The journey stretched across mountains and rivers, accompanied by the rustle of paulownia leaves in the drizzling rain.
Chen Yuan did not wake until half-past 7:00 AM. For a Martial Artist, sleep was just as crucial as training, essential for breathing life back into an exhausted body.
After breakfast at the Huo Courtyard, he braved the misty rain and headed toward Funiu Mountain. Arriving outside the courtyard of the First Medicinal Garden, he requested an audience with General Manager Li.
The trusted aide from the Nursing Home already recognized Chen Yuan and smiled. "Since it’s Chen Zhibo, follow me."
Knowing how much the General Manager valued the young man, the aide didn’t bother formally announcing him and led the way directly.
"General Manager, Chen Yuan requests an audience," the aide called out from outside the door.
"Let him in," Li Song’s voice replied.
Chen Yuan pushed the door open and entered. The room remained simply and elegantly furnished. A large green-wood desk dominated the space, holding a pot of hot tea, with a few chairs arranged nearby.
Catching sight of him, Li Song smiled.
"Chen, it’s been over a month, and you’re looking more energetic than ever. I heard from the Steward last time that the Sixth Medicinal Garden suffered the least amount of losses under your watch."
"The Steward is too kind," Chen Yuan replied humbly. "I’m merely doing my duty."
Inwardly, however, his guard went up. It seemed product loss was a common issue across most medicinal gardens—perhaps even an unspoken rule. If he performed too flawlessly, he would stick out like a sore thumb. Over time, that kind of isolation would inevitably breed resentment. As the saying went, the tallest nail always gets hammered down. He needed to find a way to rein in his efficiency.
Li Song chuckled, dropping the subject. "Chen, you must have something specific to discuss to come looking for me today, right?"
Chen Yuan nodded and stated his purpose. "General Manager, I was fortunate enough to successfully break through yesterday. I have now officially entered the Bone Refining stage."
"Oh?" Li Song’s eyes lit up with a broad smile. "Excellent, excellent. I know your background. Breaking through the bone barrier in just seven months is faster than most disciples with a Grade C+ Root Bone. Truly rare."
He paused in thought before asking, "How solid is your foundation in the skin barrier? Did you break through shortly after mastering skin refinement, or were you close to achieving Copper Skin?"
A martial artist’s mastery of the skin barrier was a key indicator of their future potential and foundational strength.
Chen Yuan bowed respectfully. "To be honest, General Manager, I simply got lucky. I broke through the bone barrier while already at the stage of Copper Skin."
Hearing this, Li Song nodded slightly, the admiration in his eyes deepening. Although having a Grade C+ Root Bone qualified someone to achieve Copper Skin, it was merely a qualification.
Many lacked the patience to see it through, opting to force a breakthrough once they felt they were close enough, intending to polish their skin to copper after clearing the bone barrier. It was like building a house on a shaky foundation and trying to reinforce it later—increasing the risk of failure during the breakthrough and resulting in an impure progression. A true talent with an excellent Root Bone never skipped the hard work required to properly forge Copper Skin. This alone proved that both Chen Yuan’s Root Bone and his temperament were outstanding.
"Well, achieving such results is a very pleasant surprise," Li Song said with a smile. Then he probed further, "What about your technique? Are you confident in achieving Great Success in Manifest Force anytime soon?"
He was considering giving Chen Yuan a new assignment.
Chen Yuan thought for a moment before answering cautiously. "It’s hard to say. Technique relies heavily on Comprehension. I might grasp it in a month or two, or it could take three to four."
Li Song didn’t press the issue and laid out two options.
"Chen, with your current strength, you can be transferred to the Fourth Medicinal Garden as a guard. Your monthly pay would increase to thirty-five taels, and you would receive five Bone Strengthening Pills every month. You’d still be working the afternoon shift.
"However, there’s a catch. Wild beasts and mutated creatures roam that area frequently. You can expect beast attacks two or three times a month. It’s noticeably more dangerous, but if you kill the creatures and hand them over to the family, you’ll be rewarded accordingly."
Chen Yuan weighed the options for a moment before speaking up. "Alright, I’m willing to transfer to the Fourth Medicinal Garden."
If General Manager Li said he could handle it, then he absolutely could. Furthermore, he had Elephant Bone as his trump card, which would give him a much more comfortable margin of error compared to a standard novice at the bone barrier. A little danger was nothing. He couldn’t just hide away for the sake of playing it safe; he needed to earn resources.
Li Song chuckled.
"No need to agree so quickly. I have another position available. The medicinal gardens are currently short a Vice Steward to oversee the manpower across the various locations, as well as manage the harvesting and sale of herbs.
"The monthly pay for this would be forty-five taels, with additional profit-sharing based on your contributions. Are you interested in that?"
Chen Yuan was slightly taken aback. This was an offer to step into management. As far as he knew, such roles within the Li Family were usually reserved for their own kin. For Li Song to offer him this opportunity spoke volumes about how highly he was valued.
He quickly replied, "I am deeply honored by your favor, General Manager. However, I am rather slow-witted and have never handled such administrative affairs before. I fear I would be unfit for the role and only end up disappointing you."
Li Song waved off his concerns.
"Don’t worry, being a Vice Steward isn’t that easy to secure. Besides you, there is also a Li Family Disciple up for the position.
"My intention is for both of you to shadow the current Steward for a month. Whoever performs better will get the job."
Now Chen Yuan understood. It was a competition, and his rival would be a Li Family Disciple. The administrative duties of a Vice Steward probably wouldn’t be too complicated. Was it worth trading a portion of his training time and energy for higher pay, access to upper management, and a chance to wield more authority?
What kind of person was this rival? Would they hold a grudge against him just for competing? Or worse, use underhanded tricks to ensure he failed? Yet, refusing outright right now would surely displease General Manager Li. Being nominated in the first place was a mark of respect!
For a moment, Chen Yuan hesitated. He finally said, "General Manager Li, could you give me some time to think it over?"
Li Song didn’t overthink it and nodded.
"You’ve just broken through and need time to consolidate your strength anyway. That being the case, just give me your answer in three days."
Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He excused himself and took his leave.
Watching the youth’s retreating back as the door closed, Li Song fell into deep thought.
In this world, everything boiled down to a single word: compete!
Opportunities and resources all had to be fought for. The weak were simply unfit to become strong.
He hoped Chen Yuan would not disappoint him.
Upon returning to the Huo Courtyard, Chen Yuan resumed his training.
With the bone barrier cleared, his current priority was to focus on comprehending Hidden Force. Once he did, his combat prowess would elevate to an entirely new level.
After all, even Fang Minghai hadn’t managed to comprehend Hidden Force yet.
While sparring with Senior Brother Fang using the Heart Intent Six Harmonies Fist, Chen Yuan completely failed to control his suddenly magnified strength, instantly giving himself away.
Fang Minghai’s eyes went wide, and he exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Junior Brother Chen, you broke through the bone barrier? This kind of force—there’s no mistaking it! Congratulations!"
Chen Yuan smiled faintly. "I really can’t hide anything from you. I was lucky enough to break through yesterday."
He hadn’t actually planned on keeping it a secret. He just felt it would be entirely too awkward to walk up and brag about clearing the bone barrier right off the bat.
Fang Minghai laughed heartily, clapping Chen Yuan on the shoulder in praise.
"I’d expect nothing less from you! Seven months to clear the bone barrier with Copper Skin. Out of everyone currently at the Huo Courtyard, you’re the most outstanding right behind Junior Brother Xu. This calls for a celebration! When I go back, I’m going to talk to my father and have him increase his financial sponsorship for you."
The stronger Chen Yuan became, the more it proved Fang Minghai’s excellent judge of character.
"Then I must thank you," Chen Yuan smiled. "Please give my regards to Mr. Fang."
When it came to silver, the more the better.
The two hadn’t bothered to keep their voices down, so it wasn’t long before the surrounding disciples gathered around to offer Chen Yuan their congratulations.
After all, having cleared the bone barrier was considered a slightly below-average level of strength across all of Qingyuan County. Within the Huo Courtyard itself, only a handful of the more senior disciples were stronger than Chen Yuan.
Watching Chen Yuan surrounded by people like stars orbiting the moon, Xue Anping’s eyes filled with envy as he stepped forward to offer his own well-wishes.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Chen. May your path on the Martial Dao be ever prosperous."
Envy aside, he still remembered Chen Yuan’s kindness. If it hadn’t been for that Blood Qi Pill, he likely wouldn’t even be standing here today.
Tao Ping walked over as well, pulling out a wooden box with a smile.
"Junior Brother Chen, congratulations. The Huo Courtyard gains yet another disciple at the bone barrier. Here are two Bone Strengthening Pills. I hope you continue to advance diligently on the Martial Dao."
It was worth noting that someone with Yu Yan Yi’s aptitude had only broken through the bone barrier a little over a month ago. In comparison, his Junior Brother Chen wasn’t far behind at all. The momentum of this late bloomer was only growing stronger.
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Chen Yuan bowed as he accepted the box.
The Huo Courtyard’s tradition was to reward newly advanced disciples with a single Bone Strengthening Pill. The second pill was likely a personal gift from Senior Brother Tao.
Just then, having heard the news, Master Huo and several disciples emerged from the direction of the Inner Courtyard.