17: Chapter 17 Proficiency Improvement

Lin Tian pulled back his fists and stood in the courtyard.

Moonlight spilled down, stretching his shadow straight.

He looked down at his hands—his knuckles were thick, there were calluses on the webbing between his thumb and index finger, and a faint golden luster flowed beneath his skin.

This was the sign that his Qi and blood had condensed like gold and iron after achieving entry-level proficiency in the Metal Element Fist.

He closed his eyes.

In his mind, the thirty-six stances of the Metal Element Fist flashed by like a revolving lantern. It didn't feel like the one hundred repetitions he had practiced over the past five days, but rather like he had practiced for five or ten years.

The angle of every punch, the timing of the force, the rhythm of his Qi and blood circulation—it was all carved into his bones.

He opened his eyes and assumed his stance once again.

The first stance, Golden Spears and Iron Horses.

His punch shot out like lightning, the sound of it breaking through the air sharp and piercing. As his fist passed, the air distorted, actually creating a faint ripple of airflow.

The second stance, Gold and Stone Open.

The edge of his palm was like a blade, slashing down diagonally. His palm wind was as cold as a biting winter breeze, causing bamboo leaves three zhang away to rustle.

The third stance, Vajra Glare.

Both fists struck out together, his Aura like a rainbow. This time, a layer of faint golden Qi and blood radiance faintly emerged before his fists. Although it only flickered for an instant before dissipating, it was definitely there.

He finished all thirty-six stances in one breath.

It was fluid and smooth, full of vigor.

Where was the clumsiness from five days ago?

After finishing his practice and standing still, Lin Tian exhaled a long breath of stale air, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Great."

"The System is truly reliable."

He pulled up the System panel and looked at the line "Metal Element Fist (Entry Level) 0/300" again, feeling satisfied.

Three hundred times.

As long as he practiced three hundred more times, he could reach Minor Achievement. By then, its power would increase to another level.

But he wouldn't practice anymore today.

Combining work and rest is the only way to go further.

Blindly training hard would only damage his Foundation. This was a principle Master Huang had taught him on the very first day.

Lin Tian put away the manual and turned to go into the house.

Two

After washing up, Lin Tian lay on the bed, toying with the wooden box in his hand.

Half of the Spirit Medicine remained.

He tore off the last small piece and ate it, leaving the majority in the box. A thumb-sized piece was enough to support him for another four or five days of practice.

But what about after four or five days?

Lin Tian put down the wooden box and stared blankly at the roof beam.

If he had enough Spirit Medicine, his cultivation speed would always be this fast. Mastering a set of fist techniques in five days meant he could master all five sets of fist techniques in a month.

In another month, he might even be able to reach Minor Achievement in all of them.

But Spirit Medicine costs money.

A thirty-year-old Spirit Medicine costs forty or fifty taels of silver. That's enough for the entire Lin Family Village to eat for a year.

As a child from a farming family, where would he get so much money?

Lin Tian sighed.

Fortunately, he was now an official Disciple of the martial arts hall and could receive a bowl of body strengthening soup every day. Although it couldn't compare to great tonics like Spirit Medicine, its advantage was that it was stable and available every day.

That was already very good.

He turned over, closed his eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Under the same bright moon, thirty miles away, Lin Family Village was brightly lit.

On the threshing floor, dozens of torches turned the night as bright as day. Lin Dashan stood at the very front, with Village Head Lin Tieshan, Lin Bao, and over a hundred clansmen behind him.

Everyone looked solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy.

In the distance, the sound of hooves approached.

It wasn't one horse, but a troop of horses.

Dust flew as a dozen galloping horses broke through the night.

The riders were all burly men with ferocious expressions, long sabers hanging at their waists and hard bows on their backs.

They were full of Killing Intent.

The leader had a hideous scar on his face, running from his left eyebrow to the corner of his right mouth, splitting his entire face in two.

He reined in his horse and looked down at the people of Lin Family Village from above, as if looking at a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

Lin Dashan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed: "Village Head of Lin Family Village, Lin Dashan, greets the Third-in-Command."

The scarred man—the Third-in-Command of the Black Wolf Gang—grinned, his smile particularly chilling against the scar: "Village Head Lin, trust you have been well."

"Thanks to the Third-in-Command's blessing, I am doing fine." Lin Dashan lowered his eyes, "I wonder what brings the Third-in-Command here in the middle of the night?"

"What brings me here?" The Third-in-Command sneered, "Does Village Head Lin not know? The grain for the first half of this year needs to be handed over."

Lin Dashan's heart tightened, but he remained calm on the surface: "Third-in-Command, we handed over the grain for the first half of the year five days ago. Twenty percent, not a tael short."

"Twenty percent was the old rule." The Third-in-Command said indifferently, "From now on, the rules have changed. Thirty percent every year."

He paused and emphasized his tone: "This time, you need to make up the remaining ten percent within half a month. From now on, it will be thirty percent every year, to be paid in full after the autumn harvest."

Lin Dashan's face changed drastically.

Thirty percent?

For a farming family, the annual harvest isn't much to begin with. After paying government taxes, what's left is barely enough to scrape by.

The Black Wolf Gang used to take twenty percent, which already made the village gasp for air. Now adding another ten percent was simply lethal!

"Third-in-Command, this..." Lin Dashan's voice was dry.

"What about this?" The Third-in-Command's face turned cold, "Cut the nonsense. In half a month, I will send people to collect it. If you can't pay it in full, you know the consequences."

He turned his horse around and waved his hand: "Let's go!"

The sound of hooves rose again, and the dozen riders galloped away, quickly disappearing into the night.

On the threshing floor, there was a deathly silence.

After a long while, someone spoke, their voice trembling: "Thirty percent... this is forcing us to our deaths!"

"Twenty percent was already too much in previous years. Adding another ten percent, are we supposed to live?"

"The government collects taxes, the Black Wolf Gang collects grain, we farmers are going to starve to death!"

"Let's fight them!"

"Fight? How do we fight? They have hundreds of men, the Third-in-Command is a First-Rank Martial Artist, and the First-in-Command is even Second-Rank! What do we have to fight with?"

Despair spread like a plague.

Lin Dashan stood under the torches, his face pale.

Village Head Lin Tieshan walked to his side and whispered: "Village Head, should we... ask Lin Tian to come back?"

Lin Dashan shook his head: "He just entered the martial arts hall, what could he possibly do? The Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall isn't owned by his family."

"Then what should we do?"

Lin Dashan was silent for a long time before slowly saying: "Each family will contribute some, let's pool it together. If it's really not enough... I'll go ask my old in-laws for a loan."

He paused, his voice hoarse: "We cannot afford to offend the Black Wolf Gang."

No one refuted him.

Because this was the truth.

The Black Wolf Gang was the largest Gang within a hundred miles of Heishan City, with over a hundred official members, and three First-Rank Martial Artists: the First-in-Command, Second-in-Command, and Third-in-Command.

It is said that the First-in-Command has already glimpsed the threshold of the Second-Rank and could break through at any time.

For such a force, crushing Lin Family Village was no different from crushing an ant.

Lin Dashan looked up at the lonely moon in the night sky, feeling bitter.

"Tian'er, are you... alright at the martial arts hall?"

Lin Tian did not know what had happened in the village.

He slept very soundly, without dreams all night.

He woke up the next day feeling refreshed. He went to the pharmacy to get the body strengthening soup, drank it in one gulp, and then returned to the courtyard to start a new day of Cultivation.

First, practice the Metal Element Fist.

He performed the thirty-six stances from beginning to end. The wind from his fists whistled, and his Qi and blood surged.

With entry-level proficiency, the power of the Metal Element Fist was already quite considerable.

But he didn't get carried away.

His goal was the complete Five Elements Fist. The Metal Element Fist was just the first puzzle piece.

Lin Tian stopped, opened the manual, and turned to the chapter on the Wood Element Fist.

Thirty-two stances, focusing on long-lasting vitality, with softness containing hardness.

He carefully read the illustrations, memorized the key movements of the first stance, and then assumed his stance.

The first stance of the Wood Element Fist, Withered Wood Meets Spring.

His fist technique was gentle, like a withered branch sprouting. The route of his Qi and blood circulation was also completely different from the Metal Element Fist—it didn't follow the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, but the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian.

Lin Tian threw a punch.

It was soft and weak, without any force. Like an infant waving a fist.

He frowned, read the illustrations again, and adjusted his breathing and the circulation of his Qi and blood.

The second attempt was slightly better.

The third attempt was still stiff.

It was exactly the same as when he practiced the Metal Element Fist five days ago.

But Lin Tian was not in a hurry.

He had experience now.

Entry-level is the hardest, requiring one hundred repetitions. If he practices twenty times a day, he can succeed in five days.

He took the last piece of Spirit Medicine from his pocket, tore off a small piece to hold under his tongue, and continued to practice.

One time, two times, three times...

In the distance, several martial arts hall Disciples passed by. Seeing Lin Tian practicing clumsily in the courtyard, they stopped one after another.

"Huh? Isn't that the kid who was practicing the Metal Element Fist a few days ago?"

"Seems like it, what was his name again... Lin Tian?"

"Why is he practicing the Wood Element Fist now?"

"Did he give up on the Metal Element Fist?"

"Can't be, right? I heard he's a Genius recruited by the hall master himself."

"Genius? Have you ever seen a Genius practice so clumsily?"

"Maybe he has already mastered it?"

"Are you kidding me! Master the Metal Element Fist in five days? You think he's an immortal?"

"That's true..."

The discussion floated into the courtyard.

Lin Tian turned a deaf ear and continued practicing his Wood Element Fist.

The sixth time, the seventh time, the eighth time...

Outside the wall, a figure quietly poked their head out.

Liu Yunfeng had come again.

He hid behind the wall, watching Lin Tian's clumsy movements, his mouth twitching.

It started again.

Five days ago, he had also watched Lin Tian clumsily practicing the Metal Element Fist like this.

At that time, he also thought the other party was trash, feeling so heartbroken over those forty-five taels of silver that he couldn't sleep.

Then, on the evening of the fifth day, the guy performed a set of Metal Element Fist with such vigor.

Liu Yunfeng took a deep breath, suppressed the messy thoughts in his heart, and continued to peek.

Whatever.

Even if he can't master it in five days this time, he could just wait another five days. Anyway, the Spirit Medicine had already been given, could he ask for it back?

He gritted his teeth and decided to keep betting.

Lin Tian didn't know that there was a Liu Yunfeng outside the wall struggling on his behalf.

At this moment, he only had eyes for the Wood Element Fist.

The nineteenth time, the twentieth time...

When the sun tilted west, he finished his twentieth practice of the Wood Element Fist for the day.

[Wood Element Fist proficiency +1]

[Current proficiency: 20/100]

Lin Tian finished his practice and wiped his sweat.

At this speed, in four more days, he would reach entry-level in the Wood Element Fist.

There was still a fingernail-sized piece of Spirit Medicine left. If he used it sparingly, it should last until the Wood Element Fist was mastered.

By then, he would go get the body strengthening soup and slowly grind toward Minor Achievement.

He turned to go into the house and closed the door.

Twilight gathered, and the courtyard quieted down.

Outside the wall, Liu Yunfeng also quietly left, his footsteps much lighter.

Moonlight climbed onto the wall, spilling onto the blue bricks soaked in sweat, reflecting sparkling light.

Lin Tian lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

Before falling asleep, he suddenly thought of Lin Family Village, his parents, and his little sister Lin Xiaohe.

He hadn't been back in a long time.

When he reached entry-level in the Wood Element Fist, he would ask for leave to go back and visit.

Thinking this, he fell into a deep sleep.