green and purple light dots suddenly appeared.
As the light dots floated toward him, Jiang Ning understood.
Green represented wind, and purple represented thunder.
He then opened his eyes.
Raising his right hand, he saw a green and purple light ball slowly forming in his palm.
After several breaths.
The light ball became somewhat dense.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning waved his right hand.
The light ball shot out like a bolt of lightning, passing through the window and landing in the courtyard outside.
Boom
A muffled sound.
Though not as terrifying as a thunderclap, it was still clearly audible.
"This performance is somewhat like the Daoist Thunder Palm technique!"
Jiang Ning smiled and shook his head, not feeling particularly pleased.
Through the window, he saw the crater left by the thunder-like explosion.
The crater was only about three to five centimeters deep, with the surrounding area blackened for about twenty to thirty centimeters.
This level of power was too weak for him now.
With the explosive power of his Water-Fire True Force, he could easily turn a rock into powder or shatter a large tree into splinters.
Compared to the explosive power of the Water-Fire True Force, the thunder-like explosion was far too weak.
Its performance and intimidation value far outweighed its actual effectiveness.
After all, this thunder-like force had taken him several breaths to gather.
In an actual fight, who would give him that much time to gather energy?
In that time, he could have fired several arrows.
"But..." Jiang Ning murmured, smiling slightly. "The transformation of the Wind and Thunder Force is the biggest gain and surprise."
As he spoke, he raised his hand.
Crackle
Electricity flashed across his right arm.
In the dim light of dawn, the arcs of electricity were visible, like static discharge.
These bursts of electricity were like the static sparks when taking off a sweater in winter.
In the next moment.
Jiang Ning's figure blurred as he shot out of the room through the window.
After appearing in the courtyard, Jiang Ning glanced back.
A look of joy crossed his face.
He couldn't have covered that distance in that time before.
Then.
He unleashed his full speed again.
His figure blurred once more.
He leaped over the high courtyard wall, crossed the rocky shore, and stepped onto the lake's surface.
His incredible speed and explosive power allowed him to walk on water as if it were solid ground.
As he ran across the water, the lake breeze blew against his face.
The misty, dreamlike scene made Jiang Ning feel incredibly exhilarated.
The vast world was now his to roam.
If someone had been boating on the lake, they would have seen a human figure darting across the water.
Wherever the figure passed, the water exploded into white spray.
Suddenly.
Boom
The water beneath Jiang Ning's feet erupted, scattering into countless white pearls.
His body was surrounded by layers of electric arcs.
At this moment, "Move like the wind, act like thunder" was in full effect.
Under the influence of the bioelectric arcs, his speed increased dramatically.
The originally black blur now glowed faintly blue as it raced across the water.
Jiang Ning ran in a large circle across the water before returning to a rock, his mood greatly improved.
Walking on water had been the dream of many martial arts enthusiasts.
Today, he had effortlessly achieved it.
Through this simple test, he also understood what "Move like the wind, act like thunder" meant.
The wind and thunder forces merged into his body, making him feel as if he had become one with the wind.
In this state, wind resistance was greatly reduced.
Anyone who understood wind resistance knew how much of an impact reducing it could have on speed.
His running speed had increased by a full fifty percent.
At this level, a fifty percent increase in speed was nothing short of extraordinary.
Breaking through one's limits was incredibly difficult.
This could be seen from the struggles of athletes in his previous life to surpass their personal bests.
The breakthrough of the Wind and Thunder Archery Technique had given him the ability to move like the wind, increasing his speed by fifty percent an unexpected boon.
Moreover, the "act like thunder" effect was equally impressive.
The thunder force coursing through his muscles allowed him to unleash strength beyond the norm.
Although this couldn't be used as a regular technique, short bursts were entirely feasible.
In other words, he had gained another tool.
If both "move like the wind" and "act like thunder" were used together.
His speed would double compared to normal, which Jiang Ning found to be an incredibly overpowered ability.
"The breakthrough of an intermediate martial art truly brings about massive changes!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but marvel.
Then.
A longbow suddenly appeared in his hand.
Drawing the bowstring, Jiang Ning effortlessly pulled it to full draw.
Twang
He released the arrow, which shot across the lake's surface.
The arrow, infused with Wind and Thunder Force, broke the sound barrier, creating a shockwave that left a clear trail on the water.
Ripples spread across the lake.
The arrow flew several miles before plunging into the water.
"It has become stronger!" Jiang Ning's focused gaze returned to normal.
"Compared to the perfected Wind and Thunder Archery, the power of this arrow has increased by about twenty to thirty percent. But if I had a better bow, the arrow's power could reach even greater heights!" Jiang Ning sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat helpless.
A bow that he would consider "good" was simply unavailable in Luoshui County.
He felt that even the bow Cao Rong used wouldn't allow him to fully unleash his potential.
Cao Rong, a peak seventh-grade martial artist, was no longer in Jiang Ning's sights.
If they were to face each other head-on, and Cao Rong hadn't made any progress in the past few months, Jiang Ning was confident he could kill him with a single arrow.
After putting away the bow, Jiang Ning leaped back to his courtyard in a few bounds.
His movements were light and agile, giving him the feeling that he could float with the wind.
He knew this was the power of the wind.
It was also the change brought about by the breakthrough of his Wind and Thunder Archery Technique.
This effect not only met his expectations but exceeded them.
Just the breakthrough of the Wind and Thunder Archery Technique made Jiang Ning feel that he could easily defeat his past self.
Such a significant boost in strength further solidified his belief.
Breaking through his skills was the fastest way to improve his strength.
After returning to the courtyard.
The sky was still dim, just beginning to lighten.
Jiang Ning then took out the remaining four Blood Lotuses from his Spatial Ring.
Yesterday, he had only consumed the hundred-year-old Blood Lotus.
The effects of the hundred-year-old Blood Lotus had left him very satisfied.
The Blood Lotus was indeed a natural treasure with excellent value for him.
A hundred-year-old Blood Lotus, sold to him by the Wanhua Pavilion for five thousand taels of silver, could increase his Source Energy points by over a hundred.
At least for now, this conversion rate was highly cost-effective.
Most importantly, the Blood Lotus was easy for him to refine and absorb.
For five thousand taels, he had fully digested and absorbed it in less than a day.
After these thoughts flashed through his mind, Jiang Ning's gaze returned to the four Blood Lotuses before him.
Compared to the hundred-year-old Blood Lotus, these four were much inferior and cheaper.
One was sixty years old, one was twenty years old, and two were forty years old.
Together, they were worth just over two thousand taels of silver.
In terms of value, they were less than half of the hundred-year-old Blood Lotus.
Jiang Ning then picked up the twenty-year-old Blood Lotus and popped it into his mouth, chewing a few times before swallowing it whole.
After a few breaths.
He frowned, as the effect was indeed weak.
Yesterday, a single leaf had made his vitality boil, leaving him restless.
Then, he picked up one of the forty-year-old Blood Lotuses.
He plucked four blood-red leaves from it, popped them into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
Only after consuming this Blood Lotus did Jiang Ning feel the same changes as yesterday.
His body temperature rose sharply, and his vitality boiled.
Jiang Ning immediately began practicing his fist techniques to help his body refine its immense medicinal power.
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
[...]
Over and over, his fist technique experience increased, and the medicinal power in his body was gradually refined.
Soon.
When his body temperature returned to normal and the boiling sensation subsided, most of the medicinal power had been fully refined.
Jiang Ning then continued to consume the remaining Blood Lotuses, chewing and swallowing them.
He then continued practicing his fist techniques to aid in refining the medicinal power.
By the time the sun was high in the sky.
All the Blood Lotuses had been fully refined by Jiang Ning.
By now, it was almost mid-morning.
Jiang Ning went to the kitchen to grab some food to fill his stomach, and by the time he finished, it was mid-morning.
This time, as he sat in the water, absorbing solar essence, the experience was completely different from yesterday.
Not only was there no burning sensation, but the slight discomfort in his internal organs quickly dissipated under the nourishment of the water.
[Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique Experience +1]
[Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique Experience +1]
[Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique Experience +1]
[...]
As he continued to absorb solar essence, the experience of his Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique steadily increased, and the internal energy in his dantian grew more robust.
Before two hours had passed.
As noon approached.
Jiang Ning stopped absorbing solar essence.
[Skill]: Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique (Proficiency 319/5000)
After a glance at his panel, Jiang Ning moved on.
The Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique was still far from reaching mastery.
Then, Jiang Ning shifted his attention to his Spatial Ring.
During his visit to the Wanhua Pavilion yesterday, he had spent over forty thousand taels of silver.
And it wasn't just on those five Blood Lotuses.
After all, the five Blood Lotuses were only worth a little over seven thousand taels.
This meant that the remaining thirty thousand taels had been spent on various other items.
Twenty thousand taels had been spent on pills to improve his martial foundation.
The remaining ten thousand taels had been spent on other natural treasures.
Then, Jiang Ning took out an item from his Spatial Ring.
It resembled a bamboo shoot, translucent and jade-green.
This item was worth three thousand five hundred taels.
According to Han Hongmei, it could improve one's bone structure, especially aiding in future bone tempering, greatly enhancing bone hardness, and increasing the efficiency of sixth-grade bone tempering.
This was extremely important to Jiang Ning.
Moreover, Han Hongmei had said that this item was easy to absorb and refine, not requiring a slow, grinding process.
This was also of great importance to Jiang Ning.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader