Free Web NovelChapter 41: Chapter 41: Take Too Big a Stride and You’ll Easily Pull a Nut
"Mmph, mmph."
Tang Wen opened his mouth wide, devouring a meat bun in three bites.
Watching him wolf down his food, the light slowly faded from Tangtang’s eyes as she muttered something under her breath.
Zhou Bing leaned in, curious to hear what she was saying.
"Three meat buns cost ten coins. You can buy fifteen jin of maize with that. Xiaowen just ate ten coins’ worth in nine bites! Even a great Commander from the Inner City wouldn’t dare to eat like that!"
Pfft.
Zhou Bing couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Tangtang stopped and fixed her gaze on her.
Zhou Bing quickly said, "Expense it! We’ll add what Tang Wen ate to our dinner expenses from yesterday. It’s all getting reimbursed!"
"That’s wonderful! Brother, would a hundred be enough for you? Eat slowly, don’t choke. I’ll go get you some soup!" Tangtang’s eyes instantly lit up. She leaped to her feet and ran to the kitchen.
Reimbursement!
Whoever invented that word was definitely a genius, just like the Queen.
Tangtang returned with a wooden tray, carrying three large bowls of donkey meat soup and a platter of large bones.
Zhou Bing glanced at the bowl in front of her. "Hm, this can be reimbursed too."
"Twenty coins a bowl?"
"Fine."
Tang Wen paid no mind to their banter. ƒrēewebnovel.com
He took large bites of his meat bun, occasionally sipping some soup to wash it down.
After his non-stop, underwater weighted training, his Eight Vajra Techniques had once again broken through.
[Eight Vajra Techniques, Expert (11/18000)]
The Expert Level required a full eighteen thousand experience points; he had no idea how it was calculated.
That was more than the total experience needed for all the previous levels combined.
[Body: 5.5→7.5] freeωebnovēl.c૦m
[Essence: 6.08→8.08]
CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
SPIT. SPIT.
Before the two women’s astonished eyes, Tang Wen crushed a donkey bone and sucked the marrow out from inside.
Tangtang asked, "Brother, you’re not about to have another growth spurt, are you?"
Tang Wen was fifteen now and stood over five feet seven inches tall.
He was already taller than many of the adult Guards.
Before Tang Wen could reply, Tangtang glanced down at Zhou Bing’s incredibly long legs, then nodded. "Taller is better. You should strive to be as tall as Sister Bing."
Zhou Bing discreetly pulled her outstretched legs back, her brow furrowing slightly. ’Am I... too tall?’
After eating and drinking his fill, Tang Wen took a quick rinse and returned to his room to rest.
When he opened his eyes again, it was pitch-black outside.
He took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. ’I only slept for six hours and I’m already completely recovered?’
He thought about his 7.5 Physical Strength Value and 8.08 Spiritual Power.
’I guess it makes sense.’
With such powerful attributes, it would be a problem if he *couldn’t* recover his spirit and stamina quickly.
’Looks like my days of sleeping in are over for good.’
Tang Wen had started his Martial Arts Training in the water last night and continued until this evening, when his Vajra Technique finally broke through.
In total, it had taken a whole night and a day.
There were now only two days left before the competition against the Black Mountain Camp.
But it would take a full day for the battalion to assemble and travel to the dueling grounds.
That left him with only one more day to train.
’I’ll skip contemplating the Visualization Image for now. Time to go practice my fist techniques in the water!’
He wrote a note for Zhou Bing and his sister, shouldered his blade and Weighted Sand Clothing, and returned once more to the courtyard with the pond.
"Here to train again?"
The two Black Armor Gatekeepers exchanged a look, clicking their tongues in amazement.
As Night Watchers, they knew better than anyone just how cold the nights were.
"Thanks for your hard work, you two."
The Black Armored Guard shook his head and opened the gate for Tang Wen.
Tang Wen stripped off his clothes, put on the Weighted Clothing, and, under the admiring gazes of the two Guards, walked straight into the ice-covered pond.
’The water doesn’t feel as cold as it did yesterday.’
It was a sensation born from his enhanced Constitution.
’First, the Wind-breaking Blade!’
Practicing in the water while wearing the weighted Sand Robe was, to say the least, cranking the difficulty to the maximum.
After completing one set, his experience jumped by 17 points.
[Wind-breaking Blade, Mastery (2826→2843/3000)]
Furthermore, one practice session of the Wind-breaking Blade was even shorter than one for the Eight Vajra Techniques.
Tang Wen stepped into the deep section of the pond, letting the icy water close over his head.
Holding his Breath and Gathering his Qi, he swung his blade as usual.
On the surface, whirlpools swirled one after another, as if a large fish were patrolling beneath.
[Wind-breaking Blade, Mastery (2843→2861/3000)]
[... (2861→2879/3000)]
The sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
As expected, he found himself stuck at the threshold again.
[Wind-breaking Blade, Mastery (3000/3000)]
This time, however, he was prepared.
He pictured the image of a Fireball crashing into a mountain and simultaneously unleashed a fierce slash!
SWISH!
The slash tore through the surface of the water, leaving a deep gash on the stone wall.
Tang Wen pushed off with his legs, launching himself directly out of the pond, which was several meters deep!
He landed steadily on his bare feet.
[Wind-breaking Blade, Expert (0/6000)]
A breakthrough.
The Guards at the gate heard the noise and looked over, their pupils constricting. "This kid... does he seem taller to you?"
"He kind of reminds me of how the Commanders look when they’re sparring."
"Is training in the water really that effective?"
The two of them were tempted. Maybe they should give this training method a try another day.
"Excellent Sword Skill," a third voice remarked.
"Who’s there?" the two guards jumped in fright.
"Ah, General!"
"Greetings, General."
General Zhou raised a hand. "Is that Tang Wen?"
"Yes, General. Lady Zhou Bing brought him here."
"Ah, Bing’Er..." A flicker of regret crossed General Zhou’s eyes before he shook his head and walked away. "Prepare some food for him."
Tang Wen didn’t notice this interlude. He was performing his Posture Stance and entering a state of Meditation.
Fifteen minutes later, he opened his eyes to find a wooden food box beside him. Inside were roasted meat, side dishes, and porridge.
He didn’t stand on ceremony and devoured everything in the blink of an eye.
’My Sword Skill has broken through.’
’I have about one day left. I can’t waste it.’
Tang Wen leaped back into the water to practice his fist techniques.
He visualized a Fireball crashing into the mountain.
He threw a punch. The water swirled, but his fist couldn’t generate enough speed. Failure.
[Skill: Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist, Beginner (157→158/500)]
’Even failure grants one experience point.’
Visualize, punch.
The water’s resistance. Failure.
Visualize, punch, failure...
Tang Wen immersed himself in his fist practice, repeating the process over and over.
He only stopped when he was dizzy and his vision swam, his stamina utterly depleted. He crawled onto the bank, took off the Sand Robe, and changed back into his own clothes.
[Skill: Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist, Beginner (158→253/500)]
’The experience gain was far less than I expected.’
As his muddled brain cleared, Tang Wen reflected on his actions and recalled a saying: "Trying to fly before you can even walk? You’ve got to take things one step at a time. Take too big a step and... SNAP! You’re liable to tear something."
He gave a self-deprecating laugh. ’Wasn’t I just being too impatient?’
The Inch Force burst of the Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist not only consumed physical stamina, but was also extremely draining on his spirit.
Tang Wen returned home and only recovered after getting some sleep.
"The note you left said you’re not going to contemplate the Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist Visualization Image anymore?" Zhou Bing asked, taking a small sip of her tea.
Tea leaves were a luxury item, worth their weight in silver.
Forget the people of the Outer City; even the Hunting Team Members in the city rarely bought it for themselves.
"Yeah. I was biting off more than I could chew." Tang Wen picked up his teacup and stared, a little dumbfounded, at the large, coarse tea leaves unfurling within it.
’Selling tea is a truly profitable business.’
’Back on Earth, no one would want these tea leaves even if they were a dollar a pound.’
Still, he took a sip. A bitter, astringent taste filled his mouth, yet it felt vaguely familiar.
"Sister Bing, does the Guard Battalion have any Soft Armor?"
Zhou Bing gave him a quizzical look.
"You know, the kind of armor you wear under your clothes, to protect against sneak attacks."
"Er, we’ll all be issued armor to wear when we set out tomorrow."
"I know, but it’s best to have an extra layer of protection."
"Inner Armor is heavy. Our standard armor already weighs sixty jin, and you want to wear Inner Armor on top of that? ...Fine. Come with me and get a set."
Remembering Tang Wen’s freakish strength, Zhou Bing drained her tea in one gulp and led the way out the door.
The two of them went to see the battalion’s quartermaster.
"Inner Armor? Of course we have it. But it’s not light, I’ll tell you that."
The quartermaster opened the warehouse, dragged out a wooden crate, and grinned slyly at Tang Wen. "Well, kid, you want to wear this sixty-jin one? Or this eighty-jin one?"
Tang Wen didn’t answer. He simply reached out, picked up the eighty-jin half-plate of scale-like Heavy Armor, and looked at Zhou Bing. "Captain, could you pierce this with your spear?"
"I could, but you don’t have to pierce armor to kill someone."
"Understood." Tang Wen turned to the quartermaster. "Do you have anything heavier, with better Defense Power?"
Quartermaster: ...
Zhou Bing: ...
