After becoming fully familiar with the workings of the beast pit, Xu Yuan's cultivation finally began to take shape.
He no longer needed to work half the time and cultivate half the time as he had in Biyou Market, nor did he need to guard Merit Hall at all hours and fight the other disciples for scraps.
Every day, aside from tending the beast pit and collecting the demon beasts' yields on time, he would visit the Artifact Institute every so often to seek Yan Fang's guidance in the art of artifact refinement.
The Spirit Martial Weapon enhanced with the [Artifact Spirit Rebirth] trait needed only its owner to personally add materials and refine it again, and it would possess limitless possibilities.
Naturally, he devoted some thought to it as well.
Besides that, there was the cultivation of the Fur-Covering Art. As promised, his eldest senior brother Fang Chen had sent over the fur of the Burrowing Mountain Rat, giving him the means to practice.
What remained was the most important matter: accumulating cultivation.
Amid such tranquil cultivation, spring gave way to summer, cold came and heat went, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
On this day, at the mountain courtyard of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.
Inside the separate courtyard where Xu Yuan lived.
Drawing a deep breath, Xu Yuan completed one circulation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars Great Breathing Method. He slowly opened his eyes, regret in his gaze.
"Alas, I was still distracted by too many other matters. I'm still just a thread away from entering late-stage Qi Refining."
Muttering regretfully, Xu Yuan rose to his feet. Just then, the bronze bell of the mountain courtyard suddenly rang, its sound spreading throughout the mountain.
This was his master, Jade River, summoning all