After calming down from the excitement of advancing, Shu Yang slowly got familiar with his new strength.
As he thought about it, it wasn't very strange that he broke through so quickly. He had been at the bottleneck of reaching the 3rd-grade martial warrior for a long time. Now that his talent has improved, it didn't require much effort to take that final step.
'The true extent of my talent can only be seen as time passes.'
"Breakfast is ready!" Qianyue's call came from inside the house.
As Shu Yang stepped inside again, he looked around his old house. It was built by his grandfather, and you could see that it was starting to need some renovations.
Unfortunately, Shu Yang didn't have the money for it.
'I really need to figure out a way to earn more income…'
Shu Yang inherited a few acres of land from his father, but the fields hadn't been properly managed because of his father's neglect. It was only in the past two years, because of Shu Yang's effort and expertise from his previous life, that the harvest became more abundant.
'But farming can only take you so far…Maybe I should start some kind of business.'
Shu Yang had had that idea before, but he was too young and weak. Now, he was 17 years old, and finally had the strength to protect himself.
'Then again, it is also good to lie low. With the Bloodline Tree, there is no need to take any risks.'
Shu Yang sat down and started gulping down food, while his wife took a few careful bites and tried to get Tianren to breastfeed.
"Qian'er? Are you home?" A voice came from outside.
"Father!" Qianyue called out and got up on her feet, excited.
'So that old man couldn't help himself. Let's see if he has the nerve to look down on my strength now.'
Shu Yang followed his wife outside and saw a muscular man in his forties looking down at his grandson, trying to keep a stern expression on his face.
When he saw Shu Yang coming out, he looked up at him and said unhappily, "How can you let Qian'er run around when she has just given birth?"
"Father," Qianrue said softly, "Don't start arguing as soon as you come. I'm fine. Shu Yang bought a lot of blood and qi nourishing pills for me."
"Father-in-law," Shu Yang greeted his wife's father with an awkward smile.
Shu Yang's father-in-law was called Ren Ming. He was the strongest person in the entire village, a 2nd-grade martial warrior.
He ran a simple martial arts school in Baishu Village. It couldn't compare to the martial art halls in town, but he had managed to train a few 3rd-grade warriors over the years. His eldest son had even recently advanced to 2nd grade.
Shu Yang had known him for a long time. He used to run over and pester him for advice on training when he was a kid.
His drunken father didn't have any money to train him in martial arts, however, so Ren Ming always kicked him away, calling him a freeloader.
But Shu Yang was persistent. He knew he couldn't remain weak in a world like this, and seeing how this Ren Ming never did anything worse than a few light smacks in the back of his head, Shu Yang dared come back again and again.
Eventually, his persistence paid off, and Ren Ming arranged for Shu Yang to do some chores around the house to pay for his instructions.
Unfortunately, Shu Yang's lack of talent was obvious, so Ren Ming eventually gave up on him.
That would be the end of their story if it weren't for Ren Qianyue.
Shu Yang first approached her in hopes that it might make learning martial arts easier. She was Ren Ming's youngest daughter, and he noticed how much he spoiled her. So Shu Yang would approach her every chance he got and try to make her laugh with his stories and ideas, which were very different from everyone else in the village.
But a few years passed, and Ren Qianyue grew more and more beautiful. Shu Yang couldn't help but have some ideas.
As the years passed, the two of them fell in love with each other.
Obviously, Ren Ming wasn't having it. His precious daughter was good enough to marry a rich Official. Or at least a martial artist strong enough to protect her.
How could Shu Yang be good enough? He might not belong to the poorest in the village, he was a landowner after all. But it didn't come close to being as wealthy as the top families in the village.
As a result, Ren Ming strongly opposed the two of them getting married and forbade them from seeing each other.
Shu Yang obviously wasn't having it. He needed to marry a wife and start having children as soon as possible in order to increase his bloodline. Now that he had met such a perfect woman, it was impossible to settle for anyone else.
Thankfully, he had laid the groundwork for several years, and Ren Qianyue was just as adamant about getting married as he was.
The result was that they consummated the marriage in advance, and Qianyue got pregnant.
There was nothing Ren Ming could do. The reason he was against the marriage from the beginning was that he loved his daughter too much to see her suffer. Now that she was no longer a virgin and even pregnant with his grandchild, he obviously had to arrange their marriage.
But he was obviously still unhappy about Shu Yang, and would criticize him at every opportunity.
Shu Yang didn't really take it to heart, though. The old man had been good to him when he was a kid, and he just wanted the best for his daughter. Shu Yang understood his point of view.
"You…" Just as Ren Ming was about to critique him again, he looked a little closer at Shu Yang.
He walked forward and pressed down on his shoulder.
"You're a martial warrior?" Ren Ming asked, surprised.
"You advanced, husband?" Ren Qianyue asked, smiling brightly.
"I just advanced this morning. How is it? Not so bad, is it, old man?" Shu Yang asked with a grin.
"Tch," Ren Ming snorted, "You're still too weak. How can you protect my daughter?"
"Father!" Ren Qianyue scolded.
"I'm only 17, it won't be long before I become the strongest in the village," Shu Yang bragged.
"Considering it took you so many years to advance, there is no hope for you to go further in this life," Ren Ming said, "You should focus on taking care of Qian'er and Tianren. Maybe that little guy has managed to inherit some of my talent."
"Alright, stop arguing," Qianyue said while rolling her eyes, "Father, come in and eat something. I just made breakfast."
"It's fine, I need to go back. I just came to take a look at my grandson," Ren Ming said, patting his daughter's head with a loving expression. "Take care of your health, dear."
"I will," Qianyue nodded obediently.
"Take care of her," Ren Ming said with a serious face as he turned to Shu Yang.
"I will. Don't worry," Shu Yang said, equally serious.
"Hm," Ren Ming nodded and walked off.
Qianyue watched him leave with a reluctant expression.
'He really dotes on his daughter.' Shu Yang thought as he spotted some food that Ren Ming had brought. There was even meat in the basket he left behind.
'From what I've seen here in this life, a married daughter is no longer seen as part of the family. It isn't rare to give up contact completely, let alone continue supporting her.'
Shu Yang walked back inside with his wife and thought about how it would be when he had a daughter of his own.
'I really couldn't bear to see her leave. I'll just accept a live-in son-in-law. My family will be powerful in the future, so it shouldn't be a problem. That way, all of my descendants will carry the last name Shu.'
"Is the food I made enough? Now that you're a martial warrior, you need to eat more, right?" Qianyue asked.
"It's fine," Shu Yang said, "But yes, it would be good to increase the portions going forward. You should also keep training, wife."
"There is no point," Qianyue said, shaking her head, "Martial arts isn't for me. I really don't have the talent for it. I'll leave that to you and our son, and I'll just take care of the house."
"With persistence, you should be able to at least advance to a 3rd-grade warrior," Shu Yang said. "Just practice an hour or so every day, okay? Even if you don't advance, it is good for your health."
"Well…alright. If you say so," Qianyue agreed.
Shu Yang breathed out in relief. He was really worried that he would have to leave his wife behind in the future. His own bloodline would continue to grow stronger, and he would live for a long time.
Unfortunately, his wife didn't gain the same benefits, and she would most likely pass away far earlier than Shu Yang.
'Maybe I can find some medicine to extend lifespan in the future. That's all I can hope for.'
'It's a shame she can't practice the martial arts I deduced from the Bloodline Tree.'
Shu Yang had tried teaching his wife the martial arts he had comprehended; it was a lot stronger than the one her father had, after all. But she found it much more difficult than the one she was already practicing.
It seemed that it was really only suitable for Shu Yang, and perhaps his children.
'It's fine. Qian'er isn't very talented, but as I grow in power and wealth, I'll find a way to make up for it.'
'And then there is that possibility…'
Shu Yang looked up at the vast sky and couldn't help but imagine what secrets this vast world held.
'Is martial arts all there is? Or do people cultivate immortality out there somewhere?'