"Big brother has the strength of the fifth level of Body Tempering, is willing to work hard, and is a small leader at the docks, managing over a hundred people under him. In fact, he earns quite a bit of money. By rights, after all these years, it shouldn't be difficult for our family to move into a more spacious single-family courtyard. Yet now, the place we live in is even worse than that of the average dock worker." Henry Young lifted two buckets of water.

"Why?"

"Because of me."

"My martial arts talent is extremely high. In terms of talent alone, looking across the entire martial academy, probably no disciple can match me, and I also train very diligently."

"But, in martial arts cultivation, just having talent and diligence isn't enough. You need money."

"A lot of money."

Henry Young poured the water into the water vat.

"Body Tempering, at its core, is about refining the body. If you don't get enough nutrition, the harder you train, the more your body suffers. That's the real reason why, even though commoners make up the majority of the population, so few martial artists come from them."

"If you have no money, how can you cultivate?"

After fetching the water, Henry Young led the two little chubby kids into the house, and suddenly saw the pile of unwashed clothes stacked to the side.

The clothes were all very old.

"Big brother often works at the docks even during the New Year. He wears the same coat for three or four years and can't bear to replace it. Sister-in-law can't buy new clothes all year round, let alone get any accessories. Many of Xiao Hao's clothes are altered from the ones I wore when I was eleven or twelve."

"All just to save money, so they can buy me pork, chicken, and duck every day to supplement my nutrition."

"I eat meat, and they let me eat as much as I want. Now I can eat ten jin in one meal."

"Eating meat is just the simplest way to get nutrition."

"Some wealthy nobles not only eat spirit rice freely, but also buy the flesh and blood of powerful demon beasts and spiritual medicines."

"Ever since I entered the Blazing Fire Hall, sister-in-law has often gone to buy spirit rice. The price of one jin of spirit rice is equal to a hundred jin of regular rice, just so I can improve faster and temper my body more quickly."

From a distance, Henry Young saw his sister-in-law cooking.

"Father and mother died long ago."

"My only family left are my brother, my sister-in-law, and..." Henry Young looked down at the two sturdy little kids: "Little Harold and Little Monica."

"I must."

"I must get into the County Academy, become a powerful martial artist, and earn lots and lots of money..."

"By then, big brother won't have to work so hard, sister-in-law can rest, and Little Harold and Little Monica can receive the best education and grow up in the best environment."

Ever since he was twelve, when he saw with his own eyes how hard his big brother worked at the docks in Donghe County, and understood the sacrifices his brother and sister-in-law made, Henry Young truly grew up.

For the sake of cultivation, except for handling some necessary matters, Henry Young spent most of his time every day at the martial academy, unwilling to waste even a moment, and treasured every bit of food.

When eating rice, not a single grain was left.

When eating meat, even the bones were chewed as much as possible.

Because all of this was earned by big brother's hard work.

Many martial academy disciples complained that cultivation was dull and boring, but Henry Young never once complained about hardship or exhaustion.

Hardship?

Sister-in-law has it even harder.

Tired?

Big brother is even more tired.

Fortunately, he was exceptionally gifted from a young age, and with his relentless hard work, after several years of cultivation at the martial academy, he successfully entered the Blazing Fire Hall, and even among the thirteen disciples of the Blazing Fire Hall, he was considered top-tier.

Now.

He was only one step away from the County Academy.

Chapter 8: Immortals and Demons of the Nine Provinces

Henry Young poured the water into the vat, took out some wooden toy blocks from the inner room for Harold Young and Monica Young to play with in the outer room, and then took some copper coins to buy two bundles of firewood from outside the alley and carried them back.

Living in the city, firewood had to be bought.

A large bundle of firewood weighed over a hundred jin. If Henry Young didn't carry it, it would be extremely difficult for sister-in-law to bring it back.

After finishing these chores,

Henry Young returned to the outer room, leaned against the window, sat on his bed, and carefully took out the well-wrapped book from before. On the cover were four gilded characters: "Immortals and Demons of the Nine Provinces."

This book is published once a month, and each issue costs five taels of silver. In all of Donghe County, only Wanxiang Tower sells it. Though expensive, Henry Young's master Young Tower subscribes every month.

As a disciple, Henry Young naturally took on the responsibility of picking up the book for his teacher.

And at the same time...

He could take a look in advance.

A little perk.

Rustle~ Henry Young opened the first page of "Immortals and Demons of the Nine Provinces."

"In the world, there are five domains. The Central Domain is vast and rich, with outstanding people and spiritual land, and is the foremost of the five domains, thus called the Central Plains."

"Since Emperor Chengyang rose up to resist the demon race and established the first human dynasty, the Great Xia, dividing the Central Plains into nine provinces, more than six thousand years have passed."

"The six thousand years of human history is a history of war with the demon race. The demon beasts are innately stronger than us humans. They live in every corner of the five domains and four seas, hostile to our kind, and over the long years, have launched wave after wave of beast tide wars..."

"But, as the great river flows east, it cannot wash away the blood of human heroes."

"Six thousand years of glory, since Emperor Chengyang, our human race has produced one powerful immortal after another, fighting for our survival, rising up for our race. For example, three thousand years ago, the 'First Ancient Divine Lord' crossed the eastern ocean, traversed the Kunxu Mountains, reached the Eastern Domain, and with a single spear swept through all the demon gods of the Eastern Domain, ultimately founding the second nation of our human race..."