After learning all this, Jiang Che no longer bothered practicing the Cloud-Stacking Fist.
He would just come to the Martial Arts Hall for some token practice each day before returning home to work on the Flying Swallow Step.
After all, no matter how much he practiced the Cloud-Stacking Fist, its Skill Level wouldn't increase.
It was better to spend his energy on the Flying Swallow Step, which could at least boost his combat power.
Of course, his frequent early departures also drew Luo Kun's disappointment and the scorn of others.
But there was nothing Jiang Che could do about it.
After all, strength was what mattered most.
To increase his strength faster, he had also wondered how he could speed up his Qi Blood accumulation.
He had tried eating a large amount of Exotic Beast Meat in one sitting.
He even ate until he was stuffed to the gills.
But unfortunately, the rate of Qi Blood increase didn't seem to depend on how much he ate.
The key was his digestive ability.
Once he reached his digestive threshold, eating more was useless.
He even got an upset stomach from it.
One had to know, after breaking through and cultivating Qi Blood, a Martial Artist's body rarely had any problems.
Thus, Jiang Che had no choice but to wait for his Qi Blood to increase little by little.
Of course, he had also heard that one could absorb more from Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat.
But forget the price of one hundred silver a catty, which he couldn't afford anyway.
Besides, it was simply unavailable on the market!
It was basically all in the hands of various major powers and never flowed out to the public.
And the minimum requirement to join those major powers that possessed Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat was the Stone Skin Realm.
And not just any Guest would do; one had to make sufficient contributions to even be eligible to exchange for it!
Therefore, Jiang Che temporarily stopped thinking about these things.
One day, Jiang Che had just finished a set of his Fist Technique and was about to leave when Luo Kun called everyone to a halt.
"I didn't expect some of you to have already maxed out your Qi Blood. Very good! There are some things I should tell you all now, to prevent you from going awry in your training later!"
As Luo Kun spoke, he looked toward Gong Yulei.
Only then did everyone realize that Gong Yulei had already maxed out his Qi Blood!
Sensing everyone's gazes, Gong Yulei couldn't help but lift his head, the corners of his mouth curling up in a smug expression.
Jiang Che checked his own status and found that his Qi Blood hadn't even reached ten percent.
'The gap between people is truly vast...'
He gave a wry smile inwardly.
Luo Kun clasped his hands behind his back, slowly walked before the crowd, and said in a deep voice:
"Maxing out your Qi Blood is just the beginning. It doesn't mean you'll be able to break through smoothly!
"Most people can cultivate their Qi Blood to Perfection in the Bull Skin Realm! It's just a matter of time. What's truly difficult to train is your Fist Technique!
"Not everyone can train a Fist Technique to its peak! If your Fist Technique isn't mastered, it's very difficult to break through, even with full Qi Blood!"
"If both are maxed out, will you break through naturally?" Zhang Xiong asked.
Luo Kun shook his head and said:
"It's not that simple. Having both maxed out only means you have an opportunity to break through. But whether you can actually do it depends on your Comprehension, your Root Bone, and also luck.
"The Stone Skin Realm is relatively easy to break through to. After you max out both, if you're fast, you can break through in one or two months.
"Of course, some people can't break through for years. Then they get older, their Qi Blood declines, and they lose all hope. The Bull Skin Realm becomes their limit.
"But breaking through from the Stone Skin Realm to the Iron Skin Realm is extremely difficult. Most people will never achieve it in their lifetime!
"And breaking through from the Iron Skin Realm to Force Integration is not only difficult, but failure also carries immense risk!"
"Master, what happens if you fail?" Gong Yulei couldn't help but ask.
"In the best-case scenario, your meridians rupture, and you become a cripple! In the worst case, you die on the spot!"
Everyone gasped.
"This is also why Force Integration Artists are so rare. Many people train to the Perfection of the Iron Skin Realm and then stop seeking a breakthrough.
"After all, someone at the Perfection of the Iron Skin Realm is already a top-tier expert!"
"Master, is there no other way?" Gong Yulei asked.
"Of course there is. There's a medicine called the Vein-Protecting Pill that can protect the meridians.
"Even if you fail at Force Integration, you'll only suffer a setback in your Qi Blood without damaging your meridians. As long as you cultivate it back to full, you'll have a second chance to try.
"However, this Vein-Protecting Pill is extremely rare. Ordinary people shouldn't even think about it."
A silence fell over the crowd after they heard this.
The path of the Martial Dao was truly fraught with hardship!
However, Jiang Che wasn't worried at all about whether he could break through to the Stone Skin Realm.
For ordinary people, they usually maxed out their Qi Blood first and only then could they slowly train their Fist Technique to its peak.
But he had the Skill Proficiency Panel. Every time he practiced his Fist Technique, his Skill Level was guaranteed to increase.
After reaching Entry Level, he would inevitably break through to Minor Achievement, and after Minor Achievement, he would inevitably break through to Great Success.
Eventually, he was bound to reach Perfection, achieving the theoretical highest level.
He could even activate a Talent Skill.
His Cloud-Stacking Fist, while he was still in the Bull Skin Realm, had already reached the Minor Achievement level, something only possible in the Stone Skin Realm.
As long as his Qi Blood reached Perfection for the Bull Skin Realm, he could directly enter the Stone Skin Realm.
In other words, the bottleneck that was extremely perilous for others...
...didn't exist for him at all!
The only thing he lacked was Qi Blood.
And while his Qi Blood accumulation was slow, it would eventually be full.
This was the truly terrifying aspect of the Skill Proficiency Panel.
After Luo Kun finished speaking, he saw that Gong Yulei, Lin Xue'er, and Zhang Xiong all looked somewhat grim, while Jiang Che still appeared completely relaxed. He couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
'Has this kid Jiang Che completely given up?'
He wondered to himself.
In the following days, Jiang Che continued his routine of practicing for a short while each day before going home.
Because of this, Luo Kun concluded that he had completely given up on improving.
But this was also normal. For many with average Root Bones, the Bull Skin Realm was their limit.
Rather than waste energy chasing an almost unattainable goal, it was more practical to start earning money sooner.
Nevertheless, he still felt a sense of loss.
The expectations he once had for Jiang Che after he achieved Inner Insight had gradually faded.
In the training grounds, Zhang Xiong, Gong Yulei, and Lin Xue'er watched Jiang Che's retreating back and spoke in low voices.
"That Jiang Che, why does he leave every day after practicing for just a little while? With an attitude like that toward training, I have no idea why Master accepted him in the first place!"
Lin Xue'er said with a frown, hugging her elbows.
After a month, everyone had gotten to know each other a little, so they would occasionally chat.
Although Lin Xue'er appeared to be a slender and delicate girl, she was actually very competitive and trained extremely hard.
She had always believed only in strength and held utter contempt for those who were weak but didn't work hard.
"Isn't that normal? Many people can't break through to the Stone Skin Realm in their entire lives.
"That kid knows he has no Talent and no hope of breaking through. Going off to earn Silver Coins early shows he at least knows his own limits!"
Gong Yulei's tone was laced with sarcasm.
He was now just a hair's breadth away from the Stone Skin Realm, his progress far surpassing the others.
Master Luo Kun had also begun to give him frequent private lessons, paying him far more attention than anyone else.
Gong Yulei already had a high opinion of himself, and now he looked down on others even more.
Although the others were somewhat dissatisfied, they knew they couldn't compare to him.
"Maybe... he has some unspoken difficulties. Jiang Che's Fist Technique is actually excellent; it's just his Qi Blood that's lacking," Zhang Xiong sighed.
Lin Xue'er glanced at Zhang Xiong and said:
"Senior Brother Zhang, why do you think so highly of that Jiang Che? The three of us are all capable of breaking through to the Stone Skin Realm, or even the Iron Skin Realm.
"But that Jiang Che clearly has no Talent. In the future, he'll be in a completely different world from us.
"To put it bluntly, even though we're from the same Martial Arts Hall,
"that Jiang Che has no family background and no Talent. What benefit could he possibly bring us?"
Zhang Xiong was silent for a moment, then smiled:
"When I make friends, I only look at their character. I don't care what benefits they can bring me."
Gong Yulei sneered, "I never thought Senior Brother Zhang had such a pure and naive heart."
Lin Xue'er frowned, said no more, and walked to the side to practice her fists.
After learning of Zhang Xiong's family background, she had briefly thought more highly of him.
She felt that as the Young Master of a Pharmacy, he should have some worldly wisdom.
But hearing Zhang Xiong's words, she suddenly found him incredibly naive. The desire she previously had to befriend him faded somewhat.
She then looked at Gong Yulei, a gleam of interest flashing in her eyes.
She thought to herself: 'This man may be arrogant, but his Talent is exceptional, and he is favored by Luo Kun. He's worth investing in.'
Lin Xue'er was born into a prominent family and had been doted on since childhood.
But some time ago, her father was framed by others. Overcome with anger, he fell gravely ill and became bedridden.
Instantly, it was as if the tree had fallen and the monkeys scattered. The Shopkeepers and clerks, who had been treated handsomely, all slipped away one after another.
Although her family still had assets, their former glory was gone.
Some of her father's brothers were also getting restless, plotting to take advantage of the situation and seize her family's assets.
In order to revive the Lin Family, Lin Xue'er began to train frantically in martial arts, simultaneously befriending anyone she could use and secretly cultivating her own power base.
'Hmph, a pure and naive heart? If I had his comfortable circumstances, I'd be even more pure-hearted than him!'
Lin Xue'er punched the wooden stake again and again, as if venting the frustration in her heart.