The Previous Owner Was Illiterate; Chu Qing Flipped Through Books at Random

Before dawn had broken, rustling sounds woke Chu Qing.

Shi Tiezhu got up.

He tiptoed toward the training grounds.

Soon after, several other youths quietly slipped out as well.

"They're going to start competing like mad!"

Chu Qing sighed inwardly. "I need to start grinding too."

However, he did not go to the training grounds. Instead, he first studied that scroll.

The previous owner was illiterate, so Chu Qing flipped through the book at random.

Luckily, the Profession Slot was reliable. After casually flipping through it once:

You have discovered Toad Skill

Technique: Toad Skill, not Initiated—practice fifty times daily; Initiated in ten days.

Promotion Condition: 1: Swallow ten toads

Chu Qing was speechless.

He had just eaten a mantis.

And now it wanted him to eat toads?

If he encountered a technique starting with dragon-elephant, would it make him eat dragon-elephants?

Toads really were hard to swallow.

After weighing it over again and again, Chu Qing decided to prepare himself mentally before pursuing the promotion.

After eating and drinking his fill at the Great Dining Hall.

At a corner of the training grounds:

Chu Qing performed Mantis Fist at Great Completion. It looked as though it was not much different from Mantis Fist that had merely been Initiated.

Yet as he spun, leaped, and shifted, the major sinews he tempered were far superior to those tempered by an Initiated practitioner.

Up in the pavilion:

Zhao Hongxiu casually looked down at the crowd, and at last, her gaze settled on Shi Tiezhu.

"Out of two or three hundred people, only he has a chance of passing the Martial Academy's Preliminary Exam."

"The rest are all merely foils!"

After watching for a while, she turned and headed to the rear courtyard.

"Today, I'll take another dose of Secret Medicine and temper one Iron Sinew. That will bring my Iron Sinews to one hundred and eight."

"Then I'll be qualified to learn secret arts and cultivate Copper Sinews."

If she could cultivate Copper Sinews, she would be able to keep up with the Fortified Village Disciples and Noble Scions.

Zhao Hongxiu's aptitude was ordinary.

She had no way of directly cultivating Copper Sinews.

But she could consume a great amount of Secret Medicine to cultivate more Iron Sinews, then use secret arts to refine them into Copper Sinews.

And this was also the method used by most Fortified Village Disciples and Noble Scions.

Iron Sinew +0.5%

Once...

Three times...

Five times...

Iron Sinew +0.5%

Chu Qing sighed inwardly.

Last night, after swallowing Secret Medicine, he had practiced once with Mantis Fist at Great Completion and increased his progress by 10%.

Now, although he was still using Mantis Fist at Great Completion, his progress was only 0.5%.

"Too slow."

"At this rate, by the end of the month, I can cultivate at most another three or four Iron Sinews."

"That few Iron Sinews can't guarantee that I'll pass the Preliminary Exam."

"Money! Money! Money!"

"I need money!"

After practicing for a while, Chu Qing quietly left and headed straight for the Blood River Gang.

He wanted Fatty Jin to witness the sunk cost.

Fatty Jin had originally been in an excellent mood.

After Chu Qing called him foster father last night, he had felt something stir within him. He hurried home and fought ten rounds with his concubines, hoping to seize the chance to father a child or two.

But the moment he arrived at the Gang today, the Gang Leader summoned them for a meeting and repeatedly warned them to be cautious and careful during this period.

Fatty Jin was puzzled. After the Gang Leader left, he asked, "Everyone, have we provoked some great enemy?"

Most of the Hall Masters shook their heads, equally bewildered.

Only Hall Master Liu of the Head-Slicing Hall sighed and said:

"After last night's battle with the Iron Foot Gang, one of the Minor Leaders below was killed in his home."

Fatty Jin and the others' expressions changed slightly.

"The Iron Foot Gang is shameless. They couldn't beat us head-on, so they resorted to dirty tricks?"

Hall Master Liu shook his head.

"It probably wasn't the Iron Foot Gang."

"Hm?"

The Hall Masters were puzzled.

"I just inspected the scene and found that the killer was anything but ordinary."

"According to my reconstruction, the killer stood outside the door. One victim opened it and had his throat shattered by a single punch."

"The killer then rushed inside and beat the other person to death with a flurry of punches."

Fatty Jin was puzzled. This method was plainly the Gang's usual method of retaliation.

"The killer did not hurry to flee after the murders. Instead, he took a bath inside the house and looted the money."

"Only after clearing away every trace did he leave."

"Anyone in the Iron Foot Gang with such composure would be at least a Deputy Hall Master or above."

"And why would a martial artist like that take revenge on two insignificant people?"

Fatty Jin and the others became even more confused.

If it was not the Iron Foot Gang, then who was the killer?

They all stared at Hall Master Liu.

"The annual Martial Academy Preliminary Exam is about to begin. The Fortified Village Disciples from outside the city have arrived."

"Some Fortified Village Disciples have twisted personalities. Some enjoy stealing poor people's money; some enjoy abducting other people's wives and daughters. One more who breaks into homes to kill and rob would be perfectly normal."

Fatty Jin and the other Hall Masters all sighed.

They could not afford to offend Fortified Village Disciples, so they could only endure it.

The various Hall Masters returned and instructed their Chief Subordinates to restrain their men and remain alert and cautious around Fortified Village Disciples.

Hall Master Liu specifically called over Chief Subordinate Liu Jun and said:

"Liu Hai was killed by a Fortified Village Disciple."

"You must not think of revenge."

Chief Subordinate Liu Jun glared. "Uncle, I don't think a Fortified Village Disciple killed him. It should have been one of Liu Hai's enemies."

Hall Master Liu said impatiently, "No matter who killed him, you need to be cautious now. Don't go causing trouble alone; if there's nothing to do at night, don't go out."

"Go. Pass the order down."

Liu Jun said unwillingly, "Yes."

Watching his nephew's retreating back, Hall Master Liu sighed inwardly. "I hope the killer truly was a Fortified Village Disciple, and not... an enemy."

Reclining in a rocking chair, Fatty Jin hummed a little tune and ate grapes peeled by the maidservant.

A Younger Brother reported:

"Hall Master, a disciple named Chu Qing wishes to see you."

Fatty Jin's heart stirred. "Let him in."

"Yes."

Why had Chu Qing come here instead of cultivating properly?

Not long after, Chu Qing arrived linen-clad and barefoot.

"Foster Father..."

"Don't call me Foster Father. Call me Hall Master."

Chu Qing readily changed his words. "Greetings, Hall Master."

Fatty Jin frowned and coughed, intending to rebuke Chu Qing and teach him the lesson that if one did not work hard while young, one would only grieve in vain when old.

"Hall Master, after swallowing Secret Medicine, I Initiated Mantis Fist."

"What?"

Fatty Jin abruptly rose, like a fierce tiger, and stared at Chu Qing. "What did you say?"

Chu Qing cupped his fist, smiling broadly. "I Initiated Mantis Fist."

Fatty Jin looked utterly incredulous.

As far as he knew, the genius Zhao Hu had Initiated Mantis Fist in one day after swallowing Secret Medicine several years ago.

Later, he had caused a huge stir in the Martial Academy.

Could Chu Qing also be a genius?

He was doubtful.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Chu Qing spun, leaped, and shifted. His movements flowed smoothly, while his punches howled through the air.

After he finished a complete set, Fatty Jin's eyes gleamed.

"Sure enough, you've Initiated it."

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

Fatty Jin said excitedly, "You Initiated it by swallowing Secret Medicine. Work hard on your punches these next few days, and within three to five days, you will definitely cultivate an Iron Sinew."

"One step ahead, every step ahead."

"By then..."

Perhaps he really could enter the Martial Academy?

Chu Qing smiled.

"Hall Master, I want to borrow money to buy Secret Medicine."

"So that I can strive to..."

"Stop!"

Fatty Jin rolled his eyes. "You want to borrow money? Pay back the money from last time first."

Chu Qing cupped his fist with a bitter smile. "If I had money, why would I need to borrow it?"

That made so much sense that Fatty Jin was left speechless.

"Hall Master, if I eat some more Secret Medicine, I will definitely cultivate one... two Iron Sinews."

"By then... even if I can't enter the Martial Academy, I'll still have the ability to repay the money."

Fatty Jin sighed. "I'll give you another fifty taels."

"Hall Master, make it two hundred taels. The more Secret Medicine I have, the faster I'll improve, and it'll be easier to repay you later."

Fatty Jin was speechless.

A few minutes later, Chu Qing signed and sealed the agreement, then left with one hundred taels of Snowflake Silver tucked away.

Fatty Jin carefully put away the IOU, delighted. "Before, Zhao Hu was the only one who had Initiated Mantis Fist with a single dose of Secret Medicine."

"Now, there's another Chu Qing."

"Even if he fails to enter the Martial Academy, he'll still be capable of repaying the money later."