The meat was fragrant. After a year, his cooking skills had improved significantly.
The aroma was rich, the saltiness just right. The working students never got tired of eating it.
For Xiao Wu, who had just arrived in a human city and had never tasted human food before, everything she'd eaten before now seemed like garbage.
She ate with a glowing face, her skin shining with oil.
Tang San felt the same.
He had lived with Tang Hao for six years, often not having enough to eat.
If it hadn't been for Village Chief Jack helping them from time to time, he might have starved to death.
At first, he barely got by on milk, and when he grew older, they couldn't afford proper food.
For three to four years, he'd only had pickled vegetables and plain porridge, to the point where he had nearly forgotten the taste of meat.
Now, tasting this, he actually felt a bit emotional.
They ate heartily.
Tang San's impression of Fang Ling, someone he had just met, became more favorable.
Fang Ling ate the last piece of meat from the container.
Seeing that everyone had put down their bowls, he said, "Hand me the bowls. I'm going to clean the container anyway, so I'll wash all the bowls too."
"Thanks," Tang San handed over his bowl and thanked him again.
All he ever wanted was to study hard. Though the gatekeeper was nasty, he was lucky to have met a teacher he respected.
Now, even in the dorm, there was someone who gave him braised meat for free, things were looking up.
Was his luck finally turning?
Speaking of protection, did working students face discrimination at the academy?
Tang San pondered.
Xiao Wu was a bit dazed.
Fang Ling softly called, "Sister Xiao Wu?"
She snapped out of it and quickly handed over her bowl.
As the dorm leader, she also responded quickly, "Thanks. Do your thing. I won't interfere."
"Great, that's for the best."
Fang Ling nodded, stacked the bowls in the lunchbox, and left.
But instead of showering immediately, he just washed the bowls and returned them.
Then he headed to a small grove in a secluded corner of the academy.
It was a remote spot in Nuoding Academy. The soil was loose and often muddy, with a strange stench. It was easy to step in mud, so people rarely came here.
The regular students, who liked to stick together and keep up appearances, definitely avoided this place.
But Fang Ling didn't mind. He wasn't afraid of dirt. He had no spirit beast, nor did he fear wild animals.
If he stepped in mud, he just washed it off.
He liked practicing his self-created scythe techniques alone here.
The trees were his designated targets.
Each time, he would aim at the same spot and swing with full force.
The blade hit the tree with a dull "thud."
Even if he couldn't develop the specialty he envisioned, he could at least improve his compatibility with the scythe and make it easier to use.
He wasn't good at fighting, and hadn't studied much in his past life either, but he understood one simple truth: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Without collecting small streams, you cannot form a river or sea."
As long as he kept practicing, he'd gain something.
After about half an hour, he put away his martial spirit and stopped.
Recalling the agile movements of Tang San and Xiao Wu earlier, he began to try moving around in the grove.
Combat wasn't just standing still and attacking, it wasn't about taking turns.
Just knowing how to use a scythe wasn't enough.
Others could move; they wouldn't just stand there and let you hit them.
That meant you needed footwork, fast reflexes, and the ability to dodge attacks and strike back at the right moment.
Tang San's Ghost Shadow technique was great for close combat, but it wasn't something Fang Ling could obtain.
So he had to try developing his own.
If his body could be agile and coordinated enough, he might be able to match the effect of Ghost Shadow.
Practicing on muddy ground offered a lot of resistance, perfect for this purpose.
But the result?
Branches scratched him all over.
His prosthetic leg got stuck in the mud. He couldn't dodge in time and crashed into a tree head-on, getting a large bump on his forehead.
His nose started bleeding.
He looked battered, his forehead swollen, nose bleeding like a snake winding down, his body covered in scratches from branches.
On top of that, from falling several times, he was covered in mud and stank terribly.
He looked like he had been bullied by other students.
Holding his nose, and enduring the looks of disgust from passersby, he limped back to Dorm Seven.
Time to shower and get a change of clothes.
Might as well wash the dirty ones too.
This time, he got a bit too excited thinking about footwork and forgot to take proper safety measures.
He'd prepare better next time.
He would tie some old cotton clothes to the trees.
And upgrade the prosthetic.
Wood wasn't good enough.
The tip was thick enough for walking, but the smaller surface area created too much pressure and sank into the mud easily.
Maybe he should attach a board to the bottom, or switch to metal?
It would last longer, but also be heavier.
Fang Ling pondered this as he carried a bucket and his clothes to the communal bath.
A month later.
Tang San had already acquired his spirit ring. Xiao Wu had become a Spirit Master.
Fang Ling had gone to watch a fight between working students and senior students.
The battles were exciting, and he learned a lot.
As expected, Tang San arrived late and shocked everyone by revealing his spirit ring.
Xiao Wu had already become the queen of the academy.
The working students could finally relax.
For Fang Ling, other than not having to sweep floors , not much else changed.
One afternoon, it was time to slaughter pigs again.
Since there were classes in the morning, Fang Ling only had time in the afternoon.
As he hurried to the slaughterhouse, he was lost in thought.
His scythe technique was still at the same level.
He hadn't made much progress in a year, so one more month didn't change much.
But his footwork had improved a lot.
At least he no longer crashed into trees like before.
He had chopped away some branches deeper in the grove to avoid scratches.
He tied worn cotton clothes to the trees.
Added padding to his joints and wore thicker clothing.
Falling didn't hurt as much now.
So he could push himself harder.
Before long, he arrived at the slaughterhouse alone.
He took off his school uniform, changed clothes, and headed to his workstation.
As he approached, he greeted each person.
"Grandpa Liu, Uncle Wang, Uncle Li, Uncle Huang, good afternoon. I'm here."
The last three were burly and tough, skilled pig butchers.
Hearing his greeting, even while preparing their tools, they smiled back at him.
"Little Fang Ling, good afternoon."
Grandpa Liu happily waved him over. "Hey hey, our little Spirit Master genius is here!"
"Level 1 innate spirit power isn't that impressive," Fang Ling just chuckled, letting him pat his head.
"From level 1 to level 4 so fast? In two more years, you'll be a real Spirit Master!"
Amid the squealing of pigs, they chatted on while continuing their work.
Their words were full of happiness, genuinely glad to see a Spirit Master rise from their slaughterhouse.
They were ordinary people with no spirit power, never able to train.
Spirit Masters were always distant and powerful.
But now, a familiar young Spirit Master was growing before their eyes.
It was something to celebrate, there'd be a feast soon!
Fang Ling smiled, listening to their chatter.
They talked about a fallen Spirit Master nearby, how the Spirit Hall had sent people to hunt him down.
Or which noble in the Empire had taken another concubine.
Or how the Star Luo Empire and Heaven Dou Empire were at war again, Heaven Dou was losing ground, and the Spirit Hall was trying to mediate.
Fang Ling would occasionally join the conversation.
At that moment,
Bang!
A dull thud rang out.
One man's rope suddenly snapped mid-tying.
The pig struggled violently, freeing a hoof in an instant.
Having brushed death, it went berserk. Even though it had been starving for a day, it fought back with all its strength.
The others quickly tensed their muscles to hold it down.
But how could human strength beat a frenzied pig that had smelled blood?
"Not good, this beast broke loose!"
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