Chapter 2: Breaking the Limit

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

"Dudu, eat-eat!!" Little Doubao’s face lit up with a joyful smile.

Entering the main hall, Jiang Ning saw that his sister-in-law, Liu Wanwan, had already taken her seat.

Although Liu Wanwan was dressed plainly at this moment, she possessed an air of elegance and grace. Her appearance and temperament were far beyond those of an ordinary woman; both were of the highest quality.

Even in her simple attire, she was striking, not at all like an ordinary woman bound by the daily chores of life.

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

"Sister-in-law, where is Big Brother?" Jiang Ning 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.

His heart stirred slightly, but he said nothing. He was well aware that with the recent skyrocketing price of grain, there wasn't much left in the household.

"Your brother is still at the yamen. He said before he left that he would be back for lunch!"

Jiang Ning nodded, momentarily silent.

A short while later.

Jiang Ning finished the thin porridge in his bowl.

"Sister-in-law, I'm done!" he said, rising to his feet.

"Wait!" Liu Wanwan called out to Jiang Ning, who was about to leave.

Seeing Jiang Ning’s puzzled look, Liu Wanwan, his sister-in-law, turned and picked up a grey shirt from behind her.

"I’ve mended your clothes; take them and put them on!"

"Bring me your dirty laundry later, and I’ll wash them for you!"

Jiang Ning froze for a second before calmly taking the mended shirt from Liu Wanwan’s hands.

"Thank you, Sister-in-law!!" he said softly.

After Jiang Ning left, a young boy walked out from one of the rooms.

"Guoguo, hurry and drink your porridge!!" Jiang Yuanyuan patted the stool beside her when she saw the thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, then shifted her upper body, which had been leaning on the table.

After handing his dirty laundry to his sister-in-law and finishing his chores, Jiang Ning returned to the small courtyard.

[Interpretation of Immortals and Gods]

Looking at the book Little Doubao had brought him, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

With this book, it wouldn't be long before he mastered the skill of reading and writing.

He was even more intrigued after seeing the title of the book.

It had been nearly two months since he arrived in this world, and to this day, he still didn't know if he had transmigrated or if he had simply awakened the "mystery of the womb."

He only knew that his predecessor shared his name and surname, and even looked seventy or eighty percent like him, which was quite miraculous.

Now that so many days had passed, he no longer dwelled on the matter and had long since accepted his current identity.

At the same time, by absorbing the memories of his predecessor, he had gained a certain understanding of this world.

Before the Great Xia, it was a world where immortals, gods, humans, and demons coexisted.

The legends of immortals and gods existed in his previous life as well, which was why he was so particularly interested in this book.

Jiang Ning slowly opened [Interpretation of Immortals and Gods] and began to read with focused concentration.

Silently, a notification flashed before his eyes.

[Literacy experience +1]

[Literacy experience +1]

The morning sun rose, gradually climbing higher.

The temperature was no longer the cool of the early morning; the earth was slowly becoming scorching hot.

Sitting under the grape trellis, fine beads of sweat began to form on Jiang Ning's forehead.

Jiang Ning remained completely indifferent, his entire focus gathered on the [Interpretation of Immortals and Gods] before him.

A long time passed.

A wisp of smoke and the scent of cooking drifted to Jiang Ning’s nose, and he slowly returned to his senses.

[Reading this book has increased Literacy experience by 29 points.]

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

"It's almost noon!" he muttered to himself.

He immediately opened his panel.

[Skill]: Literacy (Perfect 997/1000) (Trait: None)

"Only three more experience points to go!"

He felt quite invigorated, and his attention immediately returned to the [Interpretation of Immortals and Gods] in front of him.

Just then.

A burly middle-aged man, dressed in a black official robe with a long saber slung across his waist, stepped into the courtyard.

Seeing Jiang Ning hunched over, studying hard, he couldn't help but reveal a gratified smile.

Especially after seeing the title of the book in Jiang Ning's hands, he grinned even wider.

"My little brother has finally grown up!" he whispered to himself.

Then, he walked toward the kitchen on tiptoe.

"Wife!" The middle-aged man looked at the busy woman with a tender gaze.

"You're back?"

"Mm-hmm!" the middle-aged man replied in a low voice.

"Why have you been coming back later and later lately?"

"The times are bad. Luoshui County is becoming less and less peaceful, and the pressure on us is growing," the middle-aged man said.

"I see! I hope nothing happens!"

"Nothing will happen to me!" the middle-aged man comforted her. "Your husband may have mediocre martial arts, but when I see trouble, I run faster than anyone!"

"You and your boasting!" The woman’s lips curled upward as she whispered, 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 middle-aged man nodded.

Before leaving the kitchen, he grinned again: "Wife, did you see? A-Ning has really grown up these days!"

Hearing this, Liu Wanwan, who was busy working, stopped what she was doing.

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

Hearing this, how could the middle-aged man not understand that his wife was feeling a bit resentful?

He walked behind Liu Wanwan and hugged her waist. "It’s been hard on you all these years being with me!!"

The entire kitchen suddenly fell silent.

A moment later.

Liu Wanwan patted the hands wrapped around her waist.

"You stink, go take a bath!"

"Understood!!" The middle-aged man chuckled immediately.

On the other side.

[Literacy experience +1]

[Reading this book has increased Literacy experience by 3 points.]

Watching this notification flash by, a look of intense joy crossed Jiang Ning's eyes.

He immediately opened his panel.

[Skill]: Literacy+ (Perfect 1000/1000) (Trait: None)

"Finally full!" he sighed inwardly.

The next moment.

His eyes narrowed.

Because at this moment, his panel underwent a change he had never seen before: a plus sign appeared behind the skill of Literacy.

Before this, whether it was Entry-level to Proficient, or the breakthrough from Minor Success to Great Success, everything had been a natural progression. Once the experience points were full, a breakthrough would follow.

This time, it was completely different. The experience points required for the Perfect level breakthrough had been met, but there was no movement toward the next level; only a plus sign appeared behind the Literacy skill.

Looking at his panel, Jiang Ning focused his mind on that plus sign.

[Literacy has reached Perfection. Do you wish to consume 10 points of Source Energy to break the limit of Literacy?]

(End of chapter)