Young Master, Martial Scholar

Phew!

Xie An exhaled, the breath forming a misty white cloud that shot out a foot in front of him.

Xie An smiled with immense satisfaction and brought up his status panel.

[Current Lifelong Legacy: Level One!]

[Five Animal Play: Internal Organ Strength (1/100)]

[Fetal Breathing Technique: Three Styles (90/100)]

[Remaining Years: 26 years]

"My Five Animal Play and Fetal Breathing Technique have improved significantly, but the lifespan-extending effect has slowed down considerably..."

When he first started practicing the Five Animal Play, the lifespan-extending effect was very noticeable. There were even prompts like "Max level grants XX extra years." Now, those prompts were gone. Xie An understood this to mean that the further along one progressed, the harder it became to extend one's life.

This logic aligned with how people approach death as they age.

Even with a Lifelong Legacy, defying fate to extend one's life... was not an easy task.

However, with twenty-six remaining years in hand, Xie An was no longer as panicked.

As long as he worked hard, he could slowly increase his lifespan.

"Level One Lifelong Legacy... does that mean there's a Level Two?"

"I wonder what miraculous effects a Level Two Lifelong Legacy would have."

After more than half a year of diligent practice, Xie An's mind had become much calmer and more confident, and he was full of anticipation for the future.

"Let me try the stone lock..."

Xie An walked over to the 500-jin stone lock, gripped the handle with his right hand, and squatted into a horse stance. With a sudden burst of strength, he easily lifted the 500-jin stone lock over his head.

It didn't take much effort, and he could even spin and swing it.

"My family's conditions are limited, so I don't have many professional stone locks or other training equipment. Based on my initial estimate, my one-handed lifting strength should be close to 600 jin. Breaking 1,000 jin with both arms shouldn't be a problem."

With a 600-jin one-handed lift, let alone comparing him to ordinary people, even for a martial artist in the First Gate Bronze Skin Realm, this was already incredibly formidable!

Moreover, what Xie An had gained was not just strength, but also speed and endurance. He had very precise control over his limbs. With this foundation, even without martial arts training, he possessed considerable combat power.

Xie An felt that with his current abilities, he could easily defeat a martial artist who had just entered the Bronze Skin Realm, relying solely on his strength.

It was incredibly absurd for an old man like Xie An, who didn't practice martial arts, to reach this level through a Health Cultivation Technique.

The only regret was that Xie An hadn't started practicing martial arts yet.

It wasn't that Xie An didn't want to practice, but rather that he lacked the funds. Even spending all his money on purchasing unique medicinal recipes was a struggle. Let alone practicing martial arts.

Buying a secret manual cost over ten taels, and that was just the beginning. Next, he would need to buy various medicinal auxiliaries, with any single dose costing over ten taels of silver, and he had to take them frequently. He also had to spend money to find a master for guidance...

These were things that the current Xie An simply couldn't afford.

"What I'm lacking... is still money!"

Xie An sighed.

Knock, knock, knock.

Urgent knocking sounds came from outside the door.

Xie An put down the stone lock, put on his clothes, and went to open the door. He saw He Chunli standing outside, his face full of excitement. "Master, tonight for the New Year's Eve dinner, Master Li is hosting. He's invited us all over."

Xie An couldn't help but be curious. "In previous years, Master would just reward us with some broken copper coins and ask the kitchen to add a few bowls of meat. What's gotten into him this year?"

He Chunli replied, "I heard that the eldest young master passed the county, prefectural, and academy examinations consecutively, achieving the title of Martial Scholar. Master Li is very happy this year. He said he's going to give us servants increased lucky money."

Xie An secretly clicked his tongue.

This eldest young master of the Li Manor truly had some talent.

The imperial examinations of the Great Qian Dynasty were similar to those in Xie An's previous life. The difference was that the Great Qian Dynasty valued martial arts, and the imperial examinations included both civil and martial tracks, even leaning more towards the martial track.

For the civil examinations, ordinary people who passed the county examination would gain the qualification of a "Tong Sheng" (child scholar), and society would recognize them as scholars.

A Tong Sheng who passed the county examination was eligible to participate in the prefectural examination. After passing the prefectural examination and then the academy examination, they would obtain the qualification of a "Xiu Cai" (scholar), and also gain the opportunity to study at the Imperial Academy.

A Xiu Cai was considered the most basic level of official title. They were exempt from taxes and did not need to bow to officials.

Becoming a Xiu Cai granted one the qualification to participate in the provincial examination, and those who passed were called "Ju Ren" (recommended scholar). This was a very impressive achievement, definitely something to bring glory to one's ancestors, and usually allowed one to become an eighth-rank official. If they managed their connections well, they could even become a seventh-rank official. They could also continue to participate in the metropolitan examination to strive to become "Jin Shi" (presented scholar)...

The path for martial arts examinations was similar.

For a small place like Wuqiao Town to produce a Martial Scholar was a matter of great honor for the family. If the eldest young master passed the higher examinations again and managed his connections well, he could become a county magistrate at a young age.

No wonder Master Li was so excited.

Thinking of this, Xie An couldn't help but sigh.

Society valued young people. If he were thirty years younger, he could also participate in the martial examinations. Achieving Martial Scholar status wouldn't be difficult, right? With a few more years, becoming a Ju Ren wouldn't be a problem either. Wouldn't it be great to become a county magistrate then?

The civil examinations had no age requirements, but the martial examinations did.

An eighteen-year-old Martial Scholar had a bright future ahead of them. But a fifty-year-old Martial Scholar... was meaningless in the eyes of the Great Qian imperial family. They were not worth cultivating.

With only a few years left to live, how could they charge into battlefields? How could they contribute to the country?

The world looks down on old men, so Xie An could only choose to mingle with the martial arts sects…

Damn this world, it's too unfriendly to old people.

Xie An didn't let He Chunli see his thoughts and followed with a smile, "It's a great thing that Young Master passed the provincial exam. I'll change my clothes and be right there. By the way, where's Han Li?"

Three months ago, Xie An's other disciple, Han Li, returned to work at the pawnshop.

Han Li had a poor upbringing, but he was capable, handled matters appropriately, and was also intelligent. With him and He Chunli working at the pawnshop, Xie An saved a considerable amount of time.

"Master, did you call me?"

A sturdy young man, about 1.7 meters tall, poked his head in from the back door of the pawnshop and then trotted over, a smile all over his face. "Yo, Master, you're looking more energetic than ever. It feels like you're getting younger."

Compared to He Chunli's dull and honest nature, Han Li was much more quick-witted. In fact, he was more suited to take over the shop. However, Xie An was more fond of He Chunli, perhaps because he had taken good care of him during his illness.

Xie An said with a smile, "It's almost dark. You two go and tally up the pawn tickets and items. Close up early and go to the Li Manor for the New Year's Eve dinner."

"Alright. Little He, let's go get to work."

Han Li pulled He Chunli to work.

Dusk.

Xie An closed the pawnshop and left with his two disciples, heading towards the Li Manor.

The shopfronts on both sides of the streets in Wuqiao Town were adorned with bright red lanterns. Many shopkeepers and their employees had already put up couplets and set off firecrackers, anticipating a prosperous harvest and good luck in the coming year.

There were also some mischievous young children, throwing firecrackers at each other in the street, chasing each other, making for a lively scene.

Although it was a small town, it was full of festive spirit.

Han Li slung an arm around He Chunli's shoulder and pointed at two children throwing firecrackers ahead, laughing heartily, "Little He, remember? When we first became disciples, we used to play with firecrackers like this too. You got beaten so badly you were spitting teeth and begging for mercy."

He Chunli snorted, "It's not my fault you stuffed a fake firecracker in my crotch to scare me on purpose. Otherwise, how could I have admitted defeat?"

"Hahaha… why don't we go buy some firecrackers and have another go?"

Cough, cough.

Xie An intervened appropriately, "Let's eat first. We can talk about playing with firecrackers later."

Han Li stuck out his tongue, "Since Master has spoken today, I'll let it slide for now. Lucky you."

He Chunli said, "As long as you don't play any dirty tricks, who's afraid of whom?"

"Alright, I've been waiting for you to say that."

Upon arriving at the Li Manor, everything was red lanterns, colorful silk, and red carpets throughout the house. Four large tables of banquet food were set up in the living room. Xie An and his two disciples were servants, so they naturally sat at the back. The food on their table was not as good as that of the masters, and even the tables and stools were shorter than those of the masters, highlighting the distinction between master and servant.

Even so, for Xie An and his two disciples, it was already a rare and sumptuous feast.

Chen Yuan was not a registered servant, so he naturally sat at the same table as the masters. As for Miss Chunlan, although she was a head maid, she could only sit at Xie An's table.

In this world, hierarchy was strict and evident everywhere.

Han Li and He Chunli naturally didn't think much of it and just focused on eating.

Xie An, however, was thinking: I must take advantage of this major festival, the New Year, to bring up the matter of buying out my freedom with Master Li.

Although if he had brought up buying out his freedom when he was seriously ill, Li Ru would surely have agreed. But Xie An hadn't brought it up then, thinking that leaving the Li Manor might not lead to a better life, and it was better to develop steadily.

Now that his health was restored, Li Ru might not be willing to let him go if he brought up buying out his freedom again. However, Xie An's strength had also improved, and Li Ru would have no choice but to let him go.

After all, strength was the greatest reliance for standing firm in a chaotic world.