After tidying up, Li Lin returned to the courtyard where Luo Lan was already present. Seeing Li Lin covered in dirt and grime, she couldn't help but nag him a bit.

Li Lin took her words to heart, feeling a sense of happiness and secretly vowing to hasten his strength enhancement to eventually free his mother from their current situation in the Li family.

As night fell, Li Lin headed back to the secret chamber, where he was once again subjected to a beating.

This routine continued for some time, with Li Lin visiting the secret chamber at night to spar with Uncle Jiang and attune himself to the five elements in his body.

On the third day, Li Lin consumed a ZhongDing Pill and advanced to the fifth level of martial disciple. He sold two more ZhongDing Pills at Tianbao Gate and bought materials for six more.

Each morning, he bathed in water infused with a Marrow-Cleansing Pill, which enhanced his muscles, bones, and internal organs. In the afternoons, he went to the back mountains to refine more ZhongDing Pills. After failing once, he became more careful.

Thankfully, subsequent refinings went smoothly, with Li Lin improving both speed and quality.

By the fifteenth day, the bathwater showed no impurities after absorbing the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, becoming clear and transparent. Li Lin felt a transformation within, his body rejuvenating from the inside out, nearing perfection.

During these fifteen days, Li Lin refined nearly thirty ZhongDing Pills. On the ninth day, after consuming another pill, he advanced to the sixth level of martial disciple. While initially, one pill could enhance two levels of qi, it later only boosted one level.

In this period, he sold twenty-seven ZhongDing Pills to Tianbao Gate. The pill's reputation spread through Qingyun Town. Though only a first-grade pill, its recipe was unknown to many spiritual practitioners. Due to its significant effects on martial disciples, wealthier families eagerly bought it for their talented youths.

As Li Lin delivered ZhongDing Pills to Tianbao Gate every three or four days, their market price soared to sixty gold coins each, yet demand still exceeded supply.

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During this time, Li Lin also fed small animals to his pet snake, which, despite its small size, had a large appetite. After eating, it would sleep, seemingly never getting enough rest.

As night descended again, Li Lin, under cover of darkness, went to the firewood shed's secret chamber.

As soon as he entered the chamber, he threw a dummy ahead as a decoy.

"Bang!" The dummy was instantly smashed against the wall by a punch.

"Old man, I knew you'd launch a surprise attack. Take my Open Mountain Palm!" Li Lin laughed, having prepared for this. With a hand sign, he unleashed a pale yellow palm strike, emitting rings of qi.

"You're still too green for tricks," Uncle Jiang's voice said. He appeared and launched a punch, creating a wave of qi that collided fiercely with Li Lin's palm strike.

"Bang!" Li Lin staggered back several steps to steady himself.

"Huh," Uncle Jiang expressed surprise. He had used the strength of a first-level warrior, albeit suppressed, but stronger than average. Li Lin's ability to withstand the attack was indeed astonishing.

"Old man, the fist fears the young and vigorous. I don't believe I can't hit you today," Li Lin declared, launching an offensive, no longer just on the receiving end of the beatings.

In these half-month trainings, Li Lin started enjoying the sessions. Landing a hit on Uncle Jiang was a success, and he grew accustomed to the beatings, especially since the Marrow-Cleansing Pill baths helped him recover quickly.

The pain from Uncle Jiang's punches, once deeply agonizing, now felt just a dull ache.

"Open Mountain Palm!" Seizing an opportunity, Li Lin launched a powerful palm strike.

"You're still no match for me," Uncle Jiang chuckled, countering with a punch.

"Qingling Armor, defend!" Li Lin sneered, suddenly covered in a thick, dark yellow scale armor with a faint halo.

"Bang!" Uncle Jiang's punch hit Li Lin's shoulder, causing him pain, but he endured it and struck Uncle Jiang's waist.

"Bang!" The impact felt like hitting stone, numbing Li Lin's hand. The recoil sent him stumbling to the ground.

"Kid, you've learned to be unexpected, but check for effectiveness first," Uncle Jiang commented with a smile, appreciating Li Lin's rapid progress over the half month.

"Hmph, you always have an excuse. Let's go again," Li Lin grumbled, feeling the frustration of being weaker. He got up and resumed the attack.

"Come on, then," Uncle Jiang replied, meeting Li Lin's charge. Midway through the training, Li Lin was bruised all over, but these were merely superficial thanks to his Qingling Armor.

During the break, Li Lin surrounded himself with the glows of the five elements, the pale yellow being the brightest. According to Uncle Jiang, Earth was his strongest element.

After resting, Li Lin endured another round of intense training and returned to the courtyard for a bath under Uncle Jiang's satisfied gaze.

By noon, Li Lin went back to the mountains to refine pills. By the seventeenth day, he could successfully refine a ZhongDing Pill in one go.

Now, in an afternoon, Li Lin could produce three ZhongDing Pills, bringing him great joy.