Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 78: Testing Proficiency

As they chatted along the way, Cheng Zongyang learned about various recent events in the county town from Li Lu.

Gradually, the pieces began to connect, forming a rough outline of the situation.

However, there were many things that Li Lu didn’t know about either.

In return, Cheng Zongyang gave him a few pointers on the key aspects of Body Forging.

Although his own Cultivation method was different, all the knowledge of the Body Refining Skill and the experiences of a Lower Three Grades Martial Artist were already in his mind, and he’d been able to use them proficiently since the day he acquired them.

It was no problem for him to offer some guidance based on Li Lu’s questions.

Li Lu was thrilled, feeling as if he had been given a priceless treasure.

If he adjusted his training according to this guidance, his progress toward becoming an Entry Grade Martial Artist would surely speed up considerably.

Upon returning to the street near the clinic, Cheng Zongyang and Li Lu parted ways.

Inside the clinic’s rear courtyard, Cheng Zongyang quickly explained the situation in the main hall. He planned to bring Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family with him tomorrow.

Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family breathed a sigh of relief when she heard they would be able to meet.

Cheng Zongyang didn’t stay at the clinic. Instead, he took two sets of Medicinal Materials and returned to his own house.

No. 28, South Pond Sixth Lane.

Cheng Zongyang closed the door, went into the inner room, and immediately entered the Wilderness World.

The house had furniture, but everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, making it uninhabitable for now.

He appeared in his small hut at the market. Looking around the cramped space, he sat down calmly on a long bench.

He replayed everything Li Lu had mentioned to him that evening in his mind.

If Li Lu hadn’t been hoping for pointers on the Martial Arts, he never would have revealed so much about the County Town.

’The Zhao King, Ma Fan, and the An and Miao families, making up six noble races, plus the Bai Yu, Celestial Eagle, Iron Bone, and Tiger Head gangs! And on top of that, there are four Martial Arts Halls, one for each district. Things are more complicated than I thought!’

In the past, his trips to the County Town were only to sell goods from the mountains, and he rarely interacted with anyone besides the buyers, but he had been aware of the existence of these families and Gangs.

What he couldn’t figure out was what these families, the Gangs, and the Government Office were plotting.

’The note I received before mentioned three families—the Zhao King, Ma, and Fan—working with the Government Office. But it said nothing about the An and Miao Families or the four Gangs.’

’If they’re planning a rebellion, they don’t have nearly enough power for that. It would be a fool’s dream. And if they’re just trying to carve out their own territory, they wouldn’t just sit by and let the refugee situation get worse.’

’A plague has broken out, and while they claim to be working on controlling it, the situation outside the walls is undoubtedly getting worse.’

Cheng Zongyang quietly pieced together a general picture of the situation in his mind.

But he had too little information. Li Lu didn’t know much more, and there was nowhere else to get news. This hampered his ability to speculate.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Cheng Zongyang finally rose and went outside.

’Whether it’s infighting or a rebellion, it has little to do with me. All that matters is that I get strong enough to get my uncle out of here.’

Next, he began to brew the Tier Two medicinal bath and the ginseng body-nourishing soup.

’I’ll skip the Deer Antler this time. I’ll stew the deer heart instead.’

Cheng Zongyang first set the large cauldron of medicinal bath solution to boil, leaving the ingredients for his medicinal meal to soak. Then, he began to butcher the sika deer he had preserved for several days.

While the medicinal bath and meal were simmering, Cheng Zongyang began to practice his Basic Saber Technique.

It would be pathetic to be an Entry Grade Martial Artist with no Martial Arts to speak of, forced to fight with only his bare hands.

’I’ll try practicing once before I have the medicinal meal.’

Cheng Zongyang was suspicious about how his proficiency had increased last time. This was the perfect opportunity to test his theory.

He took up his Long Saber and began to practice the forms of the Basic Saber Technique.

Hacking, chopping, raising, piercing, sweeping...

He moved through the effective stances from memory. Each Sword Form applied force in a different direction.

Some required force from the back of the blade, some from the edge, and others from the tip. Using the correct method for a specific target was the key to achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Cheng Zongyang practiced the ten Sword Forms, his speed gradually increasing.

Thanks to yesterday’s training, the movements were not unfamiliar.

About ten minutes passed.

As he finished the final, continuous strikes of the Chain Slash, a voice sounded in his mind.

[Basic Saber Technique training, Proficiency +1]

---

Name: Cheng Zongyang

Age: 15

Realm: Ninth Grade (Skin Grinding)

Points: 191

Skill: Archery (11412/20000, Specialization)

Martial Arts:

Body Refining Skill (2/1000, Beginner’s Practice)

Basic Saber Technique (27/100, Beginner)

---

’It went up by one point.’ Cheng Zongyang looked at the Basic Saber Technique line, and understanding dawned on him.

Just as he’d suspected, training his Saber Technique with the help of medicinal supplements granted him double the proficiency.

’Even though I didn’t use last night’s medicinal meal for Body Forging, it still increased my Body Refining Skill proficiency by two points. Excellent. From now on, medicinal meals will be an essential part of my training.’

The medicinal meal still needed some time to cook, so Cheng Zongyang didn’t waste a moment, continuing his Basic Saber Technique practice.

After half an hour of normal training, his proficiency had increased by 6 points. Cheng Zongyang glanced at the stewed medicinal meal, then summoned his interface to look at his Body Refining Skill.

’If eating the medicinal meal gives me double proficiency for my Saber Technique practice, what about the Body Refining Skill?’

It was all something he would have to test for himself.

He began the standard striking exercises for the Body Refining Skill, using a tree as his target.

Without the aid of the medicinal power from the bath, the striking was still quite painful, but it was much less so than before he’d become an Entry Grade Martial Artist!

This proved his resistance to impact had increased!

A quarter of an hour later, a mental prompt announced an increase of one proficiency point. Cheng Zongyang stopped his striking and began rubbing his sore, aching limbs.

’So the normal rate is one point. Perhaps... if I combine the medicinal bath with the medicinal meal, the rate will be different.’

A new idea came to him.

Drink the medicinal meal before the bath, train his body, and then soak in the medicinal bath afterward. The results might just exceed his wildest expectations.

So, when the medicinal bath was nearly ready, Cheng Zongyang waited until the medicinal meal was cool enough not to scald his mouth, then downed the large bowl of soup in one go, wolfing down the deer heart as well.

The effects were immediate.

A current of warmth spread from his abdomen throughout his body, and the soreness and pain in his muscles began to subside.

The next moment, Cheng Zongyang returned to the tree trunk, now mostly worn smooth, and resumed his striking exercises.

Ninth Grade Skin Grinding, Eighth Grade Muscle Strengthening.

Refining Tendons was also about refining the flesh. By tempering the Skin and Flesh, he could strengthen his muscles, enhancing his body’s defense and resilience.

Low shouts once again echoed through the dark mountain forest.

The creatures of the forest seemed to have grown accustomed to the sounds, no longer startled by every shout.

But unbeknownst to Cheng Zongyang, far to the north, a massive figure drawn by the noise had stopped by a large tree. Hidden in the darkness, a pair of large eyes, glowing with a faint blue light, stared at the person by the small hut.

After a moment, it snorted a blast of hot air, turned, and left with a flick of its tail.

Similarly, in a patch of dark forest to the east, more than a dozen pairs of glistening green eyes stared out of the night toward the hut.

But when they caught a scent carried on the wind from the north, the lead creature gave a low whimper and swiftly led its pack in retreat.

「Half an hour later.」

As the warmth in his body faded, a panting Cheng Zongyang stopped his training.

He grabbed a nearby cloth to wipe the sweat from his body and summoned his Attribute Interface as he walked toward the hut.

Nothing else had changed, only the proficiency of his Body Refining Skill.

---Body Refining Skill (11/1000, Beginner’s Practice)

’After eating the medicinal meal and training for half an hour, I gained a whole eight proficiency points! So it gets a multiplier too! This progress is incredible!’

A look of delight appeared on Cheng Zongyang’s face.

After wiping himself dry, he stepped into the medicinal bath once more!

Perhaps because he was now an Entry Grade Martial Artist, his skin’s resistance to heat had increased significantly.

He wasn’t being scalded half to death like before.

He immediately focused his mind and assumed the same posture as before.

But this time, because the medicinal effects were different, a warm current no longer generated from within his body. Instead, he was absorbing the medicinal power from the bath itself!

Instantly, his skin felt as if it had been slathered with ghost peppers, a fiery, stinging pain spreading over his entire body.

At the same time, the scalding heat on his skin was replaced by this fiery sensation, which only served to amplify the pain!

It felt exactly like drinking hot water right after eating a spicy pepper!

This sensation felt as if it bypassed all his defenses, attacking the inner layers of his skin directly!

This agony was far more drawn-out than the pain from the scalding heat!

Every second felt like a year...