Backyard, at Instructor Yu's residence.
Lin Chen entered and saw Instructor Yu staring at him, making him feel a bit uneasy.
"Do I have something on my face?"
After a while, Yu Yongnian finally spoke: "Have you secretly taken any medicine to boost your Qi Blood?"
"I have not taken any," Lin Chen immediately replied.
Before lifting the four-hundred-pound stone block, he had wondered if displaying this strength would arouse suspicion.
After all, it's difficult to increase one's strength to four hundred pounds in such a short time; even Lu Yongfeng and the others couldn't achieve this.
The best explanation would be that he had consumed some rare medicine.
But this thought only lingered in his mind for a moment before he dismissed it.
Rapidly increasing his strength to four hundred pounds might be astonishing, but even if it reached the heavens, it was still only four hundred pounds. In the Martial Hall, that's just the tenth place, let alone Lu Yongfeng and others who had already surpassed five hundred pounds, pushing toward six hundred and beginning to cultivate Essence Qi.
He couldn't even compare to Lu Yongfeng, let alone the noble sons in the county.
It's like a child who hasn't attended kindergarten suddenly excelling in a first-grade exam; though surprising, those in higher grades wouldn't be bothered by it.
Minor achievements aren't significant, and the little advantage he has is negligible!
Compared to concealing his weaknesses, he should showcase his talent.
Judging from the government notice issued by the Martial Affairs Office, it's clear that the government highly prioritizes nurturing young martial artists; the higher the talent, the more resources they receive.
To go further on the Martial Path, relying on the Life Chart of "Natural Progress" isn't enough; one must also have martial resources.
He can't expect to make leaps and bounds in the future just by eating a few pounds of beef every day.
That's unrealistic!
Yu Yongnian stared at Lin Chen for a moment before retracting his gaze. He believed Lin Chen wasn't lying, plus, the kind of medicine that could rapidly supplement Qi Blood isn't so easy to come by.
Given Lin Chen's family background, he didn't have such access, nor did he have the silver coins.
"Instructor Yu, could it be that I am a martial arts genius?"
Seeing the instructor remain silent, Lin Chen embarrassedly praised himself.
"Martial arts genius?" Yu Yongnian retorted with some disdain: "What makes you think there are so many martial arts geniuses? Those so-called martial arts geniuses are often cultivated at great expense."
Those martial arts geniuses are bathed in medicinal baths from a young age, consuming meat with significant Qi Blood nourishment. The expense of such treatment is something even few noble families in Poyang County can bear.
"But Scholar Jiang from our village, isn't he a martial arts genius?"
Lin Chen recalled the feats of Scholar Jiang from his original memories, wondering if Jiang was a transmigrator as well, holding the genius protagonist template.
He cultivated Essence Qi within three months of entering the Martial Hall, then joined a Martial Arts Hall; although the villagers didn't know much about his time there, he won first place in the county competition a year later and later achieved first in the Prefecture Examination and fourth in the Jiangnan Dao Martial Exam, becoming an Advanced Scholar.
"Lord Jiang had a great opportunity before learning martial arts; he cannot be discussed in ordinary terms."
Regarding Lord Jiang, everyone in Poyang County only knows his legendary martial path achievements, and due to family reasons, Yu Yongnian knew some inside information.
"Even among the few students with slightly better Qi Blood absorption abilities, the gap is limited. With some extra silver taels, one can catch up, and there won't be an insurmountable gap. In such cases, financial strength is naturally more important."
Lin Chen's face dimmed: "Instructor, does that mean for someone with an ordinary family background, it's difficult to excel in martial arts?"
"Hmm."
This "hmm" from Yu Yongnian left Lin Chen's face looking extremely grim.
Seeing Lin Chen's grimace, Yu Yongnian said solemnly: "For students from average backgrounds, if you want to go far on the martial path, you must seize every opportunity, and the current announcement from the Military Affairs Department is an opportunity for you."
"The Grand Ancestor Emperor placed great emphasis on martial arts and established the strategy of martial arts revitalizing the nation at the founding of the state. He specifically set up the Martial Affairs Platform and further created the Martial Arts Hall, Martial Arts Department, and Martial Arts Institute to exclusively train martial arts students across various regions."
"The Qi Nourishing Soup in the Martial Hall costs one hundred cents per serving. It may seem expensive, but the same effect, if placed elsewhere, would cost two hundred cents. The grain you bring is unhulled rice; after being hulled, there's a thirty percent loss, yet the Martial Hall exchanges it for rice by the pound."
"These benefits are only offered by the Martial Affairs Platform to students like you. Once you leave the Martial Hall, you won't enjoy them anymore."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly. He knew the weight conversion of rice to grain, but he didn't expect that Qi Nourishing Soup sold outside was even more expensive.
"Many students fail to cultivate Essence Qi in the Martial Hall; subsequently, it becomes very difficult to cultivate Essence Qi again. Even if they do, it's hard to step into the next realm. The reason is that once they leave the Martial Hall, the cost of practicing martial arts becomes unbearable."
Lin Chen understood the instructor's implication.
The cost of practicing martial arts in the Martial Hall was already minimal. If his family's finances couldn't sustain it, then it would be even more difficult outside the Martial Hall.
"Do you know why Lu Yongfeng and the others are striving so hard to cultivate Essence Qi within a year?"
Yu Yongnian suddenly changed the subject, and Lin Chen asked curiously, "Instructor, is there more to it than just exempting tuition fees?"
"It's impressive that you can guess that." Yu Yongnian nodded, "Those who cultivate Essence Qi within a year have a chance to receive an Opening Acupoints Pill upon joining a martial arts hall."
Seeing Lin Chen's doubtful expression, Yu Yongnian knew that this student had little knowledge about martial arts information.
"In the early body refining stage of the Martial Path, there are two and a half realms: Qi Cultivation, Opening the Acupoints, and Refining the Viscera. Qi Cultivation is considered half a realm. This distinction arises because once you cultivate Essence Qi, you can directly activate acupoints with the Opening Acupoints Pill and step into the Opening Acupoints Realm."
"The Opening Acupoints Pill is unique to the Military Affairs Department and extremely precious. Normally, after cultivating Essence Qi, it takes at least half a year to activate acupoints. The silver saved aside, the half-year timeframe alone is extremely valuable."
The last sentence from Yu Yongnian was profound. In the decades-long martial path, half a year isn't much, but in a martial arts hall, an extra half-year often determines how far one can go in martial arts!
Lin Chen's eyes brightened. He felt that Lu Yongfeng and others were spending so much silver just for tuition exemption and the vanity of cultivating Essence Qi faster, which seemed unreasonable.
After hearing Instructor Yu, it all made sense. These individuals were aiming for the Opening Acupoints Pill.
"Instructor, you mentioned there's a chance to get the Opening Acupoints Pill. How big is this opportunity?"
"The Military Affairs Department annually allocates ten Opening Acupoints Pills to each of the Eight Great Martial Arts Halls, rewarding students who cultivate Essence Qi within a year. In past years, about seventy students in Poyang County would cultivate Essence Qi within a year. As long as you don't insist on joining a full martial arts hall, you can receive the Opening Acupoints Pill."
"But there are occasional exceptions, like when the number of students exceeds eighty. This situation only occurs once every seven or eight years."
Lin Chen understood that under normal circumstances, cultivating Essence Qi within a year would likely earn him an Opening Acupoints Pill. In rare cases where the number exceeds eighty, a few unfortunate ones might not get the opportunity.
"For you, there's no need to consider the Opening Acupoints Pill right now. You should seize this opportunity, accelerate your strength growth with the Martial Affairs Office's rewards. Even if you can't cultivate Essence Qi within a year, you can still seek other rewards at the martial arts hall. The rewards for students are often much greater than those of the Martial Hall."
Seeing Lin Chen deep in thought, Yu Yongnian worried he might aim too high; the Opening Acupoints Pill wasn't what Lin Chen should focus on.
"The immediate priority is to secure the rewards," Lin Chen nodded heavily. He understood the instructor's meaning—to be grounded and focus on the reward from the Martial Affairs Office first.
The reward of three taels of silver for increasing strength by fifty catties in a month was something he was confident he could achieve.
He was initially hesitant about aiming for one hundred catties.
While saving money gradually seemed logical, knowing the benefits of cultivating Essence Qi within a year solidified his decision to secure the reward for one hundred catties in a month.
With the Life Chart of "Natural Progress," there's a chance to strive for cultivating Essence Qi within the next year.
"To pursue the rewards from the Martial Affairs Office, you should quit the cafeteria job shortly," Yu Yongnian suddenly said.
Lin Chen was silent for a moment before nodding slightly, "I'll go to Steward Zhang shortly to resign."
"Do you know why I want you to quit the cafeteria job?"
"I understand. Since I'll be taking Qi Nourishing Soup, it would seem inappropriate to enjoy the free meals from the cafeteria, as it might cause others to talk."
He realized immediately after the instructor suggested quitting his job.
Buying Qi Nourishing Soup while working in the cafeteria was akin to driving a luxury car and collecting welfare—it could easily incite resentment.
Lin Chen planned to buy Qi Nourishing Soup to increase his strength by a hundred catties, while Yu Yongnian assumed Lin Chen aimed for fifty catties and would definitely use the soup, making it unsuitable to continue working in the cafeteria.
"Go then."
"I'll take my leave, Instructor."
Watching Lin Chen leave with confidence, Yu Yongnian recalled three months ago when the young man cautiously asked for a work-study opportunity.
The power of martial warriors!
"A roc can rise with the same wind in a single day, soaring up to ninety thousand miles. Let me see how far you can go with this tailwind."