Skill stacking!

After touring the Martial Arts Ground, listening to Wu Xin's introduction, and carrying all their equipment back to their rooms, it was time for dinner.

Most of the disciples lived elsewhere and had already left, one after another, by evening.

Apart from Lin Hao and his three companions, only two apprentices had opted for room and board. Qian Tao was one of them.

"Junior Brother Lin, I've decided-you're going to be my friend."

Qian Tao slung an arm around Lin Hao's shoulders as they headed toward the Dining Hall, his face a picture of righteousness.

"Heh."

Lin Hao pulled his arm off and smiled without saying anything.

"Does your wife have any unmarried sisters?"

Qian Tao lowered his voice to ask.

"No."

"Ah!"

Qian Tao seemed a little disappointed, but he quickly recovered and began introducing the place.

"We eat with Master here, along with a few instructors. The instructors are all Master's Inner-Chamber Disciples, and they've all reached at least minor attainment in bright force. Some disciples have left Dam Market to make their way in the world. Second Senior Brother, one of the personal disciples, is also a hidden force martial master. I hear he went to the South of the Yangtze.

"Of the personal disciples still here, besides Eldest Senior Brother and Senior Sister, there's Fifth Senior Brother, Qin Sicheng. The Qin family has longstanding ties with Master. Senior Brother Qin is talented, too. He's already reached minor attainment in bright force."

Although Dam Market itself rivaled a county town, it offered far fewer opportunities than a prefectural capital, a provincial capital, or a prosperous region like the South of the Yangtze. Besides, nearly all the local interests had already been carved up. It seemed only natural for those with ability to venture elsewhere.

As they talked, everyone entered the Dining Hall. Three square tables had already been arranged in a triangular formation in the center, their surfaces covered with dishes.

Since everyone practiced martial arts, there was plenty of meat, and its aroma filled the air.

Red-braised pork, steamed pork belly, whole pork hocks, braised eggs, steamed fish, roast chicken, and a few vegetable dishes.

They had to share the dishes with everyone at their table, but if every meal was this lavish, the school really wasn't making much from the extra five taels of silver a month for room and board.

Still, given silver's purchasing power and Dam Market's excellent location, buying and cooking in bulk would not leave them operating at a loss. Master Wu was a provincial examination graduate with considerable tax-exempt farmland in his name, and much of the food was even raised by his own tenant farmers.

"Oh, quite a lively crowd today."

Master Wu arrived with his wife and noticed Lin Hao and his companions.

By then, the four had washed up briefly, removing the grime of their journey from their faces and making them look noticeably more presentable.

Madam Wu had faint crow's-feet at the corners of her eyes, but she had otherwise taken good care of herself and looked like a kindly noblewoman. The wind stirred by her movements, however, suggested that her martial cultivation was far from ordinary.

"Training accounts for three parts, eating for seven. Without enough good-quality food to replenish yourselves, you'll train your bodies into ruin. The meals here barely cover your daily needs. If you take great medicinal supplements and increase your training, you'll have to arrange extra meals yourselves. You can buy ingredients and bring them straight to the kitchen. They'll prepare them for you."

Master Wu seemed to have offered this particular reminder because he had spotted Lin Hao and the others.

Once dinner began, the four dug in without holding back.

Although they had treated themselves to lamb offal soup at noon, it had been a very long time since they had tasted rich, succulent meat like this!

The pork hocks came off the bone with the lightest pull, while the steamed pork belly melted into juices with a gentle press of the tongue. Their eyes truly lit up.

Modern food certainly offered a wider range of seasonings, but the freshness of the ingredients here, along with the time and effort spent cooking them, more than made up for that.

"Wow, they've made this meat so delicious. Fatty meat usually makes me queasy."

Yi Feng shoveled rice into his mouth.

"That flavor of traditionally raised pork... It's been so long."

Even Zhao Xiaowen, who paid close attention to maintaining her figure, could not resist eating a little extra.

"The meat even has a sweetness to it."

Nie Yi, that bottomless pit, barely had time to speak. She stuffed food into her mouth whole, nearly swallowing the bones along with it.

Even Lin Hao, who had enjoyed a steady supply of beef jerky, chicken breast, and protein powder, found the meal exceptionally delicious.

If I get to eat like this every day, that silver was well spent!

Even sharing a table with martial artists, the four still ate until their mouths glistened with grease.

"Junior brothers and sisters, get some proper rest tonight and think about exactly what you want to learn. Changing midway can waste time and effort."

Wu Xin knew they had fled a disaster, so their unrestrained eating did not surprise her. After dinner, she gave them another reminder.

"Thank you, Senior Sister. We'll consider it carefully."

Lin Hao thanked her, and everyone returned to their assigned rooms.

Zhao Xiaowen shared a room with Nie Yi, while Lin Hao shared one with Yi Feng.

Suddenly finding himself without the soft, sweet-smelling Zhao Xiaowen to hold as he slept, Lin Hao felt rather unaccustomed to it.

"Brother Lin, we've hit the big time."

Yi Feng toyed with the Crouching Tiger Staff, excitement written all over his face. He seemed eager to start swinging it right away.

"We'll take turns using that one. Don't let it go to waste."

Lin Hao said it casually.

"How could I do that? Brother Lin, you use the blue one. I'll be fine with a green one. Huh? Where are the two green ones?"

Yi Feng rummaged around, but Lin Hao immediately interrupted him.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Can I train twenty-four hours a day? Could my body take that? We'll get better results taking turns."

Lin Hao's words immediately touched Yi Feng.

"Brother Lin, you're so good to me..."

"Go to sleep. We'll learn some basics tomorrow. Don't go blindly training on your own and wreck your body."

Lin Hao rolled his eyes at Yi Feng and told him to hurry up and sleep.

By then, the two green staffs were already in Lin Hao's equipment slots.

While testing the skills, Lin Hao had been astonished to discover that equipping a green [Proficient] staff on both his left and right sides produced exactly the same sensation as [Expert] when the traits for holding a staff with both hands stacked!

Previously, Lin Hao had never had a clear grasp of how his many traits stacked. He only knew that the more he had, the more pronounced the effect became.

Now it seemed his equipment slots were essentially extra enchantments!

According to the University City Broadcast, equipment skills could be learned through practice, but auxiliary cultivation could not exceed the equipment's upper limit!

The bonus would not increase just because the user became more proficient.

In other words, if he trained hard with a piece of equipment until his own skill reached the same level as its equipment skill, the skill it provided while held would effectively become a blank trait.

But his equipment slots were different. They could actually keep stacking traits!

Most importantly, after equipping a green Crouching Tiger Staff on both his left and right sides, Lin Hao could clearly feel his equipment slots enchanting the blue [Expert] Crouching Tiger Staff when he held it!

With both hands on the staff, his skill rose another major step. The staff felt like an extension of his own body.

Perhaps this was [Great Achievement] in the Crouching Tiger Staff!

Naturally, this discovery excited Lin Hao considerably. That was precisely why he had decided to bring out the blue staff and take turns using it, helping Yi Feng improve quickly as well and getting the most value out of it.

With the skill boost, I should be able to make some progress in a month. I still have some silver saved up. Even if I have to pour money into it, I need to improve quickly first...

Lying on the wooden bed, Lin Hao mulled things over. This golden period of improvement was unlike the slow grind of later training: it could rapidly translate into strength. And greater strength was what would give him the most peace of mind.

However, it would be difficult to replicate the speed at which he had acquired his initial funds.

Even if the apartment building, residential complex, and shopping mall still held some silver, those were all one-time sources. Now that he had settled in, he would have to think of ways to earn money rather than simply live off his savings until they ran dry.

Fortunately, he had asked about the prices of some medicinal ingredients commonly used at the Martial Arts School. They were not cheap, but his funds would still last a while. For now, there was no need to worry too much...