Within the largest courtyard of the outer residence of the Lin Manor, a tall man was sitting.
By his side, no fewer than seven or eight maids were in attendance—some holding fruit, constantly feeding him, while others were lightly fanning him, offering some relief from the summer heat.
Such treatment was reserved only for Lin Manor's true number one of the outer residence, the deputy steward of the outer residence, Li Xing.
"Deputy steward."
Outside the courtyard, several Lin Manor disciples, supporting three heavily wounded spirit masters, hurriedly came in.
"What's the matter?"
Li Xing half-reclined on the wide chair, looking down at the newcomers with a somewhat indifferent air.
"Why such a panic?"
In this outer residence, he was regarded as an emperor in his domain, having been raised with a sense of arrogance that considered no one else of significance.
"Exactly, rushing around in such a panic—what kind of behavior is that? If you spoil young master Li's good mood, each and every one of you will pay with your lives."
One of the maids beside Li Xing also spoke up coldly.
To them, these Lin Manor disciples were no better than slaves to be ordered around and humiliated at will.
"This... young master Li, you should come and see for yourself."
Those Lin Manor disciples clearly feared the maid's words and spoke hesitantly.
"What is it?"
Seeing the expressions of the Lin Manor disciples, Li Xing stood from his chair and walked over to the group, taking a glance at the three gravely injured people they supported.
"Lin Mo, Lin Ye, Lin Gou?"
Seeing these three, Li Xing's face also showed surprise as he asked.
"What happened?"
"It was because of Chu Fengmian."
The Lin Manor disciples answered.
"Chu Fengmian?"
At the mention of this name, Li Xing's expression revealed a trace of resentment.
"What happened? Did someone from the inner residence come forward for that kid? No, that can't be right. Who would dare in front of young master Lin to stand up for that brat, maybe it's that old coot the Third Elder?"
Li Xing's brows furrowed deeply. Inside the inner residence, Chu Fengmian was also not favored, with only the Third Elder of the inner residence having once shown some fondness for Chu Fengmian. And it was the Third Elder who had strived for Chu Fengmian to acquire this prominent position of steward of the outer residence.
"No, no, it's not that, they were beaten by Chu Fengmian."
The Lin Manor disciples hesitated, then said.
"What?"
This statement instantly changed Li Xing's expression.
"Isn't that kid a waste? How could he possibly beat all three of them to this state?"
Li Xing said in disbelief.
Lin Gou's case aside, both Lin Mo and Lin Ye were not ordinary individuals; within the outer residence, there were few who could match either.
And now they were in this wretched state—defeated by Chu Fengmian, a so-called waste? How could Li Xing believe it?
"There is absolutely no falsehood."
Seeing Li Xing's disbelief, those Lin Manor disciples spoke up urgently.
"If young master Li does not believe it, you can see Chu Fengmian for yourself. Somehow Chu Fengmian managed to encounter a fortuitous opportunity, having unblocked his Spirit Vein, and his strength has advanced rapidly."
"Dammit! Dammit! How could that waste still be able to cultivate! Didn't I already administer the Spirit Eroding Powder into his body?"
Li Xing's expression was ferocious, almost to the point of madness.
"Damn it! This trash absolutely must not be allowed to cultivate again! Even if he has opened his Spirit Vein now, I will cripple him myself!"
"Go and investigate! Find out just what has happened to this boy!"
"Yes."
A few Lin Mansion disciples quickly echoed in agreement before hurrying off.
"You useless bunch, you can't even beat Chu Fengmian, a piece of trash—what use do I have for you? Get out of my sight!"
Li Xing roared furiously at Lin Mo, Lin Ye, and Lin Gou.
The three of them scrambled to leave, tumbling and crawling away.
"This won't do, if Chu Fengmian is indeed able to cultivate, it's a matter of great importance. I must report this to Young Master Lin."
Li Xing straightened his clothes, muttering to himself before heading toward the inner quarters of the Lin Mansion.
Meanwhile,
Time trickled by, and Chu Fengmian's clothes had been soaked through countless times. After a full ten hours, Chu Fengmian's Spiritual Power finally began to stabilize.
"Open for me!"
The third complete Spirit Vein appeared within Chu Fengmian's body and, simultaneously, his Spiritual Power greatly surpassed what it was before.
The third Spirit Vein was opened.
At the same time, Chu Fengmian's realm stepped up to the fifth level of the Bone Tempering phase.
In just two days, Chu Fengmian went from the first to the fifth level of the Bone Tempering phase.
This pace was undoubtedly the fastest within the Lin Mansion, and even saying it was the fastest in the whole of Linwu City was no exaggeration.
But only Chu Fengmian could possibly achieve such a speed.
For the average martial artist, digesting a single Bone Tempering Pill would take at least half an hour, nowhere near Chu Fengmian's near-instantaneous refinement.
Chu Fengmian had his past life's accumulated experience, and when it came to refining medicinal pills, not to mention those at the same realm,
Even martial artists at the Body Forging, Spirit Ocean, and Wind Riding phases couldn't match Chu Fengmian.
In his previous life, Chu Fengmian had been nothing short of a medicinal jar to open his Spirit Veins. Now all that experience was accumulating, making the refinement of these ordinary pills a breeze for him.
Otherwise, these pills alone could have kept Chu Fengmian busy refining for a good while.
"Now at the fifth level of the Bone Tempering phase, I should also be able to attempt some swordsmanship."
Chu Fengmian stood up, feeling the abundant power within him and a trace of joy appeared on his face.
Such strength meant he was no longer completely defenseless.
In his past life, Chu Fengmian did not understand Spiritual Power, but he had comprehended the ultimate Sword Intent.
It was just that he himself could not wield a sword, so despite his unparalleled Sword Intent, he lacked the means to protect himself.
This time, possessing strength, Chu Fengmian was ready to display his swordsmanship.
"To practice swordsmanship, I need to find a suitable sword first."
Chu Fengmian muttered to himself.
Any swordsmanship required a sword to be executed. The Chu Fengmian of the past was not even a martial artist, so how could he have had a sword?
Now that he could be considered a martial artist, naturally, he needed to have his own weapon.
Chu Fengmian glanced at the remaining few jade bottles on the bed, picked them up, and walked out of the Lin Mansion.
These jade bottles still contained two hundred unused Bone Tempering Pills. Now that Chu Fengmian's realm had reached the fifth level of the Bone Tempering phase, these pills were of no further use to him.
However, outside, Bone Tempering Pills were still considered valuable, and using these pills to buy a sword wouldn't be difficult.
"Let's go, to the outside of the Lin Mansion."
Chu Fengmian then left the Lin Mansion alone.