Chapter 7

After eating stones for a year, Yang Yu, of course, knew that the stones swallowed would be absorbed by the Cauldron of Gluttony and would not remain in his stomach.

Instead, a warm current would spread throughout his body, replenishing his strength.

But stones are still stones. Not only do they have a terrible texture, but they also irritate the throat. Only those who can find them as sweet as honey are not human.

Therefore, even though he knew it was to activate the Cauldron of Gluttony, Yang Yu had always felt a great resistance in his heart.

But now, lying in bed, he had a wooden expression and ate the bag of stones as if they were roasted beans, quickly finishing it.

He felt so hot all over that he closed his eyes.

Buzz~

The light and shadow changed, and Yang Yu found himself back in the pitch-black cauldron.

Unlike the first time, looking at the progress bar on the cauldron wall, he felt a sense of stability and immense security.

"The practice outside seems to affect the progress bar too..."

Looking at the decimal points after the progress bar, Yang Yu was deep in thought.

Without wasting time, he picked up the only object in the cauldron, the broken sword, and began to swing it according to the memory in his mind.

Swing the sword again.

Soon, he was immersed in it, forgetting the passage of time.

Yang Yu found that with a foundation, his 'refinement' became faster. In less than a night, he had already woken up.

This also meant that his refinement of the broken sword had reached one-fifth.

"The old man is indeed not a great master..."

Yang Yu woke up slowly, looked at the sky that was about to brighten, and thought:

"Old Wei was not wrong. The essence of sword techniques is indeed 'steady, accurate, and fierce.' Perhaps, we should add 'fast'?"

He ate another half-bag of stones at a leisurely pace, then got up, tidied up a bit, and started a fire, washed the rice, and cooked.

When the sky just began to brighten, he informed the old lady and set off for the inner city.

At the government office, Yang Yu had taken a long leave. Getting up early was naturally to go to Old Wei's place.

After a night of refinement, his spirit was still very good. He had eaten enough stones, and his strength was very abundant. The only downside was that his throat was hoarse.

Stones are still stones. Even after boiling, they still irritated his throat.

"Brat, why are you here so early?"

Hearing the knocking, Wei He grumbled and shouted: "Wangcai, go open the door!"

"Chirp chirp chirp~"

The old monkey with half-white hair jumped down from the tree to open the door, then made a series of threatening gestures at Yang Yu before returning to the tree.

Yang Yu smiled bitterly and entered.

Wei Lao Tou, yawning and grumbling, put on his clothes and came out. Seeing it was Yang Yu, he was not surprised and pointed to the kitchen:

"Go push the tofu in the kitchen, remember, make it thin."

"Yes."

Yang Yu responded with a hoarse voice. In his year as an apprentice, although he did not come often, he had pushed tofu before.

This was one of the methods to practice 'steadiness.'

He was not willing to do this job before, but now he realized he had been greatly mistaken.

If the sword is not steady, even if he practiced sword techniques, it would be useless.

"Do not use the kitchen knife."

Wei Lao Tou suddenly spoke, pointing to a large knife outside the woodshed: "Use that one."

"Huh?"

Yang Yu was taken aback.

That knife was not for chopping wood but for Hu Wan to practice strength, probably weighing around fifty pounds.

Use this knife to cut tofu?

"How? Afraid?"

Wei He glanced at Yang Yu indifferently: "What you paid is only enough for a year of learning. After a year, you won't be my disciple anymore..."

Not many people came to learn martial arts from Wei He. Compared to the bustling martial arts schools, his place could be considered quiet.

This was not only because of his executioner identity but also because his fees were very high.

Apprentices were expensive, and disciples were even more expensive.

And it was calculated on a yearly basis.

It was precisely because of his high fees and the daily tasks of pushing tofu, slicing winter melon, and chopping wood that Yang Yu came less and less often.

Paying money to do chores for others, in his previous life, would have been a reason to be hung on a street lamp.

"Alright."

Yang Yu took a deep breath and reached out to lift the large knife.

"So heavy, how can I cut tofu?"

Yang Yu's face changed.

His physique was much stronger than that of his peers, and he could lift the fifty-pound knife, but walking with it was already difficult.

How could he push tofu?

"Hurry up."

Wei He yawned and urged.

With no choice, Yang Yu gritted his teeth and walked into the kitchen.

Wei He's courtyard was not large. Apart from the small training ground in the main courtyard, the largest place was the kitchen.

At this moment, the chopping board, as big as a door, had at least three to five hundred pounds of tofu on it.

"Cut it all."

Wei He instructed and went back into the house.

"Phew!"

Putting down the large knife, Yang Yu relaxed his arms, took a deep breath, and lifted the large knife, holding it parallel to his forearm.

He began to cut the tofu.

With the experience of refining the sword twice, Yang Yu naturally had no problem pushing the tofu, but after cutting less than ten pieces, he could no longer bear it.

Putting down the knife, he panted heavily.

"No, too heavy..."

Yang Yu leaned on the large knife, seeing no one around, swallowed a few stones, and his strength slightly recovered, then started pushing again.

Thus, repeatedly, until all the tofu was sliced into thin pieces, Yang Yu was almost collapsed, sweating profusely.

Swallowing stones could slightly restore his strength, but this was stone, not a magic bean. The muscle soreness still existed.

After resting for a while, Yang Yu dragged the knife out of the kitchen. At this moment, there were already a few people in the courtyard.

Hu Wan was among them, pushing a stone roller to practice strength.

Seeing Yang Yu dragging the knife out of the kitchen, he laughed: "Little Brother Yang, is my knife handy?"

Before Yang Yu could respond, Wei He's scolding voice came from inside the house:

"What? Giving up already?"

Clang.

Yang Yu dropped the knife and rubbed his wrist: "I've already finished cutting."

"Finished cutting?"

Wei He rushed out, scolding: "You didn't ruin my tofu, did you?"

Speaking, he already entered the kitchen.

Yang Yu watched, his eyes slightly brightening. Wei He was over sixty and had a lame leg, but his speed was fast and smooth.

"Could it be some lightness skill?"

Yang Yu forgot the soreness in his body, feeling a bit itchy.

If there was one martial art he most wanted to learn, it would be a lightness skill, but he did not know if there was one like he imagined.

"Did you cut all this?"

Coming out, Wei He's face had already turned serious, looking at Hu Wan: "Did you help?"

"No, no, no."

Hu Wan stumbled, almost getting hit by the stone roller.

"Did you really cut it?"

Wei He's face improved but still seemed incredulous.

Pushing tofu was just a basic skill, but this kid's foundation was too solid.

"Yes."

Yang Yu's heart tightened, but he still nodded.

He did not have the idea of hiding his skills. First, his skills were not outstanding among the others, and second, his current situation did not suit hiding his skills.

Properly showing himself could gain others' attention.

"Little Brother Yang, you used my knife to push tofu? And finished it?"

Hu Wan, regaining his senses, put down the stone roller and went to the kitchen to take a look.

Looking back at Yang Yu, his eyes changed: "Good kid, Old Hu I actually misjudged you..."

Knowing the difficulty of using his own knife to push tofu, Hu Wan, with ten years of experience in slaughtering pigs, had taken three years to master it. This Yang Yu had only learned sword techniques for about a year?

"Not bad."

Seeing the disciples gather, Wei He勉强点评了一句，就向屋子走去：“明天早点来，不用再切豆腐了。”

Yang Yu hurriedly nodded.

Turning his back, Wei He stroked his beard, his eyes still somewhat puzzled.

Why didn't I notice this kid was a genius before...

For the rest of the day, Yang Yu spent time with Hu Wan and others, either practicing strength or sword techniques, and returned home in the evening.

The small bag of stones he carried was already completely eaten.

That night, Yang Yu continued to 'refine' the broken sword.

Perhaps because of the foundation, or perhaps because the initial stage is the hardest and then it gets easier, Yang Yu's refinement progress advanced rapidly.

Soon, it surpassed half.

Because of the intense consumption of stones over the past few days, the Cauldron of Gluttony did not continue to fade, which relieved Yang Yu.

The night passed without incident, and the next morning, Yang Yu was the first to arrive.

Although Wei He said he didn't need to cut tofu, he still went to the kitchen, paid the price of a bag of stones, and cut several hundred pounds of tofu.

Wei He was basking in the sun with the old monkey. Seeing Yang Yu come out, he waved his hand, signaling him to come over.

"Steady hands ensure accuracy."

Wei He swayed in his recliner, half-closed eyes: "Last time, what did I say was the third essential condition for learning sword techniques?"

Yang Yu's heart tightened, and he answered:

"Fierce."

Squeak~

The recliner stopped, and Wei Lao Tou's eyes were deep and cold, making Yang Yu feel uneasy:

"Tonight, show me how fierce you can be."

"What?"

Yang Yu was taken aback.

Wei Lao Tou slowly got up, hands behind his back, pacing: "I am an executioner. If you want to learn my martial arts, you must..."

"Kill!"

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Note: The last line "Kill!" is a direct translation, which might be a bit abrupt in English. If you prefer a smoother transition, it could be adjusted to: "You must... kill!"