At night, after finishing his training, Tang Wen, utterly exhausted, lay on his bed and checked his attributes:
[Name: Tang Wen]
[Age: 14 years and 11 months]
[Physique: 2.10→2.11]
[Spirit: 2.06→2.07]
[Skills: Farming, Mastery (719/1000)]
[Flying Stone, Proficiency (2891/3000)]
[Wind-splitting Saber, Mastery (913/1000)]
[Flying Knife Skill, Proficiency (966/3000)]
[Eight Section Brocade, Mastery (2579/3000)]
[Life-Nurturing Stance, Beginner (109/500)]
After these days of training, both his physique and spirit had increased by 0.01.
These two attributes were the foundation of all skills.
Even a mere increase of 0.01 was something to be happy about.
In the morning, Tang Wen first practiced the Eight Section Brocade three times, then stood in the Life-Nurturing Stance for a quarter of an hour.
He found that combining movement and stillness in his training yielded better results.
His experience points increased faster!
In the morning, he practiced his saber skills, first teaching Tang Tang the saber techniques.
The fastest way to master a skill was to learn while teaching others.
The same applied to saber practice. Without mirrors on all sides, it was difficult to correct his own movements.
But by watching others practice and correcting their details, he naturally gained insights.
While teaching, Tang Wen's saber skill experience occasionally increased by one or two points.
At noon, he practiced the Vajra Skill and the Life-Nurturing Stance.
In the afternoon, after Tang Tang finished her household chores, they continued to practice their saber skills.
At night, he practiced the Vajra Skill and the Life-Nurturing Stance.
This was his daily routine, day after day.
This time, when he encountered the Silver Wolf, there were two moments when Tang Wen truly thought he would die!
Now, he was filled with urgency, craving strength, craving to become stronger.
Swoosh!
After completing a set of saber techniques.
The long saber split the wooden stake.
In the depths of winter, with heavy snow falling from the sky.
Tang Wen wore only a thin shirt, his face flushed unnaturally, steam rising half a foot from his head.
Without bothering to change his clothes, he quickly checked his panel:
[Wind-splitting Saber, Mastery (1000/1000)]
Still no breakthrough?
Since yesterday, no, since the day before, his experience points had been stuck here. He had barely slept these past two days, practicing day and night.
With the experience panel, this was the first time his skills had encountered a bottleneck.
His greatest reliance was faltering, and he felt uncertain, more irritable.
Keep practicing!
I refuse to believe it!
His eyes bloodshot, he kicked the training wood away with a bang, picked up his saber, and continued practicing.
"Brother, take a break, take a break! Look at yourself!"
"Huh?"
His sister's voice sounded strange. Tang Wen stopped and turned to see her eyes red, as if she had just been crying.
"What's wrong?" Before he could finish, he felt a throbbing in his temples.
As if the blood vessels there were already under too much strain.
A pair of small hands grabbed his arm, pulling him into the house, to the wooden basin used for washing his face.
The basin was filled with prepared warm water, the reflection clear: "Is this me?"
The person in the water had bloodshot eyes, brows furrowed, as if the whole world owed him 1.08 million!
"Whew! Sis, I'm too anxious. I'll wash my face and then go to sleep."
"Mm-hmm," Tang Tang's voice was choked with sobs: "No, eat first, have dinner before you sleep."
"Alright." Only then did Tang Wen realize he had been hungry for a long time.
After eating and drinking his fill, he fell into a deep sleep.
Tang Wen slept until the afternoon of the next day.
After waking up, he didn't get up immediately. Instead, he lay lazily in bed, savoring the rare moment of relaxation.
Hmm, it would be nice to have a phone right now. He could play a few games before getting up.
My hand speed has become incredibly fast from practicing Flying Stones and Flying Knives. I'm sure I'd make those guys cry for mercy.
But then again, why is there no threshold from mastering to excelling in skills like Flying Stones and Flying Knives?
I didn't even practice them extensively. I just used them every day while hunting, and naturally, I broke through.
Is it because practice makes perfect? Or is my knife technique still not proficient enough?
Or maybe it's a matter of mindset?
Tang Wen got dressed and got out of bed.
"Swish, swish, swish."
The snow had stopped, and outside the door, his sister was sweeping the snow in the yard.
Tang Wen picked up his saber and examined it closely.
He hadn't noticed before, but the thin blade had many small nicks.
He took out a whetstone, sat on a small stool, and began sharpening the blade carefully, stroke by stroke.
Under the action of water and the whetstone, the blade regained its original sharpness.
Tang Wen stood up, stretched his muscles, and then began practicing unhurriedly.
A fierce forward slash with the Wind-splitting Saber, followed by a sweeping strike aimed at the waist.
With the momentum of the wind, he swept like autumn leaves, a horizontal slash that left no escape for the enemy.
The entire set of saber techniques was smooth, seamless, and incredibly fluid.
After finishing, it felt like drinking a warm cup of floral tea when thirsty.
[Wind-splitting Saber, Mastery (1/3000)]
He had broken through.
Looking at the saber in his hand, it seemed to have gained warmth in the cold weather.
Swish, swish, swish.
Several consecutive slashes cut the wooden log standing on the ground into sections. The log swayed left and right but didn't fall.
His speed and control of force far surpassed his previous level.
Tang Tang's saber technique had also become proficient, so he didn't need to worry too much about her.
After that, apart from practicing his saber daily to consolidate his skills, Tang Wen devoted more time to the Eight Section Brocade and the Life-Nurturing Stance.
The beginner-level Life-Nurturing Stance was easy to improve.
It had already progressed to [Life-Nurturing Stance, Beginner (438/500)].
First, he would master the Stance, and then he would inquire about when the city would recruit guards.
Tang Wen set this goal for himself, pulled the blanket over his head, and prepared to sleep.
Suddenly, he lifted the blanket and turned to look at his sister's face. "Sis, how about I teach you the Stance tomorrow?"
"Huh? Oh, sure," Tang Tang replied, a bit confused.
As for whether Old Li would mind, Tang Wen didn't think it was a big deal. The family had already prepared a Yellow Goat for him. If necessary, they could just give him an extra one.
After a few seconds, Tang Tang said, "Little brother, you're not that young anymore. Isn't it time to get married?"
Not that young?
Tang Wen chuckled. "I'm not even fifteen yet."
"You'll be fifteen soon. It's the perfect age to get married. Everyone gets married at fourteen or fifteen."
Tang Wen: "..."
Who could understand? In my previous life, I was a leftover man at twenty-eight, constantly being pressured to marry.
Now, in this world, I'm younger and not a leftover man, but I'm being pressured to marry before I'm even fifteen.
Tang Tang smiled, pulled up the blanket, and went to sleep.
Stance practice.
Tang Wen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Exhale," "Inhale."
His body followed the rhythm of his breathing, sometimes relaxed, sometimes tense.
Having crossed the threshold in saber techniques, his mindset became even more peaceful.
Whenever he noticed himself wanting quick results and feeling restless, no matter what he was practicing, he would stop immediately.
He would either visit the blacksmith's shop or help his sister cook and tidy up the house.
Balancing tension and relaxation—that was the way of both martial arts and life.
This not only didn't hinder his training progress but instead made him more focused and efficient with each session.
[Life-Nurturing Stance, Beginner → Proficient (0/1000)]
The Stance had broken through.
Standing in the courtyard, Tang Wen's eyes sparkled with brilliance!
"Hu"
He exhaled a breath of white air, the stream of air condensed and unbroken, stretching over a foot long.
As he raised his sword to slash, he distinctly felt many small, fine muscles in his body exerting force.
This was the effect of reaching a certain level in the Stance, which itself pursued introspection and a deeper understanding of one's body, thereby gaining control over it.
[Body: 2.11→2.41]
[Spirit: 2.07→2.57]
Not as good as the Eight Section Brocade, this breakthrough only increased his physique by 0.3, while his spirit increased by 0.5.
Tang Wen was slightly disappointed.
Looking back at his sister who was stil
l preparing to cook ribs, he stopped her: "That's enough, sis, I'm not that hungry this time!"
"Huh? Okay!"
The young lady blinked, decisively putting away the basin of deer ribs she was about to cook, her face showing a relaxed expression, as if she had finally saved those hundred or so pounds of foxtail millet.