Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

The surrounding students gathered around.

"How much?" someone asked.

"The grocery stores outside sell them for five pence a can, and you have to check the quality," Canavie said, holding up four fingers, his eyes gleaming. "I have connections; it'll only cost four and a half pence! I'm bringing them for everyone, purely to make friends, not to earn travel expenses!"

"Give me two cans."

"I want a can too."

The sounds of copper coins and silver shillings clashing echoed throughout the room.

Although the Iron Cross Club members were clearly divided into classes, most of those who could afford the ten pounds tuition fee came from relatively well-off families.

In order to sense that damned "qi" more quickly, no one would be stingy with a few dollars.

Kanavi frantically gathered the coins, grinning to reveal a set of white teeth.

He was clearly a natural businessman; his movements as swift as a seasoned croupier handled the money.

Soon, he circled around and came to the corner.

Hey buddy.

Kanavi moved closer to Xiren, his body reeking of a mixture of cheap tobacco and sweat. He shook the can in his hand, the sloshing sound of the liquid inside seeming almost tempting.

"Look at your physique, you've been working out really hard. Want a can? To help you recover, Mr. Ryan's class this afternoon won't be easy."

Xilun looked up and glanced at the can of goat milk.

The white label, printed with a grazing goat, is indeed a common mid-range product on the market.

"No."

Xilun waved his hand: "I don't like drinking milk."

Kanavi paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Siren's clothes, which were neat but obviously worn.

He didn't press the matter, and nodded with a warm smile: "Okay, then call me anytime if you need anything next time."

Watching Kanavi turn and leave, Xiren let out a soft breath.

Several other students, who were also dressed in similarly shabby clothes, awkwardly avoided Kanavi's gaze.

Poverty is like a chronic disease, making people unable to stand up straight in this city filled with coal smoke and steam.

Xilun stood up and walked to the window.

Since we can't afford supplies, we can only rely on willpower to persevere.

He gripped the ground with both feet, tucked his tailbone in, and stretched his spine like a taut bow.

Inhale—

After several cycles, the sensation of Qi was still nowhere in sight.

"Give."

A cold object suddenly pressed against his cheek.

Xilun turned his head sharply, his muscles tensing instinctively.

Kanavi had returned sometime earlier and plopped down next to Siren.

"take it easy."

Kanavi held a slightly deformed tin can in his hand, with a corner of the label torn off, revealing the rusty tin inside.

He lowered his voice and leaned close to Xilun's ear like a thief.

"The boss has some leftover stock. This batch of milk has a damaged label, and..." He pointed to a line of small print on the bottom of the can, "it's only three days away from its expiration date."

Xilun squinted.

"so?"

Kanavi grinned, a sly glint in his eyes: "The effect is the same whether you drink it or not."

He held up one finger and waved it in front of Xiren.

"One penny."

"For just one penny, this jar is yours."

Xiren's heart skipped a beat.

One penny!

He gave Canavie a deep look.

Thanks.

Without any pretense, Siron pulled a worn-out copper penny from his pocket and pushed it over.

The transaction is complete.

Canavie tossed the penny up and caught it, then casually stuffed the can into Siron's arms.

Xilun pulled the tab.

laugh.

The sound of air pressure being released.

He tilted his head back and took a big gulp.

The liquid was somewhat viscous and had a strong muttony smell. It wasn't as sweet as I had imagined; instead, it was slightly sour.

But the moment the liquid slid down the esophagus, the burning sensation in the stomach was quickly soothed.

Xilun drank the entire can of goat milk in one go, not even letting go of the few drops left at the bottom.

As my blood sugar rose, my previously weak limbs regained their strength, and the anxiety-inducing emptiness was finally filled by more than half.

"call……"

Xilun crushed the empty can and felt as if he had come back to life.

"You're from the Greywater River docks, right?"

Kanavi leaned back in his chair and asked casually, "I see calluses on your hands; those are from carrying heavy loads. Only the rough hemp ropes used at the docks would leave such marks."

Xilun turned his head to the side, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Hmm," he replied briefly.

“My dad used to be from there too,” Kanavi said, slapping his thigh with interest. “But that was ten years ago. Later, he saved up money to get baptized, became a baptized person, and worked as a shop manager in the commercial district. I can get these cheap goods now thanks to him.”

It turns out he was a "second-generation" person. Although he was only a low-level second-generation, he was still much better than a pure laborer like Xilun.

"Your name is Xilun?"

Kanavi didn't seem to mind Celen's coldness and continued the conversation, "That's quite a rare name. It doesn't sound like one of those common names like 'Jack' or 'Bill' from the downtown area."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xilun's face as if searching for something.

"Your surname is Yao, after your father's?"

Xiren's expression remained unchanged, not even a flicker of emotion in his eyes. He simply shook his head slowly.

"no."

Kanavi stroked his chin thoughtfully: "It's rare to see children with their mother's surname, but it's not uncommon..."

In this era, only nobles and citizens had respectable surnames; children in the lower city mostly had only one lonely given name.

"I took my grandmother's surname."

Xilun interrupted his speculation.

He turned his head and looked at the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the center of the training room, where the sunlight outside was pale and glaring.

My mother died last month.

Xiren's voice was eerily calm, as if he were stating something trivial that had nothing to do with him. "It was probably last month, but I can't remember the exact date."

Kanavi scratched his messy brown hair, seemingly realizing the tense atmosphere, his eyes darted around for a moment, and then he abruptly changed the subject.

"Um, well... Mr. Renn is really strict."

Canavi sighed dramatically, trying to cover up his slip of the tongue with a complaint, "I guess it's because he trained a genius like Robert who can develop strength in three days, which made him have some unrealistic fantasies about us ordinary people."

Siren paid no heed to Kanavi's offense; his attention was drawn to the name.

"Robert only took three days?" Siren asked.

"Yeah, three days." Kanavi shrugged, a hint of sourness in his voice. "That guy is a real monster. He already had a foundation in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, and now he's practicing breathing techniques. His talent is truly extraordinary. He's the strongest among Teacher Ren's group."

Xilun nodded thoughtfully.

To develop strength in just three days is truly the speed of a genius.

"However," Kanavi lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "developing strength and truly mastering the feeling of qi are two different things. You're still a long way from truly getting started."

Xilun frowned: "What do you mean?"