Manor

"Seven or eight is already quite a number. You must know that the resources required to train a single Xiantian martial artist are a terrifying figure. The key is that even with such investment, the possibility of a Houtian Great Perfection cultivator advancing to Xiantian remains extremely slim." Aunt Zhen sighed and gave a bitter smile.

The youth fell completely silent.

"Alright, Xiantian is still far too distant for you. If you ever reach that day, you could immediately become someone standing at the very pinnacle of all Great Qi. Even the Great Qi Emperor would have to treat you with courtesy and go out of his way to win you over. That's the origin of the term 'nation-protecting martial artist.' For now, let me first tell you something about body refinement and sensing Qi. What level of body refinement are you at now?" the woman continued asking.

"Seven."

Upon hearing this, Shi Mu's spirits lifted.

Indeed! For him right now, being able to sense Qi and join the Kaiyuan Martial Academy was the most important thing.

"Seven is a bit low. The Kaiyuan Martial Academy starts recruiting in a year. Can you reach the ninth level of Great Perfection within a year?"

"I wasn't sure before, but now I think I can." Shi Mu thought for a moment, then said with certainty.

"Even if you can reach the ninth level of body refinement within a year and sense Qi, that only meets the basic requirements to enter the Kaiyuan Martial Academy. There will still be fierce competition." The woman looked slightly puzzled but continued speaking.

Shi Mu listened intently.

"As far as I know, quite a few prodigies are aiming to enter the Kaiyuan Martial Academy this year. Many of them are not very old but have already cultivated body refinement to the ninth or even tenth level. After all, the higher your body refinement level, the more it helps with sensing Qi. According to past years' patterns, even with the aid of Spirit Qi Pills, fewer than one in ten your age manage to sense Qi. Many martial artists only manage to barely sense Qi and enter Houtian after taking multiple Spirit Qi Pills in their thirties or forties. That's also why the Kaiyuan Martial Academy only recruits martial apprentices aged ten to fifteen. Below ten, the bones and constitution haven't settled, so body refinement can't be practiced. Above fifteen, there's no potential to reach Houtian Great Perfection, so they're not worth training. Great Qi may have quite a few Houtian martial artists, but fewer than a hundred truly have a chance to break through to Xiantian. Our Jin Family has a Houtian Great Perfection ancestor overseeing us, which is the main reason the Jin Family became a wealthy clan in Quanzhou." The woman's face showed a hint of pride as she finished.

"The higher the body refinement level, the higher the chance of sensing Qi! Fewer than one in ten?" Shi Mu took a deep breath after hearing this.

He had anticipated that not everyone who took a Spirit Qi Pill would successfully sense Qi, but he never imagined the success rate would be this low.

"If you regret it, the other path I mentioned earlier is still open." Aunt Zhen stared at the youth and suddenly smiled.

"No need. I've made up my mind." Shi Mu shook his head.

"Since that's the case, I'll transfer the deeds and such for the estate outside the city to you shortly. You can stay at that estate for now. I'll have Jin Cheng accompany you there. If you need anything in the future, you can contact him directly. When the Spirit Qi Pill the Jin Family has reserved arrives in a year, I'll notify you. Let me give you a word of advice: during this time, besides practicing body refinement, you'd better find a way to learn a few sets of practical combat techniques. You'll likely need them for the academy entrance exam. The Jin Family has several sets of inherited martial arts, but they never teach them to outsiders." Aunt Zhen nodded and added a reminder.

"Thank you, Aunt Zhen!" This time, there was genuine gratitude in Shi Mu's voice.

A quarter of an hour later, Shi Mu walked out of the courtyard accompanied by Jin Cheng, holding a wooden box in his hands, a look of slight surprise on his face.

Inside the wooden box was the inheritance left to him by his father. It included not only a sizable estate on the outskirts of the city but also three to four hundred acres of good farmland nearby, a well-located tavern in the city, and three thousand taels in silver notes.

In a single day, he had become a wealthy landowner.

What Shi Mu didn't know was that shortly after he left the courtyard, another middle-aged man visited the place. In the main hall, he questioned Aunt Zhen with a face full of anger:

"Seventh Sister, are you really not going to keep that Spirit Qi Pill for your own nephew, but give it to an outsider?"

"This matter was personally promised by Father. What, do you have a problem with it?"

"Of course I have a problem! I won't even mention the Biao Brothers affair. That kid's surname is Shi, not Jin. Why should our Jin Family's hard-won spirit pill go to an outsider? If you change your mind on your own, Father certainly won't object. Don't you know your nephew failed to sense Qi last time? This year, he finally has some confidence, and it's also the year the Kaiyuan Martial Academy is recruiting. If he misses this chance, he'll regret it for life. He can't let this opportunity slip by." The middle-aged man's face was somewhat narrow and long. In his fury, his eyes seemed to spit fire.

"Hmph, why? Because my husband had only this one son, and because he once saved nearly half the Jin Family's wealth? Does that satisfy you, Fifth Brother?" Aunt Zhen snorted and replied bluntly.

"Fine! Fine! That kid has no blood relation to you at all, and you still side with an outsider! If that's the case, then let's not talk about sibling affection from now on. I won't beg you this time. Even if I have to bankrupt myself, I'll get another Spirit Qi Pill for your nephew!"

With that, the middle-aged man stormed off angrily.

"Mother, are you really letting Fifth Uncle leave like that?"

As soon as the man left the hall, Shi Yuhuan popped out from somewhere and asked with a blink.

"It's fine. Don't you know your Fifth Uncle's son isn't cut out for martial arts? He wasted so many medicinal baths back then and barely reached body refinement Great Perfection. Even if we gave him the Spirit Qi Pill this time, his chances of sensing Qi wouldn't increase much. He's pressing so hard only to make one last gamble for your cousin."

"That's true. Jin Tian's talent probably isn't even as good as my brother's. Even if he barely senses Qi, his chances of passing the academy exam are very low." Shi Yuhuan clapped her hands and laughed upon hearing this.

"Heh, you're already taking your brother's side so quickly. But I'm not optimistic about Shi Mu either. Still, this is all I can do for your brother. If I step in to help with anything else, the other Jin Family members might start complaining."

"Even though this is my first time meeting my brother, I think he's a decent person. At least much better than those good-for-nothings in the Jin Family." Jin Yuhuan replied with a grin.

"Actually, your grandfather agreed so easily to set aside one Spirit Qi Pill partly because of you, girl. After all, you've already sensed Qi at just twelve years old and cultivated body refinement to the tenth level. Your grandfather has high hopes for you." Aunt Zhen suddenly smiled.

"Don't worry. In another year, I'll have that set of sword techniques mastered to Great Perfection. Entering the Kaiyuan Martial Academy will be no problem. I won't let Grandfather down." The girl looked full of confidence.

The woman nodded upon hearing this, gazing at her daughter with eyes full of affection.

At an estate ten li outside Feng City, Shi Mu stood in a flat courtyard surrounded by buildings. After looking around, a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

This estate covered four to five acres, with over twenty rooms. The size of this courtyard pleasantly surprised him.

After shifting his gaze, he looked at the seventeen or eighteen male and female servants and tenant farmers standing before him and asked directly:

"Who was in charge of this estate and the nearby farmland before?"

"Young Master Shi, I was in charge." A middle-aged man with graying hair and fairly clean clothes stepped forward and replied respectfully.

"What's your name? Are you a local?" Shi Mu studied the middle-aged man for a few moments. Seeing that his face seemed honest and reliable, he asked slowly.

"This humble one is called Zhang Suo. My family has lived in Feng City for seven or eight generations." The middle-aged man replied deferentially.

"Good. I'll leave this estate and the nearby farmland in your charge. Everyone else's work and the land rent will remain the same. Also, notify the tavern manager to come see me here tomorrow." Shi Mu thought briefly, then gave his orders quickly.

"Yes, Young Master." Zhang Suo was overjoyed and hurriedly agreed.

Seeing this, the other servants and tenant farmers also relaxed and bowed in acknowledgment.

"Steward Cheng, is this acceptable?" After everyone had left the courtyard, Shi Mu turned to the green-robed old man beside him and asked.

"Young Master Shi handled it well, very clean and decisive! To be honest, this old servant finds it hard to believe that Young Master Shi truly comes from a fishing village." The green-robed old man replied with a smile.

"I'm a bit surprised myself. But this feeling of being able to give orders is quite nice. Also, there's one more thing I'd like to ask of Steward Cheng." Shi Mu said with some embarrassment.

"Oh? If there's something you need, Young Master Shi, just give the order. As long as this old servant can do it, I won't refuse." The blue-robed elder was somewhat surprised, but agreed without hesitation.

"It's like this—I want to hire a truly capable martial hall instructor to come to the estate and guide my training one-on-one. I wonder if Steward Cheng has anyone to recommend."

"Oh, if we're talking about martial halls, the four major halls in Feng City are all quite famous. Their instructors mostly possess exceptional skills. But what type of martial arts does Young Master Shi wish to learn?" The blue-robed elder pondered for a moment, then asked in return.

"I used to split firewood back in the village, and I found using a blade quite handy. I'd also like to learn a fist technique on the side."

"If it's blade and fist techniques, I recommend Instructor Li Canghai from the Flowing Wind Martial Hall. His Thirteen Wind-Galloping Styles and Crushing Stone Fist are very well-known. However, for one-on-one instruction, his fees are not low." After hearing this, the blue-robed elder only deliberated briefly before speaking slowly.

"That's fine. As long as he truly has skill, spending a bit more money is nothing." With three thousand silver taels on him, Shi Mu was feeling rather flush.

"Good. Then this old servant will invite Instructor Li over for you tomorrow." Seeing this, the blue-robed elder agreed with a smile.