26. The Gap, Resources

"The so-called bottleneck, though ethereal and elusive, is a genuine existence. Those with superior natural talent find bottlenecks almost non-existent; even if they do appear, they are easily shattered. Those with mediocre talent, however, not only face bottlenecks everywhere but find them incredibly difficult to break through!"

Master Huang pondered for a moment, then glanced at the youth in the fur coat and continued: "Zhang Feng, take you for example. You are currently shackled by a bottleneck. If you continue to practice diligently, perhaps in a few days, or maybe dozens of days, or even longer, you might suddenly have a breakthrough, shatter the bottleneck, and continue to improve!"

"However, it is also possible that you may never break through. No matter how much effort and persistence you exert, you might remain stuck here for the rest of your life, unable to advance even a fraction!"

Hearing Master Huang's words, Zhang Feng's face instantly turned pale.

The expressions of the others also became quite grave, as they did not know when they might also be shackled by a bottleneck.

Only Lu Yuan remained as calm as ever, standing quietly to the side.

Because he had no bottlenecks!

As long as he worked hard to grind his proficiency, success was guaranteed!

"Of course, you need not worry too much!"

Master Huang smiled and said: "Before entering the ranked realms, as long as your natural talent is not exceptionally poor, you will eventually break through the shackles of a bottleneck through perseverance. If you can eat hearty meat at every meal and have sufficient Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills to assist you, breaking through a bottleneck is extremely easy—it can be done in two or three days!"

Upon hearing this, the group's eyes lit up, but they soon shook their heads and sighed.

What is considered "hearty meat" is food even better than beef or pork, such as venison, tiger meat, or bear meat.

Although they were currently receiving support from the Zhou Family and could eat meat for free at every meal, obtaining hearty meat was still not easy, let alone eating it for every meal.

As for Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, those were even more precious. A single pill cost twenty or thirty taels of silver; they could not afford them themselves, and the Zhou Family would certainly not provide them for free.

"If the Zhou Family could provide me with hearty meat at every meal, and even enough Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, I am confident I could break into the Transformation Realm before the Martial Examination!"

Someone said with a hopeful look in their eyes.

However, the others all looked at him speechlessly, feeling that he was daydreaming.

Although the Zhou Family was wealthy, they would not provide such bottomless support.

Being able to eat meat at every meal and receiving a portion of Qi-Replenishing Soup every five days was already quite good.

One must learn to be content!

"I think you've eaten so much meat that you've rotted your brain!"

Master Huang frowned and scolded directly: "If you were a top-tier genius with superior talent and were willing to sign a master-servant contract with the Zhou Family, perhaps they would satisfy your wish. Otherwise, stop indulging in such delusions!"

"I was just saying!"

The man's face flushed red as he lowered his head and muttered.

"Master Huang, if we were to buy it ourselves, how much silver would a meal of hearty meat cost?"

Another person asked curiously.

"Although the Zhou Family has ways to acquire hearty meat, they don't get much of it, so the price is quite expensive. A single meal costs at least three taels of silver!"

Master Huang said bluntly: "Even if it were just one meal of hearty meat per day, it would cost nearly a hundred taels of silver per month!"

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

If one wanted to achieve the best results by eating hearty meat three times a day, wouldn't that cost nearly three hundred taels of silver per month?

They couldn't afford it; they simply couldn't afford it!

If one were to add medicinal soups, or even precious resources like Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, the monthly expenses would likely exceed a thousand taels.

How terrifying!

Coming from humble backgrounds and lacking superior talent, even with the Zhou Family's support, stepping into the Hidden Energy Realm or the Transformation Realm, or even passing the Martial Examination, was by no means an easy task.

"The saying 'the poor study, the rich practice martial arts' is truly correct!"

Although Lu Yuan was not as dejected as the others, he couldn't help but feel secretly shocked.

It was no wonder that even Master Song, who was already in the Transformation Realm, took on any job he could find to earn money. With such staggering expenses, no one but the truly wealthy and powerful could sustain it.

Fortunately, even without sufficient resources, he not only lacked bottlenecks but could also improve faster the more he practiced. Even if his progress were affected, he would still be much faster than the others.

"On the path of martial arts, natural talent is important, but resources are even more so. Even if one's talent is lacking, as long as one piles on enough resources, there is still a chance to climb high and see far!"

Master Huang sighed softly and added: "It is a pity that unless one is from a wealthy family, it is almost impossible to have sufficient resources for support. You are like this, and so am I."

After reaching the Hidden Energy level, the effect of ordinary meat was far less than it had been during the Bright Energy stage.

Even ordinary medicinal soups like Qi-Replenishing Soup and Essence-Replenishing Soup would gradually lose their effectiveness.

To go further, one had to consume true hearty meat, or even precious resources like Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills.

"Master Huang, besides eating hearty meat and taking precious resources like Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, are there any other ways for us to quickly break through the shackles of a bottleneck?"

Zhang Feng asked, still feeling somewhat unwilling to give up.

"Of course there are!"

Master Huang gave Zhang Feng a look that was half-smile and half-serious, then nodded.

"What is the method?"

Zhang Feng immediately stared at Master Huang with burning eyes.

The others also looked at Master Huang with immense hope, clearly eager for the answer.

"It's simple: just go and be reborn!"

Master Huang said indifferently, "The world outside is far broader than you imagine. Not to mention other regions, just looking at the entirety of Anyang Prefecture, there are many noble clans that have been passed down for hundreds of years. They not only possess deep foundations but also powerful bloodlines; almost every generation produces two or three top-tier geniuses with exceptional bone structure."

"Most importantly, not only do they have access to higher levels of martial arts from a young age, but from the very day they step onto the path of martial arts, they have an abundance of resources piled up for them. Whether it is high-quality meat or precious resources like Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, in their eyes, these are merely basic daily necessities. Furthermore, both in terms of heritage and vision, they far exceed all of you!"

"At the same age, while you are still struggling to break through to the Hidden Energy Realm, they are already at the Hidden Energy Realm, or even the Transformation Realm, and are already preparing to enter the ranked stages. Even with the same bone structure, their current and future achievements are destined to far surpass ours by an unknown margin!"

The crowd listened quietly, feeling both envious and helpless, and perhaps even a touch of sorrow.

In this world, for those of humble origins like them, trying to climb up is truly too difficult, far too difficult!

The paths that could actually lead to great wealth have long been monopolized and blocked by those noble clans.

If one were to foolishly attempt to compete with the noble clans, they would surely be crushed into oblivion.

If they want to transcend their social class, the Martial Examination is the only path they can take.

Yet, passing the Martial Examination is also extremely difficult.

Although it is said that heaven rewards diligence and effort brings rewards, diligence cannot compensate for a lack of talent. They lack exceptional bone structure to begin with, and they lack an abundance of resources to support them. To compete on the same stage as those noble geniuses and stand out among them—how could that be easy?

"So, it turns out that what I lack isn't bone structure, but family background!"

Zhang Feng muttered to himself.

"Of course, there are always those heaven-sent geniuses in this world who, despite their humble origins, can still grow rapidly with only meager resources, and can even easily surpass those noble geniuses to reach the pinnacle of martial arts."

Seeing that everyone was feeling discouraged, Master Huang offered some comfort: "Perhaps, among you, there are such geniuses, and no one can say for sure. Therefore, there is no need to overthink it. Just walk the path beneath your feet firmly, and only then can you step higher, one step at a time!"

The crowd was indeed comforted, though not by much, but they said no more. They all cupped their hands in a salute to Master Huang before returning to their own training.

A heaven-sent genius, am I?

Lu Yuan thought to himself, wondering if he might count as one.

Immediately, he stopped delaying and continued to practice the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique.