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After returning home, Chen Guanlou first spent an hour on his saber techniques, then another two hours practicing the Tianchan Treasure Technique.

The Longevity Dao Fruit could offset the physical damage from cultivating internal energy techniques, but the agony of the process itself could not be negated. He had to endure it in its entirety. The feeling was beyond words. If not for his astonishing willpower, who the hell would willingly suffer like this?

He dreamed of having a Martial Vein.

He'd heard that for those with a Martial Vein, cultivating internal energy techniques came as naturally as water forming a channel, exceptionally smooth. He couldn't imagine what that experience was like and could only be truly envious.

Occasionally, he would comfort himself with the thought that while the heavens had opened a door for him, they had also shut a window.

By the time he finished, his body was so drenched in sweat it looked like he had been fished out of water.

He simply stripped naked and drew water from the well to wash himself.

He was the only one home, and with no tall buildings around, he had no fear of being seen.

What was comforting was his rapid progress in the Tianchan Treasure Technique; he had already successfully cultivated it to the third layer. Combined with the saber techniques from the transport guild's manager, even ordinary saber skills became formidably powerful in his hands, enough to split a tree trunk with a single strike. He wondered how many moves he could last against a 1st Rank Martial Artist and what his chances of winning might be.

He was truly curious!

He might have to find someone to spar with sometime soon.

His biggest headache was still the Ascension Record, especially the saber manual in its final pages, which he coveted greatly.

It was infuriating. He had, after all, graduated from a decent university in his past life, his grades consistently in the top five percent, yet in this life, he was practically semi-illiterate. After a few years of study, he could read and write well enough to be a government clerk, yet he couldn't understand the Ascension Record! Who could he even complain to?

No!

He had to find a way to conquer the Ascension Record as soon as possible.

...

Chen Xiaolan's father-in-law, Su Dacheng, had a paternal cousin who ran a private school and was known as Master Su.

In his youth, Master Su had been quite the renowned young prodigy. He not only became a Xiucai at a young age but also possessed a Martial Vein, with his heart set on entering Jixia Academy.

Just as it seemed Master Su was on the path to success and the Su Family to prosperity, an accident struck. His Martial Vein was destroyed, turning his Jixia Academy dream into a fantasy and ruining his future in an instant.

From then on, Master Su fell into decadence and cynicism, preferring to be a waste of space rather than pull himself together. In the span of one or two decades, a brilliant young man degenerated into a greasy, useless middle-aged wreck.

It wasn't until his parents passed away and his family lost its livelihood, facing the very real threat of starvation, that he was forced to act. Perhaps having finally come to terms with the hardships fate had dealt him, Master Su finally accepted his lot. He left his home and, with the help of relatives, opened a private school.

Though his reputation was in tatters, the fame of his scholarship still lingered among the neighbors. Seeing the prodigal son return, they were convinced and willingly entrusted their children to his tutelage.

And so, the private school was established, earning enough to feed and support a family.

A matchmaker seized the opportunity to introduce him to a pretty widow who came with two children from her previous marriage.

Master Su readily agreed.

After establishing his career and starting a family, the widow bore him two more children. With her previous two as well, the house was now bustling with four children, giving it an air of lively prosperity.

Around noon, Chen Guanlou arrived at Master Su's house carrying a slab of pork belly.

Master Su's wife was not yet forty, but perhaps because she was well-cared-for, she looked younger than her age and could be considered a beauty. Back then, given Master Su's prospects, he could have easily married a young, unwed maiden. There were plenty of poor families in the countryside who would have given away a daughter for a small betrothal gift.

The reason Master Su had chosen his wife, despite her being a widow with children, was her pretty face and graceful figure. As for the two extra mouths to feed, he could afford them.

In any era, beauty and good looks are scarce commodities.

"You came, that's enough. No need to be so polite." Master Su's wife chided him for the expense, but her hands moved quickly. She snatched the pork belly and, weighing it, could tell it was at least five jin. She nodded in satisfaction.

"My apologies, Mistress Su. I felt it wouldn't be right to visit the Master empty-handed," Chen Guanlou said with a smile.

"Nothing to be sorry about. The Master is in the study, go on in. I'll fry up a couple of dishes to go with some wine, you two can eat and chat."

"Meat! We're having meat!" Master Su's youngest son shouted with glee.

His mother, finding his behavior disgraceful, scolded him in front of Chen Guanlou. "You shortsighted little brat! Do I not feed you on normal days? Scram! Scram! Don't get in my way while I'm working."

Chen Guanlou: ...

What a pity that such a pretty woman had such a mouth. Her beauty instantly diminished by half.

Chen Guanlou found Master Su in his study.

The private school seemed to be doing well, allowing Master Su to live a comfortable life. His desk was even made of rosewood, and judging by its patina, it was an antique.

When Chen Guanlou had been living with his older sister, Chen Xiaolan, at the Su Family's home, he had studied at Master Su's school for two years. Master Su was, in every sense, his teacher.

It was only natural for a student with questions to consult his teacher, right?

He had already memorized the entire Ascension Record. Now, he jumbled the order and randomly picked out four-character phrases to ask Master Su about.

Master Su was delighted to see his former student still dedicated to learning. He answered his questions diligently, even explaining the literary sources of the characters.

Chen Guanlou took up a brush and noted everything down—the faintest ink is better than the sharpest memory. He planned to stop by a bookstore on his way home to buy the reference texts Master Su had mentioned, so he could study them in his spare time.

"I heard you took over your father's post and are now working in Tian Prison. I feared you would become mired in such a lowly profession and forsake your learning. I am very pleased that you have come to consult me today. The sea of learning is boundless; it is wonderful that you continue to study even while in Tian Prison. But if the opportunity arises, you must leave that pit as soon as you can. Don't waste your life there."

"Thank you for your teachings, Master. But you are aware of my family's situation. For the sake of putting food on the table, Tian Prison is fine."

"You, you... If you had only studied a little harder back then, you might have passed the examinations and earned an official position. If you needed to make money, you could have found work in a merchant house. There was no need to go to Tian Prison."

Chen Guanlou smiled. "Working for a merchant house is also seen as a lowly profession by the world. Since both are considered base, Tian Prison involves fewer troubles and less of the world's complicated politics. Relatively speaking, Tian Prison is better."

"You..." Master Su was deeply displeased. While both were lowly professions, working for a merchant house was clearly more respectable than being a guard in Tian Prison. Prison Guards were seen as unsavory characters who, aside from flexing their authority and extorting money within the prison walls, were cursed behind their backs as people who would die without descendants. At least a merchant's money was clean.

Seeing Master Su's rising anger, Chen Guanlou quickly placated him. "I know you are concerned for me, Master. It's just that I'm already in Tian Prison. For as long as I am a Prison Guard, I must do my duty for the day. As for what comes next, we'll see when we get there."

Hmph!

Master Su remained unsatisfied and continued to lecture, nagging incessantly even through the meal. He seemed desperate to scrub Chen Guanlou's brain clean and forcefully implant his own worldview.

Chen Guanlou paid it no mind. He had achieved his goal for the day and had paved the way for future consultations. He ate and drank his fill, offering only noncommittal grunts in response. The moment the meal was over, he wiped his mouth, bid a hasty farewell, and fled.