In the small courtyard, a handsome young man moved with fluid, expansive motions, shifting his posture between various Pile Skills to condense the Qi and Blood in his chest.

His Qi and Blood now flowed as thick as two fingers held together. As Xie Yuan moved, it coursed through his entire body, strengthening his skin bit by bit.

This accumulation of small changes triggered a qualitative breakthrough. As an invisible barrier shattered, Xie Yuan felt the power of his Blood Qi reverberate across his skin. He could clearly feel its toughness ascend to a whole new level.

His skin was now so tough that dull shears couldn’t easily pierce it. It was like a natural layer of leather armor, boasting astonishing Defense Power.

Beneath his tough skin lay considerable strength. Xie Yuan’s physical power had increased yet again. He could now lift a skinny beanpole like Wang Ergou off the ground with a single hand and dangle him with ease.

"Hah."

Xie Yuan slowly concluded his practice, extremely satisfied with his improved state.

He took out his axe and swung it effortlessly. The blade whistled faintly through the air before lopping off a branch from the log on the ground with a THWACK.

’With this axe in hand, I doubt anyone beneath the rank of a Martial Artist could withstand a single blow from me!’

Xie Yuan gripped the axe, a surge of heroic pride swelling in his chest.

But even an invincible hero below the rank of Martial Artist still had to chop wood.

At his feet lay a complete nanmu log, felled by the logging team at the very spot Xie Yuan had marked. The four of them had carried it out of the mountains on their shoulders, a task that took only two and a half days.

Now that it was in his courtyard, processing it was much easier.

Xie Yuan was experienced and knew the custom specifications required by Boss Wan, the timber merchant in Panlong Town. Even for such a precious log, finishing the entire job would only take another two or three days.

When he was done, another ten taels of silver would come in. After splitting the profits, the largest share would still be his.

This efficiency was so much higher than working alone.

Silver meant medicinal soups and food, which in turn translated to personal strength—the very foundation of his confidence.

Brimming with motivation, Xie Yuan swung his axe again and again, gradually stripping the nanmu log of its branches and hewing it into a rough shape.

「Three days later.」

Xie Yuan loaded the fully processed nanmu wood onto a donkey cart and dusted off his hands. His eyes unfocused for a moment.

[Chopping Wood: (1984/10000)]

[Iron Cloth Shirt - 3rd Layer: (96/1000)]

[Body-Nourishing Art - 2nd Layer: (1228/2000)]

Although he had spent the past three days mainly processing wood, he hadn’t neglected his training.

After all, once the log was in his courtyard, the work was just cutting and chopping. The task was easy for him, leaving plenty of time for his daily training.

’This is a case of sharpening your axe before chopping wood... no, more like chopping wood doesn’t get in the way of sharpening the axe.’

Practicing martial arts was like sharpening himself into a keen blade.

In these three days, his cultivation stage had stabilized at the "Cowhide" level, while his Qi and Blood continued to grow steadily.

And while his internal breath didn’t advance quite as fast, it was progressing with a slow and steady certainty, constantly reinforcing his foundation and enhancing his strength.

’It’s no exaggeration to say my future looks bright.’

With his training in both Inner Power and external arts progressing smoothly, Xie Yuan felt a deep satisfaction. He cracked the donkey whip, and the cart began to sway and amble its way toward Panlong Town.

"Hey, hey, this way, this way... Damn! What a stubborn donkey."

But clearly, when it came to driving a donkey cart, Xie Yuan was still a novice.

A donkey cart could carry more, and since transporting wood to Panlong Town was bound to become a regular task, he had acquired the first vehicle of his life.

He didn’t have the cash on hand, but with his current reputation in the village, getting it on credit for a few days wasn’t hard.

By the time he finally wrangled the donkey cart to Boss Wan’s place in Panlong Town, Xie Yuan felt more exhausted than he did after a hard training session.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Xie Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and smiled at Boss Wan, who had come to the door.

"Boss Wan, what do you think this cart of nanmu is worth?"

Boss Wan’s eyes lit up. He quickly instructed his assistants to unload the cart and invited Xie Yuan inside to sit and have some tea.

A short while later, the old merchant returned to the room, holding a large silver ingot worth a full ten taels, along with two taels of smaller, broken silver.

"The quality is even better than last time! Younger Brother Xie, twelve taels of silver. How does that sound?"

"You’re too generous, Boss!"

Xie Yuan, having no objections, accepted the twelve taels of silver with satisfaction.

’This is easy money.’

’All I have to do is wait in my courtyard for the raw logs to be delivered, then cut and chop them. I don’t have to handle everything alone from start to finish, so naturally, the quality of the finished product is a cut above.’

’Out of twelve taels of silver, giving one tael to each of the four loggers is a generous reward, but not so much that it stings.’

’I weighed the pros and cons for a long time before settling on this rate. It’s not too much, not too little, and I can always adjust it later.’

Xie Yuan needed a stable, long-term team to assist him, so he was willing to invest.

’Management is its own skill, huh. This is just the beginning.’

Xie Yuan shook his head. ’That’s not what’s crucial, though. The priority is still the Martial Dao.’

’After splitting the profits, I’ll have eight taels left. After paying off the donkey cart and buying meat and grain, the rest of the money...’

A glint flashed in his eyes. ’It’s enough for a medicinal bath.’

’I’m already at the 3rd Layer of the Iron Cloth Shirt. My cultivation speed is still astonishingly fast compared to others, but if I want to become a Martial Artist quickly, powerful aids like this are indispensable.’

’Anyway, I just got paid. There’s no time like the present. I’ll give it a try today!’

Xie Yuan headed straight for the Iron Cloth Gate.

He entered the gate, went around the large training grounds, and walked toward the pharmacy.

"Senior Brother, I’d like to purchase a basic medicinal bath."

"Five taels of silver."

The disciple inside, who wore a green robe and a mask, spoke flatly. He then saw a large silver ingot slide onto the counter.

He glanced at Xie Yuan, took the silver ingot, returned five taels in change, and handed him a wooden token.

"Go to the bathhouse and wait. Someone will be there shortly to prepare it for you."

’The service is pretty good. As expected, silver works wonders no matter where you go...’

Xie Yuan mused to himself as he walked to the inner chamber of the bathhouse, a room dedicated to medicinal baths. He found Room "Ding Four," which matched his wooden token, and the scene felt strangely familiar.

’They even have tokens here.’

Before long, an attendant came in carrying a large basin filled with a thick, black medicinal liquid, which he poured into an empty wooden tub. After several trips, the tub was full. Then, with an obsequious smile, he said to Xie Yuan:

"Senior Brother, it might hurt a little at first, but it will feel wonderful once you get past the initial sting. Please, go ahead."

Xie Yuan was silent for a moment. After the attendant left, he took off his clothes, hung them up, and stepped into the large wooden tub.

’Hiss... The water’s pretty hot. Feels good! It doesn’t hurt?’

’This medicinal potency... the basic version is too weak... Hmm? Why is it getting hotter?’

’Something’s wrong. It’s not the water that’s hot—I’m burning up! Fuck, this medicine is potent!’

’Incredible!’

’Fuck!’

Xie Yuan couldn’t stop a strange cry from escaping his lips. A sensation that was simultaneously numbing, searing, stinging, and itching shot from every inch of his skin to his brain. It was both agonizing and exhilarating, and he wanted nothing more than to leap right out of the tub!

But as he soaked in the medicinal liquid, his skin was clearly being strengthened at an accelerated rate. The feeling was incredibly obvious. ’No, I don’t even need to feel it...’

[Iron Cloth Shirt - 3rd Layer: (96/1000)]

97... 98... 99...

The progress numbers before his eyes ticked upward, slow but visible to the naked eye. ’This is so much more efficient than just training!’

Watching the numbers tick steadily upward, Xie Yuan felt a rush of adrenaline. He grit his teeth against the stinging pain, his face flushed red, and forced himself to sit still in the tub.

Just then, a continuous stream of greetings echoed from the outer room of the bathhouse. It seemed a Senior Brother of considerable standing had arrived and was rapidly approaching the inner chambers.

’So many people are greeting him? He must be a Core Disciple, at least. And a high-ranking one at that.’

Xie Yuan tried to divert his attention, only to realize the footsteps were getting closer, stopping directly outside his room.

The door curtain was swept aside, and a stout, arrogant-looking disciple walked in. Upon seeing Xie Yuan, he stated flatly:

"Junior Brother Xie, get out. I need to talk to you."

Xie Yuan looked at the Core Disciple, who clearly came with ill intent, and then at Xu Yang, the "Medicine Pot," standing just outside. His brow slowly furrowed.