As usual, the sun was shining, and its light had begun to illuminate Tian Han's room.
Birds were chirping, and the cool morning breeze danced with the leaves of the trees.
Tian Han slowly opened his eyes. His body still ached and throbbed, but it wouldn't be wrong to say he felt much better than the day before.
He slowly sat up in bed, then stood and stretched his back. As he did so, his sore muscles reminded him of their presence once again.
Tian Han winced in pain, his displeasure clearly written across his face.
Just as he was about to start complaining, a growl came from his stomach, followed by a burning sensation in his gut.
With that, he began walking toward the kitchen. As he walked, he noticed something—he was no longer waddling like a penguin. This made Tian Han quite happy. His assumptions had been correct; while not fully comfortable, he was now able to walk more or less normally.
He quickly made his way to the kitchen and ate some dried meat and mushy rice. He still wasn't pleased with what he was eating, but there was nothing he could do about it—he had to get used to it.
After finishing his meal, he continued reading the "Floating Leaf Breathing Technique," trying to deepen his understanding.
He kept reading the technique for several hours.
By the time noon came, his head was aching and he was mentally exhausted.
Tian Han needed a mental break. He gently closed the book, placed it on the table, and thought to himself:
"I'll rest for a bit, then take care of the garden just like I planned yesterday."
Tian Han sat and began to relax. But his mind was still filled with questions.
How was he supposed to survive in this sect?
When would he reach the Arcane Awareness stage—or would he even reach it at all?
These were just a few of the thoughts troubling his young mind.
And that was perfectly normal—he was still just a child, yet he'd been thrown into a den of wolves without even the strength to stand up to them.
He was worried. But he was also determined. He would do anything to succeed—to become immortal.
Although being beaten nearly to death had been a terrifying and horrifying experience, it had also helped him realize some things.
He had seen that the immortal world wasn't as rosy as he'd imagined. If he didn't become strong enough, others wouldn't hesitate to tear him to pieces.
Soon after, Tian Han realized that constantly dwelling on these thoughts wouldn't change anything. So he stopped thinking about his worries.
If he wanted to avoid the things he feared, he had to act, not sit around being anxious.
Since his body wasn't in a condition to train, the only thing he could do was tend to the garden.
He stood up from where he was sitting and walked toward the front door. Once he reached it, he grabbed the handle and opened it.
As he walked down the stairs, he glanced at the garden. It was a mess—sacks leaned against the fences, the soil was untouched, and everything looked neglected. Only a few patches of grass grew here and there. It wouldn't be wrong to call it barren.
Tian Han smiled wryly, as if to say, "This is going to be tough." Making this garden productive would be a real challenge.
As he looked around, his eyes caught sight of a small structure—it looked like a shed. It was made of wood, old and dusty, clearly unused for a long time.
Tian Han approached the shed. When he reached the door, he extended his hand to open it. As he pushed it open, the door creaked loudly, grating on his ears.
The moment the door opened, the outside breeze rushed in and swept the dust out. As a cloud of dust rushed into Tian Han's nose and mouth, he began to cough violently. Even though he covered his nose and mouth with his hand, the burning in his throat wouldn't go away.
He coughed for a while longer as the wind continued to push the dust outside, gradually making the inside of the shed "cleaner."
Once his coughing stopped, Tian Han took a long look inside. He could see gardening tools—hoes, shovels, and many other tools that would come in handy.
To make proper use of this shed, it would first need a good cleaning. Only then would it be usable.
Tian Han knew what he had to do. He let out a deep sigh and headed back to the house. He grabbed some cleaning supplies like cloths and brushes.
By the time he returned to the shed, he wore a displeased, tired, and grumpy expression.
"I came to this sect to become immortal, and look at what I'm doing—cleaning some stupid shed."
Though it stung his pride to be doing such menial work in a sect he'd joined to become an immortal, this was still the best thing he could do for now. What else was he going to do—just sit around? That would only make his fears of not surviving here come true.
A truly exhausting and unpleasant process awaited Tian Han. Rotten and worm-ridden wood, cobwebs everywhere, dried-up corpses of small rodents—disgusting and filthy things. As if that weren't enough, the shed was only big enough for a single adult to stand in—it was cramped and suffocating.
A normal person wouldn't even want to step into this shed, but Tian Han didn't have much of a choice. If he wanted to succeed, he had to endure certain things.
During the cleaning, Tian Han vomited several times, felt sick, and even gave up more than once. But in the end, he realized the shed had to be cleaned and returned to the task.
After five hours, Tian Han had finished cleaning it. There wasn't much left of the disgusting old shed—just a few rotting planks, but fixing those wasn't really an option right now.
It wouldn't be right to say the shed was now sparkling clean, but it was in good enough condition to be used.
Because of that, he decided to take care of the garden work tomorrow and headed home. Before going to bed, he took a nice shower. He was so tired that the moment he laid on the bed, he fell asleep.
The sun had started to rise in the sky, birds were chirping, and a cool morning breeze was blowing.
As the sun's rays hit the room, Tian Han woke up as usual. He felt refreshed; not only had his wounds healed more, but his mind was also clear. He did his morning stretching routine and quickly headed to the kitchen. He ate the usual dried meat and porridge. To be honest, he was starting to get used to them.
As soon as he finished eating, he picked up the "Floating Leaf Breathing Technique" and began reading it again. Just like always, he visualized the stages clearly in his mind as he read. Day by day, he was improving, but he still had a long way to go.
By noon, Tian Han had finished reading again, but today his mind was much clearer and calmer. He hadn't dwelled on his worries or stressed—he just focused on his tasks and duties.
He didn't wait or rest—he swiftly stepped into the garden. He looked around and began forming a plan in his mind about where he would plant things and how to organize the garden.
He went inside, grabbed a pen and paper, and began drafting his plan for the garden layout. He had formed a clear picture in his mind. He decided to leave about an arm's length of space—roughly the width of two adult arms—between each seedbed. This way, he could use his small space efficiently, and the seed zones wouldn't mix.
Once his draft plan was ready, he ran straight to the shed, grabbed a few small wooden planks, and headed to the garden to place one plank at each corner of the sections in a rectangular layout. Just as he was about to do that, he paused and walked over to the four sacks leaning against the fence. He checked their contents carefully. After thoroughly inspecting the sacks, he divided the garden into four equal rectangular sections.
Even though he had split it into sections, he deliberately left one-fourth of the garden empty. After marking the zones with wooden planks, he returned to the shed and picked up a shovel, a rake, and a hoe.
Carrying these tools made Tian Han look quite comical; each tool was nearly as tall as he was. He walked to one of the sections he had marked, put the tools down, and reached for the hoe.
The garden hadn't been used for a long time, so it was overgrown with all sorts of weeds and unwanted plants. Tian Han stood at the edge of the section, lifted the hoe high, and struck the ground, starting to till the soil.
By doing this, he would both remove the weeds and aerate the soil. Hoeing was genuinely exhausting for him—it was physically demanding to repeatedly lift the hoe and strike the ground while also clearing weeds and preparing the soil.
Tian Han continued hoeing this section for two hours, and finally, he finished. He was clearly tired, sweaty, and exhausted, but there was no stopping now. He picked up the rake to gather the weeds he had dug out and carried them out of the section.
Raking took about half an hour. Tian Han was completely worn out, but would he stop? Of course not.
He continued by hoeing and cleaning the other two sections as well. He gathered all the weeds in one place. Only one section remained now, but the sun had already started to set.
Tian Han saw the sun beginning to set and knew that overexerting himself would do more harm than good. So, he decided not to work anymore that day, took a nice shower, and went to bed.
Morning came again, and Tian Han went through his usual routine—stretching, eating, reading and reflecting on the "Floating Leaf Breathing Technique".
By noon, he had finished reading again. He closed the book and stepped out into the garden.
He still hadn't finished the last section from the previous day, so today, he would complete that and begin planting the seeds. Without wasting time, he went to the shed, grabbed his tools, and started hoeing and cleaning.
After two hours, this section was also ready. At last, the garden was in order—weed-free and ready for planting and watering.
This was a big success for Tian Han. He felt proud, puffed out his chest, and said with pride:
"I, Tian Han, of course, no mere garden can stop me. I will become one of the mightiest immortals!"
Quickly, Tian Han walked over to the sacks leaning against the fence. He tried lifting the first one, but it was too heavy for him. So, he grabbed it from the ends and dragged it over to the first section.
Once at the section's edge, he adjusted the sack so it wouldn't fall over and reached inside, taking out a handful of seeds. The seeds were blue and shriveled, resembling beans. He scattered them evenly across the soil by swinging his hand.
After a while, Tian Han had spread all the seeds evenly across the section, though some were still left in the sack. Planting more would reduce yield, so he carried the sack back. After using some, it was lighter and easier for him to move.
He placed the sack back by the fence and did the same for the other sacks, one by one, planting the seeds in the respective sections. The second sack contained yellow, bead-like seeds. The third had black, foul-smelling seeds that resembled pumpkin seeds. The fourth sack had green, wheat-like seeds with a sour scent.
Finally, Tian Han had finished all the planting. A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead, but his work for the day wasn't over yet—he still had to water the soil...
He grabbed a watering can from the shed, filled it with water, and began watering the
plots one by one. After about two hours, he was nearly done, and once again, night was beginning to fall.
He wasn't as tired as he had been yesterday, but Tian Han was a man of routine—when the sky darkened, he went to sleep. After thoroughly finishing up the garden work, he took a shower before heading to bed.
When Tian Han came out of the shower and entered his room, his hair was still wet, and his face bore the natural flush of childhood. He looked tired, yet there was a clear determination in his eyes. For the past few days, he had been working non-stop—eating as soon as he woke up, practicing the Drifting Leaf Breathing Technique since he couldn't train physically, and immediately afterward, tending to the garden. It was hard to believe that all of this was being done by a child. Other than the evenings, he barely rested at all.
Even most adults couldn't keep up with this kid's daily routine!
Tian Han was a diligent and hardworking child. He didn't like sitting around with nothing to do. His father had taught him that. In the past, he used to do everything he could to avoid work, but now, with no mother or father by his side, he had to do everything himself.
Tian Han threw himself onto the bed, worn out from the day. His hair was still wet, and his face still carried that reddish hue.
"What should I do tomorrow? I've taken care of nearly everything in the garden. Just the daily maintenance and watering are left, and those won't take too much time. Maybe I should study the Drifting Leaf Breathing Technique more? I've nearly memorized all of it. Should I go outside?"
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Tian Han immediately erased it.
"I'd have to be crazy to go out right now. Guang Mu beat me to a pulp, and the only reason was that I wasn't strong enough. I can't go out until I'm strong enough. I really don't know what to do. My mind is all over the place. I guess I'll just stick to my routine and dedicate more time to study. I should be healed enough in a few days to start training again anyway."
Tian Han's thoughts drifted through his mind, but he couldn't help feeling a spark of excitement. He was doing something—making progress with small steps. Perhaps reaching Arcen Awareness wasn't that far off after all.
He raised his fist into the air and clenched it tightly as he spoke.
"I'm excited."