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

Xie An tidied up the bookstore and then hung up a sign to open for business.

Although people in chaotic times all think about practicing martial arts, Wuqiao Town is not a small town after all, and there are still some scholars. Every day, a few people come to buy books.

We have no other means of making a living right now, so we'll try to earn as much as we can, even if it's just a penny.

Xie An sat behind the counter and sorted out the accounts.

I bought several kilograms of rice, cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and pork a couple of days ago. Plus a dagger that cost two hundred coins…

After deducting the 390 coins for tomorrow's incense offerings, only 120 coins remain.

"Based on the prices of the world, rice costs 15 coins per dou, salt costs 40 coins per jin, vinegar costs 5 coins per sheng, and eggs cost 3 coins each..."

Xiaoyu and I lived frugally, abstaining from meat and clothing, yet we still spent thirty coins a day. That added up to nearly nine hundred coins a month. Xiaoyu's wages from washing clothes were barely enough for her to live on…”

As Xie An continued calculating, he couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency.

I am just too poor.

"If we don't find a way to make money soon, we'll starve to death in less than half a month."

Even if you were down on your luck in your past life, working in a factory to tighten screws or delivering food would still have given you a relatively decent life.

Ordinary people in this world mainly rely on farming for a living. Xie An's family had no land, only a bookstore. In addition, business was difficult, and he had no other skills to make a living, so he could only work as a laborer at the docks and in the homes of wealthy families, making a living by selling his hard labor.

Now that Xie An has a cheat code, he naturally doesn't want to do hard labor and has to think of a way to get ahead.

Xie An was not afraid of hardship, but he was afraid of suffering for a lifetime.

Thinking of this, Xie An stood up, took the dagger, and brandished it for a while.

Compared to the weak and limp body of the previous two days, it now has a rather sharp and powerful look.

A strength of 0.9 is close to that of a normal, strong man.

But it's far from enough to make a living by practicing martial arts.

"According to Xiaoyu, once an apprentice at Yongsheng Martial Arts School breaks through the Skin Refining stage, he can become a formal disciple. Moreover, every month, the escort agencies, caravans, and wealthy families from both inside and outside the town will go to Yongsheng Martial Arts School to select some outstanding Skin Refining disciples and give them generous rewards."

"If I can earn some money to join a martial arts school, after training in martial arts, I can easily find a job using the school's resources."

For ordinary people, it takes three to five years to develop skin, and even those with good talent need to endure it for a year and a half.

Xie An has a cheat code, so it wouldn't take him this long.

"Chen Da and Zhang Long's progress is a bit slow. I hope a third person will appear soon to practice the Sunflower Manual. Give me more feedback on their attributes. That way, I can train my skin faster and make a living."

Especially that Chen Da, he's just too useless...

This guy took up a spot but only contributed 3 progress points, what a waste of my precious seat! If I could kick this piece of trash out and replace him with someone with better physique, even an ordinary hunter, he would probably be better than him.

Ok?

Just then, Xie An sensed a change in the control panel.

He immediately put away the dagger, wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, and opened the control panel.

A line of eye-catching large characters appeared before my eyes.

[Hint: Chen Lutang, the owner of Yongsheng Martial Arts School in Wuqiao Town, has developed a strong interest in the "Sunflower Manual".]

Chen Lutang?

Isn't that the top martial arts master in Wuqiao Town?

It is said that even the second-in-command of the Dragon King Gang, Chasing Wind Quick Sword, is afraid of Chen Lutang.

Even a big shot like him has his eye on the Sunflower Manual?

Logically speaking, it shouldn't be like this...

The more skilled a martial arts master is, the more martial arts they are exposed to, and the deeper their understanding of them becomes. If they have no shortage of martial arts techniques, why would they need to cultivate a skill like the Sunflower Manual?

But upon further reflection, Xie An understood.

Back then, Lin Yuantu and Gentleman Sword were both well-known figures in the martial arts world, but they still fell into the trap, didn't they?

Even Uncle Dongfang has fallen for it.

The more skilled a martial arts master is, the more obsessed they become with pursuing higher realms of martial arts...

Xie An's heart started racing, and he stared intently at the panel.

"If Chen Lutang also falls into this trap... the feedback I get will be huge."

Based on the system's usual operation, whenever it indicates that someone is showing strong interest in the Sunflower Manual, they are almost always going to fall into its trap. It has never been wrong...

Xie An held his breath.

Just then—

Chen Lutang has castrated himself!

[Attribute points gained: 0.5]

[Sunflower Manual Progress +10]

[Sunflower Manual Level 1: 25/100]

hiss!

Xie An took a deep breath.

It should be noted that Chen Lutang had only just begun his attack and had not yet started cultivating the Sunflower Manual.

The feedback from his self-castration was so fierce; he truly is a master.

When Chen Da castrated himself, he received 0.01 attribute points; when Zhang Long castrated himself, he received 0.02 attribute points.

Chen Lutang's first move resulted in a feedback of 0.5.

A difference of ten times or even dozens of times.

The progress feedback of the Sunflower Manual is also ten times higher than that of the previous two.

Xie An knew that Chen Lutang's fate meant that the time had come for him to change his own destiny.

Xie An was not in a hurry to add more points, but instead hurriedly closed the door of the bookstore.

We're no longer open for business...

They kept a close eye on Chen Lutang's progress.

Around noon, Xie Yu returned from work and prepared a simple lunch.

Xie Yu also brought back a pancake. "The cook at the martial arts school gave it to me because I hadn't eaten breakfast. I couldn't bear to eat it, so I brought it back for my brother."

Xie An ate the pancake absentmindedly, his eyes fixed on the work surface.

Seeing this, Xie Yu assumed that Xie An was overwhelmed by the pressures of life and comforted him, saying, "Brother, I will work hard."

"Uh-huh."

Xie An nodded vaguely.

After lunch, Xie Yu rushed out to the martial arts school to do odd jobs.

Until dusk.

The panel changed again.

Chen Lutang has mastered the first level of the Sunflower Manual: 40/100

[Attribute Points +0.2]

call!

Xie An breathed a long sigh of relief.

"He's already made 40% progress in just one day. This Master Chen is truly ruthless. After castrating himself, he didn't sleep or rest, practicing diligently for an entire day! With such perseverance, no wonder he's become a master in his field."

"Today I gained a total of 0.7 attribute points."

After a brief consideration, Xie An allocated 0.6 attribute points to Strength and another 0.1 attribute points to Spirit.

Simply increasing strength won't work; I need to try increasing spirit to see what changes occur.

As the attribute points decrease to zero.

Xie An clearly felt a surge of scalding heat originating from his spine and then flowing into his limbs and bones. His muscles began to bulge and harden, and fine beads of sweat flowed from his skin's pores.

His entire skin turned bright red, as if he had been soaked in hot water.

There was a stinging, tearing sensation in my muscles.

As the stinging sensation gradually subsided, Xie An clearly felt an unprecedented power surging between the muscle contractions.

His loose, flabby physique has become completely firm and defined, with distinct muscle lines emerging.

He threw a punch casually, which surprisingly produced a series of sharp, piercing sounds.

"As expected, I've completely transformed after breaking through to level 1. Even against a strong, adult man, I can kill him with brute force."

Xie An picked up the dagger and stabbed several times fiercely, as swift as lightning.

This is no ordinary speed; it's enhanced by the first level of the Sunflower Manual's Qi Refining Technique. It far surpasses the effects of ordinary people.

Immediately afterwards, a sharp pain shot through my mind.

That was a change brought about by spiritual elevation.

My mind is noticeably sharper, and my willpower and thinking abilities have significantly improved. My control over my hands and feet is also more precise and agile.

"Just as I thought, the improvement in spirit is not only about strength, but also about the improvement in martial arts talent."

After brandishing the dagger, Xie An opened the control panel.

[Author: Xie An]

[Treasure Vault Level: Lv0]

Current martial arts level: None

[Current Martial Art: Sunflower Manual, Level 1, 55/100]

【Strength: 1.5】

【Spirit: 0.6】

【Speed: 0.5】

[Attribute Points: 0]

[Number of students who studied the Sunflower Manual: 3 (Chen Lutang, Zhang Long, Chen Da)]

[Zhang Long has mastered the first level of the Sunflower Manual: 12/100]

[Chen Da's Sunflower Manual, Level 1 Completed: 3/100]

Chen Lutang has mastered the first level of the Sunflower Manual: 40/100

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

"As expected, my progress is the sum of these three. However, they've already reached their limit, and the system no longer displays anyone else practicing the Sunflower Manual. I wonder what this 'head' signifies. If someone more powerful than Chen Da and Zhang Long appears, could they replace these two…?"

"It's only dusk. Chen Lutang should be practicing the first level of the Sunflower Manual. He should get attribute points back tomorrow morning."

"I feel like I'm no less formidable than Scarface Liu, but why is my martial arts level still stagnant?"