Starting with photographic memory, I've worked my way up to become a martial arts immortal.

dining room.

Jiang Yuan occupied a table all by himself and ate heartily.

It wasn't that he was domineering, but rather that the other disciples spontaneously kept their distance from him.

This situation arose a few days after he set a duel date with Yu Heng.

Jiang Yuan didn't mind at all; on the contrary, he felt it was peaceful and spacious, and he could even lie down on the table to sleep during his lunch break. He was very happy.

Humans are creatures that admire the strong and conform to the crowd. Once a few people start isolating someone, others who don't understand the reason will follow suit, and it will gradually spread.

One way to break this is to become powerful yourself.

Jiang Yuan chewed the food in his bowl carefully. After swallowing the last bite, he got up and asked the cafeteria lady for a bowl of hot water.

He then returned to his seat, took out a paper packet, opened it, and carefully poured the powder inside into hot water. This was Yixue San, which he had bought at a high price from a pharmacy.

The crimson powder fell into the water, first floating on the surface and forming a thin red film. With a gentle ripple, countless tiny red flakes spread out and then melted into a hazy rouge color.

Jiang Yuan watched quietly until the medicine cooled down a bit before picking it up and drinking it in small sips.

A warm current slowly ignited inside his abdomen, then subtly seeped into his limbs and bones.

As is his usual practice, he would lie down and take a nap to recover from the fatigue of practicing all morning.

However, a commotion suddenly broke out in the outer courtyard.

Jiang Yuan intended to ignore it, but then he heard someone calling Niu Fan's name.

When Niu Fan first joined the martial arts school, he was enthusiastic about befriending him. Later, his attitude cooled considerably, but they still had some acquaintance. They were always among the first batch of disciples to arrive at the school, and the two would occasionally exchange training tips. Even these past few days, he hadn't given him the cold shoulder.

A thought struck him, and he went outside.

In the courtyard, many disciples were sitting and looking up, while several people surrounded the wooden stake, and a Taoist figure lay on the ground.

"What's wrong with Senior Brother Niu?"

"It looks like we failed to clear the level."

Jiang Yuan pushed aside the disciples who were discussing and saw Niu Fan lying on the ground, a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. The silly smile that usually graced his face had vanished, and he was just staring blankly at the sky.

"Senior Brother Niu, are you alright?"

Jiang Yuan squatted down, recalling the scene of his first meeting with Niu Fan.

It was just dawn when Niu Fan stood beside Shao Tingfeng, who was dressed in white, looking exactly like a servant.

Niu Fan's eyes narrowed slightly, his lips moved twice, and he uttered a few dry words, "Junior Brother Jiang, I failed to break through the barrier."

Jiang Yuan forced a smile and said, "Senior brother, I was just unlucky this time. I'll keep practicing and hopefully I'll succeed next time..."

"Junior Brother Jiang, how long have you been at the martial arts school?" Niu Fan interrupted.

"It's been more than two months."

"Time flies. You've been here for over two months. Almost everyone from my batch at the martial arts school has left, and there are only a handful of familiar faces left."

Jiang Yuan nodded silently.

"Junior Brother Jiang, do you think hard work is useful?"

"Yes!" Jiang Yuan said firmly.

"I feel it's useless. I once thought that hard work would pay off, so I got up before dawn every day and put all my energy into practicing, but I still failed." Niu Fan's voice was strange and hoarse, as if he was accusing fate of injustice.

Jiang Yuan remained silent. In recent days, he had seen too many disciples fail to break through their training and leave the martial arts school.

Their eyes were filled with resentment, but that's just how reality is; it doesn't allow people to succeed easily.

The murmurs subsided, and everyone fell silent. Several senior disciples looked downcast, as if they saw their own future reflected in Niu Fan.

"Make way, Master is here!"

Wei Xuan stepped forward from the crowd, glanced around, and ordered, "You two, help Niu Fan into the house."

The disciple whose name was called quickly helped Niu Fan up and followed Wei Xuan into the house.

Jiang Yuan watched the staggering figure disappear through the doorway, knowing that this might be the last time the two of them would meet.

He returned to the kitchen without a word, lay down on the table, and fell asleep.

The people inside the room went out to watch the excitement, and only returned in twos and threes after a while.

"Brother Niu cried when he left the martial arts school. It was really heartbreaking to see."

"Practice your skills diligently, and hopefully that day will never come."

"Huh, Jiang Yuan's back so early?"

Zuo Qi glanced at the people at the table and said sarcastically, "I saw them chatting and laughing together yesterday, but today when Senior Brother Niu left, he didn't even see him off. What a cold-blooded person."

"Alright, shut up. Why are you always provoking people?" another disciple said.

"I just can't stand it!" Zuo Qi said resentfully.

Jiang Yuan turned over and slept even more soundly, which made Zuo Qi's teeth itch with envy.

In the afternoon, perhaps because of what Niu Fan said, the shouts from the outer courtyard were much weaker than usual, and many disciples were somewhat distracted while practicing their skills.

Jiang Yuan, seemingly unaffected, continued to study each move of the Crane Style Fist.

After receiving guidance from his second senior brother, he changed his previous training method.

He was initially a little apprehensive, but he quickly regained his confidence. Through the panel, he discovered that the Crane Form Fist was more efficient than before.

Time always flies when you're focused on practicing.

Jiang Yuan glanced at the setting sun, packed his things, and called to Zhao Hui, "Let's go, it's getting late."

Zhao Hui turned his head awkwardly. "Senior Brother Jiang, I just figured something out and want to practice a bit more. Why don't you go ahead?"

"Okay, then you should go back early!" Jiang Yuan gave him a strange look, thinking to himself that this was the first time he had seen him so diligent.

Usually, Zhao Hui would pack his things early and wait for him, but today it was the other way around.

Jiang Yuan tightened the pack on his back and quickly left.

I was planning to go straight home, but halfway there I remembered that I was almost out of Yixue San. Since Zhao Hui wasn't traveling with me today, I thought I'd buy some more.

Stepping into my usual pharmacy, I found myself facing a stranger.

"Hey, where did Manager Zhao go?" Jiang Yuan asked.

"My father has passed away," the middle-aged man who had been fiddling with the abacus beads at the counter said, looking up.

Jiang Yuan was taken aback. "So sudden? I saw him just a while ago."

"My father closed his shop a few days ago and was robbed on the way. He not only lost his money but also stabbed him," the middle-aged man said, his eyes slightly red.

"It's a pity that Manager Zhao, a kind man, met such an end."

"It seems this gentleman is a regular customer here?"

"good."

The middle-aged man looked him up and down. "What would you like?"

"Give me a ten-day supply of Yixue San," Jiang Yuan said.

The shopkeeper turned around, quickly retrieved the item, and placed it in front of Jiang Yuan. "Five taels."

Jiang Yuan nodded. The price remained the same, and he reluctantly took out the silver and placed it on the counter.

Ever since he started practicing martial arts, he felt that the money was flowing away like water, disappearing very quickly.

However, the Blood-Nourishing Powder was indeed effective, increasing his Crane-Form Stance Training speed by 50%, which he felt was well worth it.

Once he breaks through to the Ming Jin level, he'll have a way to make money.

Jiang Yuan packed his things and was about to leave when the shopkeeper called him back.

"Sir, our shop has just received some excellent items. Would you like to take a look?"

"What is it?" Jiang Yuan's curiosity was piqued.

The pharmacy owner mysteriously took out a porcelain bottle, poured out a bright red pill, and said, "This is the Ecstasy Pill, which is much more effective than the Blood Nourishing Powder."

"What's the price?"

"It's also five taels, but it's five taels per piece," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

"I can't afford it." Jiang Yuan turned and left.

"Wait a minute, this Ecstasy Pill has other benefits too! It makes you feel like you're floating on air, as if you're in paradise!"

Jiang Yuan walked even faster. In his previous life, anything with this effect was not a good thing.

As soon as he arrived home, he saw Aunt Liu playing with Yueyue at his house.

"Yueyue, look what this is!" Jiang Yuan proudly pulled out two malt candies and stuffed them into her hands.

"Thank you, Brother Jiang Yuan," Yueyue said sweetly.

"How about I give you a hug today?"

Yueyue tilted her head and thought for a moment, then looked at the malt candy in her hand, and nodded, "Okay!"

Jiang Yuan was immediately amused and gently pulled her into his arms.

"How about your brother tells you a story?"

"Okay, what's the story?" Yueyue blinked her big eyes and looked at her eagerly.

"Let me start with the tortoise and the hare fable!"

······

The next day, Jiang Yuan was practicing his martial arts when Fang Yan came looking for him.

"I have a short meeting this afternoon, are you interested?" Fang Yan asked.

"Xiao Hui, what's that?" Jiang Yuan asked curiously.

"Several martial arts schools that have a good relationship exchange and learn from each other. Master always brings some disciples with him. I recommended you this time, and Master agreed," Fang Yan said calmly.

"So it's about sparring and competing with disciples from other martial arts schools?" Jiang Yuan confirmed.

"Not bad." Fang Yan nodded.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Yuan agreed.

Since the master is leading the team, safety is definitely guaranteed. His Crane Style Fist can be improved quickly through sparring and competition with others, so this good opportunity should not be wasted.

"Thank you for the recommendation, Second Senior Brother. What should I prepare before going?"

Fang Yan smiled and said, "No need to prepare, I'll call you when we leave this afternoon."

Jiang Yuan nodded and continued practicing his skills on the wooden stake.

Not long after lunch, Fang Yan took him away from the martial arts school.

Besides the two of them, there was only one other disciple on this trip, named Zhang Xiaofeng, who had broken through to the Ming Jin level more than a year ago.

Zhang Xiaofeng was burly with bulging muscles in his arms, and he practiced the Tiger Form Fist from the martial arts school.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Yuan realized that each realm only allowed one disciple, and he was immediately flattered.

He quietly tugged at Fang Yan's sleeve. "Second Senior Brother, why did you choose me? There are clearly several disciples who have been in the academy longer than me, and they are much stronger than me."

"What, afraid of embarrassing the martial arts school in public?" Fang Yan said in a low voice.

"No, I'm just a little curious," Jiang Yuan said immediately.

Fang Yan said with a half-smile, "Your fist technique is almost on par with those Ming Jin martial arts masters. Who else should I look for if not you?"

Jiang Yuan scratched his head. "It's thanks to my senior brother's guidance."

"Come on, Master has asked me to guide more than just you."

Jiang Yuan chuckled and said nothing more.

After walking for about half an hour, they stopped in front of a large courtyard with black tiles and white walls, with a plaque hanging on the gate.

"Du Family Martial Arts School," Jiang Yuan murmured.

At this moment, a row of burly men stood at the entrance of the martial arts school, each with broad shoulders and thick waists, exuding an extraordinary aura.

The leader was a middle-aged man, not very tall, with a goatee, and wearing an indigo silk robe.

"Master Wei!"

"Master Du!"

The two leading masters exchanged pleasantries, while the disciples below glared at each other, secretly competing with one another.

Jiang Yuan was taken aback when he saw that there were two female disciples opposite him, who were even more robust than the other male disciples.

Soon, the people from the Du Family Martial Arts School led them to a courtyard.

A circle was drawn on the flat ground in the center, covered with hard bluestone slabs.

Fang Yan had already explained the rules of the meeting to Jiang Yuan on the way.

Small gatherings like this, which are for friendly exchange, usually adopt a rule of defending the title.

The outsider goes up to defend the title.

Of course, the disciples who went up to challenge were also at the same level.

Jiang Yuan, being the lowest in cultivation level, was chosen to fight the first match.

He wasn't intimidated at all and jumped right onto the stage.

"I am Jiang Yuan from the White Crane Martial Arts School. I practice Crane Style Fist. I would like to ask my fellow disciples for guidance."

Jiang Yuan clasped his hands in a fist salute, circled around once, and said in a deep voice.

Wei Xuan and Du Zhen were sitting in armchairs below the stage, drinking tea. Seeing this, Du Zhen spoke up, "Your disciple seems quite promising. Where did you find such a talented individual?"

Wei Xuan glanced at him. "You can tell he's a good prospect before even fighting him?"

"I have a good eye," Du Zhen chuckled.

Just then, a tall, strong young man jumped onto the stage, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "I am Xu Xun, and I wield the Mountain-Breaking Fist!"

"please."

Jiang Yuan stared intently at his opponent, but did not make the first move.

Since they were sent up in the first round, they are definitely not particularly strong opponents. It's a good opportunity to test their strengths and weaknesses.

Xu Xun roared and suddenly exerted force with his feet, charging forward like a bear.

Poyuequan is known for its expansive and powerful movements and its fierce punches.

Xu Xun's move is called "Bear Crashing into a Tree." Although the name is vulgar, it is a deadly move. Given distance, he can sprint and knock people flying several meters away.

Jiang Yuan naturally wouldn't engage in a direct confrontation; his current strategy is to use his strengths to exploit the opponent's weaknesses.

With a light touch of his toes, he floated to the side.

Xu Xun missed his target as soon as he pounced, then changed direction and charged at him again.

"Why is it this trick again?"

Jiang Yuan frowned. This time, he moved to dodge the moment the other party bumped into him. At the same time, he naturally hooked his foot, causing Xu Xun to trip and fall over, rolling on the ground outside the circle.

"Wow, that's way too weak."

Jiang Yuan was full of questions, feeling that he had defeated his opponent too quickly, without even getting a feel for the situation.

"Senior Brother Xu has already lost?" a disciple whispered.

"Yeah, his move is usually pretty powerful. He even knocked me over last time." Another disciple said, his eyes wide.

At this moment, a disciple wearing a short-sleeved shirt sneered, "What do you know? Junior Brother Xu's move is a killing move! What is a killing move? It's a move that's not used normally, but when used, it's meant to defeat and kill the opponent! I've told him countless times not to use it right away, but he just won't listen. Watch me!"

After saying that, he confidently jumped up.

Ten breaths later, he flew back.

Jiang Yuan challenged ten of the opponent's disciples before finally encountering a true opponent.