Chapter 3: Oath and Proof

  At dinner time, his mother kept putting dishes into his bowl as if he had just returned from afar.

  To outsiders, Lin Heng's failure to pass the basic assessment of a warrior five times made him a useless waste, not even comparable to a weak-minded person. But in her eyes, Lin Heng was just their son, and had nothing to do with honor or strength. As long as he recovered his normal mental state, returned to being a normal person, she would be happy and joyful. This is kinship, something that cannot be exchanged for anything else.

  "Little brother, eat this chicken leg. Look at you, you've been sick for so long and have become so thin!" Lin Qingrong was originally married out, but her husband Zhou Zepeng had reached the middle of the first rank, a well-known strongman in the village, and was hired by a big shot in Qingniu Town as a guard. He rarely stayed at home, and Lin Qingrong was pregnant, so she came to her mother's house to stay for a while. Besides, the two families were not far apart, and she didn't have to worry about being lonely.

  "Mom, I want a chicken leg too." Lin's three-year-old niece Ying'er pointed at the chicken leg and said in a soft voice.

  "Ying'er, be good, this is Uncle's chicken leg. Look, Uncle is so thin, if he doesn't eat the chicken leg, he won't gain weight. Tomorrow, Mother will save one for you."

  Ying'er, although young, was sensible and blinked her long eyelashes, saying in a soft voice: "Yes, thank you Mother. After Uncle eats the chicken leg, he'll have energy, can go hunting, and become a warrior. Then Ying'er will have chicken legs to eat every day."

  Lin Qingpeng didn't expect her daughter to mention this matter, and she couldn't help but feel a little worried as she looked at Lin Heng. This younger brother had been calm and composed when talking about "Wu Zhe Yin Zheng" during the day, and was heading in a good direction. But it wasn't necessarily true that he could really be carefree and unaffected, completely clearing the shadows from his heart.

  Moreover, Lin Qingrong also thought that Lin Heng had been sitting at the door every day this month, staring blankly, and not going anywhere. This was also related to his five consecutive failures in the assessment, which everyone knew about, and people from all over were talking about it. So the four words "Wu Zhe Yin Zheng" became particularly sensitive. Today she tentatively mentioned it, and he responded, but she didn't know if her mention of Ying'er would stimulate his sensitive nerves.

  Lin Hang put the chicken leg in Ying'er's bowl and said slowly, "Ying'er is really clever, Uncle Chicken Leg will reward you. Don't worry, even if there's no chicken leg to eat, at the Dragon Festival ceremony three months later, Uncle will definitely become a warrior one hundred percent! The Lin family doesn't have any useless trash, and I won't let Ying'er have an uncle who is a useless trash that people look down on."

  He seemed to be speaking to Ying'er, but more so to his mother and sister beside him. Now that things had come to this point, he couldn't help but argue for the sake of his family's reputation. If he failed six times, he would face a cruel outcome, but what was worse was that his family members would definitely be affected by his failure and lose face in front of others, which was something he could not accept. Therefore, he also meant to express his determination here, so that his family would know that he would definitely strive hard to live up to their expectations.

  He looked at Lin Hou with a loving and affectionate gaze: Now that things have come to this, we'll just have to make the best of it. We've already prepared for the worst-case scenario, which is to move our whole family away from Qili Gou. As long as our son can recover normally and live a happy life, that's all that matters. If he can pass the test and stay here, that would be ideal, after all, this place has his ancestors' legacy and ancestral lands. But if not, at most we'll just wander around and drift from place to place, as long as we have our son, there's still hope.

  Lin Hang looked at the expression in his mother's and sister's eyes, knowing that they didn't believe he could pass the test, but were afraid of hurting his self-esteem, so they endured and didn't say anything. The dim light reflected on Ying'er's delicate and lovely little face, her small hands clumsily holding a chicken leg, biting into a piece of oily chicken skin, crunching away.

  He didn't explain either, because after repeated failures, any comforting words in any language seemed pale and powerless.

  In Lin's heart, he had absolute confidence that he could pass this test. This was not only because he was no longer the previous Lin, but also because he discovered that after crossing over, he possessed a special ability.

  This ability is full of strangeness, and if it weren't for his own trial, he wouldn't have believed it would appear on his own body.

  The body of Lin Yang in front of him was thin and didn't possess the martial skills of this world, but he had a mysterious function that once activated, passing the test wouldn't be difficult.

  "Your father will be back in a month or so after this trip to the mountains. If he sees you've recovered normally, he'll definitely be delighted. By the way, if we get some good spotted bear pelts later on, I won't sell them. I'll make a fur coat for you, and keep it for next winter when it's cold... your body is weak... can't stand the chill..."

  Lin Hang listened to his mother's endless chatter, and a warm current spread throughout his body. The woman in front of him was already over 40 years old, wearing a simple old shirt with thick patches, but she had never spared any expense for herself, instead worrying about others. Not to mention anything else, just the fact that this body shared the same blood as his mother made him regret his past recklessness.

  The bright moon is like water, Lin Huan lies on the pit, his mother is afraid that he will catch a cold, and adds a few pieces of dry firewood to the bottom of the pit before closing the door and leaving.

  Lin Heng did not sleep, but instead picked up his father Lin Yao's "Practicing Tendon Method", slowly opening it.

  The world that Lin crossed into was a world that revered martial arts. In this world, there were hundreds of billions of ferocious beasts, wild birds, and fiends scattered in every corner of the continent. If humans wanted to survive, they had to be strong, possessing martial power comparable to that of the beasts.

  The most important thing is that while cultivating martial arts skills and physical fitness, one can also extend one's lifespan. For example, ordinary people may live to be only 70 or 80 years old, but a first-rate martial artist can live to be over 100 years old, and a second-rate martial artist, if not for accidents, can live to be over 150 years old. Just this point alone is a huge temptation for Lin Yang.

  This is also nonsense, as long as one is human, who doesn't wish to live a few more years!

  Lin Yaosu gave him, in addition to "Practicing Tendon Method", also "Practicing Skin Method", "Practicing Bone Method", "Practicing Qi Method" and "Practicing Spirit Method" and other five books. This is not some profound martial art, but basic martial art. As long as you successfully verify it, you can learn these things and become a true martial artist.

  If you can't even get it right, then that means you're not ready to practice these things yet. Forcing yourself will only end in your own destruction.

  The martial arts of this world emphasize the cultivation of both internal and external skills. In other words, in addition to cultivating one's physical strength, spiritual energy, and breathing techniques, one must also learn martial techniques and engage in combat using various moves.

  For example, the martial skill "Dragon Slaying Eight Styles" is a basic martial skill and also the lowest grade of martial skills. Newly formed warriors usually learn this.

  To display martial skills in combat, it must be based on the user's inner foundation, that is, the unique energy possessed by the warrior.

  The practice of a martial artist, apart from the usual hard work and dedication, can also be accelerated with the use of large amounts of medicinal herbs, spiritual elixirs, and secret techniques to temper one's bones. These medicinal herbs are extremely precious and ordinary people have no way of obtaining them. Even if they were able to get their hands on them, the recipes for the various tempering potions would still be unknown. All these secrets are in the grasp of those powerful families, great clans, and high-ranking sects.

  His father left these few books of mind method, not to let Lin Huan practice, but to take a look and familiarize himself with the steps of martial arts cultivation. Maybe, it can make him break through the shackles early and verify through martial arts. This is also a common practice among various families before their children are verified. Of course, he must be reminded not to secretly practice, because without going through martial arts verification, one cannot receive the baptism of martial arts. Once practiced, it will inevitably lead to explosion and death, which has been an unchanging law for hundreds of years.

  What is meant by baptism is the meaning of medicine bath. When the verification is passed, it indicates that the person's physical strength and spiritual consciousness have reached the standard of cultivation. However, martial arts cultivation is a kind of physical transformation, with great danger, especially in the early stages of cultivation. Therefore, after the verification is completed, these martial artists will be gathered together to undergo collective medicine baths. Through the medicine bath, the body's energy is constantly strengthened, adapting to the intensity of cultivation, and of course, the body absorbs the nutrients of the medicine during the bath, which is also beneficial for future cultivation.

  The medicine and materials used in the medicinal bath are extremely precious and rare, with a staggering price, which is also why it can only be verified once a year.