William Walker glanced indifferently at Samuel Bennett: “What you’ve paid is only enough for you to study for a year. After a year, you’ll no longer be my disciple…”

There weren’t many people who came to William Walker to learn martial arts. Compared to the bustling crowds at other martial arts schools, his place could even be called deserted.

The reason for this wasn’t just his executioner background, but also because his fees were very expensive.

Apprenticeship was expensive, and being a disciple was even more so.

And it was charged on a yearly basis.

It was precisely because his fees were so high, and every day he only had people push tofu, slice winter melon, and chop firewood, that Samuel Bennett had started coming less and less.

Paying someone just to do chores—if this happened in his previous life, he’d have been strung up on a lamppost.

“Alright.”

Samuel Bennett took a deep breath, stepped forward, and reached for the broadsword.

“So heavy—how am I supposed to slice tofu with this?”

Samuel Bennett’s expression changed.

His physique was much stronger than other boys his age, so he could lift this fifty-pound blade, but even just walking with it was exhausting.

How was he supposed to push tofu?

“Hurry up.”

William Walker yawned and urged him on.

With no other choice, Samuel Bennett gritted his teeth and walked into the kitchen.

William Walker’s courtyard wasn’t large. Aside from the small martial arts training ground in the main yard, the biggest area was the kitchen.

At this moment, on the chopping board as big as a door, there were at least three to five hundred pounds of tofu.

“Slice it all.”

William Walker gave a brief instruction and went straight back to his room.

“Whew!”

Setting down the broadsword, Samuel Bennett relaxed his arms, took a deep breath, then lifted the blade again, holding it parallel to his forearm.

He began slicing tofu.

With his two rounds of blade training experience, Samuel Bennett naturally had no problem pushing tofu, but after slicing less than ten pieces, he was already at his limit.

He put down the blade and gasped for breath.

“No good, it’s too heavy…”

Leaning on the broadsword, Samuel Bennett looked around to make sure no one was there, then quickly swallowed a few pebbles. His strength recovered a little, and he started pushing again.

And so, over and over, by the time he had sliced all the tofu into thin sheets, Samuel Bennett was nearly collapsed on the ground, drenched in sweat.

Swallowing pebbles could restore a bit of strength, but after all, they were just stones, not senzu beans—his muscles still ached.

After resting for quite a while, Samuel Bennett finally dragged the blade out of the kitchen. By now, there were already a few people scattered around the courtyard.

David Miller was among them, practicing strength by pushing a stone roller.

Seeing Samuel Bennett dragging the blade out of the kitchen, he immediately laughed: “Junior Bennett, is my blade working out for you?”

Before Samuel Bennett could reply, William Walker’s scolding voice came from inside the house:

“What’s this? Giving up already?”

Clang.

Samuel Bennett dropped the blade and rubbed his wrist. “I’ve finished slicing it all.”

“All done?”

William Walker stormed out, cursing, “You brat, you didn’t ruin my tofu, did you?”

As he spoke, he was already in the kitchen.

Samuel Bennett watched, his eyes lighting up slightly. William Walker was over sixty and had a lame leg, but his speed was still very fast and smooth.

“Could that be some kind of lightness skill?”

Samuel Bennett forgot his soreness, curiosity stirring in his heart.

If there was any martial art he wanted to learn most, it was lightness skill. He just didn’t know if it was like what he imagined.

“You sliced all this?!”

When William Walker came out again, his expression had darkened. He looked at David Miller: “Did you help him?”

“N-no, not at all.”

David Miller stumbled, almost dropping the stone roller on his face.

“You really did it yourself?”

William Walker’s expression improved, but he was still a bit incredulous.

Pushing tofu was just basic training, but this kid’s basics were a bit too solid.

“Yes.”

Samuel Bennett felt a bit tense, but still nodded.

He had no intention of hiding his skills. First, his abilities weren’t anything special among the group, and second, given his current situation, it wasn’t suitable to hold back.

Only by showing himself appropriately could he earn others’ respect.

“Junior Bennett, you used my blade to push tofu? And finished it all?”

David Miller came to his senses, put down the stone roller, and went to the kitchen to take a look.

When he looked back at Samuel Bennett, his gaze had changed: “Good kid, I really misjudged you…”

Having forged the blade himself, David Miller naturally knew how hard it was to use it for slicing tofu.

He had ten years of experience slaughtering pigs, but it still took him three years to use this blade for tofu. Samuel Bennett had only been learning the blade for about a year, right?

“Not bad.”

Seeing all the disciples gather around, William Walker reluctantly gave a comment, then turned to head back inside: “Come earlier tomorrow, no need to slice tofu.”

Samuel Bennett quickly nodded.

With his back turned, William Walker stroked his beard, but his eyes were still a bit puzzled.

How did I not notice this kid was a prodigy before…

For the rest of the day, Samuel Bennett hung out with David Miller and the others, either building strength or practicing blade techniques, until he went home at dusk.

The small bag of pebbles he carried was already finished.

That night, Samuel Bennett continued to ‘refine’ the broken blade.

Perhaps because he now had a foundation, or maybe because the hardest part was getting started and it was easier after that, Samuel Bennett’s refining progress advanced by leaps and bounds.

Very soon, he had surpassed the halfway mark.