As night fell, moonlight bathed the earth.
In a quiet corner of Miaoshou Garden, Lu Changsheng saw the attribute panel in front of him.
On the attribute panel, he noticed that his Tiger Pounce skill had already reached perfection, and his Comprehension attribute had increased by two points in an instant.
This surprised Lu Changsheng.
"My Comprehension attribute increased by 2 points, not just 1."
"Previously, the basic fist technique only increased my Comprehension by 1 point."
"Could it be that Tiger Pounce is slightly more advanced than the basic fist technique, which is why it increased my Comprehension by an additional 1 point?"
As Lu Changsheng thought about it, it seemed to make sense.
The greater the difficulty, the more profound martial arts, once perfected, could increase one's Comprehension attribute by a greater amount.
It was reasonable!
Lu Changsheng closed his eyes, and his mind seemed to become clearer.
Things that had been complex and difficult to understand in the past now seemed to make sense with just a little thought.
Previously, Lu Changsheng had been puzzled by the concept of "strengthening one's vitality" in the Grand River Vitality Technique. But now, a flash of insight in his mind immediately clarified it.
In reality, the Grand River Vitality Technique used a special "vibrational" method to continuously refine the body, allowing it to replenish its vitality and strengthen it. The body also needed various nutrients, such as meat and the nutrients found in medicinal diets, to strengthen itself, creating a beneficial cycle.
The doubts that had plagued Lu Changsheng for many days were instantly dispelled.
Lu Changsheng immediately checked the attribute panel.
Host: Lu Changsheng
Comprehension: 101 (Mediocre)
Basic Knife Technique: Minor Mastery
Basic Sword Technique: Minor Mastery
Basic Staff Technique: Minor Mastery
Tiger Pounce: Perfection
Grand River Vitality Technique: First Layer
On the attribute panel, his Comprehension had changed from 99 to 101, and even the evaluation had changed.
It had previously been "mediocre," but now it was "mediocre," which was a qualitative transformation.
Lu Changsheng murmured softly, "Is this what Comprehension improvement is like? 'Mediocre' may sound ordinary, but this improvement is truly remarkable, the effect is too good..."
Lu Changsheng then practiced the Grand River Vitality Technique again.
While reaching "mediocre" Comprehension didn't immediately strengthen his vitality, he could feel the state of his vitality circulation and even analyze it, allowing for more efficient manipulation of his vitality.
Over time, this also helped with the growth of his vitality.
Lu Changsheng was very satisfied.
And this was just achieving "mediocre" Comprehension.
If he continued to improve his Comprehension in the future, the effect would likely be even better!
Lu Changsheng also practiced the basic knife, sword, and staff techniques again. Improving his Comprehension was more beneficial for martial skills.
He believed that it wouldn't be long before these three martial skills reached perfection.
By then, he would gain another 3 points of Comprehension!
After finishing his training, Lu Changsheng reviewed the battles he had with the two thieves during the day.
Although he had killed the two thieves, he had also been in danger.
The opponents were not martial artists, just physically strong ordinary people.
Even so, using Tiger Pounce was quite dangerous, and a slight mistake could have cost him his life.
"I need a weapon."
"Carrying a knife or sword is not convenient, but I can carry a dagger."
"With Tiger Pounce at the perfection level, along with a dagger, I should be able to handle ordinary opponents."
Lu Changsheng thought for a moment and decided that, in his current identity, carrying a dagger was the most suitable choice.
In the following days, Lu Changsheng resumed his usual daily routine.
He was busy from morning till night, with no time for rest in between.
Lu Changsheng wanted to buy medicinal diets for training, but his current identity as a low-level apprentice made it difficult for him even to go outside.
Being a miscellaneous apprentice was very inconvenient.
"I need to find a way to get rid of the status of a miscellaneous apprentice and have some free time for myself."
Lu Changsheng had the treasure hidden in the cave, but he couldn't retrieve it right now, which was a source of frustration.
Currently, Lu Changsheng was an apprentice at Miaoshou Garden, and to advance further, he had three options.
One was to become an apprentice in the guard squad, which was the best choice, but his previous performance had been poor, so this path was not viable.
The second option was to become a regular apprentice. These apprentices were assigned to various medicinal shops, acting as accountants or shopkeepers, and they had a lot of work to do. However, there was little room for advancement, and they had even less free time. It wasn't a good choice.
The last option was to become an apprentice pharmacist.
Pharmacists were not doctors. They specialized in preparing medicinal herbs. While they couldn't diagnose illnesses, they were responsible for preparing the herbs used by doctors. Their status was slightly lower than that of doctors but still respectable. Being an apprentice pharmacist came with higher pay than being a regular apprentice, and there was also the opportunity to be noticed by a doctor and become an apprentice to one.
Thinking about it, Lu Changsheng had already made up his mind.
He wanted to become an apprentice pharmacist!
However, becoming an apprentice pharmacist wasn't easy. He needed to be proficient in recognizing the names, years, and properties of various herbs. This required a lot of hard work and a sharp mind. A dull mind wouldn't be able to remember so many herbs.
"It seems that I can't retrieve the silver from the cave for the time being. I should focus on becoming an apprentice pharmacist first."
Lu Changsheng sighed in relief.
He had been thinking about getting the silver for a long time, but now it seemed unlikely in the short term. He felt more at ease with this decision.
Therefore, for the next few days, Lu Changsheng split his time between studying under Mo Master and memorizing various books on herbs.
After more than ten days of this routine, although his body was not tired, his mind was exhausted.
If the mind wasn't sharp enough, reading was torture.
Fortunately, in just over ten days, Lu Changsheng had achieved perfection in his three basic martial arts skills.
"Perfection in three basic martial arts skills means an additional three points of Comprehension."
Lu Changsheng's Comprehension had now increased from 101 to 104.
Comprehension at 104 wasn't just effective for martial arts; it also had a significant impact on reading and memorizing various herbs.
In fact, Lu Changsheng felt that even his memory had improved.
However, there was some regret that after achieving perfection in the three basic martial arts, he couldn't find any other basic martial arts.
After all, although there were eighteen types of weapons, the more obscure ones or those associated with less well-known martial arts didn't have "basic martial arts" like the commonly practiced knife, sword, and fist techniques.
These more niche martial arts were not easy to obtain.
At least, not for Lu Changsheng, a miscellaneous apprentice like him.
This made Lu Changsheng even more determined to become an apprentice pharmacist as soon as possible.
Three months had passed.
"I've finally finished memorizing."
"Mo Master said I now know all the characters I should recognize."
"Now, all that's left is interpreting articles and such, which will take more time."
"But that can wait; I'll study it slowly when I have time. I've memorized the names of hundreds of herbs over these past few months, which should be enough to become an apprentice pharmacist."
"I can't wait any longer. Today, I'm going to apply to become an apprentice pharmacist!"
Lu Changsheng thought for a moment and decided to give it a try, to see if he could become an apprentice pharmacist.
He no longer wanted to waste time as a miscellaneous apprentice.
After all, during these three months, he hadn't obtained any new martial skills, and his Comprehension had remained stuck at 104, with hardly any improvement.
The progress of the Grand River Vitality Technique was excruciatingly slow without the support of medicinal diets.
In the morning, when all the apprentices gathered in the square, Lu Changsheng stepped forward and said to Zhang, the steward, "Steward Zhang, I'd like to apply for the apprentice pharmacist assessment. Please grant me permission."
"Swish."
Not only Steward Zhang, but all the other apprentices also turned their gaze to Lu Changsheng, their faces filled with astonishment.