Back at his residence, Zhang Tie sat cross-legged on his bed, his brows tightly furrowed, lost in thought about his current situation.
Although he had diligently Cultivated the Mystic Armor Skill until now without any significant progress, the Cultivation Technique clearly stated that those with ordinary Aptitude would only achieve initial mastery after a year of Cultivation.
Perhaps he was just too anxious and impatient.
However, if what Senior Brother Liu said was true, that no one had been able to master this Cultivation Technique in a hundred years, then with his Aptitude, it would surely be impossible for him to succeed.
Thinking of this, Zhang Tie couldn't help but feel conflicted, caught in a dilemma.
Returning to his somewhat simple residence, Zhang Tie sat cross-legged on his bed, his brows tightly furrowed, deeply engrossed in thought about his current situation.
At this moment, Zhang Tie stared blankly ahead, his thoughts tangled like a messy ball of thread.
Zhang Tie couldn't help but recall every bit of his Cultivation over the past six months; he endured the soreness and fatigue of his Physical Body every day, yet all he gained was rough, dark skin, turning him into a big, dark man.
Not only was the actual effect minimal, but he also became so ugly that his mother might not even recognize him if he went home now.
"Am I really too impatient?" Zhang Tie murmured to himself, a hint of confusion and doubt in his eyes.
However, if what Senior Brother Liu said was true, that no one had been able to master this Cultivation Technique in a hundred years, then with his Aptitude, it would surely be impossible for him to succeed.
As soon as he thought of this, Zhang Tie's heart felt as if it was crushed by a huge stone, so heavy that he could barely breathe.
Just as Zhang Tie was caught in a difficult struggle, he suddenly slapped his thigh, a look of sudden realization on his face.
"What result can I get by hesitating and being timid like this? It's just adding to my troubles!"
Zhang Tie stood up and paced back and forth in the room, carefully considering his options.
Over the past six months, since the Gang provided food and lodging, he had sent all ten taels of silver he received monthly back home.
Although this was to ensure his family could live a better life, it also left him penniless now.
To save enough silver to change his Cultivation Technique, it would take at least ten months.
"Ten months…" Zhang Tie sighed deeply.
Zhang Tie stopped, his gaze becoming firm.
"Alright, alright! Since that's the case, I'll persevere for these ten months!"
He seemed to have made up his mind, "During these ten months, I will continue to Cultivate the Mystic Armor Skill.
If after ten months there is still no progress, then I will decisively change Cultivation Techniques and find another path."
After making his decision, Zhang Tie's mood became much calmer.
He sat back on the bed, adjusted his breathing, and once again immersed himself in Cultivation.
In a flash, three months had passed.
During these three months, Zhang Tie, apart from sending an initial letter home to inform his parents that he was doing well, also explained that he wouldn't be able to send money home for the next year due to the significant expenses of Cultivating his Cultivation Technique, urging his family not to worry.
The rest of his time was almost entirely filled with Cultivation.
The Mystic Armor Skill did bring him some changes; he could clearly feel that his flesh and blood were gradually becoming rough and tough, his resistance to strikes significantly increased, and his strength grew accordingly.
However, starting about a month ago, no matter how desperately Zhang Tie Cultivated the Mystic Armor Skill, no matter how strictly he followed the Cultivation Technique's key principles, his Physical Body no longer underwent any changes, as if it were confined by an invisible Lock, stagnating.
He fell into deep confusion and self-doubt: Had his Cultivation method gone astray? Or was his Aptitude truly so mediocre that he couldn't achieve greater success with this Cultivation Technique?
These questions hung over his heart like dark clouds, refusing to dissipate.
Night fell, and as the stars dotted the sky, Zhang Tie turned his attention to the Cultivation of the Changchun Gong.
For these past three months, he hadn't slept at all, Cultivating night after night.
It was strange, even with such high-intensity Cultivation, his Meridians felt no discomfort whatsoever.
Zhang Tie couldn't help but ponder, perhaps this was due to the Changchun Gong's miraculous nourishing effect on the Meridians, or perhaps the Cultivation of the Mystic Armor Skill had invisibly strengthened the toughness of his Meridians.
During the Cultivation process of this Changchun Gong, one phenomenon caught his attention greatly.
Over these three months, a total of four more cool Qi streams had appeared.
The first two Qi streams were like fleeting glimpses, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
But the latter two Qi streams miraculously remained.
And accompanying the changes in these Qi streams, the mysterious green light cluster in Zhang Tie's mind also underwent an astonishing transformation.
Originally just a small green light cluster, it had now transformed into a small green bead.
This small bead was exquisite and wondrous, with dense runes around it slowly appearing like stars at night.
Even more remarkably, through the translucent bead, one could occasionally see some faint, indistinct phantoms.
After much deliberation, Zhang Tie speculated that this mysterious small bead was very likely the key to the disappearance of the Changchun Gong's Qi streams.
Finally, he made a decision: no longer to be fixated on the Cultivation of the Mystic Armor Skill, but to pick up the Elephant Armor Skill again.
After all, he had some experience with the Elephant Armor Skill and was confident that Cultivating it to at least the first three levels would be no problem.
In the following days, Zhang Tie wholeheartedly immersed himself in the Cultivation of the Elephant Armor Skill.
Every morning, beneath the mountain waterfall, he would begin his daily Cultivation, relying on the impact of the waterfall to continuously temper his Physical Body.
What was even more unbelievable to him was that in just five days, he successfully Cultivated the first level of the Elephant Armor Skill to Perfection.
Zhang Tie attributed this astonishing achievement entirely to his long-standing, never-slackening training, and the daily tempering of his Physical Body during his previous Cultivation of the Mystic Armor Skill.
This result was like a brilliant dawn, instantly dispelling the nearly year-long gloom in his heart and filling him with unprecedented confidence in his future Cultivation path.
Days flowed by like calm, waveless river water, quietly passing one by one.
Zhang Tie's life rhythm was simple and regular; apart from necessary daily chores like eating and collecting his monthly salary on time, he poured almost all his time and energy into Cultivation without reservation.
One evening, Zhang Tie had just finished dinner, closed his door, and then sat on his bed, ready to fully immerse himself in the Cultivation of the Changchun Gong.
Through unremitting effort, just a few days prior, the Changchun Gong had successfully entered its second level.
This Breakthrough gave him more abundant energy and even firmer confidence.
Although he still couldn't precisely know what powerful effects this Changchun Gong would bring, he firmly believed that this Cultivation Technique was definitely not ordinary.
However, just as his thoughts were galloping like wild horses, freely roaming and envisioning the future in the vast Realm of Cultivation, a sudden and urgent knocking sound abruptly rang out, instantly severing his scattered thoughts.
Zhang Tie's brow furrowed slightly, and with a hint of helplessness, he slowly got out of bed and walked towards the door.
As the door slowly opened, a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old came into his view.
This young boy was not old, dressed in the same attire as him, but compared to Zhang Tie, his face had lost some childishness and gained a bit more maturity.
"Are you Junior Brother Zhang?" the boy's clear voice rang out.
"I am, who are you, Senior Brother?" Zhang Tie's eyes were filled with doubt as he meticulously scrutinized the young boy before him.
"I am Zhao Lei from the Outer Affairs Hall.
I have come today to remind Junior Brother that the one-year adaptation period for new Disciples is coming to an end.
Junior Brother must not forget to accept a task," Zhao Lei said with a kind expression.
"May I ask, Senior Brother Zhao, wasn't it said that we could accept and complete a task within one year?
Can't I handle it in the middle or end of the year?" Zhang Tie's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he quickly asked his question.
"Of course you can, but Junior Brother, I, your Senior Brother, still advise you to start as early as possible.
Those seemingly simpler tasks often require a long time to complete; while those difficult tasks have extremely high requirements for one's personal strength.
The longer you delay the task, the narrower your range of choices will become.
Therefore, I, your Senior Brother, specifically came today to remind you, and I earnestly hope Junior Brother will take this matter to heart," Zhao Lei said, then looked kindly at Zhang Tie.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhao, I understand now." Zhang Tie clasped his hands in a bow to express his gratitude.
However, he noticed that Senior Brother Zhao remained steadily standing at the doorway, looking kindly at him, showing no intention of leaving.
Seeing this, Zhang Tie thought for a moment and instantly understood, then quickly stepped forward, carefully took out two taels of silver from his pocket, and handed them to Senior Brother Zhao with both hands: "Thank you, Senior Brother, for making this special trip.
This is a small token of my appreciation; please take it for tea."
Zhao Lei took the silver, lightly weighed it in his hand, and his expression clearly revealed a hint of disappointment, but he still forced a smile: "Then I thank Junior Brother.
I shall return now." With that, he turned and left.
Zhang Tie watched Zhao Lei's gradually receding figure until he disappeared, and an unspeakable pang of pain welled up in his heart—two taels of silver!
Look at Senior Brother's expression just now; he clearly felt the silver given was too little.
He sighed deeply and returned to his bed, sitting cross-legged.
Zhang Tie recalled the past three months, which had been full of gains and remarkable achievements.
The Changchun Gong had not only successfully broken through to the second level, but the Elephant Armor Skill had also reached the third Realm with unstoppable momentum.
Now, his bones, tendons, flesh, and blood were extremely strong, and his strength was astonishingly great.
With a height of about five feet and a robust physique, no one who saw him would ever believe that this was a boy merely eight years old.
Zhang Tie even felt at times that with his current strength, he was already capable enough to go out and spar with some Senior Brothers to test his true level.
But when he calmed down and thought carefully, he realized that the more important and urgent matter at hand was to first go to the Outer Affairs Hall to thoroughly understand and accept matters related to the Gang's tasks.
After clarifying these thoughts, Zhang Tie slowly closed his eyes and continued to Cultivate the second level of the Changchun Gong.
