The Manor

"Seven or eight isn't a small number. You have to understand, cultivating even one Xiantian Martial Artist takes a staggering amount of resources. And even after investing so much, the odds of a peak Houtian Martial Artist advancing to Xiantian remain vanishingly small." Aunt Zhen sighed with a bitter smile.

The youth fell completely silent.

"All right, Xiantian is still too far beyond your reach. If that day ever comes, you'll immediately become one of the most powerful people in all of Great Qi. Even the emperor will treat you with courtesy and do his utmost to win you over. That's where the title of Nation-Protecting Martial Artist comes from. For now, I'll tell you about body tempering and sensing qi. How many levels of body tempering have you reached?" the woman continued.

"Seven."

Shi Mu's spirits lifted at her words.

Indeed! For him, the most important thing now was to sense qi and join Kaiyuan Martial Academy.

"Seven levels is a little low. Kaiyuan Martial Academy will begin recruiting in a year. Can you reach the ninth level of mastery within that time?"

"I wasn't sure before, but I think I can now," he said after a moment's thought.

"Even if you reach the ninth level of body tempering within a year and sense qi, you'll only have met Kaiyuan Martial Academy's basic requirements. There will still be fierce competition," the woman said, sounding a little puzzled.

Shi Mu listened intently.

"As far as I know, quite a few talented Martial Disciples are hoping to enter Kaiyuan Martial Academy this year. Many of them are still young, yet they've already cultivated the Body Tempering Technique to the ninth or even tenth level. After all, the higher your level of body tempering, the easier it is to sense qi. Going by past years, even with the help of Spirit Qi Pills, fewer than one in ten people your age can sense qi. Many Martial Disciples don't manage it until their thirties or forties, after taking Spirit Qi Pills several times, and only then can they barely sense qi and enter the Houtian realm. That's why Kaiyuan Martial Academy only accepts Martial Disciples over ten and under fifteen. Children younger than ten haven't finished developing physically and can't cultivate the Body Tempering Technique. Those over fifteen have no chance of reaching peak Houtian and aren't worth cultivating. Great Qi may have many Houtian Martial Artists, but fewer than a hundred have a real chance of breaking through to Xiantian. The Jin Family has a peak Houtian ancestor guarding it, and that's the main reason we're one of Quanzhou's most powerful families." By the end, the woman wore a hint of pride.

"The higher the level of body tempering, the greater the chance of sensing qi! Fewer than one in ten?" Shi Mu drew a deep breath after hearing her out.

He had already expected that not everyone who took a Spirit Qi Pill would manage to sense qi, but he had never imagined the odds would be so low.

"If you regret your decision, the other path I offered you is still open," Aunt Zhen said, fixing her eyes on him before suddenly smiling.

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

"Since that's settled, I'll have the deed to the manor outside the city and the other documents transferred to you shortly. You can stay there for now. I'll have Jin Cheng accompany you. If you need anything, you can contact him directly. When the Spirit Qi Pills the Jin Family ordered arrive a year from now, I'll let you know. One more thing: while you're learning body tempering, you should also find a way to learn a few more practical martial arts. You'll probably need them for the Martial Academy entrance exam. The Jin Family has several ancestral martial arts, but we never teach them to outsiders." Aunt Zhen nodded, then added a reminder.

"Thank you, Aunt Zhen!" This time, Shi Mu's words held genuine gratitude.

A quarter of an hour later, Shi Mu walked out of the residence with Jin Cheng, carrying a wooden box in his hands. He looked somewhat surprised.

The box contained the property his father had left him: not only a sizable manor on the outskirts of the city, but also three or four hundred mu of fine farmland nearby, a well-situated tavern in the city, and three thousand taels in silver notes.

In a single day, he had become a wealthy country squire.

What Shi Mu didn't know was that not long after he left the residence, another middle-aged man arrived. In the main hall, he demanded furiously of Aunt Zhen, "Seventh Sister, you really won't keep that Spirit Qi Pill for your own nephew? You're giving it to an outsider instead?"

"Father personally promised him the pill. What, do you have a problem with that?"

"Of course I do! I'll let the matter of the Biao Brothers go. But that boy's surname is Shi, not Jin. Why should our Jin Family give a pill we went to all that trouble to obtain to an outsider? If you change your mind, Father certainly won't object. You know your nephew failed to sense qi last time, and this year he finally has a decent chance. On top of that, it's the year Kaiyuan Martial Academy is recruiting. If he misses this opportunity, he'll regret it for the rest of his life. He can't afford to let it slip by." The middle-aged man had a somewhat long face. His fury made his eyes seem to blaze.

"Hmph! Why? Because my husband has only one son, and because that son once saved nearly half the Jin Family's fortune. Are you satisfied with that, Fifth Brother?" Aunt Zhen snorted, speaking without the slightest courtesy.

"Fine! Fine! That boy isn't related to you by blood, and you're still turning your elbow outward for him! If that's how it is, then we're done pretending there's any affection between us as siblings. I won't ask you again. I'll bankrupt myself if I have to, but I'll get another Spirit Qi Pill for your nephew!"

With that, the middle-aged man stormed away.

"Mother, you're really letting Fifth Uncle leave just like that?"

As soon as the man left the hall, Shi Yuhuan appeared from somewhere and asked, blinking.

"It's fine. You know your Fifth Uncle's son isn't suited to martial arts. He spent a fortune on medicinal baths back then and barely managed to reach the peak of body tempering. Even if he gets the Spirit Qi Pill this time, it won't improve his chances of sensing qi by much. Your uncle was only pressing me because he wanted to give your cousin one last shot."

"That's true. Jin Tian probably isn't as talented as my brother. Even if he barely manages to sense qi, his chances of getting into the Martial Academy are still low." Shi Yuhuan clapped her hands and laughed.

"Heh, you've already taken your own brother's side. But I don't think much of Shi Mu's chances either. Still, that's all I can do for your brother. If I step in to help him with anything else, the rest of the Jin Family will be unhappy."

"This is the first time I've met my brother, but I think he seems like a pretty good person. At least he's much better than those wine sacks and rice bags in the Jin Family." Shi Yuhuan replied with a cheeky grin.

"Your maternal grandfather agreed so readily to give up one of the Spirit Qi Pills partly because of you, you know. You sensed qi at just twelve years old and have already cultivated body tempering to the tenth level. Your maternal grandfather has high hopes for you." Aunt Zhen suddenly smiled.

"Don't worry. In another year, I'll have mastered that sword technique. There's no question I'll get into Kaiyuan Martial Academy. I won't disappoint Grandfather." The girl looked full of confidence.

The woman nodded, her gaze filled with affection for her daughter.

At a manor ten li outside Feng City, Shi Mu stood in a flat courtyard surrounded by buildings. He looked around, then smiled with satisfaction.

The manor covered four or five mu and had more than twenty rooms. The courtyard was so spacious that it delighted him.

His gaze shifted to the seventeen or eighteen servants and tenant farmers standing before him. He immediately asked, "Who used to manage this manor and the nearby farmland?"

"Young Master Shi, I was in charge," replied a middle-aged man with graying hair and reasonably clean clothes, stepping forward and bowing respectfully.

"What's your name? Are you a local?" Shi Mu studied the man for a few moments. He looked honest and straightforward enough, so Shi Mu asked in a mild voice.

"This humble one is Zhang Suo. My family has lived in Feng City for seven or eight generations," the middle-aged man answered respectfully.

"Good. You'll continue managing the manor and the nearby farmland. Everyone else can keep their jobs, and the rent on the farmland will stay the same. Also, tell the tavern keeper to come see me here tomorrow." Shi Mu thought it over briefly, then issued his orders without delay.

"Yes, Young Master." Zhang Suo was delighted and hurried to agree.

The other servants and tenant farmers relaxed at this and bowed in agreement.

"Steward Cheng, how did I do?" After everyone had left the courtyard, Shi Mu turned to the blue-robed old man beside him.

"Young Master Shi handled things well—cleanly and efficiently! To be honest, it's hard to believe you really came from a fishing village," the old man replied with a smile.

"I'm a little surprised myself, but it feels good to be able to give people orders. There's something else I'd like to ask you for help with, too," Shi Mu said sheepishly.

"Oh? What is it? Just tell me, Young Master Shi. If it's something I can do, I certainly won't refuse." The old man looked a little surprised, but agreed without hesitation.

"I'd like to hire a martial arts instructor with real skill to come to the manor and give me one-on-one guidance. Can you recommend anyone?"

"Oh, as for martial halls, all four of Feng City's Great Martial Halls are quite well-known, and their instructors are skilled. But what kind of martial art do you want to learn?"

"I once spent some time chopping firewood in my village, and using a blade felt quite natural. The Thirteen Wind-Galloping Styles and the Crushing Stone Fist are both famous techniques. But private instruction from an instructor like that won't come cheap." The old man considered it briefly before answering.

"That's fine. As long as he's truly skilled, I don't mind spending a little more." With three thousand taels in silver notes on hand, Shi Mu had grown quite generous.

"Very well. I'll ask Instructor Li to come tomorrow." The old man smiled and agreed.