"Don't just stand there, everyone! Skin it, cut the meat! This big guy should be enough to feed the whole Village for a few days."
Arlan called out.
"Oh."
A villager standing closest instinctively turned to go home and get knives to cut the meat, but as soon as he turned his head, he felt something was wrong. Was the point of this really just cutting meat?!
"Brother Asta is a hero!"
At this moment, a little yellow-haired boy summoned his courage and shouted, his voice instantly infecting everyone.
"Right! Asta is a hero! He saved the hope of our entire Village!"
A villager also shouted loudly. At this moment, many villagers who usually gossiped about Asta felt ashamed. They hadn't expected that the boy they used as a negative example would save the Village today.
"Haha, it's just a small mountain boar, everyone needn't be like this."
Arlan waved his hand, then looked at the Father and said, "Father, don't forget to cut more meat for our church!" After saying that, before he could be completely surrounded, he immediately ran toward the mountain. After all, youth waits for no one, and his cheat was to work a hundred times harder than anyone else!
"No problem!"
The Father now looked at Asta with more and more favor. It was like an owner looking at a Husky that was no longer acting up; that serious look in those eyes actually seemed quite impressive!
"System Notification: Host has killed one ordinary wild mountain boar, gaining 5 points!"
"There are actually 5 points!"
Arlan was overjoyed to hear the system notification. At the same time, he looked deep into the distant forest. Killing mountain boars was great; not only could he eat meat, but he could also earn points!
"Open the Shop!"
Arlan opened the shop. Seeing that the familiar Naruto items were still so expensive, he gave up and exchanged his points for four bottles of healing potion and ten Kunai.
"Long time no see, old friends!"
Arlan stroked the sharp tip of a Kunai, his gaze gradually becoming sharp. He casually threw it forward and to the side. The Kunai burst through the air, creating rings of white vapor before pinning itself firmly into a tree trunk. A poisonous spider about the size of an adult's fist was instantly blown to pieces by the powerful impact of the Kunai.
"I need to speed up my training. I must train my body to the point where I can open the Gate of Opening before March!"
Arlan arrived at the familiar Demon's Skull. Now his path of cultivation was very clear: the path of Taijutsu and accumulating Chakra within his body. These two complemented each other like two horses pulling a carriage; once they started galloping on the road to success, they would be unstoppable!
As for that ethereal magic, Arlan wasn't considering it for now, but he still had to drink the bitter leaf juice—who knows, a miracle might happen one day. In short, he would never surrender to fate.
"So, today's task is 600 One-Finger Zens on the thumb, 500 on the index finger, 400 on the middle finger, 300 on the ring finger, and 200 on the pinky!"
Arlan did a clean flip, supporting himself on the ground with a single thumb, his body held straight. With every bend of his arm, he placed the entire weight of his body on his right thumb. Having adjusted from yesterday, his body had gradually adapted to the One-Finger Zen, so it wasn't as painful as it was at the beginning.
Patter, patter!
As the sweat of youth poured down like rain, a timid yet unyielding set of footsteps came from outside the skull.
"How long is this kid going to wait before coming in? If he waits any longer, he won't be able to finish today's training volume."
Arlan grumbled. He had already formulated a practical plan based on Yuno's physical condition. Now it just depended on how strong Yuno's desire for youth was.
"Asta, I'm here!"
Yuno finally summoned enough courage to walk in. He knew that from the moment he stepped into this skull, his life would undergo a world-shaking change!
"Very good. Like me, start with 10 two-handed handstands!"
Arlan spoke.
"What!"
Yuno was shocked. How could this be possible! In this era where magic reigned supreme, everyone neglected physical exercise. Even many Mages of the Magic Knight Squads probably couldn't do 10 handstand push-ups!
"Since you want to break out of your shell, if you don't put in some ambition and sweat, are you dreaming?"
Arlan scolded.
"Fine!"
Yuno grit his teeth and began trying to do a handstand, but he fell to the ground after several attempts. This was simply not a movement an ordinary person could complete!
"You can lean against the mountain wall and slowly support your body up, then start exercising once you've maintained your balance. Remember, you only have one hour to complete this set of training. If you can't even finish this small challenge, then you'd better just stay hidden in your eggshell and accept your fate!"
Arlan spoke coldly.
"I won't accept my fate!"
Yuno thought of Arlan's words—"Even if it costs me my life, I will leave behind proof that I lived as a man!"—and his blood boiled. He also wanted to leave behind proof that he lived as a man!
"7..."
"8..."
"9..."
"Just one last one!"
After half an hour, Yuno was like a toddler, tremblingly bending his arms. His eyes were bloodshot from being upside down, and salty sweat even dripped into his eyes, stinging them, but he couldn't give up!
Because! He! Was also a man with resolve!
...