C11 A Strange Person Zhu Sheng

Dawn broke quickly.

Time always seemed to fly during cultivation.

Chu Lin flipped his hand, and the Broken Copper vanished. He then sprinted back to his dwelling.

He had achieved the third level of Body Tempering. His Crystal of Valor had doubled in size, and his spiritual energy had increased several-fold.

Within seconds, Chu Lin had vanished into the thick of the forest.

Suddenly, the air quivered slightly. An old man in a purple robe appeared on the rock where Chu Lin had been training, his sleeve adorned with three golden plum blossoms.

"A third-level Body Tempering practitioner emitting spiritual energy on par with someone at the sixth level? The outer court harbors such a prodigy!" the old man exclaimed, looking in the direction Chu Lin had gone.

A moment later, with a twinkle in his eye, the old man mused, "He's reached this level in the resource-scarce outer court. Should he enter the adytum, he might well have the potential to rival the top contenders. But for now, it's just potential."

His laughter lingered in the woods, though he himself had already disappeared.

Unaware of the events that had unfolded in the forest, Chu Lin returned to his quarters.

Today, his mind was preoccupied with something else: the courtyard had appointed a new steward.

The new steward, upon assuming his role, naturally called a meeting of all the servant disciples under his charge.

"Chu, did you break through?" Yang Hu asked as they headed to the meeting. He was taken aback when he first laid eyes on Chu Lin that day.

Life had been easier for Yang Hu since Lyi Laomu's death. Gone was his daily exhaustion, replaced with a newfound vigor. And to his delight, he had advanced to the second level of Body Tempering.

He had wanted to test his strength against Chu Lin after his breakthrough, but to his astonishment, he found Chu Lin to be a formidable opponent. Today, Yang Hu sensed an even more powerful aura emanating from Chu Lin, leaving him somewhat astounded.

"I was fortunate enough to make a breakthrough," Chu Lin said, glancing at Yang Hu's exaggerated expression with a slight smile.

"Brother Chu, what level have you reached now?" Yang Hu asked, scratching his head sheepishly and chuckling.

"Body Tempering third level," Chu Lin replied without reservation.

Yang Hu was dumbfounded. Chu Lin had easily defeated Lyi Laomu, who was also at the Body Tempering second level, and now that he had advanced to the third level, his strength was bound to be even more astonishing.

The servant disciples congregated in an open area paved with green stone slabs. Rumor had it that the new steward was once a disciple of the outer court but was demoted to steward after making a mistake.

"My name is Zhu Sheng," announced the new steward, his gaze leisurely sweeping over the assembled group.

The servant disciples struggled to contain their laughter upon hearing his introduction. Despite their amusement, they knew better than to laugh in front of the new steward.

"The name's quite good. Whoever chose it must be quite learned," Yang Hu whispered under his breath, fighting back a smile.

"I'm a straightforward person. As long as you don't cause me any trouble, I won't trouble you," Zhu Sheng declared.

"Whatever tasks you were doing before, you'll continue with them," he continued, pausing momentarily as if in thought, which made the crowd visibly anxious.

Lyi Laomu was known for his greed, exploiting his position to extort them. If this new steward was anything like Lyi Laomu, they dreaded to think what their future would hold.

Just as some were considering offering bribes to the new steward, Zhu Sheng spoke again: "Your workload is now halved. No, it will be reduced to one-quarter. With so many servant disciples available, there's no shortage of hands for the work. Additionally, you'll be split into two groups to alternate tasks. You'll work for one month and then rest for a month. Whoever starts working first, rests first. Draw lots to decide who will start."

Silence fell over the group.

The servant disciples stared at Zhu Sheng, utterly astonished.

In the vast outer court, could there truly be such an eccentric steward?

"Do you object?" Zhu Sheng squinted his eyes.

"No, we are willing!"

"Long live Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother is such a good person!"

"We're lucky to have met Senior Brother!"

Tears streamed down the faces of all the servant disciples present, with some even kneeling and bowing their heads in gratitude.

"You flatter me," Zhu Sheng said with a bashful smile. But a moment later, he seemed to remember something. "Oh, there's another matter. The outer court asked me to pass on some information to you. But what was it?"

At this, Zhu Sheng stopped, seemingly unable to recall. After a long pause, he fished a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

"That's an outer court document!" Yang Hu, with his keen eyesight, immediately recognized it.

"Zhu Sheng is indeed an odd character. The outer court's document represents absolute authority; others treasure it, yet he casually stuffed it in his pocket," Chu Lin remarked with an amused smile.

As everyone eagerly anticipated the announcement, Zhu Sheng suddenly sneezed loudly. Without thinking, he used the document to wipe his nose, folding and smearing it until it was smeared with his snot. Then, he nonchalantly tossed it into a nearby brazier.

At that moment, everyone's lips couldn't help but twitch in disbelief.