Yun Feng didn't immediately use the system or even try to learn about it, as he was still in the periphery of the Wei Clan's manor. There were too many eyes on him, mocking him for his fall.
The Wei Clan Manor was located on the eastern edges of Blackwood City, occupying a large area. After all, they were one of the two big clans in the city and basically ruled over the eastern half.
As he walked down the slope towards the main city, Yun Feng gathered his thoughts and began to plan his future.
'I'll need a place to live and survive, but that's tough with my situation. I'm weak, so I can't even live in the woods lest some Magical Beast swallows me whole.'
Since living in the woods was out of the question, he needed to do something in the city, like getting a job to survive.
It was quite easy for others to get a job, but not for him. He was the former heir of the Wei Clan, which had irked many members of the younger generation.
Now that he was at his lowest, they would definitely make sure he didn't get any jobs. With the influence of the Wei Clan, that could easily be done.
Who would dare offend the Wei Clan for a nobody with no future like him?
He couldn't even go to the Yue Clan, which controlled the other half of the city.
'But not all hope is lost.' Yun Feng smiled and increased his pace. 'Golden Taste Restaurant shouldn't have any problems hiring me.'
The Golden Taste Restaurant belonged to one of the giants of the Jade Province and often hosted influential people. They were neutral and didn't care about the two clans.
They might be able to give him the shelter he needed, at least for the time being.
Thinking that, he directly headed toward the central area of Blackwood City, where the restaurant was located. He received many different gazes from citizens, showing that news about him had already spread in such a short time.
However, he didn't care. Nothing much had changed, anyway. He just headed straight for the Golden Taste Restaurant.
Soon, he stood before a tall, four-story building with a wooden plaque at the top. He entered and quickly found a waiter, who came over to greet him.
"Young Master Feng!"
"You don't need to address me like that," Yun Feng waved his hand and asked, "Is there any position vacant here? I'd like to work."
The waiter was taken aback for a moment before realization dawned on him. He smiled and said, "I can take you to the manager. She'll decide."
Yun Feng was known as the trash of the Wei Clan throughout the Jade Province, so naturally the waiter knew him. But he also had a good impression of this so-called trash young master.
The waiter had served and observed many young nobles and knew about their tempers and behavior. Yun Feng was quite an exception, so he remembered him well.
He led Yun Feng to the second floor and stopped before a woman who looked like she was in her late thirties, dressed in a traditional golden-patterned Chinese dress.
The waiter left Yun Feng with the lady, who was the manager of this branch.
"I didn't think Young Master Yun Feng would come to our humble restaurant for work," the manager spoke with a smile.
"Please don't mess with me, Lady Su. You know my circumstances," Yun Feng chuckled and asked, "Is there any position I can take on?"
"Unfortunately, all positions are filled..." Lady Su was going to shake her head when she remembered something. "Only the butcher position is empty."
She was quite hesitant to suggest that, as Martial Artists looked down on jobs like butchering, but she guessed that Yun Feng would accept it based on his personality and situation.
As for why the position was vacant — their restaurant was high-end and served meat from Magical Beasts. Sadly, deboning such beasts wasn't an easy task for ordinary people, and Martial Artists wouldn't do something like this.
But Yun Feng didn't belong to either side, in a way — making him perfect for the job.
"I'll take it," Yun Feng replied without hesitation.
Lady Su smiled. "Then, you'll need to pass the test. Deboning isn't an easy task even for Martial Artists, after all."
Deboning Magical Beasts required both strength and precision, so even if Yun Feng had the strength, he still needed to pass the test.
He had no problem with that, thanks to his previous life.
Lady Su then led him back to the first floor where the kitchen was located. The chefs were surprised to see a young man like him, assuming he came to work as a waiter.
When they learned he was there to debone Magical Beasts, they were shocked and full of disdain. After all, they knew how hard the job was.
They had to occasionally do it themselves, and even after years, they still weren't good at it. They could manage with normal animals, but when it came to Magical Beasts, it became incredibly difficult to debone them with just their strength.
Seeing the young man moving into the back room of the kitchen, they followed behind to watch.
The butchering room was filled with dozens of fresh corpses of Magical Beasts of various types. Yun Feng also noticed a few rotting corpses set aside — most likely due to the lack of a proper butcher.
"A normal person would take roughly five hours just to debone a Low-Stage Tier 1 Magical Beast," Lady Su explained, motioning for Yun Feng to choose one. "I hope you can do it faster."
Yun Feng nodded and picked a wild boar the size of himself. It was already sprawled on the table, so he didn't need to do anything else.
Lady Su explained a few more things and then stepped aside to let him work.
Yun Feng didn't immediately start cutting. He first studied the body, checking muscle density and other things to ensure a smooth process.
After about fifteen minutes, he picked up the deboning knife and made his first cut.
[Basic Knife Skill +1]
...
The first realm of cultivation was the Body Refining Realm, divided further into nine stages. The first three stages required intense training and body tempering through various methods and postures.
At the third stage, one began to sense the Essence ever flowing in the world — a major step forward.
By that point, a Martial Artist was already far above mundane people who couldn't cultivate or didn't pursue further cultivation.
Once they completed the sixth stage, they could begin absorbing Essence from the atmosphere and storing it within their bodies.
Yun Feng had damaged Spiritual Roots — which also meant broken Spiritual Veins, the channels through which Essence flowed. It meant he could never absorb or store Essence within himself.
However, Yun Feng had persisted. He trained to the extreme and even managed to strengthen his body by forcing in Essence, reaching the 6th Stage of the Body Refining Realm.
But he hit a wall.
The 7th Stage required storing Essence — an impossible task for him.
He had tried everything. Trained until his bones broke. But he never succeeded and remained stuck at the 6th Stage for years.
This was the reason he could even be hired at the Golden Taste Restaurant. He had the strength of a Martial Artist, even if he wasn't at the peak.
He was much stronger than an average person.
When he saw the notification before him, a glint passed through Yun Feng's eyes — but he didn't stop. He continued deboning the wild boar as notifications flashed before him.
[Basic Knife Skill +1]
[Basic Knife Skill +1]
[Basic Knife Skill +1]
[Basic Knife Skill +1]
The onlookers were dumbfounded. While they were surprised to see Yun Feng doing well, they were even more shocked at how fast he improved.
At first, he made slight errors — cutting slightly off — but quickly corrected them, never repeating the same mistake.
The chefs who had been doing this work for years were especially shocked. Even with experience, they couldn't do what this young man was doing.
As for Yun Feng, he didn't glance at them and continued his work, eyes half-dazed.
'Just as I thought. It's just grinding experience for a particular skill. I'm using the knife and by repeating it, the EXP goes up. The higher it is, the better I get. It feels so natural now. This system is broken.'
He also realized the rate of EXP gain was slowing, but when he performed better — more precise movements — the EXP gained increased.
'So it depends on how I grind, huh. It's not just hitting something — I have to hit it right. The better I do, the more EXP I earn and the better I become. Damn! This is good!'
Yun Feng was thrilled, but didn't show it. He silently continued.
An hour passed. Sweat dripped from his forehead, but his eyes remained focused. He cut out the final piece of meat, then finally relaxed and let his muscles ease.
When he turned around, he found the audience staring at him with awe, especially the men and women in chef uniforms.
Lady Su took a deep breath and smiled. "Yun Feng, you're simply wonderful. You did what others take five hours for in just one."
She stepped forward. "I'd be happy to provide you this position."
Yun Feng's eyes lit up. "I'll take it. But I hope you can compromise a bit with my conditions. I'll work two hours a day, take two silvers daily, and you'll provide food and shelter."
Lady Su thought about it and agreed it was reasonable, even beneficial, as Yun Feng was accepting below-average income.
"It's very reasonable, Feng. I'd like to address you by name, if you don't mind," Lady Su said. "But I run this restaurant fairly, so I'll give you five silvers and your conditions will be met."
Yun Feng was surprised, it was better than he expected. He had offered a lower amount since he'd only work two hours.
He smiled. "Then I'll start today, if you don't mind."
It was already noon, and he wanted to include today in his work count.
"It'll be my pleasure," Lady Su smiled and called the waiter who had guided Yun Feng. "Arrange everything for him."
The waiter bowed and went to make arrangements. Lady Su gave him an identity card and two silver coins, then left.
Even the chefs left, since there was too much mess with blood and meat.
Yun Feng spent another hour deboning a different Magical Beast, washed up, and then left the restaurant, heading toward the forest.
It was time to check on the system.