Great Xia Dynasty, Jinshui Town, Luoshan County.
In the back courtyard of Haolai Restaurant, Zhou Qiming, dressed in cloth clothes, focused intently as he swung the Woodcutting Saber Technique in his hand.
His eyes moved with the blade, and the blade followed his eyes—chopping and cleaving downward!
The firewood on the stump split in two, the cut as smooth as a mirror, his movements flowing like clouds and running water.
[Name: Zhou Qiming (15 years old)]
[Root Bone: 3/3 points]
[Woodcutting Saber Technique (Greater Mastery 99%!)]
"It's been half a year since I came to this world. The Woodcutting Saber Technique is almost complete, and I'll be able to gain another bit of Root Bone Cap!"
After glancing at the panel, Zhou Qiming continued chopping wood with renewed vigor!
He had originally been from Blue Star. Because the novel he was following was updating too slowly, he had just mailed the author a razor blade when, at the entrance of a courier station, a mud truck transported him to this world of rampant soldiers and bandits and rampant demons and monsters.
As a Literary Sage Fanqie with twenty thousand hours of reading experience, Zhou Qiming quickly adapted.
The bad news was that he had neither parents nor backing. The good news was that he also had no younger siblings or other burdens.
He usually did odd jobs at the restaurant. The income was meager but stable enough to keep him fed, and while chopping wood, he had comprehended a blade technique.
Over the past half-year, his blade technique had repeatedly broken through until it reached the Greater Mastery realm, while his Root Bone Cap rose to three points. This had brought astonishing changes to his body, transforming him from a thin stalk unable to withstand the wind into a sturdy youth with tremendous strength.
Crack!
Another piece of firewood split apart in his hand. It was as if he had broken through some bottleneck: crisp sounds burst from his bones, his muscles and bones rang together, his face glowed red, and sweat evaporated like water in a steamer!
"I broke through!"
[Woodcutting Saber Technique (Complete+)] [Root Bone: 4/4 points]
"My Root Bone increased by one point. Huh? There's actually a plus sign this time!"
Feeling the transformation of strength throughout his body, Zhou Qiming was both startled and delighted!
His palms instantly filled with calluses, several hundred jin of force surged through the tendons in his arms, and several extra years of chopping-wood memories appeared in his mind.
Aside from the improvement in his skill realm, the most gratifying thing was the transformation of his Root Bone.
An ordinary person's Root Bone was predetermined at birth, much like their natural foundation. It locked in the upper limit of a person's future.
But Zhou Qiming was different. As long as he continued recording martial arts and raising the progress on his panel, he could actively break through the limits of his Root Bone!
With every step firmly planted, the more Root Bone Value he had, the higher his body's compatibility with cultivation techniques and Precious Medicine would be. His cultivation efficiency would be countless times higher than other people's!
Zhou Qiming clenched both fists. In this perilous world, he finally had a way to protect himself!
"I'll add the points after I get home tonight!"
There were too many eyes in the restaurant. If adding points to the blade technique caused too much commotion after the breakthrough, it might attract unnecessary danger!
By then, it was lunchtime. The other laborers stopped working, their entire bodies slick with sweat.
"Did you hear? Huzi left the restaurant the day before yesterday. His family couldn't make ends meet, so they sold him to a county lord who liked boys, to serve as a page."
"Sigh, what a world this is. How many people can the restaurant afford to feed? Maybe one day the shop will drive us laborers away too."
"I really don't know where Qiming gets all that strength. He chops so much wood every day and never gets tired."
The others wiped their sweat and chattered among themselves. Glancing at the youth chopping wood, they were filled with unease and worry over their fates.
Their presence in the restaurant was too faint. Sooner or later, they would lose their jobs and be sold by their families like Huzi.
Nearby, the Wu Brothers were washing dishes. They shook their heads and sneered, making no attempt to hide their hostility toward Zhou Qiming:
"Hmph. Every day he puts on a show of chopping wood so diligently. Isn't it all to curry favor with Boss Xu? Too bad he's throwing flirtatious glances at a blind man."
The others did not know that the Martial arts panel existed. They thought Zhou Qiming worked so hard at chopping wood in order to win others' esteem.
Compared with Zhou Qiming, they looked lazy and incompetent, which gave rise to jealousy and hostility. Why did everyone have to compete so fiercely over a few hundred copper coins in wages?
Zhou Qiming paid no attention to those idle rumors. A true powerhouse had no need to overexplain himself to others.
Someone else returned after fetching water, smiling as he set down his shoulder pole and buckets before advising him:
"That's enough, Qiming. Take a break too. You've chopped wood all morning and still don't know when to stop. Get back to work after you eat."
"Chen Ping, you eat first. I'll finish this last bundle." Zhou Qiming lifted his face and wiped away his sweat, then smiled at him. He had obsessive-compulsive tendencies and had to complete his planned goal before resting.
"All right. I'll save you a bowl of chicken soup to replenish your Blood Qi. If you're late, the kitchen will be out." Chen Ping waved helplessly, filled the water vat, and turned to go inside.
The others also scrambled toward the kitchen. Meat dishes were supplied in limited quantities each day; if they went late, there would be none left. They were all at the age when their bodies were growing, and they had huge appetites.
"I have to find a way to make money and go to the town's martial arts school to learn genuine Body Tempering martial arts."
Zhou Qiming gathered all the chopped firewood on the ground, tidied up, and prepared to eat.
The Woodcutting Saber Technique was ultimately an unorthodox path. Only by cultivating genuine martial arts and breaking through their limits could he deal with danger.
However, the apprenticeship fee at a martial arts school was nearly a hundred taels of silver. Relying on his insignificant earnings as a laborer, he had no idea how long it would take to save enough.
"Little Zhou, you're the only one here right now. Take these food containers to the Iron Clothes Martial Arts School."
A voice came from behind him.
Boss Xu Hailai walked out with a smile, discreetly sweeping his gaze over the courtyard piled high with firewood.
Looking at the others, they had all gone off somewhere to slack around. Yet when it came to eating, every one of them was more enthusiastic than the next!
He had taken Zhou Qiming in for two years. The other man worked diligently and had never once brought up a pay raise, seeming even to take pleasure in it!
The restaurant owner had seen all his silent suffering and hard work.
Ten days or half a month could still be called an act born of scheming, but to persist for half a year was remarkable perseverance.
"All right, Uncle Xu!" Zhou Qiming agreed with a smile.
In this age of refugees fleeing famine, he cherished the opportunity to work at the restaurant.
Zhou Qiming easily hoisted the wooden chest filled with food containers onto his back, carried a large bucket of rice in one hand, strapped the Woodcutting Saber Technique to his waist, and walked outside.
With four points of Root Bone Value, his strength had already increased greatly. Even a Stone Lock weighing several hundred jin felt as light as walking on level ground when he lifted it.
Boss Xu Hailai nodded with a satisfied smile, then called him back kindly:
"By the way, Little Zhou, you've been with me for almost two years now, haven't you? Head Chef Liu complains every day that he can't keep up with the work. Go apprentice under him, and your wages will be raised to nine qian of silver. A man should seize his youth and learn a trade. You can't expect to chop wood forever and then marry and make a living, can you?"
Boss Xu Hailai's face was full of goodwill. He had seen all kinds of people, and there were few as hardworking and enduring as Zhou Qiming. If he continued observing him silently, he feared he might make the other man lose heart.
"Thank you, Uncle Xu!" Zhou Qiming thanked him sincerely.
His wages had suddenly risen three or four times. Over the course of a year, he could save ten taels of silver. Perhaps he really could save enough for the apprenticeship fee!
Moreover, Master Liu was the most senior chef in the shop. Boss Xu had specifically arranged for Head Chef Liu to take him on, clearly intending to cultivate him as a trusted aide.
"Lighting fires and cooking are skills too. If I successfully record them, I'll have new Root Bone points coming in!"
After the Woodcutting Saber Technique reached completion just now, he had been worrying about how to continue increasing his Root Bone.
Zhou Qiming was in high spirits. He held his head high and strode out toward the Iron Clothes Martial Arts School!
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