3: True Brothers
The Five Animal Frolics.
First is the tiger, second the deer, third the bear, fourth the ape, fifth the bird.
Each of the Five Animals has its own strengths, yet they complement each other.
Those skilled in the Tiger Frolic excel in offense.
Those skilled in the Deer Frolic are better at defense.
Those skilled in the Bear Frolic are adept at both offense and defense.
Those skilled in the Ape Frolic possess exceptional agility.
Those skilled in the Bird Frolic have nimble and graceful movements.
Shenxia Country advocates for the coordinated development of all aspects of the Five Animal Frolics, which can maximize the development of the human body's Treasure Trove.
However, everyone has their inclinations; it's impossible to truly develop all aspects equally.
Li Canglan was most skilled in the Tiger Frolic.
Skilled in offense but not as strong in defense.
After an hour of Cultivating the Five Animal Frolics, Li Canglan broke into a light sweat.
The water from the milk tea he drank earlier had already been expelled from his body through sweat.
Li Canglan mixed two scoops of protein powder, replenishing his fluids while also taking in energy.
For the same protein intake, protein powder was more convenient and cheaper than beef.
[Ding, 214 calories consumed, converted to 0.6 Qi and Blood points. Please keep up the good work, Host.]
"The calories converted from protein powder really are much higher than from beef!"
Li Canglan's eyes lit up, and he Cultivated even more vigorously.
Being able to clearly feel his own improvement filled him with motivation!
At first, Li Canglan was worried that consuming too many calories might cause problems for his body.
But he found that aside from feeling a bit full, it didn't seem to have much of an effect.
"This talent is called Gluttony Desire. The great glutton Taotie shouldn't be overwhelmed by just eating a bit, right?"
With this thought, Li Canglan began to Cultivate and eat like crazy.
It wasn't until eleven o'clock that he washed up and returned to his room to rest.
The moment his head hit the pillow, he instantly fell asleep.
The sleep of a baby—you deserve to have it!
Martial Artists have heightened mental energy and don't require as much sleep.
But sleep allows for more energetic Cultivation the next day.
So Li Canglan always maintained the good habit of going to bed early and waking up early.
Early the next morning.
After a night of Cultivation, Li Canglan's Qi and Blood points had reached 78.3!
And this was under the condition that he had only activated his talent the previous evening.
A hearty breakfast once again provided Li Canglan with 0.8 Qi and Blood points.
He also prepared a cup of protein powder to drink on the way.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Canglan, are you up? Time for school."
Zhang Ganchao's voice came from outside the door.
"What are you up to so early in the morning, you rascal?"
Li Canglan opened the door and was taken aback to see Zhang Ganchao with slightly bloodshot eyes.
"What happened to you? Did you argue with your parents?"
"It's nothing."
Seeing that Li Canglan wasn't completely dejected, Zhang Ganchao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, he took out a bottle of a red, blood-like potion and handed it to Li Canglan.
"This is... a Blood Tempering Agent?"
Li Canglan recognized the potion at a glance.
By now, how could he not understand the situation?
"This is too valuable. I can't accept it."
Li Canglan politely declined Zhang Ganchao's kindness.
Zhang Ganchao's family circumstances weren't much better than his own.
Both his parents were salaried workers, their combined monthly income barely reaching eight thousand yuan.
Supporting a family of three on that income left little room for buying something like a Blood Tempering Agent.
Saving every penny to provide Zhang Ganchao with one bottle of Blood Tempering Agent a month, hoping he could get into a higher-tier Martial Arts academy, was already their limit.
Zhang Ganchao forcibly shoved the potion into Li Canglan's hand.
"I know my own limits. Even with a Blood Tempering Agent, at best I can only get into an ordinary Martial Arts academy."
"Canglan, but you're different."
Zhang Ganchao's expression turned uncharacteristically serious.
"You have a real shot at getting into a key academy. As long as you can defeat Xu Yifan in a week, you can reclaim your Martial Skill!"
"With that Martial Skill, your chances of getting into a key academy would be almost guaranteed."
"But..."
Before Li Canglan could finish, Zhang Ganchao cut him off.
"Stop being so wishy-washy with me. You can just pay me back more later."
"What's with being so clear-cut between brothers?"
Hearing Zhang Ganchao's words, Li Canglan fell silent.
After a long while, Li Canglan finally said solemnly,
"Alright. I definitely won't let you down."
"Now that's more like it!"
Zhang Ganchao gave Li Canglan a hearty slap on the shoulder and grinned.
Finding a quiet spot, Li Canglan opened the Blood Tempering Agent.
[Blood Tempering Agent: Suitable for those training in martial arts below the Martial Artist level. Can be devoured.]
"Let me see what this five-thousand-yuan bottle of Blood Tempering Agent is really like."
He swallowed the Blood Tempering Agent, which was filled with a strong, bloody scent, in one gulp.
The innate skill "Gluttony Desire" immediately began to operate on its own.
The Blood Tempering Agent contained an extremely dense amount of blood Qi.
But most people could only absorb a portion of its energy to temper their bodies.
Li Canglan felt the Blood Tempering Agent transform into a warm current, rampaging through his body.
Within mere seconds, he felt his own Qi and Blood rapidly increase.
[Ding, Blood Tempering Agent consumed, converted to 10 Qi and Blood points. Please keep up the good work, Host.]
"Only 10 Qi and Blood points from one bottle?"
Having gained three points just last night, Li Canglan was somewhat dissatisfied with the Blood Tempering Agent's effect.
If others knew that Li Canglan had instantly gained ten Qi and Blood points and was still unsatisfied...
They'd probably want to kill him on the spot!
For others, taking one bottle of Blood Tempering Agent and Cultivating with it, gaining around one Qi and Blood point was already considered the peak!
Li Canglan gained a full ten points, yet he still wasn't content!
However, Li Canglan also understood the principle of greed knowing no bounds.
Although raising Qi and Blood by consuming calories was cheap, a person could only eat so much before getting full.
The greatest advantage of the Blood Tempering Agent was that you didn't have to worry about getting full.
As long as he had a sufficient quantity of Blood Tempering Agents, he could absorb them without limit.
The moment Li Canglan opened his eyes, Zhang Ganchao instinctively felt he seemed to have undergone some change.
He looked at Li Canglan nervously,
"Canglan, how was it?"
"The effect was excellent."
Moved, Li Canglan put his arm around Zhang Ganchao's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll pay you back double for this Blood Tempering Agent very soon."
"Good." This time, Zhang Ganchao didn't refuse either, replying with a simple, honest smile,
"I'm counting on clinging to your coattails."
The two brothers chatted and laughed as they boarded the bus that had just arrived at the stop.
Half an hour later, the bus reached their stop.
After getting off, the two used every ounce of their strength to sprint towards the classroom.
Taking the Blood Tempering Agent had wasted a bit of time; they were about to be late!
"Damn, Canglan, wait for me!"
Seeing Li Canglan instantly leave him far behind, Zhang Ganchao panicked.
How had this guy gotten so fast overnight?
Only then did Li Canglan belatedly realize.
He had increased his Qi and Blood by over ten points, yet he didn't feel the slightest bit unaccustomed to it.