"Understood, Senior Brother Zhang."
Yesterday, Lu Qing had explained to the three of them that every member of the entire Taoist temple was their master's disciple, so they all addressed one another as senior and junior brothers.
Those who had joined first were called senior brothers, and those who joined later were called junior brothers, regardless of age or sex.
As for the senior brothers who had joined the sect, none of them had taken disciples yet, as far as anyone knew.
"The cliffs and ravines behind the mountain are steep. Fetching water isn't easy, so you can start by gathering firewood."
Chef Zhang pointed at Ling Qing and Zhang Zhe, then turned to Zhu Guang.
"As for you, with your delicate skin and tender flesh, and that big, round face, I don't know if you can take a little hardship."
"Senior Brother, I can take it. I can take it."
Seeing this, Zhu Guang hurriedly replied.
It had taken him a great deal of effort to formally enter the immortal sect. He didn't want to end up like Wang Sheng, who couldn't endure hardship and had been fobbed off with a crude spell before being sent away.
"Is that so? I was thinking of keeping you in the kitchen to lend a hand. Since you're willing..."
"I'll do whatever you say, Senior Brother. I'm happy to help." Zhu Guang hurriedly cut Senior Brother Zhang off, grinning from ear to ear.
As mentioned before, Zhu Guang was round and plump, with a big, round face and pale, jade-smooth skin.
Clearly, he'd lived a very comfortable life since childhood.
With his plump, well-fed appearance, no one would believe he wasn't a food lover.
For him, helping out in the kitchen was far better than chopping wood and carrying water outdoors under the wind and sun.
He wasn't on the path of tempering his body. If he had to keep doing it day after day, there was no telling whether he could hold out.
Even if the work was just as tiring, being near food was still more comfortable than staring at tree bark.
"Very well. Come with me in a bit. You two, pick out your tools and get going."
Senior Brother Zhang said with a grin. Clearly, he'd seen right through Zhu Guang's intentions.
"Yes!"
Ling Qing and Zhang Zhe looked enviously at Zhu Guang's beaming face. Then each picked up a carrying pole and an axe and headed toward the back mountain.
"Who'd have thought that fatso really was blessed with good fortune?" Zhang Zhe joked as they walked.
"Maybe because we don't have a belly full of good fortune like his," Ling Qing said with a laugh.
As they walked, Ling Qing and Zhu Guang had grown much more familiar with each other, enough to exchange a few little jokes.
Still, neither of them was too envious. Everyone had their own fate.
Besides, chopping wood suited the two of them quite well.
They left through the rear courtyard gate and followed a steep, winding path down the back mountain. Halfway down, they parted ways with the people fetching water, crossed a Single-Log Bridge, and reached Firewood Mountain.
They'd heard others call it Firewood Mountain. All the Taoist temple's firewood came from here. They'd also heard that the trees on this mountain were good for nothing except burning, so they were called firewood trees.
Ling Qing and Zhang Zhe hurried to catch up with the senior brothers who'd gone on ahead.
Among them were the Li Family Uncle and Nephew, some gifted disciples, and a few senior brothers from the instance.
Liu Yun had been assigned to grow vegetables in the garden, so he wasn't with the group.
But they'd heard the vegetable garden needed to be fertilized with manure, so it was no wonder Liu Yun had been grumbling.
Once they reached Firewood Mountain, the two of them followed the others' example and each picked out a tree.
Ling Qing set his carrying pole and rope aside, raised his axe, and swung at the tree's roots.
"Thud!"
A dull sound, like a bronze bell, rang out. The bark didn't budge.
At the same time, the force rebounded from the axe and shook his hands numb. His bones went weak, and his muscles turned to jelly. He almost lost his grip and fell onto his backside.
Zhang Zhe had the same experience on the other side.
"Hahaha!" The others burst out laughing at the sight.
Only then did the two realize that the others had merely been putting on a show. They hadn't actually started working.
Most of the ones chopping wood were senior brothers who had joined the sect earlier.
After a while, a man named Li Li came over and said, "The wood on Firewood Mountain is extremely hard. We all start by climbing up and chopping off some thin branches.
"If you want to cut down a whole tree, you'll have to wait a while, until you've gotten used to it."
"Thank you." The two thanked him.
The others lost interest once there was no more fun to be had, and climbed the trees to chop wood.
"Don't mention it. And don't be upset. Nobody means any harm. We all went through the same thing."
Worried they might be holding a grudge, Li Li came over to reassure them.
The two looked around and saw that was true. Even the senior brothers who had joined the sect were only pretending to work nearby, waiting to see how the new arrivals would fare.
Only after Li Li came over to explain things did they head farther up the mountain to find sturdier trees to chop.
"No problem. Next time, we can pull the same trick on someone else," Zhang Zhe said with a raised brow and a grin.
"Exactly," Ling Qing said, laughing in agreement.
"Good. That's the spirit."
Li Li gave them a thumbs-up, then said mysteriously, "Here's another tip: put all your strength into chopping, and try to carry as much as you can in one trip.
"Use as much strength as you have, and carry as much as you can. Whatever you do, don't worry about conserving your energy."
"Thanks, Brother Li." Ling Qing and Zhang Zhe pondered his words, then thanked him again when they came back to themselves.
After hearing Li Li's advice, Ling Qing tucked his axe into his waistband, gripped the tree with both hands, and sprang upward like an agile ape.
The improvements he'd gained from upgrading Five Animal Frolics to expert level weren't limited to his attributes. He'd also gained the martial arts experience befitting an expert.
His skills now rivaled those of people who'd trained in martial arts since childhood.
Of course, he was comparing himself to martial artists from before the Time Fragment appeared a year ago.
Now, after going through several instances, people like Tian Yong and Zhang Zhe had already cultivated internal energy.
Since the instances appeared, martial arts could broadly be divided into two types.
The first was dynamic practice, which tempered qi and blood: training the sinews, bones, and skin externally, and cultivating a breath of energy internally.
But this energy wasn't for attacking. It was held within, preventing one's strength from leaking away.
The other was static practice, which circulated internal breath through the meridians and acupoints.
When circulated, it could enhance one's physique internally and sharpen weapons externally.
The Five Animal Frolics Ling Qing had learned was a dynamic art that tempered qi and blood, while Tian Yong and Zhang Zhe had acquired static arts in the instances that circulated internal breath.
But neither dynamic nor static arts were purely one or the other. There was still movement within stillness, and stillness within movement.
They simply leaned in different directions.
Once one opened the bridge between Heaven and Earth and reached the innate realm, there was basically no significant difference between them.
Besides, fighting techniques and training methods were two different things. Knowing how to train didn't necessarily mean knowing how to fight, and being able to fight didn't necessarily mean one's martial arts were of a high level.
Ling Qing climbed the tree and settled onto a branch. He picked one about as thick as his arm, raised his axe, and swung.
He used the striking and chopping techniques from the staff art he'd previously exchanged for at the Special Affairs Department.
"Crack!"
Seeing the notch he'd cut into the branch, Ling Qing's heart leapt.
This is working!
The branch looked about as thick as his wooden staff, and its hardness wasn't far off.
That staff of his was made from Iron Birch Wood, after all—wood strong enough to withstand bullets.
It was a good thing the axe was sharp. Otherwise, there'd have been no telling how things would go.
Since Li Li had told him not to hold back, he'd put all his strength into it. There was no reason to think Li Li had lied.
Even if people's hearts were hard to read, it didn't matter. At worst, he'd waste a little strength; a couple of spells would restore it.
Before you continue