It's got a lot of rich Earth Qi in it…
"Wait, what did you say?" Harry urgently asked.
"I said, we spread the Heavy Earth Essence around the garden to help the plants grow," the worker repeated.
"No, not that. Did you say there was Earth Qi?"
"Yeah, that stuff is packed with Earth Qi. Why?"
Packed with Earth Qi… packed with Earth Qi… Harry looked around the garden. A thin layer of Heavy Earth Essence was covering the whole garden. This garden was more or less a square, with sides of length roughly 250 meters long. If all that mud was Earth Qi… then…
Could it really be so easy?
He squatted down, and scooped up a small handful of the brown, squishy substance. And to his delight, he felt the Nameless Seed wake up, and begin refining!
It was such a small amount that he didn't feel any change in his body, but he knew the worker was telling the truth. There was Earth Qi all over this huge garden.
Harry wanted to jump for joy, and throw his head back and laugh. For this first time in his life, cultivation was going smoothly!
Before, he thought the mud was just ordinary fertilizer. He was expecting it to take many weeks of searching before he could find any Earth Qi. But all of a sudden, the mud turned into a precious treasure! He never imagined he'd find so much on the same day he completed Burning Blood.
The amount of Heavy Earth Essence needed to cover this entire place must have been enormous. If he could actually get it all… he tuned out from whatever the worker was saying and just let his mind fantasize for a bit.
'Haha, you Alchemy Hall snobs! Let's see how you like it when I steal all your Earth Qi! How will your plants grow then, I wonder?' he laughed to himself.
Now, he was itching to refine all the Earth Qi here. He wanted to take off his robes and roll around the mud, smearing the substance all over his body. But he refrained. Doing that out of the blue would be too suspicious.
"James? James? Are you listening?"
"Huh? What?" Harry snapped back to attention.
"I was asking if you knew what task you wanted to help with."
"Oh right, I'll help out with the Heavy Earth Essence," Harry said eagerly.
"Alright. You'll want to grab a shovel from one of the warehouses, and you can just join any of the workers with the wheelbarrows. It's pretty straightforward so you should know what to do."
"Got it," Harry said, then went over to the equipment shed. Along the way, he passed by the Elder and Nelson, who glared daggers at him. But Harry barely even noticed them, because his mind was entirely focused on the treasure laying on the ground.
Even though Earth Qi was right in front of him, it didn't mean he could refine it. The Elder was staring at him, watching his every action for the slightest hint of trouble. If he were to actually leap on top of the mud, or bury his face into it, he'd be kicked out immediately. Then he'd never get access to the Earth Qi again. Instead, for the next half-hour, Harry diligently helped spread the fertilizer around the Alchemy Garden. It was dull work, but he kept at it, waiting for the Elder to leave so he could slack off properly. For now, he took a short break every 10 minutes, and pretended to be out of breath. While resting, he put his hands on the fertilizer, and grinned to himself as he felt thin streams of Earth Qi enter his palms.
Within his body, the Nameless Seed was busy refining. It sucked Earth Qi out the fertilizer like a thirsty man sucking water through a straw. Earth Qi circulated around his body, and settled evenly into his muscles. He could vaguely feel them reforming, changing, molding under his skin – the only problem was there was just too little of it.
'If only this annoying Elder would leave so I could refine in peace,' Harry sighed.
Maybe he'd sneak in here at night, and roll around the mud. He briefly entertained that plan, but he knew there were guards and patrols to prevent people from stealing plants and pills. If he were caught, it would be very difficult for him to explain what he was doing. Not to mention it'd give the Alchemy Elders a real excuse to punish him.
Then out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an angry-looking group of people heading right towards him.
In the front was Nelson, still nursing his nose but gesturing at Harry to his followers, a group of three Alchemists. Their robes gave them away as Inner Disciples of the Alchemy Hall.
"That's James!" he heard Nelson call. "In the dirty black robes!"
The four of them were upon Harry in a moment, and the tallest menacingly stood in front of Harry.
"You're James?" the man demanded.
'Huh, this guy looks familiar,' Harry mused. Chubby, similar face, same haughty expression as Nelson – they must be brothers.
"Yeah, I'm James," Harry lied. "What do you want?"
"What do I want? Of course, I want you to scram out of our Alchemy Hall. How dare you come here and put your filthy hands on our plants? I've heard what you did to my little brother - you even dared to incite the Outer Disciples against us Alchemists! Get out of here now, or else I'll make you."
'I take that back. This guy is 10 times haughtier than Nelson,' Harry frowned. He'd never met someone with such an inflated ego before.
"You'll make me? Who do you think you are? Even your Elders couldn't make me leave, what makes you think you can?"
"Do you really think I can't?" Nelson's brother sneered back.
"The Elders could easily have made you scram, but didn't. Do you know why? It's not because they're afraid of the sect rules. We're Alchemists! Do you think we follow the same rules as people like you?"
'Delusional,' Harry scoffed. But he decided to play along.
"Ok, then tell me, why didn't the Elders kick me out?"
"An idiot like you couldn't possibly understand. The Elders of the Alchemy Hall hold a lofty position, and are respected by all. Their influence stretches farther than you can imagine. It's beneath their station to deal with a miscreant like you, that's why. Why would an Alchemist Elder personally deal with a mere Outer Disciple?"
The man's tone was laced with venom, his expression was twisted with haughtiness, and his finger was pointed directly at Harry, just a few inches from his face. It was clear he truly thought he, along with his fellow Alchemists, were a station or two above the rest of the sect.
'This guy… I really want to give him a big slap in the face,' Harry sighed. But he was obviously in the Qi Absorption Realm, since he was an Inner Disciple. And moreover, Harry had a feeling he wasn't just at the low-level. It would be unwise to attack this person.
"So, are you going to 'deal' with me then? Go ahead, I'll report you – "
"You still don't get it, do you?"
If possible, the man's tone became even haughtier.
"So what if you report me? When the Law Enforcement Hall gets a complaint, they have to do an investigation first. They're going to ask us all what happened to determine who was in the wrong. And what will happen then? It'll be our word against yours. Who do you think they'll believe – four Alchemists, or a lowly Outer Disciple who's known to be a troublemaker? Go ahead and report us," he finished with a sneer.
'Ah, I didn't think about that,' Harry frowned. This Alchemist had a point – he just didn't expect them to be shameless to this extent.
The Alchemist knew he hit the right spot as soon as he saw Harry frown.
"Perhaps you've let your number one spot get into your head. But you Outer Disciples are at the bottom of the sect. Don't think your status as the head of the ants lets you act rampantly elsewhere. As the head of the Inner Disciples of the Alchemy Hall, other than the Elders, my word is the law. Get off the grounds of the Alchemy Hall immediately."
Harry sighed, and decided to just leave. He wasn't strong enough to fight against this person, nor could he think of a way to counter this move. Harry thought he was a pretty shameless guy, but as it turned out, there was an Alchemist ten times more shameless and arrogant than him. There was just no way to deal with the excessively shameless.
He wasn't too upset over the man's words, as he grew up hearing similar things from Dudley. He was more disappointed over all the missed Earth Qi.
'I'll come back later then. Just finding the Earth Qi here today is good enough. If I come back every day, is he really going to kick me out every day? Sooner or later, he'll get bored. Even if it takes weeks, I'll get this Earth Qi eventually. '
"Noah, that's not enough!" Nelson whined just as Harry was about to leave. "You have to humiliate James! Look at how he attacked me!"
A cruel smile appeared on Noah's face.
"My brother is right. You ought to be humiliated – just driving you out of our hall isn't enough. Kneel on the ground in front of my brother, actually, haha, I have a better idea. I heard that you gathered a group of disciples to curse at my brother and his friends? Compared to us Alchemists, you Outer Disciples are like ants or worms that belong in the dirt. I'll teach you your rightful place. Take off your robes, and roll in the dirt – "
"Really? Great!"
Before Noah could finish his sentence, Harry stripped off his robes, leaving him in just his trousers. He dived into the mud and began rolling around, taking care to not roll over any plants.
He left Noah standing there with his mouth still open, not having finished his sentence. His mouth moved, but no words came out. Though he ordered James to roll in the mud, he didn't expect James to eagerly do it. He was just helping his brother vent some frustration – now, he could only watch as the half-naked James rolled away.
"What…" he trailed off.
Not only did James start rolling on the ground like a pig, he was even merrily smiling, like he was having the time of his life. For a moment, he wondered if all the stories and rumors about James were fabricated. And behind him, his two friends and brother also stared at the scene incredulously.
"Nelson, this is boy who attacked you and stole your pills?" Noah finally asked.
"I – I –," Nelson simply didn't know what to say. Not even an hour earlier, James had been so rampant. Now, it was like his personality did a complete shift.
Harry rolled across the field, straight down to the other end. When he got there, he just changed directions and started rolling back. And when he got back to his original spot, he rolled down the length of the field for the third time.
A few minutes later, Harry was showing no signs of stopping, so Noah just snorted and left, along with his friends. Though he felt something wasn't quite right, he convinced himself that he scared this Outer Disciple off. Either way, he didn't want to stay here any longer.
Only Nelson was left, with an unsightly expression on his face. He had no idea why James was acting this way, but somehow, he felt James was doing it to humiliate him. He couldn't think of any other explanation. And behind him, the Elder and the other workers were watching James with baffled expressions.
Though Harry was covered in dirt, he was beaming with joy. Now that his whole body was in constant contact with the Heavy Earth Essence, the speed of refinement was many times faster. Thick streams of Earth Qi were entering his body, being absorbed by the Nameless Seed and then spreading into his muscles. After just a few minutes of rolling around, he could already sense some changes in his muscles.
The Heavy Earth Essence was packed with Earth Qi, perfect for the Nameless Technique. Even better, this garden was overflowing with it. Harry knew he had all he needed to complete Rebirthing Muscle right in this field. The only question was how long it would take him to refine it all.
Far away from the center of the Swan Sea Sect was a cliff overlooking the Swan Sea. It was located in a remote area of the sect, with very few knowing of its existence. The cliff was a couple kilometers tall, and the precipice jutted out well over the sea. Built on the outcropping of land was a small cottage, located right at the edge of the cliff.
The cottage was furnished spartanly, consisting only of a bed, a table, and a chair. The entrance faced the Swan Sea, and standing right outside was a short and old man, wizened and hunched over, with a fluffy beard covering his face. He stood tranquilly looking over the sea, watching the tide come and go.
"Time is running out," he sighed. As for what he was referring to, only a few people knew.
Suddenly, he whirled around and stared into the distance, seemingly into thin air. His gaze was focused towards the direction of the sect, more specifically, towards the direction of the Alchemy Garden.
Though the distance between him and the sect was many kilometers away, it meant nothing to him. His vision seemed to stretch across space itself, piercing through the void and landing in the center of the Swan Sea Sect. His face lost its tranquil expression, and instead morphed into interest.
"Oh? So, it's not just Fire Qi, you can also refine Earth Qi. Amazing, truly amazing. I've never seen such a thing. Is it a physique? But no, it can't be a physique, or we would have known when you were born. Then is it a cultivation technique? But could such a cultivation technique even exist? It should be impossible at the Body Tempering Realm."
The man peered across space to scrutinize Harry, intently watching his every movement. With his skill and power of observation, he was able to determine the changes occurring in Harry's body.
"The Earth Qi is integrating into your muscles. And all that Fire Qi went into your bloodstream. No wonder you told me he needed so much Qi. Such a cultivation technique should be impossible, but it's happening right before my eyes. Who could have come up with such a thing? I'd love to study the principles behind this technique. Magnificent, magnificent!"
The man watched for a bit longer, then stared back towards the sea, over the pale blue water.
"But even this isn't enough. Old cat, old cat, your teachings have rubbed off on him, it seems. He's provoked too many people, just as our enemies are gathering. If he…" he shook his head and let the words trail off.
"Well, I suppose that's why you left him with me," he finished.
Many hours later, when the Sun was setting, some Alchemists finally mustered their courage and asked Harry to leave the Alchemy Garden for curfew. Despite his best efforts, he was only able to roll around half of the large garden, mainly because in order to get every drop of Earth Qi out of the Heavy Earth Essence, he had to roll over each patch of mud multiple times.
None of the Alchemists knew what James was doing. Even though Noah had ordered him to roll around the mud, they didn't expect James to actually do it. And even after he did it, they thought he would stop after a couple of minutes. But not only did James continue rolling even after Noah left, he rolled around for hours without taking a break. Maybe if they didn't stop him, he'd continue rolling into the night. Perhaps he'd still be rolling in the morning. Nobody understood why.
'Maybe he has a mental illness?' the Alchemists wondered.
Normally, the Elders or Alchemists would have ordered James to stop, and kicked him out for fooling around. But seeing James roll in the mud gave the Elder a sense of pleasure, so he let James continue humiliating himself. And as for the Alchemists, none of them dared to interfere with whatever James was doing.
They would never have guessed Harry was actually refining the Earth Qi. That was unheard of, an impossible feat. That possibility didn't even cross their minds. They just thought he was acting strange, or perhaps enjoyed the feel of mud on his skin.
As he got up from the ground, Harry took a moment to sense the changes in his body. Every muscle in his body felt firmer, more powerful and capable of exerting tremendous force. His muscles felt like they were replaced by those in wild Magic Beasts, or if the result of years of body building manifested in one afternoon. Just when he lifted himself off the ground, he overshot and nearly fell on his back.
'This strength – it's incredible!' he exclaimed.
If he were to casually strike one of the Strength Pillars, he got the feeling that he could reach his score of 236. If he used his full strength, including Burning Blood, he couldn't imagine how high he could go. Perhaps even 336 was possible.
But, as always, the consumption of the Nameless Technique infuriated him. After all that work of rolling around the huge Alchemy Garden, he was only around half of the way done.
'Oh well, I'll come back tomorrow,' Harry decided. He only rolled around half the garden, so if he rolled around the other half, he should be able to finish Rebirthing Muscle. He didn't mind waiting until tomorrow to complete this accomplishment. Besides, it came with the benefit of hurting the growth of the Alchemy Hall's plants. Since he took in all that Earth Qi, there was none left for their plants.
Nelson, his brother Noah, and that annoying Elder had long left, after all, one could only watch someone rolling around the mud for so long. Instead, they ran about the Swan Sea Sect, loudly telling people about how James was humiliating himself. Throughout the afternoon, groups of people entered the Alchemy Garden to confirm the rumors of James rolling around fertilizer with their own eyes. When they heard the rumors, they snorted and dismissed them immediately. Obviously, someone like James would never deign himself to such actions. But a couple people decided to check, and when they confirmed the rumors, more or less everyone stopped by the Alchemy Garden to verify it themselves.
All sorts of discussion broke out after they realized the rumor was true. Most people thought James finally met his match against the Inner Disciples of the Alchemy Hall. No matter how strong an Outer Disciple was, at the end of the day, they were just an Outer Disciple. They couldn't defeat Inner Disciples, whether it was in power or influence. If an Inner Disciple forced an Outer Disciple to roll, then the Outer Disciple had no choice but to roll.
'Hmph, he got what he deserved,' plenty of disgruntled people snorted, taking delight in James' misfortune. Some were from the Ivory Fist Clan, some were Alchemists, but many were just Outer Disciples jealous of James' strength and position. Seeing him half-naked and rolling around the mud put all his enemies into a good mood.
But Harry didn't let that bother him, instead, he happily entered his dorm that night, humming a little tune to himself. In a single day, he reached the 8th level of the Body Tempering Realm, finished Burning Blood, and completed almost half of Rebirthing Muscle. It was more progress than he thought he'd make in a month.
Even though there were all sorts of nasty rumors and mockery going around, he didn't care. If it was for the sake of progressing so much in the Nameless Technique, then it was all worth it. But also, he was using a fake name, and wearing a mask. Therefore, he could afford to act strangely.
After washing himself off, he plopped onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep. And as the sun rose, a loud shout jolted him awake.
"JAMES EVANS, GET THE HELL OUT HERE!"