After the meal, Jiang Ling continued to mend clothes.
Jiang Che, meanwhile, grabbed a branch, dipped it in water, and squatted on the ground to practice his writing.
When Jiang Che was a child, his family had been better off, so he'd attended a private school for a few years, but his handwriting was poor.
After getting the Skill Proficiency Panel, he started practicing again. Now, without realizing it, he had nearly ground the skill to Perfection.
Of course, what the panel had recorded was "Writing," not "Calligraphy."
He knew his handwriting still fell far short of true Calligraphy.
For now, he just wrote quickly and neatly, with very few mistakes.
But not many people could write these days.
If his handwriting was good enough, he could earn money writing letters for others.
After his parents' disappearance, the family's income had dried up.
The money his sister earned from mending wasn't even enough for daily expenses, let alone the cost of his Martial Arts Training.
He decided that once he raised his writing skill to Perfection, he would set up a stall on the street writing letters for people.
It wouldn't earn much, but at least it wasn't physically taxing.
For someone training in martial arts, overexertion was the biggest taboo.
Besides, the work was low-profile and wouldn't attract unwanted envy.
When he first awakened his past-life memories, Jiang Che had considered using his modern knowledge to make money.
But he quickly realized that wouldn't work.
In this world, the Government Office was corrupt and Gangs ran rampant.
The better a business did without a powerful backer, the faster its owner would end up dead.
For an ordinary person to get ahead, Martial Arts Training was the only path.
SNAP!
As he wrote, the branch suddenly snapped.
[Writing Skill Level +2]
[Writing Reaches Perfection]
[Talent Unlocked: Heart Stream]
[Heart Stream: Passive Skill, conditional trigger.]
[Description: When you concentrate, your focus, thinking speed, and neural reactions will be enhanced.]
'My writing skill finally reached Perfection... and I even unlocked a Talent!'
Joy bloomed in Jiang Che's heart as he finished reading the description.
'Let's give it a try...'
He began to focus his attention.
In an instant, the world fell silent.
The sound of his sister sewing, the chirping of insects outside the window, the racket from next door—it all vanished.
The lines on his palm became perfectly distinct; he could even see individual specks of dust.
Jiang Che immediately picked up a new branch and resumed writing.
...
"Huuu—"
Jiang Che finished the last word and set the branch down.
His face was now a little pale.
A dull, throbbing ache emanated from his head.
But he felt absolutely exhilarated.
'So this is the Heart Stream? This feeling of complete immersion... it's incredible.'
He looked at the words he had written; they now possessed a faint hint of calligraphic grace.
'If I could use this for my Fist Technique training...'
The thought sent a thrill of excitement through him.
Unfortunately, his daytime training had already drained his stamina. He would have to wait until tomorrow.
「The next morning, Jiang Che headed out.」
"Brother," Jiang Ling said, standing at the door. "Please come back early."
Since their parents' disappearance, it was just the two of them at home.
Every time Jiang Che went to the Martial Arts Hall, she was left alone, and her heart would be filled with fear.
"Okay."
Jiang Che patted her on the head. "I'll be back as soon as I'm done."
He arrived at the Martial Arts Hall.
In the courtyard, only the hall's master, Luo Kun, was practicing his Fist Technique.
Not daring to disturb him, Jiang Che stood quietly to the side to wait.
It was the seemingly unremarkable White Cloud Fist.
But in the hands of Master Luo Kun, it projected a completely different aura.
He was clearly just a withered, white-haired old man.
Yet every single move carried an overwhelming pressure, like a roaring tsunami!
With every punch he threw, the very air seemed to tremble!
Jiang Che felt his chest tighten, and even breathing became difficult.
'This is a true master of the Martial Dao...'
Jiang Che's heart pounded as he watched, his eyes filled with awe.
'If I could reach such a Realm...'
As the thought arose, a fire lit within him, and he wished he could start training at that very moment.
Once Luo Kun finished his set and stood still, Jiang Che hurried forward, cupping his fist in a respectful salute.
Luo Kun gave a slight nod, then walked under the eaves, sat cross-legged, and began to regulate his breathing with his eyes closed.
Jiang Che returned to the center of the courtyard, stretched his limbs, and decided to test out his idea from yesterday.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself into a state of intense concentration.
In an instant, he entered that profound state once more.
The sounds around him faded into the distance, while his vision became exceptionally sharp.
He immediately assumed the starting stance of the White Cloud Fist and began his practice.
'This is...'
The subtle flaws in his movements, which had been unnoticeable before, were now magnified infinitely.
Even more incredibly, every single one of the master's movements from his demonstration surfaced in his mind with perfect clarity.
Jiang Che began to constantly adjust his posture, correcting it over and over again.
Each punch was closer than the last to the master's movements he held in his memory.
...
Luo Kun was not in a good mood.
Excluding the ordinary apprentices who hadn't even begun to cultivate their Qi Blood, and the disciples who had already left the Martial Arts Hall, he had a total of twenty-two who could be considered true disciples.
The number wasn't small, but very few had a Root Bone aptitude that he considered acceptable.
His second disciple, Shao Jianbo, had the greatest talent. Unfortunately, as one of the Noble Family Members, he was lazy and idle, treating Martial Arts Training as a mere pastime.
The rest of his disciples were even more mediocre, unlikely to amount to much.
'In six months, these kids will have to compete against Old Li's disciples again...'
Luo Kun couldn't help but grind his teeth at the memory of Old Li's smug face after their last defeat.
By now, more apprentices had trickled in to begin their training.
He squinted, scrutinizing them one by one.
'Fortunately, there are two promising prospects among the newest disciples.'
His gaze first fell upon a tall, thin, and arrogant-looking youth—Gong Yulei.
Though he had only been at the Martial Arts Hall for a month, he was already on the verge of sensing his Qi Blood.
In terms of Root Bone, he was even slightly superior to Shao Jianbo!
'A shame his Temperament is too wild and his methods too ruthless. He's bound to stir up trouble in the future...'
Luo Kun mused to himself that he would have to find a way to temper that sharp edge of his.
Next, his gaze fell upon a sturdily built youth with thick, sharp eyebrows.
His name was Zhang Xiong. He had been training for half a year and was already nearing a breakthrough.
Though his Root Bone was slightly inferior to Gong Yulei's, his advantage was a steady Temperament and a diligent, hardworking nature.
'Now he's a good prospect. Perhaps he can serve to curb some of Gong Yulei's aggression.'
At this thought, Luo Kun finally felt a bit more at ease.
But as his gaze swept over the other apprentices, his brow furrowed once more.
Most of them were clumsy, their Fist Technique riddled with flaws. They hadn't even come close to sensing their Qi Blood. The sight was truly unbearable.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, his gaze landed on a lean, sharp-looking youth.
It was Jiang Che.
The boy was practicing with exceptional focus today, his movements growing more precise with every repetition.
His rate of improvement was so fast it even surprised him a little.
'A little interesting...'
But on second thought, he shook his head.
'A pity. His Root Bone is too poor. No matter how well he trains, he'll never amount to anything significant.'
Jiang Che had been training for nearly a year without showing the slightest sign of Qi Blood. He was, in the end, just deadwood.
Luo Kun couldn't be bothered to watch any longer. He simply closed his eyes to rest. Out of sight, out of mind.
...
Jiang Che slowly completed his form and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
He had maintained the Heart Stream State for thirty minutes.
His temples were throbbing and his brain ached dully. He had been automatically ejected from the Heart Stream State.
He raised his hand and called up the panel:
[Name: Jiang Che]
[Age: 16]
[Realm: None]
[Skills: White Cloud Fist (Great Success, 344/400), Writing (Perfection)]
[Talent: Heart Stream]
'My Skill Level increased by four points in just one hour?'
Jiang Che was stunned.
He had thought the Heart Stream Talent only worked for writing; he never expected it could be triggered during his Fist Technique practice too!
'At this rate...'
The thought of being able to bring his White Cloud Fist to the Perfection realm much faster made him eager to enter the Heart Stream State again immediately.
But the moment he tried to concentrate, a sharp, needle-like pain shot through his head.
'Looks like there's a built-in cooldown.'
Jiang Che rubbed his temples. On second thought, it made sense.
If he could really activate it indefinitely, it would be too overpowered.
He tried practicing a few forms in his normal state and immediately felt a world of difference.
It was like going from high-definition back to standard; every movement felt blurry and indistinct.
Worse, his body felt completely drained, and even lifting his arms took a great deal of effort.
'The Heart Stream State is like Overclocking my body...'
Jiang Che was reminded of how an overloaded computer from his past life would run.
The price for the surge in performance was a massive drain on both physical and mental stamina.
'Better quit while I'm ahead.'
Although he had only trained for an hour, his gains were equivalent to a full day of arduous training in the past.
With the time he'd saved, he could go try his hand at the letter-writing business.
After getting permission from the master, Jiang Che left the Martial Arts Hall early.
Watching Jiang Che's departing figure, Master Luo Kun frowned.
'That kid is always the last one to finish training. For him to leave so early today... '
'Has he finally given up?'
'Ah, whatever... With his poor aptitude, it's useless no matter how long he persists!'