The dishes were soon set on the old, worn-out dining table.
The food was simple: one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a small bowl of soup.
Chu Zhan had already been helped upright by Zhang Meilan and was leaning against the headboard.
The family of three began eating. Zhang Meilan kept putting food into Chu Han's bowl while barely eating herself.
Before long, Chu Zhan put down the spoon he had been using to drink his porridge. After hesitating for a moment, he still asked, "Xiaohan, how's your practice of the Seven Forms of the Army Breaker going? Have you tried practicing the stance for the first form?"
Chu Han shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth and said, "The progress is pretty good. I've just run into some minor difficulties."
"That's good enough. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Martial skills aren't that easy to get started with. Back then, your dad was said to have some talent with the saber, and even I spent nearly half a month mastering the first form. Don't rush..."
His tone was extremely cautious, afraid that his son would suffer another setback because the martial skill was too difficult.
Upon hearing this, Chu Han's motion of shoveling rice paused.
Clearly, his father had misunderstood what he meant.
He had originally intended to be modest, but what this family needed now was confidence and hope.
He decided to show them the results of his cultivation.
Chu Han stood up and walked to the small, pitiful patch of empty space in the middle of the living room.
"This child... He's only halfway through his meal. What is he doing?" Zhang Meilan asked, puzzled.
Chu Han did not explain. He merely returned to his bedroom, brought out his practice saber, and assumed a stance.
"T-That's the stance for the first form of the Seven Forms of the Army Breaker! Could it be..."
Chu Zhan immediately understood what Chu Han was about to do. He was shocked beyond belief, his eyes fixed firmly on his son, unwilling to miss the slightest detail.
The next moment, Chu Han moved.
The practice saber in his hand slashed out violently. It was precisely the first form of the Seven Forms of the Army Breaker!
His movements were as fast as lightning. A faint shriek even rang out through the air.
"That's the first form of the Seven Forms of the Army Breaker! You actually mastered it! Hahahaha..."
Chu Zhan became immensely excited and burst into loud laughter.
But his laughter soon stopped.
Chu Han followed up with two more slashes, performing the second and third forms of the Seven Forms of the Army Breaker!
After practicing for nearly half a day, Chu Han now performed the first three saber forms as smoothly as flowing clouds and running water.
One form followed another without the slightest hitch.
At once, both parents were stunned speechless.
Chu Zhan was even struck as if by a bolt from the blue!
His eyes suddenly bulged round, his mouth fell slightly open, and his body trembled violently, completely beyond his control from sheer excitement.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
His old injury was triggered by his excessive excitement, and he began coughing violently. Zhang Meilan hurriedly patted his back in alarm.
But Chu Zhan waved her off. His eyes remained fixed on Chu Han as he asked in a trembling voice, "How is this possible? How could you reach this level after only a few hours?!"
He could hardly believe his own eyes!
How was this a beginner's level? This was clearly someone who had already grasped the essence of the Seven Forms of the Army Breaker!
Even at the peak of his strength back then, he would not have dared claim that he could perform these first three forms with such seamless naturalness!
Looking at his father's nearly unrestrained state, Chu Han smiled and said, "Dad, I told you I would become a martial artist. You and Mom have to believe in me."
"We believe you! We believe you!"
Chu Zhan was so excited that tears filled his eyes. "My son is a genius! A true genius! No talent? Bullshit about having no talent! Hahahaha!"
He looked almost deranged, crying and laughing at once, as though he were venting all the pent-up gloom and despair in his heart in a single burst.
Although Zhang Meilan did not understand martial arts, her husband's unrestrained reaction and her son's astonishing display just now made her realize that her son was anything but ordinary.
Tears glimmered in her eyes as she nodded repeatedly. At last, her face revealed a smile brimming with hope.
Seeing how excited his parents were, Chu Han secretly resolved to give them even more pleasant surprises from then on.
After dinner, Chu Han returned to his bedroom.
Outside, his mother was still clearing away the dishes.
He sat cross-legged on the bed and sent his consciousness into the Lottery Space.
There were still seven types of items he had not used.
Five Body Tempering Pills, one F-grade Talent Fragment, 10,000 Federal currency, ten Supreme Strength Pills, one D-rank movement martial skill, Spirit Cat Steps, five Lower-grade Energy Stones, and ten jin of C-grade Spirit Rice.
Body Tempering Pill: After consumption, it could strengthen the muscles, fascia, and bones, enhancing physical strength, blood vitality, and foundation.
Supreme Strength Pill: After consumption, it could increase strength by 100 jin. Its medicinal power gradually diminished, and at most five pills could be consumed.
Spirit Cat Steps: A D-rank movement martial skill. After cultivation, the body would become as nimble and unpredictable as a spirit cat, greatly increasing speed and reaction ability.
Lower-grade Energy Stone: It contained a large amount of cosmic energy. After absorption, it provided pure Elemental Power.
C-grade Spirit Rice: After consumption, it could improve one's constitution, accelerate the circulation of blood vitality, and replenish the body's vital energy.
The least valuable among them was still the 10,000 Federal currency.
The other pills, weapons, spirit rice, martial skills, and Energy Stones were all worth far more than 10,000 Federal currency.
Take the Lower-grade Energy Stones, for example. They were essential resources for martial artists cultivating. By absorbing the energy within them, martial artists could accelerate their cultivation speed, and each stone was worth 100,000 Federal currency.
However, he had no intention of selling them. He planned to keep them for his own use.
Then there were the Supreme Strength Pills. They were sold on the market, but without the word "Supreme" in their name, and each pill could only increase strength by 30 jin.
Even so, an ordinary Strength Pill cost 5,000 Federal currency each, and at most three could be consumed.
By comparison, the ten Supreme Strength Pills he had drawn were far more effective.
If he put them up for auction, they would definitely fetch an extremely high price.
With a thought from Chu Han, a small porcelain bottle appeared in his hand.
He pulled out the stopper. A rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire bedroom.
There were exactly ten small pills inside the bottle. They were the Supreme Strength Pills.
"Smells wonderful!"
Chu Han took a deep breath, inhaling the medicinal scent through his nose. His entire body immediately shuddered, as if every cell had become active. His strength seemed to have increased somewhat.
"The medicinal power of this pill is actually so strong!"
Chu Han could no longer hold back. He poured out a pill and swallowed it.
As the pill entered his stomach, a vast medicinal power suddenly exploded within it.
Wave after wave of warmth surged through his limbs and bones. Every cell in his body seemed to be cheering and leaping!
Several minutes passed before he had completely absorbed the pill's medicinal power.
"That feels amazing! I can feel my strength increasing by a lot—at least 100 jin!"
Chu Han now believed the pill's description. Consuming one truly provided 100 jin of strength.
He could still consume four more!
Moreover, as the pill increased his strength, it also transformed his body, strengthening him in every way.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Han poured out another pill and swallowed it.
A few minutes later, his strength surged by another 100 jin!
Then came the third, fourth, and fifth pills!
After consuming all five pills, his strength immediately increased by 500 jin!
What was more, despite consuming them in succession, their effects had not weakened in the slightest.
"My single-arm strength definitely exceeds 1,000 jin now! It may even be considerably higher."
Once one's single-arm strength reached 1,000 jin, one became a Quasi-Martial Artist!
This was practically a single step to the heavens!
"No, I'll go to the martial arts academy tomorrow and test my strength! I'll sell the remaining five Supreme Strength Pills while I'm at it!"
Before you continue