Duan Rong, carrying a pair of smelly shoes, walked into the courtyard of the servant disciples' quarters when it was already pitch dark.
Most of the servant disciples, exhausted from the day's work, were already asleep, but in the corner of the courtyard, there were still some figures practicing their skills.
With the assessment day approaching, no one with even a glimmer of hope wanted to miss this opportunity.
Duan Rong had already practiced for two hours in the morning and stood in the horse stable practicing pile skills all afternoon, exhausting all his energy. At this moment, he just wanted to sleep.
Duan Rong went to the well, fetched some water while naked, washed himself, and then crawled into the shared bedding.
That night, Duan Rong slept deeply. In his dream, a strong figure was still practicing the Five Tigers and Sheep Saber.
Just as dawn approached, in the dark night, there was already the faint crowing of roosters.
At Yuan Shun Escort Agency, the curtain of the servant disciples' dormitory lifted, and a figure walked out. This person had a rectangular face, was rather thin, and had a dark complexion—it was Duan Rong, who had just woken up.
Duan Rong washed his face with cold water, deliberately picked a slightly thicker branch from the woodpile, and prepared to practice some routines first.
But as soon as Duan Rong assumed the starting position, he heard a sudden snap, and the branch broke in response.
Duan Rong was momentarily stunned but then understood. He had stood like a pillar all day yesterday, and after a night's sleep, his strength had increased considerably, making even slightly thicker branches unable to withstand it.
Duan Rong discarded the broken half of the branch and left the courtyard of the servant disciples' quarters.
Duan Rong intended to go to the courtyard where servant disciples usually practiced, which was some distance away and quite secluded, rarely visited except during practice hours.
Duan Rong went around the back of the servants' courtyard.
There were guards at the horse stable and the inner courtyard. At this hour, if he ran into them, he would undoubtedly be questioned, so Duan Rong preferred to take a longer route.
Duan Rong entered the secluded courtyard where firewood and charcoal were stored. A bright star hung in the pitch-black sky, and the area was deserted, with everything silent.
Duan Rong walked to the weapon rack and pulled out a discarded saber, grasping it in his hand.
This was the first time Duan Rong held a saber since devouring the Artifact Spirit. Although it was just a broken, discarded saber, the moment he held it, a strange feeling arose in his heart.
Starting with the initial position, Duan Rong practiced the Five Tigers and Sheep Saber, move by move.
He varied his speed, gradually gaining more feeling, and even the pauses between moves developed a certain rhythm.
Duan Rong finished a round, and his mind was clear.
His strength had noticeably increased.
No wonder a single starting position snapped the branch.
Yesterday, he ate a lot of hearty dishes at the tavern, and his muscles had been thoroughly worked through pile skills.
His day of training probably equaled ten days for others.
After all, with the experience bonus of Entry Level Five Tigers and Sheep Saber, any slight improvement in his physical condition would cause his strength to increase exponentially.
It was truly immediate.
Duan Rong practiced the Five Tigers and Sheep Saber routine three times in a row.
After three rounds, Duan Rong stopped.
The muscles in his right arm and shoulder were already slightly aching; his physical condition was still weak, and Entry Level saber techniques couldn't be sustained for long.
Duan Rong sighed. Improving physical condition was a gradual process; rushing was of no use.
"If I could supplement with food and medicine, I might improve faster," Duan Rong muttered to himself, blinking.
The hearty dishes at the tavern yesterday clearly had an effect, but Duan Rong's finances wouldn't allow for such indulgence, and medicinal supplements were even more unrealistic.
"Money makes things easier. Money is a resource; it's the same in every world. After passing the assessment, I need to find a way to earn money first."
Duan Rong felt his current situation was like when he first started a job in his past life, with countless issues and unable to resolve any of them.
After resting for a while, Duan Rong put the discarded saber back on the weapon rack and started practicing pile skills.
Duan Rong continued to attempt the Inner Breath circulation method he saw in his dream.
It wasn't until dawn that Duan Rong exhaled a white breath from his mouth like an arrow, demonstrating the effect of holding in qi without revealing it.
However, regarding the Inner Power Heart Method of the Five Tigers and Sheep Saber, he still hadn't grasped the knack.
Duan Rong first exited the escort agency through the back courtyard door, ate a large bowl of lamb soup with bread outside, and drank a large spoonful of chili oil, warming his stomach.
After eating, Duan Rong returned to the escort agency to the food distribution area, got two steamed corn cakes, and walked toward the horse stable while gnawing on them.
Duan Rong spent the entire day working at the horse stable.
Old Man Sun had thrown out his back and couldn't do heavy work, so basically, Duan Rong did all the work while Old Man Sun just helped a bit.
However, with Old Man Sun around, Duan Rong couldn't practice pile skills like he did yesterday.
If Old Man Sun saw his crab-like walking posture, he would probably think Duan Rong was possessed.
Not only had Duan Rong's physical condition and strength improved, but even the way he emitted force had changed from before. As a result, after a day's work, he didn't even need to take a deep breath.
Old Man Sun looked at Duan Rong, who didn't even break a sweat, and his wrinkled old face broke into a flowery smile, saying, "After all, young fellows don't mess around when they work."
Old Man Sun was already thinking that if he could keep Duan Rong in the horse stable, things would be much easier for him.
Duan Rong grinned, seeing Old Man Sun's expression and immediately knew what the old man was thinking.
Duan Rong mocked internally: "I'll say goodbye after a few more days; you can enjoy yourself. With your miserly nature, even if I did servant work, I wouldn't do it in the horse stable."
Six quarters past 3 p.m. was the time for these servant disciples to practice in the firewood courtyard.
The horse stable where Duan Rong worked was the farthest away. When he entered the courtyard from the side door, he found only seven people were there.
Except for the first row, where Kong Bin, Zhang Zheng, and Li Chong were standing, Duan Rong only recognized the faces of the four people in the second row, unable to name them.
The original owner of the body was introverted and barely interacted with other servant disciples, and Duan Rong had only been here for a few days, with countless issues in mind, so he couldn't bother to socialize with these servant disciples.
However, Duan Rong felt that this was not good, at least because he was missing out on information. If any rumors spread, no one would inform him.
Duan Rong thought that social skills were essential in any world; making your way among people could save a lot of trouble.
The original owner of the body, even if he hadn't died, would have no chance of turning his life around in this world given his temperament.
However, since Duan Rong was here, he intended to live well for the original body, at least to make something of himself.
Duan Rong glanced at Li Chong, the slender figure wearing earrings, and took a few large steps to stand beside him.
Li Chong had a reputation for being a neat freak, and suddenly sensing a black figure beside him, followed by a strong, pungent smell of horse manure, he was caught off guard.
Kong Bin, Zhang Zheng, and Li Chong always stood in the front row, and the other servant disciples knew better than to stand with them.
But unexpectedly, today Duan Rong stood beside Li Chong. Just as Li Chong was about to explode, there was a deep coughing sound from the entrance of the courtyard.
Zhao Mu spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the steps and strode in.