On the fifteenth day, Samuel Bennett noticed that his legs and arms had grown thicker, flesh had appeared on his body, and the ribs on his chest were no longer so prominent.

That morning, Fourth Senior Brother Ethan Clark stood nearby watching Samuel Bennett chop firewood.

He had heard from Second Senior Brother that this little junior had some talent for chopping wood, which made him all the more curious.

Samuel Bennett glanced at his senior brother and asked, “Senior Brother, I haven’t seen Master for several days.”

“Master? Of course he’s gone to the Lingji Cave,” Ethan Clark replied casually.

“Fourth!”

First Senior Brother Charles Clark suddenly poked his head out of the kitchen window and glared at him sternly. “What did I tell you? Don’t talk nonsense.”

Ethan Clark stuck out his tongue and didn’t dare make a sound.

Samuel Bennett didn’t ask further. Even the usually argumentative Fourth Senior Brother knew to correct himself, so this must be an important secret, not something he should know. He continued chopping wood, pretending he hadn’t seen anything.

“Little Junior, chop these four logs.”

Ethan Clark lined up four round logs on the ground and smiled. “You need to chop them all in one go as fast as you can. When the log in my hand falls from the sky to the ground, you stop.”

Ethan Clark casually picked up a log. “Ready?”

Samuel Bennett nodded. Ethan Clark hurled the log high into the air. “Begin!”

Samuel Bennett stepped forward and brought the axe down—one log split in two. He reversed his grip and struck again, splitting the second log. Just as the log in the air hit the ground, Samuel Bennett split the third log.

“Not bad! Not bad!”

Ethan Clark clapped in approval. “No wonder Master brought you up the mountain. You really do have some talent.”

Samuel Bennett scratched his head a little embarrassed. “Senior Brother, am I really that fast?”

“Nonsense! Back then, it took me three months of chopping wood to reach your speed. You’ve only been at it for half a month!”

“Can I get even faster?”

Ethan Clark rolled his eyes. He looked around, then lowered his voice. “I can teach you a chopping technique and a footwork move, but don’t tell Master.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother, for your generosity!”

……

After thirty days on the mountain, Samuel Bennett chopped wood as smoothly as flowing water. He could chop a hundred logs in one go, and finish five hundred logs in an hour. He found he had gained at least ten pounds, and his once gaunt cheeks had filled out.

Compared to the frail and thin boy who first came up the mountain, he was growing stronger by the day.

But Samuel Bennett was rather quiet. Aside from working and doing his lessons, he spent all his other time sitting on the cliff, silently gazing into the distance, missing his family. This was his only spiritual solace—he simply couldn’t forget his beloved wife and daughter from another world.

That morning, Samuel Bennett went to find First Senior Brother Charles Clark.

The four senior brothers had clear divisions of labor: First and Fourth Senior Brothers were responsible for chopping down trees in the mountains, while Second and Third Senior Brothers went to find food.

Cooking was also First Senior Brother’s job. As for fetching water, each senior brother took turns.

First Senior Brother was rather slow-witted, as if his mind didn’t work well. He had to think for a long time before doing anything. According to Fourth Senior Brother, First Senior Brother had suffered a serious illness when he was young, which damaged his brain. After Master cured him, he took him in as a disciple.

As for Master Mu Zhenren, he was always elusive—most of the time, Samuel Bennett didn’t see him at all. He asked several senior brothers, but none knew where Master was. He always disappeared for more than ten days at a time, and everyone was used to it.

“First Senior Brother, the woodshed is already full. Should I keep chopping?” Samuel Bennett pointed at the woodshed and asked.

Charles Clark counted on his fingers for a long time before saying, “Tell Fourth to go sell the firewood!”

Only then did Samuel Bennett realize that the firewood he chopped every day was actually sold.

When Fourth Senior Brother Ethan Clark hoisted the bundle of firewood tied with rope onto his back, Samuel Bennett was stunned. The bundle weighed at least three hundred jin, taller than two of Fourth Senior Brother stacked together, yet he could carry it with ease.

“Little Junior, want to come sell firewood with me?” Ethan Clark asked with a grin.

Samuel Bennett snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded. “I’ll go with you!”

Samuel Bennett tucked the hatchet into his belt and followed Fourth Senior Brother down the mountain.

In over a month, this was the first time Samuel Bennett had gone down the mountain. Compared to the difficult climb up a month ago, his steps were now much lighter, and he could just about keep up with Fourth Senior Brother’s pace.

“Fourth Senior Brother, have you practiced martial arts?” Samuel Bennett asked, looking at the mountain-like bundle of firewood on Ethan Clark’s back.

Ethan Clark gave him a strange look. “We practice martial arts every day. You didn’t know?”

Samuel Bennett shook his head. “I only ever see everyone meditating. I’ve never seen you practice martial arts at any other time.”

“Labor is a form of martial arts training. Like you chopping wood—isn’t that practicing body movement and blade technique? You can chop five hundred logs in an hour. Besides getting stronger, haven’t you noticed your movements are faster?”

Samuel Bennett looked confused. To him, chopping wood was just chopping wood—he never thought about body movement or blade technique.

“It’s just that you haven’t paid attention. Didn’t I teach you how to chop wood that day? Those two chopping techniques and footwork—what do you think they are?”

Samuel Bennett had long suspected that the techniques and footwork his senior brother taught him for chopping wood were a kind of martial art. Now he was sure.

“So that’s actually blade technique?”