Collecting Interest

"Thief! You're courting death!"

The moment the Goatee Steward saw Lu Lin standing before the open hidden compartment, his eyes instantly turned blood-red, and he flew into a furious rage.

His vital energy and blood erupted with a boom. His figure was like an enraged ape as he lunged into the bedroom, the saber at his waist already drawn. Snow-bright blade light tore through the darkness, carrying a bone-piercing chill as it cleaved straight at Lu Lin's face!

Lu Lin's expression was as calm as still water.

At the instant that fierce blade light was about to reach him, his body swayed slightly, and he actually slid half a step to the side and back with ghostlike agility, avoiding the fatal strike by a hair's breadth.

At the same time, he pressed two fingers together like a blade and chopped out like lightning, striking the wrist of the Goatee Steward's saber hand with perfect precision.

Crack!

The sound of bone splitting rang out!

How could Lu Lin's hand-blade, containing terrifying brute force, be something a mere seventh level Body Tempering cultivator could withstand? The Goatee Steward felt a drilling agony in his wrist. His five fingers loosened, and his saber immediately flew from his grip, crashing into the corner of the wall with a clang.

Lu Lin seized the advantage without mercy. He stepped forward, drawing power into his left fist, about to blast it at the vital point in the man's chest. But halfway through the punch, something stirred in his heart. In the flash between lightning and flint, he turned his fist into a palm and stamped it heavily onto the Goatee Steward's chest.

"Pfft—!"

The Goatee Steward was as if struck by a heavy hammer. His body flew backward completely out of control, tumbling straight out through the bedroom door and smashing heavily onto the bluestone ground in the courtyard. He slid more than ten meters before barely coming to a stop.

He spat out several mouthfuls of blood in succession, his face instantly turning as pale as paper, his aura withering miserably.

Killing intent flashed through Lu Lin's eyes, then was forcefully suppressed.

In the Blood Baleful Demon Sect, and even in all immortal cultivation sects, one did not become a steward simply by having sufficient cultivation or by rendering merit.

Without backing, without roots, even if one cultivated to the tenth level of Body Tempering, at most one could become the guard of some immortal master or join the Martial Army. There was absolutely no chance of becoming a steward who held real authority.

Behind every steward, there was inevitably the shadow of an immortal cultivator.

Most of them were relatives or old acquaintances of immortal masters. It was only because they possessed no spiritual root and could not cultivate immortality that they had been arranged to take up some post within the sect.

This was precisely the confidence that allowed them to be so bold, secretly sheltering gangs and reaping enormous profits from it.

If he killed the goatee here, it would inevitably alert the immortal cultivator behind him. If it drew out a Foundation Establishment Realm elder, then the trouble would be tremendous...

I'll spare your life for now... Lu Lin's thoughts raced, and he made his decision in an instant.

He no longer lingered. With one leap, his figure swept over the courtyard wall like a night owl and swiftly vanished into the heavy night.

"Damned thief! I... I will find out who you are..." Staring in the direction where Lu Lin had disappeared, the Goatee Steward's eyes burned with flames of resentment and fury. He struggled to climb up, but pulled at his injuries and spat out another small mouthful of blood.

Only after a long while did his violent panting gradually calm, and reason slowly pressed down his anger.

"Who... exactly is this person? Such strong power! That palm just now, its force was controlled freely. He definitely has ninth level Body Tempering cultivation! Could it be... the work of another steward?" He did not even consider ordinary menial martial artists as suspects.

How could menials below the seventh level of Body Tempering have such terrifying skill and courage?

The greatest possibility was that certain stewards who had old grudges with him coveted the wealth he had accumulated over the years and had secretly made a move.

Several faces that usually clashed with him flashed through his mind.

What made him so stifled he wanted to vomit blood most of all was that the Spirit Stones that had been stolen were almost all "stolen goods" that could not see the light of day! This matter could not be publicized at all. Even if he wanted to investigate, he could only do it in secret, and he absolutely did not dare make a great fanfare of it.

This mute's bitter loss left his chest blocked with frustration, yet he was helpless.

Lu Lin returned to the communal bunkhouse without a sound, as if he had never left.

The next day, he carried his bamboo basket on his back and picked up his iron pick as usual, heading for the mine.

When he reached the depths of a certain quiet, deserted tunnel and confirmed that the surroundings were absolutely safe, his thoughts moved. Three pure, flawless Low-grade Spirit Stones emitting a soft glow appeared in his hand.

That hundred jin of Copper Essence had already been devoured by the Martial Dao Melting Furnace. Only these three most crucial Low-grade Spirit Stones remained.

Upgrade... for me! Lu Lin barked inwardly.

In an instant, the three Low-grade Spirit Stones in his palm flashed with light, then abruptly vanished without a trace!

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Martial Dao Melting Furnace suddenly let out a humming tremor.

The furnace body trembled slightly. Brilliant, dazzling rosy light flowed across its surface, and lines of mysterious patterns lit up, emitting a deep hum like great bells and grand chimes that lingered for a long time.

Only after a while did the astonishing phenomenon gradually withdraw. The rosy light turned inward, and the furnace once again became ancient and unadorned. But upon closer inspection, one could see that its form seemed even more condensed and profound, carrying an even more powerful aura.

At the same time, the information on the Martial Dao Melting Furnace panel refreshed as well:

Martial Dao Melting Furnace, Level Two: Owner, Lu Lin.

Cultivation: Sixth level of Body Tempering.

Cultivation time: Twenty-two years and eleven months.

Martial arts techniques: Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art (Third Level), Iron Elephant Body (Sixth Level), Spirit Cat Art (Sixth Level).

Killing moves: Savage Elephant Charge (Perfection); Spirit Cat Step (Perfection).

Mining Essentials: Perfection.

Breath Concealment Art: Perfection.

Inner space: Three feet.

The Martial Dao Melting Furnace had finally risen to Level 2!

The change to the inner space was especially gratifying. Its length, width, and height had expanded from the original one foot to three feet—one meter—and its volume had increased by a full twenty-seven times!

"Good!" Lu Lin was wildly overjoyed.

An inner space three feet square was far more practical than before. The number and size of items it could hold had greatly increased, and doing things in the future would be far more convenient.

"Now, I can finally absorb that Blood Flame Deer antler!" He impatiently took out that segment of antler, crimson as jade.

[Medium spiritual energy discovered. Can be exchanged for sixty years of bitter cultivation. Exchange?]

A prompt appeared before his eyes.

Lu Lin's breath suddenly caught!

Sixty years!

The spiritual energy contained within a single segment of Blood Flame Deer antler could actually be exchanged for a full sexagenary cycle of bitter cultivation time.

How long would he have to mine to get that much?

As expected, treasures used by Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were truly extraordinary!

He chose to exchange it without the slightest hesitation.

At once, his cultivation time surged to eighty-two years and eleven months!

Right after that, he took out all the Inferior Spirit Stones he had obtained from the goateed man and exchanged them all.

A total of three hundred sixty-three Inferior Spirit Stones exchanged for another thirty years and three months of bitter cultivation time.

In the end, his total cultivation time reached an astonishing number: one hundred thirteen years and two months!

"I wonder how much a Low-grade Spirit Stone can be exchanged for?" With a trace of curiosity, he took out one Low-grade Spirit Stone.

[Low-level spiritual energy discovered. Can be exchanged for one year of bitter cultivation. Exchange?]

"One Low-grade Spirit Stone exchanges for one year, twelve times an Inferior Spirit Stone. That does fit the ratio of their value." Lu Lin pondered to himself.

He did not choose to exchange it, but carefully put away the remaining eleven Low-grade Spirit Stones.

This item was hard to come by. Perhaps it would have another use in the future, so he would keep it for now against unexpected need.

"My cultivation time is already sufficient. Now I only lack the subsequent cultivation method of the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art... I hope there's still time." Lu Lin could not help feeling a little anxious.

Today was already the final deadline. Tomorrow, he would set out to carry out that mission whose fortune or disaster was still unknown.

If the technique still did not come into his hands today, he could only risk attempting to break through to the seventh layer of Body Tempering without the protection of pills.

He had no mind to mine. After perfunctorily putting in a little work, he returned to the common bunkhouse and began waiting anxiously.

Fortunately, the thing he worried about did not happen.

At dusk, an unfamiliar steward came to find him.

"Lu Lin, Steward Zhao Neng had matters to attend to today and is resting. He asked me to hand this over on his behalf. This is the 'muscle-and-sinew training' method for the fourth through sixth layers of Body Tempering from the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art. Take it and cultivate properly." The steward handed over a thin booklet that nevertheless felt as heavy as a thousand jun, and warned in a solemn tone, "Remember, the sect's techniques are strictly forbidden from being passed on to outsiders! Once discovered, you know the consequences."

"This subordinate understands! Many thanks, Steward!" Lu Lin forcefully suppressed the excitement in his heart and hurriedly cupped his hands in thanks.

The steward nodded in satisfaction, then left with his hands clasped behind his back.

Once the man had gone far away, Lu Lin immediately picked up the subsequent technique of the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art, unable to wait any longer, and began reading it with full concentration.

Only after half an hour did he slowly close the book, his eyes flashing with the light of confidence.

Everything was finally ready!