With a smiling face, he rubbed his son's head, and Charles Wright said, "From now on, don't say things like 'eating gives you strength.' That's just the way things are. You're already grown up—if you keep saying that, people will laugh at you. If anyone asks, just say you were born with it."

David Wright nodded, half-understanding, but in his little mind there was a vague feeling that this strength probably wasn't something he was born with. However, his father was the most knowledgeable person in the village—the one who had set up the mechanism that saved the whole village—so what he said couldn't possibly be wrong.

The new rice was soon steamed, and David Wright, delighted, filled a bowl and ate every last grain under his father's loving gaze.

But soon, his expression turned odd.

For the past month, every time after eating meat porridge, a wave of warmth would rise in his belly. When that warmth spread throughout his body, he would feel extremely comfortable, and his strength would increase accordingly.

But this time was different. After eating a full bowl of rice, he found that he couldn't feel any warmth in his belly at all.

For David Wright, who had gotten used to that warmth, this was a truly terrible feeling.

Seeing his son's dejected face, Charles Wright asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Was the rice undercooked?"

"The rice is cooked, but this time eating didn't make me any stronger," David Wright replied honestly.

Charles Wright couldn't help but laugh and scolded, "You little rascal, you're obsessed with getting stronger! Who ever heard of getting stronger from just one meal? Don't say things like that anymore, or people will laugh at me, Charles Wright, for not teaching my son properly."

David Wright nodded, feeling wronged. Although Charles Wright was usually very loving, whenever his father mentioned "not teaching his son properly," David Wright knew he had to obey unconditionally.

Otherwise, the consequences would be quite serious.

This was a lesson David Wright had learned over ten years of battling with his little butt against the cold bamboo board—a truly unforgettable experience.

Looking at his son's crestfallen face, Charles Wright couldn't bear it. He stood up, took out a piece of well-cooked bear meat, and brought it over, saying, "This is the meat for tomorrow's porridge. If you're still hungry, go ahead and eat it."

David Wright didn't dare argue and swallowed the piece of bear meat in just a few bites.

Immediately, his eyes lit up. As soon as the bear meat entered his stomach, he once again felt that familiar warmth, and this time, it seemed even stronger than before.

In an instant, a strange thought popped into his mind.

Could it be that his increase in strength wasn't because of eating rice, but because of eating bear meat?

"How do you feel?" Charles Wright looked at the amount his son had eaten in one sitting and felt a bit worried—was it possible to eat too much? Even he didn't have such a good appetite.

David Wright opened his mouth, wanting to share his thoughts, but remembering his father's earlier warning, he felt a burning sensation on his backside.

"I feel great... I'm full."

Rubbing his little belly, David Wright did feel a bit uncomfortably stuffed.

Charles Wright nodded in satisfaction and said, "Alright, go get some rest. Get up early tomorrow—the village chief will officially start teaching you martial arts."

David Wright exclaimed in surprise and delight, "Dad, you really agreed to let me learn martial arts?"

Charles Wright said slowly, "Your constitution wasn't very good before, so even if you learned martial arts, you wouldn't have achieved much. It was better to follow me and become a carpenter, pass down the craft, and make a living. But now that you've developed and have this strength, you might as well give it a try."

David Wright nodded excitedly, suddenly filled with boundless anticipation for tomorrow.

Chapter 6: Remember This

At the break of dawn, David Wright had already climbed out of his warm bed.

Dark circles hung under his eyes—he'd been too excited last night and couldn't sleep at all.

In the village, although everyone practiced martial arts before becoming a hunter, only William Clark and Thomas Miller had been chosen by the village chief for personal instruction.

The rest inherited their skills from their families, which was enough to make them hunters, but it was hard to go further and become the highly respected master hunters.

It wasn't that Jason Clark was being stingy with his skills, but because very few people had the talent to cultivate internal martial arts. If someone without talent tried to practice, nine times out of ten it would be a waste of effort. Worse, if someone with insufficient talent forced themselves to train in internal martial arts, it could actually harm their body and do more harm than good.

Among the next generation of the entire Dalin Village, having two people receive the inheritance was already a very surprising result.

When David Wright used to play with William Clark and Thomas Miller, he was quite envious of their ability to practice internal martial arts. Although he had begged his father many times, Charles Wright always firmly refused.

After all, practicing internal martial arts did carry some risks.

But now that he had received the village chief's approval, Charles Wright finally agreed.