Stepping through the side door of the martial arts academy, Jiang Ning arrived in a large courtyard.

He saw about a dozen bare-chested men in the open space. Some were practicing their punches, while others were carrying heavy stones to build their strength.

Noticing a newcomer entering the academy, they merely cast a brief glance at Jiang Ning before ignoring him completely and continuing with their tasks.

What was that?!

Jiang Ning’s eyes narrowed, his attention immediately drawn to a corner of the front yard.

There stood a massive iron cage, inside of which a huge, striped tiger lay prostrate, fast asleep.

This magnificent tiger was easily four meters long and radiated an immense sense of pressure.

Its thick limbs made it perfectly clear that the creature possessed terrifying explosive power.

“Stop staring and keep moving,” the burly man instructed.

Jiang Ning withdrew his gaze, nodded, and continued to follow behind him.

Passing through the front yard, the two of them quickly reached the backyard of the academy.

Under the shade of a tree, a bearded elderly man leaned lazily against a rattan chair, leisurely fanning himself with a cattail leaf fan.

The elderly man looked to be around his early fifties, but his frame was far from the frail, withered build of an ordinary elder. Instead, his limbs were much thicker than a regular person’s, and his body was covered in prominent muscles.

Standing by his side was a tall, slender woman dressed in a blue training uniform.

Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, her face carried a sharp, heroic air, and her long, slender neck was as white as snow. One look was enough to tell she came from an extraordinary background.

Ordinary martial artists would inevitably have sunburned, darkened skin, making it impossible to look as white as snow like this woman.

“Are you Jiang Ning?” the elderly man asked, opening his eyes to look at him.

“Yes,” Jiang Ning bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Master Wang.”

“At least you have manners, not bad,” the elderly man nodded slightly, looking somewhat pleased with Jiang Ning.

“Come closer,” the elderly man said.

Hearing this, Jiang Ning stepped forward, and the elderly man stood up.

As the elder’s hand landed on Jiang Ning’s shoulder, a slight vibration rippled through him. Jiang Ning instantly felt a sensation like being struck by lightning travel from his shoulder through his entire body.

At that moment, every bone in his body felt as if it were falling apart.

The elder’s palm quickly swept across his arms, chest, and back.

Within just a few breaths, the bone assessment was over, and the elderly man sat back down in his rattan chair.

“Your physical frame is a bit weak. Your aptitude is neither good nor bad, but you will have no problem practicing the foundational techniques,” the elder stated.

Jiang Ning was not surprised by this evaluation.

What kind of person was naturally suited for martial arts?

Those with broad shoulders, thick waists, and natural superhuman strength.

Or those born with exceptionally dense bones and massive builds.

He did not fit any of those descriptions.

However, he was not disappointed. His ultimate reliance was not his natural talent for martial arts, but rather that miraculous status panel.

Seeing Jiang Ning’s calm and steady expression, the elder nodded slightly. “Your temperament is decent, remaining unbothered by praise or criticism.”

Then he asked, “Are you literate?”

Jiang Ning nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“Can you understand martial arts manuals?” the elder asked again.

Jiang Ning nodded once more. “I can.”

“Good, it is rare to get someone who can actually read a manual. If you can’t even read a manual during your martial arts journey and don’t know a single word, what is the point of practicing boxing at all?” The elderly man revealed a look of satisfaction. “Go read the manual a few times first, memorize the essential meanings of the boxing forms as much as possible, and then come back to find me.”

“Thank you, Master,” Jiang Ning bowed respectfully.

The elder waved his hand. “It is far too early to call me Master. Wait until you pass the test. Having just entered the academy, you are at most a registered student. If you cannot pass the test within six months, you will have to pack your bags and leave.”

“Teaching me and guiding me to enter the world of martial arts makes you my teacher in my heart. Furthermore, a registered student is still a student, and since I am a student, it is only proper that I call you Master,” Jiang Ning said with utmost sincerity.

“As you wish,” the elder waved his hand and turned to the woman in the tight blue training uniform. “Li Qing, take him to my study and fetch the Five Animal Boxing manual for him to read.”

“Yes,” the woman nodded, her gaze landing on Jiang Ning. “Follow me.”

“My name is Li Qing, you can call me Senior Sister Li from now on,” the woman in the blue outfit said to Jiang Ning after they walked out of the backyard.

“Greetings, Senior Sister Li,” Jiang Ning offered a smile. “Senior Sister Li, my name is Jiang Ning.”

Seeing this, the woman’s lips parted slightly as she smiled back at him.

With that exchange, the two of them seemed to grow a bit more familiar with each other.

As she led the way, she spoke up, “Junior Brother Jiang, your purpose in coming to the Canglang Martial Arts Academy is to pass Master Wang’s test and become a true disciple, right?”

“Yes,” Jiang Ning nodded repeatedly, offering a friendly smile.

“Then do you know how to become a true disciple of the academy?” the woman asked as they walked.

Jiang Ning shook his head slightly as he kept pace. “I do not know, please enlighten me, Senior Sister Li.”

“What you are about to learn is the Five Animal Boxing. To earn Master Wang’s recognition, you must gain a profound understanding of any single form among the Tiger, Bear, Ape, Crane, or Deer within six months, achieving the mastery stage. Only then will you be qualified to become a true disciple,” the woman explained.

“Senior Sister, is reaching the mastery stage difficult?” Jiang Ning asked.

“It is extremely difficult. Even for wealthy youths or descendants of the great families, reaching mastery within six months is an immense challenge,” she continued. “The Five Animal Boxing is a ranked, low tier martial art. To break through to mastery requires incredibly high comprehension. It took me nearly five months to grasp the essence of the Deer Form and achieve mastery in that single style. And that was with my special relationship with Master Wang, receiving his constant personal guidance. Without his regular pointers, it will be several times harder for you.”

“You are truly amazing, Senior Sister,” Jiang Ning praised her without hesitation.

Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on the woman’s face, a hint of pride in her expression.

Even in the inner city, becoming a disciple of the Canglang Martial Arts Academy was something worth boasting about.

Ever since she became a core disciple of Wang Jin, she could clearly feel that her status within her social circle had improved significantly.

After all, Wang Jin’s strength put him at the very peak of experts in Luoshui County, not to mention his deeper background identity.

Yet the vast majority of people could not enroll in Wang Jin’s academy even if they wanted to, simply because of factional alignments. Wang Jin’s underlying identity currently represented the leader of the neutral faction.

She then spoke up, “Since you call me Senior Sister, I will do my best to guide you over the next six months. As for how much you can understand, that will depend entirely on your own comprehension.”

“Thank you very much, Senior Sister,” Jiang Ning thanked her earnestly.

He naturally had no reason to reject building a good relationship with Senior Sister Li.

From the way she stayed right by Master Wang Jin’s side earlier, it was obvious she was a core member of the Canglang Martial Arts Academy.

Based on his understanding, any member who passed the master’s test to become a core disciple would eventually become an officially ranked martial artist before long.

In other words, this bright and beautiful young woman in front of him might become a ranked martial artist very soon, or perhaps she already was one.

Furthermore, judging by her appearance and bearing, she clearly did not come from an ordinary household, and her special relationship with Master Wang Jin further proved her highly unusual background.

Jiang Ning had absolutely no reason to pass up this connection.

Seeing Jiang Ning’s attitude, the woman nodded her head in satisfaction. She then gave a word of advice, “After learning the Five Animal Boxing, you must carefully study its true meaning, Junior Brother Jiang. If you can become a true disciple of the academy like me, only then will you be qualified to receive Master Wang’s true inheritance, and only then will you understand why our academy is named the Canglang Martial Arts Academy.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded seriously. “I understand, Junior Brother.”

“Good,” the woman nodded contentedly.

Before long, the two of them arrived at a study located in a secluded corner of the academy.

“Wait for me outside the door,” she said.

Jiang Ning nodded.

The next moment.

The woman pushed open the door of the study and stepped inside.

Jiang Ning waited quietly outside the door, his heart filled with anticipation.

A martial arts technique was finally within his grasp.

And it was a ranked, low tier technique. According to his knowledge, even his older brother had not mastered a low tier technique, which showed just how precious a ranked, low tier martial art truly was.

At this moment, he also understood why his brother had insisted on him joining the academy. The gap between the two paths was simply too wide.

A ranked, low tier technique was merely the entry test for the Canglang Martial Arts Academy. If one could pass this test, according to what this senior sister said, they could truly gain access to the academy’s actual inheritance.

The words Canglang undoubtedly represented the true legacy of this martial arts academy.

Jiang Ning felt a deep yearning toward it.

After only about a dozen breaths of time passed.

Creak.

As the door was pushed open once more, the woman reappeared in front of Jiang Ning.

“This is the Five Animal Boxing manual,” the woman said, handing a slightly yellowed book to Jiang Ning. “Memorize everything in this manual well over the next few days. If there is anything you don’t understand, come find me. Once you have generally memorized it, go see Master Wang. He will personally demonstrate it for you once.”

As her voice trailed off, she gave another firm reminder, “Remember, this manual cannot be taken out of the academy. Every day before you leave, you must return it directly to my hands.”

Jiang Ning took the manual and felt it briefly. He immediately felt reassured, as the Five Animal Boxing manual was not very thick.

He then shook his head slightly. “Memorizing the manual won’t take that long. Just give me the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.”

“The time it takes to drink a cup of tea?” The woman’s brow furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at him.

Jiang Ning smiled, then tapped his index finger lightly against his temple. “Senior Sister Li, I was born with the gift of a photographic memory.”

“Alright then, I will wait for you right here. If you can really do it, I will take you to see Master Wang right away, and you can start learning the boxing forms today,” the woman said, folding her arms as she stood aside. As her breathing fell into a steady rhythm, she instantly exuded an aura of serene tranquility, looking like a resting deer in the forest.

Jiang Ning wasted no more time. He opened the Five Animal Boxing manual and began to turn the pages, reading intently from the very first page.

Literacy Experience Points +1

Literacy Experience Points +1

Time trickled by slowly, and for a moment, this small courtyard fell completely silent, save for the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves overhead.

With an air of quiet serenity, the woman stood beside Jiang Ning, natural and at peace.