Eight days later.
The light of dawn had yet to break. Dewdrops dripped down the tree branches like saliva. A misty morning fog rolled in, blanketing the streets and eaves.
Zheng Jun held a broken blade, dancing through the air like a roaming dragon. Every swing brought forth flashes of cold light, as if trying to Slash through the dense fog.
The edge of the blade let out a ringing CLANG. Every Chop, hack, and thrust kicked up a WHOOSH of wind.
He didn't know how long he had practiced. It wasn't until the ink-wash words of the Great Tao Martial Book displayed "Repayment Progress +25" that Zheng Jun snapped out of his trance-like Realm. He wiped the sweat beading on his forehead and rolled his shoulders to loosen up.
[Current Repayment Progress: 5000/5000.]
[The Fruit of the Future for Cloak and Dagger Technique (Great Success) has been repaid. The karma has returned to your own body.]
"I've finally finished repaying for the Cloak and Dagger!" Zheng Jun thought to himself, filled with profound emotion.
This feeling was just like paying off the final installment of a mortgage—truly making one sigh with relief.
Eight days ago, he had obtained the Pile Skill, "Eagle-Hawk Force." After returning home, he had been incredibly eager to try it out.
Squad Leader Sun had made it very clear: if he wanted to get started, he needed to give silver to the Ti Cavalry of the Garrison Command Government Office. Failing that, he would at least need to bribe the Three Squad Leaders or some Old Constables who had already begun Blood Refining, asking them to guide him. Squad Leader Sun's repeated hints were simply a desire to make some money off him.
However, Zheng Jun was somewhat arrogant. He wondered if he might just be a one-in-a-million Martial Arts prodigy.
Therefore, right after getting home, he started flipping through it to study. But with just one look, Zheng Jun felt his head spin. He couldn't understand its profound mysteries at all.
On one hand, the phrasing in the "Eagle-Hawk Force" consisted mostly of specialized Martial Arts terminology. As a layman who didn't come from a Martial Arts Noble Family, Zheng Jun naturally couldn't comprehend it.
On the other hand, this copy of the "Eagle-Hawk Force" wasn't the original text. It was a handwritten transcript resembling a collection of personal insights, perhaps jotted down by a certain Ti Cavalry during their free time, which meant many details were omitted.
Under such circumstances, how could he possibly get started through self-study? No wonder everyone went to acknowledge a master and learn the trade, or spent some silver to have someone guide them through the basics.
Otherwise, relying solely on this Ghost Talisman-like Pile Skill Secret Manual to become self-taught in Blood Refining and Body Tempering—anyone who could do that could only be called a Demon.
For this reason, Zheng Jun didn't dare to practice blindly after just taking a glance, terrified that he might cause himself some internal injury. Instead, he practiced his Cloak and Dagger even more diligently every day. He patrolled the streets by day and trained bitterly by night, all to repay the karma as soon as possible. Now, he had finally paid off his debt and could borrow the "Eagle-Hawk Force"!
[Available Pile Skill to Advance: Eagle-Hawk Force.]
[Current Progress: Not yet initiated.]
[Do you wish to advance "Eagle-Hawk Force (Mastery)"? Because you are borrowing a Fruit of the Future, you must practice the pile fifty times before it returns to your own body!]
"Advance!" Zheng Jun silently chanted in his heart.
Following his decision, an extraordinary radiance once again swirled over the Great Tao Martial Book, surging directly into Zheng Jun's body. An immediate sense of comfort washed over his limbs and bones.
In an instant, Zheng Jun felt a current of heat spiraling up and down his entire body! But in the very next second, a bizarre sensation followed.
Bloated. Extremely bloated!
Zheng Jun felt a swollen, gassy sensation all over his body, as if he were losing pressure. Very quickly, however, this state of pressure loss dissipated, replaced by a physical transformation that cleansed his muscles and bones!
A warm current unfurled throughout his entire body. The heat spread out, frantically replenishing Zheng Jun's stamina. It was like suddenly receiving a bowl of hot soup on a bone-chilling winter day, allowing one's body and mind to completely relax.
However, this hot current didn't last long before vanishing without a trace, leaving Zheng Jun wanting more.
[Advance complete. Current Repayment Progress: 0/50.]
He had just paid off one loan, and in the blink of an eye, he was burdened with another! Zheng Jun couldn't help but take a deep breath. However, upon seeing "Eagle-Hawk Force (Mastery)," his heart settled, and an immense sense of security instantly washed over him.
Seeing that it was still early, he decided to try out this newly mastered Eagle-Hawk Force. He planted his feet apart at shoulder-width.
Zheng Jun recalled the various routines in his mind. The "Eagle-Hawk Force" seemed as though it had been permanently carved into his brain. The originally obscure and difficult Martial Arts terminology, the stick-figure drawings on the white paper, the rudimentary doggerel Heart Sutra... All these things that Zheng Jun had completely failed to grasp in the past instantly leapt into his mind, just like a math problem that one suddenly understood overnight.
"I understand now! I get it!" Overjoyed, Zheng Jun immediately proceeded to practice according to the routine of the Eagle-Hawk Force Cultivation Technique.
The Eagle-Hawk Force was, naturally, a Pile Skill that imitated eagles and hawks. It was one of the two foundational Pile Skills of the Garrison Command Government Office. The other was the Dog Crouching Skill.
Whether it was out of sick humor or something else, these two basic Pile Skills combined to form the word 'Eagle-Dog'—signifying the hounds and hawks of the Court. The Garrison Command Government Office was indeed exactly that: the Court's hounds and hawks. As for constables and Quick Hands like Zheng Jun, they were merely the hounds and hawks of the Court's hounds and hawks. It truly lacked any sort of prestige.
During the process of imitating the eagle and hawk while practicing the pile, it wasn't enough to just mirror the movements. One also had to employ a specific breathing method. Only then could one absorb the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth to achieve the effect of Inner Strength and Outer Strength, allowing the True Qi of the world to follow the blood through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and circulate throughout the entire body!
Zheng Jun followed the movements of the Eagle-Hawk Force, constantly repeating each action while supplementing it with the breathing method. He immediately felt a hot current traveling through his entire body, bringing him endless comfort. This hot current wasn't very obvious—it felt like a trickling stream in a mountain ravine—but it was still incredibly soothing.
The season had long since entered autumn, and the autumn wind swept past. Zheng Jun was thinly dressed and had just practiced his saber here for a full hour, yet he felt no sense of cold or fatigue. On the contrary, he only felt thoroughly exhilarated. His whole body steamed with heat, billowing outward like a boiling Melting Furnace!
Intense Life Force continuously surged upward. A feeling of vigorous vitality and the thriving nature of all living things seemed right before his eyes!
Time slipped away unnoticed during Martial Arts training and pile practice. Zheng Jun immersed himself in this sensation. It wasn't until the sky grew bright that he slowly withdrew, still craving more.
As the hot current nourished his sore muscles, Zheng Jun felt that his entire body was brimming with vigor. Countless emotions swelled in his heart.
"No wonder this Realm is called 'Blood Refining and Body Tempering.' This True Qi flows through the whole body along with the Essence Blood. It truly acts like a ball of kindling, continuously tempering the body like a great Melting Furnace!"
Feeling the power in his body at this moment, Zheng Jun couldn't help but reveal a smile. "I finally have some strength. At least I won't get ambushed and killed while patrolling the streets again."
His current level could already be considered as having refined his blood and begun Body Tempering! Even though it had only been one session, he had fairly and genuinely stepped through the gates of Martial Arts!
After Zheng Jun calmed down, he drew a basin of water from the well. He used a gourd to scoop out a ladleful and gulped it down. He then washed his face, tidied his Official's Uniform, and went next door to bang on the door, waking Zhou Pu so they could head to the Government Office together for roll call.
Zhou Pu had already gotten up as well. Hearing Zheng Jun's shouts, he stepped out the door. However, as soon as he stepped out and saw Zheng Jun, he couldn't help but freeze in a daze.
Seeing Zhou Pu staring at him like that, Zheng Jun couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curling up. "What's wrong, Zhou Pu? Is there something on my face?"
"No." Zhou Pu shook his head, hesitating to speak. "Let's go. Time for roll call."
He didn't know why, but he felt that Zheng Jun was somewhat different now. He had become a bit more fierce and formidable.