He carried silver with him and went to the academy’s herbal shop, where he bought seven sets totaling twenty third-grade medicinal herbs.

Charles Bennett returned to his small room at the academy, bolted the door from the inside to prevent anyone from coming in unexpectedly.

He then placed these herbs one by one into the medicinal field within the ancient painting scroll, watching joyfully as the herbs in the painting were upgraded from third-grade to sixth-grade quality. When the ancient painting scroll had upgraded all the third-grade herbs to fifth and sixth grade, it then dimmed and lost its luster.

“Planting these twenty herbs has completely exhausted the field’s energy again!”

Charles Bennett was not surprised by this and sighed slightly.

However, he was already very satisfied to have obtained twenty sixth-grade herbs. These sixth-grade herbs were simply not sold in the herbal shop. Even if they were available, the price would be astonishing—completely unaffordable for a poor student like Charles Bennett.

In fact, even those commoners from relatively wealthy families could not afford the best herbs and at most could buy third-grade ones. Only a few children from powerful families could get fifth- or sixth-grade herbs from their families for cultivation.

“These seven sets of body-tempering herbs are enough for me to use for two months.”

Charles Bennett calmed his mind and immersed himself fully in cultivation.

For a student who poured all his energy and effort into cultivation, two months was not a long time.

Charles Bennett spent a month and broke through to the fifth level of the Body Refining stage in one go.

At the same time, he had already mastered the first two basic moves of the “Tiger Leap Blade Technique”—“Draw Blade” and “Tiger Leap Slash”—and was now practicing the next two intermediate moves: “Tiger Leap Double Slash” and “Tiger Leap Triple Slash.”

Tiger Leap Slash: in an instant, a blade shadow slashes at a target. A sixth-level Body Refining cultivator can deliver a force of six hundred jin.

Tiger Leap Double Slash: in an instant, two blade shadows slash at a target, with a force of twelve hundred jin.

Tiger Leap Triple Slash: in an instant, three blade shadows slash at a target, with a force of eighteen hundred jin.

Charles Bennett specifically sought advice from the chief instructor of the upper academy, Caleb Thompson.

The key here is the “in an instant.” To slash once in an instant and to slash twice in an instant are completely different in difficulty—the latter is at least several times harder. Of course, the destructive power also increases dramatically.

A single Tiger Leap Double Slash is enough to kill a fierce tiger or wolf.

Charles Bennett spent a whole month practicing this move with all his might before he could barely execute the Tiger Leap Double Slash.

After reaching the fifth level of the Body Refining stage, his body-tempering progress slowed down again.

Charles Bennett had already used up all his sixth-grade body-tempering herbs and had no more herbs to maintain high-intensity cultivation.

“Manager Thompson did promise that if there was a money-earning task, he would call me to do it, but who knows when such a job will come up? If I have to wait several months before I can afford to buy third-grade herbs, wouldn’t I just be waiting around?… And in three months, it’ll be the academy’s graduation assessment—I can’t afford to wait!”

Charles Bennett was helpless.

He searched all over the vast Beilu Academy, inside and out, looking for treasures that could restore the field’s energy in the ancient painting scroll, almost combing through every corner of the academy. But treasures are not so easy to find. After several days of searching, he found nothing.

“It seems that all the good treasures in the academy have long been taken by others—there’s no chance for me. Without treasures to restore the ‘Immortal Abode’ field’s energy, even having an Immortal Abode scroll in hand is useless!”

Charles Bennett was troubled.

Now, the ancient painting scroll in his hand looked dull and gray, no different from a centuries-old, worn-out, abandoned scroll.

Charles Bennett even muttered to himself, “If I put this ancient painting scroll on the bookshelf in the library, or throw it on the road, would anyone be interested in it?! They’d probably just treat it as junk.”

“It seems I can’t pin all my hopes on this Immortal Abode painting. I must take risks and cultivate on my own—even if I rely solely on my own strength, I have to complete the sixth level of the Body Refining stage. Staying in the academy is of no benefit. I’ve already reached the fifth level and learned a powerful intermediate blade technique; I can go up Beilu Mountain to look for some herbs. If I’m lucky, I might even find herbs above third grade! I’ll spend three months on the mountain, searching for herbs to temper my body and practicing my blade technique, then come back for the academy’s assessment and evaluation!”

Charles Bennett set his sights on the Beilu Mountain range.

Chapter 9: Half a Year of Bitter Cultivation

“Chief Instructor Thompson, I wish to go to Beilu Mountain to cultivate.”

On this day, when Charles Bennett finished his cultivation, he went to a burly middle-aged instructor and bowed respectfully.

“You want to go up the mountain?”

The chief instructor of the upper academy, Caleb Thompson, frowned at these words. He vaguely remembered that this student had only been promoted from the lower academy to the upper academy two months ago, and his strength should still be quite weak. Going into the mountains so soon was rather risky.

“Yes, I have already mastered the intermediate move of the ‘Tiger Leap Blade Technique’—Tiger Leap Double Slash—which is enough to protect myself. But I lack herbs for body tempering, and my physical cultivation has stalled. I want to go into the mountains to gather herbs and continue my training!”

Charles Bennett said.

“You’ve mastered the intermediate martial technique so quickly?”

Caleb Thompson frowned even more deeply.

He wasn’t actually doubting that Charles Bennett was making things up.