Chapter 8: Seize the Day

Ye Chen even murmured to himself, "If this ancient scroll were placed on the bookshelf in the study or discarded on the road, would anyone be interested in it?! I fear it would be regarded as trash."

These seven sets of herbal medicines are sufficient for my use for two months

Moreover, with the aid of the ancient scroll "Xianfu," several pieces of sixth-grade herbs were obtained

The Tiger Leaps with Three Consecutive Slashes, delivering three blade shadows to a single target in an instant. The force is 1,800 pounds.

Ye Chen set a goal for himself to fully devote his efforts to cultivation in order to catch up with the more powerful senior brothers and sisters in the academy. He aimed to participate in the strength assessment and graduation examination of Beilu Academy in six months, striving to pass the graduation examination in one attempt

Ye Chen focused his mind, immersing himself entirely in his cultivation

Manager Li's eyes lit up, and his thoughts became lively.

It seems that I cannot place all my hopes on this ancient painting of the fairy palace. I must venture out and cultivate on my own; even relying solely on my own strength, I must complete the sixth level of body refinement. Staying in the academy is of no benefit. I have already reached the fifth level of body refinement and learned a powerful mid-level sword technique. I can now go to Beilu Mountain to search for some herbs to use. If luck is on my side, I might even be able to gather herbs of grade three or above! I plan to stay on the mountain for three months, searching for herbs to refine my body while practicing my sword technique, and then return to participate in the academy's assessment and examination.

Oh, the effects of the third-grade herbs are so good? However, each martial artist has a different innate constitution, which leads to varying degrees of adaptability to the herbs and different rates of progress. The same set of herbs may have excellent effects for some martial artists, while others may not experience much reaction at all; this is also a common occurrence.

A single strike of the Tiger Leap Double Slash is sufficient to slay a fierce tiger or wolf

Arranging a few profitable menial tasks is, for him as the overseer of such tasks, merely a matter of raising a hand. It is worthwhile to arrange a few capable menial workers to win the favor of a future accomplished martial artist.

Thank you, Chief Steward

He is extremely grateful to Manager Li

He has reached the fifth level of the Body Refinement Stage, and the process of body tempering has once again slowed down

He searched for treasures that could restore the vitality of ancient scrolls throughout the vast expanse of Beilu Academy, covering every corner both inside and out. However, treasures are not so easily found. After several days of effort, he found nothing.

Ye Chen spent a full month practicing this move with all his might, and only then was he barely able to execute the Tiger Leap Double Slash.

Now, the ancient scroll in his hand, appearing dull and gray, is no different from a discarded scroll that is over a hundred years old and worn out

Ye Chen, your vitality is robust; it seems you have made considerable progress in your cultivation this month! Young people should not be overly eager for quick success. Steady and methodical progress is the path to lasting achievement

It seems that the treasures of the academy, such as the books and artifacts, have long been taken by others, leaving me with no opportunity to acquire them. Without treasures to restore the power of the 'Immortal Mansion', even having a scroll of the Immortal Mansion in hand is of no use

Twenty days have passed in the blink of an eye

Meanwhile, he has completed the initial two moves of the "Tiger Leap Sword Technique," namely "Draw Sword" and "Tiger Leap Slash," and is currently practicing the next two intermediate moves, "Tiger Leap Double Slash" and "Tiger Leap Triple Slash"

Ye Chen spent a month and successfully broke through to the fifth level of the Body Refinement Stage

The Tiger Leap Double Slash, in an instant, two shadows of blades struck a single target. The force was one thousand two hundred pounds

If Ye Chen continues to maintain such progress in his cultivation, breaking through to the sixth level of body refinement will only take one or two years. After graduating from the academy's assessment, he may either rise to high positions in the martial kingdom's court or become a national-level divine swordsman of the martial kingdom, and he will certainly remember the contributions he made today.

Ye Chen was troubled

Planting these twenty herbs has exhausted all the fertility of the medicinal garden

Chief Steward Li smiled

Ye Chen respectfully said

Since he arrived at Beilu Academy at the age of five, he has lived there for ten years by doing odd jobs within the academy. The highest-ranking individual he has interacted with the most at Beilu Academy is this Manager Li. Thanks to Manager Li's care, he has been able to fill his stomach and even has extra money to buy herbs for cultivation

Indeed. I have spent the past ten years in slow cultivation, wasting too much time, and I am far behind the other senior brothers and sisters in the academy. Now, I must give my all, striving for every moment, and not slack off even for a day, in order to catch up with the strength of my fellow senior brothers and sisters in the academy

Thank you, Chief Steward, for your concern

However, he felt very satisfied to have obtained twenty sixth-grade herbs. These sixth-grade herbs are simply not sold in herbal shops. Even if they were available in the herbal shops, the prices would be quite astonishing, making them completely unaffordable for a poor student like Ye Chen

In just this short month, his physical body has undergone rapid refinement, reaching halfway through the fourth layer of body refinement. With another month, he will be able to enter the fifth layer of body refinement. If it were not for this reason, it would have taken him at least two to three years, or even longer, to possibly break through to the fifth layer of body refinement, making it impossible for him to complete the sixth layer of body refinement before the age of twenty

Ye Chen was not surprised by this and let out a slight sigh

He arrived at the servant's courtyard and reported the work situation to Manager Li, who was in charge of the college's miscellaneous affairs and logistics. He submitted the servant's token and received the twenty taels of patterned silver he had earned over the past few days.

He carried silver coins in his bosom and arrived at the herbal shop of the academy, where he purchased seven sets of a total of twenty second-grade herbs

Ye Chen specifically sought advice from the chief instructor of the upper academy, Li Cang

As for that ancient painting from the immortal's abode, he did not dare to reveal even a fraction of it. Such treasures used by immortals, once known to the outside world, would surely attract the calamity of death.

The tiger leaps and strikes, and in an instant, the shadow of the blade cuts down on a target alongside the book. A martial artist at the sixth level of body refinement exerts a force of six hundred pounds with the strike.

In reality, even those commoners born into relatively affluent families cannot afford high-quality herbs, at most purchasing third-grade herbs. Only a few scions of noble families can obtain fifth or sixth-grade herbs from their families for cultivation.

Ye Chen had already exhausted all the sixth-grade body refining herbs in his possession, and without any herbs, he could not sustain the high-intensity cultivation

Ye Chen returned to his small room in the academy and secured the door latch to prevent anyone from entering unexpectedly

Ye Chen felt helpless

The key to this lies in the "moment." Delivering a strike in an instant is fundamentally different from delivering two strikes; the difficulty of the former is at least several times greater. Naturally, the lethality also increases exponentially.

He subsequently placed these herbs into the medicinal garden of the ancient scroll in succession, joyfully observing the garden within the painting, elevating the quality of the third-grade herbs to sixth-grade. When the ancient scroll upgraded all these third-grade herbs to fifth and sixth grades, it then dimmed and lost its luster

Ye Chen's gaze turned towards the northern foothills.

Ye Chen took his leave and departed from the servant quarters

These two months are not long for a student who has devoted all their heart and energy to cultivation

Ye Chen completed the menial task of cleaning the old library and received the commendation of Manager Wang

The disciple had previously relied on the cheapest first and second-grade herbs to assist in body tempering cultivation, resulting in slow progress in both body tempering and studies. However, this month, thanks to the favor of the chief steward, he earned a sum of thirty taels of silver, which allowed him to purchase better third-grade herbs for body refinement, leading to significant progress.

Manager Li, with his keen insight, noticed that Ye Chen's complexion had changed compared to a month ago. In addition to his surprise, there was also a hint of concern.

It seems that the three types of herbs you have used this month are particularly suitable for your constitution, resulting in such remarkable effects. You may continue to use this herbal formula, which can be utilized until the sixth level of body refinement. Furthermore, I will keep an eye out for any profitable tasks that can be assigned to you. As for those minor tasks that earn only a few copper coins, it would be better not to waste your time on them; instead, focus on your cultivation.

Ye Chen's heart warmed

Good, what a determination to seize the day! If I had had your kind of urgency back in the day, I wouldn't have merely been a steward of menial tasks. Go on, and when there are profitable opportunities, I will call for you.

Although Steward Li promised to assign me tasks that would earn money, who knows when there will be such profitable chores? If I have to wait several months to earn enough to buy third-grade medicinal herbs, won't I just be waiting idly? ... ... There are only three months left until the academy's graduation assessment, and I cannot afford to wait!

Ye Chen said firmly

Especially this time, the task of clearing the old library was particularly permitted by Manager Li for him to complete

It was only by chance that he obtained an ancient scroll of the "Immortal's Abode," a treasure used by immortals