Half an hour later, Lu Lin found the superintendent with a pointed beard supervising warriors outside a mine shaft.
"You… you have broken through the Body Tempering Third Level?"
The goateed superintendent looked Lu Lin up and down, his eyes wide as saucers, his face a picture of astonishment.
Yes, the first thing Lu Lin did upon finding him was to voluntarily "reveal" the "fact" that he had broken through the Body Tempering Third Level.
His original plan was to reveal it a few months later, but the sudden, bizarre mission disrupted everything, forcing him to act earlier.
Reaching the Body Tempering Third Level, according to the rules, gave one access to the subsequent "Tendon and Flesh Tempering" stage training method of the "Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art".
What he needed most was the first combat skill of the "Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art"—'Demonic Ape Palm'.
The Ferocious Elephant Charge favored an instant's immense explosive power, but it required a long charging-up, and after that blow, there was a brief period of weakness that might well be taken advantage of.
The Demonic Ape Palm, though its explosive power was pale in comparison to the Ferocious Elephant Charge's, provided for an agile, continuous stream of attacks. Undoubtedly, it served a head-on fight better.
Now, it had only been two months since his last "breakthrough" into the Body Tempering Second Level.
Though breaking through one Level in two months was considered rapid progress and attracted attention, it was still what people could accept, nothing monstrous there.
"Reporting, Superintendent, your subordinate has just broken through not long ago by luck," His eyes half-lidded, Lu Lin answered with a "simple and honest" expression.
"Tell me, how have you been training?" The goateed man narrowed his eyes.
"I… I don't know…" Lu Lin pretended to be confused, scratching his head. "It's just that after mastering the thirty-six moves and entering the Body Tempering First Level, my further training… suddenly seemed to become much simpler. It felt very smooth, and as I practiced… somehow, I just broke through."
"Just practiced and broke through?!" The goateed superintendent's mouth twitched, and he felt a pang of bitterness deep down.
He was convinced that Lu Lin was quite a case of "enlightenment."
After a long period of brewing earlier on, his potential finally erupted after crossing the threshold, before he began progressing by leaps and bounds.
Thinking back to his breakthrough that had taken several times longer with an ample supply of Qi-Blood Pills, a sour envy surged in him.
"Hmph, what does it matter how terrific your talent is? In the end, you're just cannon fodder for the Sect. Who knows if you'll even live through this mission? Even if you luckily survive, without an Immortal Master as your backer, it's still a hopeless dream to become a superintendent…" Thinking this, the goateed superintendent immediately felt much better.
Behind every superintendent stood at least one Immortal Master at the Sect—their real shield.
"Alright, I've noted it down and will report it immediately." The goateed superintendent suppressed his stray thoughts and scribbled a few strokes in a ledger, then his tone returned to normal. "According to the sect rules, upon reaching the Body Tempering Third Level, you can receive the 'Tendon and Flesh Tempering' training method for the Fourth to Sixth Level of the 'Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art.' Now go back and wait. Someone will deliver it to you once it's issued."
"Thanks a lot, superintendent!" Lu Lin, with his hands cupped in front as a sign of respect, withdrew.
...
Night fell, the moonlight cool as water, and a deep silence settled down everywhere.
Waiting until snores rose from every corner of the bunk room, making sure everyone was already fast asleep, Lu Lin, like a ghost, silently left and rushed down the mountain.
After about four or five li(1 li equals 0.5 kilometers, or 0.3 miles ), a dense forest came into his view.
By the cold moonlight, he could vaguely see dozens of small, exquisite courtyards scattered among this wood.
This was where all of the superintendents resided.
Lu Lin moved as agilely as a clever ape, silently sneaking into the forest.
"This is the place…" Moments later, he stopped outside a courtyard with a carved gate plate reading "Thirty-Six".
He had heard that the goateed superintendent's courtyard was the very Number Thirty-Six.
Holding his breath, he listened intently. The courtyard was in a deathly hush, clearly empty.
Without hesitation, Lu Lin leaped lightly over the courtyard wall and touched the ground soundlessly. Then, with another nimble move, he noiselessly descended on the roof.
Based on the house's structure, he quickly determined the approximate location of the bedroom. Crawling forward like a stealthy cat, he made not a sound.
Reaching the determined spot, he carefully lifted a tile, revealing a narrow crack, and peered down intently.
The bedroom was all empty.
"Not here?" Lu Lin showed a slight frown. "So late, where did he go? But just as well, I'll go down and search, see where he's hidden the spiritual stones and silver coins he embezzled."
He was just about to jump down when his ears twitched. Immediately, he pressed himself flat against the roof.
In the distance, a figure was using the cover of night to come speeding towards the courtyard.
Under the moonlight, here was unmistakably the goateed superintendent!
He carried a large pack on his back, constantly looking around cautiously along the way. Only after making sure no one was following did he leap into the courtyard.
He walked to the door, glanced around gingerly once more, then pushed the door open and slipped inside.
Closing the door, he went straight to an inconspicuous wooden cabinet in the bedroom. Reaching out, he rhythmically pressed a spot on the wall beside the cabinet.
There was a very faint mechanical click, and the wooden cabinet slid silently aside, revealing a secret compartment embedded in the wall, about one meter high and half a meter deep!
Inside sat two wooden boxes.
The goateed superintendent untied the pack from his back and opened it. Inside were over a dozen shoddy spiritual stones with a gentle luster.
Carefully, he placed these spiritual stones into one of the boxes, a satisfied expression on his face. Then he pressed that place again, and the cabinet slowly slid back into place, seamless, showing no trace.
After all this, he finally let out a long sigh of relief, blew out the lamp, and went to bed.
"He's indeed hidden quite a stash!" Lu Lin, on the roof, took it all in, secretly pleased. "But… how to get it?"
The man was sleeping below. Acting now risked too much.
Lu Lin observed patiently for a while. Though seeing the other party's breathing even out and grow steady, as if in a sound slumber, Lu Lin decided that it was still not the best opportunity. He could only hold himself back, silently retreating as though he had never been there.
...
Early the next morning.
Lu Lin made sure that the goateed superintendent was teaching martial arts to the new warriors in the drill field, before stealing into the forest again.
However, after observing from a distance for only a short while, he chose to leave again.
Because during the day, there were quite a few people coming and going, and also an occasional patrol passing by.
If he entered the area and got caught out there, once the goateed man reported a theft case, he would inevitably be the first suspect.
For safety's sake, he had to wait until night again.
That night, Lu Lin set out earlier. Once everyone was asleep, he immediately departed and went back on the roof of the goateed superintendent's home.
Carefully lifting a tile, he looked down, but his heart sank.
On the bed in the bedroom, there was unmistakably the goateed superintendent already asleep!
"He came back so early today!" Lu Lin's face darkened.
Time was tight. Tomorrow was the day to assemble for the mission. He couldn't delay it any longer.
He had to take the risk!
A flash of determination crossed Lu Lin's eyes.
He quickly took out a black cloth and covered all his head, leaving only a pair of calm eyes exposed. Then, carefully removing a tile, he mustered his strength and flicked the tile forcefully towards the courtyard wall!
Crack!
The tile hit the stone wall, making a crisp sound.
"Who's there?!"
In the bedroom, the goateed superintendent jolted awake. His eyes snapped open, and with a quick reaction, he rolled out of bed. The saber hanging by the bed was instantly in his hand.
He growled low, listening warily.
No one answered outside.
He quickly lit a lantern, holding the saber in one hand and the lantern in the other. Cautiously, he opened the door and leaned half his body out the door, peering around.
The night was hazy, the courtyard empty and silent.
Frowning, he summoned his courage, stepped out of the room, walked to the center of the courtyard, then leaped up onto the wall. Standing high, he carefully scanned outside.
In that very moment when the goateed superintendent hopped onto the wall, his attention completely captured by the outside, Lu Lin, on the roof, started moving.
Like a leopard crouching for a strike, his figure, light yet extremely swift, jumped down from the roof, landing without a sound. Then, using the roof beam under the eaves as a handhold, he threw himself into the air, slipping through the open door like a ghost into the bedroom!
All this had happened in the blink of an eye, absolutely soundless!
Once inside, Lu Lin didn't hesitate for a moment. Relying on his memory from last night, he accurately made his way to the wall beside the wooden cabinet and forcefully pressed the hidden mechanism!
A light mechanical click sounded, and the wooden cabinet slid silently sideways again, revealing the secret compartment in the wall and the two wooden boxes.
Lu Lin immediately opened the first box. Inside, layer upon layer of shoddy spiritual stones were neatly stacked. A quick glance told him there were hundreds of them.
A glint burst from Lu Lin's eyes. With a swift thought, these shoddy spiritual stones in the box instantly vanished, all collected into the Inner Space of the Martial Dao Furnace.
Immediately after, he opened the second box.
The items in here were fewer but even more tempting.
There were only twelve spiritual stones, but each was pure and flawless, with an inner glow—they were unmistakably low-grade spiritual stones! Besides, there was a thick stack of silver certificates and a dagger about a foot long, gleaming coldly.
"The old fox, he truly hoarded low-grade spiritual stones! A full twelve of them! He has been docking my rewards, and today, I'm taking back the principal with interest!"
Without hesitation, Lu Lin swept his hand over them again, collecting all the low-grade spiritual stones, silver certificates, and the dagger from the box!
Having gotten what he was here for, he immediately whirled around, about to leave this place of trouble.
However, just at that moment—
The goateed superintendent, finding nothing out there, was jumping down from the wall, full of doubt, turning to return to the bedroom.
Just as he reached the doorway, looking up, he happened to see the uninvited, masked guest inside the room, and, behind him....the opened secret compartment in the wall!