I'll write a manual called the Sunflower Manual, and the entire martial arts world will turn in

Xie An excitedly returned to the long table in the living room and sat down, staring at the panel and waiting for further feedback.

Zhang Long is, after all, an apprentice at Yong Sheng Martial Arts School, a martial artist close to the level of skin-refining, so his training speed should far exceed that of Chen Dacai.

However, after waiting for quite a while, there was still no change on the panel.

Snapped.

Xie An slapped his forehead.

"I was too hasty. He just castrated himself; he's probably busy treating his wounds, how could he have time to practice his skills..."

Xie An cleared his mind of distractions, looked at the extra 0.07 attribute points on the panel, and without hesitation, added them all to Strength.

As soon as the thought was uttered, the attribute points immediately dropped to zero, then transformed into streams of heat that flowed into all the muscles of the body, spreading throughout the limbs and bones.

Compared to the previous minor increases, the heat flow brought about by this increase is quite obvious.

Xie An's skin became hot and red, with fine beads of sweat seeping out from his pores.

Scalding hot, shaking.

It took a full quarter of an hour for the heat flowing through my body to gradually subside.

Xie An got up and stretched his limbs, clearly feeling that his limbs were much stronger and more powerful. His previously loose and flabby body had also become somewhat more solid.

This greatly excited Xie Anchang.

You see, the original owner of this body spent years hunched over her desk studying, lacking exercise, and with inadequate nutrition, her body was so weak that she couldn't even compare to her peers. The best way to replenish her qi and blood in a short period of time was to buy some expensive medicinal herbs and ingredients.

But now their family is so poor they can't even afford to eat, let alone anything else.

Fortunately, Xie An had a cheat system, and he could gradually make up for his physical deficiencies by using attribute points.

Current martial arts level: 0

[Current Martial Art: Sunflower Manual, Level 1, 3/100]

【Strength: 0.58】

【Spirit: 0.5】

【Speed: 0.5】

[Attribute Points: 0]

[Number of students learning the Sunflower Manual: 2 (Chen Da, Zhang Long)]

[Note: Due to the low level of the treasure vault, it can only absorb feedback from the top 3 users.]

"I gained 0.08 strength points in one night. It's not much, but it's not bad either. And the market has only just started today, so I might even make some money."

Although it was a good start, Xie An was not overjoyed.

As a seasoned bookworm, Xie An knew very well that the complete Sunflower Manual included the four levels of Qi cultivation in the upper part, the seventy-two sword techniques in the lower part, the four basic acupuncture methods, and elixir formulas.

Even though Uncle Dongfang was exceptionally talented, it took him nearly ten years to master the Sunflower Manual to an invincible level.

It is clear that the Sunflower Manual is not a quick way to achieve success.

The hastily compiled work was the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual," written by Lin Yuantu based on fragments of the Sunflower Manual and incorporating his own understanding. It became famous throughout the martial arts world for its seventy-two forms of the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique.

Later, Lin Pingzhi and Gentleman's Sword only spent a few months practicing hard and they had already mastered swordsmanship.

"What I distributed last night was the first level of the Qi Refining Technique from the upper part of the Sunflower Manual, which I imagine is a relatively slow cultivation method. Relying solely on the feedback from Chen Da and Zhang Long, I'm afraid the effect will be limited, unable to significantly boost my combat power in the short term, let alone allow my stats to exceed 1 in the short term."

A strength score exceeding 1 means that one's physical abilities surpass the average level of their peers.

Spirit should be related to talent; a score exceeding 1 means one's martial arts talent surpasses that of ordinary people. Coupled with the advantage of speed... even past the golden age of martial arts training, there is still a chance to experience a second spring.

"I need to go and find out about the talented martial artists in Wuqiao Town in private, and find a way to get them to practice the Sunflower Manual. That way, the feedback will be much faster."

Xie An's plan for the future became increasingly clear in his mind.

The most urgent matter is the incense money three days from now.

The protection fee of nearly four hundred coins per month was by no means a small sum for the impoverished Moxiang Bookstore.

"Brother, come and have breakfast."

Xie Yu came over carrying two bowls of thin porridge mixed with vegetable leaves.

Last night's porridge still had some white rice in it, but today's porridge has turned into yellowish rice bran. There was no salt added, so it's not filling at all, and it's practically inedible.

Even so, Xie Yu still added more rice bran to Xie An's bowl.

"Brother, I'll go to town later to see if I can find a tailor's job. If that doesn't work, I can do laundry; at least I can make a living. But the Dragon King's gang comes to collect incense money every month. I asked Brother Zhao Hu to write a few letters for help to the clan in the suburbs, but there's been no response. Maybe you could go to Baiyun County in the suburbs to borrow some money from the clan..."

As he finished speaking, Xie Yu lowered his head, his voice tinged with timidity.

Xie An's father, Xie Zhengtang, was not born into an ordinary farming family; otherwise, he wouldn't have opened a bookstore to educate Xie An despite the difficulties of running a business.

Xie Zhengtang was born into a moderately wealthy family in Baiyun County, with ancestors who had produced scholars. Influenced by this scholarly family background, Xie Zhengtang passed the imperial examinations at a young age and became a clerk in the Huanglei City government office. After ten years of service, he finally secured a place for his original self at the Bailu Academy in Huanglei City. However, his grandfather insisted on giving this place to Xie Yunfei, the son of Xie An's eldest uncle, arguing that Xie Yunfei was exceptionally intelligent and had a talent for martial arts. For the sake of the family's overall development, the place should be given to the most promising person. He planned to help Xie An later once Xie Yunfei made a name for himself.

The father had a big argument with the family over this, and then took the original owner of the body to Wuqiao Town to make a living, severing all ties with his family.

Three years passed, and Xie Yunfei became a scholar who passed both the civil and military examinations, and then became a constable in Baiyun County. But the matter of helping him out was never mentioned again.

Three days ago, her father was attacked by a water monster, and the original owner of the body also fell ill and could not get out of bed. Xie Yu, a fourteen-year-old girl, was at a loss and asked Zhao Hu to write several letters for help to her clan in Baiyun County, but they all disappeared without a trace.

Having lived two lives, Xie An was well aware that the so-called family... was full of scheming and could not be relied upon.

"never mind."

A cold glint flashed in Xie An's eyes. "I don't like to eat my food by having to please others."

Xie Yu was taken aback. She looked up at her brother and was struck by a change in him. This usually mediocre brother seemed different than before. Then she wondered, if her brother didn't want to be at the mercy of the family... could it be that he was planning to sell her?

In such chaotic times, during years of famine, refugees are everywhere, and it is not uncommon for people to exchange children for food, let alone sell their children.

Xie An looked at his sallow and thin younger sister and said, "I'll sell the stationery in the house first; that should get me a few coins."

Xie Yu immediately became anxious, "The writing implements in the bookstore were bought by Father at great expense, hoping that my brother would pass the imperial examination and make a name for himself. They are the lifeblood of our family, and we absolutely cannot sell them... I will go to Mama Jin and sign a contract of servitude later."

"In such chaotic times, what's the point of taking the imperial examinations? If we're going to take one, let's take the military examinations." After finishing the last mouthful of rice porridge, Xie An ran to his room to pack up his writing materials, leaving only an old wolf-hair brush and ink.

As the rain subsided, the town's market gradually came alive. Shops opened for business, and peddlers from nearby villages set up stalls along the street, hawking their wares.

Xie An visited several secondhand goods stalls and finally sold the Four Treasures of the Study for eight hundred copper coins.

That is, eight qian of silver.

This is enough to prove that the saying "poor scholar, rich warrior" is relative, and studying can also be an expensive endeavor.

Xie An set aside 400 coins as incense money, then used the remaining copper coins to buy two catties of pork. Afterwards, he went to Zhang's blacksmith shop in town, intending to buy a dagger for self-defense.

Shop owner Zhang Wei was acquainted with his father, and waved to Xie An as he approached, "Mingxi's here. I just saw you sell your writing implements; are you not planning to study for the imperial examinations anymore?"

Mingxi was Xie An's courtesy name.

Xie An nodded: "Yes. The town is becoming increasingly unsafe these days, so I plan to learn martial arts. I'll buy a dagger for self-defense first."

The broadsword is certainly nice, but Xie An is currently short of money and cannot afford it.

Zhang Wei picked out a nearly new dagger. "This was sold by a defeated soldier a while ago. Take a look."

Xie An took the dagger and examined it. It was a foot long, double-edged, and although it had some rust, the material looked very tough, and its sharpness was intimidating.

"How much is this?"

"We're all old acquaintances, and it's an old dagger, so I'll give you two hundred coins."

"Alright, here's two hundred coins for you."

Zhang Wei accepted the copper coins and muttered, "If you ask me, a good man should take up weapons and learn martial arts. Not only can he protect himself, but he can also do some manual labor to make a living. Why bother with all that nonsense? Is that official hat something a poor family's child can wear?"

"Uncle Zhang is right."

Xie An tucked the dagger into his sleeve and turned to leave.

This dagger wasn't just for self-defense. Xie An was thinking that if Scarface Liu dared to come and make a move on Xiaoyu again, he would kill that bastard as soon as he mastered the Sunflower Manual.

Walking among the bustling crowd, Xie An overheard passersby discussing the Sunflower Manual.

"I wonder which benefactor in the martial arts world would dare to publicly spread the Red Serpent Fairy's unique martial arts skills."

"That Crimson Serpent Fairy dominated the martial arts world of Cangzhou, her name resounding throughout the land. It turns out she relied on practicing the Sunflower Manual. But this thing requires self-castration, which is incredibly ruthless."

"I heard the storyteller say that the Red Serpent Fairy was as beautiful as a fairy. I originally thought that the female demon was just good-looking, but it turns out that she was originally a man... Tsk tsk tsk, the world of martial arts is truly full of wonders."

"My neighbor, Old Wang's son, was crying and making a scene this morning, wanting to cut himself up. It scared Old Wang half to death, but thankfully Old Wang stopped him."

"Regardless, this person's public disclosure of the Crimson Serpent Fairy's unique skills has given countless poor families a glimmer of hope to rise above their circumstances through martial arts. He can be considered a benefactor of the martial arts world..."

Xie An remained silent for a long time after listening.

It is said that public opinion is a fearsome thing.

In just half a day, he had become a benefactor of the martial arts world...

Furthermore, rumors have spread that the Crimson Serpent Fairy was actually a man...

Hopefully, that Crimson Serpent Fairy won't hear about such rumors. If she comes to Desolate Thunder City to find the source... that would be troublesome.

However, Xie An remained calm.

Four thousand miles apart, the rumors won't spread so quickly. Even if Fairy Chilian arrives in Desolate Thunder City, no one will know she's Zigan. Who knows, she might already be past puberty by then.

Just then, Xie An sensed movement on the control panel again...

[Zhang Long has mastered the first level of the Sunflower Manual: 4/100]

[Chen Da's Sunflower Manual, Level 1 Completed: 1/100]

[Attribute points gained: 0.08]

[Sunflower Manual progress increased...]

[Sunflower Manual Level 1: 5/100]

"It can also display the other party's progress...and Zhang Long's progress is improving very quickly."

"My progress is equal to the sum of the two people's progress? And I still have 0.08 attribute points..."