It was the dead of winter, and the north wind was biting.
The world was a vast expanse of white, frosty air.
The logs were frozen as hard as stone.
Even when propped up on the ground, it would have taken the short, chubby youth and his two companions considerable effort to split them with their Qi Blood Power.
They never would have imagined that Chu Fan, who had joined the Seven Stars Gang a dozen or so days after them, could split a log in mid-air with a single slash!
It was a clean, decisive cut, without a hint of hesitation!
By comparison, they had been splitting firewood here for over half a month and looked like complete amateurs.
...
"How interesting!"
A sharp glint flashed in Cao Feng's eyes, a look of admiration.
When Chu Fan first came to the Seven Stars Gang, Steward Liu had originally assigned him to shovel horse manure.
It was Cao Feng who had remembered Chu Fan's "Firewood Splitting Saber Technique" and put in a word, getting him assigned to split firewood here instead.
Practice a punch a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself.
The same principle applied to Sword and Saber Skills.
Although Chu Fan's "Firewood Splitting Saber Technique" was just a crude, rustic style, not considered a true martial art and far from refined.
But if he truly practiced it a thousand, or even ten thousand times, it could still lay a foundation for learning proper sword techniques in the future. No effort was ever truly wasted.
However, what Cao Feng hadn't expected was...
That in just six days of splitting firewood, Chu Fan's "Firewood Splitting Saber Technique" would improve so drastically!
'I'll observe him for a few more days,' Cao Feng thought, the corner of his mouth twitching upward as his lightning-sharp gaze swept over Chu Fan. 'If this kid can surprise me again, it would be a fine thing to pass the "Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber" on to him.'
Immediately after, a flash of irritation crossed his eyes. "Where is that rascal Zhao Tianxing?!"
Chu Fan's heart skipped a beat. He quickly explained, "I made a deal with him. He gives me two eggs and some oats every day, and I do his firewood-splitting chores for him. So he doesn't usually come here."
"Using someone else's eggs and oats to strike a deal with no skin in the game... He's quite the little schemer!" Cao Feng sounded disappointed, as if hating iron for not becoming steel.
"And I don't see him using the time and energy he's saving on his Cultivation, either! How outrageous!"
He turned and added, "You, come with me."
Chu Fan obediently followed Cao Feng out of the courtyard.
The eyes of the two youths next to the short, chubby one were filled with envy, jealousy, and hate. They simply couldn't understand what Instructor Cao saw in Chu Fan to grant him the same kind of treatment as Zhao Tianxing.
'Could it just be because he's good at splitting firewood?'
...
The cold wind whistled, sweeping up withered leaves and sending them dancing through the air.
Chu Fan followed Cao Feng past the Martial Arts Arena, through a few narrow alleys, and arrived at a remote but spacious courtyard.
In the courtyard stood a majestic old crabapple tree, its branches gnarled like dragons, etching a stark silhouette against the lead-gray sky.
Along the courtyard wall sat an array of stone locks of various sizes.
Cao Feng walked into the courtyard and let out a whistle.
"FLUTTER!"
From the crabapple tree, a white bird that Chu Fan couldn't name flew down and landed steadily on the crook of Cao Feng's arm.
Cao Feng gently stroked the bird's feathers and said, "Later, go find Zhao Tianxing. From today on, the two of you will live and practice your fists here, undisturbed."
"You'll still go to the dining hall for your three daily meals, but Mrs. Zhang will be preparing Exotic Beast Meat Soup for you to help you increase your Qi Blood more quickly."
As he spoke, a woman in plain, coarse-cloth clothes walked out from the house and stood respectfully to one side.
"Also, give a message to Zhao Tianxing..."
Cao Feng said in a low voice, "Tell him to stop showing off about Condensing Qi and Blood everywhere."
"That fool! The moment he makes a little progress, he's like a hen that just laid an egg, cackling all over the place. So young and reckless, completely carried away by his success!"
"Being so ostentatious, he's bound to bring disaster upon himself sooner or later!"
'So that's what Master Cao was angry about...' Chu Fan understood now. He said respectfully, "Yes, I understand. I will be sure to pass on the message."
After Cao Feng left, Mrs. Zhang stepped forward with a smile. "Young Master Chu Fan, please follow me. I'll take you to the room the master has arranged."
"Thank you for your trouble, Mrs. Zhang," Chu Fan said. "Mrs. Zhang, I'm not the young master of some wealthy family. Just call me Fan."
A flicker of surprise crossed Mrs. Zhang's eyes. She gave a slight nod and led Chu Fan to a room in the east wing.
Inside, the clean bedding was neatly folded.
The floor had also been swept spotless.
There was even a tea set on the table.
It was a world apart from the dilapidated shack he had previously shared with everyone else.
After thanking Mrs. Zhang, Chu Fan went out into the courtyard and began to practice his fist forms.
The wind howled, swirling the fallen leaves across the ground.
[Twelve Forms Fist Experience Points +4]
By the time he finished a full set of the Twelve Forms Fist, Zhao Tianxing finally arrived, fashionably late, with Li Qingxue in tow.
Seeing Chu Fan also in the courtyard, a hint of surprise flashed through Li Qingxue's eyes.
"Is Master Cao angry?"
Zhao Tianxing immediately pulled Chu Fan aside and whispered, "What's he mad about?"
"You've been too ostentatious lately," Chu Fan said. "Master Cao wants you to keep a low profile, not be like that Ling Feng, showing off everywhere you go with a crowd of people trailing behind you."
"Oh, so it's about that..." Zhao Tianxing breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a look of delight appeared in his eyes!
Before Chu Fan could react, Zhao Tianxing spun around, unslung the longbow from his back, and drew the string, nocking an arrow...
"SWISH!"
With a soft whoosh, the feathered arrow brought the white bird tumbling out of the sky!
"..." Chu Fan was dumbstruck.
Li Qingxue looked on with an expression of pure resignation.
"Impressed by my archery, right?"
Zhao Tianxing grinned smugly, picking up the white bird. "I've killed tigers and leopards with my archery! We're eating meat tonight..."
Chu Fan slapped a hand to his forehead. "That's Master Cao's bird..."
Huh?
Li Qingxue and Zhao Tianxing both stared at Chu Fan with wide eyes.
"Er..." Chu Fan blinked. "The bird that Master Cao was raising... Is something wrong?"
Li Qingxue: "..."
For some reason, she had the sudden urge to hit someone.
"...Why didn't you say so earlier!" Zhao Tianxing panicked.
Chu Fan glared at him. "Did you give me a chance to speak? The bird barely chirped and you were already drawing your bow! Don't you know it's not a good thing for a man to be too quick?"
Li Qingxue couldn't take it anymore. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
Zhao Tianxing grew even more flustered. "What are 'we' going to do?"
"What 'we'? *You* shot the bird. What does that have to do with me?" Chu Fan said, then patted his rear and turned to go inside.
Just as he got inside, he poked his head back out the window. "How about you roast the bird and serve it to Master Cao?"
"After he finishes eating, you can tell him the truth. Maybe then he'll be too embarrassed to get angry."
'...What in the world goes on in that kid's head?' Li Qingxue shook her head and walked away.
Leaving Zhao Tianxing alone, a mess of confusion in the cold wind.
...
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, another nine days had passed.
[After browsing the book, Literacy Experience Points increased by a total of 36]
In the east wing room, Chu Fan closed the book in his hands.
It was the Demon Record.
This was a miscellaneous book he had borrowed from the Seven Stars Gang's Library Pavilion.
Only such miscellaneous books were allowed to be taken out of the Library Pavilion.
The book recorded stories of legendary Demon Fiends.
These Demon Fiends were quite different from what Chu Fan had imagined.
A Cyan Snake cultivating into a demon was similar enough to what he'd seen in the movies and TV shows of his past life.
But a Martial Artist undergoing Demonic Transformation...
'Can Martial Cultivators really undergo Demonic Transformation?'
'So am I practicing martial arts or pursuing Cultivation?'
What concerned Chu Fan the most was that this "Demon Record" also mentioned "Pollution"!
The Demonic Transformation of Martial Artists seemed to be caused by this pollution.
Chu Fan couldn't be sure if the "Pollution" mentioned in the "Demon Record" was the same as the "Pollution" on his Map of Mountains and Rivers panel.
Unfortunately, the "Demon Record" only had a few brief words describing "Pollution."
Chu Fan had once asked the steward of the Library Pavilion if the book's contents were true, but he hadn't gotten a single piece of useful information and was instead mocked by the old man.
Zhao Tianxing seemed to have seen a legendary Demon Fiend before.
'I can ask him about it later.'
Chu Fan stretched, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it in one go.
He put down the cup and glanced out the window.
It was snowing...
Snowflakes, like crumbled wisps of cloud, drifted down leisurely from the lead-gray sky.
Fluffy snow gradually accumulated on the bare branches of the crabapple tree, as if coating each twig in a layer of white sugar.
He had lived here for nine days.
All told, it had been exactly half a month since he arrived at the Seven Stars Gang.
In just half a month, he had undergone a complete Rebirth.
[Spiritual Essence: 24.2]
[Pollution Level: 0/100]
[Cultivation: First Stage of Foundation Establishment, Blood Nourishing 97%]
[Skill: Firewood Splitting Saber Technique (Breaking Limit 1st: 1167/3000) (Trait: Sword Swift as Wind)]
[Skill: Literacy (Great Success) Progress: (304/500) (Trait: None)]
[Skill: Twelve Forms Fist (Small Success) Progress: (293/300) (Trait: None)]
...
Gazing at the "Map of Mountains and Rivers" in his Consciousness Space, Chu Fan felt a fresh wave of emotion.
Master Cao had arranged for Mrs. Zhang to cook Exotic Beast Flesh for him and Zhao Tianxing. Although he only got a few ounces of meat a day, his Spiritual Essence Value had been rising rapidly these past few days.
With the Exotic Beast Flesh, three bowls of Blood-Nourishing Medicine Soup a day, and circulating his Qi and Blood with the Twelve Forms Fist, his Blood Nourishing progress had broken through to 97% three days ago.
But ever since his "Blood Nourishing" reached 97% three days ago, it hadn't budged.
Even though his Qi Blood had clearly been increasing these past few days...
From the looks of it, his current Qi Blood was probably at the same level as Zhao Tianxing's when he had first joined the Seven Stars Gang.
To get "Blood Nourishing" to 100%, he needed to condense three strands of Qi Blood Power.
Two days ago, Master Cao had already started teaching him and Zhao Tianxing how to condense Qi Blood Power.
But Chu Fan hadn't tried it yet.
According to Master Cao, one could begin the condensation process once their Qi Blood reached a certain level.
But there was no need to rush it.
When Zhao Tianxing joined the Seven Stars Gang, his Qi Blood was already infinitely close to the Blood Nourishing Realm, yet Master Cao still had him practice the Twelve Forms Fist for a full thirteen days before teaching him how to condense Qi Blood Power.
So, Chu Fan wasn't in a hurry.
Although the 97% figure hadn't changed, he could clearly feel his Qi Blood continuing to increase over the past few days.
The effects of the Blood-Nourishing Medicine Soup and the Exotic Beast Flesh were still working.
Once he broke through to Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist today, he could then condense his Qi Blood Power and break through to the Blood Nourishing Realm. It would be a natural and easy process!
Chu Fan's gaze fell on "Literacy."
The constant increase in his Literacy Experience Points and Realm had made his thinking clearer and his memory stronger.
This wasn't just his imagination.
When his "Literacy" broke through from Small Success to Great Success, he had clearly felt the change in himself.
The change was far more obvious than when it went from Entry-Level to Small Success!
His "Literacy" hadn't yet reached Perfection, but after flipping through the "Demon Record" just once, he had already firmly committed all of its images and text to memory.
An improvement this significant was truly remarkable!
Before, he had to spend several days rote-memorizing the "Twelve Forms Fist" Boxing Manual, and only managed to commit it to memory after practicing the fist forms as well.
Chu Fan took a deep breath, his attention falling back to the "Twelve Forms Fist" on his panel.
If all went as expected, he only needed to practice the "Twelve Forms Fist" two more times for the Fist Technique to reach Great Success.
According to the essentials of the Boxing Manual...
Reaching Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist was a major watershed moment.
It was the point where quantitative change became qualitative change!
Great Success in the Tiger Form would cause an explosive surge in power, and the Tiger Claw could tear through gold and shatter jade;
Great Success in the Swallow Form would make one's body agile and nimble, able to weave through a volley of ten thousand arrows with ease;
Great Success in the Bear Form granted the strength to lift a mountain, and a mere shrug of the shoulders could release an unstoppable force;
Great Success in the Eagle Form would allow one's eyes to see the tiniest objects, and its claws would be incomparably sharp and powerful, their edge impossible to resist...
His Twelve Forms Fist had not yet broken through to Great Success.
But he had already gotten a taste of its many wonders.
After the breakthrough, when the quantitative change became qualitative, his power would instantly leap to a whole new level!