Starting with Xingyi Quan, it swept across the chaotic world.

"It...it's done? It's...it's really done?"

Lu Zhiyuan was so overwhelmed with joy that he could barely speak.

"From now on, I can stay at the White Crane Martial Arts School to practice martial arts." Lu Li shared his joy.

"So you can participate in the martial arts exam?" Lu Zhiyuan asked.

"Can!"

Upon receiving Lu Li's affirmative answer, Lu Zhiyuan burst into tears of joy.

The martial arts examination, or the martial arts imperial examination, was the path that ordinary people had the best chance of changing their fate.

Once you enter high school, your identity will undergo a dramatic change.

The saying "From a peasant in the morning to a high-ranking official in the evening" perfectly describes this situation.

Moreover, those who pass the imperial examinations will receive many privileges. Even the simplest martial arts scholar can have most of his taxes reduced and his family members exempted from corvée labor.

If he were to pass the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), his future path would be...

That's something ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of.

The reason why the Lu family patriarch "bet" on Lu Heng was ultimately because he wanted Lu Heng to pass the imperial examination, so as to bring glory to the family and allow him to live a good life.

Lu Zhiyuan asked Lu Li to learn martial arts partly because he felt guilty, and partly because he knew Lu Li had the potential to learn martial arts and that if he achieved something in the future, he could exempt his elder brother and sister-in-law from corvée labor.

Surprisingly, it actually worked.

"Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes!" Lu Zhiyuan laughed loudly.

"Honey, come out quickly! Xiao Li is done!" Lu Zhiyuan called out to his wife, Han.

A short while later, Han was also called out. After learning the whole story, she couldn't hide her excitement:

"Xiao Li has really made something of herself."

Even though she was just a woman, she had heard of the power of martial artists; killing a bull with one punch was just the most basic skill of a martial artist.

While she was relieved, she also felt somewhat guilty.

You know, a little over a month ago, she had also suspected whether Lu Li was really incompetent at the martial arts school. She even mentioned it to the headmaster afterwards, but was sternly reprimanded. At first, she was a little dissatisfied, but now it seems that she was really overthinking it.

"If your stubborn old man knew that you had also broken through, I wonder what he would think," Lu Zhiyuan remarked from the side.

He remembered that incident vividly.

How can a grandfather be so biased!

Upon hearing this, Lu Li frowned:

"Lu Heng has also broken through?"

He knew absolutely nothing about it.

"It happened about a month ago..." Lu Zhiyuan looked at Lu Li with apologetic eyes.

When Lu Heng first broke through, his second brother and sister-in-law came to his shop to show off.

This matter should have been told to Lu Li, but Lu Zhiyuan was worried that it would affect Lu Li's mentality, so he kept it to himself and strictly forbade Han Shi and Yu'er from telling Lu Li about it.

"Oh." Lu Li nodded nonchalantly.

The breakthrough to Ming Jin a month ago?

That means it took four months of operation to break through.

With average physical constitution, it took four months to break through?

Lu Li seemed to sense something, and his expression immediately became subtle.

Lu Li's silence presented a completely different picture in Lu Zhiyuan's eyes.

He believes that it was his telling the other person that he had broken through a month earlier than him that caused the other person to feel hurt.

After all, he knew that Lu Li was a person who never gave up.

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Lu Zhiyuan quickly changed the subject, taking the remaining large meat buns from the steamer: "Are you hungry? Eat these buns first, I'll go cook you some noodles. If you need money later... just let me know."

As soon as Lu Li took the steamed bun, he noticed a burning gaze.

He turned his head and saw that the gaze was coming from Lu Yu'er.

Her gaze was fixed on the steamer in her hands.

"Uncle, I ate something before coming back. Give these buns to Yu'er." Lu Li smiled and handed the steamer to Yu'er, who was looking at him expectantly.

"Thank you, brother!" Lu Yu'er laughed like a silver bell, hesitated for a moment, and then took the steamer.

"You little brat, you really don't hold back," Lu Zhiyuan said, shaking his head.

Even so, a pang of guilt flashed through his mind.

I have indeed treated Yu'er somewhat unfairly, especially recently.

Although he runs a steamed bun shop, his family can't always afford big meat buns. They mainly eat coarse grains and steamed buns. Moreover, Lu Li needs money to practice martial arts, so his family has to be even more frugal. For example, he only agreed to give Yu'er a basket of meat buns today after she had been craving them for a long time.

"Uncle, Aunt, I've reached the Ming Jin level now, so I can hold a temporary position outside. Don't worry about the money," Lu Li said with a smile.

How much can you earn by temporarily taking on a job?

Lu Zhiyuan asked.

Meanwhile, Han and Lu Yu'er looked over curiously.

"It's enough for me to practice martial arts, enough for Yu'er to eat big meat buns every day, and enough for the two of you to enjoy a life of luxury in the future."

Although Lu Li didn't know much about temporary assignments, he was convinced that he could do it.

"You brat..." Lu Zhiyuan's eyes welled up slightly, but he still retorted defiantly, "Your uncle isn't old yet!"

Han stood to the side, head bowed, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes.

In any case, they all felt a sense of relief after hardship.

Lu Yu'er, however, was eating steamed buns on the side, dreaming of having even more.

……

Lu Li stayed at home for a day, helping with many chores before returning to the White Crane Martial Arts School.

It's not time to rest yet.

For him, Mingjin was not the end goal; even in the immediate future, the Wild Wolf Gang was still eyeing him covetously.

He didn't like this feeling of insecurity.

Moreover, the martial arts exam will be held in just over six months.

His goal was to pass the imperial examination for martial arts, as it would exempt him from taxes and allow his parents, who were on their way to perform corvée labor, to return home.

"According to my third uncle and the others, my parents went to the north to work as craftsmen. The danger level is not high, but there is a war going on in the north..." Lu Li sighed.

No matter what, they were his family in this life, and judging from his third uncle's description and his own memories, they were a very good couple.

"Martial arts, oh martial arts..."

Although Lu Li was not particularly clear about the rules of the martial arts exam, he did know that disciples with internal strength were allowed to participate.

The White Crane Martial Arts School alone has four disciples with internal strength, and there are many martial arts schools in Lin'an City, plus some "unaffiliated" internal strength practitioners. If you want to pass the exam with a high score, ordinary internal strength is definitely not enough.

As for himself, he was merely a newly promoted Ming Jin who had just entered the gate.

"We must hurry up and improve our strength."

At the very least, we must seize the time to break through to the Dark Force level.

Lu Li clenched his fist and entered the martial arts hall.

Inside the martial arts gym at that moment, many men were training.

The sounds of breathing and punching mingled together.

After tidying himself up and greeting a few acquaintances, Lu Li began to refine his Qi and blood.

He could feel that his understanding of Xingyi Quan was deepening.

Recently, Master Qin went out, and Lu Li also planned to take advantage of this time to practice Xingyi Quan to a certain level, and then go to ask Master Qin for further instruction on the subsequent boxing techniques and key points of Xingyi Quan.

At the same time, he was also waiting for an opportunity to take up a temporary post.

Whenever a disciple of the martial arts school breaks through a barrier, the news is spread to attract various forces to come and find disciples to take up positions.

It's a win-win situation that allows students to earn income and also increases the reputation of the martial arts school. The martial arts school is extremely happy to do it.

Therefore, Lu Li turned a deaf ear to everything else and focused solely on practicing Xingyi Quan.