Not far away, Sun Yong stood with his hands behind his back, his piercing gaze locked onto Yang Jing’s every movement.

He watched Yang Jing throw a punch toward a bluestone pillar at the edge of the grounds. Even before the fist arrived, a fine layer of white frost bloomed across the stone’s surface.

It was a sign of overflowing Inner Strength. He couldn’t help but nod slightly, but just as Yang Jing was retracting his fist, he called out, "Hold."

Hearing the voice, Yang Jing relaxed his stance. He was panting lightly, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He bowed and said, "Master."

Sun Yong walked over and pointed to his right shoulder. "The Mountain-Shattering Fist emphasizes that ’power rises from the ground, and strength erupts from the spine.’ With that last punch, your shoulder and neck were too tense. The force got stuck at your shoulder blade and wasn’t fully channeled through your wrist. It looked mighty, but in reality, you wasted thirty percent of your power."

He placed his palm on Yang Jing’s shoulder and gave it a gentle push. "Relax. Imagine your arm is a whip—your shoulder the handle, your fist the tip. When you exert force, the strength must flow like water from the soles of your feet up your spine and into your fist, all in one fluid motion."

Yang Jing closed his eyes to internalize the feeling for a moment, then once again assumed the starting stance.

This time, he consciously relaxed his shoulder and neck. As he sank his waist and rotated his hips, he truly felt a warm current rise from his Dantian, spread up his spine into his arm, and when he threw the punch, the muffled THUD was even deeper. The bluestone pillar actually wobbled slightly.

"Mm, that’s more like it."

Sun Yong stroked his beard and smiled. "The Mountain-Shattering Fist isn’t just about ferocious power; it’s more important to understand how to ’gather momentum.’ It’s like drawing a bow. You must first pull the string taut to shoot an arrow that can pierce the clouds. Your Dark Energy is stable now. What you lack is fine control over your power. You must learn to focus every ounce of strength where it counts most. Only then will the Mountain-Shattering Fist truly possess the might to shatter mountains and crack stone."

Yang Jing nodded in understanding and began to practice again.

The other disciples in the Martial Arts Hall saw all of this. Ever since Lin Yue was seriously injured and began recuperating, the Master’s high regard for Yang Jing had become increasingly obvious.

Every day, Sun Yong spent the most time instructing Yang Jing. Occasionally, he would even keep him behind for private lessons on the finer points of his Cultivation Technique. This level of dedication was something the other disciples had never received.

Time flowed by slowly.

Yang Jing had been practicing in the courtyard for nearly two hours. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking his collar, but his breathing remained steady and deep.

Seeing him finish his set and stand still, Sun Yong said, "Jing’Er, come with me to the inner courtyard."

Yang Jing was a little puzzled. ’Usually, after giving me pointers on my fist techniques, Master just lets me practice and figure things out on my own. Why the sudden summons to the inner courtyard today?’

But he didn’t ask any questions. He simply bowed, answered, "Yes," and followed closely behind Sun Yong.

They passed through the Moon Gate that separated the front and inner courtyards, arriving in the latter.

A few stalks of emerald bamboo grew in the courtyard, and the bluestone path was spotless, exuding an air of quiet seclusion.

Yang Jing followed his master straight into the study on the east side.

The study wasn’t large. A few bookshelves lined the walls, piled high with books and various journals. A pear wood desk sat by the window, fully equipped with a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone. An opened fist manual lay spread out on its surface.

Sun Yong walked behind the desk and sat down, gesturing for Yang Jing to sit opposite him. Then, he reached out, pulled open a drawer, and took out two porcelain vials, placing them on the desk.

The porcelain vials were about the size of his palm, pure white, and sealed with cork stoppers.

"Those Qi Storage Pills I gave you last time should be almost gone by now," Sun Yong said, pushing the two vials toward Yang Jing. "Take these two. Continue accumulating your Inner Strength and reach the Peak of Dark Energy as soon as possible. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for your breakthrough. Strive for constant effort to wear down that bottleneck, just as dripping water penetrates stone!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Yes, Master."

These days, Yang Jing consumed a Qi Storage Pill almost every day to aid his cultivation.

The Elixirs he had received from his master last time were indeed almost gone.

He didn’t refuse, stepping forward to pick up the vials. They felt heavy in his hand, and he could feel the weight of the Elixirs inside.

"Thank you, Master," Yang Jing said with a cupped-fist salute, his tone sincere.

’He knew these Elixirs were incredibly valuable. For his master to be so generous meant he truly wanted to cultivate his talent.’

Sun Yong waved his hand dismissively. His gaze fell on the vials in Yang Jing’s hands. He paused, then changed the subject. "As for your nutritional regimen, how is that going?"

At this, Yang Jing answered truthfully, "Master, regarding my diet, I primarily eat the meat of ferocious beasts, such as tigers and mountain bears, every day. I also frequently eat Spirit Fish. While Spirit Fish are just the most common type of Exotic Beast, their ability to nourish qi and blood is much stronger than that of ordinary beast meat."

Sun Yong nodded and pressed, "And those Spirit Fish, how many can you get per month?"

"I hold a position at Fourth Senior Brother’s family’s Liu’s Medical Hall," Yang Jing explained. "After I made the rankings in the training ground trials, the medical hall increased my benefits. The number of Spirit Fish I receive went from five per month up to ten."

Hearing this, Sun Yong’s brow furrowed slightly, and his fingertips tapped gently on the desktop.

’Of course, he knew about Spirit Fish. While they counted as Exotic Beasts, they were the lowest tier, not even ranking among proper Exotic Beast Meat. Their nourishing effects were limited.’

’Ten a month might sound like a lot, but for a Dark Energy expert like Yang Jing, who was cultivating two martial arts at once and needed to make rapid progress, it was far from enough.’

’Besides, he knew that Liu’s Medical Hall was, at the end of the day, barely a second-rate power in the county. It couldn’t compare to the great families with their centuries of heritage. Providing ten Spirit Fish a month for Yang Jing was already the absolute best they could do. To ask for more would be to impose on them.’

’But... Yang Jing’s talent shouldn’t be held back by a lack of resources.’

’Before discovering his talent, it wouldn’t have mattered. But now that he’d found this uncut gem, and since the boy had become his disciple, he absolutely could not let his potential be wasted.’

Sun Yong’s gaze settled on Yang Jing as he asked, "From what I know, after you made the rankings in the training ground trials a month ago, quite a few factions in the city extended an olive branch to you, didn’t they? I heard that even the Chen Family and the Jiang Family, from among the Six Great Families, showed interest. The terms they offered must have been far more generous than those from Liu’s Medical Hall. Why did you refuse them all?"

Yang Jing didn’t hesitate, replying frankly, "The terms from those major powers were certainly tempting. Some promised a monthly supply of ten pounds of high-grade Exotic Beast Meat, while others offered access to manuscripts of advanced Cultivation Techniques. But after thinking it over, I realized their demands were also great. They either wanted me to join their clan as a Guest Minister, which would require me to be on call to handle their affairs, or they wanted me to sign a contract binding me to a certain amount of service, including external missions. All of that would drain too much of my energy and interfere with my training, so I refused them all."

Upon hearing this, a smile of approval appeared on Sun Yong’s face. He stroked his beard and said, "Good. Excellent. The pure heart of one dedicated to the Martial Dao. On the path of martial arts, the greatest taboo is being indecisive and distracted. For you to be able to hold onto your original intention is a rare thing indeed."

At that moment, he couldn’t help but think of Lin Yue.

Lin Yue was someone who had stumbled on this very point.

If Lin Yue had been able to hold onto his original intention like Yang Jing, remaining unshaken in the face of recruitment attempts by those major powers and focusing on his own Martial Dao, he wouldn’t have met with his current disaster.

What a pity...

Sun Yong sighed. After a moment of silence, as if he had made up his mind, he slowly took an object out from within his robes.

It was a palm-sized wooden plaque, dark brown and hard. On the front, the character for "Sun" was carved in a simple, archaic script. The strokes were powerful, and it faintly exuded a commanding presence.

The back was engraved with numerous complex patterns, resembling clouds or perhaps dragons. Upon closer inspection, one could see a hidden order within them, marking it as no ordinary object.

Sun Yong held the wooden plaque out to Yang Jing and said in a deep voice, "Take this."

Yang Jing’s eyes fell on the wooden plaque. Before he could reach for it, he heard his master continue, "With this Token, you can go to the Exotic Beast Pavilion in the Inner City each month and collect twenty pounds of high-grade Exotic Beast Meat."

"What?" Yang Jing’s heart leaped in his chest, and a look of shock appeared on his face.

’He was no longer the naive country boy he once was, completely ignorant of the resources needed for the Martial Dao.’

’A Spirit Fish, the most common type of Exotic Beast, sold on the market for more than twenty taels each.’

’The value of high-grade Exotic Beast Meat far surpassed that of Spirit Fish. It was said to be choice meat taken from Exotic Beasts that truly contained Spiritual Qi, and it had miraculous effects on nourishing a Martial Artist’s qi and blood and refining their Inner Strength. On the market, a single pound cost at least fifty to sixty taels of silver, sometimes even more, and it was often unavailable even if one had the money.’

’And his master’s Token could get him twenty pounds of it every month?’

Yang Jing did a quick mental calculation. ’Twenty pounds of high-grade Exotic Beast Meat, at market price, was worth at least one thousand taels of silver, if not more!’

’A gesture of this magnitude was far more generous than the promises made by the Chen Family and the Jiang Family.’

He stared blankly at the wooden plaque in Sun Yong’s hand, momentarily forgetting to take it.