“Damn, why is this so hard?” Mark Carter clutched his head, squatting down to examine the ground. Damn, it was as hard as a rock.

Looking at the weeds everywhere, Mark Carter had a bad feeling. He gave a hard tug... not even a twitch...

Chapter 11: The Sun High in the Sky

Mark Carter used all his strength, but the weeds seemed fused with the ground, not budging at all. Gritting his teeth, Mark Carter activated his life mark and used his own primal force. Only then did the weeds slowly start to come out of the ground, their reluctant appearance like two lovers in a passionate embrace.

Before Mark Carter suffocated, he finally managed to pull out the first blade of grass.

The wind blew, and the weeds all over the ground swayed, making a rustling sound, as if mocking someone’s overestimation of themselves.

Mark Carter was petrified. This ground, these weeds, one month?

This is killing me!

Cultivation, just as Grace Brooks had guessed, though he didn’t know what a tiger eagle was, maybe he’d have to ask Sam Bolton for help. That would be so embarrassing. He scratched his head hard, as if his hair were these weeds.

Not far away, Emily Harris was laughing so hard she almost fell over. With the invisibility talisman and the silence talisman, even standing right in front of Mark Carter, this rookie wouldn’t notice a thing.

Emily Harris was laughing herself breathless. There really was such a funny fool. That mirror—just thinking of it made Emily Harris want to laugh till she couldn’t breathe.

Even the Jiutian Fire Luan at her side couldn’t bear to watch. How could it have been chosen by such an idiot? Did his eyes really see its uniqueness?!

The Jiutian Fire Luan sighed helplessly, reminding its master that morning cultivation was about to begin.

“Xiao Ling, you’re amazing, you found a treasure. So, how long do you think he’ll last? I bet one day!” Emily Harris laughed, because tomorrow Mark Carter would have an even bigger “surprise.”

The Jiutian Fire Luan shook its head. Emily Harris licked her pink lips. “Two days. Why?”

“Because he’s dumb.” The Jiutian Fire Luan tilted its head and conveyed.

Emily Harris was stunned, then burst out laughing again. She had laughed more in this moment than in a whole year. Excited, she tossed out a short sword and, together with the Fire Luan, soared into the air like a fairy skimming the waves.

At this moment, Farmer Carter casually ate some dry rations to replenish his strength. With a life mark, his need for food and drink wasn’t as strong as an ordinary person’s.

He kept at it, working all morning until he was panting with exhaustion, truly not slacking off at all. Mark Carter managed to pull out twelve blades of grass, using up all his primal force.

But instead of losing his fighting spirit, Mark Carter was even more fired up, feeling deeply grateful. Normally, it was hard to use up his primal force, but fighting these weeds that had absorbed abundant energy drained him quickly. It was simply the perfect way to cultivate and build up his strength.

He had to give credit—the elders of the Sanctum were truly wise!

Mark Carter sat cross-legged at the edge of the field and began to cultivate. As soon as his primal force recovered, he cheerfully continued his farmer’s life.

Pulling weeds wasn’t the point; using it as cultivation was the real lesson to be learned. The elders’ intentions were profound.

And sure enough, by the end of the day, Mark Carter had managed to get rid of fifty-three weeds. The day passed just like that.

Mark Carter slept soundly, and in his dreams, he swept away all the weeds with a single sword, standing proud in the Sanctum.

Meanwhile, in the spirit field, the patch of land Mark Carter had painstakingly cleared began to sprout weeds again, growing rapidly...

At this time in the Hall of Thunder and Light, four elders were discussing the new batch of disciples. They would select the most outstanding ones for focused training.

“Among this batch, only Grace Brooks has decent talent,” said Anna Harris.

“Yeah, otherwise why bring in so many people? Just trying our luck,” Adam Turner sighed. Each batch was worse than the last.

“Old Turner, you didn’t have to bring in all the trash at the second level of the life mark. Our Hall of Thunder and Light hasn’t fallen that far,” came Paul’s voice.

Adam Turner’s beard twitched. “This kid’s got some spirit. I like it, so I gave him a chance. By the way, Anna Harris, what task did you give him?”

“To cultivate one mu of spirit field,” Anna Harris smiled slightly, and the others exchanged knowing smiles.

Adam Turner was stunned. “That’s impossible—even those at the fifth level of the life mark couldn’t do it.”

“Old Turner, let it go. Sister Zhao is doing it for your own good. The minimum is the third level. You brought in a second-level one. If he manages to muddle through, won’t people laugh at us for having no one in the Hall of Thunder and Light? Since his talent isn’t enough, let’s see if he has the fortune for cultivation,” Evan Cooper advised. He and Adam Turner were very close.

What’s most important in cultivation?

Talent? Wrong!

It’s fate!

At this moment, someone who had “understood” the elders’ intentions was still working hard pulling weeds in his dreams...

Sam Bolton was busy everywhere asking about the tiger eagle. The third-generation disciples took good care of this sensible chubby guy. Sam Bolton’s father was counting on him to bring honor to the family, and being from a business background, he naturally knew how to get along with people. Cultivators were still human, with the same emotions and desires, just a bit more refined, and Sam Bolton agreed wholeheartedly.

He was burning the midnight oil as well. The tiger eagle wasn’t a demon beast, but a kind of wild beast in the Small Thousand World. Clearly, it was no match for cultivators, but contrary to its name, it was actually very small, flying as fast as a hawk. Even if you saw one, it would be hard to shoot it down.

Sam Bolton felt both relieved and worried. Relieved that the thing wasn’t dangerous, so his life was safe; worried because there weren’t any tiger eagles near the Hall of Thunder and Light at all. To catch one, he’d have to go outside.