Chapter 28: Ten Years of Reading, Improving Cultivation Technique Level
The oxcart wheels clattered rhythmically against the uneven ground.
Xu Ning sat comfortably on the cart, a long-lost sense of ease and freedom on his face.
"Being a doctor is really tiring," he couldn't help but complain to Tie Dan. "There's never a moment's real rest."
Mainly, besides seeing patients, Xu Ning had many other things to do: practicing martial arts, cultivating thatch and trees in secret, and tending to his collection of upgraded herbs.
Even with his rule of not seeing patients in the mornings, there still wasn't enough time in the day to do everything he needed.
It was also because of these constant demands on his time that the thatched hut hadn't been upgraded to a mortal-grade divine quality for so long.
Fortunately, he had successfully cultivated mortal-grade legendary thatch before leaving. He could take the roots with him—they were currently stored safely inside the thatched hut.
Once he moved to a new place, he could replant them and harvest continuously to feed the thatched hut for its final upgrade.
Also, the manure bucket had been upgraded to mortal-grade legendary level. This allowed the herbs he cultivated to also reach mortal-grade superior quality.
Once these herbs reached the superior mortal grade, their effects not only increased several times over, but they also developed some miraculous new properties.
For example, the Yellow Tiger Thorn, originally only used to treat liver ailments, developed thorns that could activate blood vessels and meridians after upgrading. Xu Ning often used them as acupuncture needles with remarkable results.
The fledgling eagle, Yingying Monster, had also reached the superior mortal grade. It was now even larger and more magnificent than its mother.
To avoid attracting attention, Xu Ning had locked it in the thatched hut before leaving, then shrunk the hut and taken it with him.
"Xu Ning, where are we going next?" Tie Dan asked Xu Ning while pulling the oxcart steadily along. "Open another clinic somewhere?"
Xu Ning shook his head upon hearing this. "No way. I don't actually have that much time to dedicate to treating patients. I need more time to help you guys level up and cultivate properly."
"So, as usual, let's find a secluded place to live in seclusion and continue to keep a low profile."
Tie Dan suggested, "How about finding a remote mountain forest deep in the wilderness? No people at all."
Xu Ning shook his head again. "No, I need to buy things regularly, like iron and supplies. So I need a place close to a market town or city."
Aside from other things, the pig iron used for upgrading his hoe, kitchen knife, and axe required frequent but small, discreet purchases.
Back in Baiyi Village, because he was so busy with patients, Xu Ning never had the chance to buy these items consistently. As a result, his axe and other equipment remained stuck at the upper-grade mortal level, not even reaching the highest mortal grade.
And so, Xu Ning and Tie Dan traveled at a leisurely pace each day, enjoying the journey.
One day, a few months later, the two of them arrived at a peaceful mountain village. From within, they could hear the clear, rhythmic sound of children reading aloud.
"Old Tie, how about we stay here for a while?" Xu Ning suddenly spoke up, listening to the sound.
Although Tie Dan didn't understand why this particular village appealed to his master, he obediently led the oxcart towards the village.
After some discreet investigation, Xu Ning learned that the village was called Prodigy Village.
The village had been named after a child prodigy named Qiao Hexuan. He had passed the provincial examination at the age of ten and become a student of the imperial examinations. The village was renamed "Prodigy Village" in his honor.
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However, despite his early promise, Qiao Hexuan had failed the higher-level provincial examinations repeatedly for over thirty years.
This once-celebrated prodigy became a subject of ridicule. He grew depressed, spending his days drinking and wasting his life away in bitterness.
Later, after years of despair, Qiao Hexuan had returned to his home village and opened a private school. He made a vow to teach a child prodigy who would finally pass the imperial examinations and live up to the village's name.
However, after seven or eight years of teaching, the school hadn't produced a single successful student. The local children were simply not interested in the grueling path of examinations.
After learning more about the situation, Xu Ning decided to buy a small house and a plot of land in the village, settling down temporarily.
His years of practicing medicine had accumulated a considerable fortune of about five hundred taels of silver. Spending a few taels on land and a simple house was no burden for him.
After settling in, Xu Ning found a secluded spot in the nearby forest to plant his legendary mortal-level thatch and continued to cultivate legendary mortal-level trees.
Whenever he had free time, Xu Ning would go to the private school and quietly audit the classes from outside.
This was, in fact, the real reason Xu Ning had chosen to stay here.
His cultivation techniques could be upgraded by reading and absorbing knowledge. By staying here, he could study the classics and improve his techniques.
Life returned to a comfortable routine. Xu Ning lived a very structured life every day.
He would get up in the morning to practice martial arts, then tend to his trees and thatch in the forest. In the afternoon, he would go to the private school to listen to the lessons.
Sometimes in the evening, Xu Ning would walk to the blacksmith shop in the nearby county town to discreetly buy small amounts of pig iron.
However, these were troubled times, and iron was a controlled material. Xu Ning dared not buy it frequently, nor did he dare to buy too much at once, for fear of attracting unwanted attention.
In this way, three months passed in the blink of an eye.
One day, Qiao Hexuan suddenly approached Xu Ning, who was as usual auditing classes from outside the private school. "You seem to truly enjoy reading?" the old teacher asked.
It had been many years, and Qiao Hexuan could not remember the last time he had seen someone so devoted to learning, so hungry for knowledge.
Most families in the village could not afford to support their children to study for long. Generally, when they reached a certain age, they would give up their studies and help with farm work.
Therefore, most students' goals were already set from the beginning: after learning some basic literacy and arithmetic, they would go back to the fields. They never even thought about participating in the imperial examinations.
Although Xu Ning looked to be almost twenty, Qiao Hexuan believed that ambition knows no age. As long as one had the interest and dedication, there was always a chance.
Xu Ning nodded honestly. "I do. I truly enjoy it."
This wasn't Xu Ning lying. He genuinely liked it now. During his time auditing classes, Xu Ning had discovered a significant improvement in his martial arts comprehension.
His Vajra Indestructible Divine Art and Snow Shadow Step had both reached the eighth level. If he could reach the ninth level, they would become the most powerful martial arts manuals in the world, techniques worthy of a Grandmaster.
Therefore, Xu Ning was very dedicated to his studies. His attitude towards reading, something he had hated most in his previous life, had completely transformed.
Qiao Hexuan nodded gently, a rare smile on his weathered face. "Then you can attend classes inside the private school from now on, like a proper student. I won't charge you any fees."
Xu Ning was surprised and grateful. He immediately cupped his hands in a formal bow and sincerely said, "Thank you, sir. I am deeply grateful."
From that day on, a striking new student appeared at the private school. He looked older than the other students, yet he was by far the most diligent and focused learner.
Later, as he became more familiar with Qiao Hexuan, Xu Ning grew bolder. He wasn't content to just listen to lectures. He began to borrow books from the teacher's personal collection regularly.
Sometimes he would even immerse himself in Qiao Hexuan's study for hours, completely absorbed in his reading, losing track of time.
Unbeknownst to him, ten years had passed since Xu Ning first arrived in Prodigy Village.
He had gone from a wandering refugee to a respected, long-term resident of the community.
Three years ago, Xu Ning had successfully cultivated his three core techniques to the fourth level of mastery. And today, after a decade of study, they broke through again, reaching the fifth level.
If he could break through to the sixth level, he would become a true master of the Innate Realm.
The reason for this rapid progress was simple. Xu Ning felt that as he improved his techniques through study, his understanding of the underlying principles deepened. This, in turn, increased his cultivation speed significantly.
Another indispensable factor was the thatched hut. It had finally reached the Divine Grade of the Mortal Realm.
Indeed, with Xu Ning continuously feeding it mortal-grade legendary thatch over the years, the thatched hut had finally achieved mortal-grade divine quality.
This was the highest quality Xu Ning could currently upgrade it to within the mortal realm.
After reaching mortal-grade divine quality, the thatched hut's functions were greatly enhanced. Not only did its core effectiveness increase several times over, but it could also change size at will. It could even float in the air after being fed enough energy. And most usefully, it could become invisible to the naked eye.
In the thatched hut's own words, mortal-grade legendary was something that only existed in the legends of the mortal world. A treasure beyond imagination.
As for divine quality... that was something else entirely.