Skills Breakthrough, Strength Enhancement

Standing in front of the wooden post.

Jiang Ning picked up the firewood blade again and placed a thick log on the wooden post.

Just as he was preparing to chop, a booming voice suddenly rang beside his ear.

"Little fellow, dinner's ready. Come eat quickly!"

"Got it, Big Sister!" Jiang Ning raised his head and replied.

In the kitchen, Aunt Sun, carrying a tray, couldn't help the corners of her lips curling upward.

"This little fellow's quite the sweet talker! Add that handsome face of his, and coaxing girls in the future will definitely be a piece of cake!"

Elsewhere.

Jiang Ning raised his head and answered Aunt Sun.

He continued gripping the firewood blade tightly.

The next moment.

The muscles in his arm bulged explosively.

Whoosh—

The blade swept through the air, bringing with it a faint sound of friction.

Crack—

As the firewood blade fell, the thick log instantly split with a cracking sound.

Jiang Ning looked at the mark left by the firewood blade in front of him, his gaze narrowing slightly.

"It went eight or nine tenths of the way into the wood! Sure enough, it's different now!"

A smile slowly spread across his face. Then he exerted force with his palm, causing the heavy blade to lie horizontally within the split in the wood.

Crack, crack—

The wood in front of him emitted the continuous sound of its fibers tearing apart.

Finally, as the heavy blade pried against it, the entire piece of wood was successfully split apart. Beneath the log, now divided in two, were irregular tearing marks.

[Firewood Chopping Blade Technique Experience Points +1]

"Just now, when I put all my strength into one chop, it could only enter the wood five or six tenths of the way. Now that Firewood Chopping Blade Technique has broken through to Proficiency, it can reach eight or nine tenths. Sure enough, I've grown stronger!"

Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction. To make such great progress in such a short time left him extremely pleased.

He then set the firewood blade aside and walked in the direction Aunt Sun had gone.

He stepped into the Main Hall.

"Master!"

"Sit!" Wang Jin stopped what he was doing and gestured for Jiang Ning to sit.

"Thank you, Master!" Jiang Ning bowed in salute.

After Jiang Ning took his seat, Aunt Sun placed a bowl of meat paste, wafting a rich fragrance, in front of him.

"Thank you, Big Sister Sun!" Jiang Ning accepted the bowl of meat paste and thanked Aunt Sun.

"Little fellow, hurry and eat! You worked so hard chopping wood just now, so you must've been hungry for a while!" Jiang Ning nodded and smiled somewhat bashfully.

The next moment.

A large mouthful of meat paste entered his stomach, and a satisfied expression appeared on Jiang Ning's face. "Big Sister's cooking is truly excellent!"

Aunt Sun chuckled from the side.

Wang Jin spoke at this moment. "Eat quickly. After you finish, continue practicing your martial arts! Aunt Sun specially added Earth Ganoderma to today's meat paste. Earth Ganoderma is a pretty good tonic and will be quite helpful for your martial training."

"Earth Ganoderma?" Jiang Ning's eyes lit up slightly. He knew of this tonic as well. The books he had read some time ago included introductions to medicinal ingredients, so he knew the basic ones.

Although Earth Ganoderma was not as valuable as Wild Ginseng, a complete, mature Earth Ganoderma still started at one tael of silver.

The purchasing power of one tael of silver was no small matter. By his estimate, it was roughly equivalent to a thousand yuan in his previous life—enough to support a poor family of three or four for a month.

"It really was a good thing that I was able to stay at the Martial Arts Hall!" Jiang Ning secretly rejoiced.

He immediately raised his head. "Thank you, Big Sister Sun!"

Then he looked at Wang Jin, stood up, and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Teacher, for taking me in."

Wang Jin nodded slightly. "Since I'm not giving you wages, I naturally can't skimp on your food and drink."

"Teacher, you're joking!" Jiang Ning spoke with a serious expression. "In the face of a dinner like this prepared by Teacher, what do wages even count for? Teacher has shown me great kindness. This disciple will never forget it in this lifetime! One day, I will surely care for you in your old age and see you through to the end!"

At that moment, inside the Main Hall.

There was one old man, one young man, and one sturdy Middle-aged Woman.

The old man was Wang Jin, Hall Master of Canglang Martial Hall. The young man was Jiang Ning of Luoshui County. The Middle-aged Woman was Aunt Sun, the cook of Canglang Martial Hall.

A large amount of meat was laid out on the dining table. Beside it sat a basin of meat paste and a large basin of rice, their rich fragrance filling the entire Main Hall.

Seeing the extreme seriousness on Jiang Ning's face and hearing those words, Wang Jin was immediately moved.

After several breaths of silence.

He spoke in an even tone. "Eat while it's hot. Once it gets cold, it won't work as well, and it won't taste as good either!"

"Yes, Master!" Jiang Ning replied respectfully.

Afterward, the two silently ate dinner, but Wang Jin's heart was churning with countless thoughts.

Care for him in his old age and see him through to the end!

Those four words struck him deeply.

Martial artists who failed to reach the Inner Strength Realm began progressing slowly after thirty. After forty, they could only retreat, never advance; their Blood Qi began to decline, old hidden injuries erupted, and after fifty, they were truly like the sun sinking beyond the western hills, growing weaker by the day.

Now over fifty, he could already feel his body was like a candle, burning away bit by bit with the passage of time.

At his age, he no longer craved glory and wealth, nor did he desire further progress along the Martial Path. The only things he wanted were to pass on his legacy and enjoy peaceful twilight years.

Jiang Ning's words had undoubtedly struck the deepest part of his heart.

He had heard similar words before, but never had any of them felt as genuine as this time.

He secretly sized Jiang Ning up several times before quietly withdrawing his gaze.

Let's see how things go first!

Elsewhere.

After sitting down, Jiang Ning no longer showed any restraint.

A large bowl of meat paste was poured into his stomach in just a few huge mouthfuls.

He then unleashed his wolfing-down mode.

If he were in front of other people, he might restrain his image, but there was no need to do so in front of Wang Jin.

He understood the temperament of martial artists very well and also knew something of Wang Jin's manner.

Eating without restraint, taking huge bites of meat, and drinking deep gulps of wine would only earn Wang Jin's approval.

Although his appetite would be a headache in an ordinary household—one person could eat the portions of several people—it was completely insignificant in Wang Jin's eyes.

Wang Jin had opened such a large Martial Arts Hall in the Inner City of Luoshui County, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. His wealth was certainly far beyond Jiang Ning's imagination.

For someone like Wang Jin, who was not stingy by nature, Jiang Ning's trifling appetite was completely insignificant.

After a short while, Jiang Ning had eaten his fill and drunk his fill.

A warm current was already slowly flowing into his limbs and bones, continuously replenishing the physical strength he had expended earlier.

"Go chop some wood first to digest it, then go practice your fists!" Wang Jin glanced at Jiang Ning's stomach and spoke.

"Yes, Teacher!"

He returned to the small courtyard behind the kitchen.

The sky had also darkened, and a bright crescent moon had appeared overhead.

Jiang Ning came to the pile of wood and picked up the firewood blade, then stood a thick log upright on the wooden post.

The next moment.

He exerted force with his right arm, the raised muscles clearly visible.

Whoosh—

The sound of the blade slicing through the air rang out abruptly.

Following it came a "crack" as the wood split apart.

This chop entered the wood eight or nine tenths of the way.

He immediately gripped the handle of the firewood blade and exerted force with his palm. The muscle fibers in his right arm emerged in full relief.

Crack, crack—

The continuous sound of wood fibers tearing rang out, and the log was then completely split in two.

[Firewood Chopping Blade Technique Experience Points +1]

[Skills]: Firewood Chopping Blade Technique (Proficiency 2/200)

"After Firewood Chopping Blade Technique reached Proficiency, I can split wood without even releasing my Blood Qi. This work has become much easier!"

Jiang Ning smiled, his mood excellent.

Because this meant grinding Experience Points for Firewood Chopping Blade Technique had become even simpler. He only needed physical strength.