Following the breakthrough in the Physique Strengthening Scripture, a surge of power flooded Wang Ba’s frame.

Whether it was raw strength or reaction speed, the improvement was drastic. Although the cramped room didn’t allow him to fully test his limits, the sensation of his body rapidly toughening was undeniable.

However, Wang Ba did not let himself become complacent.

Taking advantage of the early dawn light, he slaughtered a Spirit Poultry right there in his room.

The air, already thick with the smell of poultry, took on a pungent, metallic tang of fresh blood. Wang Ba didn’t mind. He plucked the bird and chopped it into unrecognizable chunks before carrying the meat outside to stew in a clay pot.

While the stew simmered, he went down to the spring at the foot of the manor to bathe.

This mundane act nearly cost him his life. Yu Changchun, watching via the water mirror, barely restrained the urge to strike him dead for his leisurely attitude.

Fortunately, Wang Ba returned to the manor immediately after his bath and began his day’s work—feeding, shoveling manure, and sweeping the grounds.

“Yo! Why does it smell so good? Stewing chicken?”

Old Hou arrived earlier than usual, lugging two buckets of feed up the path. However, Wang Ba stopped him at the gate.

“My flock has sick chickens,” Wang Ba said, deliberately raising his voice and wearing a grave expression. “Best be careful.”

He was laying the groundwork. By loudly announcing the sickness, he created a plausible excuse for his subsequent continuous consumption of chicken meat. After all, if a Laborer Disciple ate the dying birds from his own farm to avoid waste, no one could fault him.

Hearing this, Old Hou instinctively took a step back. The Avian Plague generally didn’t infect humans, but who wanted to be the exception?

“Right, right. Can’t be too careful.”

The two quickly exchanged the feed buckets and, as usual, chatted for a while.

Wang Ba maintained his persona perfectly—a mix of wariness and longing. He gave Old Hou the distinct impression that he desperately wanted to join the Ascension Society but was held back by a sliver of hesitation.

But clearly, this hesitation was eroding.

Based on Old Hou’s experience, this ‘Brother Wang’ would crack by tomorrow at the latest. He would actively beg to join.

Confident of his success, Old Hou didn’t linger. He had other laborers to visit, other fires to stoke. He waved goodbye cheerfully and headed back down the mountain.

Wang Ba stood at the gate, looking as if he wanted to call him back but stopping himself, appearing internally conflicted.

In the distance, Yu Changchun watched the scene play out and nodded slightly. The progress was acceptable. Tomorrow, they would secure this chicken-raising laborer.

He closed his eyes to meditate, leaving only a sliver of his consciousness to monitor the water mirror.

Wang Ba continued with his own plan.

After finishing his morning chores, he carried the clay pot into his room.

As expected, with the breakthrough in the Physique Strengthening Scripture, his digestion had improved massively. It took him the better part of the day, but he managed to consume an entire Spirit Poultry!

Although he was so full he felt like vomiting, the intake of energy was unprecedented.

Later, while visualizing the Yin Spirit, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his body’s ability to retain Spiritual Qi had nearly doubled.

Correspondingly, the speed at which he condensed Yin Spirit Power had skyrocketed.

Originally, condensing a single drop required eating six chickens over ten days. Now, in just one afternoon, Wang Ba had successfully condensed one-third of a drop!

At this rate, he could condense a full drop in just three days.

“My theory was correct!”

Wang Ba rejoiced internally. Upgrading the Physique Strengthening Scripture did indeed accelerate his cultivation of Yin Spirit Power.

But he also knew this speed was still not enough.

His need for Yin Spirit Power was at an all-time high. The more he had, the better his chances of survival. But time was a luxury he didn’t have.

He didn’t know when Yu Changchun would lose patience, but he knew one thing for certain: the moment he lost his value as a potential recruit, the hammer would drop.

Therefore, he had to play a dangerous game—condensing power as fast as possible while feigning compliance with the enemy.

That night, after a brief hesitation, he decided to take four Spirit Poultry and his remaining eight Spirit Stones. Under the cloak of his Yin Spirit Power, he quietly slipped out of the manor once again.

His luck, however, had run dry.

He visited several farms in a row only to find them empty. Either the Rare Fowl had already died off completely, or the Clean Mountain Department had swept through and disposed of the carcasses.

After searching for hours, he finally found a few low-ranking farms that still had stock. He managed to secure about 600 chickens.

He drained them, obtaining roughly 1,200 years of Lifespan.

The eight Spirit Stones he had planned to spend remained in his pocket.

“Still short by about 550 birds… With another 550, I can master the Ninth Layer!”

Wang Ba felt a twinge of regret. The Ninth Layer required approximately 2,300 years of Lifespan. He was halfway there, but halfway wasn’t enough.

He composed himself and returned to the manor before dawn.

Early the next morning.

Old Hou once again carried feed up the mountain path. This time, however, he didn’t dare come close, stopping warily at the entrance.

After exchanging the buckets, Wang Ba seemed unable to hold back any longer. He eagerly initiated a conversation about the Ascension Society.

“Old Hou, about the Society… can you tell me more?”

However, this time, Old Hou’s lips were sealed tight. No matter how Wang Ba probed, the answer was always the same: “Once you join, you’ll know everything.”

Wang Ba kept a smile on his face, but his heart sank to the bottom of an icy abyss.

It’s happening too fast. They’re already showing their true colors?

The dagger is revealed.

It made sense. An ordinary Laborer Disciple, desperate to condense a Spiritual Root, would only need two or three days of persuasion to crumble.

After all, if Old Hou was telling the truth, the Ascension Society’s backer was the Head of the Clean Mountain Department—one of the six most powerful Elders in the Sect, second only to the Sect Leader. Attaching oneself to such an unattainably lofty figure was a ticket to the heavens.

Add the Buried Bone Secret Technique as bait, and the trap was irresistible.

Any normal laborer would have snapped it up immediately. Those with decisive minds would have been begging to join on day one.

Conversely, anyone who could resist such temptation for this long… likely suspected something was wrong.

What do I do?! How do I handle this?!

It’s not that I can’t join… but I’m terrified that the moment I enter, they’ll hit me with a restriction spell. Once that happens, there’s no turning back. I’ll be forced to walk this path until it kills me!

Wang Ba’s mind raced furiously.

Meanwhile, in the mountain col outside the manor.

Invisible threads of Qi began to dance above Yu Changchun’s palm.

He stared intently at Wang Ba in the water mirror, waiting for the laborer’s final decision.

If Wang Ba did not choose to join the Ascension Society today, Yu Changchun would strike without mercy.

Although he was wary of Li Zhi—his unfathomable Junior Brother who wanted to keep the breeder alive—Yu Changchun feared the penalty of exposure far more.

Liu Changfeng’s execution was a fresh, bloody memory.

So, the choice was binary: Join now, or die immediately to eliminate future trouble.

Even if a laborer’s sudden death or disappearance attracted some attention, it was a risk he had to take.

In the water mirror, Wang Ba seemed completely oblivious. He stood beside Old Hou, racking his brains, asking question after question, trying to stall.

As the questions piled up, the patience in Yu Changchun’s eyes evaporated.

The invisible threads in his palm began to shimmer with a cold, lethal luster.

He recalled his confident boast to Li Zhi—that he would successfully recruit the boy within three days. He had sworn it.

Now, he sensed that this lowly laborer was about to make him eat his words. It was embarrassing.

But it didn’t matter.

He wouldn’t argue with a dead man.

Yu Changchun’s fingers twitched.

At the entrance of Manor Ding-87.

Old Hou’s body gave an imperceptible shudder. The warm, lively light in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a dull, mechanical coldness.

Beneath the grime-streaked, faded white robe, a fine crack slowly opened along Old Hou’s waist.

With a wet, sliding sound that was barely audible, sharp white bones detached themselves from his internal structure. They slithered beneath his skin like living serpents, migrating up his torso, over his shoulder, and finally settling into his right arm.

Old Hou raised his hand, seemingly to wave goodbye to Wang Ba.

But beneath the sleeve, the stark white bone spikes extended, gleaming with a pale, deathly chill.

Aimed directly at the unsuspecting Wang Ba.

The bones thrust forward.