Li Xuan took a deep breath and raised his axe.
The first swing.
He brought it down casually. The blade struck the side of the firewood, failed to split it, and got stuck.
The second swing.
He adjusted his stance, exerted force through his waist and legs, and struck the same spot. A crack appeared in the firewood.
The third swing.
He stared at the center of the grain, thrust his waist forward, and sent the axe in an arc. His strength flowed smoothly—
Crack!
The firewood split cleanly in two.
[Potential: 0.012]
I found it!
Li Xuan's eyes lit up.
It seemed that only smooth chopping movements, performed by integrating the qi and blood throughout his body, could yield potential.
Perhaps his qi and blood had been unconsciously mobilized during the movement?
Although Li Xuan had questions in his heart, the movements of his hands did not slow in the slightest.
The seventh swing, the eighth, the ninth... After ten consecutive swings, only three had triggered potential.
"Youngster, this early?"
A voice came from behind. Li Xuan turned around and saw the old handyman from yesterday, the one who had taught him to chop wood, walking over with a bucket of water.
"Couldn't sleep, so I came to work first," Li Xuan said.
The old handyman put down the bucket and glanced at him. "Did you use what I taught you yesterday?"
"I did. It saves quite a bit of effort."
"Then that's good." As he spoke, the old handyman picked up an axe of his own and began chopping at an unhurried pace.
As Li Xuan chopped wood, he observed from the corner of his eye.
The old handyman's movements were slow, but every swing was precise. When he raised the axe, his waist leaned back slightly; when he brought it down, his waist thrust forward. The blade cut almost vertically into the grain, leaving the split surfaces as smooth as if they had been sliced by a knife.
After each swing, the old handyman paused, adjusted his breathing, and only then brought down the next.
Li Xuan imitated his rhythm and slowed down, seeking the utmost precision with every swing.
The eleventh swing—waist and legs working in harmony, sighting along the grain, strength flowing smoothly, breathing in sync—
[Potential: 0.013]
It worked!
Once the rhythm slowed, the quality improved, and the acquisition of potential became more stable.
He continued testing.
The entire morning, Li Xuan repeated the same process: chopping wood, observing, adjusting, then chopping again.
By lunchtime, he had already summed up the pattern:
The number on the panel had risen from 0.01 in the morning to [Potential: 0.03].
It was still little, but it was a steady income.
In the afternoon, Li Xuan continued.
This time, he tried to exert himself even more perfectly.
He was not using brute force, but "skillful force"—when the axe reached its highest point, he pressed his entire body weight downward, his waist and legs erupting with strength in an instant, like a spring releasing.
Crack!
The firewood split at the sound, its broken surface smooth as a mirror.
The panel fluctuated violently: [Potential: 0.032]!
It had doubled!
Li Xuan's heart leaped. He had found the knack—the force had to be unified, smooth, and erupt at a single point.
He continued experimenting.
Every swing sought this kind of "whole-body force."
His success rate was not high. Only two or three swings out of ten could achieve it.
But whenever he did, it yielded 0.002.
By the time work ended at dusk, the panel displayed: [Potential: 0.07].
Moreover, his body felt better, and his control over his strength had clearly improved.
Before, he had used his strength recklessly. Now, he exerted it with precision.
"Youngster, you chopped well today."
The old handyman came over again and glanced at the pile of wood Li Xuan had chopped—the pieces were uniform in size, and the split surfaces were smooth.
"It's all thanks to your instruction," Li Xuan said.
The old handyman shook his head without replying and walked away.
But after taking a few steps, he turned back. "Starting tomorrow, you'll fetch water."
Li Xuan froze.
Fetching water was more exhausting work. He would have to carry it from the spring in the rear mountains to the martial arts school, three li round trip. But the old handyman must have had a reason for saying this.
"Okay." Li Xuan nodded.
That night, in the shared bunkhouse of the woodshed.
The other newcomers collapsed and fell straight asleep from exhaustion, but Li Xuan could not sleep. He stared at the panel:
[Li Xuan] [Strength: 0.63] [Agility: 0.57] [Constitution: 0.88] [Spirit: 1.4] [Manual: None] [Potential: 0.07]
How should he use 0.07 potential?
His constitution was already at 0.88, close to the healthy threshold. His strength was 0.63, still his weak point.
But starting tomorrow, he would be fetching water—a job that required strength in the shoulders, waist, and legs.
If he increased his strength today, would fetching water be easier tomorrow? Would it trigger potential while he was fetching water as well?
[Strength: 0.63] → [Strength: 0.68] [Constitution: 0.88] → [Constitution: 0.90]
A warm current surged toward his limbs. He closed his eyes and felt the changes in his body.
Tomorrow, he would fetch water and continue testing.
If fetching water could also trigger potential, then what about sweeping, carrying things, or even... practicing martial arts?
He remembered the old handyman's words: "Starting tomorrow, you'll fetch water."
Li Xuan turned over and looked toward the opposite corner—the old handyman was lying there, breathing evenly, as if he were asleep.
But Li Xuan had a feeling that the old man was not asleep.
He was observing.
Just as Li Xuan was observing the patterns of chopping wood, the old handyman was observing Li Xuan.
Why?
Li Xuan did not know.
But he knew one thing: in a martial arts school, kindness never came without a reason.
The old handyman had taught him the technique of chopping wood and sent him to fetch water—either he wanted to use him, or he was testing him.
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