Grinding to Become the Martial Saint of the Mortal World

In the study. 

Jiang Ning walked slowly along the bookshelves placed on the ground, his eyes quickly scanning the titles of the books on the shelves. 

One row, two rows, three rows. 

After finishing the third row, he had a general understanding of the collection in Wang Jin's study. 

These three rows of bookshelves contained works on governance, statecraft, various classical texts, examination materials, medical and herbal studies, and a row dedicated to martial arts books. 

He had briefly glanced at the martial arts books. Most were low-tier martial arts manuals, with only a few mid-tier ones placed on the top shelf. 

He had quickly pulled one out to skim through. Learning them would certainly be beneficial. 

But Jiang Ning knew his cultivation method: it was better to specialize than to be greedy. 

For him, trying to learn too much at once would only lead to mediocrity. 

In his hands, any technique, when mastered to perfection and then broken through its limits, would reveal its most mysterious and profound aspects. 

Not only would its effects be further enhanced, but it would also grant some extraordinary characteristics. 

Just like the skill "Literacy and Comprehension" after breaking through its limits. Not only did it make his thinking faster and his mental strength stronger, but it also granted him the ability of photographic memory. 

This ability had been a great help to him. 

Therefore, he wouldn't give up grinding experience points for the "Literacy and Comprehension" skill. Moreover, grinding experience points for this skill didn't conflict with his martial arts training at all. 

After all, a person's physical endurance is limited! 

Overtraining, even with the best supplements, would lead to collapse. 

Moreover, reading broadens wisdom and understanding. 

Most importantly, it clarifies the spirit. 

"Spirit" refers to the "spirit" in the essence, energy, and spirit, which is also mental strength and the soul. 

Studying the classics and increasing knowledge can enhance mental strength and strengthen the soul. This is a rule of this world. 

Great Confucian scholars can project their souls out of their bodies to travel the world, achieving feats like "traveling to Kunlun in the morning and returning by evening." 

They can even use their souls to command the forces of nature, making their strength formidable. 

This is also the foundation of the court officials. 

At the same time, many books mention the importance of the spirit, which is a necessary path for martial arts practitioners in the later stages. 

However, few martial arts masters choose this path to strengthen their souls because achieving success in literary studies requires exceptional talent and decades of diligent study. 

Jiang Ning knew that without his powerful status panel, he wouldn't be able to balance both literary and martial studies. 

Now that he could study literature, he wouldn't give it up. 

As long as he kept breaking through the limits of the "Literacy and Comprehension" skill, he would eventually reach the realm of the soul, which would greatly aid his martial arts growth. 

But for him, his time and energy each day were limited. Focusing on one or two techniques and skills was his best choice. 

Only in this way could he maximize the grinding of experience points, allowing his skills to reach perfection and then break through their limits. 

Every time a technique broke through its limits, it would bring about significant changes, and the characteristics gained were what Jiang Ning valued most. 

As his thoughts raced, his gaze suddenly froze. 

[Complete Records of Luoshui County] 

[Summary of Rebellions in Great Xia] 

Next to these two volumes, he also noticed a particularly eye-catching incomplete page. 

In the next moment. 

He quickly walked over to the desk, his eyes fixed on the incomplete page. His intuition told him that this page was extraordinary. 

[Inner Elixir Nourishment Technique] 

Seeing these five words, he quickly looked down. 

The incomplete page contained only a few hundred words. 

But Jiang Ning spent the time it takes to burn an incense stick reading it. 

After a long while. 

He exhaled softly and put down the page. 

"Swallow a golden elixir, and my fate is in my hands, not heaven's!" 

"Such lofty ambition! Such profound internal strengthening techniques!" 

"Unfortunately!" 

"Unfortunately, it's just an incomplete page." 

Jiang Ning shook his head inwardly. 

After reading this page, he understood what the Inner Elixir Nourishment Technique was. 

As far as he knew, in the martial arts system, there were levels for skin, flesh, bones, and tendons, as well as internal strengthening to nurture the internal organs and generate internal energy. 

The Inner Elixir Nourishment Technique was an internal strengthening method from the Daoist tradition. 

Practicing this technique over time could extend life and slow aging. 

If mastered, it could even generate internal energy, providing endless stamina and vitality. 

If perfected, it would form an inner elixir in the dantian, achieving the ambition of "swallowing a golden elixir, and my fate is in my hands, not heaven's." 

In the future, it could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, completing the transformation from skin and flesh to internal strengthening in just a few months. 

This was the cultivation method of some Daoist branches, focusing first on nature and then on life. 

"Unfortunately, it only records breathing techniques, which at best can be considered entry-level. No wonder Wang Jin left this incomplete page casually on the desk." 

After memorizing the text on the page, Jiang Ning placed it back on Wang Jin's desk. 

[Skill]: Inner Elixir Nourishment Technique (Unlearned 0/100) 

"One hundred points?" 

Looking at his status panel, Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed. 

Just to reach the beginner level, it required 100 experience points. Was the Inner Elixir Nourishment Technique really this extraordinary? 

His expression was filled with surprise. 

It must be because it's a high-level technique. In that case, I can't let this technique slip away. 

With the status panel, perhaps even an incomplete page wouldn't hinder the technique's progression. 

After some thought, Jiang Ning felt that his speculation was likely true. 

Breaking through limits, and achieving the impossible such effects were already possible. 

Let alone the effect of completing an incomplete page. 

In comparison, completing an incomplete page was a completely different level of difficulty. 

Wang Jin had found this incomplete page to extend his life and regulate his body's functions. Since the incomplete page existed, it meant that the complete Inner Elixir Nourishment Technique was recorded somewhere in the world. 

But breaking through limits was different it defied common understanding. 

Then, his gaze fell on the two volumes in front of him. 

He picked up one of them and began to scan through it. 

[Summary of Rebellions in Great Xia] 

In the first ten days of the first month of the 839th year of the Xia calendar, a rebellion broke out in Boshan County. The rebel army captured the county town, swept through three counties, and was later suppressed by the belated Black Armor Army. 

In the first ten days of the first month of the 839th year of the Xia calendar, Baishan Village was massacred by the rebel army, which then plundered two towns before being dispersed by the garrison forces of Shishan County. 

In the middle ten days of the first month of the 839th year of the Xia calendar... 

Jiang Ning read through the entries, growing more and more astonished. 

Because some of the recorded events had taken place within Zeshan Prefecture. 

Zeshan Prefecture is named for its numerous rivers and mountains. 

After a long while, Jiang Ning slowly looked away, finally understanding why Great Xia had the Martial Saint overseeing the establishment of the Inspection Bureau. 

In just the past year, Zeshan Prefecture alone had experienced six rebellions, both large and small. 

And this was just one prefecture out of the nine in Great Xia. Zeshan Prefecture ranked in the middle to lower range in terms of the number of rebellions. 

It was easy to imagine how many rebellions had occurred across the entire Great Xia last year.