6: chopping wood and hanging up the machine

After a full meal, the hunger in his stomach dissipated, and a warmth slowly spread from his stomach to his limbs and bones.

The steamed bun from Senior Sister Yun Shu not only filled Lin Ye's stomach but also acted like a shot in the arm, giving his body, which was previously weak from overwork, a renewed trace of strength.

The mental invigoration far surpassed the physical.

That warmth, glimpsed by chance amidst the indifference, made the flame of "hope" in his heart burn even brighter.

The afternoon rest period was very short; after only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the sound of the gong urging the menial servants back to work rang out again.

The Outer Sect Disciples, one by one, looked weary, dragging their heavy steps towards their respective afternoon task locations.

Lin Ye also stood up, ready to receive new labor arrangements.

As he walked out of the dining hall, a sarcastic voice came from behind him.

"Oh, isn't this Lin Ye? You look so radiant; you must have had a good lunch, huh?"

Lin Ye turned around to see Steward Zhang, the Steward of the Menial Servants, standing with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a fake smile.

The undisguised malice in his triangular eyes showed that Lin Ye had not collapsed from hunger and exhaustion as he had expected, which displeased him greatly.

"Thanks... thanks to Steward Zhang's good fortune," Lin Ye lowered his head, still maintaining his timid demeanor.

He knew that he was far from having the right to challenge the other party now.

Hiding his abilities was the only way to survive.

"Hmph, stop with the clever talk!" Steward Zhang snorted coldly, "Seeing that you're still full of spirit, don't try to slack off in the kitchen this afternoon.

The hardwood in the back mountain's woodshed is almost gone; you go and chop three hundred catties for me.

If I don't see the firewood before sunset, you know the consequences yourself!"

Three hundred catties of hardwood!

This task volume was a full half more than the normal wood-chopping task.

Moreover, the hardwood in the back mountain was extremely hard and difficult to chop, posing a huge test to both physical strength and tools.

It was clear that Steward Zhang was deliberately making things harder for him.

If it had been yesterday, hearing this task would have made Lin Ye despair on the spot.

But now, his heart was unusually calm, even... faintly expectant.

Chopping wood? Perfect!

Wasn't this an excellent opportunity to test the practical effect of the Iron Sand Palm and perfectly conceal his Cultivation process?

"Yes, Steward Zhang, I'll go right away," Lin Ye responded obediently without any complaints, then turned and walked towards the utility yard to collect his old, dull-edged axe.

Looking at Lin Ye's "submissive" back, Steward Zhang was a little surprised.

He had expected Lin Ye to at least show a troubled expression, but he didn't expect him to be so calm.

He curled his lips, assuming the boy had been thoroughly scared by him, then hummed a tune and ambled off elsewhere with his hands behind his back...

The mountain path leading to the back mountain was rugged, and the afternoon sun cast dappled shadows on the ground through the dense tree canopy.

As Lin Ye walked, he immersed his mind in his thoughts.

"System, I want to continue idling Iron Sand Palm."

"The novice free task has ended.

Starting a new idling task," the cold mechanical voice responded.

"Creating a background idling task:"

"Idling Cultivation Technique: Iron Sand Palm (Beginner)"

"Idling Efficiency: Standard (Proficiency Gain: 10 points/hour)"

"At standard efficiency, 100 energy can idle for 100 hours, gaining 1000 proficiency points..." Lin Ye calculated silently, "Iron Sand Palm requires 200 proficiency points to go from Beginner to Minor Achievement, which means 20 hours of idling time."

Time, for him, who was constantly engaged in labor, was the most precious thing.

And the System, precisely, solved this most fundamental problem for him!

"First, set a 3-hour idling task!" Lin Ye quickly made a decision.

He needed to familiarize himself with the regular idling mode, and at the same time, the afternoon wood-chopping task would take roughly that long.

"Task creation successful!"

"Task Target: Iron Sand Palm"

"Remaining Time: 2 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds"

"Current Status: Running..."

As the task was successfully created, that familiar warm current silently generated between his palms again, slowly flowing and nourishing his palm bones and Meridians.

Everything was ready.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and walked into the familiar forest, specifically for Outer Sect Disciples to chop wood.

He chose a black ironwood tree with a trunk the size of a bowl.

This type of wood was extremely hard and an excellent fuel for stoves, but also the most troublesome chopping target for Outer Sect Disciples.

He assumed his stance, gripping the axe handle tightly with both hands, recalling his past movements, and with all his strength, he swung the axe down fiercely!

"Clang!"

A dull thud, similar to metal clashing, sounded.

The axe blade only left a shallow white mark on the hard tree trunk, but a huge recoil force traveled back along the axe handle, numbing his tiger's mouth and leaving his entire arm sore and weak.

"Still so hard..." Lin Ye frowned.

He didn't get discouraged, adjusted his breathing, and swung the axe again.

One swing, two swings, three swings... In the empty forest, only the mechanical, repetitive sound of his chopping remained.

Sweat quickly soaked his back, slid down his cheeks, and dripped into the dust.

The strenuous physical labor caused the food he had just eaten to be rapidly digested and absorbed, converting into the most basic energy.

Unlike before, this time, Lin Ye's heart was free of anxiety and despair.

While mechanically swinging the axe, he immersed most of his mind in the System panel in his thoughts and the continuous warm current in his palms.

The external labor was tedious and painful, but the internal Cultivation was steadily progressing.

This peculiar feeling made the unbearable fatigue seem acceptable.

An hour passed quickly.

"Ding! Iron Sand Palm has automatically Cultivated for 1 hour, proficiency +10.

Current proficiency: 10/200."

The notification sounded on time.

Along with this notification, Lin Ye felt the warm current in his palms seem to strengthen slightly, restoring some strength to his arms, which had become sore from prolonged axe-wielding.

"Effective!"

Lin Ye's spirits lifted, and his axe-wielding motion became three points more powerful.

He completely immersed himself in this unique "Cultivation" mode.

His body was sweating, consuming, but his Cultivation Technique was progressing, growing stronger.

He seemed to have become a detached observer, watching his body laboring hard, while his Soul enjoyed the pleasure of increasing strength.

Time passed imperceptibly.

When the System's second and third notifications sounded successively, the sky had already begun to shift westward.

"Ding! Iron Sand Palm has automatically Cultivated for 1 hour, proficiency +10.

Current proficiency: 30/200."

And at the very moment the third notification sounded, an anomaly suddenly occurred!

"Ding! Detected that the host, while performing Iron Sand Palm background Cultivation, is continuously engaging in high-intensity physical labor related to palm force exertion.

Cultivation combined with practice triggers a special Epiphany..."

A series of System notifications made Lin Ye's heart skip a beat!

"Congratulations to the host!

You have comprehended the passive clue of Iron Sand Palm: Coiling Force!"

"Coiling Force Clue: Allows you to more effectively mobilize the strength of your waist, legs, and arms when performing actions such as chopping, cutting, striking, and pushing, instantly condensing it at one point for explosive power, increasing might and reducing consumption."

Buzz—!

A sudden realization, like enlightenment, instantly flooded Lin Ye's mind!

It was an indescribable feeling.

At this moment, he felt as if he had merged with the axe in his hand.

He clearly "saw" the power rising from his feet, twisting through his waist, transmitting to his shoulders, then running through his arms, finally condensing on his palm and the axe blade.

Before, when he chopped wood, he relied on brute force, the dead strength of his arms.

But now, he knew how to use "clever force"!

Lin Ye subconsciously, almost instinctively, swung the axe in his hand again according to the realization in his mind.

This swing did not use all his strength; the movement even looked a few points gentler than before.

But, at the moment the axe blade touched the tree trunk—

"Pfft!"

Gone was the dull thud of before, replaced by a crisp, clean sound of the axe biting into the wood!

The old axe, like cutting tofu, deeply embedded itself into the hard black ironwood, to a depth more than double the mark he had made with all his strength before!

Lin Ye himself was stunned!

He could feel that with this axe swing, the physical strength he consumed was even less than half of before!

"This... this is the Coiling Force Clue?"

He pulled out the axe, his eyes flashing with unbelievable excitement.

He swung again, another axe blow!

"Pfft!"

Still so easy, so pleasant!

Wood chips flew, and with each axe blow, a large piece of wood was brought up.

The previously indestructible black ironwood became fragile under his axe.

Chopping wood, this chore that once caused him immense pain, at this moment, actually became... so simple!

Lin Ye's heart was filled with ecstasy.

He finally understood that what the System brought was not just an increase in proficiency, but also the ability to generate Epiphanies and master true "clues" at the right time!

This was a hundred times more precious than mere proficiency!

For the rest of the time, Lin Ye completely forgot his fatigue.

He immersed himself in this new, efficient wood-chopping experience.

Each axe swing was a practice and consolidation of the "Coiling Force Clue."

His movements became smoother, and his efficiency became higher.

After just another hour, a small mountain of black ironwood, far exceeding three hundred catties, had piled up beside Lin Ye.

He not only completed the task but also exceeded it by a large margin!

Looking at his "results," Lin Ye let out a long sigh of relief, a genuine smile appearing on his face.