Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Xu Hao watched the old beggar and the boy named Shitou from afar, watching their backs gradually disappear from sight.

He sighed, turned around, and picked up the broom at his feet.

"I'll just stick to what I used to do."

The broom swept across the moss-covered bricks, making a soft rustling sound.

He swept quietly, from the dust at the foot of the statue all the way to the mud in the cracks of the threshold, not missing an inch.

Deep within his consciousness, the number [Sweeping Progress: 102/500] flickered slightly.

He smiled knowingly; the sense of accomplishment from watching the numbers grow was better than anything else.

After noon, he closed the temple door, picked up a broken piece of wood from the side of the door, and used it to prop the door shut from the inside.

Xu Hao sat down against a pillar inside the gate and took out two mixed flour cakes he had brought that morning from his pocket.

The pancakes had long since gone cold and felt rock hard to the touch, but Xu Hao didn't care. He took big bites, chewed them bit by bit, and swallowed them dry, spitting out the saliva.

The coarse bean dregs stung my throat.

After eating two mixed flour pancakes, I felt a little full but couldn't eat anymore. My cheeks ached from chewing so much. I wrapped the remaining pancakes up again, wiped my mouth casually with my wrist, and struck a martial arts pose.

Open up!

After hitting him a few dozen times, he suddenly realized that his body felt different.

As he unleashed his punches and kicks, the muscles throughout his body gradually became sore and hot, and a warm current of "harmonious qi and blood" emerged at the right time.

The effects from the Martial Temple are indeed different; unlike when I first received the reward, it was barely noticeable.

It felt like someone was holding a hot towel and gently ironing his stiff muscles.

Before, after practicing a few dozen times, my vision would go black and my legs would tremble, but now I feel like I can hold on a little longer.

This Martial Temple is practically a cheat code that allows you to stay alive without eating meat.

After completing two hundred rounds of martial arts, Xu Hao was drenched in sweat, his clothes completely soaked, and the sweat dripping onto the blue bricks made him look as if he had been pulled out of the water.

After the beating, he didn't dare to collapse and rest immediately. Instead, he followed the method taught by the old beggar.

"Lock".

That's easier said than done. The pores on your body aren't temple gates; you can't just close them off whenever you want.

Xu Hao mustered all his strength, held his breath, his face flushed red and then turned bluish-purple, the veins in his temples throbbed, and the heat from his body still seeped out through his pores.

Come again!

At that moment, he felt a slight burning sensation on the talisman on his chest, and his heart pounded like a drum in his ears.

Thump. Thump.

He closed his eyes, quietly feeling, following the rhythm of blood flowing through his veins, and forcibly adjusted to slowly restore his breathing.

Silently repeat the mantra in your mind, inhale as if drawing silk, exhale as if popping beans.

Once, twice... Sweat dripped into the corners of his eyes, stinging them painfully, but he didn't care and didn't even blink.

Suddenly, he felt a slight vibration in his eardrums, and his consciousness caught a very faint "pop" sound inside his body.

It must have been a taut membrane that suddenly closed up.

The intense heat that was supposed to dissipate with his sweat was forcibly trapped back by this invisible membrane, flowing back into his limbs and bones through his meridians.

He instantly felt a tingling and itchy sensation all over his body, yet also a sense of indescribable clarity.

Xu Hao opened his mouth and exhaled a breath of turbid air. This breath was cool and did not take away any of the true fire in his body.

It became.

He reopened his eyes, touched his left arm with his right hand, and chuckled foolishly.

This old beggar is quite something.

Trading a mixed bean cake for this amazing skill is truly a lucrative deal.

With the "lock" technique and the blessing of this blessed land, even though he currently has no money to buy meat, Xu Hao can still give it a try on the path of martial arts.

wrong.

My stomach feels like it's on fire again.

Xu Hao was still a young boy, and he was hungry right after finishing his training.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly; this body was truly a bottomless pit.

Xu Hao pulled out the remaining five cakes from his pocket, sat cross-legged in front of the statue, and wolfed them down with the cold water he had just poured from the kettle, not caring that the cakes were cold and hard.

Even though he was so full that his throat felt blocked, he forced himself to eat more, even while drinking water.

I was really hungry.

Eat up. If you save a pancake now, you might feel weak in the knees during the assessment in a couple of days. Xu Hao understood this better than anyone else.

After eating and drinking his fill, Xu Hao focused his consciousness into his mind.

[Upgrade Requirements: Repair temple doors and windows (0/4), complete 500 basic fist techniques practice sessions within the blessed land, or consume one wisp of 'Bloodlust Qi'.]

Xu Hao's eyelids twitched.

You still have to practice the whole set of boxing techniques 500 times. That's really hard work, but you have to grit your teeth and get it done.

But this whole set of boxing techniques stumped him; where could he possibly get it?

And the repair of doors and windows...

He turned his head and glanced at the dilapidated temple that was being used as a blessed place, with its drafty window frames and rickety door.

This isn't a renovation; it's a complete overhaul.

He was completely clueless about carpentry and had no idea how to do it, so hiring someone would cost him money.

Money...

Let's think about these things after we pass the assessment.

He looked around and saw there was nothing left to pack. Xu Hao left the temple and dragged his feet back to the servants' shop.

Before we knew it, the night had deepened.

The air inside the shop was thick with the lingering smell of stinky feet, and the sounds of snoring rose and fell, as loud as a frog's burrow.

Xu Hao lay on his side on his bunk, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Suddenly, he felt the listening talisman hidden against his chest skin getting slightly hot.

The sound I heard seemed to be coming from the innermost corner of the large dormitory, appearing and disappearing amidst the thunderous snoring.

"...Did you get the stuff?"

It's Lai San.

Lai San's voice was extremely low, but it revealed an irrepressible excitement.

"Got it, Third Brother." Another voice trembled slightly, sounding like the skinny guy who always followed Lai San around. "I went to the back door of Huichuntang and bought it from the shop assistant. It cost a full thirty copper coins! He said this thing is incredibly strong and shouldn't be used too much. One copper coin could knock down a big bear."

"Hehe, good!" Lai San's voice was laced with ruthlessness. "Tomorrow before dawn, before Old Man Wang gets up, go and pour this whole package into the big water vat in the yard. Remember to be quick and mix it all up for him."

"Pour it all out? Third Brother, what are we drinking so early in the morning?"

"Smack!" A crisp snap on the head.

"Idiot! Let's go to the riverbank for a drink tomorrow morning! Let Li Da and those big idiots drink their fill."

"Let them pull all day tomorrow. When the next assessment comes, hehe, their legs will be cramping, what kind of martial arts test will they be able to take then!"

"Brilliant! Third Brother's move is brilliant! When the time comes, we'll have to pick the best among the worst, right? We'll be the ones chosen!"

"Who the hell is short, you idiot!"

"Smack!" Another sharp crack on the forehead.

The two whispered a few more words and then let out a few suppressed smirks.

Xu Hao rolled over, facing the wall.

Croton powder? Laxative?

Lai San usually bullies the weak and fears the strong, but I never expected him to be so vicious in order to get a job.

The water tank in the courtyard is the water source for more than a dozen people in the shop. If this water tank is used up, it will probably ruin everyone in the shop.

However, to be fair, they were willing to spend money. Thirty coins could buy so many mixed flour cakes.

Xu Hao closed his eyes and silently tapped his slightly warm chest twice with his fingers.

Should we do something about this?