Chapter 545: Entering Strength (2400+ words)

Reed marsh.

Under the moonlight, on the sandy beach.

Aaron inhaled, exhaled, his chest rising and falling continuously...

Then, his palms began to move slowly, shaped like quicksand, following his heart's desire; each move and stance was quite methodical, without the slightest disorder.

"Is this 'Quicksand Intent'?"

"It sounds mysterious, but it is actually just a special state of harmony between body and mind..."

After a long while...

Then, he turned around like a walking corpse, not stopping even when passing Lao Yutou, and slowly left Yuyang Restaurant.

She was probably only five or six years old, born jade-snow cute, with a cinnabar mole between her brows that was exceptionally striking.

Aaron's fists slowly tightened:

"I won't go sell fish today; I'll go straight to Taize Prefecture City to truly apprentice... and obtain an Entering Strength technique. By the way, I'll turn the Qingshan Martial Arts Hall's fake tiger skin into a real one!"

'But I am different.'

Dock laborers and fishermen greeted him one after another.

He saw the Smiling Tiger coming over and immediately greeted him with a smile.

"The day I reach Entering Strength, I will go and secretly kill him!"

"With my current strength, I can sell a little more money at the fish market and won't be bullied at will..."

A large school of fish swarmed over automatically, scrambling to snatch the Fish Bait.

Therefore, it is perfectly fine to catch more precious fish to sell, and there is no need to carefully launder money anymore.

"I see that she is also a budding beauty; when she grows up, she will surely not be inferior to her mother, not inferior to her mother..."

Aaron walked toward Yuyang Restaurant, secretly sentencing that tiger to death in his heart.

With his characteristic that for revenge, a hundred or a thousand years is not too late, this debt will be collected one day.

Furthermore, later when Lao Yutou arrived, he glanced at Aaron and would rather squat at the shop entrance to drink than come to share a table with Aaron.

Aaron numbly set the bait, cast the net, and scooped fish... everything became a mechanized Instinct.

"Also, Ge Lao's place needs to be managed as well... After all, although the Red Blood Carp is good, one cannot have this luck every day."

He took out some Fish Bait refined according to the Sea Gathering Residual Art and scattered it into the lake water.

Moreover, the price was also good, with a total harvest of one hundred and twenty large coins!

Two months later.

Aaron chose only Swordfish, Dragon Sun Trout, and other precious fish in short supply, so they sold very quickly.

"What? You... you have reached Entering Strength?"

Since practicing martial arts, his appetite had greatly increased; this amount was actually just enough to be full.

Slurp!

But openly resisting the quota is to oppose the entire 'Golden Fish Gang'; there must be an Entering Strength Martial Artist within the gang!

"Finally, kill that dead tiger!"

"Nannan, why are you here?"

"Mother..."

At this time, there was no need for a bowl; he just held the Treasure Pot and started eating.

Furthermore, within the martial arts hall, Aaron vaguely heard that although the 'Golden Fish Gang' was only a third-rate gang, it relied on the noble families in the city, which could be described as pulling one hair and moving the whole body, making them very difficult to provoke.

'As long as I can make progress every day, even if it is a negligible amount, it is enough!'

He was not stupid, and he would not really think he was a big shot just because of a few compliments from others.

"Master Yu is here!"

"Oh?" Aaron was surprised: "There is such a thing?"

"So... this is Qi and Blood!"

"It's just a pity... even with the Fish Bait refined by the Sea Gathering Residual Art, catching a Red Blood Carp is a low-probability event."

"Of course it's not mine, but whether it's yours, who knows? Haha..."

Si Niang pulled out the pink silk scarf stuffed in her chest and personally stepped forward to receive Aaron.

This carp was as long as a child's arm, its scales were crimson, there was a red line on its snow-white belly, and two dragon whiskers grew near its fish lips... The features were so obvious that one would never mistake it!

"Good fellow..."

Si Niang personally poured wine for Aaron, occasionally adding some sultry friction, which also gave Aaron a feast for the eyes.

Heavenly Intent gradually turned to autumn.

"No, I am here to truly apprentice!"

At this time, the moonlight was high.

"Sigh, something really did happen..." Zhai Yong sighed: "That Huang Dacheng borrowed high-interest money, and after studying for two months, he still didn't succeed... In the end, he even crazily ambushed Song Sanjin!"

Vaguely, he seemed to hear the flow of blood in his blood vessels and felt a special opportunity...

Si Niang's expression changed, the flirtatiousness on her face disappeared completely, and she went over to pick up her daughter and hurried into the back kitchen.

"Eh?"

"As expected of Master Yu, so generous!"

"The word 'grasping' is also used with great flavor, because the human body's Qi and Blood is alive and constantly moving... once it stops, the person is dead!"

"Yes."

"Good... a good Fang Yu indeed."

Furthermore, under the premise of not alerting the gang, using private connections to hire a Force-Entering Martial Artist to commit murder would consume a non-trivial amount of favors, connections, and silver; he was somewhat hesitant.

"Master Yu!"

"Oh, what spring breeze blew Master Yu here?"

"I heard it belongs to that dead husband, but others say it belongs to a military officer in the city; anyway, it is neither yours nor mine."

There are two prerequisites for the 'Flowing Sand Palm' to reach Entering Strength.

It is just that, despite Aaron paying the money obediently now, he is actually keeping a tally in his heart!

Carrying gratitude for the food, he sprinkled a pinch of salt to season it, then slowly waited for the soup to cool down.

Aaron let out an excited long whistle, then immediately frowned: "Ming Jin is consumed too quickly... just one palm strike, and I felt half of my strength depleted; I must continue to refine Qi and Blood to replenish and recover."

Qingshan Martial Arts Hall.

Aaron followed behind Zhai Yong and suddenly asked: "What happened to those few people who were with me?"

"From today on, I am a Ming Jin Martial Master, officially stepping onto the path of Wu!"

Aaron asked out of curiosity.

He pulled the fishing net out of the water, looked at the various fish tumbling and jumping inside, and his expression suddenly shifted.

Aaron said: "What? Still not leading the way?"

Thunderstorms, sailboats, fish soup...

When Aaron walked into Yuyang Restaurant, the voices discussing the new Flower Courtesan, Miss Hong Yu, became a few decibels quieter.

This news would spread sooner or later, so Aaron did not hide it.

At this moment, he had already unleashed the 'Quicksand Intent', flowing without scattering, sandy without being chaotic.

Sure enough, the atmosphere in the restaurant immediately relaxed quite a bit.

Ten or twenty years to reach Great Success in Ming Jin—that is indeed his future!

'If it were an ordinary person, calculating it this way would probably lead to despair... by the time Qi and Blood decline, they might not even reach the level of Great Success in Ming Jin.'

Gradually...

"Red Blood Carp?"

The first is to grasp Qi and Blood! The second is to master the 'Quicksand Intent'!

Take Zhai Yong for example; he can already sense Qi and Blood, but he just cannot comprehend the 'Quicksand Intent' no matter what!

If he had Aaron's realm, he probably would have been able to practice martial arts to Entering Strength and enter the Inner Courtyard long ago.

The pale red fish soup entered his lower abdomen, immediately transforming into strands of gentle warmth that wandered through his limbs and bones.

As Aaron continued to eat the fish meat and drink the fish soup, this heat became increasingly distinct...

Bang!

Under the eruption of Ming Jin, the wooden board split open, revealing a shallow palm print.

Aaron's face turned flushed, sweat steamed off his body, and wisps of white vapor emerged...

"Therefore, one must first sense Qi and Blood, then attempt to grasp it, followed by circulating it, and refining Qi and Blood into strength!"

Looking at this pot of fish soup, Aaron's thoughts fluctuated slightly, recalling that night when he first awakened...

"Does Xiao Chu come here often?"

Xiao Chu did not speak, seemingly unconcerned with external matters; he picked up his wine bowl and gulped it down.

He saw Aaron walking over and his expression was slightly surprised: "Junior Brother Fang, have you scraped together ten taels of silver again?"

If it were the previous Fang Yu, carrying more than three taels of silver on his person would have invited disaster.

Fish Market.

He knew the price of several dozen taels for a Red Blood Carp was the price fishermen sold it for; by the time it reached those who practiced martial arts, it might cost several hundred taels!

"This is a massive profit that I currently cannot handle... but I have no intention of selling it."

"After all, having lived three lifetimes, I am quite confident in my comprehension, but it is useless... this body's Qi and Blood are too weak... making it very difficult to sense."

Si Niang, however, no longer came out, presumably to take care of her daughter, which made the patrons feel quite regretful.

Zhai Yong could not even hide his jealousy, blurting out.

"Mas... ter Yu?"

One should act according to their status and position; this is called being true to one's name, and it prevents one from encountering disaster.

"Finally... reached Entering Strength."

Aaron struck out with both palms, his entire body suddenly standing still.

The waiter said in a difficult tone.

"Didn't I just sell some fish?"

"The weak are prey to the strong; this is the law of Natural Sciences..."

The Qi and Blood that were originally scattered throughout his body, like flowing sand, were grasped by him within the 'Quicksand Intent' as he seized a certain trend and began refining it into a brand-new power—Ming Jin!

Amidst the cultivation, time passed without him noticing.

Xiao Chu's dead-fish eyes turned to look at Aaron once, then immediately looked back at his wine bowl.

"Xiao Chu... it's not that I don't look after you, it's just that I ask you to drink in the corner and not disturb our business."

"That is also true."

"Finally caught another one!"

A group of old bachelors began telling various off-color jokes.

Aaron pondered that since he found it so difficult even with the help of the Red Blood Carp, practicing Ming Jin would inevitably be even slower.

Aaron closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing according to the specific Breathing Technique.

"Easy to say, easy to say..."

"Not at all... This is the first time I've seen it." The waiter replied with a fawning smile: "After all, with that kind of thing happening at home, even if they wanted to drown their sorrows in alcohol, they wouldn't have the money..."

"Hu Ye..."

Just then, a young girl ran over to the entrance of the back kitchen.

"Yo, Master Yu, may your business flourish."

After catching the Red Blood Carp, Aaron stopped Fishing, moored the boat directly at a deserted island, set up a stove and a Treasure Pot, and began to boil fish soup.

"With such perfect conditions, I will sooner or later climb to the peak of the Taoism of Wu!"

"Oh, please come in, Senior Brother."

Aaron was slightly excited.

"Even for the children of noble families in the city, it is very difficult to eat Red Blood Carp... This fish soup is more effective than any Great Tonic Soup."

Aaron looked at his own talent.

Through constant auxiliary movement exercises, the heat flow in his body not only did not decrease, but instead seemed to become even stronger.

After becoming 'Master Yu', there were not many people left who dared to eat at the same table as him.

The entrance remained the same, seemingly without the slightest change.

"Qi and Blood is not blood; it is something more metaphysical!"

Not long after, accompanied by a rich aroma, a pot of pale red fish soup appeared before Aaron.

One of the subordinates looked at Hu Ye gazing at the back of Fang Yu as he left, his expression ugly, and he couldn't help but step forward.

Aaron hurriedly opened the fishing net and grabbed the Red Blood Carp out.

Although Hu Ye was holding the money, his expression showed no joy: "Such a person... either strike them dead with one blow, or do not make them an enemy; one can only be a friend..."

After making up his mind, Aaron sailed the boat directly to the shore and walked to Taize Prefecture City.

Aaron counted out sixty large coins and handed them to Hu Ye: "The money that should be paid, we cannot be short a single cent; this is also the rule!"

Aaron discarded the Treasure Pot, jumped directly onto the beach, and began to practice the 'Flowing Sand Palm'.

Hu Ye cupped his hands in a salute, causing the surrounding fishermen to cast sidelong glances.

"Hu Ye!"

At this moment, another person walked to the counter to buy wine.

The one guarding the gate was still Zhai Yong.

"Huhu..."

His clothes were tattered and carried a strong fishy smell, mixed with other stenches, which made even Aaron, an old fisherman, unable to stand it.

The morning sun rose, and the Light was boundless!

Aaron opened his eyes and pressed a palm onto the bow of the boat.

Aaron withdrew his palm and stood still, feeling somewhat melancholy: "Unexpectedly... in the end, it was the 'Quicksand Intent' that succeeded first."

He really could not gauge the other party's attitude.

Offending a tiger to death was nothing.

Aaron sighed, asked the waiter to fill his wine gourd, and walked out of the tavern carrying the gourd.

"With my Changsheng, not only is my lifespan endless, but my body can also maintain its peak state forever... which means I will not have problems like aging or the decline of Qi and Blood!"

"This person must not be left alive!"

Aaron returned their greetings one by one, but he did not go to join their table to make things awkward for everyone; instead, he sat at a table by himself.

Aaron laughed: "Bring me two bowls of wine, and, oh, bring three plates of white-cut meat as well!"

Splash!

Not long after, fish scales shimmered in the ripples on the lake surface.

"Thanks to your blessing, thanks to your blessing!"

Aaron felt that at this moment, his ability to resist disaster had increased to at least ten taels, or even twenty taels!

"Bring a bowl of Burning Knife, the stronger the better."

A wine guest nearby asked in surprise.

Matching his wooden face, dead-fish-like eyes, and a left hand missing two fingers, Aaron couldn't help but sigh: "Xiao Chu... long time no see!"

Zhai Yong bowed and smiled fawningly: "Senior Brother Fang, please look after me in the future when you enter the Inner Courtyard."

Aaron cast his net and scooped fish very calmly...

"And the Qi and Blood of this body is indeed a bit weak... in other words, my talent for practicing martial arts is not good."

After Entering Strength, one still needs to practice Bright Energy martial arts and refine the skin and flesh of the whole body to reach Great Success in Bright Energy!

Next is the threshold for impacting the Dark Energy of the bone marrow!

Among those dark green fish scales, a touch of crimson was exceptionally conspicuous.

"This item is a great tonic for Qi and Blood, just right for me to use!"

"Si Niang actually has a daughter? This is my first time seeing her."

Picking up a towel and wiping his sweat casually, Aaron came to the Black-Awning Boat and poled the boat to the center of the lake.

But no matter what, he just couldn't sense the so-called 'Qi and Blood'!

"Is there a rush? No rush... take things slowly and they will work out."

"Probably failed at martial arts and went insane? But Senior Brother Song had a blessing in disguise; he also refined his Qi and Blood to Enter Strength and was accepted into the Inner Courtyard."

Zhai Yong's face was full of envy: "As for Huang Dacheng, he was expelled from the Wuguan and then caught by those guys who lend usurious money..."

(End of chapter)