I have the face of a great demon.

The hardness of the spirit cedar wood exceeded the expectations of the handyman disciples. They exerted tremendous effort, panting heavily, but only managed to leave some insignificant scratches on the trunk.

At this rate, I'm afraid we won't be able to cut down a single tree even by sunset.

Seeing their flustered state, Senior Brother Zhang shook his head and offered some pointers:

“You can’t cut it like that. Spirit cedar is not an ordinary wood. You can’t cut it with the brute force of ordinary people.”

"Didn't I teach you how to cultivate? You already have spiritual power in your bodies. Use your spiritual power, pour it into the axe, and try again."

Senior Brother Zhang's words were like a wake-up call, making the menial disciples realize the truth. They all mobilized their spiritual power to try it out.

To their surprise, it worked.

The axe seemed to be enchanted, suddenly becoming incredibly sharp. With a single strike, it pierced deep into the wood, no longer the previous predicament where it was impossible to cut through even if one tried.

I'm sure that with a little more time, we can definitely cut this tree down.

Seeing that everyone had made progress, Senior Brother Zhang smiled and nodded.

Just then someone shouted, "The tree has fallen!" and everyone quickly moved aside.

Turning my head, I saw a cedar tree fall to the ground with a thud, sending dust flying.

Upon closer inspection, Senior Brother Zhang realized that the handyman disciple who had first cut down the tree was a big guy, tall and broad-shouldered, with arms so thick they could run a horse across them—clearly a strongman.

It's not surprising that he was able to cut down a cedar tree so quickly.

"Junior brother, you did a good job." Senior Brother Zhang nodded and praised, "Keep doing this, cut down more trees. The more trees you cut down, the higher your points will be, and you'll have a better chance of joining the outer sect."

Liu Xingchen nodded sheepishly, indicating that he understood, and went to find the next tree to work diligently.

Liu Xingchen's current strategy is to showcase his abilities without overdoing it, just enough to fit his strongman persona.

This way, he wouldn't arouse suspicion from others, and he could quickly gain the opportunity for promotion, allowing him to become a formal disciple and enter the areas he could be involved in. Only then would he have the chance to steal some cultivation techniques and magical treasures, or even cause some damage, to teach the Tianhe Sect a lesson.

And so, the newly arrived handyman disciples toiled and sweated profusely as they diligently felled the spirit cedar trees.

At first, things went quite smoothly, but after all, they had only cultivated for about ten days, and their spiritual energy was limited, which was quickly depleted.

After exhausting their spiritual energy, the tree still hadn't fallen, so all that was left was brute force.

They worked until noon before they finally felled the tree in front of them.

After working hard all day, while others only cut down one tree, Liu Xingchen cut down five.

However, seeing his robust physique, everyone felt it was only natural; such a big guy could easily be worth five people.

Next, they will transport the cut cedar wood back to the servants' quarters.

These cedar trees are sturdy and naturally quite heavy.

The handyman disciples each carried a piece of spirit cedar wood and laboriously walked down the mountain.

Liu Xingchen carried five poles by himself, yet he walked down the road as if nothing had happened, making everyone envious.

After descending the mountain, they laboriously carried the load up to the servants' quarters. It was almost dark by then, and only then were they considered to have completed their mission.

By piling up the spirit cedar wood on the ground, you can earn points in the servants' hall.

Meteor scored five points by himself, becoming the most dazzling star.

Zhao Wuji looked at today's scoreboard and nodded in satisfaction. This big guy was indeed worthy of his attention; he really made him proud.

In the evening, the disciples who had been busy all day ate a quick meal, washed up briefly, practiced their skills under the supervision of their senior brothers, and then fell asleep one by one.

For half a month, Liu Xingchen spent his time cutting down trees, and gradually he figured out the pattern.

While the other disciples had gone to bed early that night, he was still full of energy and went out to cultivate alone.

However, he dared not use the Wuhua Heart Method to cultivate, fearing that others would discover it, so he only used the miscellaneous disciple's technique to cultivate it superficially.

Over time, everyone realized that this big guy was energetic and different from everyone else. He would go out to cultivate alone at night, and they gradually got used to it.

That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Liu Xingchen quietly left the servants' hall to find a suitable place to cultivate.

Because he was not familiar with the Tianhe Sect, he dared not wander around, so he went to the mountain where they were cutting down spirit cedar trees.

There are only people here during the day; no one comes to cut down trees at night, so it's naturally quiet, and no one disturbs his cultivation.

Liu Xingchen searched the mountain for a while, climbed over a steep mountain wall, and found a cave next to a cliff.

The cave is not large, but it is well hidden. The entrance is overgrown with weeds and is not easy to spot. Moreover, it is backed by the main peaks of the Tianhe Sect, making it very safe.

Liu Xingchen was overjoyed. As long as the spirit scholar cast a spell at the cave entrance to isolate the inside from the outside, any unusual situation inside would not be discovered by the people outside.

He went inside and tidied up the cave a bit, sweeping away the rubble and other debris. Then he had the spirit cast a whirlwind spell, clearing away the stagnant air in the cave, and his own cave dwelling was complete.

In this small cave, Meteor could finally cultivate without restraint.

He activated the Wuhua Heart Technique, absorbing the pure spiritual energy around him and gradually transforming it into his spiritual power.

The spirit scholar cheered with joy. This was a mid-level cultivation sect with abundant spiritual energy, which was perfect for him.

The spirit ghost also couldn't wait to start cultivating, giving Liu Xingchen an extra boost and allowing his cultivation to improve even faster.

And so, every night, Liu Xingchen would sneak out to cultivate alone in this secret cave.

The other disciples were used to him going out to cultivate alone every night, and none of them suspected anything.

That night, Liu Xingchen finished cultivating in his cave and was about to climb out when he caught a melodious sound of a flute.

The sound of the flute was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, its melody beautiful yet tinged with sadness, making one want to stop and listen.

Liu Xingchen cautiously peeked out and saw a woman dressed in light green sitting on the edge of a cliff about twenty or thirty feet away from the cave entrance.

The moonlight bathed her, draping her in a silvery-white veil. She held a jade flute in her hand, playing softly, and the sound of the flute emanated from her.

Liu Xingchen hid in the shadows at the cave entrance, carefully observing the woman.

Her face was faintly visible in the moonlight, appearing pure and ethereal. Her long, black hair swayed gently in the wind, giving her an otherworldly air.

Most importantly, Liu Xingchen sensed her cultivation level; it was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

He quickly shrank back, making sure the black robe completely concealed his aura without leaking out, before he felt relieved.

So he waited in the cave until the woman left before he left himself.