C8 The Change in the Broken Copper

Time flew by, and Chu Lin had already been a servant disciple at the Martial Academy for a month.

In that time, aside from chopping half a ton of firewood each day, they were also tasked with tending to the herbal garden. Yang Hu ended each day exhausted. Upon returning to his quarters, he would often fall asleep almost immediately.

Eventually, Chu Lin decided to take on the full responsibility of chopping a ton of firewood, allowing Yang Hu to manage the herbal garden alone. This workload was beyond what an average person could handle. Without the miraculous effects of the Broken Copper, and with his cultivation only at the second level of Body Tempering, he would likely be incredibly weak.

Chu Lin was actually concerned for Yang Hu's well-being if he kept up this pace. Moreover, he yearned for some solitude. Although he had come to understand that Yang Hu was a decent man over the past month, the Broken Copper was too secretive a matter to share.

To avoid raising any suspicions, Chu Lin feigned extreme fatigue daily, leaving his home and returning as if spent.

Initially, Yang Hu would spend evenings chatting with Chu Lin. But as time went on, perhaps due to sheer exhaustion, Yang Hu would fall asleep as soon as he got back.

The moon soared high in the night sky, casting a serene glow over the quiet evening.

A shadow darted from a row of humble thatched huts, moving with agility toward the mountain trail.

"After a month of rigorous training, my Crystal of Valor has grown a full circle. I've absorbed more than a thousand drops of the Wellspring of Life, yet why haven't I advanced to the third level of Body Tempering?" Chu Lin mused aloud, perplexed.

Deep in the deserted woods, Chu Lin discovered a massive boulder and settled down on it.

With a deliberate gesture, he started to breathe in a controlled rhythm, quickly entering a meditative state of cultivation.

Throughout his tenure as a servant disciple, Chu Lin would stealthily practice his cultivation each night. The Ichor's aid allowed him to distinctly sense his body growing increasingly robust. Still, the breakthrough he sought eluded him.

"It looks like I need to find more time for cultivation," Chu Lin remarked, opening his eyes after four hours. He could still feel spiritual energy radiating from the blood in his veins, and he commented with a hint of regret, "The spiritual energy in the Wellspring of Life is so potent. If I can't find the time to assimilate it properly, it might just go to waste."

During this time, Chu Lin had been covertly researching the Broken Copper, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't uncover any relevant clues.

Yet, a concerning change was occurring: the spiritual energy in the Wellspring of Life was diminishing, and the time required for its formation was increasing.

"Previously, just soaking it in ordinary spring water would turn it into Ichor. Now, I have to soak the Broken Copper for at least 15 minutes to achieve the same level of purity," Chu Lin said, touching the Broken Copper on his chest with a hint of disappointment.

Dawn was breaking. Chu Lin rose to his feet, and with a burst of spiritual energy, he shook the dew from his clothes before dashing back to his residence.

Today, Chu Lin was set to assist Yang Hu with irrigating the herbal garden. Lyi Laomu had stipulated that if he finished his work within a month, he'd earn a day of rest. Chu Lin had been consistently delivering a ton of firewood daily, impressing Lyi Laomu.

However, Lyi Laomu's focus wasn't on Chu Lin; he was intent on disciplining Yang Hu.

Consequently, Yang Hu's situation was far from ideal. Even though tending to the herbal garden was easier than Chu Lin's task, Lyi Laomu meddled daily. By the end of the month, Yang Hu struggled to complete his tasks.

The Martial Academy stood as the Sanctuary of Cultivation in the Southern Region, home to numerous disciples and servant disciples. The Academy managed these servant disciples in groups, with each manager overseeing a residence and hundreds of servant disciples.

The servant disciples' quarters were typically on the outskirts of the mountain range. The managers' residences were often over ten miles apart, connected by rugged mountain paths. Only the outer court disciples who had reached the Body Tempering Realm could navigate these trails with ease.

In reality, a manager like Lyi Laomu held only a marginally higher status than a servant disciple. Their rank fell short of an outer court disciple, but a manager typically possessed Body Tempering Realm cultivation, ranging from the third to the fifth level. Compared to servant disciples who were new to the path of cultivation, they were considered skilled. After all, how else could a manager oversee more than a hundred servant disciples?

"Chu, you've arrived," Yang Hu called out with a weary voice as Chu Lin stepped into the herbal garden.

Over the past month, they had come to accept each other as friends. Perhaps because Chu Lin was the stronger of the two, despite Yang Hu being older, he still respectfully referred to Chu Lin as "Brother Chu."

For both Chu Lin and Yang Hu, within the Martial Academy, they were each other's sole confidants.

Seeing Yang Hu's fatigued expression, Chu Lin felt a wave of anger toward Lyi Laomu. The herbal garden was supposed to be watered only three times daily, yet Lyi Laomu, out of spite, had ordered Yang Hu to water it five times. Yang Hu's strength was insufficient for watering ten acres five times a day, much less completing the task.

Had Chu Lin not occasionally added a drop of the diluted ichor to Yang Hu's water, Yang Hu would have likely collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

What's more, with Yang Hu overwatering the herbal garden twice daily, it risked complications. The panaceas grown here were meant for the presbyters of the outer court. Any issues with the herbal garden, and Yang Hu would be unable to face the repercussions.

"Tiger, take a break," Chu Lin said, taking the water bucket from Yang Hu to continue the watering himself.

"I'm sorry, Chu. You finally get a day off, and here I am, imposing on you," Yang Hu apologized, his voice laden with fatigue and remorse.

Chu Lin simply offered a reassuring smile and headed toward the herbal garden.

Panaceas were vital for martial cultivators to swiftly enhance their spiritual energy and were essential for crafting pills.

"Such pure spiritual energy!" Chu Lin marveled, crouching before a panacea, feeling the rush of energy envelop him. To any ordinary martial cultivator, this represented a boundless treasure.

Suddenly, the Broken Copper on Chu Lin's chest vibrated intensely, unleashing a powerful suction force. The panacea before him withered instantly, as if drained of all its spiritual energy.

Then, a more ferocious suction force emerged, and in an instant, over a dozen more panaceas wilted before Chu Lin's eyes.

"Oh no!" As Chu Lin snapped back to reality, he silently cursed his misfortune and hurriedly stood up.