How to Know It's Not a Blessing

Zhang Tie used to think he was smart, at least not stupid, and wouldn't easily be tricked or fooled. But it wasn't until today that he realized he had always been "so silly and naive," and he finally understood how profound the ancient saying "people die for wealth, birds die for food" truly was.

Now, he completely understood Captain Colin's words.

High salary, good money, great benefits—getting beaten for 80 copper coins every hour, with a hot shower before and after to avoid stinking up the place, what a high salary, what thoughtful service...

Access to wealthy and important people—those who could afford to patronize the Iron Thorn Combat Hall were indeed wealthy and influential. Ordinary people simply couldn't afford it.

Being able to exercise during work—if being a sparring partner or a human sandbag didn't count as exercise, Zhang Tie couldn't imagine what else would.

Plenty of beautiful women at the workplace—he saw them, like Mary, the waitress. There were indeed plenty, but what did these women have to do with him? He was so thoroughly put down by that woman just for asking her name that he almost became introverted. What more could he expect?

Thinking that he had somehow stumbled into such a part-time job, Zhang Tie felt his life turn gray again. Especially when Zhang Tie learned that his "customers" were all eleven or twelve-year-old brats, he felt even more depressed. Getting beaten wasn't the issue; Zhang Tie could treat it as training at school. But being beaten by a bunch of kids was a double blow to both body and spirit—those kids came from wealthy or noble families, received the best education since childhood, and their families poured countless resources into them. At such a young age, they had already ignited their Divine Palace Bright Points, and their physical qualities were no less than his, with some even surpassing him. Becoming a human sandbag for these little brats was truly a job with no future.

So, after realizing the truth, the first thing Zhang Tie wanted to do was find Manager Hans and resign. Damn it, he wasn't going to do it anymore. If he couldn't fight them, he could at least avoid them.

"No..." Hans, who had been wearing a gentle smile moments ago, now put on a stern face. Like a sharp-tongued woman, he shook the contract in his hand, making the pages rustle loudly. The hand holding the cigar almost poked Zhang Tie's forehead. "Kid, if you want to quit before completing 600 hours of part-time work, you'll have to compensate us for double the loss. What's double the loss? That's 1200 hours, at a salary of 80 copper coins per hour. Do the math, it's all in the contract, and you signed it. If you want to go back on your word, bring the money. Although our Iron Thorn Combat Hall is powerful, we don't bully people. We abide by the law..."

Zhang Tie's face turned pale. He stared at the terms in the contract, unable to speak. It was just a part-time contract; he hadn't paid much attention and had signed it. He never expected such a scammy clause. If he broke the contract, he'd have to pay 9 gold and 60 silver. Where would he get such a sum?

Seeing Zhang Tie's change in expression, Manager Hans put away the contract and softened his tone. "Kid, this job isn't as terrible as you imagine. It's your first time, and you're unfamiliar with the situation, so you suffered a bit. You should learn to be smarter later. I don't know how that scoundrel Colin recommended you, but as a young man, I think you should listen to my advice—behind every challenge you deem difficult lies an opportunity for growth. Go back and think about it. The problem you're facing now is caused by a few kids younger than you. If you can't even handle these little guys, what can you expect to do in the future? This world is far more complex and difficult than what you've encountered today! Alright, there was a bit of a situation on your first day, and although you didn't last a minute, look, I'm a kind person. I'll count this as half an hour of work for you today. Now hurry home. Black Flame City is under curfew these days; you might get into trouble if you're late..."

Emerging from Manager Hans's office, Zhang Tie kept thinking about the manager's words—behind every challenge you deem difficult lies an opportunity for growth! Yes, could he not even overcome such a small hurdle? Was he going to be scared off by a few brats? And leave in disgrace, only to be laughed at by that damned Mary again?

No, absolutely not! It's just a few brats, what's the worst they can do to me!

With that thought, Zhang Tie immediately felt much better.

As he passed the reception desk, Zhang Tie ran into Mary. Seeing Zhang Tie emerge, Mary said something to the beautiful women beside her, and their gazes towards Zhang Tie became somewhat dismissive. Zhang Tie instantly felt it. The chance of hitting on the beautiful waitresses here was probably gone. No woman would fall for a man who was looked down upon by women. Zhang Tie sighed inwardly.

"I heard someone was knocked out by Young Master Gregory with just one kick today and didn't last even a minute on the field. What a pathetic man!" Mary's words immediately reignited Zhang Tie's anger.

"Sister Mary, remember our promise in this life!" Zhang Tie blew a kiss at Mary with his hand, then, with a "what the hell" attitude, he performed two signature moves of Sista towards Mary and the other women, shaking his hips fiercely. He made the woman's face turn pale again, while the others were dumbfounded, seemingly unable to believe someone could be so outrageous. Then Zhang Tie burst into laughter, circled the fountain, and walked out of the Iron Thorn Combat Hall.

Standing under the magnificent gate of the Iron Thorn Combat Hall, looking at the starry sky, Zhang Tie clenched his fist forcefully and shouted in his heart, "I won't admit defeat!" Just as he shouted in his heart, his stomach roared even louder. Listening to the thunderous rumbling in his stomach, Zhang Tie remembered that he hadn't eaten dinner yet. He then set his sights on home and took off running...

As Zhang Tie left, Captain Colin and Hans stood by the window in Manager Hans's office, watching Zhang Tie jog home. Hans lowered the curtain and muttered, "Youth is good! This kid doesn't seem as tough as you said. Are you sure about him?"

"This kid has a sharp mind and can endure. This is his reward. If he can't endure, then it's his punishment. How dare he extort his classmates in front of the wise Captain Colin? How dare he justify running away in front of the valiant Captain Colin? So I'll give him a chance to prove himself with strength, to see if he's a man or just all show..." the One-Eyed Dragon said indifferently, with his arms crossed.

By the time Zhang Tie returned home, it was 40 minutes later, with less than an hour left until the curfew in Black Rock City. He quickly devoured the meal his mother had left, cleaned the dishes, and his father and mother had already returned home.

"Why are you back so late tonight?" his father asked, a little surprised.

"Well, your son performed well at school, and a teacher introduced me to a part-time job. This job pays well, earns good money, has great benefits, allows me to meet many wealthy and influential people, and I can exercise during work. Oh, and there are many beautiful women at the workplace!" Zhang Tie said with a beaming face.

"Really? Is there such a good thing?" his father asked, sounding skeptical.

"Of course, it's true. I'll go on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights from now on, and I might be back a little late. Dad and Mom, you don't need to worry about me!"

"Where is such a good part-time job?" his mother also asked.

"The Iron Thorn Combat Hall. Mom, you don't know, the beauties there are so enthusiastic. When I went today, I met a sister who guided me, and she even praised me for being ambitious. We even made a bet that I would achieve my goals!" Zhang Tie said ingratiatingly to his mother...

"You? You meet a beautiful woman and she praises you for being ambitious? You think your mom is easy to fool? I really don't know your capabilities!" his mother said, tapping Zhang Tie's forehead twice with her finger.

"It's true, Mom, I'm a dog if I lie to you!" After saying that, Zhang Tie panted with his tongue out like a puppy.

"Then tell me, how did that girl praise you for being ambitious!"

"She praised me for having lofty aspirations!" Zhang Tie said very seriously.

"What lofty aspirations?"

"A toad wanting to eat swan meat, heh... heh..."

Hearing this, both of them thought their son was joking. Zhang Tie's father spat out the water he was drinking, and Zhang Tie's mother paused, then burst into laughter, reaching out to hit Zhang Tie twice. "Your mouth is getting more and more glib..."

After chatting casually with his parents, and with Zhang Tie's witty banter, his mom and dad only thought that their son had found a regular waiter job at the Iron Thorn Combat Hall, which would allow him to see more of the world and have more social interaction. Seeing how happy Zhang Tie was, they didn't object. Zhang Tie managed to hide the fact that he was working as a human sandbag. If his parents knew he was doing such a job where he got beaten up at the Iron Thorn Combat Hall, they would definitely be upset and wouldn't let him go. And he, he had to prove himself!

After washing up and yawning, ready to go to bed, Zhang Tie returned to his small room but didn't sleep. Instead, he went to the Castle of Black Iron. He hadn't visited it for a day, and its basic attributes had changed again...

The biggest change was in the Spirit Qi Value. As the sprouted potatoes grew taller, the Spirit Qi generated within the space increased. Zhang Tie remembered the Spirit Qi Value was 1.8 two days ago, but today, it had increased to 3.7, more than doubling.

The Merit Value increased by 4, from 43 to 47. Besides a small amount earned from serving his family, he gained 3 Merit Values this morning for waking up early to help classmates wipe down desks and chairs at school.

---Early morning, February 16th, Black Iron Calendar Year 889. The handsome and majestic Lord of the Castle did good deeds at school, wiping down desks and chairs for classmates, making the classroom clean and tidy, bringing joy to an entire class, increasing Merit Value by 4.

Seeing this, Zhang Tie understood. Those guys might be sharp-tongued, but when someone did a good deed and wiped their desks and chairs, they were actually quite happy inside, just a bit sarcastic verbally. Through this incident, Zhang Tie gained a deeper understanding of Merit Value.

After checking the basic attributes of the Castle of Black Iron, Zhang Tie went to his private plot again. The corn hadn't sprouted yet, but the tender shoots of the potatoes were already a finger long. Compared to their bean sprout-like appearance two days ago, they were worlds apart. No wonder the Spirit Qi Value had increased so much.

After looking at these, Zhang Tie felt a little better. Just as he was about to walk to the small tree to check how much time was left until the first Flawless Fruit ripened.

A dialogue box suddenly appeared before Zhang Tie's eyes.

--Evening, February 16th, Black Iron Calendar Year 889. The handsome and majestic Lord of the Castle was attacked at the combat hall. The attack exceeded the Lord of the Castle's physical tolerance limit and has caused damage to his body. The special fruit generation conditions for the Manjusaka Karma Myriad Fruit Tree have been activated. Please, handsome and majestic Lord of the Castle, check.

Zhang Tie was slightly stunned. After thinking for a moment, he approached the Manjusaka Karma Myriad Fruit Tree. As soon as he reached out to touch it, a line of text appeared before his eyes—

--The more setbacks, the stronger one becomes. The more one fights, the stronger one becomes. As long as one faces challenges bravely, all pain and setbacks will eventually turn into sweet fruit. Its heart is as stable and unmoving as the earth, its body is tempered a thousand times like fine steel. The generation conditions for the Iron Fetus Body-Tempering Fruit are complete. Generate?

--Yes... No

Iron Fetus Body-Tempering Fruit? Zhang Tie was instantly dumbfounded...