Grinding to Become the Martial Saint of the Mortal World

"Little Doubao, let's go!" Jiangning stood up and took Jiang Yuanyuan's hand. 

"Dudu, eat eat!!" Little Doubao's face lit up with joy. 

Entering the main hall, Jiangning saw his sister-in-law, Liu Wanwan, already seated. 

Though dressed simply, Liu Wanwan carried an air of elegance. Her beauty and grace were far beyond that of an ordinary woman. 

Even in her plain attire, she stood out, not at all like someone weighed down by the daily grind of household chores. 

On the round wooden table in front of her were four bowls of thin porridge. In the center of the table was a plate of pickled vegetables and a dish of freshly cooked greens, still steaming. 

"Sister-in-law, where's big brother?" Jiangning asked as he sat down with Little Doubao. 

He glanced at the bowl of porridge in front of him. Today's porridge seemed even thinner than usual. 

He said nothing, knowing that the recent spike in grain prices had left the family with little to spare. 

"Your brother is still at the yamen. He said he'd be back for lunch." 

Jiangning nodded and fell silent. 

A moment later, Jiangning finished his porridge. 

"Sister-in-law, I'm done eating," he said as he stood up. 

"Wait!" Liu Wanwan called out, stopping Jiangning as he was about to leave. 

Seeing Jiangning's puzzled look, Liu Wanwan turned and picked up a gray shirt from behind her. 

"I've mended your shirt. Take it and put it on." 

"Later, bring out your dirty clothes, and I'll wash them for you." 

Jiangning paused for a moment before calmly taking the mended shirt from her hands. 

"Thank you, sister-in-law," he said slowly. 

After Jiangning left, a teenage boy emerged from the house. 

"Guoguo, come eat your porridge!!" Little Doubao patted the stool beside her and shifted her upper body on the table to make room for the boy, who was around thirteen or fourteen years old. 

After handing over his dirty clothes to his sister-in-law and finishing his chores, Jiangning returned to the small courtyard. 

[Immortal and Deity Compendium] 

Looking at the book Little Doubao had brought him, Jiangning felt a surge of excitement. 

With this book, his Literacy skills would soon reach a breakthrough. 

The title of the book piqued his interest even more. 

Having been in this world for over two months, Jiangning still wasn't sure whether he had transmigrated here or simply awakened memories from a past life. 

All he knew was that his current self shared the same name and even bore a striking resemblance to his past self, which he found rather miraculous. 

By now, he had stopped dwelling on it and fully accepted his current identity. 

At the same time, by absorbing the memories of his past self, he had gained some understanding of this world. 

Before the Great Xia Dynasty, this was a world where immortals, deities, humans, and demons coexisted. 

The concept of immortals and deities existed in his past life as well, which was why this book particularly intrigued him. 

Jiangning slowly opened the [Immortal and Deity Compendium] and began reading with intense focus. 

Quietly, a notification flashed before his eyes. 

[Literacy Experience +1] 

[Literacy Experience +1] 

The sun rose higher in the sky, and the temperature gradually climbed, no longer as cool as it had been in the early morning. The ground began to heat up. 

Sitting under the grapevine trellis, fine beads of sweat started to form on Jiangning's forehead. 

But Jiangning remained completely unfazed, his entire attention absorbed by the [Immortal and Deity Compendium] in front of him. 

After a while, the scent of cooking wafted into Jiangning's nostrils, pulling him back to reality. 

[After reading this book, your Literacy Experience has increased by 29 points.] 

He looked up at the sky and saw the sun hanging directly overhead. 

"It's almost noon," he murmured. 

He then opened his panel again. 

[Skills]: Literacy (Mastery 997/1000) (Traits: None) 

"Just three more points to go!" 

He felt a surge of excitement and immediately refocused on the [Immortal and Deity Compendium]. 

At that moment, a burly middle-aged man dressed in a black official robe, with a long sword hanging at his waist, entered the courtyard. 

Seeing Jiangning engrossed in his book, the man couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. 

Especially when he noticed the title of the book Jiangning was reading, his grin widened. 

"My little brother has finally grown up," he thought to himself. 

Then, he tiptoed toward the kitchen. 

"Wife," he said softly, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at the busy woman. 

"You're back?" 

"Mhm," the man replied in a low voice. 

"Why have you been coming home later and later recently?" 

"The times are troubled. Luoshui County is becoming less and less safe, and the pressure on us is growing," the man explained. 

"I see… I hope nothing bad happens." 

"I'll be fine," the man reassured her. "Your husband may not be a martial arts master, but I know when to run faster than anyone else!" 

"Always boasting," the woman said with a slight smile, though her tone was teasing. Then she added, "Go wash up and take care of Little Doubao. She'll cry if she wakes up and doesn't see anyone." 

"Alright," the man nodded. 

Before leaving the kitchen, he grinned again. "Wife, have you noticed? Ah, Ning has matured these past few days." 

Hearing this, Liu Wanwan paused her work. 

"You and your brother…" She shook her head. "You treat him better than your son!" 

The man, understanding the slight resentment in his wife's words, walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"You've had a hard time these years with me…" 

The kitchen fell silent for a moment. 

Then, Liu Wanwan patted the hands around her waist. 

"You stink. Go take a bath." 

"Yes, ma'am!" The man chuckled and left. 

Meanwhile, on the other side. 

[Literacy Experience +1] 

[After reading this book, your Literacy Experience has increased by 3 points.] 

Seeing this notification flash, Jiangning's eyes lit up with joy. 

He immediately opened his panel. 

[Skills]: Literacy+ (Mastery 1000/1000) (Traits: None) 

"It's finally full!" he thought with satisfaction. 

In the next moment, his expression turned serious. 

For the first time, his panel had changed in a way he had never seen before. A plus sign had appeared next to the Literacy skill. 

Previously, whether it was reaching the Beginner, Proficient, or even Mastery levels, the breakthroughs had happened naturally once the experience points were full. 

This time, however, was different. Although the experience points for the Mastery level were full, there was no immediate breakthrough to the next level. Instead, only a plus sign appeared next to the skill. 

Looking at his panel, Jiangning focused his mind on the plus sign. 

[Literacy has reached Mastery. Consume 10 Source Energy to break the limit of Literacy?]