Chapter 3: Characteristics After Breaking the Limit

【Literacy has reached perfection. Do you wish to consume 10 points of Origin Energy to complete the breakthrough for Literacy?】

The moment he saw this prompt, Jiang Ning was struck by a sudden realization.

"So that’s it!! This is the purpose of Origin Energy points!"

At that moment, everything became crystal clear to him.

Ever since the panel appeared, the Origin Energy bar had been increasing by 0.1 to 0.3 points every day at dawn.

He had tried many things before, but he had never been able to figure out what the Origin Energy points on the panel were actually for.

Only now did he fully understand.

It turned out that once a skill reached perfection, one had to consume Origin Energy points to continue breaking through its limits.

With this realization, Jiang Ning felt no hesitation and immediately focused his intent.

The Origin Energy points on the panel decreased by 10 instantly, and the skill "Literacy," displayed on the panel, began to change.

Jiang Ning felt a surge of refreshing energy flowing through his brain, leaving his mind as calm and clear as a still pond.

He couldn't help but close his eyes to feel the changes occurring within his body.

A short while later, everything returned to tranquility.

Jiang Ning opened his eyes, and the panel appeared before him.

【Name】: Jiang Ning

【Origin Energy】: 3.5

【Skills】: Literacy (First Breakthrough 0/2000) (Trait: Eidetic Memory)

"Just as I thought!!" he muttered to himself.

This change did not come as a surprise.

He had noticed the word "Trait" before.

Previously, as the skill of Literacy progressed from entry-level to perfection, the "Trait" section had always remained empty.

Once he reached perfection, he had a hunch that a breakthrough might unlock a trait. Now that his guess had become reality, he naturally wasn't too surprised.

【Eidetic Memory】: Possessing extraordinary memory; once seen, never forgotten.

He immediately swept his gaze across the surroundings, taking less than a breath of time.

Then, he closed his eyes. In an instant, the scene of the small courtyard he had just scanned appeared vividly in his mind—from the wings of a bee flapping to the leaves tumbling through the air, everything was rendered with perfect clarity.

"Such an effect!!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

This effect far exceeded his expectations.

The "Eidetic Memory" he now possessed wasn't just for text; it was for images—clear, textured, lifelike images that could even move.

"With the blessing of Eidetic Memory, it will also be extremely beneficial for my martial arts studies!!" Jiang Ning felt a surge of excitement.

In this world, the path of literature and the imperial examinations could turn a humble farmer into a high-ranking official, a person above others.

The same was true for martial arts. The path of the martial examinations could lead to commanding millions of troops, being enfeoffed as a marquis or king, or even carving out one's own territory.

Moreover, the path of martial arts allowed one to become an army unto oneself, a match for an entire nation, with all power concentrated within one's own body.

One could even attain immortality!

According to the books he had read over these past few days, the Great Xia Dynasty was founded because of a Martial Saint—an invincible Martial Saint.

And this Martial Saint had suppressed the destiny of the Great Xia for eight hundred years.

In other words, that Martial Saint had survived from the founding of the Great Xia to the present day; he was a myth, a legend.

The current turmoil in the Great Xia Dynasty, in Jiang Ning's view, was likely related to the fact that this Martial Saint hadn't appeared in decades.

Because he understood these things, Jiang Ning had already made his plans: he wanted both literature and martial arts.

Only children make choices; adults want everything.

He wanted both, with martial arts as his foundation and literature as his supplement.

To him, the two did not conflict; rather, they complemented each other.

First of all, with the trait of Eidetic Memory, passing the imperial examinations would be a breeze.

Without studying literature and understanding the world, how could he hope to carve out a place for himself in the coming chaos of the Great Xia Dynasty's final years?

Before reaching the pinnacle of martial arts, the importance of having a keen, all-encompassing perspective was beyond doubt.

Furthermore, by passing the imperial examinations, one could enter the Temple of Sages to worship and receive the infusion of "Haoran Zhengqi" (Noble Spirit).

The Confucian Noble Spirit could nourish the soul, which was the best way to cultivate the spirit outside of the secret traditions of Buddhism and Taoism.

The high officials in the imperial court all possessed powerful souls and lightning-fast minds, which allowed them to sit firmly in power and manipulate the affairs of the world.

Moreover, reaching the end of the martial path required not just physical tempering, but also the cultivation of the spirit.

Strengthening his soul would be of immense help in his future quest to become a supreme martial artist and transcend into sainthood.

Another point, more importantly, was that to continue grinding experience points for Literacy, he had to read through ancient texts and classics. Only by constantly broadening his knowledge could he gain experience for this skill.

Since the first breakthrough had granted him Eidetic Memory, he believed the second breakthrough would surely grant even more traits.

The power of these traits was undeniable!

Therefore, to him, passing the imperial examinations was a simple task, and a move that would yield multiple benefits.

"Now, I just hope my guess is correct—that martial arts techniques can also be used to grind experience points," Jiang Ning whispered to himself. "Because my predecessor was injured, I spent over two months recovering and couldn't practice martial arts. It was the perfect time to test the panel's effects with literature!"

"Now that I have achieved success in literature and successfully tested all the panel's functions, it is time to learn martial arts."

"With my Eidetic Memory and the miraculous effects of the panel, once I start practicing martial arts, my progress will surely be rapid."

"Later, I'll ask my eldest brother. As a yamen runner, he might have some suitable martial arts techniques for me to learn!"

As Jiang Ning’s thoughts raced, a hearty voice came from the main room.

"Little brother, come and have lunch!"

Hearing this, Jiang Ning placed the *Immortal God Interpretation* he was holding onto the chair and stood up to walk toward the main room.

The moment he stepped inside, he saw his eldest brother, his sister-in-law, his nephew Jiang Yiming, and his niece, Little Doubao—also known as Jiang Yuanyuan.

"Big brother, sister-in-law!" Jiang Ning greeted them.

"Sit," said Jiang Li, his eldest brother.

"Dudu, dudu! Sit next to Doubao." Little Doubao, who was struggling to lean over the dining table from her stool, hurriedly invited Jiang Ning.

After Jiang Ning took his seat, his eldest brother, Jiang Li, picked up some food and said, "I've noticed you've been studying very hard lately. Are you thinking of taking the imperial examinations to earn a title?"

"I have some thoughts on that!" Jiang Ning nodded slightly, then shook his head. "But I want to learn martial arts even more!"

"Martial arts?" Jiang Li looked at Jiang Ning in surprise, his expression turning serious. "Do you really want to learn martial arts?"

"I do!!" Jiang Ning nodded firmly.

"Have you really thought this through? Learning martial arts is very difficult and very bitter! Are you sure?" Jiang Li continued.

Jiang Ning nodded again: "I've thought it through!!"

"Alright then!" Jiang Li nodded slowly, about to speak, when the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but glance at his sister-in-law, Liu Wanwan. Seeing her subtle movements, Jiang Ning immediately understood that she was secretly tugging at Jiang Li, seemingly aware of what he was about to say next.

Jiang Li glared slightly at Liu Wanwan, then looked back at Jiang Ning.

"Very well. Since that's the case, I'll go find you a good teacher later."