The Way is not easily transmitted, and the Dharma is difficult to comprehend.

On the snow-covered mountain path, Yan Chen stood alone, his footsteps echoing with a creaking sound in the night.

"As the saying goes, 'old people become shrewd,' and Old Man Wang has been struggling in the Jade Sleeve Sect for decades. In his old age, he even managed to get a leisurely job. He is obviously well-versed in the ways of survival in this world. So his reaction was not unexpected."

"This also proves from another angle that if ordinary people want to cultivate to the third level of Qi Refining and reach the thirty-six cycles of Qi, it is by no means as simple as sitting still and breathing."

Yan Chen pulled his cotton robe tighter with one hand, walked slowly, and looked down at the family token in his hand that was engraved with "Shangyang Yan Clan".

Since there's no way to take advantage of Old Wang's influence, we'll have to think of another way.

"No rush, at least I have achieved my goal for this trip."

Yan Chen circulated his true energy, expelling the old and taking in the new.

His nose, like a chimney, spewed out long plumes of mist that diffused and obscured his pair of bright, golden eyes.

……

Wang Gui'an, the recruitment manager of Melting Gold Valley, is easygoing, honest, and unassuming. You attempted to use money and benefits to gain access to cultivation secrets, but he sternly rejected your offer and became wary and distant towards you, thus beginning a karmic entanglement with you.

……

Yan Chen's eyes flickered with uncertainty. After a moment's thought, he asked himself a question—

"Imperial Official, please inquire about the progress of Wang Gui'an, the manager of the Gold Melting Valley, within the next ten days."

[Target of Insight: Wang Guian]

[Time required: Five days and six hours.]

……

"That's acceptable."

The golden light in Yan Chen's eyes dissipated like dust in the wind, and the melancholy in his chest was temporarily suppressed. He faced the wind and snow, stepped on the moonlight, and hurriedly climbed the steps back to the mortal servant's courtyard.

……

The sun rises and sets, and the crow flies and the rabbit darts by.

Time for the ordinary servants of the Forging Institute flew by in the daily forging and smelting.

Before I knew it, five days had passed in the blink of an eye.

It was afternoon, near the end of the workday.

Yan Chen squatted beside the raging fire of the sword furnace, not bothering to wipe away the sweat, and was holding a large winnowing basket, vigorously shaking it to sift out the ash and debris hidden in the ore.

"Fire can generate earth, but too much earth will obscure the fire. Therefore, when filling the furnace with firewood, it is essential to sift out all the ash and soil to ensure that the furnace fire is always pure and intense."

"Only in this way can the impurities in the iron be burned off to the greatest extent, and a good rough blank be forged."

After several days of rigorous training in front of the sword furnace, Yan Chen was no longer the same person he used to be.

She was already very familiar with the steps of controlling the fire and filling the fire, and no longer needed Li Xuanyi to give her pointers from time to time. Instead, she could handle it on her own with ease.

"However, the fire in the furnace is too intense, which is counterproductive."

"Some iron ore of decent quality broke and became unusable before it could even be smelted, unable to withstand the heat of the furnace. It's such a pity..."

"No wonder the mortal servants of the Forging Academy worked all day, but the success rate of forging the 'Yanli Magic Sword' was less than 30%."

"The losses involved are simply unimaginable."

Yan Chen slowed his movements and glanced around at the mortal servants busy in the Forging Academy. Then he raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Looks like another person is missing?"

Over the past five days, life within the Forging Academy has not been stagnant; some minor but significant changes have occurred.

Of the more than ten mortal servants who joined the Jade Sleeve Sect with Yan Chen, only seven or eight remain in the Forging Academy.

The remaining half of the mortal servants all left this place forever for various reasons.

One person asked to leave because he could not bear the scorching heat of the sword furnace. Later, Qu Ying informed him that he was dealt with in the Gold Melting Valley for "betraying Yu Xiu". His fate is unknown.

Two others chose to persevere. One of them successfully absorbed the Qi into his body on the fourth day, while the other was not so lucky. He suffered from heat toxins entering his brain the day before and died that night.

These were just things Yan Chen had overheard in whispers and gossip. He didn't want to think about the fate of the remaining people, nor did he need to.

Survival of the fittest is a natural law, and wherever there are people, this principle applies.

It's simply a matter of whether the overall environment is comfortable or harsh.

Yan Chen sifted out the sand and soil, laid out the winnowing basket, and slowly tossed the ore piece by piece into the sword furnace. Like a dawdling worker, he waited for the bell to ring and prepared to finish his work.

For no apparent reason, he turned his head and glanced at the center of the courtyard, where a large brass clock stood and a long table was set up, which was the place for roll call and wage settlement.

Meanwhile, the servant named Xu Hui was sitting behind the desk.

He tapped the table lightly with one hand and flipped through the list of ordinary servants with the other, occasionally frowning in thought.

This behavior makes him seem like a Taoist student who is diligently studying.

But the other party was just an ordinary mortal, just like everyone else in the courtyard.

However, his performance in the Forging Academy was nothing like that of an ordinary servant.

At first, many ordinary servants from respectable backgrounds were quite dissatisfied with this.

However, upon learning that her brother-in-law was the supervisor of the carving institute, and seeing that Supervisor Qu also turned a blind eye to him, she realized that he had come here to "gild his resume," so she said no more.

Yan Chen withdrew his gaze, sighing inwardly:

"It turns out that the so-called 'right path' also involves relying on relatives and friends. If you don't have connections or background, and don't know how to scheme or seek personal gain, and just rely on perseverance to endure hardship... I reckon that before you even get ahead, the grass on your grave will be half an inch tall."

"Just take the ordinary servants of the Forging Academy for example. If they were outside, wouldn't each of them be a renowned and outstanding talent?"

"But in less than ten days, more than half of them have already been taken away..."

Just as Yan Chen's thoughts were flashing through his mind, the end-of-work bell rang, buzzing in his ears.

Return the bamboo tally, check the working hours, inspect the finished product, and confirm that everything is correct.

After receiving one hundred coins, Yan Chen greeted Li Xuanyi and the others, tightened his cotton robe, and hurriedly returned to the mortal servant's courtyard.

pat!

Close the door and bolt it.

Yan Chen didn't have time to start a fire and cook. He put on a cotton robe, faced southeast, and sat cross-legged on the couch.

With each breath, a hissing sound emanated from his mouth, and the fiery energy within several feet around him was summoned by the Qi-absorbing incantation of the "Crimson Glow Bright Light Control Technique," flowing into Yan Chen's body like swallows returning to their nests.

In an instant, Yan Chen's face turned bright red, like molten iron, and his clothes were soaked with sweat, like billowing smoke.

"call!"

An hour later, Yan Chen let out a long sigh, and the remaining burning breath in his mouth immediately dissipated, while the Bing Fire True Qi in his body gradually returned to calm.

The first three stages of Qi Refining, the thirty-six cycles of Qi circulation, all involve cleansing and refining the physical body.

The principle is like iron being forged in a furnace: the physical body is the material, true qi is the fire, and the seed of qi is the catalyst.

Finally, the Qi is used to control the hammer, repeatedly forging and refining the essence, until all impurities are melted away.

Only then does the physical body possess a pure spirit, and the divine will begin to manifest.

During these five days, Yan Chen worked hard every night without slacking off in the slightest.

The initial Qi seed, which resembled a wisp of mist, has, after seven cycles of circulation, progressed significantly, much like willow catkins in flight.

Yan Chen silently calculated in his mind.

At this rate, it should take another ten days.

He will then be able to complete the twelve cycles and truly enter the first level of Qi Refining.

"But what will cultivation look like after reaching the first level of Qi Refining?"

"The so-called twenty-four days or thirty-six days are too general and vague."

"Even someone like Senior Brother Li, who has been practicing mortal tasks for over a year, has not yet grasped the essence of it. This shows that there are many key points involved, and it is not something that can be accomplished by ordinary mortal tasks!"

"It is probably only the senior brothers and sisters of the Gold Melting Valley, or the supervisors of the Nine Academies, who can understand the mystery within."

Upon realizing this, Yan Chen's heart jolted, and he felt dizzy.

"Five days and six hours have passed?"

A pale golden light, like jade nectar, gathered at the dome, cascading down and transforming into hundreds of shimmering golden causal messages that flashed rapidly before Yan Chen's eyes like a carousel.

"So this is all the people and events that Old Man Wang experienced over the past ten days?"

He endured his dizziness and blurred vision, and stared intently. He saw a line of handwriting that resembled a clear blue sky and the sun, quite striking—

Six days ago, Wang Guian, the manager in charge of recruitment at Rongjin Valley, learned from Cui Yuan, the supervisor of Baicao Academy in Danlan Valley, that Zhu Zhilan of Rongjin Valley was dissatisfied with the production of magical artifacts in the three academies under her jurisdiction and demanded that production capacity be greatly increased while ensuring quality.

They intend to send people to the three hospitals in the near future to inspect the efficiency of all work and the quality of output.

Perhaps they intend to take this opportunity to promote talented individuals and fill the vacancy of the manager of Cui Shu Lou in Xu Chun Fang.

……