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

Five days later, at the White Crane Martial Arts School.

Jiang Yuan had just finished practicing his skills, and his body was steaming with heat.

"The muscles become more solid, and the changes to the body after entering the Ming Jin stage are quite significant."

He rubbed his thickened arm and nodded in satisfaction.

I felt a thin, trickling stream, about the thickness of a chopstick, flowing through my entire body.

Previously, I could only vaguely sense the heat that sometimes appeared in my body, but after entering the Ming Jin realm, I could clearly sense the existence of this aura.

This is Qi and Blood!

Qi originates from blood, and blood and qi are intertwined. Only when the body is strong and the diet is sufficient can enough qi and blood be produced to nourish the body.

Standing meditation and boxing are ways to refine and accelerate this process. Otherwise, no matter how well you eat, you won't be able to fully absorb and utilize the nutrients. Instead, the nutrients will accumulate in your body as fat, causing more harm than good.

This is also the most basic principle of martial arts: seven parts nutrition and three parts training!

If one only eats coarse grains and thin porridge, becoming so hungry that one feels dizzy and weak, and becomes as thin as skin and bones, even a genius will find it difficult to nourish their vital energy, let alone improve their cultivation level.

After learning martial arts, Jiang Yuan paid special attention to this aspect. At first, he ate at the martial arts school's kitchen, but after he made quick money, he ate meat every day without fail and would also buy medicinal soups to improve his martial arts training efficiency.

In just over two months, his physique has transformed from lean to strong, with much fuller muscle definition.

He stood quietly in place, feeling the energy flowing through his body gradually dissipate, warmly nourishing his limbs and bones.

Name: Jiang Yuan

[Potential]: 11.3

【技艺】：研读（破限245/5000）、鹤形桩功（小成89/2000）、鹤形拳（小成307/2000）

【Characteristic】: Photographic memory

Many people need to hone their skills for more than a year during the Ming Jin stage to accumulate enough Qi and blood to break through the barrier, but Jiang Yuan felt that the daily improvement speed of his Crane Form Stance was not much less than before.

"The original blood-nourishing powder has lost most of its effectiveness, so we need to find new pills and decoctions to assist in our practice."

I had already agreed with Dong Erbao to exchange the monthly subsidy for a certain amount of Mingjinqi herbal medicine, and there would be a discount if I bought the extra amount from Dong's store.

But halfway through the conversation that day, a servant from the Dong family suddenly came and called him away, and he hasn't shown up for several days.

Jiang Yuan touched his pocket, took out a porcelain bottle, poured out a Qi-Nourishing Pill, and swallowed it.

The main function of Peiyuan Dan is to strengthen the body's foundation and nourish the body's vital energy. In terms of practicing qigong alone, its effect on improving qi and blood is not as good as that of Yixue San or similar products.

Except for the first three days after he broke through to the Ming Jin level, he only needed to take one pill every day after that.

The martial arts school only provides one bottle of thirty pills a month, and the one Wei Xuan gave us last time was considered an advance payment.

Jiang Yuan and his second senior brother had inquired and learned that only a few martial arts schools had such pills, and their benefits to the body were gradual and subtle.

"Junior Brother Jiang."

Fang Yan, dressed in white, walked over.

"Second Senior Brother, have you come to instruct me in martial arts?"

Fang Yan smiled and shook his head, "No, it's to have you guide the other disciples in their training."

Jiang Yuan pointed to the tip of his nose in surprise, "Me?"

"good.

Recently, more and more new disciples have been coming to the martial arts school. The master no longer has the energy to take care of everyone, so he simply adopted the model of other martial arts schools and started to have experienced teachers mentor new ones.

Nowadays, each disciple in the inner courtyard has been assigned a number of slots. Since you've just entered the Ming Jin realm, you should start by mentoring a new disciple.

Of course, it won't interfere with your training. You only need to set aside a little time each day, just like I did when I was training you.

Let me tell you, when you're instructing others, you need to break down the details of their moves. This will help you solidify your foundation. The more you're instructed, the more thorough your understanding will become. Teaching promotes practice, exposes your weaknesses, and in turn improves your combat adaptability and passing ability—the benefits are numerous.

Fang Yan recited the spell fluently, as if he had said it many times before, seemingly afraid that Jiang Yuan might be dissatisfied and not pay attention when instructing the new disciple, thus delaying his master's affairs.

Jiang Yuan clasped his hands and said, "Since it is something my master has entrusted to me, how could I dare not do my best?"

Fang Yan nodded in satisfaction, "Okay, Master said he will reduce part of your monthly tuition and give you more time to guide you."

As for the disciple assigned to you, his name is Liu Zhengquan; he just joined the martial arts school a few days ago.

Jiang Yuan agreed, and an image of a robust, youthful-looking boy came to mind.

If he remembered correctly, Zhou Wei's aptitude was only average, so he didn't know why he was assigned to a disciple who had just entered the Ming Jin realm.

Fang Yan patted him on the shoulder, gave him a few more instructions, and then left.

······

"Junior Brother Jiang, you are really diligent. It's already getting dark, and you're still practicing."

Gao Fan packed his things and saw Jiang Yuan still standing in a stance, wearing a soaked training uniform.

"breathe……"

Jiang Yuan's breathing, sometimes heavy and sometimes light, produced strange sounds. This was the breathing method that accompanied the Crane Form Stance Exercise, which allowed no room for error.

With each breath, the body's Qi and blood are mobilized, causing them to grow thicker and larger, circulating throughout the body to strengthen the flesh and blood.

At this moment, he had no time to respond to Gao Fan's words, and didn't even hear them, as he was completely focused on practicing his skills.

In this state, he will only sense something unless someone suddenly attacks him; otherwise, all other noises will be "automatically filtered out."

Time passed second by second, and sweat slowly seeped out from the pores of the skin, making the already soaked training clothes even heavier.

"call……"

Jiang Yuan exhaled a long breath and slowly finished his practice. He felt completely exhausted, and his muscles were trembling uncontrollably.

The courtyard was empty. He jumped off the wooden stake, walked to the well at the corner, filled a bucket with water and poured it over himself. His pores tightened suddenly, and the soreness in his muscles and bones dissipated with the shiver. Instead, his blood and energy became more active.

If one is physically weak, the well water in autumn will only make one fall seriously ill. However, for Jiang Yuan, this cold stimulation helps him relieve fatigue and relax his tense muscles.

After taking off his soaked training clothes and changing into dry ones, he left the martial arts school through the inner courtyard gate.

As soon as I entered the alleyway near my house, I saw several figures punching and kicking someone lying on the ground.

They were dressed in short blue shirts, and the tattoos on their arms appeared and disappeared as they moved in the moonlight.

The person on the ground was not old, and he held his head tightly with both hands, remaining silent as he was being beaten.

Jiang Yuan frowned. These people had the misfortune of blocking his doorway and beating him.

"Where did you hide that woman?"

"Will you tell me or not!"

"If you don't tell me, I'll beat you to death today and throw you into Ninghu Lake to feed the fish!"

The group pressed them relentlessly for answers.

The young man on the ground gritted his teeth, blood trickling from his broken lip, but he remained silent.

At this moment, a man with a horse-like face noticed something, looked up and saw Jiang Yuan standing not far away.

"Hey kid, what are you looking at? Get lost!"

"Wait a minute, you look unfamiliar. Did you just move in?"

Jiang Yuan stopped in his tracks.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? Why are all the people I run into today mute?"

The horse-faced man abandoned the person lying on the ground, walked over, and pointed to Jiang Yuan's rented house. "Someone just moved in recently. Could it be you?"

"That's right," Jiang Yuan replied.

He could tell that these people must be members of the gang responsible for this area. He would inevitably have to deal with them in the future, and there was no way to hide it from them, so he simply admitted it.

"Very good. This place has always been under the protection of our Green Robe Gang. From now on, you will receive monthly payments..."

The horse-faced man said, reaching for Jiang Yuan's chest, "Hey, who told you to dodge!"

Seeing Jiang Yuan take a step back without leaving a trace, the horse-faced man was furious and roared with glaring eyes.

"Brother, I'll give you the full amount of tribute you need to give your gang each month, how about it?" Jiang Yuan said calmly.

"Who the hell is your brother? Come here!"

The horse-faced man reached out and tried to grab Jiang Yuan's collar.

"Bang!"

Before he could understand what was happening, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and was kicked flying a good ten feet away, landing with a dizzy head.

"I'm giving you face, but you don't appreciate it."

Jiang Yuan slowly walked over and looked down at him.

"You, you dare to lay a hand on me! Brothers, grab your weapons and get in!"

The horse-faced man pointed a trembling finger at Jiang Yuan and roared incredulously.

"Ah...this..."

The thugs stopped what they were doing, stunned by the scene. They hadn't expected this person to dare to make a move and even kick someone a long way away.

"Go get them, you bunch of cowards!"

The horse-faced man shouted for a long time, but no one dared to step forward. Feeling humiliated, he cursed angrily.

"Brother Ma, this...this guy seems to be a martial arts expert. Should I go and call the boss over first?"

After saying this with a smirk, a man with a pointed face and monkey-like features took off running into the darkness.

The remaining two looked at each other and took a few steps back.

"Yes, let's call some people first. Brother Ma, hang in there!"

"Bastard, coward!" the horse-faced man shouted resentfully.

Jiang Yuan glanced at the disappearing group but didn't give chase. He chuckled, "Looks like your brothers have abandoned you?"

"Boy, how dare you hit me? You have no idea how powerful the Green Robe Gang is." The horse-faced man still looked fierce.

"Of course I know."

Jiang Yuan had been living here for some time and had already learned that the most powerful expert of the Green Robe Gang in this area was Ming Jin, so he was not afraid.

Upon hearing this, the horse-faced man's expression finally changed, and he was about to say a few more harsh words.

The man in front of him had a smile on his face, but his eyes revealed a terrifying coldness that made him suddenly feel scared and he didn't dare to utter a single word.

Jiang Yuan ignored him and went to the person lying on the ground. "How are you?"

The person on the ground raised their head, looked around blankly, then shook their head and said, "Did you save me?"

"They're the ones causing me trouble. You should leave quickly, or more people will probably come later," Jiang Yuan kindly reminded him.

Only then did he get a clear look at the person in front of him.

He was not very old, his skin was tanned dark, and his appearance was fairly decent, but a scar on the bridge of his nose added a touch of fierceness to his ordinary face.

Xia Ping thanks his benefactor.

Xia Ping struggled to his feet and bowed despite the pain.

Jiang Yuan waved his hand, "Let's go quickly, or we won't be able to leave."

Xia Ping gave Jiang Yuan a deep look, as if trying to memorize his appearance, before staggering away.

A cool autumn breeze swept by, stirring up dust and sand on the ground, making a soft sound.

After a while, chaotic footsteps echoed in the alley.

A tall, muscular man with a shiny bald head, carrying a gleaming long knife, strode out of the darkness with about a dozen of his gang members.

"Brother Ma Wu, how are you?"

Before the person even got close, the rough voice preceded them.

The horse-faced man, who had been cowering on the ground, shouted excitedly, "Boss Zhang, I'm here! I think my sternum is broken; it hurts terribly to move!"

Boss Zhang strode out, his face contorted with rage, pointing a knife at Jiang Yuan. "You're the one who hurt my brother?!"

"Not bad." Jiang Yuan nodded.

"What an arrogant brat!"

"Let me sever his tendons and ligaments, and see if he dares to be so arrogant after I cripple him!"

"Exactly, Ma Wu's sternum has been broken, why bother talking to him? Just take him down."

Several of Zhang's men following behind him began to grumble in dissatisfaction.

Old Zhang glanced around behind him, then his voice suddenly became weak.

He asked coldly, "Why?"

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting the other party to not just charge in and attack unreasonably. He replied:

"Your brother is dishonest. It's one thing for him to want to collect monthly tribute money from me for your gang, but he actually tried to steal the money from my arms. That won't do."

"So what if he robbed you! You shouldn't have broken his sternum!"

"You're clearly not taking our Green Robe Gang seriously, boss. If we don't cripple this kind of person, how are we supposed to survive?"

"Shut up, all of you!" Boss Zhang roared, turning to Ma Wu. "Is this true?"

Ma Wu said aggrievedly, "Boss, I've always been honest and law-abiding, and I don't take money that I shouldn't take. This kid is talking nonsense. As soon as I mentioned that I was going to take the money, this kid suddenly kicked me. Skinny Monkey and the others can all testify to that."

"Yes, Brother Ma is right!" a man with a pointed face and monkey-like features who was hiding in the back immediately said.

Boss Zhang coldly shouted at Jiang Yuan, "Kid, what else do you have to say?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head in disappointment. "You're all birds of a feather. I don't know what I was expecting. Since you were trying to take sides from the start, why waste time with all that rambling? Just get to it!"

"Kid, I know you've trained, but there are so many of us, and we're all armed with knives. You can't beat us. Kneel down and admit your mistake, and give my brother Ma Wu twenty taels for medical expenses, and I'll take it upon myself to let this matter drop. How about that?" Boss Zhang twirled his knife and sneered.

"Not so great. I'd like to see you kneel down and beg me!" Jiang Yuan said indifferently.

"You're asking for it! Brothers, get him!" A fierce glint flashed in Zhang's eyes, and with a swing of his long knife, the men behind him immediately rushed forward.

They were holding gleaming knives and slashed directly at us.

Jiang Yuan was completely unafraid. He had already judged from these people's actions that they were not on the same level as him at all. Even if they had weapons, they could not hurt him.

Just as the two sides were about to clash, a loud shout suddenly rang out from nearby: "Stop it, both of you!"

"Who is it!" Zhang, the gang leader hiding behind the crowd, rolled his eyes, looked over, and then, as if his expression had changed, put on a smile. "Young Master, what brings you here!"