Chapter 71: Medium Jinli

By the time Zhou You returned to the Outer Courtyard of the martial arts hall, it was already past dinner time.

Seeing many new faces in the Outer Courtyard, it turned out they were the new Apprentices who had paid to learn boxing during this period.

With the market in turmoil and refugees moving in, the various districts in the city were not peaceful either.

The government's power was limited, so they adopted a strategy of catching the big fish and letting the small ones go; they had no time to deal with petty theft, leaving the residents unable to bear the harassment.

As a result, in order to protect themselves, the common people had no choice but to grit their teeth and send their family members to the hall to learn boxing.

The goal of these Apprentices was simple: learn a move or two of boxing and possess the ability to protect themselves.

Because there were too many people, Big Senior Brother Lu Qiang could not manage them all, and the Inner Courtyard had recently been discussing changing the method of Instruction.

"Did you hear about the street duel this afternoon?"

"Which one, the Wild Fox Gang or the Mourning Dog Gang? Everyone is talking about it; people died."

"One side used Rock Fist, the other used Mastiff Fist, and in the end, Rock Fist won."

"Back then, I wanted to learn Rock Fist, but I heard that Rock Fist focuses on defense and isn't as strong in attack as Tiger-Subduing Fist, so I chose..."

"The characteristic of Mastiff Fist is grappling and seizing; once it locks onto a joint, it's like a vicious dog biting into meat, never letting go until the enemy is beaten to death.

I heard that someone who learned Mastiff Fist was beaten to death in the ring, and the corpse was still hanging off the opponent, unable to be pried off."

"Hey, that's just right; Rock Fist prioritizes defense, so if you don't let them get close, they naturally have no way to unleash their power."

"In the path of boxing, one thing always overcomes another."

"Not necessarily; there is no high or low in boxing, only strong or weak people. The key lies in the practitioner..."

Several new Apprentices chatted as they walked, brushing past Zhou You.

One of the Apprentices had sharp eyes and hurriedly pulled his companion, "It's a Senior Brother, a formally initiated Senior Brother."

The few newcomers stopped and respectfully bowed to Zhou You, only straightening their backs after he had left.

They looked at Zhou You's back, their eyes full of envy; for all newcomers, the Jinli Level was an existence they could look up to but never reach.

Once they cultivated Jinli, their future would undergo a heaven-shaking, earth-turning change.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

Zhou You stepped into the Diba Lianwuchang and suddenly smelled a charred aroma; someone was roasting something.

Walking closer, he saw Li Hao hiding on a pile of rubble, having lit a pile of charcoal in front of him for an open-air barbecue.

"Sorry, I haven't had time to restore the scene yet."

Zhou You rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed; he had been truly too busy lately.

"Don't mention that. I just bought some fresh deer liver; it's too much for one person to finish, come over and have a taste."

Li Hao used what was available on the spot, spreading a few pieces of bright red deer liver on a stone slab; the stove used for roasting was also built from rubble.

The stone slab was scorched red, and after sprinkling a few drops of fragrant oil, it was very moist.

The sliced deer liver placed on the stone slab changed color and shrank in the blink of an eye, emitting a strong, unique aroma of fat.

"Eat it while it's hot, good stuff!"

Li Hao handed him a pair of chopsticks, which looked like branches broken off from a flower bed.

Zhou You picked up a piece of deer liver and bit into it; the piping hot oil splashed out, making his forehead break into a light sweat.

The deer liver was indeed delicious, charred on the outside and tender on the inside, melting in the mouth.

It was just that the organ taste was a bit heavy!

He smacked his lips and raised a hand, "Wait a moment."

He took two oil-paper packets from his bosom; one was tea leaves, and the other was spices.

He had just been working with Fang Laodie and had casually swiped two packets of things from the caravan—daily necessities.

"Go find a pot to brew the tea leaves."

Zhou You handed the tea packet to Li Hao, then pinched a handful of spices, crushed them into powder, and carefully sprinkled them over the deer liver.

The heat stimulated the spices, and their scent exploded instantly, rushing to the nose.

The seasoning was adjusted well enough; he picked up a piece to taste, and the flavor was not bad.

A moment later, the two of them were eating roasted deer liver and drinking steaming hot tea.

Above their heads, the night sky shrouded Gongliang City, and the sounds of impact and shouting from boxing practice could be heard faintly from other courtyards of the martial arts hall.

"The matter with the stone wall is my fault; I'll find someone to fix it in a few days."

Seeing that the atmosphere was about right, Zhou You made a promise.

"I'm not in a hurry to use it!"

Li Hao waved his hand, but suddenly his arm twitched, and he hurriedly retracted it.

Zhou You noticed this small movement and concluded that he was injured, as his behavior was vastly different from usual.

He knew that this sparring partner was keeping a secret, usually practicing a skill of immense power.

The stone wall separating the Diba Lianwuchang not only protected Zhou You's secret but also Li Hao's.

Hearing that he didn't care about the collapsed stone wall and suspecting he was injured, Zhou You guessed that something must have happened.

The next day, Li Hao did not come to the training ground.

Zhou You occupied the training ground alone; it didn't matter whether there was a stone wall separating it or not.

Four jars of Tiger Bone Wine were placed in front of him, lined up in a row on the ground.

"Tianfu Decipher Confusion, activate."

Zhou You opened his mouth and inhaled; the four fist-sized wine jars were emptied on the spot, and not a single drop of wine failed to enter his stomach.

A notification sound rang in his ears:

"First attempt failed, second attempt failed, third attempt successful, fourth attempt successful."

"Current comprehensive evaluation, medicinal power absorption efficiency 75%."

"Strength +8, Speed +6, Defense +8."

Hmm, the second time consuming Tiger Bone Wine, drug resistance has indeed appeared.

The absorption efficiency of Tianfu Decipher Confusion has dropped, far from being as perfect as the 100% of the first time.

"Name: Zhou You.

Strength: 46.

Speed: 44.

Defense: 46.

Experience Points: 524.

Occupation: Martial Arts Apprentice.

Level: Initial Force.

Skills: Yu Fa Hand lv10 (Perfected), Subduing Tiger Fist lv13, Basic Lightness Skill lv2/l?, Yanxing Quan lv11; Ultimate Move: Wind-Chasing Triple Strike lv1, Tiger Aura lv1.

Talent: Tianfu Decipher Confusion.

Armory: Void Mask (Flesh Magic Treasure) — Change appearance, fake identity.

Trial Project 1 (Two-Star): Break through the Qi and Blood barrier, become an Inner Court Disciple of Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall.

Trial Project 2 (Four-Star): Perfect Basic Lightness Skill.

Trial Project 3 (Two-Star): Master the technique of imbuing objects with Tiger Aura."

Zhou You spent another 10 Experience Points to raise his speed to 45.

Next is...

"Experience Points -130, Subduing Tiger Fist lv13 → lv14."

"Experience Points -140, Subduing Tiger Fist lv14 → lv15."

"Experience Points -150, Subduing Tiger Fist lv15 → lv16."

"Remaining Experience Points 104, insufficient for the next upgrade."

"Martial Arts upgraded, Force increased, Initial Force → Intermediate Force."

In the blink of an eye, the bones and meridians throughout Zhou You's body were strengthened, becoming denser and tougher in texture, while the Force within his body grew thicker, giving rise to many changes and characteristics.

"Thud!"

Zhou You curled his right hand into a claw shape, casually scooped up a large rock, and easily crushed it into stone powder.

With five fingers on one hand, the Force of each finger could be switched to different modes: drilling, tearing, twisting...

Compared to Initial Force, the Force within his body was now more vigorous, and its changes were more flexible.

It could even be attached to his fingernails, making them sharper and harder than steel blades.

Indeed, as his fist techniques improved, the power of his Force became sharper as well.

Zhou You stretched his waist; the skin stretched by his Force felt like it was covered in cowhide, a feeling of toughness spreading throughout his body.

Previously, a knife could still pierce his outer skin, but now, even if an ordinary person held a sharp blade and used all their strength, they could not pierce his skin.

With Force raised to the intermediate level, not only did his attacks improve, but his defense also underwent a change.

Only Force can break through the defense of Force.