Time flew by, and another dozen or so days passed in the blink of an eye.
During those days, Chen Yang lived a disciplined and fulfilling life.
Every four days he consumed a Spirit Origin Pill, combining it with his Nine Revolutions Body Tempering Art cultivation. His realm steadily advanced while his foundation grew ever more solid.
Chen Yang had counted carefully — the Spirit Origin Pills gifted to him by the Silver-Haired Senior, Shen Hongmei, totaled one hundred and six. Even without using the clay bowl to duplicate them, the Pills in the gourd alone were enough to last him a very long time.
What delighted him even more was that the Spirit Origin Pills and the Nine Revolutions Body Tempering Art complemented each other perfectly.
Each time he activated the Body Tempering Art, it demanded vast amounts of Spiritual Energy to temper his physical body — and the pure Spiritual Energy provided by the Spirit Origin Pills met that need exactly.
The Nine Revolutions Body Tempering Art was an extraordinarily profound Body Tempering cultivation technique, requiring one full tempering cycle at every realm from the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm all the way through the ninth.
The tempering process was excruciating — like shattering the body and rebuilding it from scratch — but after each successful tempering, his physical strength surged dramatically, far surpassing cultivators at the same level.
Chen Yang was currently at the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, which meant he needed to complete the first four tempering cycles he had missed.
Over these past days, he had already completed three of them, and every single one had been agony.
During the first tempering, he felt as though every bone in his body was being ground to dust and his meridians were being torn apart — the pain nearly drove him to unconsciousness.
But after enduring that wave of searing agony, he could clearly feel his physical strength had risen by an entire tier.
The second tempering was even harder. Not only was the pain doubled, but he also had to guide spiritual energy through specific meridians inside his body.
Several times Chen Yang nearly lost control of his spiritual energy, but he managed to steady his mind just in time.
After the tempering succeeded, he found that every movement he made carried tremendous power — far beyond that of an ordinary cultivator at the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
By the third tempering, the pain had become routine.
Chen Yang gritted his teeth and pushed through, his clothes soaked through with sweat, yet his eyes blazed with unwavering resolve.
Once the tempering was complete, he circulated his spiritual energy and found it flowing far more smoothly within him, and his speed of absorbing the world's Spiritual Energy had increased considerably as well.
After those three temperings, Chen Yang could clearly feel that his strength had made a qualitative leap.
He was still at the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, but he was confident he could hold his own against a cultivator at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
This also helped him understand the gap he had felt during his clash with Zhao Yanran that day — cultivation realm did not entirely define one's strength. Spell techniques, Divine Abilities, cultivation techniques, and Magical Artifacts were all vital components of true power.
For this very reason, Chen Yang was in no hurry to break through to the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
He knew full well that his cultivation had advanced far too quickly over the past half year, leaving his foundation unstable.
In particular, he had broken through earlier by relying on demon cores from demon beasts, and the demonic essence lingering within those cores still needed to be slowly refined away.
Forcing a breakthrough now would likely leave behind hidden dangers.
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During these days, Chen Yang had also gathered news about the Silver-Haired Senior from other Menial Disciples.
It turned out that the senior was Elder Shen Hongmei of Spirit Sword Peak, a cultivator at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage — just one step away from forming her golden core.
Once she succeeded in forming her golden core, she would become the second golden core cultivator of the Verdant Wood Sect.
As things stood, the current Sect Master of the Verdant Wood Sect, Ouyang Hua, was the only golden core cultivator in the sect. If Shen Hongmei could successfully form her golden core, the Verdant Wood Sect's standing in the Eastern Region's Cultivation World would rise dramatically.
Chen Yang truly could not fathom why such an exalted Elder would show such kindness to a lowly Menial Disciple like himself.
In the end, he could only chalk it up to the fact that cultivators of great power often acted on whim — perhaps she had simply helped him on a passing impulse.
Regardless, he was filled with deep gratitude toward Shen Hongmei, and he silently vowed that if the opportunity ever arose, he would repay this debt of kindness.
A few more days passed, and Chen Yang completed his fourth tempering.
This tempering was more agonizing than the previous three combined, but he clenched his jaw and endured it to the end.
When it was over, he felt power surging through every inch of his body, and a faint luminous flow seemed to ripple beneath his skin — a clear sign that his physical strength had risen yet another tier.
It was right at this moment that the sect's disciple advancement registration opened.
Chen Yang tidied himself up, took a low-grade spirit stone, and headed to the registration area.
The registration area was set up on the plaza at the foot of Qingyun Peak, and a sizable crowd of Menial Disciples had already gathered there.
In the center of the plaza stood two long tables, one labeled "Outer Sect Disciple Advancement" and the other "Inner Disciple Advancement."
The outer disciples' registration line stretched long, while the inner disciple registration table was nearly deserted, with only a handful of people present.
Chen Yang carefully suppressed his aura, concealing his cultivation at the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm, then walked toward the queue.
He was just about to join the line when he heard a familiar voice:
"Brother Chen!"
He turned to look — it was Xiaodouzi.
The boy came running over with a face full of excitement. "Brother Chen, you're here to register too?"
Chen Yang smiled and nodded. "You broke through to the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm?"
Xiaodouzi scratched his head sheepishly. "Just broke through a couple of days ago. Figured I'd come try my luck."
He lowered his voice. "I heard this trial is really tough — less than a thirty percent pass rate. But I figured, I can't be a laborer my whole life, right?"
Chen Yang patted him on the shoulder. "Good spirit. But be careful during the trial — safety comes first."
The two chatted as they waited in line.
Chen Yang noticed that the inner disciple registration table required a cultivation of at least the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, and he couldn't help but glance over at it a few extra times.
Xiaodouzi followed his gaze and explained:
"That's the inner disciple advancement registration — requires fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm or above. Not many laborers bother signing up for that, though. The outer disciples all train with better cultivation techniques, so even if a laborer has the right cultivation level, it's hard to beat them in a fight."
Chen Yang fell into thoughtful silence.
He was already at the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm — fully qualified to register for the inner disciple advancement.
But as Xiaodouzi had said, Menial Disciples lacked good cultivation techniques and spell techniques, and their combat ability was often inferior to that of Outer Sect Disciples.
While waiting in line, Chen Yang carefully observed the Menial Disciples who had come to register.
Most were at the second or third level of the Qi Refinement Realm, every face a mix of anticipation and nervous anxiety.
A single low-grade spirit stone was no small sum for a Menial Disciple — roughly a month's income — so it was no wonder everyone looked so tense.
Finally it was Chen Yang's turn. He handed over a low-grade spirit stone. The disciple handling the registration didn't even look up. "Name and cultivation level?"
"Chen Yang. Second level of the Qi Refinement Realm."
Chen Yang deliberately kept his aura suppressed to the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
The registrar gave him a casual glance, noted the information in the ledger, and handed him a wooden token. "Three days from now, at dawn, bring this token here to participate in the trial."
Chen Yang pocketed the wooden token and was about to leave when Xiaodouzi finished registering and came over.
He wore a long face. "One spirit stone, just like that — gone. If I don't pass the trial, this whole month was for nothing."
Chen Yang reassured him. "Don't overthink it. Just do your best. If you run into real danger during the trial, concede immediately — your life is what matters most."
Xiaodouzi let out a heavy sigh.
"I just hope I don't run into anyone too strong. I've heard that some Outer Sect Disciples deliberately sign up as examiners just to bully us laborers."
Chen Yang's eyes sharpened.
If that was true, this trial was not going to be smooth sailing.
But he wasn't worried. After these days of tempering cultivation, he was confident he could hold his own even against a cultivator at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
The two exchanged a few more words before going their separate ways.
Chen Yang walked along the small path back to the medicine garden, turning his plans for the coming days over in his mind.
The trial three days from now — he intended to pass it without fail.
Once he became an Outer Sect Disciple, he would gain access to better cultivation resources and be able to advance his strength far more quickly.
Thinking of Zhao Yanran and her three Senior Brothers, a cold glint flickered in Chen Yang's eyes.
One day, he would make those who had looked down on him pay the price.