High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Joint Training of the Tiger and Crane Forms

Lin Qi spread his five fingers, using his index and middle fingers in coordination with his thumb to form a mouth-like shape—the Crane Beak.

”BAM BAM!!”

The next moment, Lin Qi’s body moved. His aura transformed from powerful and majestic to swift and elegant.

The Crane Form Fist emphasized waiting for an opportunity to attack while on the defensive. The body had to be lively, contracting and expanding with speed. It was like a shuttle darting through a forest, skillful at perching on branches, precise in its rising and falling, using the shoulder to strike, and avoiding the substantial to hit the insubstantial...

Its technique names were also quite simple: Crane Beak, Crane Crown, Crane Claw, Crane’s Peck, Hungry Crane Seeks Shrimp, One-Legged Crane...

There were eight techniques in total, their movements gentle yet firm.

Lin Qi recalled the key points of the Crane Form Fist as he practiced. It was a Fist Technique completely different from the Tiger Form Fist.

The different movements changed the way his body exerted force and the way his muscles moved.

His movements gradually went from clumsy to proficient. At the same time, his body heated up, his Qi Blood surged, and the pathways of its flow began to change.

A tingling numbness spread through the fine muscles of his limbs and torso.

Lin Qi’s eyes lit up. ’This feels completely different from the Tiger Form Fist.’

This spurred him to practice even more energetically, repeating the forms over and over again until he went from clumsy to proficient.

Sweat poured down like rain, his Martial Arts Uniform clinging to his body. Lin Qi was flushed, but he felt exhilarated.

[Through practice, your proficiency with the Crane Form Fist has greatly increased. Fist Technique +1%]

[Through practice of the Crane Form Fist, your Qi and Blood Value has broken through. Qi and Blood Value +0.05]

[Qi and Blood Value: 8.25→8.3]

[Fist Technique: Tier Two 11%→12%]

...

Lin Qi stopped, panting heavily, his eyes growing sharper.

”Teacher Zhang was right. After so long, practicing the Crane Form Fist again has led to huge progress.”

As he thought this, a sudden wave of weakness and fatigue washed over him, surprising him.

’How was the toll so great? Just how many times did I practice?’

He immediately went to his locker, took out a bottle of Qi and Blood Potion, and drank it, feeling much better afterward.

From a distance, Zhang City watched, his heart a tangle of emotions. He had seen Lin Qi start practicing the Crane Form Fist, looking quite awkward.

After he had instructed a few other students and came back to look, Lin Qi was already performing it with incredible proficiency. It didn’t look like he had just started; he wasn’t far from reaching the Great Success stage of Crane Form Fist.

’It seems this kid’s Comprehension is even greater than I imagined.’

Zhang City didn’t know Li Zhou, Yu Jing, or Qi Yuelin that well.

But he believed that Lin Qi was in no way inferior to them. All he lacked were resources; he would catch up sooner or later.

The thought that a student he had taught could one day stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Li Zhou gave Zhang City a deep sense of accomplishment, and he couldn’t stop himself from feeling excited.

...

「At noon, in the Red Dome Martial Arts Supermarket」

In the crowd, Lin Qi and Jiangtao stood before a row of shelves, their attention drawn to the neatly arranged red potions.

”Brother Qi, after your Qi and Blood Value breaks past 8.0 and 9.0, every step is a new hurdle.”

”If you keep using Qi and Blood Capsules or Qi and Blood Potions, the efficiency of your gains will drop,” Jiangtao said slowly.

Lin Qi nodded. He could already feel it. ’Increasing my value by another 2.0 in a month is practically impossible now.’

”Li Zhou and the others started using better Potion Resources back when their Qi and Blood Value was at 8.0.”

”We have money now, and we’ll get a large sum when we sign with a Martial Arts Dojo in the future. If we don’t want to fall behind, we need to use better resources too.”

After speaking, Jiangtao took a vial from the shelf. The liquid inside was a deep red, both profound and bright.

”This is an Energy Potion. It’s the advanced version of the Qi and Blood Potion, nicknamed the High-Level Qi and Blood Potion.”

”It’s also 100 milliliters, but its effect is several times stronger than a Qi and Blood Potion. It’s exactly what we need.”

Lin Qi nodded. The Qi and Blood Potion was light red, while the Energy Potion was deep red. He could sense the difference just from the color.

Then he looked at the price: 5,000 Xia Country Coins per bottle.

The price was ten times that of a Qi and Blood Potion. Lin Qi sighed inwardly.

’This is seriously expensive. It would have covered my food expenses for two months before.’

Jiangtao placed row after row of Energy Potions into his shopping basket, and Lin Qi did the same.

He had over 500,000 on him, and with the future ”genius loan,” he could afford to buy even more resources.

Thinking of this, he grabbed three whole rows in one go, which amounted to 30 bottles of Energy Potion.

In addition, he also bought some Qi and Blood Potions and Qi and Blood Capsules, just in case.

”BEEP!”

”Total: 183,200 Xia Country Coins!”

”Payment successful!”

”Please come again!”

At the checkout counter, Lin Qi put the potions into his backpack. Seeing that his balance was nearly cut in half, he felt a sting of pain.

He glanced at Jiangtao, who had spent even more—not just for himself, but for his little sister as well.

”Brother Lin Qi!”

Suddenly, a pleasant voice sounded beside Lin Qi. He turned his head to look.

Not far away, a pretty girl appeared in his line of sight, calling his name.

She wasn’t tall, only around 1.5 meters, with a slender figure, fair skin, and an innocent, pure-looking face.

Her hair was in a ponytail, and she wore a smile on her face, exuding a unique, resilient temperament.

A gentle breeze rustled the tips of her hair, and sunlight dappled her form. When she saw Lin Qi, she broke into a happy smile.

”Miaoyin, what are you doing here?”

Lin Qi smiled in greeting and reached out to pat her head, ruffling her soft, jet-black hair.

This girl was none other than Jiangtao’s younger sister—Jiang Miaoyin.

Jiang Miaoyin didn’t object, her small face blushing slightly.

”Amiao, you’re here!”

Jiangtao walked over just then, carrying his things. Seeing his sister getting her head patted, he also reached out to pat it.

”SMACK!”

Jiang Miaoyin mercilessly slapped Jiangtao’s hand away.

”Amiao, I’m your actual brother! Can’t I even pat your head?”

”Of course not!” Jiang Miaoyin’s demeanor changed in an instant. She pouted, tilted her head, and retorted.

After the two bickered for a moment, Jiangtao finally spoke:

”Brother Qi, today is Circulation, and there’s no class this afternoon. I’m taking Amiao to the hospital for some therapy.”

Lin Qi nodded and looked at Jiang Miaoyin. She was only about 1.5 meters tall.

In the Martial Arts Era, women who practiced Martial Arts generally grew to be over 1.7 meters tall after reaching adulthood, while men were around 1.9 meters.

Jiang Miaoyin was sixteen this year and would be turning seventeen in a few months.

’This is severe malnutrition. She needs a massive amount of supplements to make up for it.’

”Goodbye, Brother Lin Qi!”

”See you next time, Miaoyin!”

Jiang Miaoyin gave Lin Qi a sweet smile and waved goodbye, watching his figure disappear from sight.

”Stop staring, your Brother Lin Qi is already gone,” Jiangtao said sourly from the side.

”Let’s go, let’s go to the hospital. I’m going to get stronger and teach those people in my class a lesson for calling me a ’little potato’.”

Jiang Miaoyin said fiercely, clenching her fist.

”That’s right! With your big brother here, you’ll definitely become the strongest girl in your grade!” Jiangtao nodded emphatically.

...

Lin Qi also went home for a bit and had a meal with his mom, Fang Huiyi.

After resting for a moment, he chose to return to school.

The third-year high school students had a half-day break every Sunday afternoon, a time when the entire school was completely empty.

Lin Qi returned to his Martial Arts Room, changed into his Martial Arts Uniform, and prepared to begin his Cultivation.

He took out a vial of Energy Potion from his backpack. The liquid gave off a deep red color, like human blood.

He opened the cap, and a faint, fresh fragrance wafted out. He downed it in one gulp.

”Hooo...”

Lin Qi took a deep breath. A few seconds later, his stomach grew warm, then hotter and hotter.

Waves of heat flowed out from his stomach, surging toward every part of his body.

’This Energy Potion really packs a kick!’

Lin Qi’s eyes shone as he began to practice his fist techniques.

He started with the Tiger Form Fist, performing it several times before switching to the Crane Form Fist.

The warm current flowed through the muscles of his arms, reaching into even finer tissues.

”BAM BAM!!”

With his whole body burning up, Lin Qi just wanted to vent all his energy by practicing his fists.

He felt full of energy. His muscles were thoroughly undergoing Refinement, and by practicing the Crane Form Fist, even the finer muscles in his arms were being tempered.

’This is the feeling! If I can maintain this speed, I can definitely hit a Qi and Blood Value of 9.0 within a month!’ Lin Qi’s expression was ecstatic.

[You have increased your proficiency by practicing the Crane Form Fist.]

[You practiced the Crane Form Fist. Qi and Blood Value +0.01]

[You practiced the Crane Form Fist. Qi and Blood Value +0.01]

[...]

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