They ate until midnight. Li Xian was so full that he covered the remaining tiger carcass with snow and just left it in the courtyard.

He then went to bed to rest.

Upon his first arrival at Black River Village, he safely passed his first night.

The next day, the rooster crowed in the east.

Li Xian stretched lazily, making a "crackling" sound from his bones. At fifteen, although born poor, he used resources from various places and grew "strong muscles and robust bones".

It snowed last night.

But Li Xian didn't feel cold at all, even sweating a bit, thanks to consuming the Pure Yang Beast, which kept him warm.

He had long developed a habit of morning runs, activating his Qi-Blood, and applied ice and snow to his face, feeling invigorated all over.

Then he began practicing martial arts.

[You rise to practice at dawn, working diligently on your fists, Skill Level +1]

[You punch towards the sun, your Qi-Blood overflowing, Skill Level +1]

The early sunlight shone on Li Xian.

The Four Directions Fist was already perfect, and as he swung, it carried quite a momentum, with a unique flavor belonging entirely to Li Xian.

"When I was in the village, I had to hide my skills and couldn't show my Perfect Fist Technique."

"Now in Black River Village, I am free and can practice my fists as I please."

Li Xian deeply appreciated the rarity of freedom.

[Four Directions Fist]

[Skill Level: 499/10000 Perfection]

He practiced freely, completely undisturbed, without any patrol or miscellaneous duties burdening him.

He practiced steadily until noon.

[Four Directions Fist]

[Skill Level: 568/10000 Perfection]

The steady progress brought him joy. He wiped off some sweat, ate a simple meal of tiger meat, and then went into the village to find Fu Bo.

"Sir, are you getting used to living here?"

Fu Bo saw Li Xian coming and didn't dare to be careless.

"It's fine," Li Xian said, "I'm new here and not very familiar with the place. I would appreciate it if Fu Bo could assign someone to show me around."

Fu Bo said, "I can do that, I grew up here, and no one knows it better than me."

"I'm just worried that Fu Bo might find it too tiring," Li Xian laughed, "I plan to conduct field investigations, climbing mountains and crossing waters."

"Ah!" Fu Bo exclaimed, "You… you mean to leave the village?"

He said solemnly, "Sir, it's not to stop you, but there are many tiger beasts in these mountains and forests. The previous nursing home guard... was killed by a tiger."

"Besides, apart from the beasts, the human threats are equally concerning. The Mountain Wind Stronghold by the hills and the Black Water Gang by the river are notorious, ruthless entities."

Li Xian said, "I mainly want to see the farmland and the water-drawing and wood-cutting places nearby. No need to worry."

Upon hearing this, Fu Bo felt relieved. Due to his age, he truly wasn't suited to lead the way himself. Therefore, he called his son to guide, a middle-aged man in his forties.

His name was Fu Kang.

"Sir, please follow me," Fu Kang bowed and said.

The external nursing home's duty was to look after the firewood and protect the forest, guard the fields, and safeguard the village.

The village was divided by wealth, and guarding the rich village was quite a comfortable life. However, guarding the poor village was fraught with dangers.

Black River Village covered three thousand mu of land, owned by the lady, and there were over a hundred tenant-farming households for her.

The farmland was located at the eastern entrance of the village, and farming had halted for winter. The place for fetching water was a small creek on the adjacent mountain.

Here, the creek flowed continuously throughout the year, very important to the villagers.

"Brother Fu, what do you think is the most dangerous thing?" Li Xian asked casually.

"Dangerous?" Fu Kang thought for a moment and said, "There are too many to count; our village loses people every year."

"The dangers are numerous; wild beasts and venomous snakes are secondary. The real threat is from the Mountain Wind Stronghold and Black Water Gang, who press people to death."

"The Black Water Gang tightly controls the water source, allowing no one to use it. Meanwhile, the Mountain Wind Stronghold robs grain; even when the harvest is scarce, they plunder it thoroughly."

"If you refuse to hand over the grain, you might be beaten to death. If you do, you risk freezing or starving to death."

"Fortunately, there are some fruits in the mountains. If starving, you can gather a group to go up the mountains to collect fruit to stave off hunger."

"That offers a slim chance of survival."

"But then again, when picking fruit in the mountains, the wild ones don't show restraint. Alas."

While speaking, the two arrived at a gully.

Fu Kang pointed downwards and said, "This used to be a river vein, but the neighboring Red River Village, with connections to a Banner Bearer in the Black Water Gang, had the villagers secretly dig channels to divert the water."

"Heh, they actually succeeded, leaving us with no water to use, and we even have to beg them."

The riverbed stretched seven to eight zhang wide, extending into the depths of the mountain.

Li Xian bent down to observe and found the riverbed dry, but the vegetation inside was lush and prosperous, like spring. However, on both sides of the river's edge, snow piled up like a blanket.

He extended his hand over the riverbed.

He sensed a slight warmth.

"Sir, did you notice something unusual?" Fu Kang asked.

"Nothing much," Li Xian replied. "Don't you find the lush vegetation here curious?"

Fu Kang said, "What's so curious about it?"

He hadn't thought much about it at all.

"Indeed."

Li Xian stopped asking further questions. These villagers, even having enough to eat and drink was a problem for them, "curiosity" was a luxury too far.

...

...

The stove was brewing Tiger Soup.

In the courtyard.

Li Xian was diligently practicing his fist techniques.

On this initial exploration, it became clear that Black River Village harbored many dangers. Only by quickly enhancing his abilities could he ensure his own safety.

[Skill Level +1]

[Skill Level +1]

Li Xian threw his fists together in unison.

After mastering the Four Directions Fist, his punches flowed smoothly and freely, always bringing a feeling of ease and naturalness.

Using both fists, focusing on two things at once, his power doubled.

[Four Directions Fist]

[Skill Level: 620/10000 Perfection]

When his hands began to shake and his muscles and bones ached, Li Xian switched to practice leg techniques, practicing the Clear Wind Leg, while clearing snow from the courtyard with his leg wind.

[Clear Wind Leg]

[Skill Level: 345/5000 Great Success]

[Jade Palm]

[Skill Level: 219/2000 Mastery]

...

Ordinary Martial Artists should not practice too many Martial Arts in one day, lest their Qi-Blood reverse, counterproductively. If moves are remembered incorrectly, there's even a risk of ruining one's martial art practice.

Practicing one or two skills is enough.

Li Xian believed in Heaven rewards diligence, so he wasn't constrained by this. But there are only twelve hours in a day, and including the Daluo Saber, it meant four martial arts.

If all were practiced equally.

They could progress together, but it would inevitably slow progress.

"Better to concentrate time and specialize in two martial arts each day."

Li Xian made up his mind.

He would focus on the "Four Directions Fist" and the "Clear Wind Leg." These two martial arts were the first Li Xian learned, accompanying him as his situation improved.

From D-class to B-class. Now stationed elsewhere, though still B-class, he's actually considered "A-class." Only an A-class Nursing Home has the qualification to be stationed outside.

"The Four Directions Fist is close to Peak; I want to see what reaching the Peak looks like.."

"And the Clear Wind Leg can enhance foot strength; it might increase escape chances when encountering danger in the future."

"It's a pity for the Jade Palm, an Entry Martial Art... it really makes me itch to master it."

"But meals are eaten bite by bite, and martial arts are practiced step by step. During the stationed days, I can practice these martial arts one by one thoroughly!"

With clear mind, the path of the fist was straighter.

Practicing until nightfall.

Li Xian realized that his efficiency had significantly improved.

Although a B-class Nursing Home only needed to patrol for two hours, the village had a rule: once it gets dark, if there is no Patrol Shift, the Nursing Home cannot wander outside.

Therefore, the real practice time was only during the day.

Around dusk, he needed to fetch water, wash, and eat... Including this fragmented time, practice time was greatly reduced.

And now, if energy permitted, practicing until midnight, no one would say otherwise.

"Gurgle gurgle..."

Only when his stomach rumbled did Li Xian stop practicing.

He carried the large pot to the courtyard and began to feast on the Tiger Soup.

One mouthful of milky, rich soup went down his throat.

[Large consumption of Tiger Soup, skill consumption, Skill Level +6]

The Qi-Blood depleted from martial arts practice was quickly replenished. His bones and flesh emitted a slight warmth, an indescribable comfort.

Even a Tiger Beast couldn't withstand the slow simmering over high heat. It became tender and fell off the bone, and...

Li Xian had sprinkled a pinch of salt into this Tiger Soup!

It was very flavorful!

"Now that I can eat my fill, I can also savor the taste."

"Tomorrow's Tiger Soup, I'll pick some wild vegetables to complement the meat for a balanced diet."

Li Xian held his stomach, feeling a full-body comfort.

Even an A-class meal was not as precious as Tiger Soup.

"Hmm!"

In an instant.

Li Xian's breathing paused, sensing his Inner Qi flowing throughout his body, the speed of blood flows distinctly felt, as if it slowed down for a moment.

This is...

Blood Solidification!

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