But she didn't show it. She simply kept practicing, over and over.
"Heh!"
Xu Ziming let out a long breath. Just moments ago, he had used up his last E-Grade Blood Qi Potion.
As the voice announcing permanent fixation sounded, he began practicing the Basic Body Forging Method.
He had already reached the minor mastery stage of the Basic Body Forging Method. If nothing unexpected happened, he would certainly reach perfection before the College Entrance Exam.
He just didn't know when he would achieve great mastery. Ideally, before the Second Mock Exam.
That would give him a few more points' worth of confidence in passing it.
He practiced through the entire night. Only when the dawn sunlight pierced the window and streamed into Xu Ziming's room
did he finally stop.
He had something important to do today: choose a villa.
They had originally arranged to meet last night, but for some reason it had been delayed. At any rate, this morning Master Fang had sent him the locations of several vacant villas in the center of Pengcheng City.
It was around six in the morning. Most likely, Mother Xu was making breakfast, while his little sister was probably still lazing in bed.
He pushed the door open and went out. Just as he'd imagined, his mother was moving about in the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a spoon.
When she saw Xu Ziming come out, she looked a little dazed. As far as she remembered, he hadn't come home last night.
"Mom, I signed a contract with the martial hall and earned ten million in a single day yesterday. I'll take you to the city center in a bit to pick out a villa."
"What!?" Mother Xu could hardly believe her ears. "You weren't tricked, were you?"
As soon as she said this, worry spread across her face.
As a mother, she couldn't help worrying when she suddenly heard that her child had gotten so much money.
"No, it was Master Fang from Nebula Martial Hall. A few days ago, didn't I defeat an alien at the Martial Artist Realm all by myself? He saw my potential and decided to sign a contract with me."
"Nebula Martial Hall..." As someone from Pengcheng, Mother Xu knew the martial hall well. Hearing its name put her more at ease, though she still had a few misgivings.
"Don't worry. There aren't any oppressive clauses. Teacher Ma looked over the contract too."
Xu Ziming waved a hand as he spoke, then headed into the kitchen.
"What did you make for breakfast?"
"You silly boy. Forget it, forget it. Use the money you earned to buy cultivation resources. Why waste it on a villa? This home is big enough for the three of us."
Mother Xu knew Xu Ziming was deliberately trying to distract her.
"The villa's included in the contract. We don't have to pay anything extra."
The atmosphere fell silent. For some reason, Mother Xu's eyes suddenly reddened, as if tears were welling up in them.
She didn't say a word, only kept chopping something with the kitchen knife.
Xu Ziming was speechless too. He went to the washroom to freshen up.
By the time he came out, the aroma of food had already filled the old house where Xu Ziming had lived for eighteen years.
Though old, it was very clean. Every item was arranged neatly and in its proper place, making the house feel warm and cozy.
"Brother, you're up!" Xu Zhiyao came out of her room, rubbing her eyes as she ran over to Xu Ziming.
"Go wash up, then come eat." Xu Ziming reached out, gently pinched his sister's cheek, and smiled.
"Ow, don't pinch me."
After breakfast, with some rare free time on his hands, Xu Ziming dropped Xu Zhiyao off at school before taking his mother to the city center.
Though she'd said she wasn't interested, Mother Xu still dressed up carefully before they left, even taking clothes she hadn't worn in ages out of the closet.
"I haven't dressed like this in ages. I don't look bad, do I, A-Ming?"
"Mom, how could you look bad with a handsome son like me?"
Xu Ziming walked ahead. Around his family, he wasn't nearly as guarded.
"You cheeky boy. Always talking your way out of things."
Mother Xu listened with a faint smile, then turned around and scolded him instead.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the villa showroom.
The kind of scene from dramas, where a spiteful saleswoman looked down on them, never happened.
Xu Ziming had barely stepped inside when the big screen displayed his status as an S-rank member of Nebula Martial Hall.
At once, every salesperson in the showroom rushed to serve them.
They didn't have to pay for the villa upfront, but Nebula Martial Hall would certainly cover the cost afterward. Selling a villa brought in quite a sum.
After the saleswoman showed them all the villas, Xu Ziming and his mother discussed it and chose one near Nebula Martial Hall.
One reason was that it would be convenient for Xu Ziming's future training. The other was that it would make things easier for Xu Zhiyao when she went to high school.
Pengcheng No. 1 Martial Arts High School was right next to Nebula Martial Hall. If possible, Xu Ziming hoped she could study there.
Whether in the academic or martial arts track, Pengcheng No. 1 Martial Arts High School was the best by far.
"Please wait a moment. We offer a complimentary moving service. Would you like to use it?"
"Sure. Just follow me."
Xu Ziming nodded. He had no objections. He might as well take advantage of the free service.
"Since they have movers, A-Ming, you should go train. I'll take care of these little things."
Mother Xu spoke cheerfully.
"Okay. By the way, when should we tell Dad? Let him know he doesn't have to work at the front anymore and can come home."
"Okay."
At long last, his first wish after getting the Equipment Slot had finally begun to come true: to give his family a better life.
Next came the second: to reach the Peak of Martial Way!
That road was clearly much harder than the first, but even so, Xu Ziming was going to give it a try.
After all, with the Equipment Slot to help him, wouldn't he be useless if he couldn't even manage that?
When he got to Nebula Martial Hall, Xu Ziming immediately began practicing the Five Prison Sword Art.
He could now use Dragon Trap reliably. It was time to study some of the other sword moves.
The second move of the sword art wasn't a means of control. It was a true killing technique, brimming with murderous intent.
To perform this move, he first had to master the sword intent inherent to the Five Prison Sword Art: Prison-Suppressing Sword Intent.
Just as its name suggested, this sword intent carried a chilling, murderous force. Once mastered, if he faced an opponent of the same realm, he could even suppress them with sheer will, without drawing his sword.
But it was just as difficult to cultivate. At least for now, Xu Ziming couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"I really wonder how Teacher Ma managed to cultivate it."
He kept swinging his sword, slowly practicing.
He had already practiced the Five Prison Sword Art eight times. Maybe if he practiced it twice more, he'd trigger an Epiphany and finally have a chance.
Cultivation knew no time. The hours flew by, and before he knew it, Xu Ziming had practiced for the tenth time.