Canglang Martial Arts School.
Jiang Ning's Courtyard.
After finishing his morning routine, Jiang Ning looked up at the sky. It was still early, and sunrise was some time away.
He then left his courtyard and headed to the front yard of the martial arts school.
At this hour, the sky had just begun to brighten.
The front yard was eerily quiet.
The entire school was silent, save for some faint noises coming from the direction of the kitchen, where Auntie Sun was likely already busy.
Jiang Ning made his way to a corner of the front yard, where a pile of stone locks was stored.
These stone locks were usually used by the disciples to train and test their strength.
He had come here to measure his current strength.
Knowing his strength would give him a clearer sense of confidence.
Standing in front of the 300-pound stone lock, Jiang Ning observed it closely.
The stone lock was connected by a thick iron bar, about the width of an arm. The forging marks and texture on the iron were visible, and Jiang Ning could tell at a glance that it was made of high-quality, multi-folded iron.
Only such iron could have the hardness and toughness to withstand the weight of a 300-pound stone lock.
Jiang Ning crouched slightly, his right hand gripping the thick iron bar of the stone lock.
In the next moment, with a burst of strength, he lifted the 300-pound stone lock clean off the ground.
Feeling that his right hand still had some strength to spare, Jiang Ning murmured to himself.
"Just as I thought, the strength in my right arm has surpassed 300 pounds."
Then, he thought back to his previous life.
From what he remembered, the recorded human limit in his previous world was lifting a 300-pound barbell with one hand.
In other words, he had already matched the peak human strength of his previous world.
This realization made Jiang Ning marvel at how extraordinary martial arts in this world truly were.
It was a path to transcendence.
Next, he slowly set down the stone lock and tried lifting it with his left hand.
Gritting his teeth, he managed to lift the 300-pound stone lock with his left hand, though it was much more difficult.
"My left arm also has 300 pounds of strength," he muttered to himself.
Then, he moved to the 400-pound stone lock.
"Let's see if my right hand can lift this."
With this thought, Jiang Ning crouched again, his right hand gripping the thick iron bar.
As he exerted force, the 400-pound stone lock shifted slightly but didn't leave the ground.
He clenched his teeth and tried again.
This time, the stone lock lifted slightly, scraping against the ground as it moved.
"No, I can't do it!"
Jiang Ning shook his head and slowly released his grip.
Thud
The stone lock fell back to the ground with a heavy thud.
Now, Jiang Ning had a clear understanding of his current strength.
The breakthrough in his sword technique had slightly enhanced the strength in his arms.
His right arm could lift over 300 pounds, approximately 350 pounds.
His left arm could lift 300 pounds.
Even though his progress in martial arts was still at the proficient level in terms of vital energy, his strength was already close to matching Xiao Peng, who had achieved mastery in vital energy.
"A normal martial artist with perfected vital energy can lift at least 500 pounds, which is still quite a bit ahead of me."
"But if I have a sword in hand, that 100-pound difference won't matter as much!"
"With my current level of mastery in the Firewood Chopping Sword Technique, the force I can unleash with a sword should be comparable to someone who can lift 500 pounds."
"I wonder if I could take on Xu Yunfeng now?"
Jiang Ning murmured to himself, his brow furrowed in thought.
After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head.
"No rush. I've already achieved mastery in the Tiger Fist, and I have wild ginseng to boost my physical condition. In just a few more days, I should be able to reach mastery in the Five Animals Fist."
"By then, my vital energy should also reach mastery, and my limbs will be fully strengthened."
"My strength will increase further, putting me on par with ordinary martial artists who have perfected their vital energy."
"If I can also learn a proper sword technique, I'll be ready to face Xu Yunfeng. I refuse to believe I can't cut him down!!"
With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Ning returned to his small courtyard in the martial arts school.
He took advantage of the remaining time before sunrise to continue practicing his fist techniques.
After one round of practice:
[Five Animals Fist Experience +2]
He continued with a second round.
[Five Animals Fist Experience +2]
After two rounds, Jiang Ning had gained 4 experience points in the Five Animals Fist and 6 strands of vital energy.
[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Proficient 86/500)
By now, the sky had brightened considerably, and the distant horizon was painted with red hues.
This signaled that the sun was about to rise.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning stopped practicing.
From sunrise until the end of the Mao hour (around 7:45 a.m.), was the critical time for him to absorb the Solar Essence and increase his experience in the Internal Elixir Cultivation Technique.
Once the Chen hour (7:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.) began, the Solar Essence would become too intense for his current level of cultivation.
Although the incomplete manual didn't mention this, Jiang Ning had deduced that absorbing the Solar Essence during the next hour would be necessary to further temper his internal organs and increase his experience in the Internal Elixir Cultivation Technique.
After achieving the foundational level, he tried absorbing the Solar Essence during sunrise, but it no longer had any effect on his internal organs, and his experience points didn't increase.
A moment later, the sun rose fully, bathing the sky in red light.
The warm sunlight fell on Jiang Ning's body.
He waited quietly for the sun to rise completely, as his Internal Elixir Cultivation Technique had already reached the foundational level, and his internal organs had undergone initial tempering.
Absorbing the gentle Solar Essence during sunrise no longer increased his experience points.
After dozens of breaths, the sun was fully up.
Jiang Ning faced the sun and began the breathing technique from the Internal Elixir Cultivation Technique.
With each breath, he felt as if a fiery serpent was entering his nostrils and burrowing into his internal organs.
He remained calm, as he was already familiar with this sensation.
Once the scorching energy in his organs was fully absorbed:
[Internal Elixir Cultivation Technique Experience +1]
He continued to absorb the Solar Essence.
Meanwhile, on a distant high tower.
Shen Congyun, dressed in a green robe, gazed across several kilometers, his eyes fixed on Jiang Ning.
"This... this is impossible!!"
His mouth hung slightly open, and his previously calm expression was now filled with shock.
"How can this be?!" Shen Congyun muttered to himself. "Without the subsequent guidance, how dare he absorb the Solar Essence? Does he not know the meaning of death?"
At this moment, Shen Congyun was questioning everything he knew.
He was all too familiar with the Internal Elixir Cultivation Technique.
It was a supreme martial art he had stumbled upon by chance.
Although it was incomplete, lacking the method for achieving perfection, it was still a supreme martial art. Even at the mastery level, it was no less formidable than any other advanced martial art.
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