Breakthrough in Skill, Rise in Strength

Breakthrough in Skill, Rise in Strength

Standing before the chopping block.

Jiang Ning gripped the woodcutter's saber again and placed a thick log on the block.

Just as he was about to bring it down, a loud voice rang out beside his ear.

"Little fellow, dinner's ready! Come eat!!"

"Alright, big sister!" Jiang Ning looked up and answered.

In the kitchen, Auntie Sun, carrying a tray, could not help but let the corners of her mouth curl upward.

"This little fellow sure has a sweet mouth! With that handsome face of his too, he'll definitely have girls eating out of the palm of his hand someday!"

Elsewhere.

Jiang Ning looked up and answered Auntie Sun.

He still gripped the woodcutter's saber tightly in his hand.

The next moment.

The muscles in his arm bulged instantly.

Whoosh—

The blade sliced through the air with a faint rasp.

Crack—

As the woodcutter's saber came down, the thick log instantly split with a sharp crack.

Jiang Ning stared at the mark left by the saber before him, his gaze tightening slightly.

"Eight or nine-tenths of the way through the wood! It really is different!"

A smile slowly appeared on his face. Then he exerted force through his palm, laying the heavy blade of the woodcutter's saber sideways in the split in the wood.

Crack, crack—

The wood before him gave off a continuous sound of fibers tearing apart.

At last, pried apart by the heavy saber blade, the entire log was successfully split in two, the halves displaying irregular torn marks beneath them.

[Wood-Chopping Saber Technique Experience +1]

"Before, a full-force strike could only sink five or six-tenths into the wood. Now that the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique has broken through to proficiency, it can reach eight or nine-tenths. I really have grown stronger!"

Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction. Making such enormous progress in so short a time left him immensely pleased.

He then set the woodcutter's saber aside and walked in the direction Auntie Sun had gone.

Entering the main hall.

"Master!!"

"Sit!" Wang Jin stopped what he was doing and gestured to Jiang Ning.

"Thank you, Master!!" Jiang Ning bowed respectfully.

After Jiang Ning took his seat, Auntie Sun placed a bowl of fragrant meat stew before him.

"Thank you, Big Sister Sun!" Jiang Ning accepted the bowl of meat stew and thanked Auntie Sun.

"Eat up, little fellow! You chopped wood so hard just now—you must have been hungry already!" Jiang Ning nodded and smiled a little bashfully.

The next moment.

He swallowed a large mouthful of meat stew, a satisfied look appearing on his face. "Big Sister's cooking is amazing!"

Auntie Sun chuckled from the side.

Wang Jin spoke at that moment. "Eat quickly. Afterward, continue training! Auntie Sun specially added Earth Ganoderma to today's meat stew. Earth Ganoderma is a fine tonic and will be quite helpful for your martial training."

"Earth Ganoderma?" Jiang Ning's eyes brightened slightly. He knew of this tonic as well. The books he had read some time ago included introductions to medicinal herbs, so he knew the basic ones.

Though Earth Ganoderma was not as valuable as wild ginseng, a complete mature Earth Ganoderma still started at one tael of silver.

The purchasing power of one tael of silver was no small matter. By his estimate, it was roughly equivalent to a thousand yuan in his previous life, enough to support a poor family of three or four for a month.

Being allowed to stay at the martial academy long-term really is a good thing!! Jiang Ning rejoiced inwardly.

He immediately looked up. "Thank you, Big Sister Sun!!"

Then he looked at Wang Jin, rose to his feet, and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Master, for taking me in."

Wang Jin nodded slightly. "If I'm not paying you wages, I naturally can't skimp on your food and drink."

"You jest, Master!" Jiang Ning said with a serious expression. "With a dinner like the one you have prepared, what do wages amount to? Master has shown me immense kindness, which this disciple will never forget for the rest of his life!! One day, I will surely see to your old age and funeral rites!!!"

At that moment, in the main hall.

There was an old man, a young man, and a sturdy middle-aged woman.

The old man was Wang Jin, master of the Blue-Wave Martial Academy. The youth was Jiang Ning of Luoshui County. The middle-aged woman was Auntie Sun, the cook of the Blue-Wave Martial Academy.

The dining table was laden with all kinds of meat, with a basin of meat stew beside it and a large tub of rice. Rich aromas filled the entire hall.

Wang Jin looked at Jiang Ning's extremely earnest expression and listened to those words, feeling moved at once.

After several breaths of silence.

He spoke evenly. "Eat while it's hot! Once it cools, the effects won't be as good, and the taste will worsen too!"

"Yes, Master!!" Jiang Ning answered respectfully.

Afterward, the two ate dinner in silence, while Wang Jin's mind churned with countless thoughts.

Seeing to one's old age and funeral rites!

Those four words struck him deeply.

For martial artists who had not reached the Internal Strength realm, progress began to slow after thirty. After forty, they only declined without advancing; their qi and blood began to wane, hidden injuries within their bodies erupted, and after fifty, they were like the setting sun, each day worse than the last.

Past fifty, he could already feel that his body was like a candle, burning away bit by bit as time passed.

At his age, he no longer desired wealth or glory, nor did he seek further advancement in martial arts. All he wanted was a legacy, and peaceful old age.

Jiang Ning's words had undoubtedly struck the deepest part of his heart.

He had heard similar words before, but never had they felt so genuine.

After secretly studying Jiang Ning a few times, Wang Jin quietly withdrew his gaze.

Let's watch a while longer!

Elsewhere.

Once Jiang Ning sat down, he no longer stood on ceremony.

He gulped down the large bowl of meat stew in just a few mouthfuls.

Then he began wolfing down food like a tiger devouring prey.

Before others, he might have restrained himself for the sake of appearances, but there was no need to do so before Wang Jin.

He understood the temperament of martial artists well and knew something of Wang Jin's ways.

Being completely uninhibited—eating meat in big mouthfuls and drinking wine in great gulps—would only earn him more of Wang Jin's approval.

Though his appetite would give an ordinary family a headache, since he alone could eat as much as several people, in Wang Jin's eyes it was utterly insignificant.

Wang Jin ran such a large martial academy in the land-is-worth-its-weight-in-gold inner city of Luoshui County. His wealth surely far exceeded Jiang Ning's imagination.

For someone like Wang Jin, who was not stingy by nature, Jiang Ning's small appetite was not worth mentioning at all.

Before long, Jiang Ning had eaten and drunk his fill.

A warm current was already slowly spreading from his stomach into his limbs and bones, constantly replenishing the strength he had expended earlier.

"Go chop some wood first to digest your food, then go practice your boxing!" Wang Jin said, glancing at Jiang Ning's belly.

"Yes, Master!!"

When he returned to the small courtyard behind the kitchen.

The sky had darkened, and a bright crescent moon hung overhead.

Jiang Ning walked to the pile of wood, grabbed the woodcutter's saber, and set a thick log upright on the chopping block.

The next moment.

He exerted force with his right arm, the bulging muscles on it clearly visible.

Whoosh—

The sound of the blade cutting through the air suddenly rang out.

It was followed by a sharp crack as the wood split.

This strike sank eight or nine-tenths into the wood.

He immediately gripped the handle of the woodcutter's saber and exerted force through his palm, the muscle lines in his right arm fully emerging.

Crack, crack—

A string of tearing wood fibers sounded out, and then the log was completely split in two.

[Wood-Chopping Saber Technique Experience +1]

[Skill]: Wood-Chopping Saber Technique (Proficiency 2/200)

"After the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique reached proficiency, I can split wood without bursting forth with qi and blood. This job has become much easier!"

Jiang Ning smiled, his mood exceptionally good.

Because this meant grinding experience for the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique would be much simpler—he only needed pure physical strength.

(End of Chapter)