Inside the room.
A cold wind rushed in, carrying snowflakes through the open windows and doors.
The curtains and bed drapes flapped violently in the wind.
The loose strands of hair on Jiang Ning's forehead and temples were lifted by the gusts.
The temperature in the room had already dropped below freezing.
Yet Lü Yi, dressed in only thin undergarments and white cotton pants, stood amidst the cold winds, still feeling an unbearable heat surging within her like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
But she was too embarrassed to remove any more clothing.
At that moment, Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes.
Their gazes met, and Lü Yi instinctively crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes.
Her long eyelashes trembled, betraying the nervous turmoil in her heart.
At the same time, Jiang Ning felt reassured as he faced Lü Yi.
Through the Divine Scion imprint in her body, he had sensed many emotions.
But not a single one was ill-intentioned.
Thus, he concluded that the chances of Lü Yi harboring any ulterior motives were very low, and he could place a certain level of trust in her.
"How do you feel?" Jiang Ning suddenly asked.
Lü Yi opened her eyes at his words.
"Still very hot!"
Jiang Ning glanced at her. "You can't take off anymore."
"I know…" Lü Yi lowered her head slightly.
Inside her cotton shoes, her ten toes curled tightly together in nervousness.
This was the first time she had undressed in front of a man, leaving only her undergarments.
If it weren't Jiang Ning, she would rather die than tarnish her purity.
She valued her chastity more than her life.
Silence fell over the room.
Jiang Ning continued observing.
This was his first time testing the effects of the Divine Scion follower.
By granting his flesh and blood, he could enhance another's physical strength.
At the same time, the recipient would become his follower, subject to a degree of his control.
Now, through the Divine Scion imprint in Lü Yi's body, he understood the extent of this control.
He could strip away the enhancements granted by his flesh and blood at will.
He could also sense his followers' general emotions through the Divine Scion imprint.
This allowed him to determine whether someone harbored goodwill or ill intent toward him.
It was an excellent method of control.
Furthermore, he could choose to dissolve the imprint, granting the follower complete freedom.
Once freed, they would no longer be under his control, nor could he perceive their emotions.
This would be true freedom.
All of this knowledge had come to him the moment he touched the Divine Scion imprint within Lü Yi.
The only thing he didn't yet know
Was how much his flesh and blood could enhance a person.
Would there be any negative effects?
Like the martial artists of the God-Worship Cult!
Lü Yi was his test subject.
So, despite her current state of undress, Jiang Ning wasn't particularly affected.
After a while
Lü Yi slowly lifted her head.
"My lord, I feel like my blood is boiling!"
Jiang Ning nodded. "Any other sensations?"
Lü Yi shook her head. "No, just intense heat. I feel like taking off my clothes!"
Jiang Ning: "..."
Time passed, minute by minute.
Less than half a cup of tea's time later
The redness on Lü Yi's face began to fade.
Her skin, which had been flushed, gradually returned to its natural fair complexion.
Just then
A sudden gust of wind swept through the corridor.
Lü Yi shivered slightly and let out a soft gasp.
"My lord, I'm getting cold now," she murmured, hugging herself.
Jiang Ning turned and said, "Put your clothes back on."
"Yes!"
At his command, the sound of rustling fabric filled the air.
Moments later
"My lord, I'm ready."
Jiang Ning turned back and saw Lü Yi fully dressed once more.
She was now wearing a green cotton dress that reached down to her ankles.
There were still a few tiny beads of sweat on her forehead and nose that had yet to dry.
"How do you feel now?" Jiang Ning asked.
Lü Yi replied, "I feel much stronger!"
Jiang Ning's expression brightened.
"Come with me!"
With that, he stepped toward the door.
Lü Yi hurriedly followed.
As they exited the room
With a thought, Jiang Ning
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The window latches dropped, and all the windows slammed shut.
As the door closed behind them, the wind and snow were sealed outside.
At this moment
The blizzard continued to rage.
Lü Yi, wrapped in a white rabbit-fur cloak, followed closely behind Jiang Ning.
The howling wind tossed their hair into disarray.
After a short while
As the accumulated snow on the ground shifted aside
A set of stone weights placed in the corner of the courtyard came into view.
"Give it a try! See where your strength limit lies!" Jiang Ning gestured toward them.
Lü Yi's face immediately lit up with excitement.
Stepping outside, she felt completely different than before.
The bitter cold no longer seemed as unbearable as it had before.
This was proof that her earlier feelings were correct her body had undergone a significant transformation.
From what she knew, martial artists tended to have greater resistance to the cold.
Thinking of this, she cast Jiang Ning a bright-eyed glance before stepping up to one of the stone weights.
She bent forward, gripping the handle of the weight with her delicate fingers.
A piercing chill from the iron handle instantly seeped into her bones, making her fingers ache.
But the very next moment
A look of delight flashed across her face.
The standard 100-jin stone weight was effortlessly lifted off the ground.
"Not bad!" Jiang Ning nodded approvingly.
Being able to lift a 100-jin stone weight with such ease was already considered extraordinary for an ordinary person.
Moreover, Lü Yi's lifting posture was completely incorrect she had simply bent forward and picked up the weight without any proper technique.
Such a stance could easily strain her waist and make it harder to exert force effectively.
This only further proved that her strength had increased significantly, allowing her to lift 100 jin so effortlessly despite improper form.
Before today, she had been a weak girl with no strength to even truss a chicken.
After placing the weight back down, Lü Yi cupped her hands near her mouth, blowing warm breath onto her chilled fingers.
"Your hands got cold?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Mm-hmm!" Lü Yi nodded repeatedly. "The iron on the weight feels like ice!"
Hearing this, Jiang Ning asked, "Still have energy left?"
"Yes!" Lü Yi's face lit up with excitement.
Lifting the 100-jin stone weight had been far too easy.
If not for the icy-cold iron handle, she might have even tried swinging it around a few times.
That alone confirmed her feelings.
Her body had become much stronger, far surpassing that of an ordinary person.
Seeing her determined response, Jiang Ning walked up to the stone weights, placing his hand on one of them. Immediately, he felt the icy chill from the iron handle seep into his skin.
In the next moment
Within just two breaths
The chilling cold dissipated as if the iron had been warmed, now radiating a comfortable heat.
Jiang Ning repeated the process on a few other stone weights nearby.
Soon, every weight he had touched had lost its bone-chilling cold.
Stepping back, Jiang Ning said, "Try again. See how far you can push your strength."
Hearing this, Lü Yi eagerly nodded.
She skipped over the 150-jin stone weight and went straight for the 200-jin one.
Lifting the 100-jin weight had been so effortless that she felt confident enough to double the challenge.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for the iron handle embedded in the stone weight.
Her slender fingers wrapped around the now-warm iron.
At that moment, she suddenly understood why her lord had taken the time to warm the handles.
A wave of warmth surged through her heart.
"My lord is so kind to me!!"
A sweet smile appeared on her lips.
Then, she tightened her grip.
With a single exertion of strength, the 200-jin stone weight was effortlessly lifted off the ground.
"Incredible!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
Lü Yi even swung the 200-jin weight twice through the air, the motion strong and fluid.
"My lord, this still isn't my limit!"
Jiang Ning nodded. "Try 250 jin and 300 jin next."
"Yes!" Lü Yi immediately responded.
She continued testing her limits.
The 250-jin weight was also lifted, though her face flushed slightly red from exertion.
After setting the 250-jin weight back down, she moved to the 300-jin one.
Gritting her teeth, she mustered all her strength
With great effort, she barely managed to lift the 300-jin stone weight.
Her small face flushed crimson, her body trembling slightly under the strain.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning nodded. "Alright, that's enough. You can put it down now."
At his words, Lü Yi immediately released the weight.
Boom
The stone weight hit the ground with a deep thud.
Unlike her previous controlled movements, this time she had to let it drop forcefully.
This confirmed that 300 jin was Lü Yi's current limit.
Yet, rather than disappointment, Jiang Ning was filled with excitement.
Not long ago, Lü Yi had been a frail girl with no physical strength whatsoever.
Now, she had reached the point where she could lift a 300-jin weight with one hand.
To put it into perspective
Even trained martial artists, after reaching the peak of blood energy cultivation and fully channeling their strength through their limbs, would only just manage to surpass 300 jin in raw strength.
And yet Lü Yi, who had never practiced martial arts, was already on par with such warriors.
If news of this got out, people would be utterly astonished.
This physical foundation, with just a bit of training to nurture sufficient vital energy, would allow for a rapid completion of martial arts initiation, making her a Ninth-Rank martial artist.
"This authority effect is incredibly powerful!!!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement as he looked at Lü Yi before him.
He hadn't forgotten that his current Divine Scion authority was merely a fragmented remnant.
It couldn't even be upgraded yet.
And its description merely stated that its effect was weak.
Yet, even with this so-called weak effect, he had managed to nurture a half-step-initiated martial artist in just a short moment.
At this point, as long as Lü Yi underwent some training, she could swiftly complete her martial initiation.
To outsiders, she would be seen as a true martial arts genius.
But only he knew that the reason Lü Yi possessed such strength was simply because of the dozen or so drops of blood he had just given her.
Those few drops of blood had fused into her body and brought about an immense transformation.
Using the same method, he could enable any ordinary person to reach a level comparable to that of a martial artist who had achieved full mastery of their vital energy.
"So powerful!!"
"But I wonder if this will have any negative effects on me?"
Jiang Ning mused internally.
Having given away more than a dozen drops of blood, he didn't feel anything unusual at the moment.
However, his instincts told him that things wouldn't be so simple.
Lü Yi had gained strength, so he might have lost something in return.
But the loss of just a few drops of blood was too insignificant to produce any noticeable impact, which was why he hadn't felt any changes yet.
Seeing Lü Yi's face brimming with excitement, her cheeks flushed with exhilaration, Jiang Ning chuckled inwardly.
"I should conduct another test."
One Incense Stick Later...
Boom
Watching as Lü Yi set down the five-hundred-pound stone lock, Jiang Ning could feel the tremor in the ground.
The accumulated snow nearby even bounced slightly from the impact.
"The improvement is truly astonishing!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
Just now, he had continued testing and had enhanced Lü Yi's strength to the point where she could lift five hundred pounds with a single arm.
Only then did he begin to feel a slight weakness in his body.
It was similar to the sensation of losing four hundred milliliters of blood in his previous life.
Through this, he realized that giving Lü Yi a stronger physique wasn't without cost.
Beside him, Lü Yi stared at the five-hundred-pound stone lock on the ground, her mouth slightly agape, her face filled with disbelief.
"Five hundred pounds... I lifted it?!!"
Jiang Ning smiled upon hearing this.
"A martial artist who has fully mastered their vital energy and harmonized it throughout their body would typically possess five hundred pounds of strength."
"You now match them in pure physical strength alone!"
Upon hearing this, the excitement on Lü Yi's face gradually settled into a calm determination.
"Young Master, thank you!" she said softly, lowering her head slightly.
Jiang Ning chuckled and casually ruffled her hair. "Do you still wish to learn martial arts?"
"I do!!" Lü Yi nodded firmly and continued, "Young Master has granted me the strength of a martial artist who has mastered their vital energy. I must learn martial arts; otherwise, I'd be wasting your efforts."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning smiled.
"Then go fetch me a brush and ink, and prepare the ink for me."
"Yes!" Lü Yi responded immediately and ran off.
At this moment, Jiang Ning felt a slight surge of excitement in his heart.
"I wonder if my improved Five Animal Fist will be effective... and whether Lü Yi will be able to master it!"
With this thought, he clenched his fist.
After undergoing three breakthrough refinements, Five Animal Fist had gained the trait of a Fist Arts Grandmaster, making it fundamentally different from before.
Its core philosophy had also changed drastically.
Previously, it was merely a foundational martial art focused on conditioning and strengthening the body training Heart-Fire Ape, Kidney-Water Deer, Spleen-Earth Bear, Lung-Metal Crane, and Liver-Wood Tiger.
But now, it had transformed into a combat-oriented technique.
Now, it followed the principles of:
Heart-Fire Tiger – The heart is the cage that restrains the fierce tiger.
Liver-Wood Deer – The deer symbolizes tranquility, returning to the deep forests.
Spleen-Earth Bear – Immense strength.
Lung-Metal Ape – Indestructible like steel.
Kidney-Water Crane – Soaring into the sky like the mythical Roc.
The inspiration for the Kidney-Water Crane came from the saying:
"The Great Roc rises with the wind in a single day, soaring ninety thousand miles high."
This philosophy was fundamentally different from before.
In martial arts, the deeper the philosophy, the higher the technique's grade.
For other martial arts, he might not have had the qualifications to refine them.
But Five Animal Fist was different.
It was his introductory martial art, one he had practiced relentlessly.
As the saying goes, "Train a fist a thousand times, and its meaning will reveal itself."
Over the past few months, he had practiced Five Animal Fist countless times.
His understanding of it had reached an unparalleled level.
Despite only training for a few months, Jiang Ning was confident that his proficiency was no less than that of Wang Jin.
Especially after obtaining the Fist Arts Grandmaster trait, his abilities had transformed.
His talent in fist techniques had reached an extraordinary level, allowing him to improve Five Animal Fist after three breakthrough refinements.
Its philosophy had risen significantly.
Now, he planned to test it on Lü Yi.
If she could successfully learn his refined Five Animal Fist, it would confirm that his breakthrough martial arts techniques were not just effective for himself but could also be learned by others.
That would mean others, too, could master Heart-Fire Tiger and other fist techniques.
That they could, like him, draw upon the elemental energies of the world while practicing.
If this were true, then his breakthrough martial techniques had immense potential.
"But before that, I need to visit Master Wang."
"I can't just pass down Five Animal Fist without permission I must get his approval first."
"Before that, however, I need to transcribe the improved Five Animal Fist manual from my mind."
At this thought, Jiang Ning furrowed his brow.
The essence of the Five Animal Fist now revolved around five key figures: the Tiger, Deer, Ape, Crane, and Bear or rather, Tiger, Deer, Ape, Roc, and Bear.
Their significance lay in these five spiritual manifestations of the body's internal organs.
Only by comprehending these five spirits could an ordinary martial artist hope to master the five fist techniques.
"I should try drawing them first!"
"In my previous life, I studied ink painting for a few months let's see if I can put that to use today!"
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