Chapter 253: Breaking Limits with Fist Techniques, New Traits Unlocked!

Chapter 253: Breaking Limits with Fist Techniques, New Traits Unlocked!

The Market.

"How pitiful! The entire Cao family is about to meet their end right here and now!"

"What's there to pity? Haven't you seen what the Cao family has been up to these past years? They've committed countless heinous acts, and they deserve their fate!"

"Yes, they deserve it! If not for the Cao family, I wouldn't have had to sell my daughter!"

Hearing this, the people around the speaker shot him a disdainful look and then moved away.

On the other side of the market, Jiang Ning arrived and saw over two hundred members of the Cao family kneeling on the ground.

The crowd surged, shouting insults and accusations at the Cao family.

Some even threw rotten vegetables at them.

"Seeing the Cao family's downfall is quite a sigh-worthy sight!" Jiang Li couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

Jiang Ning slightly nodded.

On the other side, a man who had entered the city earlier in the morning suddenly spotted Jiang Ning in the crowd.

"It's him!" Jin Fu, a deputy officer from the military camp, observed Jiang Ning closely for a moment and then nodded.

The man took another look at Jiang Ning.

Suddenly, Jiang Ning turned his head and looked back.

Seeing this, the man smiled at Jiang Ning and then averted his gaze.

Jiang Ning slowly turned his gaze away as well.

"What keen senses! This Jiang Ning is not simple at all!" the man said, "No wonder Cao Rong met his end at his hands."

"Sir, should we intervene now that the Cao family is being executed?" Jin Fu asked in a low voice.

"With Cao Rong dead, what value does the Cao family have? Why intervene?" the man said indifferently, "Hong Minghu is not someone to be taken lightly!"

At the same time, Jiang Ning, with his powerful five senses, easily heard the man's words amidst the bustling market noise, and he suddenly realized something.

"Is that the messenger from the military camp that Feng Jiuge mentioned?"

"Listening to his words, it seems he doesn't want to cause me trouble, just like Feng Jiuge's father, Feng Jiuchen."

As the sun gradually rose overhead, it was already the third hour of the afternoon.

On the execution platform, an official held a dossier, listing out the crimes committed by the Cao family.

After summarizing the charges, the county magistrate sitting on the platform threw a 'beheading' tablet onto the ground in front of him.

"Behead!"

With a loud shout, the tablet fell.

A splash—

The executioner sprayed a mouthful of strong liquor onto the large execution blade.

The next moment, the blade fell, and a head rolled onto the ground.

Blood immediately splattered more than three feet away.

For a while, the execution ground was filled with excrement and urine, and some of the kneeling Cao family members even fainted from the shock.

Seeing the severed head on the ground, Jiang Li couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity in his eyes.

"Ning, do you think there might come a day when our family will suffer the same fate?"

"No!" Jiang Ning said calmly, then turned to Jiang Li, "Big brother, just focus on expanding our family. As long as I'm alive, the Jiang family will have a solid foundation for generations."

Hearing this, Jiang Li couldn't help but smile.

"Ning, don't count on me for expanding the family! You're not young anymore, it's time to start your own family!"

"When I was your age, my son had already celebrated his full-month birthday."

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "These things happen when they're meant to."

"Jin Fu, let's go!" The man took one last look at the remaining Cao family members on the execution ground and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Jin Fu quickly followed the man's footsteps.

On the other side, Jiang Ning also said, "Big brother, it's over! Let's go!"

"Good!" Jiang Li nodded.

That afternoon, over two hundred members of the Cao family were beheaded in the market, their blood flowing like a river, turning the ground red.

Eventually, many people couldn't bear to watch the gruesome scene and turned away.

Among the onlookers, some even vomited last night's dinner due to the overwhelming stench of blood.

After returning home, Jiang Ning put everything aside and continued his fist practice.

Witnessing the downfall of the Cao family, Jiang Li couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

Jiang Ning's heart was also filled with emotions he couldn't express.

Previously, the Cao family had been extremely prosperous, controlling the transportation of salt and iron in Luoshui County.

They had a strong foothold in both the legal and underground worlds.

However, with the establishment of the Inspection Office and the arrival of Hong Minghu,

things changed. He targeted the Cao family to assert his authority, and no one dared to oppose him.

Now, even Xu Zhengnan, who had deep ties with the Liu family, didn't hesitate to take advantage of their downfall, becoming a key contributor to their demise.

The Cao and Liu families met their tragic ends because their power was weaker than others.

Jiang Ning's power had already been established, and with his strength and authority, various forces took sides with him.

As for Hong Minghu and the Cao family, there was no need to say more.

Therefore, Jiang Ning was well aware that his power was currently stronger than others, and various forces would stand by his side.

But if his power weakened in the future, these forces would also treat him like they did the Liu family, taking advantage of his weakness.

To avoid the fate of the Cao and Liu families, one must possess both strength and status.

If not for his position as a deputy leader in the Inspection Office, how could he have achieved such status with just his current strength?

There were always stronger opponents out there.

No matter how strong one is, as long as they are not the strongest in the world, there will always be someone who can capture them.

But when one wears the official mantle of the Inspection Office, everything changes.

Even if various forces suspect that Cao Rong was killed by him, what can they do? Feng Xiaochen chose to be hypocritical and not make an enemy out of him.

Today, setting out from the Dongling Prefecture Military Camp, he went to Luoshui County to handle the matter of Cao Rong on behalf of Feng Xiaochen, and they too chose not to confront him.

There was also the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, Lu Qingshan, a top-tier powerhouse at the peak of the fifth rank.

He had guessed that Jiang Ning killed Liu Qingsong and took for himself the Leopard Embryo Bone Forging Pill that they had offered to the Huai'an King.

Yet, Lu Qingshan chose to befriend him.

All of this was not something Jiang Ning could achieve solely with his strength.

Without a powerful backer or support, no matter how strong one is, they are just a wild rogue.

In the end, one can only flee to a distant land and become an outlaw.

Unless one becomes the strongest in the world, only then can they suppress all injustices with their fists.

But in this world, over the past eight hundred years, only one person has achieved this.

That person was the National Guardian Martial Saint of the Great Xia.

The bright moon hung high in the night sky.

Even in the late hours, the reflection of the snow made the world appear exceptionally bright.

Jiang Ning stood on the shore, gazing into the distance, where he could see the overlapping shadows of distant mountains and the varying heights of houses.

"I hope tomorrow will be another sunny day!"

"That way, my Inner Essence Cultivation Skill can make further progress!"

Jiang Ning thought to himself.

Then, he opened his panel and took a look.

[Skills]: Five Animal Fist (Break Limit once 1950/2000) (Attribute: Five Viscera Essence Storage)



"Just fifty more experience points to break the limit again!" Jiang Ning sighed inwardly, then walked towards the ice layer on the lake surface.

After breaking through the ice layer, Jiang Ning stood in the water, closing his eyes slightly.

He could feel that after a long period of practicing his fist technique, his body was extremely exhausted, and his energy was severely depleted.

But as soon as he entered the water, his parched body, like a dry land, seemed to welcome a spring rain that silently nourished it.

Strand after strand, thread after thread of invisible, silk-like substances entered his body, moisturizing him.

Under this nourishment, his body and condition quickly recovered.

The previously depleted vital energy seemed to be like a spring, where mountain streams converged.

He floated in the water, carried by the undercurrents, and from time to time, fish swam by his side.

After a while, Jiang Ning opened his eyes, and with a slight movement of his body, he leaped out like a soaring dragon.

Boom!

The lake water surged upwards, and the ice layer above shattered instantly. Jiang Ning was propelled out of the lake by the force of the water.

Landing on the lake surface, Jiang Ning felt his condition had returned to its peak.

[Skill] Five Beasts Fist (One Break Limit 1950/2000) (Attribute: Five Viscera Essence Storage)



"Continue practicing the fist technique, the final sprint!"

He closed the panel, his mind determined.

At this point, Jiang Ning decided not to return to the courtyard.

He went straight to the shore and started practicing his fists.

[Five Beasts Fist Experience +3]



[Five Beasts Fist Experience +4]



[Five Beasts Fist Experience +4]



[.]



As he continuously practiced the fist technique, his understanding of it deepened, and his insights into the relationship between the Five Elements, the Five Viscera, and the Five Beasts became more profound.

With the growth of his Five Beasts Fist experience, flashes of insight frequently appeared in his mind, as if he had entered a state of enlightenment, sometimes suddenly understanding, like the clouds parting to reveal the sun.

The bright moonlight shone down, and a figure on the shore sometimes moved like a ferocious tiger descending from the mountain, its aura terrifying.

Sometimes, it was as agile as a white ape, its movements swift.

Sometimes, it was as powerful as a savage bear, its momentum overwhelming.

After a while.

Huff—

Jiang Ning retracted his fist, slowly exhaling a mouthful of turbid air towards the calm lake surface.

[This practice of Five Beasts Fist has increased experience by a total of 52 points.]



Seeing the prompt slowly appearing before him, Jiang Ning opened his panel.

[Essence Energy] 376.88

[Technique] Five Beasts Fist + One Break Limit 2000/2000 (Attribute: Five Viscera Essence Storage)



"Finally enough!"

A smile appeared on Jiang Ning's face.

Now, his Essence Energy points had met the requirements for breaking the limit of the Five Beasts Fist, and his experience points had also satisfied the requirements.

The next moment, he looked at the panel, and his thoughts suddenly changed.

The Essence Energy points rapidly decreased and abruptly stopped at 176.88 points.

At the same time.

His eyes gradually became vacant and hollow, as if his soul had left his body.

At this moment.

He seemed to see himself transform into a ferocious tiger in the wild, roaring and shaking the mountains, causing stones to roll down.

Then, he seemed to see himself transform into a savage bear in the wild, stomping down and causing the earth to crack.

He also saw himself transform into a blue crane, soaring through the Azure Void, turning into a swift arrow that could travel a thousand miles in an instant.

As he continuously shifted perspectives, immersing himself in the five different beasts, flashes of insight constantly appeared in his mind.

After a while.

He closed his eyes.

Suddenly, in his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, he saw five figures.

In the vast expanse, Jiang Ning witnessed the five elements of nature—fire, earth, wood, water, and metal.

The earth, predominantly orange, represented the element of earth in the five elements.

Trees, mostly green, symbolized the element of wood.

Lakes, appearing black, embodied the element of water.

As for the color red, representing fire, and white, representing metal, they were scarce in his surroundings.

Witnessing these changes, Jiang Ning couldn't help but feel awe.

"All things in the universe are within the five elements," he murmured to himself, slowly opening his eyes to the panel before him.

【Essence Energy】: 176.88

【Martial Arts】: Five Beasts Fist (2nd Break Limit 2/3000) (Characteristics: Five Viscera Essence Storage, Five Elements Spirit)



【Five Elements Spirit】: Absorb the spirits of the five elements, refine the viscera with the five elements, and break through the limits of the viscera.

Looking at the description on the panel, Jiang Ning's eyes suddenly narrowed in focus.

"The spirits of the five elements?"

"Break through the limits of the viscera?"

"What does this mean?"

His eyes flashed with bewilderment.

After a moment of thought, he closed his eyes.

Then, he demonstrated the fist technique.

As he moved his fist, practicing the Tiger Form, he suddenly saw countless green particles peeling off from the surrounding plants and trees, gathering towards his body.

After a careful observation, he felt a pleasant sensation in his liver.

"In the Five Beasts Fist, the Tiger represents wood, and wood governs the liver!"

"Practicing the Tiger Form refines the liver!"

Jiang Ning understood in his heart.

After a while.

He changed his fist technique to the Bear Form.

Immediately, he saw orange particles peeling off from the ground beneath his feet, gathering towards his body.

Yellow particles entered his body, and he felt a pleasant sensation in his spleen.

"In the Five Beasts Fist, the Bear represents earth, and earth governs the spleen!"

"Practicing the Bear Form refines the spleen!"

Jiang Ning understood once more.

After a short while.

He changed his fist technique to the Ape Form.

Scarce red particles gathered towards his body from the void.

As the red particles entered his body, his heart felt a pleasant sensation, and his blood and vital energy surged within him.

"In the Five Beasts Fist, the Ape represents fire, and fire governs the heart."

"Practicing the Ape Form refines the heart!"

Next, after practicing the Ape Form, he practiced the Deer and Crane Forms."

After practicing all five forms.

【Five Beasts Fist Experience +4】

A prompt appeared before him, and he slowly opened his eyes, a smile spreading across his face.

【Martial Arts】: Five Beasts Fist (2nd Break Limit 6/3000) (Characteristics: Five Viscera Essence Storage, Five Elements Spirit)



Glancing at his panel, Jiang Ning murmured.

After this exploration, he roughly understood the changes after the second break limit of the Five Beasts Fist.

Practicing the fist technique, in addition to increasing the power of blood and vital energy.

Just like this round of the fist technique, the power of blood and vital energy increased by fifteen strands.

Compared to the first break limit of the Five Beasts Fist, the efficiency of condensing blood and vital energy increased by a full fifty percent.

Moreover, it can attract the power of the five elements from the universe, absorbing the power of earth from the ground, the power of wood from plants and trees, and the power of water from water sources, refining the five viscera.

This move can be said to have multiple benefits.

Practicing the fist technique not only enhances the technique but also refines blood and vital energy while increasing the strength of the five viscera.

The stronger the five viscera, the more profound the inner breath that can be condensed.

This means that in the near future, his total inner breath will surpass that of warriors of the same level.

Previously, after the first break limit, the Five Beasts Fist had a certain ability to absorb floating particles of the five elements, refining the viscera.

However, the effect was extremely weak, only able to absorb the floating particles of the five elements.

Now, it seemed to have transformed into a higher existence, able to absorb the power of the five elements from all things in the universe.

The efficiency between the two was not on the same level!

Jiang Ning practiced the Five Beasts Fist again by the lake.

When he practiced the Ape Form.

Boom—

Fire erupted in the void, directly igniting a nearby large tree.

In the blazing light of the fire.

He suddenly felt a vast amount of red particles entering his body.

"Indeed!"

Jiang Ning's heart rejoiced, and he maintained his fist technique, continuing to attract the power of fire into his heart, refining it.

As a large amount of fire energy entered his body, his blood, which was flowing within him, suddenly became like an untamed wild horse, surging through his body.

"This move indeed works!"

He affirmed in his heart, once again grasping the essence of the second break limit of the Five Beasts Fist.

Then, when practicing the Crane Form, he couldn't help but feel helpless.

Within a few zhang around him, there were no metallic minerals, nor was there a large amount of metal substance.

Without the metal substance, he couldn't efficiently refine his lungs and kidneys.

【Five Beasts Fist Experience +4】

After a round of the fist technique, a prompt appeared again.

【Martial Arts】: Five Beasts Fist (2nd Break Limit 10/3000) (Characteristics: Five Viscera Essence Storage, Five Elements Spirit)



He glanced at his panel once more, then closed it.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end