Stepping into the mine, it was yet another day of each person tending to their own task, like a radish fitting neatly into its hole.
For Chu Mu, it was simply... one book, one morning, one afternoon.
As the number of characters he recognized grew, Chu Mu could distinctly feel his progress in literacy accelerating, albeit gradually.
The system of characters, akin to the Chinese script of his previous life, undoubtedly increased the difficulty of learning. Yet, in a way, it also allowed Chu Mu to form logical connections more readily. After all, the original owner of this body was merely illiterate, not ignorant of how to read or speak—those skills remained clear and intact.
A single day slipped by quietly amidst the pages of a book.
The next ten or so days followed the same unvarying rhythm, marked by neither ripples nor changes.
Rising at dawn, returning at dusk, reading, practicing martial arts...
Time flowed steadily in this regular and fulfilling routine, and the lingering crispness of autumn's breeze gradually gave way to the biting cold of winter.
...
"It's snowing..."
Beneath the eaves, Chu Mu gazed upward at the sky, where snowflakes filled his vision, drifting endlessly. The courtyard was already blanketed in a thin layer of frost.
Chu Mu tightened his clothing and slowly turned, stepping back into the room.
Inside, a charcoal fire had long been kindled, its flickering flames casting waves of warmth that filled the space.
Chu Mu sat by the fire, casually picking up a book from the nearby table and flipping through it in silence.
It had been over half a month since he began studying, and though he had not yet fully achieved his learning goals, he could now, with some stumbling, read this introductory text.
This "reading" was no longer the halting, incoherent struggle of before but a rough comprehension of the text's meaning.
Though still imperfect, he could at least shed the label of "illiterate."
Walking down the street, he could now recognize shop signs, no longer staring at them as if they were an incomprehensible script.
After finishing the book, nearly half an hour had passed. Chu Mu held the volume, reflecting carefully for a while before closing it.
He glanced around the room, then, as was his habit, silently summoned the panel in his mind. A translucent screen appeared before him.
The panel now displayed values markedly different from those of half a month ago.
[Name: Chu Mu.]
[Skills: Basic Saber Technique (Beginner) 93/100]
[Spiritual Radiance Value: 432.6%]
Seeing the transformed numbers on the panel, Chu Mu couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
The proficiency in his Basic Saber Technique stemmed from relentless daily practice.
After the initial awkward phase of learning, he had steadily progressed, gaining six or seven points daily, sometimes even ten at his peak.
However, as his saber forms grew more refined, the rate of proficiency growth slowed considerably. In recent days, even with increased practice time, he only gained two or three points per day.
Chu Mu had his guesses about this change.
After all, his proficiency value was merely a concrete reflection of his training progress, not like the limitless progression panels found in the web novels of his previous life.
This saber technique was entirely new to him, save for the faint memories of the original owner. Chu Mu was no genius, nor could he master it without guidance. All along, he had relied on sheer effort, practicing each move meticulously, figuring things out on his own.
Under such circumstances, it was only natural that his proficiency growth would slow.
As for the increase in his "Spiritual Radiance Value," that was far more straightforward. With twelve hours in a day, he spent at least five hours reading and practicing martial arts—roughly ten hours of focused effort.
Such prolonged concentration naturally led to a surge in his "Spiritual Radiance Value," averaging about a thirty percent increase daily.
Yet, constrained by his progress in literacy, Chu Mu was reluctant to expend his "Spiritual Radiance Value" lightly.
As for his saber technique, his plan was to train until he was on the verge of a breakthrough, then use "Spiritual Radiance Enhancement" to push past the threshold.
Thus, he had been hoarding the Spiritual Radiance Value accumulated over the past half-month.
Of course, his confidence in stockpiling it stemmed from a whimsical experiment at the mine.
Though it had wasted some Spiritual Radiance Value, it taught him that the "Spiritual Radiance Enhancement" state could be canceled at will, rather than requiring complete depletion once activated.
It was precisely this discovery that gave Chu Mu the courage to keep saving, for the memory of being utterly drained by his first use of "Spiritual Radiance Enhancement" remained vivid.
"Reading or training... I'll start with reading."
Chu Mu glanced at the "Spiritual Radiance Value" on the panel, his decision made. Hoarding it wouldn't yield dividends—using it effectively was the true path.
He sat at the desk, picking up the well-worn introductory book once more.
Chu Mu's expression was earnest, focused as always, but this time, his eyes held a deeper, almost elusive glint.
The pages turned one by one, noticeably faster than before. He scanned each page rapidly, absorbing ten lines at a glance.
Time passed quietly. If Master Chang from the private school saw this, he would surely scold Chu Mu.
Reading voraciously without grasping meaning was a cardinal sin in study.
Though Chu Mu read primarily to recognize characters, he was mindful of this. After all, in the ancient linguistic system, every word was a gem—knowing characters was worlds apart from understanding their meaning.
Yet, over the past half-month, Chu Mu had, to some extent, been skimming, prioritizing recognition over comprehension. His diligence had masked this superficial approach.
Now, under the effect of "Spiritual Radiance Enhancement," that half-month of skimming was about to bear fruit.
As the pages turned, Chu Mu's mind raced. The knowledge from the book, the lessons from Master Chang's classes—all he had learned intertwined and sparked in this moment.
Recognizing characters... understanding their meaning.
The knowledge accumulated over half a month, and all that superficial skimming, rapidly fused into true comprehension.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he closed the book, the enigmatic depth in his eyes fading away.
Chu Mu sat in a daze for a moment before his gaze shifted to the panel in his vision.
[Name: Chu Mu.]
[Skills: Basic Saber Technique (Beginner) 93/100]
[Spiritual Radiance Value: 220.3%]
Then, as if recalling something, he immediately turned to the hourglass on the desk.
In this world, time was divided as it was in the ancient era of his previous life: twelve hours in a day—Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai.
One hour equaled roughly two hours in his previous world, and below that, time was measured in quarters, each quarter approximately fifteen minutes.
The hourglass before him had three markers, each indicating the passage of one quarter-hour.
Now, the second marker was nearly depleted, with only a small amount of sand remaining.
Chu Mu recalled that before activating "Spiritual Radiance Enhancement," his value had been over 430 percent. Now, it stood at just over 220 percent.
In other words, 100 percent of "Spiritual Radiance Value" sustained the enhancement for roughly one quarter-hour...
...
*(End of Chapter)*