In September, an uprising erupted in the four southern routes of the Great Spirit.
Zhang Dongqing, a barbarian, and Li Zhi, a Northern person, attacked the county government, looted military supplies, and armed over ten thousand people, advancing to nearby prefectures and counties.
Great Spirit dispatched troops to suppress them. The rebel forces were overwhelmed and dispersed; some fled to Mountain Province's Pingyu Road, transforming into mountain bandits.
Qinghe Palace in Huaxin County.
The bright sunshine scattered the cold mist atop the peak of Qinghe Palace.
In the martial cultivator arena, pairs of martial cultivators practiced diligently. Among them, one pair had a significant height discrepancy.
The man was slightly lean, yet his face was rosy and healthy, covered with fine hair.
The woman was burly, with a face as large as a plate, and limbs robust and powerful; she was significantly taller than the man.
The two practiced together, seemingly reaching a level of tacit understanding. Their counterparts were quite skilled.
"Not bad, that's sufficient!" the burly woman retreated. "Rongfang Junior Brother, you've now mastered all the moves of the Mountain-shaped Talisman. Next, you need to nurture your blood and strengthen your Qi and Blood in preparation for Muscle Forging."
Zhang Rongfang nodded, glancing at his attributes panel, where the Mountain-shaped Talisman skill finally appeared.
It took two months to correctly master the thirty-two styles of the Mountain-shaped Talisman. Remembering the daily efforts for so long, Zhang Rongfang finally confirmed it.
He was just an ordinary person, not a martial arts genius upon crossing over.
Yet fortunately, he glanced at the attribute points at the end of the panel, feeling reassured.
Now that the Mountain-shaped Talisman skill emerged, it was the perfect time to add points...
The previous hiking encounter left Zhang Rongfang with no sense of security until now.
Now, it's up to these attribute points to see how much they can enhance his martial arts.
"Now that you've mastered the Mountain-shaped Talisman, as the foundation of our Great Dao Teaching martial arts, the Mountain-shaped Talisman is upright and peaceful, renowned in the martial world as one of the fundamentals of our Great Dao Teaching.
This set of moves, with its balanced approach, strict demeanor, greatly benefits the cultivator's character training." Zhao Daong explained.
"Senior Sister Zhao, how are martial cultivations divided into realms?" Zhang Rongfang asked.
"Nurturing blood and Muscle Forging, once these steps are completed, one's strength will greatly increase, which is the prerequisite for entering grades. Once graded, a martial cultivator can be considered beyond ordinary people.
Then, there are the imperial nine-grade divisions without realm differentiation but based on whom you have defeated."
"Defeated whom?"
"Correct, martial skills' advantages, superiority, all rely on fighting. The more you win, the greater your reputation.
Here on Pingyu Road, annual martial arts arenas happen in various places, and winners not only receive prize money but also gain fame and invitations and employment from many wealthy merchants and families. If one's strength is formidable enough, they may even attract attention from the imperial court."
Zhao Daong grinned.
"If you're interested, you can give it a try. If not, you can directly go to the Spirit Official Hall, where you'll pass basic grade assessments to secure a position and receive a stipend from the imperial court. But holding a position requires fulfilling duties."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Rongfang pondered.
Securing a position at the Spirit Official Hall signifies the cooperation between the Great Dao Teaching and the imperial court. It is also a unique advantage of sects like Buddha and Dao.
He had heard about this before.
"As long as you complete Muscle Forging, enter grades, can you then take assessments for a position?" he asked again.
"Naturally." Zhao Daong nodded.
Zhang Rongfang sensed something amiss; shouldn't there be real combat between these stages?
"Moreover, what do you mean by 'just complete it'? Starting now, practice Talisman Manual daily, eat and drink well to nourish your blood, it generally takes at least three years! Except for a few with exceptional talent."
Zhao Daong reached out to the weapon rack nearby, picked up a wooden hammer, and swung it with a swoosh.
"Then Muscle Forging requires at least another three years. Once preparations are done, breaking the limit of entering grades is quite simple. Most just need a half-year adjustment, as long as there aren't innate dark diseases; the main difference is how you break through.
Alright, enough chit-chat, come on! Let's do it again!"
Zhao Daong immediately put down the wooden hammer and executed a move from the Mountain-shaped Talisman—Defining Mountain Heart—striking Zhang Rongfang's shoulder diagonally with her palm.
She wasn't exerting much force, merely performing the move.
Zhang Rongfang raised his right forearm to block, while his left hand clenched into a fist and shot towards Zhao Daong's waist.
This attack-defense integrated move was precisely the Guan Yang Needle of the Mountain-shaped Talisman.
Their hands wrapped in cloth, their arms quickly engaged, executing moves and breaking them down with fluid motions.
After the moves, they practiced strength training, lifting stone locks, holding stone spheres, running with weights, and more.
Each exercise was done briefly since Qinghe Palace was a Dao Palace, practicing these merely for blood nourishment.
After a series of exercises, nearing noon, Zhang Rongfang continued to follow Xiao Qingying.
Watching her daily visits to find Chen Wuyou, their behaviors grew increasingly intimate, like a couple.
If not for considering etiquette, Xiao Qingying might have been devoured by now.
For the last two months, following Xiao Rong's instructions, Zhang Rongfang timely prevented their excessive intimacy several times.
Additionally, Xiao Rong arranged another servitor disciple to accompany Xiao Qingying, a female servitor disciple who was often more convenient than Zhang Rongfang.
A day passed quickly, night fell.
In Qinghe Palace, many disciples moved like ants, dispersing slowly after completing their evening tasks as drums sounded.
After paying respects to Xiao Rong, Zhang Rongfang hurried back to his residence.
Closing the door, the room was dark, and moonlight shone through thin mist streaming in through the window.
Cultivator disciples were official disciples of Qinghe Palace, enjoying completely different treatments.
In the room was a wooden bed, draped with a white mosquito net. To the side, a set of bookshelves, wooden chair, a wardrobe, and a candle holder stand.
The floor was paved with smooth gray wooden planks.
A set of formal deep blue and white robe hung on the wall.
Zhang Rongfang retrieved a pair of flint and a fire rod from the desk drawer, lightly clashed the two flints together.
Sparks ignited the tinder, lighting the fire stick, and then using the fire from the stick, lit the lamp wick.
As the candlelight illuminated, the room gradually brightened.
Zhang Rongfang picked up the teacup from the table; the water inside the wooden cup had long gone cold.
He took a gentle sip to soothe his somewhat chapped lips.
After a short rest, he pulled a wooden basin out from under the bed and went outside.
Shortly after, he brought a basin of water back into the room.
Placing the water on the ground, Zhang Rongfang looked at his own face reflected in it.
The reflection showed a thin and long face.
The nose was high and straight, eyes narrow, cheeks rosy and full, lips thin and tightly pressed, skin a pale yellow.
This face was much improved compared to when he first arrived at Qinghe Palace. Especially after becoming a cultivation disciple and starting martial arts training, his complexion had improved significantly.
"It seems nourishing the blood really works, I'm not as skinny as before." Zhang Rongfang moved the basin away.
He walked to the bed, removed his shoes, lay down, and concentrated with a still mind.
Then he raised his hand, looked at the back of it, and once the attributes appeared, his gaze focused on the attribute panel at the bottom of his field of vision.
The semi-transparent attribute panel had changed slightly since before.
'Zhang Rongfang — Life 10-10, Skills: Rejuvenation Purification Talisman Manual-Mountain-shaped Talisman (Novice), Void Observation Skill (First Layer Refined Aperture). Available attributes: 1.'
'The previous lower limit of life was 9, now it's 10, it seems my diligent practice over these two months, eating well, drinking well, and sleeping well, still proved useful.
However, without increasing attributes, the speed is probably this slow.'
'Now, let's see how much the attribute point can improve me.'
Zhang Rongfang focused on the Mountain-shaped Talisman among his skills.
Taking a deep breath, he began to imagine gently tapping the plus sign behind the Mountain-shaped Talisman.
In an instant, the available attribute point went from 1 to 0.
Simultaneously, the content in the parentheses behind the Mountain-shaped Talisman became blurry.
The word "Novice" quickly disappeared.
Zhang Rongfang didn't have time to experience it before suddenly being struck, his mind felt as if it was hit by a sledgehammer.
In that instant, countless memories of his daily training in the Mountain-shaped Talisman surged into his mind.
Day after day, from morning till night, ceaselessly practicing hard.
The thirty-two styles of the Mountain-shaped Talisman were practiced repeatedly, from novice to mastery, to rapid deepening, the understanding grew deeper.
Zhang Rongfang's physique also began to change slightly.
From the previous slender and well-proportioned, the muscles gradually swelled, yet not noticeably, retaining a streamlined shape.
After about ten breaths, he gradually recovered from the dizziness.
Now lying in bed, his body was covered in sweat, his clothes soaked, emanating a strong stench of sweat.
Slowly sitting up from the bed, Zhang Rongfang closed his eyes, carefully recalling the changes just now.
'The previous boost from the Void Observation Skill wasn't this clear, but this time it's quite apparent.
This attribute point boost does not merely enhance skill proficiency, it also boosts physical strength... elevating the body to the minimum level required to successfully execute skills of this tier.'
'Or maybe the skill's advancement to this level naturally drives the body to reach this strength.'
Zhang Rongfang exhaled a long breath, looking at his attribute panel again.
At this point, his attributes had already changed.
'Zhang Rongfang — Life 10-11, Skills: Rejuvenation Purification Talisman Manual-Mountain-shaped Talisman (Mastered), Void Observation Skill (First Layer Refined Aperture). Available attributes: 0.'
"Life has increased by one point, the Mountain-shaped Talisman advanced from novice to mastered. But there's no way to compare strength with others."
Zhang Rongfang slightly furrowed his brows; the attribute panel only showed life and skills, somewhat sparse.
However, he thought again, in real combat, victory and strength don't just rely on martial arts and life, but also on tactics at the time, equipment, physical condition, immediate power, speed, etc.
Even if you have a hundred tons of force, using only one ten-thousandth of it in action would be ineffective.
It's understandable that there's no direct strength comparison on the attribute panel.
"No matter, as long as I can directly advance in martial arts levels, that's enough. I can completely acquire the strength others accumulate over years of martial cultivation in a very short time!"
Zhang Rongfang got up from the bed, swiftly wiped his body with clean water, and changed into new clothes.
Then he stood in the room, savoring the newly advanced Mountain-shaped Talisman.
The room for cultivation disciples was at least five meters in length and width, standing in the middle felt spacious enough to move around a bit.
Zhang Rongfang raised his hand as if holding a pen, drew downward, starting the opening move of the Mountain-shaped Talisman — Clear Breeze Point.
The Rejuvenation Purification Talisman Manual of the Great Dao Teaching originally came from the posture and gestures used in Taoist talisman crafting.
Later, it incorporated martial techniques and training skills, forming a unique Taoist martial art.
In the talisman manual, the first seven talismanic techniques are used for protection, the latter five for medical healing and injury treatment.
The integration of medicine and martial arts in the Great Dao Teaching is quite a distinctive martial arts system.
In the room, Zhang Rongfang punched in a methodical manner, upright and forceful, his footsteps moving back and forth, always rooted to the ground like tree roots.
Whether in terms of moves or speed and power, he was far stronger compared to his sparring session with Zhao Da Cong during the day.
After practicing ten times in one go, he finally relaxed.
"This equates to at least three years of effort!"
He often trained at the martial arts dojo, gathering data on martial practitioners, which were roughly similar. Now comparing horizontally, he had a clear sense of his position.
After a burst of excitement, Zhang Rongfang tossed and turned in bed for a while before extinguishing the light and falling asleep.