Even if that was his guess, An Jing truly had no way of determining what all this had to do with the ferocious beast meat and medicinal broth.
Zhang Ying, who knew the most about ferocious beast meat, had already left the mountain. Gu Yeqi understood herbs somewhat, but she only knew the individual effects of the raw ingredients and could say nothing about the finished concoction's efficacy.
Ever since Zhang Ying, Ye Xiuyuan, and Zhan Feng departed, An Jing had pondered these questions day and night. Whether during daily training or practicing martial arts, he seemed somewhat absentminded.
He was always frowning in deep thought or staring blankly into the distance.
Even the instructors found this hard to watch; one came over specifically to ask how he was doing, only to walk away shaking his head.
None of the others found this strange.
After all, Zhang Ying and Ye Xiuyuan were An Jing's friends. And though Zhan Feng was supposedly his little follower, children at this age did not think in complicated terms—it was simply a matter of who they hung around with to play and train.
Having spent so much time together, to suddenly have three friends leave the mountain one after another, it was no wonder An Jing seemed so listless and downcast.
Fortunately, Gu Yeqi and Cang Linzu were still around, and An Jing would still show a slight smile whenever the three of them chatted and bantered.
Yet even though An Jing was absentminded and frequently zoned out, he remained the strongest among all the disciples.
A few who had always wanted to challenge him thought they could seize this chance to test his mettle, only to be easily defeated by a slightly frowning An Jing, who was distracted the entire time and barely paying attention.
By the end, An Jing could not even be bothered to use both hands.
Holding a staff in one hand, he unleashed Armor-Penetrating True Jin, knocking the weapons from the hands of every challenger. On average, none could last more than two and a half moves.
*Has this guy been holding back all along?!*
Having displayed strength far exceeding anything he had shown before, everyone realized in shock that what An Jing had revealed in the past was merely the tip of an iceberg above the water!
Yet on closer thought, it was not entirely beyond their expectations.
An Jing had already been remarkably strong. Once everyone learned martial arts techniques and mental methods, the gap between them had not shrunk; instead, it had only widened.
That was because An Jing had likely already mastered the techniques and integrated them completely, whereas they were merely getting the hang of them. To An Jing's eyes, their openings were several times more obvious than before.
Once others saw through his concealment, An Jing simply stopped holding back and displayed his true skill.
However, this left no one to spar with An Jing—not that An Jing or the others refused. An Jing didn't mind, and the others didn't object to being defeated by someone stronger, as they could learn many techniques from their losses.
The ones who were truly dissatisfied were the instructors.
Sparring with ordinary children would not make An Jing any stronger, which ran counter to their goals. Thus, after An Jing stopped holding back, the instructors decided to step in personally and spar with him.
An Jing naturally had no objections.
If the instructors told him to show his full strength, then he showed his full strength, openly sparring with them in barehanded combat and weapons alike.
Though he was defeated every time and served as a negative example for everyone else, no one looked down on him for it. Instead, they felt deep admiration.
Not everyone was willing to step up time and again, be slammed to the ground by an instructor, and then get back up each time to challenge them once more.
After some time, even when An Jing lost, he did not go down easily. He could even exchange several blows head-on with the instructors, and occasionally, he could even turn the tables and suppress an instructor for a few moves.
The instructors shifted from their initial casual attitude to serious focus, and these men, who normally seemed devoid of warmth or feeling, began offering An Jing words of praise.
After all, as martial artists whose physical attributes held an overwhelming advantage in every metric, failing to handle An Jing—who was just a child—without using their real skills meant that if they couldn't even praise him, they would have to admit their own incompetence.
In reality, however, An Jing still had not shown his full strength; he was still holding back.
It was just that in the past, he had hidden half his ability, whereas now, he hid only ten percent. Aside from keeping a few cards close to his chest, he laid the rest of his strength bare.
As for why An Jing did this, the reason was quite simple.
*Rather than hiding away and scheming in the dark, it was better to grow strong openly and make the most of Suspended Fate Manor's resources and instructors to elevate himself.*
Ever since he sensed that Suspended Fate Manor was concealing something and his friends began leaving the mountain one after another, the sense of urgency that had faded in his heart surged once again.
Even if a profound darkness lay behind Suspended Fate Manor, with restricted areas beyond his reach and unspeakable conspiracies aimed at the eliminated children... the manor was clearly also screening for the "geniuses" it needed.
So long as he showed himself to be exceptional enough of a genius, he might learn the truth behind Suspended Fate Manor from another angle, or at least gain more opportunities to investigate.
This was the path An Jing had chosen.
Though a shroud of mist still lay before him and that strange "mysterious voice" remained hidden, An Jing knew he had only one task before him: to become stronger.
Only by growing stronger could he suppress the unease and urgency in his heart.
Nowadays, he ate the most every day and practiced the most with the instructors. His already proficient martial arts grew increasingly refined, and any rough edges were smoothed away bit by bit, making his movements sharper, crisper, and far more understated.
An Jing even integrated Armor-Penetrating True Jin with some of the combat techniques from his Innate Wisdom, allowing certain ground techniques and joint locks to erupt with terrifying force in an instant through Armor-Penetrating True Jin.
Yet this was still not enough.
*I need to break through to the Inner Breath realm.*
This was the goal An Jing had set for himself. *Only by reaching Inner Breath can I properly conceal my aura and evade the senses of an Inner-Breath Martial Artist.*
*And only upon reaching Inner Breath can I use my own body to analyze what effects that "beast meat" and "medicinal broth" truly have.*
The Martial Path begins with the honing of Mind, Body, and Technique.
When a practitioner's body and mind both meet the standard and can deliver a strike uniting spirit and flesh, they may attempt to nurture Inner Breath.
Inner Breath is Innate Primordial Qi. It is a wisp of power nurtured when a martial artist uses acquired, honed skills to restore their heart, soul, and flesh to the innate primordial state.
Only with Inner Breath can one truly call oneself a Martial Artist. Beyond that lie the Three Nurturings of Inner Breath: Like Silk, Like a River, and Like a Tide, with each minor stage bringing tremendous advancement.
As long as he possessed Inner Breath, even at the most basic level of Inner Breath Like Silk, An Jing was confident he could evade all the instructors and never be detected during their daily patrols.
An Jing had already fulfilled the requirements of Mind and Body, and Technique was nearly there. As he gained complete mastery over Armor-Penetrating True Jin, he even felt that with one more month, he would be guaranteed to break through to Inner Breath.
However, such a breakthrough would inevitably be noticed.
Because in Great Chen, nearly all martial cultivation methods cultivated the "way of movement."
The healthier and stronger the body, the more abundant the Innate Primordial Qi.
When the body is active, the Innate Primordial Qi also stirs to life, and a fully concentrated mind can seize the opportunity to capture that Innate Primordial Qi.
The two fuse together within the medium of "Technique"—actions that require the highest coordination between mind and flesh—becoming Inner Breath, which a martial artist can freely command and circulate through the body.
This is the "Way of Movement," the very essence of Mind, Body, and Technique.
In essence, it allows one to assimilate the Innate Primordial Qi for their own use in an ideal state of complete self-forgetfulness and unity of body and mind.
To achieve this state, one had to perform martial forms with abandon, battle and fight with others... In short, the momentum of such a breakthrough was immense and impossible to conceal.
Breaking through to Inner Breath openly might indeed earn him heavy responsibility and the manor's esteem, but once scrutinized under the focused attention of the Manor Lord and the instructors, it would become utterly impossible for him to touch Suspended Fate Manor's secrets.
This was what An Jing truly wanted to keep hidden.
Yet there was one thing An Jing had gotten wrong.
And that was: he didn't need to break through to Inner Breath. His performance alone was already dazzling enough.
He had already accomplished his objective.
"An Jing."
One morning after morning practice concluded, Instructor Li did not dismiss the group, but instead called An Jing over.
Speaking with a hint of envy in his voice, he said bluntly, "You've made immense progress lately. Truth be told, there's nothing left for instructors like us to teach you."
"This afternoon, don't bother going to the drill ground."
"The Manor Lord wants to see you at the Medicine Pavilion to impart an advanced orthodox method."
Chapter 16