Root Bone Aptitude

Li Qiming opened his eyes and sat up from the couch in his single room.

Ever since his status had risen a few days ago and he became the head of the menial workers, he had left the large shared bunkroom crammed with dozens of people and gained a room of his own.

He looked out the window. Stars dotted the sky, and a full moon hung high.

"Even if life has gotten better, I can't let myself slack off!"

He had not gotten carried away. He knew full well that in this cruel martial world, he was smaller than an ant, not worth a fart.

Therefore, he continued getting up before dawn to practice martial arts.

The restaurant's rear courtyard was enormous. There was a menial workers' yard with an open space in it, and Li Qiming went there to practice the Tiger Roar Fist with panting breaths.

Compared with before, his fist technique was no longer merely flashy moves. Every stance and strike carried the wind of a tiger, quite imposing.

An hour later, Li Qiming slowly withdrew his technique.

With a thought, a panel displaying his martial arts data appeared before his eyes:

[Tiger Roar Fist (Entry Level) 0/100]

Ever since he awakened and acquired the Corpse Looting Entry Trigger Golden Finger, this exceedingly simple data panel had appeared before him.

It had no function at all. It merely allowed him to visibly record and display the progress of his martial arts.

Yet what left Li Qiming in despair was that over the past few days, no matter how diligently he practiced, the experience value behind Tiger Roar Fist had not increased in the slightest.

In other words, all his effort was a joke, nothing but wasted work.

"What exactly is going on?"

"It's already been five or six days. Why can't my martial arts improve no matter how I practice?"

Li Qiming frowned. After thinking for a moment, he took the Fine Essence-Nurturing Pill that had dropped from Wang Ba's body out of his clothes.

He hesitated, wondering whether he should take it.

But he had an instinct that even if he did, it would not be of much use to him.

The problem was not with the pill at all.

After some thought, he slowly put the Fine Essence-Nurturing Pill back into his clothes.

"Brother Qiming, come on. Breakfast is ready, hurry over and eat."

Zhang Mingshun appeared nearby and called out to him.

"Thanks, Brother Mingshun!" Li Qiming nodded.

The man was slightly plump and wore a gray cook's uniform. He was Zhang Mingshun, the head chef of Laifu Restaurant.

Ever since Li Qiming had brought Tiger Roar Fist to Entry Level, the head chef, who had previously paid him no attention at all, had begun treating him politely.

He also made sure Li Qiming's three daily meals were properly arranged.

Li Qiming entered the kitchen and found that, aside from the usual staple food and dishes, there was an extra large chicken drumstick in his bowl, perfect in color, aroma, and flavor.

"Eating this well so early in the morning?"

He had just finished practicing and expended much of his strength. He was starving.

"It's my daughter's birthday today..." Zhang Mingshun smiled and explained.

Li Qiming nodded and did not stand on ceremony. He picked up his bowl and said, "Thanks, brother. Then I'll share in the good fortune too."

Though Zhang Mingshun was the head chef, he was also an ordinary person with no martial arts. In the entire kitchen, only Li Qiming had brought Tiger Roar Fist to Entry Level.

That was why Zhang Mingshun was so courteous to him. They had gotten along quite happily these past few days and could be considered half-friends.

"Brother Qiming, you're still young. What plans do you have for the future?"

Watching Li Qiming eat, Zhang Mingshun hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Oh? Do you have some advice for me, brother?" Li Qiming paused, sensing the hidden meaning in his words.

"I wouldn't dare call it advice... You should have heard that Laifu Restaurant is actually entirely run behind the scenes by Dragon Roar Martial Hall... Even if you stay at the restaurant for ten or twenty years, I'm afraid there won't be much room for growth. But once you enter Dragon Roar Martial Hall, even becoming a Registered Disciple would mean a boundless future!"

As he spoke of this, Zhang Mingshun's face filled with longing, which finally turned into a sigh:

"Ah, brother, to be honest with you, when I first came to the restaurant, I wanted to use Tiger Roar Fist as a stepping stone to enter Dragon Roar Martial Hall...

"In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed. I'm already past thirty. Shamefully, I simply wasn't made for martial arts. Shopkeeper Wang said my Root Bone was too poor!"

Li Qiming's spirits stirred.

He had heard a key term: Root Bone.

"Brother, tell me more. What is Root Bone?"

Zhang Mingshun froze, then nodded and explained:

"Root Bone... I can't explain it very well either, but according to Shopkeeper Wang, if you want to learn martial arts or make progress on the martial path, Root Bone aptitude is absolutely crucial."

"Ordinary people without Root Bone aptitude cannot accomplish anything in martial arts, no matter how hard they work."

Those words struck Li Qiming's ears like bolts of thunder, instantly clearing his mind.

So that was it. The reason Tiger Roar Fist had made no progress no matter how hard he trained was likely because of his own martial Root Bone aptitude!

It seemed this body simply had no Root Bone aptitude for martial arts!

"Brother, you're different from the rest of us. You have Root Bone aptitude. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for you to bring Tiger Roar Fist to Entry Level!"

Zhang Mingshun looked at him with envy.

He had no idea that Li Qiming had cheated, and that Tiger Roar Fist reaching Entry Level had been looted from Wang Ba's corpse.

Li Qiming lowered his head and shoveled food into his mouth without explaining.

No one could ever find out about his cheat.

But the fact that he lacked Root Bone aptitude would sooner or later be noticed by someone observant. When that happened, how would he explain the origin of his martial arts?

"I heard that next month, Dragon Roar Martial Hall will hold a martial arts assessment. At that time, all menial workers can participate. Miao'an Textile, the Blacksmith Shop, the Pharmacy, and our Laifu Restaurant—as long as it is a business under Dragon Roar Martial Hall, its menial workers can take part in the assessment."

"The person who takes first place in the assessment will receive a precious Registered Disciple slot! Such an opportunity only comes once in a thousand years! Brother Qiming, you must give it a try!"

"If you really make it, you'll be a fish leaping through the Dragon Gate!"

Zhang Mingshun spoke eagerly, again and again.

Li Qiming's eyes flickered. Joining Dragon Roar Martial Hall and becoming a Registered Disciple had many benefits: he could receive a certain degree of resource support and learn better martial arts. Most importantly, Dragon Roar Martial Hall wielded immense power. With it as his backer, his safety in this martial world would rise in a straight line.

Unlike now, when any expert could kill him with a single slash just because they were in a bad mood. He had no backer, so killing him would be killing him for nothing, with no consequences whatsoever.

Wang Ba was the warning carved in blood.

If he had a powerful martial hall behind him, anyone who wished to make a move against him would have to weigh it carefully first...

Li Qiming was immediately tempted.

When one was weak, finding a powerful thigh to cling to was undoubtedly the wise choice.

But his Root Bone aptitude was a huge problem!

Just then.

A series of clanging sounds of weapons striking each other suddenly came from the front hall.

Immediately afterward, cries of alarm erupted in waves.

"They're fighting!"

"Fuck, they've drawn blades!"

"Run! Someone's been killed!"

Li Qiming's spirits stirred. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and immediately ran toward the front hall.

By the time he arrived, more than ten tables, chairs, and benches had already been knocked over, leaving the place in complete disarray.

A trembling waiter was hiding behind the counter.

"What happened?"

Li Qiming pulled the waiter up and asked.

"Boss, there... there were two martial artists eating. One said, 'What are you looking at?' The other said, 'What's it to you if I look?' Then they started fighting. One of them drew a blade and chopped straight down at the other's head, hacking him alive into two halves! It was terrifying!"

The waiter spoke through tears.

Li Qiming frowned at the chaotic scene in the hall. Shopkeeper Wang was absent, making him the one in charge, so he immediately ordered:

"Stop crying. Go get someone to clean this up."

As he spoke, something stirred in his mind. He stepped forward and lifted a table. Sure enough, half a person lay beneath it.

The other half of the body was buried beneath some other table. The scene was horrifying to behold.

Gritting his teeth, Li Qiming grabbed one arm of the half-body and dragged it out.

At the same time.

[Corpse Looting Entry Trigger]

[1. Vice Hall Master of Sand Water Gang: Identity/Rare]

[2. Half-Year Income of a Vice Hall Master: Wealth/Precious]

[3. Ape Arm Wasp Waist: Root Bone/Epic]