All matters are temporarily settled.

Li Xian returned to his dwelling, sat cross-legged on his bed, and recalled Pang Long's words.

"The Food Essence Realm, elusive and traceless, seeing Madam Wen in action today was truly an eye-opener."

"Such a demon was effortlessly slain with just a move of her finger. It's like catching a glimpse... of a rebirth in battle."

"These things are ultimately too far from my reach; Qi Circulation is my current goal!"

...

He immediately calmed his mind.

He maneuvered the Qi of the Dantian, condensing it into threads, circling around various acupoints, and slowly extending through the meridians.

Li Xian had mastered three martial arts: the Great Success Fist "Four Directions Fist," the Minor Achievement Fist "Wild Bull Fist," and the Beginner Leg Technique "Clear Wind Leg."

The Inner Qi comes from martial arts.

It gathers in the Dantian.

This Inner Qi will be consumed, but with merely eating and resting, it will naturally recover to its peak, like an endless vitality.

Condensing Qi into threads, it flows within the body.

When the Qi passed through eighty-one acupoints, the Dantian was already empty. The Inner Qi was exhausted and could not complete the major acupoint circulation, naturally failing to achieve "Qi Circulation."

"It seems I am still far from Qi Circulation."

"But as long as I persist, this layer can still be touched and grasped!"

Li Xian had a goal, his eyes brightened like snow.

Desiring immediately to get out of bed and practice martial arts, however, the dwelling was cramped, with four beds arranged and no extra space.

Almost losing his life today also left him indeed exhausted, so he had to rest for a day and fell asleep with closed eyes.

The next day.

Around the hour of chen, Li Xian naturally awoke.

[Skill: Sleep]

[Skill Level: 278/500 Beginner]

[Description: You gradually grasp the knack of sleep, able to ignore surrounding noises and sleep soundly till dawn. During sleep, your energy, Qi-blood, and body energies are all slowly restored.]

He opened the window a crack.

The wind mixed with snow blew in, and the temperature suddenly plummeted.

"Who is it! Opening the window in such weather, have you lost your mind..." Bao Yongkang, sharing the dwelling, was hit by the cold wind on his face.

He instantly shuddered awake from the cold and instinctively wanted to scold.

But seeing it was Li Xian, he immediately held back his words, gave a sheepish smile, and went back to sleep under the covers.

Though it was a snowy day, Li Xian did not wish to waste time and constantly kept practicing martial arts in his mind.

The dwelling space was small, only accommodating four people at rest. There was no extra space for Li Xian to practice his moves.

And it would disturb Sun Kong, Bao Yongkang, and Jia Jie's rest. Li Xian wouldn't act so overbearingly.

So he had a sudden inspiration and looked toward the outside of the house.

"Who says one cannot practice martial arts on a snowy day?"

He tied a rope around his waist, about two zhang long, with the other end tied to the door, venturing alone into the wind and snow.

Braving the biting wind and snow, he began his martial arts practice.

[Though the world is cold, my heart is warm, and though the situations are dire, my will is firm. You practice the Four Directions Fist in the cold wind, gaining +9 in skill level.]

[Though it is the first time meeting the vastness of the world, more strength fills you, gaining +11 in proficiency in Clear Wind Leg amidst sudden snow.]

...

With such rigorous practice without pause.

Sun Kong, Jia Jie, and Bao Yongkang could only mutter that he was a maniac, a beast. Even in such weather, he was still practicing martial arts.

"Serves him right to stand out, Master Li is truly Master Li."

Sun Kong thought of imitating, but as soon as he took a step forward, the cold made him shudder.

Not to mention practicing martial arts, it was hard to even take a few steps.

Li Xian's eyelashes crystallized into frost; his skin cracked from the cold, yet his expression remained extraordinarily resolute.

Practicing forms in the snow was indeed extremely difficult to adapt to. The cold world adversely affected even the flow of Inner Qi, seemingly obstructed.

The movements were stiff and not nimble enough.

This sort of martial arts practice, for others, would actually be forcing growth and hastening results.

Like the "Clear Wind Leg."

This leg technique emphasized the word "lightness," like clear wind brushing willows. The movements need not be fast, but they definitely must be smooth.

However, practicing legs in the wind and snow makes the joints and limbs stiff, making smoothness difficult to achieve no matter what.

This could instead yield counterproductive effects.

Leading to regressing instead of progressing.

But Li Xian was different; his "Heaven rewards diligence" Life Chart ensured that whatever effort he put in, he would surely reap equal rewards.

As long as the method was correct, martial arts would only improve, never regressing an inch.

"Doesn't such a climate also provide me..."

"With an opportunity to surpass others?!"

Li Xian suddenly thought of this, realizing that although the world was cold, it contained endless hope, affording him plenty of time each day to focus on martial arts practice.

With no one to disturb, progress naturally accelerated.

[Four Directions Fist] could gain [260] skill level per day, [Clear Wind Leg] could gain [190] per day.

"Master Li, take a seat, warm your body a bit."

Sun Kong and the other two completely yielded, vacating the warmest spot every time Li Xian returned home.

Anyone with eyes could see.

People like him, unless dead, would only rise higher, so it's best to cater to him quickly.

"No need, you don't have to accommodate me."

Li Xian waved his hand casually.

After warming his body, he went back outside to train, returning indoors to warm up when he couldn't bear the cold.

This repeated back and forth.

Four days later, the snow and wind showed signs of diminishing, and Li Xian lamented the missed opportunity.

[Four Directions Fist]

[Skill Level: 1591/5000 Great Success]

[Description: Practicing the fist in the snow, you self-realize the 'Listening to Wind and Positioning' supreme skill with the Four Directions Fist doctrine, complementing the 'Ears Listening in All Directions' trait. The Fist Intent is powerful and introverted, gradually approaching perfection.]

[Clear Wind Leg]

[Skill Level: 419/1000 Mastery]

[Description: Legs manifest clear wind, improving foot strength.]

...

In these few days, martial arts had made significant progress.

This gain made Li Xian quite pleased. Yet, if there was a downside, it was indeed the simplicity of the food. Unable to go out these days, he had to make do with dry food and hot water for meals.

The Martial Artist's consumption and recovery cycle is key, with "eating" as the top priority.

An inability to consume meat and replenish internal Qi-blood affects martial arts progress.

This midday.

The snow finally settled, and the Nursing Home people all stepped out of their dwelling, letting out a sigh of relief.

The long-lost sunshine bathed the land. The accumulated snow in front had piled up to about a zhang high. Li Xian had been practicing on the snowdrift the past few days.

"Ah, finally out!"

Bao Yongkang shouted loudly.

Li Xian took the initiative to walk under the sunlight, savoring the warmth on his skin. A gentle warmth spread, indescribably soothing.

"Although I could freely practice martial arts on snowy days... having sunshine, after all, is still better."

Li Xian stretched, his body crackling, seemingly harboring immense strength.

Suddenly, he heard the distant sound of gongs ringing.

It was Luo Fang summoning the servants again. The heavy snow left thick layers of ice and snow inside and outside the villa.

The servants would have their hands full, as for the next few days, all they'd have to do is remove the ice and snow.

Pang Long enthusiastically walked over as the snowstorm stopped, smiling as he approached everyone.

"Everyone, get energized. Li Xian, pick a few from the Nursing Home and come with me quickly to a place."

Pang Long said cheerfully.

"Commander Pang, what's the matter?" Li Xian asked.

"It's good news! Hahaha" Pang Long put his arm around Li Xian's shoulder, laughing: "Madam is cooking another batch of Essence Food!"

"While the lady eats meat, we can drink the soup."

"Just as there's a huge pile of snow in the villa, it can be put to good use!"

Saying this, Pang Long whispered to Li Xian: "Knowing Madam's temperament, this time, given your efforts, you might get a larger share of Essence Food!"

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