Some progress

The faint scent of medicine wafted through the air.

Lin Zheyu sat against the wall, catching his breath, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He had been exercising for over an hour, and his legs felt as if they didn't belong to him.

"Horse Stance isn't working; it hasn't appeared in the skill bar," Lin Zheyu observed, checking the data in his consciousness. Indeed, there was no mention of the Horse Stance skill.

However, he wasn't disheartened. The Horse Stance was merely a foundational exercise, not a complete martial art technique. Having completed the first batch of medicinal soup, Lin Zheyu rested briefly before drinking it down, feeling warmth spread in his belly.

"I'll soak in some hot water and continue training tomorrow," Lin Zheyu decided. Continuing further would push his body to its limits, necessitating several days of rest to recuperate.

After soaking in hot water for half an hour, Lin Zheyu felt much better. Exhausted from hours of training, he drifted into a deep sleep that night.

At dawn, he was once again roused by the cacophony of the raucous rooster.

"Ah!" Lin Zheyu exclaimed, sitting up in bed. To his surprise, there was minimal soreness in his legs and waist.

"Could it be the effects of the tonic for invigorating Qi and nourishing blood?" Lin Zheyu wondered.

The storytelling sessions didn't start until the afternoon, leaving his mornings free. After breakfast, Lin Zheyu resumed practicing the Horse Stance.

This time, he persisted for about ten minutes before feeling unable to continue. After a short rest, he got up and resumed the stance.

If he didn't master the Horse Stance to sustain it for an hour within a month, Liang Song wouldn't teach him martial arts.

As time passed, Lin Zheyu found the inner city to be orderly, unlike the chaotic streets of the outer city's Baishan district. His life in the inner city had settled into a routine.

Day by day, he devoted his time to storytelling and practicing the Horse Stance. In addition to the Horse Stance, he also incorporated push-ups into his routine.

The tonic prescribed by Liang Song worked wonders. While expensive, it had its benefits. One prescription could be simmered over three days, and each day's consumption would dispel fatigue by the next morning.

In the blink of an eye, over twenty days had passed.

With intense training and a diet rich in meat and fish, Lin Zheyu's body had become much stronger. Beneath his skin, faint muscular lines could be seen.

In the courtyard, Lin Zheyu squatted down, his body moving up and down like a galloping horse. For the past twenty days, he had diligently exercised every day, pushing himself until his legs ached and trembled.

Gradually, he became addicted to the Horse Stance. Whether eating, storytelling, or simply having a few minutes of free time, he would stand for several minutes to half an hour. Even when walking, he incorporated the Horse Stance, resulting in an odd posture.

His standing time gradually increased, from less than ten minutes initially to half an hour. Now, he had been standing in the courtyard for nearly an hour, sweat soaking his clothes.

Steadily exhaling, Lin Zheyu's chest rose and fell. His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead.

"Persist!"

"It's almost time."

Lin Zheyu encouraged himself inwardly, his eyes fixed on the sundial in the courtyard, which served as a timer. It showed that there were less than ten minutes left until he reached an hour of standing in the Horse Stance.

Rustling sounds filled the air as a cold wind blew, signaling a change in weather. Lin Zheyu's body trembled more violently, and his legs started to wobble.

"Come on, just a few more minutes. Break through your physical limits and earn a unit of Source Energy in the process," Lin Zheyu kept cheering himself on.

For the past twenty days, he had maintained a balance, never pushing himself too hard for fear of overexertion. However, today, as he approached the hour mark, Lin Zheyu decided to break through his physical limits.

As time passed slowly, another twenty minutes elapsed. Lin Zheyu had already stood in the Horse Stance for an hour, but he didn't stop. He was close to breaking through his physical limits.

His face turned pale, and his body trembled even more. His legs started to sway.

"Grr..."

Lin Zheyu's face contorted, appearing somewhat fierce. He persisted for a few more minutes.

Finally, he felt as if he had broken through some barrier in his body. His spirit seemed to ascend, and in his consciousness, his Source Energy increased by one unit.

[Reward for Diligence]

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Energy: 2

Skills:

In that moment of breaking through his limits, Lin Zheyu relaxed completely, collapsing to the ground.

He looked up at the sky, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.

"Finally, I did it!"

Lin Zheyu exclaimed with joy. He had successfully reached the point where he could stand in the Horse Stance for an hour within a month, qualifying him to learn martial arts from Liang Song.

After resting for about fifteen minutes, when his muscles no longer trembled, Lin Zheyu got up and began stretching his limbs. After stretching, he soaked in a hot bath for over thirty minutes, feeling extremely comfortable.

In the afternoon, Lin Zheyu, somewhat unsteady, made his way to the teahouse.

"Are you okay?" Wu, the steward, asked with concern when he saw Lin Zheyu walking strangely.

Over the past month, they had become much closer.

Due to Lin Zheyu, the popularity of the Bidan Teahouse had soared, almost catching up to the Yixiang Teahouse. It was expected to surpass the latter soon.

The Yixiang Teahouse was the most famous teahouse in Songyi City, so Wu hadn't dared to imagine this outcome.

"I'm fine, just overdid it with the morning exercise," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.

Compared to a month ago, he had become much stronger, full of vitality, and it was hard to believe he had once been a refugee.

"Can you stand in the Horse Stance for an hour now?" Wu asked curiously.

He knew about this from Lin Zheyu.

"Almost, give it a few more days, after I've rested my body," Lin Zheyu replied.

"Congratulations then," Wu said with a smile, genuinely happy for Lin Zheyu.

The time for storytelling quickly arrived.

Amidst the enthusiastic applause of the audience, Lin Zheyu stepped forward.

Clap!

The wooden clapper sounded, and the storytelling began: "Last time, we talked about..."

Time passed, and five more days went by.

Lin Zheyu's body recovered from the sensation of muscles tearing due to breaking his limits.

"Thank goodness the guests are generous; I've received quite a bit of reward money, otherwise, it wouldn't be enough," Lin Zheyu sighed inwardly.

It had been a month of spending money like water.

As the popularity increased, Wu increased his daily wage to two hundred wen. With the daily tips, he earned nearly five hundred wen a day.

Even so, he hadn't saved much money, as most of it was spent on buying eggs, meat, and the medicinal ingredients for invigorating Qi and nourishing blood.

Dong dong dong.

Early in the morning, Lin Zheyu knocked on Liang Song's door.

The courtyard gate opened, and Liang Song wasn't surprised.

"Go stand in the courtyard; let me see how your training has progressed," Liang Song said.

"Yes."

Lin Zheyu nodded and walked to the center of the courtyard. With his legs slightly apart, he squatted down, arms stretched out, and eyes focused ahead.

Lin Zheyu's body began to move slightly up and down, like a galloping horse. The muscles in his waist and legs trembled as they exerted force, and his center of gravity shifted with the movements.

After observing for a while, Liang Song nodded in satisfaction.

The posture was very standard.

Instead of continuing to watch Lin Zheyu practice the Horse Stance, Liang Song fetched a watering can and started watering the flowers and plants in the courtyard.