Day 85.
Chu Ning's strength had reached 470 jin, yet "Bull Demon Strength" still hadn't broken through to the third layer.
In recent days, he had approached Instructor Liu's courtyard several times, intending to feel out the situation, but each time he stood at the doorstep, he did not go through with it.
He still harbored a sliver of hope.
Perhaps tomorrow "Bull Demon Strength" would break through to the third layer.
Now, that hope had been completely shattered.
Once again, Chu Ning arrived at the courtyard where Instructor Liu lived. This time, without hesitation, he stepped up and knocked on the door.
Just as his hand was about to lift the door knocker, the door opened by itself.
Instructor Liu stood inside, holding a package, quietly watching Chu Ning.
Even though in his previous life his skin had grown thick enough, facing Instructor Liu's penetrating eyes, Chu Ning's face gradually grew hotter and began to feel ablaze.
After a long while, just as Chu Ning was about to speak, Liu Junshan said indifferently, "Here is a letter from Director Huang for you, and the items inside this package have also been sent over by Director Huang."
The academy doesn't allow external items to be sent in, otherwise the expensive herbs and meats couldn't be sold. But Director Huang was different; if he wanted to send something, the academy wouldn't stop him.
Chu Ning's pupils dilated slightly before he reacted, "Thank you, Instructor Liu."
"Take it and go."
After receiving the letter and package handed over by Instructor Liu, Chu Ning thanked him and turned to leave.
"When in doubt, seek guidance from the instructor. If reprimanded, grow even more respectful and more earnest. Not daring to utter a word in response; wait for his pleasure to ask again. Your writing in the letter wasn't bad. If you don't understand something in the future, come directly to ask me."
Ten meters out, Chu Ning's body stiffened as he heard Instructor Liu's voice drifting from behind. He knew Director Huang had shared the contents of his letter with Instructor Liu.
Instructor Liu had misunderstood.
He thought that Chu Ning had been wronged at Instructor Chen's hand — he was only trying to pay homage to the original author.
Chu Ning turned back and bowed respectfully, "The student understands."
Watching Chu Ning's retreating back, Liu Junshan's eyes narrowed slightly. Initially, he hadn't been optimistic about Chu Ning; he had given him a pointer thinking that Chu Ning was rather clever, but hadn't taken the matter to heart afterwards.
It wasn't until today, having received the letter from Director Huang, that he learned Director Huang had informed him about the letter Chu Ning had written to him, including the sincere passages from Chu Ning's letter.
This passage had moved Director Huang, but it had resonated with him upon reading it.
Unlike Director Huang, who came from a privileged background, his own family had been poor when he first learned martial arts; he could relate even more to the sentiment expressed in Chu Ning's letter.
Hardships behind the scenes can still be overcome, but dignity in the face of others is incredibly fragile.
Of course, the most important thing was Chu Ning's clear progression. From the initial one hundred jin to now nearly five hundred jin, his growth had already surpassed over half of the students in the academy.
With his heart racing, Chu Ning returned to his dormitory, and immediately opened the package. Seeing the herbs inside, his eyes reddened slightly.
It had been many years since his emotions had fluctuated so intensely.
In his past life, only upon earning his first pot of gold and the public listing of his company did he experience such emotional turbulence.
The former, known only to himself, how hard-earned that first pot of gold was and how much humiliation he had suffered. The latter was a reward for his years of hard work.
Could it be that he was under the influence of the original soul?
Chu Ning then shook his head with a smile, dismissing the thought.
It had nothing to do with the original soul; it was just that he was acutely aware that even with a lifespan of ten thousand years and the energy of the Longevity Fruit, his future would not be too bad. But if he couldn't continue his schooling, he would miss out on a considerable period of time.
Longevity doesn't mean you can squander your years.
After all, one lives through longevity one day at a time. With that being the case, why not live well from the start?
To live well, entering the yamen to become an official runner is currently the most ideal and prudent course of action.
His understanding of this world came from the original soul, but the original soul was just a youth living at the bottom of society. Did he really understand the world?
In his past life, even in an era of such high information transparency, ordinary people still didn't know about the world's two circles, one of which ordinary people couldn't touch in their lifetimes.
In that circle, there was a completely different approach to handling affairs.
A single dinner could decide the destination of a position that ordinary people could not achieve in a lifetime of effort. A single sentence could decide the life and death of a company, potentially causing havoc and ruin for many. But sometimes, a simple admission of defeat could bury it all.
If it was so in his past life, what about this world?
Before figuring these things out, entering the government offices was the safest bet.
Because it meant joining the side that held a voice in this world.
Returning his thoughts to the matter at hand, Chu Ning started to brew the herbs and opened the letter from Director Huang.
Director Huang's reply was brief, conveying that he was aware of the difficulties Chu Ning faced in learning martial arts and had sent some herbs to help him.
The more straightforward the content, the more Chu Ning was convinced that his relationship with Director Huang had grown closer, for it lacked roundabout speech and high-sounding rhetoric.
Those of higher status spoke so candidly only with those close to them.
An hour later, the herbs were ready, and Chu Ning began his medicinal bath.
...
Day 86
...
Day 87
...
Day 88
...
On this night, Chu Ning sat in the bathtub, still practicing the mental techniques of "Bull Demon Strength."
A long-missed warmth emerged from Chu Ning's Dantian, and this time it didn't just flow toward the crown of his head but slowly spread throughout his body.
Chu Ning's body also began to heat up, the temperature even surpassing that of the medicinal liquid, which was absorbed through the pores of Chu Ning's skin at several times its original speed.
This was an experience Chu Ning had never had before.
And so he circulated it for three Zhou Tian cycles.
Crack!
It sounded like firecrackers popping inside Chu Ning's body, causing the remaining medicinal liquid in the tub to splash out.
Bones popping and skin trembling!
This was the sign of entering the third layer of Bull Demon Strength.
Chu Ning stepped out of the tub, looked at the stone weights in the yard, and his gaze didn't linger on the five hundred catty stone weight but directly targeted the five hundred and fifty catty one.
With both hands, he lifted the stone weight effortlessly.
Five hundred and fifty catties!
In the last two days, his strength had finally surpassed the baseline of five hundred catties.
But this wasn't the greatest gain. The biggest gain was that after entering the third layer of Bull Demon Strength, it wasn't just a simple increase in strength, a warm current appeared in his body, which increased the strength of whichever body part it flowed to.
"No wonder the academy requires five hundred catties to continue enrollment."
Chu Ning had an epiphany, the first three months in the academy were spent tirelessly cultivating Bull Demon Strength to break through to the third layer. Only by breaking through to the third layer could one practice martial arts.
What Instructor Liu must teach is likely martial arts.
...
...
Three months had passed.
The Dragon King ascends to his throne.
A crooked smile.
"All students proceed with the assessment in order."
The words of Instructor Chen brought Chu Ning back from his reverie. Looking at the solo stone weight lined up in front of the queue, Chu Ning knew his guess was correct: this time around, no one could cheat in the assessment.
Those ranked early in the queue from Room A lifted the stone weight with ease, followed by students from Room B.
Two students from B1, yet one failed.
The failed student stood aside, his face filled with unwillingness, merely two breaths short of success.
"Instructor, please give me another chance. I will definitely succeed this time. My family sold all our lands for me to train at the academy. If I fail, I will have no face to see my family."
The student's plea resonated with many from Room B, as their circumstances were much the same.
It wasn't to say their families had sold everything, but they had indeed spent most of their savings to support them in martial training. If they were eliminated now, indeed they would have no face to return home.
Chu Ning could understand the decisions of these students and their parents, much like the college students of the eighties and nineties. As long as the child was admitted to a university, parents would kneel for loans if necessary to ensure their child's education.
Attending the university meant leaving behind the poverty of rural life for the city, securing a stable and respectable job.
In the Liang Dynasty, officials had larger powers than in ancient times, a nation where disputes were settled by fist, suppressing those who dissented, or forcibly recruiting those who couldn't be suppressed.
Six months in the academy—even for those who were not as competent as Chu Ning—their prospects were much better than those who only studied for three months.
Regrettably, Instructor Chen's expression did not change, having seen this scene too many times. With a wave of his hand, attendants came forward and dragged the student away.
"I hope you retain some dignity for yourselves, do not let yourselves be thrown out of the academy. The assessment continues."
Instructor Chen's words sent a chill through the hearts of the students who had yet to be assessed, and the next two candidates who stepped forward also failed. However, having the example of the earlier student who was dragged out, these two controlled their emotions and quietly went back to their dormitories to pack.
In front of Chu Ning was Ji Yang, who wore a confident smile. Approaching the stone weight, he lifted it with ease.
"Chu Ning, step forward!"
As Instructor Chen's command rang out, all eyes of the students present fell on Chu Ning. Although every student to be assessed drew the attention of the crowd, the looks directed at Chu Ning carried a distinctly different emotion.
To the students of Room A, Chu Ning was just a poor wretch who refused to accept his lot, while to those of Room B, Chu Ning was someone who debased himself willingly.
Did he really think he could succeed just by doing the menial job of carrying water?
Too naive.
Among these glances, Ji Yang's were the most complex.
He shared a dormitory with Chu Ning, yet Chu Ning, who pretended to be aloof and refused his offer of beef, went and earned money doing servant's work to buy his own meat— wasn't this a slap to his face?
This was the reason Ji Yang was infuriated: angered that Chu Ning did not strive for better and pretended to be above it all.
He demeaned himself so thoroughly, and yet couldn't pass the assessment; just wait and see how he'll be ridiculed in a moment.
Chu Ning took in everyone's gaze, walked silently to the stone weight, and with proper form, lifted it above his head.
One breath, two breaths...
"Passed."
When Instructor Chen declared "passed," the atmosphere in the venue instantly quieted.
Zhao Qin, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, felt his pupils contract slightly before resuming his pose of gazing skyward with his chin at a 45-degree angle.
Tang Ruowei blinked her large eyes, Chu Ning's performance had surprised her.
The expressions of Room A students like Zhang Song and He Jin were akin to having stepped in dog droppings, their disdain evident. Someone who they thought of almost as a servant had passed the assessment and become their peer.
The students of Room B stood with their mouths agape; the clown as they saw him, had actually passed.
Ji Yang: ...