At the entrance to the alley where the Silver Wolf was being held.
"You were in there for quite a while, kid."
"Just lucky, just lucky." Tang Wen looked extremely weak.
"Look at you, scared into a cold sweat. It's getting dark, you should hurry home!"
"Right, okay, okay. I'll see you gentlemen later."
After a few simple pleasantries, Tang Wen quickly left the alley.
The moment he reached the main road, his expression changed, and he broke into a frantic sprint.
Hunger!
So hungry!
"Boss, how much for this Deer Heart?"
"Half a tael of silver. Hey, hey, hey, why are you eating it raw? You haven't paid yet!"
Tang Wen tossed him a few silver coins and continued running, gnawing on the raw Deer Heart as he went.
BANG BANG BANG!
He reached his home and pounded on the door. When it opened, he said urgently, "I'm starving, Sis! Make a lot of food! I'm starving to death!"
"Okay, okay! Why is there so much blood on your face? Are you hurt?"
"No, I ate a raw Deer Heart."
"Oh, oh! Here, chew on a radish. I'll peel one for you." Tangtang fumbled about in a panic.
After performing the Eight Vajra Techniques five consecutive times in front of the Silver Wolf, his Realm had broken through.
[Eight Vajra Techniques, Master → Mastery (9/6000)]
[Body: 2.41→3.91]
[Essence: 2.57→4.07]
A single Attribute had increased by 1.5.
"CRUNCH, CRUNCH... PTUI, PTUI, PTUI."
The radish wasn't washed and was covered in dirt, giving him a mouthful of grit.
Sweet potatoes could also be eaten raw.
"CRUNCH, CRUNCH." Tang Wen nodded in satisfaction. 'Sweet potatoes are better. They have a bit of sweetness.'
"Here, the roasted Red-beaked Sparrows are ready."
"Mhm, mhm."
"The Maize porridge is ready. Add some warm water so you don't burn yourself."
"Roasted chicken, roasted deer ribs."
Tangtang deftly handed over plate after plate of food, but inside, she was numb. 'These three birds could be traded for three pounds of Maize, this wild chicken for twenty-nine pounds of Maize, and these five whole pounds of deer ribs could be traded for sixty pounds of Maize... *sob sob sob*... Even Her Majesty the Queen's Guard Captain wouldn't dare to eat like this!'
After downing dozens of pounds of food, Tang Wen collapsed onto a chair, not wanting to move a muscle.
'That was too dangerous.'
'I almost resorted to snatching food off the street.'
'Hmm, the few silver coins I gave the shopkeeper should have been exactly half a tael of silver. I didn't take advantage of him.'
'From now on, I can't just have a breakthrough anywhere outside.'
'It's fine if I can find food, but if I can't, I feel like I'll starve to death!'
'I've heard Mutated Beast Meat is very nourishing. I wonder what it tastes like.'
'If I get the chance, I have to get some to try.'
'The meat from a Mutated Beast must have a higher energy density. Maybe a couple of pounds would be enough to fill me up.'
He gave himself a quick wipe-down, and his sister helped him wash his hair.
Tang Wen dragged his exhausted body onto the kang bed to sleep.
...
「In the courtyard.」
"Up!"
He exhaled with a shout.
Lying on a solid wooden bench, Tang Wen exerted his strength and steadily lifted a solid Iron Rod. From each end of the rod, a massive stone lock hung by an iron chain.
It was a homemade piece of training equipment; even if he failed the lift, it wouldn't crush him.
THUD!
After finishing a set of eight, the stone locks hit the ground, landing on a straw mat laid out in advance.
However, the straw mat provided no cushioning whatsoever and was smashed directly into the dirt.
After all, a stone lock weighing 600 pounds was simply too heavy!
Tangtang, in the middle of her Sword Practice in the courtyard, felt her eye twitch as she watched.
Ever since her little brother came home that day and gorged himself, he had woken up the next day stronger, and his strength had been increasing ever since.
The day the stonemason delivered a few pairs of custom-made stone locks, the donkey pulling the cart was so exhausted it was foaming at the mouth.
His body grew more robust, and his appetite grew along with it.
Tangtang's face fell. 'Why does he have to eat several pounds of meat a day? Can't he just eat Maize?'
Tang Wen: 'Of course, eating grain is fine, but who would eat grain when there's meat?'
Left with no choice, the brother and sister had to slaughter two of the argali sheep they had originally prepared as a gift for Elder Li.
[Body: 3.99→4.0]
[Essence: 4.07→4.08]
A month had passed since his breakthrough in the Eight Vajra Techniques.
Tang Wen's ten hours of arduous training each day not only increased his Attributes but also caused him to shoot up in height by more than half a head.
Although his handsome face was still a bit boyish, no one would mistake him for a half-grown kid at a glance anymore.
His tall frame and calm eyes easily made people overlook the immaturity in his features.
「Li Family Blacksmith Shop.」
Tang Wen and his sister arrived for a visit, carrying a sheep's head and some mutton.
"Brother, you're shooting up like a weed! You're almost as tall as I am!"
Li Daniu clapped Tang Wen hard on the back, his eyes full of envy.
It wasn't his height he envied, but Tang Wen's strength. Li Daniu didn't dare compare his sword skills with him at all anymore.
Not only were his techniques inferior, but a direct contest of strength would be suicide.
"Brother Tang will definitely be chosen as a Guard this year!" said the fair-skinned and dignified Eldest Sister-in-law Li, looking at Tang Wen with admiration.
Tang Wen smiled. "It all depends on my performance on the day."
Tangtang swallowed the mutton in her mouth and asked, "Brother Li, when you become a Guard, the battalion provides meals, right?"
"They do, of course they do. There's a Guard's mess hall."
Tangtang's eyes lit up. "Can you eat as much as you want?"
"Hahahaha, don't you worry, Tang Xiaomei! You can eat your fill. The Guard Battalion is full of big eaters. When I was a soldier, I saw a guy who could eat two huge basins of rice and dishes in one sitting!"
Li Daniu gestured with his hands, indicating a size as large as a washbasin.
"That's good, that's good." His sister nodded happily.
Based on her life experience, two large basins could hold dozens of pounds of food, which would be enough to fill her brother up.
"The Guard selection is in about a month. You should prepare well, Brother. If you need anything in the way of weapons, just let me know."
"Alright, I won't be a stranger, Brother Li."
"Brother, you're strong enough, your Sword Skill is good, and you even know Flying Blade and Flying Stone techniques. It would be an injustice if you weren't selected."
Li Daniu had more confidence in Tang Wen than Tang Wen had in himself.
The next day, Tang Wen took his sword and went to the Inner City to see the Silver Wolf.
"Sirs."
"Well, if it isn't you. Haven't seen you in a month. You've grown fast, you're even taller than me now."
"Not quite as tall as you, sir." Tang Wen took out ten Copper Coins.
"Be careful. That Silver Wolf has been locked up for too long. It's gone a little mad."
"Thank you for the warning, sir."
Once inside the room, Tang Wen didn't hesitate. He lifted the wooden plank covering the hole and descended the steps.
"AWOOOO~"
The wolf's howls came one after another, filled with sorrow and madness. The Intimidation from the sound waves was even stronger than before.
Tang Wen's body swayed slightly, but he continued steadily down the steps as if nothing had happened.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG
It seemed to remember Tang Wen and his aura. The moment it saw him, the Silver Wolf began ramming the iron cage even more frantically.
Tang Wen paid it no mind, simply standing still and carefully observing every detail of the Silver Wolf.
Its ears, eyes, nose, fangs, fur, limbs...
After watching for a while, he closed his eyes and tried to visualize and sketch it in his mind.
His powerful Spiritual Power allowed him to commit the Silver Wolf's entire appearance to memory.
Posture Stance, Visualization, Meditation—he performed them all in one smooth sequence.
[Health Maintenance Stance → Visualization Meditation Stance, Master (911→913→917/1000)]
The Experience Points rose rapidly.
Tang Wen was completely unaware as the image of the Silver Wolf faded in and out of his mind.
Finally, it solidified into a ferocious image, ready to choose its prey and devour it!
He opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed through them like electricity.
[Health Maintenance Stance → Visualization Meditation Stance, Master (939/1000)]
'Visualization Meditation Stance?'
'It sounds a bit more powerful than the Health Maintenance Stance. I'll have to wait until I level it up to know for sure.'
Having achieved his goal, Tang Wen left the Inner City and returned home, where he continued to train diligently every day.
In the blink of an eye, a month went by, and the day of the Guard selection arrived.
This was the grandest event in the settlement, bar none, for people from both the Inner City and the outer camps. As long as you were strong and healthy and could pay the registration fee of 10 pounds of grain or 10 Copper Coins, you could participate in the selection.
The registration fee was a barrier to entry. Originally, there wasn't one, but without it, everyone would rush to sign up.
Even old farmers in their fifties and sixties wanted to give it a try, refusing to give up no matter how the Guards tried to persuade them.
The settlement's administrators didn't have the time or energy to entertain them all, so the barrier was put in place.