The Poor Study, the Rich Train

By evening, the figures on the training grounds gradually thinned out.

Fang Han let out a long breath of stale air and withdrew his fists, standing still.

[Martial Art: Gale-Breaking Fist (Mortal Grade)]

[Proficiency: 38/500, Entry]

Looking at the Panel before him, Fang Han reflected. From dawn until dusk, he had practiced the Gale-Breaking Fist thirty-five times in a single day.

He had only practiced it twelve times that morning. But after drinking the martial hall's free Blood-Qi Soup at noon, his strength had been replenished and his condition greatly improved, allowing him to practice the Gale-Breaking Fist another twenty-five times in one go.

Fang Han frowned slightly, thinking of how he had practiced in the back mountain last night. Nourished by the Jade-whisker Ginseng roots, he had held his breath and stubbornly completed seventy-seven sets of punches!

That single night's efficiency had surpassed more than two days of today's training.

After all, it had been fifty-year-old Jade-whisker Ginseng, something one could only encounter by chance.

Without medicinal supplements, though, his punching practice efficiency had indeed dropped drastically.

At this rate, even at the fastest, it would take twelve or thirteen days to raise the Gale-Breaking Fist to Minor Accomplishment.

Yet counting on his fingers, after tonight, only seven days remained until the River God Festival.

In those seven days... Zhou Dabao would come again to demand the eight taels for the River God offering...

Fang Han silently clenched his fists, and the urgency in his heart intensified.

Sigh...

The poor study, the rich train...

He had only ever heard those four words before. Now, he truly understood their weight.

Practicing martial arts really consumed far too much money!

Without money, there would be no medicinal herbs to nourish the body.

Relying only on the martial hall's free Blood-Qi Soup could improve training efficiency only so much.

Even so...

A single free bowl of Blood-Qi Soup was worth twenty copper coins on the market. One bowl a day came to six hundred copper coins a month, and more than seven taels a year.

And that was only the most basic expense.

The children of noble or wealthy families ate meat at every meal and drank Blood-Qi Soup every day. How could their cultivation not advance quickly?

Fang Han took a deep breath. From now on, I need to make money—lots of it!

As for how to make money, he had no idea for the time being.

"Junior Brother Fang."

Fang Han turned around and saw Huo Zheng walking toward him with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm.

"Senior Brother Huo." Fang Han cupped his hands.

After stopping before Fang Han, Huo Zheng said nothing unnecessary and directly handed him the wooden box in his hand.

"Senior Brother Huo, this is?"

"Twenty-year-old Solomon's Seal. Market value, thirty taels."

Huo Zheng spoke flatly, as though he were mentioning something insignificant. "Take it."

Fang Han froze, then drew a deep breath and cupped his hands as he bowed deeply to Huo Zheng. "Thank you, Senior Brother Huo!"

Huo Zheng nodded slightly, his tone as calm as ever. "Your natural talent is poor, but your comprehension is excellent. You are barely worth investing in. Train well, and do not waste it."

After saying that, Huo Zheng turned and left.

Looking at the carefree back of this Inner Court senior brother, Fang Han felt as if the other man had merely given away a trivial item rather than medicinal herbs worth thirty taels.

He carefully put away the wooden box. Whether Senior Brother Huo's kindness today had been an investment or not, Fang Han silently committed it to heart.

Just as he stepped out of the martial hall's gates, hurried footsteps sounded behind him again.

"W-Wait!"

Hearing the shout, Fang Han stopped and turned around. He saw a tall, burly young man with dark skin, thick brows, large eyes, and an honest-looking face.

The honest-looking young man ran up to Fang Han, scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, then broke into a wide grin.

"My name is Li Daniu. I live in Four Waters Ward too. I've seen you before."

He lived in Four Waters Ward too?

Fang Han's heart stirred, and he introduced himself with a smile.

"Fang Han. I entered the martial hall yesterday."

The two chatted as they walked.

Li Daniu was an honest man. He answered whatever Fang Han asked, and within a few sentences, he had laid bare his entire background.

It turned out that he had an uncle who worked as a manager at a restaurant in the Inner City.

When his uncle had returned to the old family home in the Outer City last month, he learned that Li Daniu possessed below-average natural talent. Without another word, he had provided fifty taels to support Li Daniu's martial arts studies at the martial hall.

"My uncle said that our Li family hasn't produced a martial arts prospect in generations. Now that we finally have one, even if he has to sell the pots and iron, he'll make sure I can practice martial arts."

Li Daniu scratched his head and smiled foolishly. "But I don't think I'm cut out for martial arts. I've trained for a month, and the Gale-Breaking Fist has only just reached Entry."

He really was not cut out for martial arts.

Seeing Fang Han remain silent, Li Daniu sighed and continued on his own.

"Senior Brother Huo said that the martial hall has rules. Outer Court apprentices must reach Entry in their fist technique within three months, then train it to Major Accomplishment within half a year.

"After reaching Major Accomplishment in the fist technique, they must also condense more than ten strands of Blood Qi and be able to lift a hundred-jin stone before entering the Inner Court as a true disciple and becoming the hall master's genuine apprentice."

Thinking of his uncle's expectations for him to become a true disciple, Li Daniu could not help pulling a long face.

"It took me a whole month just to get the fist technique to Entry. There's still Major Accomplishment afterward, and I have to condense Blood Qi too..."

Fang Han remained silent.

Li Daniu had taken a month to bring his fist technique to Entry, while he himself had done so in a day and a night.

If word of that got out, what would the others think?

Would they be like Senior Brother Huo, valuing his potential and willing to invest a little in him?

Fang Han secretly shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.

"By the way, Daniu, what's the deal with the martial hall's Ten-Day Minor Examination?"

"What deal could there be?"

"It's just an assessment for Outer Court apprentices every ten days. Those who train well receive rewards. I heard the most you can get is an allotment of five bowls of Blood-Qi Soup."

Li Daniu paused, then recalled something and added, "There'll be a Ten-Day Minor Examination in four days. I probably won't be able to get a reward. My martial arts progress is too slow."

The Ten-Day Minor Examination had Blood-Qi Soup rewards too?

Fang Han's heart stirred. Senior Sister Lin Rou had not explained that to him in detail.

If he could obtain Blood-Qi Soup as a reward, together with the Solomon's Seal gifted by Senior Brother Huo...

With the Blood-Qi Soup and Solomon's Seal replenishing his strength and improving his training efficiency...

Reaching Minor Accomplishment in the Gale-Breaking Fist within five days would not be a problem...

He looked at Li Daniu and asked, "Daniu, what does the Minor Exam assess?"

"The Gale-Breaking Fist. Senior Brother Huo and the others score us. The better your fist technique, the higher the scores from the senior brothers. The top ten all get rewards, but the top three get the most."

Fang Han nodded and committed this information to memory.

When they reached a fork in the road, Li Daniu gave an honest smile and waved at Fang Han.

"Fang Han, I'm heading this way. See you at the martial hall tomorrow."

"Alright."

Fang Han watched Li Daniu walk away, then turned toward Mud Bay Alley.

The sky had already gone completely dark. The alley, filled with all manner of smells, was pitch-black, with only a few scattered homes casting dim yellow light.

Walking along the familiar road, Fang Han unconsciously touched the wooden box in his clothes.

Twenty-year-old Solomon's Seal.

Senior Brother Huo's investment had come at exactly the right time!

With this piece of Solomon's Seal, he could maintain high-intensity fist training and double his efficiency.

Minor Accomplishment in the Gale-Breaking Fist was within reach!

If he was lucky enough...

Perhaps it would be like last night. The medicinal power tempering his body might even allow him to condense another strand of Blood Qi.

If he could condense another strand of Blood Qi, then with the Gale-Breaking Fist at Minor Accomplishment...

Killing Zhou Dabao would be as easy as turning over his hand.

Thinking of this, Fang Han quickened his pace, wanting to return sooner, finish dinner, and practice his fists.

When he reached the corner at the entrance to the alley, he caught sight of a bald head peeking out in the moonlight. The instant it saw him looking over, it ducked back and hid.

Although Fang Han could not make out the man's face clearly, the bald man's build seemed familiar.

He appeared to be one of Zhou Dabao's lackeys!

Fang Han stared in the direction where the bald man had vanished, his gaze gradually turning cold.