Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Jiang Ning did not believe that Wang Jin thought he could meet the conditions to enter the Inspection Office within three months.

He understood this very well, and it was quite normal.

After all, his time practicing martial arts was too short.

What could be accomplished in three months?

Judging by Wang Jin's test for a true disciple: achieving Great Success in any aspect of the Five Element Fist within six months would allow one to become his true disciple.

This showed how difficult practicing martial arts was.

His big brother had been training for so many years, yet he had only reached the level of Qi-Blood Great Success, where his energies flowed through his limbs.

And to meet the conditions for joining the Inspection Office, one had to have Martial Arts Entry and be under thirty years old.

In Luoshui County, anyone who could achieve this was either a martial arts prodigy or someone wealthy, using money to train as a martial artist.

Jiang Ning had a smile on his face, filled with confidence, "Master, don't worry! Achieving Great Success in the Five Animals Fist won't take long!!"

"Good! You should be so confident!" Wang Jin praised again.

He then slightly raised his head to look at the moonlight, "It's getting late! I, with my old bones, can't keep up with a young person like you! I'm going back to rest! Tonight isn't suitable for practicing; you've overexerted yourself a bit. Go back, rest well, and gather your energy for practice tomorrow!"

Jiang Ning nodded, "I understand, Master!"

Then Jiang Ning spoke again, "I have a humble request to make to Master."

"You don't need to be apprehensive, just say it!" Wang Jin said.

"I would like to borrow some books from Master's study. It's still early, well before midnight, so I can read now and also increase my knowledge during my usual practice breaks and rest periods!" Jiang Ning said.

"You're this driven?" Wang Jin was a bit taken aback. His intention was for Jiang Ning to rest early tonight.

He never expected that Jiang Ning would want to take advantage of the time to borrow and read books.

Jiang Ning scratched his head, "*Children from poor families have to work hard! How else can I change my fate? And as the teacher knows, I asked to stay long-term at the Martial Arts Hall because someone outside wants to harm me! Next spring, I plan to take the imperial examination to gain a title and thus secure real peace.*"

"You need to gain a title to secure peace?" Wang Jin continued to ask in amazement, "Is the pressure coming from an official position?"

Jiang Ning said, "*Not a real official position, but akin to one.*"

"I see!" Wang Jin nodded slightly but didn't inquire further. Then he said, "It's admirable that you have such ambition. Being skilled both in literature and martial arts is indeed important! True strength has always been not only about invincibility in power or wisdom but having both! True martial arts masters have never been illiterate."

Jiang Ning nodded in agreement, "What Master says, I also agree with!"

Wang Jin nodded again and said, "Since you have such ambition, how can I not support you? In the future, you can freely enter my study, just go to Aunt Sun to get a key later!"

"Thank you, Master!" Jiang Ning said earnestly, bowing respectfully.

...

Knock, knock, knock—

The sound of knocking echoed.

"Coming! Coming!"

The voice rang out, and a series of heavy footsteps approached Jiang Ning's ears, coming closer.

Creak—

As the courtyard door opened, Aunt Sun's slightly burly figure was revealed.

"I knew it was you, kid!" Aunt Sun said.

Jiang Ning also smiled, "Sister, sorry to disturb you so late!"

"Oh! What disturbance! I haven't even slept yet!" Aunt Sun waved her hand, then said, "You, kid, not practicing at this time, suddenly came to find me, what is it?"

Jiang Ning said, "Today I overexerted my body a bit, and without wild ginseng to replenish the body's expenditure, I can't practice! So, I just talked to Master and asked to borrow some books from the study. After Master agreed, he told me to find Sister Sun to get the key!"

"I see!" Aunt Sun nodded in realization, "Wait here, I'll get you a key to the study room!"

"Mhmm!" Jiang Ning nodded repeatedly.

In just a short moment,

Aunt Sun came bustling back to Jiang Ning.

"Here's the key! Don't lose it!"

"Don't worry, Sister!" Jiang Ning smiled as he took the key from Aunt Sun.

Then he spoke again, "By the way, Sister."

"What's up?"

Jiang Ning said, "Master mentioned that starting tomorrow, I can have a bowl of herbal soup every morning, noon, and night."

"Not bad, little one! I didn't expect Master Wang to value you so much, raising your treatment to that of a true disciple! Xiao Peng only became a true disciple today, and it's nothing compared to this!" Aunt Sun said happily, giving Jiang Ning a heavy pat on the back.

She continued, "When I heard you didn't have wild ginseng to replenish your body for practice, I was worried you'd push yourself too hard! After all, you're the most hard-working kid I've seen in the Martial Arts Hall all these years."

Jiang Ning smiled without speaking.

He had heard numerous times about how diligent he was.

But having a system panel meant that every effort paid off with gains, that he could see his progress little by little, feel his physique constantly growing. Who wouldn't be diligent?

*People who aren't diligent or hardworking often can't see results or don't get returns for their efforts.*

*Especially when stuck at a bottleneck, where a week's, a month's, or even a year's effort doesn't make an inch of progress, how many people can persist?*

...

After bidding farewell to Aunt Sun, Jiang Ning quickly walked toward the study.

The books stored at Wang Jin's Martial Arts Hall were surely much more than those at his own home, and there might even be secret technique manuals on martial arts. His position in Wang Jin's heart improved due to his earlier performance, granting him entry to the study, filling him with anticipation.

Upon reaching the study,

He unlocked the door and walked inside.

After lighting the candlestick, the entire layout of the study unfolded before his eyes.

The study's three sides were all equipped with large bookshelves, with books neatly arranged on each.

Holding a book, Jiang Ning approached the bookshelf on the right. At a glance, there were volumes of medical books and pharmacology.

As the saying goes, medicine and martial arts are inseparable.

Martial arts often involved the mysteries of various parts of the human body, and for those developing martial arts cultivation techniques, they must possess vast knowledge and insight, deeply understanding the body's mysteries.

Herbs were no different.

The path of martial arts was closely tied to various herbs—inseparable.

Without the aid of medicine, a person's lifelong achievements in martial arts would undoubtedly be greatly limited, and progress efficiency significantly slowed.

It was well-known that the best golden age to learn martial arts was starting at fifteen, after the bones and body had matured, to around thirty-five years old, the peak age for progress.

Martial artists, beginning around forty years old, would gradually decline, with Qi-Blood continuously waning.

At that time, not to mention advancing in martial arts, even maintaining current strength was difficult.

Unless martial arts were cultivated to a profound level, fortifying the five internal organs, extending bodily functions, could one have a longer golden age to advance in martial arts.

*With these thoughts fleeting across his mind,* Jiang Ning's gaze quickly swept over the names of the books on the shelves as he slowly moved forward.