Chapter 9

As Jiang Nan's foot landed, the immense power of the Dragon Tiger Elephant Strength Technique was unleashed. His small body contained a tremendous force that was hard for ordinary people to imagine. In one step, he rushed to the front of the bear demon, raised his palm, and fiercely struck forward!

His arm was like an elephant's trunk, and with one slap, he sent the thousand-pound black bear flying into the air, landing several dozen feet away on the other side of the stone bridge, where it crashed into a large tree, breaking it with a crack!

As the tree fell, dust and smoke rose, and the bear demon roared, flipping over and leaping up, both surprised and enraged.

Thud!

Jiang Nan's second step landed, this time with a larger stride, directly leaping off the bridge. In one step, he reached the bear demon and struck again. The bear demon, in a rage, grabbed the broken tree with its paw and swung it at Jiang Nan with a whoosh!

Jiang Nan's palm struck the broken tree, causing it to explode with a bang, sending splinters flying in all directions. Amidst the splinters, a black paw swung toward Jiang Nan's forehead!

The bear demon's paw struck Jiang Nan's forehead, causing blood to fly, almost driving the young boy into the mud by the river like a nail!

At the same time, Jiang Nan's other palm fiercely struck the bear demon, sending the thousand-pound black bear flying again!

Jiang Nan, struck by the bear demon's paw, was buried in the mud up to his waist. After striking the bear demon, he ignored the mud and kicked it away with a thud, seemingly unimpeded, and took another step to face the bear demon again!

The Divine Elephant Treading Mountain technique consists of thirteen steps and thirteen strikes, the most fierce and dominant move Jiang Nan had learned. Thirteen continuous steps and strikes, without a moment's pause or respite!

In the mountain forest, the sound of footsteps and slaps, as well as the roars of the elephant and bear, echoed!

One by one, the trees fell with a crack. After a while, the intense noise suddenly stopped. Jiang Nan, covered in blood, carried the corpse of a giant bear and walked out of the forest step by step.

Behind him, the scene was in ruins, with fallen trees, broken branches, and scattered leaves everywhere.

His thirteen steps and thirteen strikes had driven the bear demon over seventy yards into the forest, felling more than ten trees, and finally killed it!

However, he was not in good shape either. Although the bear demon was still a beast and had not fully transformed into a demon, it was incredibly strong and a very tough opponent. It had struck Jiang Nan six or seven times, almost turning his small body into a pulp!

If Jiang Nan had not practiced the Devil Prison Profound Fetus Scripture and reached the fifth level of the Dragon Tiger Elephant Strength Technique today, he would not have been a match for the black bear!

"Big Sister, how was my performance?" Jiang Nan crossed the stone bridge, threw the bear's corpse down, and took a deep breath. He felt every muscle in his body ache, but he forced himself to smile and ask.

The battle was short but had drained his physical energy. If not for the magical nature of the demon bell in his body, Jiang Nan would have surely lost.

His physical condition was too poor. Although he had reached the bone-strengthening realm, his diet had not kept up, and his physical energy was insufficient after the fight.

By the stone bridge, a woman in a sable fur and white robe stood by the Yangchuan River. Her clear voice came, "Zichuan, you are now勉强算是一名武道中人, much more mature than when you fought Wusi Jiang. However, in front of true martial arts experts, you are still a rookie."

"Big Sister, don't worry, I understand this."

Jiang Nan activated his true qi, which ran through his body. He thought, "Sister Jiang Xue is right. Although the bear demon had demonic aura, it was not a true demon and could not transform into a human. Moreover, it had weapons but was not proficient in martial arts, relying only on brute strength. It was likely not fully intelligent, and compared to true martial arts experts, there was a significant gap!"

Now he finally understood why Jiang Xue said that fighting a demon beast was suitable for a rookie like him. Demon beasts have innate combat skills, but they are not as proficient in martial arts as humans. If a demon beast were also proficient in martial arts, it would be ten times more dangerous!

If this bear demon were also proficient in martial arts, the first strike would have taken his life!

Inside Jiang Nan's body, the true qi roared and surged, massaging his injuries, promoting blood circulation, and expelling blood and debris from his skin pores. Even the bone fragments inside his body could be expelled by the true qi.

Achieving the four realms of skin, flesh, tendons, and bones in martial arts allows one to self-heal, which is not unique to Jiang Nan.

His practice of the Devil Prison Profound Fetus Scripture made his true qi extremely dominant, and even the healing of his injuries was faster than others. However, to fully recover without any lingering effects, he would need at least ten days of rest.

Jiang Nan's eyes sparkled. The battle had not only transformed his mindset from an ordinary person to a martial artist but also greatly enhanced his combat awareness, reaction speed, combat skills, and adaptability, as well as his mental fortitude.

His gains were significant. Using various killing moves in the battle deepened his understanding and proficiency in these techniques and helped him recognize his shortcomings.

Similarly, his true qi had been applied in unprecedented ways during the battle, becoming more refined and pure, with faster circulation and shorter reaction times!

"A desperate battle surpasses a hundred years of hard practice. This saying, though exaggerated, is not without reason."

Jiang Nan carefully analyzed the techniques and movements of the battle, pondering his shortcomings. Soon, he discovered many flaws in the Dragon Tiger Elephant Strength Technique and made improvements.

"Big Sister, how do my current abilities compare to the young nobles of the Qi Wang's mansion?" Jiang Nan asked, his heart racing.

Jiang Xue walked to the bridge, looked at him, and shook her head. "The young nobles of the Qi Wang's mansion eat high-quality ginseng, deer antler, and demon beast meat daily. They even take energy-boosting elixirs to enhance their physical condition and consolidate their realms. Your diet was too poor in the past, and your body is far weaker than theirs. You have only been practicing for a short time, so how can you surpass them? Don't be discouraged. In the future, when you hunt demon beasts and consume their meat, your physical condition will naturally become very strong, and your body will become increasingly powerful, easily surpassing them."

Jiang Nan nodded silently. He had long heard about the excellent diet of the young nobles in the Qi Wang's mansion. They drank human milk in the morning to replenish their strength and consumed high-quality herbs like ginseng, bird's nest, deer antler, and lingzhi to make nourishing soups for the young nobles!

Even more terrifying was that the kitchen of the mansion consumed ten large demon beasts daily, using their meat as ingredients!

"Zichuan, it's getting late. Let's go back."

Jiang Xue transformed into a white fox, leaped onto his shoulder, and said softly, "The Luoxia Mountain is full of demon beasts, especially at night when they are rampant. With your current strength, you can defeat a single demon beast, but facing a group of them would mean certain death... By the way, bear meat is very delicious, nourishing, and strengthens the body. Don't waste it."

Jiang Nan agreed and cut off the black bear's two front paws and several pounds of lean meat before leaving.

After returning to their residence, Jiang Xue took out several large silver ingots and gave them to Jiang Nan. "Since you are my brother, how can you serve others as a slave? If word gets out, it would tarnish my reputation. Here is some money. Go to the Qi Wang's mansion and redeem your indenture contract. From now on, you will be a free man."

Jiang Nan was puzzled and asked, "Big Sister, where did you get this money?"

Jiang Xue smiled and said, "I am a fox spirit. How can I not be skilled in some wealth-gathering techniques? This money was moved from the treasuries of wealthy families."

Jiang Nan suddenly understood. He had heard from Tiezhu about similar stories. It was said that fox spirits would seduce scholars not only with beauty but also with wealth, offering them large sums of money to lure them. If the scholar accepted, they would sell their life to the fox spirit and be eaten that night.

"Don't worry, I won't eat your little heart," Jiang Xue said, as if reading his thoughts, and chuckled.

Jiang Nan's face turned slightly red. He took the money and walked to the Qi Wang's mansion. The steward was surprised to see him with such a large sum of money to redeem his indenture contract. When asked about the source of the money, Jiang Nan simply said his long-lost sister had found him, and the steward did not suspect anything.

Seeing him redeem his indenture contract, Jiang Xue said, "A poor man studies literature, a rich man studies martial arts. Constantly worrying about making a living will hinder your martial arts practice, slowing your progress. I have some more money. Use it to buy a house to ensure a stable life and focus on your cultivation."

She took out more silver and had Jiang Nan buy a courtyard house in the city, furnish it with furniture, and hire two maids to serve him. They moved in together.

Jiang Nan looked at his new home, shook his head, and found it hard to believe. Everything happened so quickly. Previously, he was a poor boy, a servant in the Qi Wang's mansion, but now he had become a master with a house and servants, living a life of luxury.

Tiezhu, hearing that Jiang Nan had freed himself from servitude and bought a house, brought a jar of wine to congratulate him. Jiang Nan ordered the maids to prepare bear paws and bear meat, and the two brothers feasted and drank until they were drunk, enjoying themselves to the fullest.

"Sister Jiang Xue was right. After freeing myself from servitude, I have a stable life and can focus on my cultivation. However, my diet was too poor in the past, and my body still needs time to recover," Jiang Nan thought.

In the following days, Jiang Nan and Jiang Xue went to the Luoxia Mountain to hunt lone demon beasts. After a series of battles, Jiang Nan deeply realized that his physical condition was the key factor limiting his cultivation. However, each battle brought him significant gains. Consuming demon beast meat gradually improved his physical condition, making him stronger.

"Although my body is improving, it is still far from enough. With my current strength, if I were to face a Qi Wang's mansion disciple at the same bone-strengthening realm, if I cannot defeat them in the first twenty moves, I will surely lose. My physical condition cannot match that of the young nobles of the Qi Wang's mansion," Jiang Nan sighed, thinking to himself.

———

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