Chapter 6: Hitting a Man Like Hanging a Painting, Breaking Through Mingjin!

「Five Animals Fist proficiency +3!」

「Five Animals Fist proficiency +3」

「Five Animals Fist proficiency......」

When the final posture, “Bird Form,” ended as gently as feathers settling into dust, Jiang Ye slowly straightened his body, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled the turbid air from his chest.

That breath stretched long as a thread, emerging with a faint warmth, condensing into a straight thread of white smoke in the cold winter air, lingering long without dissipating.

A light sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead—not from exhaustion, but from healthy perspiration as his blood and qi surged freely, gently forcing impurities from his body.

Mastered Skill: Five Animals Fist [Beginner, 87/100]

「The fist form is nearly reaching minor mastery.」

A flicker of joy passed through Jiang Ye’s eyes.

「The medicinal power of the Blood-Enriching Decoction has been mostly absorbed.」

Jiang Ye’s mind raced, and he immediately made his decision: 「It’s time to stop.」

He knew haste leads to failure.

Cultivation is like drawing a bow—it must be taut and relaxed in balance.

「I’ll practice again tonight.」

Jiang Ye slowly relaxed his entire body, sat down, and half-closed his eyes to rest.

Since beginning his martial training, Jiang Ye had felt time move faster and feel fuller.

Time drew near to the academy’s closing.

Jiang Ye opened his eyes at the right moment, watching silently as the academy’s vitality slowly drained away.

「Uncle Jiang, I’m leaving now.」

A light, cheerful voice rang out, laced with laughter.

Su Yan walked over, back in her usual light-colored dress, wrapped in a fox-fur cloak that made her seem even more delicate and charming.

She paused deliberately, waved at Jiang Ye, her bright face wearing a genuine smile, free of any young lady’s haughtiness.

「Miss Su, take care on your way.」

Jiang Ye bowed slightly, a faint smile appearing on his aged face.

This girl was rare—always maintaining basic courtesy toward this old gatekeeper.

Watching Su Yan’s figure fade into the distance, Jiang Ye wondered who else hadn’t left yet.

At that moment, another voice, accompanied by slightly sluggish footsteps, came from inside the gate.

「Senior Brother Shi Lei, today… today I truly owe you.」

The voice was soft, deliberately dependent—it was Lin Xiaohé.

She followed half a step behind Shi Lei, head bowed, her voice low but clear enough for Jiang Ye at the gate to hear.

Jiang Ye lifted his gaze, his cloudy eyes scanning calmly.

Shi Lei walked ahead, his expression darker than usual.

Lin Xiaohé quickened half a step, nearly matching his pace, lifting her still-bruised face, forcing her eyes wide, filling them with just the right amount of moisture, wearing an expression of gratitude:

「Senior Brother, having you is such a comfort… if not for you, I truly wouldn’t know what to do.」

Though Jiang Ye found this remark “tea-flavored,” Shi Lei clearly fell for it.

Shi Lei paused, glanced at her, met her glistening eyes, and his stern expression softened slightly. He sighed, voice low but firm:

「Junior Sister Lin, don’t fear! Since I promised you, I will… do my best.」

He offered no grand vows, yet that plain, unadorned promise carried greater weight.

「Yes! I believe in Senior Brother!」

Lin Xiaohé nodded vigorously, finally smiling—though the smile, against the lingering bruises, looked heartbreakingly fragile.

As they spoke, they reached the gate.

Shi Lei saw Jiang Ye and immediately shed his warmth, reverting to his usual serious, almost stiff demeanor. He bowed to Jiang Ye, voice respectful:

「Uncle Jiang, we’re leaving.」

Lin Xiaohé glanced at Jiang Ye without care, showing no intention to greet him.

Shi Lei seemed to notice her rudeness; his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

But he said nothing, only nodded again to Jiang Ye, then led Lin Xiaohé out through the academy gate, one behind the other.

Jiang Ye lowered his gaze, his face expressionless as ever, merely shaking his head slightly before closing the academy gate as usual.

Night was deep.

Jiang Ye was ready to break through to Mingjin.

Having guarded the academy for years, he knew breaking through was perilous.

Suoweikouguan , is to use one’s will as a hammer, and peak-stored blood and qi as fuel, to violently “strike” a mysterious internal gate.

To shatter it at once, transforming scattered blood and qi into a unified force, refining and elevating it into a qualitative transformation—generating “jin force.”

Success means leaping past the dragon’s gate, entering the true ranks of martial artists—power emitted from the body, capable of shattering stone.

But if one fails…

Blood and qi surge backward, meridians are damaged, requiring long-term recuperation to heal.

Though Jiang Ye was confident in his insight, his aged body still stirred a flicker of unease in his heart.

「I will succeed.」

Jiang Ye suppressed his turbulent thoughts, a flash of clarity appearing in his eyes.

He began practicing the Five Animals Fist, tempering his blood and qi for one final push.

「Tiger Form」—powerful, coiled, spine bent like a crouching dragon.

「Deer Form」—light and supple, blood and qi flowing like a living stream.

「Bear Form」—steady and heavy, strength sunk into his feet, rooted to the ground…

Mastered Skill: Five Animals Fist [Minor Mastery, 3/500]

The instant Jiang Ye’s fist form broke through to minor mastery, the blood and qi swirling within him surged like a raging river, bursting through a dam.

Crack.

A faint, yet unmistakably clear, snapping sound echoed from the deepest depths of his dantian.

Immediately after—

A refined, pure force surged forth from beyond the shattered gate!

Jiang Ye snapped open his eyes!

In the dark gatehouse, two points of brilliance flashed like lightning splitting the night—sharp enough to pierce the void!

The light vanished instantly, sinking deep into his eyes, leaving only two pools of profound, faintly glimmering darkness.

Slowly, he raised his withered right hand, fingers curling slightly.

He struck a punch.

Boom!

The air before him twisted invisibly, emitting a crack like a firecracker exploding!

Jiang Ye retracted his fist, standing still.

The deep grooves of his aged face seemed to relax slightly.

A complex smile—mixing elation and disbelief—slowly spread from his lips, widening until it became a suppressed laugh decades in the making.

「Hahahahaahaha!!!」

Hitting a man is like hanging a painting; releasing force is like thunder.

Mingjin—achieved!

Name: Jiang Ye

Lifespan: 80

Destiny: Ascending the Divine Stairway [Effect 1: Extraordinary Comprehension]

Mastered Skill: Five Animals Fist [Minor Mastery, 3/500]

「My lifespan increased!」

Jiang Ye’s joy deepened.

By breaking through the Five Animals Fist to minor mastery, he not only succeeded in breaking through to Mingjin, but also extended his lifespan.

Did this mean that even without reaching True Qi realm, his lifespan might surpass a hundred years?

Who wouldn’t want to live longer?

The overwhelming joy of breakthrough dispelled all fatigue and sleepiness, his spirit soaring to its peak.

Jiang Ye pushed open his door and strode into the courtyard.

The cold winter wind struck his face, sharp as knives, yet left him feeling clearer and more exhilarated.

He needed this cold wind—to cool his boiling blood, to confirm this wasn’t a dream.

Yet as he drew a deep breath—

A faint, yet unmistakably familiar, cold fragrance drifted to his nose on the wind.

The scent was icy, like plum blossoms after snow, yet carried a hint of dampness from bathing and the soft warmth of a woman’s skin.

Jiang Ye froze, turning instinctively.

Beneath the clear moonlight, a graceful figure stepped slowly from the corridor leading to the inner courtyard.

It was Liu Yiyi.

She had just finished bathing, wearing a loose, moon-white casual robe; her long black hair was not fully tied up, damp and cascading over her shoulders, droplets still clinging to the ends, glinting faintly in the moonlight.

Freed from the cold, sharp precision of her daytime training, she now seemed less abrasive, more tender and languid after her bath, her figure still gracefully curved beneath the loose fabric.

“This little girl has truly grown up.”

Jiang Ye sighed softly in his heart.

As if sensing the gaze from afar, Liu Yiyi paused briefly, then turned her head to look back.

Their eyes met.

Beneath the moonlight, Jiang Ye’s face—usually aged, haggard, and etched with deep wrinkles—now radiated an inexplicable flush of vitality.

Not the sickly redness of fever, but the natural, healthy glow of abundant blood and qi, overflowing with vigor.

Especially his eyes: once dull and yellowish, they now gleamed startlingly clear in the moonlight, deep within swirling faint luminescence—sharp and piercing, yet as still and profound as a deep abyss.

This was not the complexion or gaze of a seventy-year-old man.

Liu Yiyi’s cold eyes narrowed slightly; her expressionless face betrayed, for the first time, a clear flicker of confusion and disbelief.

She stopped walking, turned fully toward Jiang Ye, and scrutinized his face and body twice over.

She, who had not spoken a word to this gatekeeper in years, now, astonishingly, parted her lips—her voice still cool, yet laced with curiosity:

“Jiang Lao...” She hesitated, as if choosing her words, “your complexion tonight... seems unusually good.”

She could never have imagined that this old gatekeeper, whom she had watched since childhood and assumed would quietly wither away in his post, had just moments ago achieved a shocking breakthrough—entering Ming Jing at the age of seventy, in a single night.

Jiang Ye’s heart tightened; he bowed slightly. “Thank you for your concern, Young Lady.”

“Perhaps... perhaps it’s because I drank the Blood-Boosting Soup the Master gave me at noon. My body warmed up, I slept better at night, so my color improved.”

He attributed all the changes to that bowl of medicinal soup—plausible and reasonable.

“So that’s how it is.”

Hearing this, Liu Yiyi’s cold gaze lingered on Jiang Ye’s face for another moment; the confusion had not fully vanished, but she found no better explanation.

Finally, she gave an almost imperceptible nod, said nothing more, and turned to continue walking toward her inner courtyard pavilion.

Her damp hair brushed her shoulders, leaving a cool silhouette in the moonlight.

“This little girl’s perception is quite sharp,” Jiang Ye muttered to himself.

It reminded him he must be even more cautious in the future.

With Ming Jing just attained, his blood and qi surged violently—external signs were inevitable. He must quickly stabilize his realm and learn to better conceal his aura.