Chapter 4

"Having seven or eight is not a small number. You must understand that the resources spent on cultivating a single innate martial artist are a terrifying amount. The key is that even with such a large investment, the possibility of advancing from the peak of the acquired stage to the innate stage is still extremely slim." Aunt Zhen sighed and smiled bitterly.

The young man fell completely silent.

"Alright, the innate stage is still too far away for you. If that day really comes, you can immediately become a person standing at the pinnacle of the entire Great Qi, and even the Great Qi Emperor would have to treat you politely and try to win you over. This is also the origin of the term 'national protector martial artist.' Now, let me tell you about some things related to body tempering and understanding qi. How many layers of body tempering have you reached?" The woman continued to ask.

"Seven layers."

Upon hearing this, Shi Mu's spirits were lifted.

Indeed! For him now, being able to understand qi and join the Kaiyuan Martial Academy is the most important thing.

"Seven layers, that's a bit low. The Kaiyuan Martial Academy will start recruiting students in a year. Can you reach the ninth layer of body tempering within a year?"

"Originally, I wasn't sure, but now I should be able to." Shi Mu thought for a moment and said affirmatively.

"Even if you can reach the ninth layer of body tempering within a year and understand qi, it's only the basic condition for entering the Kaiyuan Martial Academy. There will still be intense competition at that time." The woman looked a bit surprised but still said so.

Shi Mu listened intently.

"According to what I know, there are indeed many geniuses among the martial apprentices who want to enter the Kaiyuan Martial Academy this year. Many of them have already cultivated their body tempering techniques to the ninth or even tenth layer at a young age. After all, the higher the level of body tempering, the more helpful it is for understanding qi. According to past years' conventions, even with the assistance of Qi Spirit Pills, the chance of understanding qi at your age is often less than one in ten. Many martial apprentices only manage to barely understand qi and enter the acquired stage after taking Qi Spirit Pills multiple times in their thirties or forties. This is also why the Kaiyuan Martial Academy only recruits martial apprentices between the ages of ten and fifteen. Below ten years old, the bones and muscles are not yet fully formed, and body tempering cannot be practiced. Above fifteen years old, there is no potential to reach the peak of the acquired stage, and there is no value in cultivation. The Great Qi Kingdom may have many acquired martial artists, but among them, the number of martial artists who have a chance to advance to the innate stage is still less than a hundred. Our Jin family has a peak acquired martial artist as our patriarch, which is the main reason why the Jin family can become a prominent family in Quanzhou." The woman's face showed a hint of pride at the end.

"The higher the level of body tempering, the higher the chance of understanding qi! Less than one in ten?" Shi Mu took a deep breath after hearing this.

Although he had long expected that not everyone who took Qi Spirit Pills would successfully understand qi, he never imagined that the success rate was so low.

"If you regret it, the other path I promised earlier is still valid." Aunt Zhen stared at the young man and suddenly smiled.

"No need, I have made up my mind." Shi Mu shook his head.

"Since that's the case, I'll transfer the deed and other things of the estate outside the city to you. You can stay there first. I'll have Jin Cheng accompany you over, and if you need anything in the future, you can contact him directly. After a year, when the Qi Spirit Pills reserved by the Jin family arrive, I'll notify you. I'll remind you that during this period, besides learning body tempering, it's best to try to learn a few more practical martial arts. They will likely be useful during the academy entrance exam. Although the Jin family has several family-transmitted martial arts, they are never taught to outsiders." Aunt Zhen nodded and then gave a reminder.

"Thank you, Aunt Zhen!" This time, Shi Mu's words were truly filled with gratitude.

A quarter of an hour later, Liu Ming, accompanied by Jin Cheng, walked out of the residence, holding a wooden box, his face showing a hint of surprise.

The wooden box contained the property left by his father, including a large estate on the outskirts of the city, three or four hundred acres of good farmland nearby, a well-located tavern in the city, and three thousand silver taels.

He had become a wealthy landowner in just one day.

What Shi Mu didn't know was that not long after he left the residence, another middle-aged man visited the place and, in the hall, angrily questioned Aunt Zhen:

"Seventh Sister, you really don't plan to keep that Qi Spirit Pill for your own nephew and give it to an outsider?"

"This was a promise made by Father himself. Do you have any objections?"

"Of course, I do! I won't mention the Biao brothers. That boy is surnamed Shi, not Jin. Why should our Jin family spend so much effort to get a spirit pill for an outsider? If you change your mind, Father definitely won't have any objections. You know, your nephew failed to understand qi last time. This year, he finally has a good chance, and it's also the year the Kaiyuan Martial Academy is recruiting. If he misses this opportunity, he will surely regret it for life and won't let it go." The middle-aged man's face was somewhat narrow, and his eyes were almost spitting fire in anger.

"Hmph, why? Just because my husband has only this one biological son, and he once saved nearly half of the Jin family's wealth? Is that satisfactory, Fifth Brother?" Aunt Zhen snorted and said rudely.

"Fine! Fine! That boy has no blood relation to you, and you still favor him! If that's the case, we siblings don't need to talk about any feelings in the future. This time, I won't beg you. Even if I have to bankrupt myself, I will get another Qi Spirit Pill for my nephew!"

After saying this, the middle-aged man stormed out angrily.

"Mother, you really let Uncle Wu leave like that."

As soon as the man left the hall, Shi Yuhuan appeared from somewhere, blinking her eyes and asked.

"It's fine. You know, your Uncle Wu's son is not suitable for martial arts. Even with so many medicinal baths, he barely reached the peak of body tempering. Even if I give him the Qi Spirit Pill this time, the chance of understanding qi won't increase much. He's just trying to make one last attempt for your cousin."

"That's true. Jin Tian's talent is probably not as good as my brother's. Even if he barely understands qi, the chance of passing the academy is very low." Shi Yuhuan clapped her hands and laughed.

"Hehe, you're already favoring your own brother so quickly. But I don't have high hopes for Shi Mu either. I can only do so much for your brother. If I help with other things, the others in the Jin family might also be dissatisfied."

"Although it's my first time meeting my brother, I feel he's a decent person. At least he's better than those wine bags and rice sacks in the Jin family." Jin Yuhuan replied with a smile.

"Actually, the reason your grandfather so easily agreed to give away a Qi Spirit Pill also has a lot to do with you. After all, you have already understood qi at the age of twelve and cultivated your body tempering to the tenth layer. Your grandfather has high hopes for you." Aunt Zhen suddenly smiled and said.

"Don't worry, in another year, I will have perfected that sword technique and will definitely enter the Kaiyuan Martial Academy without any problems. I won't let my grandfather down." The girl said confidently.

The woman nodded upon hearing this, her eyes full of affection as she looked at her daughter.

...

In an estate ten miles outside Fengcheng, Shi Mu stood on a flat square surrounded by houses, looked around, and showed a satisfied expression.

This estate covered about four or five acres, with more than twenty rooms. The size of the square was a pleasant surprise.

His gaze turned to the seventeen or eighteen male and female servants and tenants standing in front of him, and he immediately asked:

"Who was in charge of this estate and the nearby farmland before?"

"Master Shi, it was me." A middle-aged man with gray hair and relatively clean clothes stepped forward a few steps and replied respectfully.

"What's your name, and are you a local?"

Shi Mu looked at the middle-aged man for a few moments, seeing that he looked honest and straightforward, and asked gently.

"My name is Zhang Suo, and my family has been settled in Fengcheng for seven or eight generations." The middle-aged man replied respectfully.

"Very good. I'll still have you in charge of this estate and the nearby farmland. The work and rent for the other servants and tenants will remain unchanged. Also, notify the tavern manager to come and see me here tomorrow." Shi Mu thought for a moment and quickly instructed.

"Yes, Master." Zhang Suo was delighted and hurriedly agreed.

The other servants and tenants, seeing this, also breathed a sigh of relief and bowed in agreement.

"Manager Cheng, is what I did appropriate?" After everyone left the square, Shi Mu turned to the old man in a green robe beside him and asked.

"Master Shi handled it well, very efficiently! To be honest, it's hard for this old servant to believe that Master Shi is really from a fishing village." The old man in the green robe smiled and replied.

"I'm a bit surprised myself, but the feeling of being able to give orders is quite nice. Also, there's something I want to ask Manager Cheng for help with." Shi Mu said a bit embarrassedly.

"Oh, what is it? Master Shi, just give the order. As long as this old servant can do it, I won't refuse." The old man in the green robe was a bit surprised but agreed without hesitation.

"It's like this. I want to invite a truly capable martial arts instructor to the estate to give me one-on-one guidance in cultivation. Do you have anyone to recommend?"

"Oh, if it's a martial arts school, the four major martial arts schools in Fengcheng are all quite famous, and their instructors are mostly highly skilled. But what type of martial arts does Master Shi want to learn?" The old man in the green robe thought for a moment and asked in return.

"I used to chop wood in the village and found using a saber quite handy. I also want to learn a set of boxing techniques."

"If it's saber and boxing techniques, I recommend you choose Instructor Li Canghai from the Liufeng Martial Arts School. His Wind Chasing Thirteen-Form Saber Technique and Rock-Cleaving Fist are very famous. However, if it's one-on-one guidance, his fees are quite high." The old man in the green robe thought for a moment and slowly said.

"That's fine. As long as he's truly capable, spending more money is not a problem." Shi Mu, with three thousand silver taels in hand, felt quite wealthy.

"Alright, I'll invite Instructor Li to come over for you tomorrow." The old man in the green robe, seeing this, smiled and agreed.

...