"Bottlenecks may be intangible and elusive, yet they are real. Those with exceptional natural aptitude face almost no bottlenecks, and even when they do, they break through them with ease. Those with ordinary aptitude, however, run into bottlenecks at every turn—and find them exceedingly hard to overcome!"
Master Huang paused to consider this, then glanced at the young man in the leather coat and continued, "Take you, Zhang Feng. You've already hit a bottleneck. If you keep training diligently, perhaps you'll suddenly see the light in a few days, or perhaps in dozens of days, or even longer, and break through it so you can continue to improve!"
"Still, it's also possible that you'll never break through. No matter how hard you work or how stubbornly you persist, you may spend the rest of your life stuck here, unable to advance even a fraction!"
At Master Huang's words, Zhang Feng's face instantly turned pale.
The others looked grave as well. They knew that one day they, too, might be shackled by a bottleneck.
Only Lu Yuan remained as calm as ever, standing quietly to one side.
Because he had no bottlenecks!
As long as he worked hard to grind out his proficiency, he was bound to make progress!
"Of course, there's no need to worry too much!"
Master Huang smiled and said, "Before you reach the ranks, as long as your natural aptitude isn't especially poor, you can break through any bottleneck with enough persistence. If you can eat large portions of meat at every meal and have enough Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills to support you, breaking through will be a breeze. You could do it in two or three days!"
At first, everyone's eyes lit up, but then they shook their heads and sighed.
What counted as large portions of meat? Meat better than beef or pork, such as venison, tiger, or bear.
They now received support from the Zhou Family and could eat meat for free at every meal, but even so, getting a single meal of the good stuff was no easy task, let alone eating it at every meal.
As for Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, they were even more precious. Each cost twenty or thirty taels of silver. They couldn't afford to buy them themselves, and the Zhou Family certainly wouldn't provide them for free.
"If the Zhou Family supplied me with large portions of meat at every meal, and even enough Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, I'm confident I could reach the Transformation Realm before the Martial Examination!"
Someone spoke with hope in his eyes.
The others looked at him in disbelief, thinking he must be daydreaming.
The Zhou Family was wealthy, but they wouldn't fund them without limit.
Providing meat at every meal and a serving of Qi-Replenishing Soup every five days was already generous.
A person had to know when to be satisfied!
"I think eating meat every day has rotted your brain!"
Master Huang frowned and scolded him outright. "If you were a once-in-a-generation genius with exceptional natural aptitude and were willing to sign a master-servant contract with the Zhou Family, perhaps they'd grant your wish. Otherwise, stop indulging in such fantasies!"
"I was only saying it!"
The man's face flushed red as he lowered his head and muttered.
"Master Huang, if we bought it ourselves, how much would one meal of the good stuff cost?" someone asked curiously.
"The Zhou Family has ways of getting it, but there isn't much to go around, so it's quite expensive. One meal would cost at least three taels of silver!"
Master Huang answered directly. "Even if you only ate one such meal a day, it would cost nearly a hundred taels a month!"
Everyone drew in a sharp breath at his words.
If they wanted the best results, and ate large portions of meat three times a day, wouldn't that cost nearly three hundred taels a month?
They couldn't afford it. Not a chance!
And if they counted medicinal soups, as well as precious resources like Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, the monthly expenses would probably exceed a thousand taels.
Absolutely terrifying!
They came from humble backgrounds and didn't have exceptional natural aptitude. Even with the Zhou Family's support, reaching the Hidden Energy Realm or even the Transformation Realm—or passing the Martial Examination—would still be no easy feat.
"The saying 'The poor study while the rich practice martial arts' really is true!"
Unlike the others, Lu Yuan wasn't frowning, but he couldn't help feeling secretly astonished.
No wonder Master Song, despite having reached the Transformation Realm, still took any job he could find to earn money. With expenses this staggering, only truly powerful and wealthy families could afford to support someone.
Fortunately, even without ample resources, Lu Yuan wouldn't be held back by bottlenecks. What was more, the more he trained, the faster he became. Even if his progress was affected, he'd still advance much faster than the others.
"In the path of martial arts, natural aptitude matters, but resources matter even more. Even someone with poor aptitude can still reach great heights if they have enough resources!"
Master Huang sighed, then added, "Unfortunately, unless you're born into a wealthy family, it's almost impossible to get enough resources. You're no exception—and neither am I!"
After reaching the Hidden Energy Realm, ordinary meat was far less effective than it had been in the Bright Energy Realm.
Even ordinary medicinal soups like Qi-Replenishing Soup and Essence-Replenishing Soup gradually lost their effect.
To go further, they had to eat the real good stuff, as well as obtain precious resources like Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills.
"Master Huang, aside from eating the good stuff and taking precious resources like Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills, is there any other way for us to quickly break through a bottleneck?"
Zhang Feng asked, still unwilling to give up.
"Of course!"
Master Huang shot Zhang Feng a knowing glance, then nodded.
"What way?"
Zhang Feng stared at Master Huang, his eyes shining.
Everyone else looked toward Master Huang with fervent hope, clearly eager to hear the answer.
"It's simple. Just be reborn into a different family!"
Master Huang said calmly, "The world outside is far broader than you can imagine. Even setting other places aside, there are many great clans in Anyang Prefecture that have been around for centuries. They have deep foundations and powerful bloodlines, and almost every generation produces two or three geniuses with exceptional natural aptitude."
"Most importantly, they've had access to higher-level martial arts since childhood, and from the day they began training, they've had ample resources poured into them. To them, large portions of meat and precious resources like Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills are nothing more than basic daily necessities. Their inheritance and horizons are far beyond yours, too!"
"At your age, you're still fighting to reach the Hidden Energy Realm, while they've long since reached the Hidden Energy Realm, or even the Transformation Realm, and are already preparing to enter the ranks. Even with the same natural aptitude, their achievements now and in the future are destined to surpass ours by an unimaginable margin!"
The crowd listened in silence, feeling envy, helplessness, and even a little despair.
In this world, it was desperately hard for people from humble backgrounds to rise up!
The paths to making real money had long been monopolized and blocked off by the great clans.
Anyone foolish enough to compete with them would be crushed completely.
The Martial Examination was their only way to cross the class divide.
But passing the Martial Examination was extremely difficult, too.
They said Heaven rewarded hard work, and effort brought results. But hard work couldn't make up for a lack of talent. They had no exceptional natural aptitude and no ample resources to support them. How could they compete on equal terms with the geniuses of the great clans—and stand out? It was easier said than done.
"So it wasn't my natural aptitude I was lacking. It was my family background!"
Zhang Feng muttered under his breath.
"Of course, there are always a few peerless geniuses in the world who, despite humble beginnings, can grow rapidly with only meager resources. They can even easily surpass the geniuses of the great clans and reach the pinnacle of martial arts."
Seeing that his words had dampened everyone's spirits, Master Huang offered some reassurance. "Perhaps one of you is such a genius. So don't dwell on it. First, make sure every step you take is solid. Only then can you climb higher, one step at a time!"
They did feel a little reassured, though not much. They said nothing more, bowed to Master Huang in unison, then resumed their training.
"A peerless genius?"
Lu Yuan wondered to himself. Perhaps I could be one?
Then he didn't waste any more time and continued practicing the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique.
Before you continue