Xu Qing walked out of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. He hadn't learned much this afternoon, only gaining a basic understanding of the Martial Dao from Zhang He.
Furthermore, the Cangying Martial Arts Hall didn't have a Boxing Manual for its Cyan Eagle Force or Eagle Claw Technique. Xu Qing would have to go to the hall every day to be taught by Zhang He, move by move.
"Please wait a moment."
Just then, Xu Qing heard someone call out to him.
He looked up to see another student from the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. The boy didn't look very old, maybe fifteen or sixteen, and was quite thin.
"What is it?"
Xu Qing asked.
"Young Master Ye wants to see you."
the boy said.
"Young Master Ye? Who's that?!"
Xu Qing asked.
"The third young master of the Ye Family, Ye Langtian."
The skinny youth said.
From the youth, Xu Qing quickly gathered that Young Master Ye hailed from the Ye Family, a clan of wealthy merchants. Though they couldn't compare to the likes of the Jiang Family, they still wielded considerable influence in the Outer City.
As a result, many of the Outer Courtyard Students at the Cangying Martial Arts Hall had become Ye Langtian's followers. The reason for stopping Xu Qing was just as simple: he wanted Xu Qing to join them.
"I'm not interested."
Xu Qing waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave.
When Ye Langtian heard about it, he merely commented with an indifferent tone, "He doesn't know how to appreciate a favor." He wouldn't go so far as to cause trouble for Xu Qing over such a small matter. Besides, in Ye Langtian's eyes, Xu Qing was a nobody. Asking Xu Qing to be his follower was a sign of his favor—a blessing for Xu Qing.
Since Xu Qing refused, it only meant he wasn't destined for such good fortune.
'Someone so unblessed would naturally never amount to anything.'
Meanwhile, if Xu Qing wanted to stay in town, he could either return to the underground boxing ring and live there, or find an inn to stay at.
'Renting a room would be best.'
So, Xu Qing decided to rent a room.
To that end, Xu Qing made a special trip back to the underground boxing ring to find Yu Chen. Through Yu Chen's introduction, he met a merchant from a brokerage. The merchant found a house for rent that matched Xu Qing's requirements.
Since Xu Qing would be living alone and was short on funds, the house he found was quite plain. Still, the rent wasn't cheap at five silver a month.
Furthermore, the rent had to be paid three months at a time.
In the end, Xu Qing paid three months' rent—fifteen silver—in addition to the thirty silver for his tuition and some other miscellaneous fees.
Of the ninety-three silver Xu Qing had, only forty were left.
「That evening, in his bedroom.」
Xu Qing glanced at the forty silver he had left and couldn't help but sigh. 'I've already spent more than fifty silver just like that. The rest won't last long.'
The cost of martial arts training was simply too high.
Take food, for example.
After starting his training, all three of his daily meals had to include fish and meat. He needed sufficient nutrition to avoid depleting his body.
For example, back at the underground boxing ring's cafeteria, a single meal had cost him one silver. Now, his appetite was even greater, and one silver was no longer enough to fill him up.
And this was just the beginning.
In fact, according to Instructor Zhang, once a Martial Artist developed Power, ordinary meat and food could no longer support their daily exertion and training.
They had to eat 'Spiritual Food'.
The Cangying Martial Arts Hall had 'Spiritual Food': Tai Sui Spirit Meat. A single catty cost ten silver, but it could sustain a full day of exertion and training, and it was also highly beneficial for one's practice.
The tuition fee only covered one's status as a student of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall and the opportunity to learn the Cyan Eagle Force and Eagle Claw Technique.
All other aspects required a lot more money.
'So,' Xu Qing thought, 'the forty silver I have is only enough to buy four catties of Tai Sui meat, which would sustain me for just four days. And even if I stick to normal food, it'll cost me five silver a day.'
'I have to make money! I really have to make money!'
That night, Xu Qing performed ten full sets of Baji Fist before he had to stop. His face was pale, and he had expended a great deal of his stamina and energy.
[Baji Fist Level 3: 10/40.]
'Thirty more to go,' Xu Qing thought. 'I'll continue tomorrow.'
「The next day.」
In the morning, Xu Qing rose early. After eating ten meat buns and drinking three bowls of soy milk at a breakfast stall, which was barely enough to fill his stomach, he made his way to the Cangying Martial Arts Hall.
Today, Xu Qing officially began learning the Cyan Eagle Force.
The day before, Zhang He had tested Xu Qing's physical condition and strength. He had already met the requirements for cultivating the Cyan Eagle Force and didn't need to go through the foundational body conditioning like the other students.
「Time flew by.」
The day passed quickly.
By evening, Xu Qing had more or less learned the Spell Formulas and secrets of the Cyan Eagle Force. However, Instructor Zhang was only teaching the Upper Chapter of Cyan Eagle Force, which could only be used to develop Ming Jin. The Eagle Claw Technique was a complete fighting style, but it was quite ordinary—not much different from the Baji Fist Xu Qing had already practiced.
"Instructor Zhang, I'd like to buy a catty of Tai Sui Spirit Meat."
Xu Qing said.
"Oh."
Zhang He sized Xu Qing up, then smiled. "You've only just begun your training and you already want to eat Tai Sui Spirit Meat? Fine. Follow me."
「Martial Arts Hall Warehouse.」
"Elder Xiao."
At the entrance, Xu Qing saw an old man with graying hair. He was crouched in a corner, a chessboard laid out before him, playing a game against himself.
Zhang He bowed respectfully.
"What is it?"
The old man didn't even raise his head, his mind completely focused on his chessboard.
"A student wants to buy Tai Sui Spirit Meat."
Zhang He said.
"Give me the money. Go into the warehouse and get the Spirit Meat yourself."
Elder Xiao said.
"Xu Qing."
Zhang He called out.
"Yes."
Xu Qing stepped forward quickly, took out ten silver, and placed it respectfully before Elder Xiao. Once the old man confirmed the amount was correct, Zhang He entered the warehouse and brought out a piece of Tai Sui Spirit Meat.
From start to finish, Elder Xiao didn't spare Xu Qing a single word, and Xu Qing certainly wasn't qualified to enter the warehouse and retrieve the meat himself.
"Take it."
Zhang He handed the Tai Sui Spirit Meat to Xu Qing.
"Thank you, Instructor Zhang."
Xu Qing's face lit up with a hint of joy as he accepted the Tai Sui Spirit Meat. The piece of Spiritual Food was square, shaped like a brick, and wrapped in oil paper.
「That night.」
Xu Qing returned to his residence.
First, Xu Qing lit a kerosene lamp, took out a brush and paper, and began to recall the Cyan Eagle Force and Eagle Claw Technique he had learned at the Cangying Martial Arts Hall that day. He then wrote it all down, word for word, in its entirety.
Time passed.
「Late into the night.」
It wasn't until late at night that Xu Qing finally finished transcribing the Cyan Eagle Force and Eagle Claw Technique from memory.
"Phew..."
Xu Qing let out a sigh of relief, his face etched with fatigue. A glance out the window confirmed it was already the dead of night. 'Finally finished writing it all down.'
'It's still not enough.' Xu Qing shook his head. 'I've only studied for one day. I'm only about a third of the way through the Eagle Claw Technique and the Upper Chapter of Cyan Eagle Force. At this rate, it'll take two more days before I can write down the complete versions of both.'
'No need to rush,' Xu Qing thought.
Next, Xu Qing put down his brush and paper and took out the Tai Sui Spirit Meat. He unfolded the oil paper, revealing a block of bright red meat inside. It looked like beef, with snowflake-like marbling, and gave off an alluring aroma.
According to Instructor Zhang, it was best to eat the Tai Sui Spirit Meat raw. Cooking it would cause it to lose some of its nutritional value. Besides, it had no unpleasant taste when eaten raw and was actually quite good.
After some thought, Xu Qing decided against eating it raw. Instead, he found an iron plate, placed it over a flame, and began to cook the Tai Sui Spirit Meat as if searing a steak.
SIZZLE...
The Tai Sui Spirit Meat rendered fat as it cooked, releasing an incredibly tantalizing aroma that nearly made Xu Qing drool. He stopped cooking it once it was rare.
Next, Xu Qing began to feast on the Tai Sui Spirit Meat. Delicious flavor burst across his taste buds, and his mouth was slick with savory juices. In a flash, Xu Qing had devoured the entire piece.
"Delicious! So delicious!"
Xu Qing's eyes were shining. "It truly deserves to be called a Spiritual Food!"
HUM! HUM!
At the same time, as the Tai Sui Spirit Meat settled in his stomach, he could clearly feel a searing warm current spreading from his abdomen throughout his entire body.
Instantly, the faint sense of weakness and lethargy that had been plaguing Xu Qing for days completely vanished.
"Amazing! This feels amazing!"
Xu Qing laughed out loud a few times.
"Baji Fist!"
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Without hesitation, Xu Qing leaped to his feet, assumed a stance, and began practicing his Fist Technique. His movements were imbued with a tiger's might, and the force of his punches whistled through the air. He trained nonstop for three full hours, until he was drenched in sweat with white steam rising from the top of his head.
[Baji Fist Level 3: 25/40.]
'Almost there. I'll be able to level up again soon.'
A smile appeared on Xu Qing's face.
「The next morning.」
Xu Qing woke early. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he didn't even need to eat breakfast. The Tai Sui Spirit Meat from the previous night hadn't fully digested yet. A single catty of Tai Sui Spirit Meat could sustain a Mingjin Martial Artist's daily exertion and training for an entire day.
「Cangying Martial Arts Hall.」
Xu Qing arrived early and resumed his studies with Instructor Zhang, continuing to learn the Upper Chapter of Cyan Eagle Force and the Eagle Claw Technique. He focused on earnestly memorizing the Mantra for the Upper Chapter of Cyan Eagle Force and every single move of the Eagle Claw Technique.
That evening, Xu Qing sought out Instructor Zhang again. He spent another ten silver to buy a catty of Tai Sui Spirit Meat from Elder Xiao, brought it home, seared it rare, and devoured it with gusto.
Afterwards, Xu Qing then transcribed what he had learned of the Upper Chapter of Cyan Eagle Force and the Eagle Claw Technique that day.
"Baji Fist."
BOOM! BOOM!
Xu Qing resumed his Fist Technique practice. He couldn't practice Baji Fist at the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, so he had no choice but to train at home during the night. Another three hours flew by.
[Baji Fist Level 3: 40/40 (Upgradeable!)]
"Alright."
Xu Qing's eyes lit up with a hint of excitement. 'I can finally upgrade Baji Fist again!'
"Upgrade,"
Xu Qing said.
HUM!
The moment he spoke, the Encyclopedia of All Things flashed with a fluorescent light.
[Baji Fist Level 4: 0/80 (...)]
At the same time, Xu Qing felt his consciousness enter that mysterious space once more. Within it, he endlessly practiced Baji Fist, deducing its principles and forging new innovations.
BOOM!
It was like a sudden moment of enlightenment. The Baji Fist he wielded became far more powerful, and the Ming Jin in his body surged, faintly reaching its peak.