All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

As the saying goes, when you have confidence in your mind, you can move with ease!

Before he developed his internal strength, Yang Pan always harbored some apprehension about the martial world and the world that was about to descend into chaos. After all, internal strength was the key to becoming a master. Without it, no matter how profound his Iron Shirt technique was, he would still be just a nobody in the martial world.

But now, having condensed his inner strength, Yang Pan suddenly felt as if he had broken the invisible chains binding him, and felt that he was now qualified to venture into the vast world of martial arts.

However, before that, he still needs to be promoted to a fifth-bag disciple and obtain a more advanced internal energy cultivation method.

Suppressing his turbulent emotions, Yang Pan sat cross-legged on the bed and silently circulated his internal energy. After condensing his internal energy with Iron Shirt, he no longer needed to continue the previous internal energy cultivation to increase his internal strength. The purpose of the previous internal energy cultivation was only to stimulate the blood and qi and generate a sense of qi. Now that his internal energy was complete, Yang Pan only needed to circulate his internal energy through the mental technique to allow it to flow through his meridians and accumulate internal energy spontaneously.

However, the Iron Shirt internal energy cultivation method was too ordinary. Even though Yang Pan spent a whole night circulating the method, the internal energy in his dantian did not increase at all. Or rather, it increased slightly, but the increase was so subtle that Yang Pan could not detect it at all.

"Junior Brother Yang, Junior Brother Yang, are you there?"

The next morning, Yang Pan was still circulating his inner energy in his room when he heard his senior brother Zhang Xu's voice outside the door. Feeling the inner energy returning to his dantian, Yang Pan's eyes shone brightly, showing no signs of fatigue from not sleeping all night. On the contrary, he seemed even more invigorated after a night of cultivation.

He realized that he had underestimated the characteristics of the Longevity Fruit and its auxiliary role in his cultivation path.

While in Jiaxing, Yang Pan consulted Huang Hui about many important points regarding the cultivation of internal energy. Although Huang Hui was only a third-rate martial artist, he had considerable experience in cultivating internal energy. One point that Yang Pan remembered his senior brother Huang frequently admonishing him was that after condensing internal energy, one must not become immersed in it.

Because the meridians in the human body have their own limits, if you frequently circulate your internal energy, it's like driving a carriage back and forth on a road. Not to mention the carriage, the road itself will be crushed and destroyed by the wheels.

While frequent use of internal energy cultivation techniques can enhance internal strength, it can also damage the meridians. The meridians cannot repair themselves quickly enough to keep up with the frequent circulation of internal energy, which can even lead to meridian rupture and demonic possession.

This is also a limitation on the path of cultivation for lower-level martial artists. However, for experts in the martial arts world, their internal strength is abundant, and their meridians have become more resilient under the influence of this powerful internal strength. Therefore, they can have more time to cultivate than ordinary martial artists, and their internal strength can be accumulated more rapidly than that of ordinary martial artists.

Perhaps this is the reason why the strong remain strong.

However, after circulating his internal energy all night, Yang Pan did not feel any discomfort in his body at all. He did not even feel the swelling and tearing sensation in his meridians that his senior brother Huang had mentioned. This completely broke the fundamental rules of martial artists cultivating internal energy!

Based on this phenomenon, Yang Pan naturally thought of the Longevity Dao Fruit. He asked himself if he was a martial arts prodigy. During the process of circulating his internal energy through his meridians, Yang Pan did not find that his meridians were particularly wide. In fact, the internal energy seemed difficult and sluggish during the circulation.

But apart from the Longevity Fruit, there is nothing else that can allow one to circulate internal energy all night without being affected by meridian pain!

In a daze, Yang Pan suddenly recalled the famous quote he had long ago thrown away: Success is 1% talent and 99% perspiration!

But now it seems I should pick it up again, because I now possess that crucial 1% of talent!

"Strange, did Junior Brother Yang go out so early?" Zhang Xu's voice could still be heard from outside the door. However, there was no response from Yang Pan, who seemed to be preparing to leave.

Composing himself, Yang Pan got up and opened the door: "Senior Brother Zhang, are you already heading to Xiangmanlou for drinks so early in the morning?"

Yang Pan was in a particularly good mood and even joked with Zhang Xu. Seeing Yang Pan emerge from the doorway, Zhang Xu quickly scanned him, and only after finding nothing amiss did he smile and say:

"What do you want to drink? We've been in Xiangyang for over two days now, and many of our fellow martial artists are preparing to return to Jiaxing today. I've come to ask if you want to come back with us."

Having been in Xiangyang for over two days, Yang Pan had mainly been searching for the Bodhi Serpent and cultivating his internal energy. Zhang Xu, on the other hand, had spent two days exploring the city with his fellow practitioners. However, despite the short time, they were already eager to return.

Yang Pan could roughly guess the reason for this. After all, the Mongol cavalry had repeatedly invaded, and although they were always resisted by the righteous heroes led by Guo Jing, how long they could hold out was still a question.

Although there were many martial artists in Xiangyang who came to help, most people were unwilling to get involved, especially third-rate martial artists like Zhang Xu who had just developed internal strength. Once the war broke out, they would only be cannon fodder.

"No, Senior Brother Zhang, I informed the Hall Master before I left that I need to stay in Xiangyang City for a while." Yang Pan shook his head and politely declined Zhang Xu's invitation.

"That's a pity. It seems I, your senior brother, will have to return first. But the journey from Xiangyang to Jiaxing is long, so you'll have to be careful in the future, junior brother." Zhang Xu sighed, but his words seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally reminding Yang Pan of something.

Yang Pan naturally didn't look down on Zhang Xu's choice. After all, the other party was just an ordinary disciple of the Beggars' Sect, which would have been equivalent to an ordinary employee of a large listed company before his transmigration.

If the company boss wants to be the one charging into battle, does he expect the salaried employees to run ahead and take the fall?

Even if Yang Pan stayed in Xiangyang, it was only for the sake of the Bodhi Snake. If a war really broke out during this period, Yang Pan would at most fight on the city wall. If things were not going well, he would not fight to the death inside the city.

He didn't have the magnanimity of Guo Jing, a chivalrous hero who was devoted to his country and its people. But it was precisely because he couldn't do that he admired heroes like Guo Jing and Huang Rong who were willing to defend Xiangyang to the death and face national crisis together.

Therefore, during his two days in Xiangyang, Yang Pan hoped to have a proper meeting with this chivalrous hero. Unfortunately, the man was extremely busy, and Yang Pan was unable to meet him.

After parting ways with his senior brother Zhang, Yang Pan left the Beggars' Sect headquarters and wandered around the city.

Now that his internal energy was fully developed, Yang Pan was no longer in such a hurry. The lair of the Bodhi Serpent was outside the city, and he could go and search for it again today. As for changing his internal energy cultivation method, although he was not in Jiaxing at the moment, since he had already condensed his internal energy and become a third-rate martial artist, according to the rules of the Beggars' Sect, he could register at the branch headquarters to become a five-bag disciple and obtain an internal energy cultivation method there.

However, to obtain the internal energy cultivation method, one needs to be taught by the leader of the branch. At this time, the leader of the branch in Xiangyang City was still in the commander's mansion discussing the matter of dealing with the Mongols with Guo Jing and others, so Yang Pan could not switch to cultivating the method for the time being.

......

Xiangfeng Inn, second floor, window seat.

Yang Pan ordered several plates of meat and a pot of fruit wine. He seemed to be drinking alone, but the internal energy in his dantian was being mobilized and flowed through his meridians to his palms. Yang Pan was extremely curious about internal energy, after all, he had seen many amazing techniques related to internal energy before he transmigrated.

Besides enhancing power, healing and curing injuries seem to be essential basic skills. Even, with sufficient internal energy, it seems possible to achieve near-immortal cultivation techniques like capturing dragons and controlling cranes, or wielding weapons. Of course, with Yang Pan's current meager internal energy, that's out of the question, but short-term control of objects doesn't seem impossible.

For example, at this moment, in Yang Pan's palm, strands of internal energy gathered in his palm through his meridians. The air in his palm was slightly distorted as if it were being roasted by high temperature as the internal energy appeared. In particular, the wine cup in his palm was lifted up and slowly floated up by the invisible internal energy.

However, the floating range is not large, and it is not noticeable unless you look closely. But from the appearance alone, it is quite magical, as if the wine glass in his hand has flown up on its own.

Feeling the depletion of his internal energy, Yang Pan estimated that he could only maintain this state for a maximum of two breaths before his internal energy was completely exhausted.

"The saying goes, 'Don't flaunt your wealth,' kid. Didn't your elders warn you not to reveal your strength in public?" Just as Yang Pan withdrew his internal energy, a hoarse but powerful voice rang in his ears.

Yang Pan turned his head and saw an old man standing at the top of the stairs on the second floor. The old man had white hair and a hunched back, and needed a wooden cane to walk. But what caught Yang Pan's attention most was the old man's tightly closed eyes; he was blind.

He's blind, but someone who can sense his own internal energy must be a master! A name immediately popped into Yang Pan's mind: Flying Bat Ke Zhen'e.

Almost as soon as the name popped into his mind, the old man in black walked up to Yang Pan and sat down.

"I usually like to sit here and enjoy the breeze. You don't mind if this old blind man shares a table with me, do you?"

"Of course I don't mind. It's an honor to sit at the same table as Master Ke, the Flying Bat," Yang Pan said calmly.

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan, their stories still circulate in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in Jiaxing City. To Yang Pan of the past, this old man was merely a character in a story, an insignificant supporting figure who held little interest. But now, he was a martial arts master whom Yang Pan looked up to.

Hearing Yang Pan call him by his name, Flying Bat, Ke Zhen'e felt quite gratified. He hadn't expected that after so many years, there would still be a younger generation in the martial arts world who remembered him. He immediately offered some advice:

"The world is a dangerous place. Just now I noticed that your internal energy was fluctuating violently. It's not a good thing to display your cultivation so fully."

It is impossible to discern the true strength of martial artists from their appearance alone. Only when they fight or one of them personally demonstrates their strength can it be detected. Just now, Ke Zhen'e discovered Yang Pan's internal energy fluctuations and thus judged Yang Pan's strength.

His internal strength is weak, so he must be a novice in the martial arts world.