After binding with a genius, I became an immortal by exploiting loopholes.

Panlongfeng Dingmao No. 3 Medicinal Herb Garden is located on the shady side of the mountain.

The concentration of spiritual energy here is much higher than that of Yuxin Peak, and the air is filled with the scent of damp earth and the faint fragrance of spiritual herbs.

The medicinal garden was neatly planned, with low and thick rock vines spreading along the ground in the rows of spiritual fields, their dark green leaves shrouded in a faint earthy yellow spiritual light.

However, among these valuable medicinal herbs, clumps of steel-boned grass, half a person tall with metallic gray-black stems, grow wildly, their roots tightly intertwined with the dense root network of rock vine, vying for earth energy and nutrients.

As soon as Lu Qingchen arrived at the entrance of the herb garden, he saw an old man wearing a faded coarse cloth jacket and barefoot squatting on the edge of the field, carefully examining a seedling of rock vine.

The old man had dark, rough skin, like old tree bark, and large, calloused hands covered in dirt, clearly someone who had spent years tending to spiritual plants.

"Disciple Lu Qingchen has accepted the task of weeding the No. 3 medicinal garden of Dingmao Hall. Greetings, Senior." Lu Qingchen stepped forward and bowed.

The old man didn't even look up, his voice unhurried: "This quest has been hanging for quite some time, and no one dares to take it. Do you know how to get rid of Steelbone Grass? Damaging even one Rockvine Vine will cost you the full price. Can you afford to pay for it?"

Lu Qingchen said respectfully, "I have seen the introduction of Steel Bone Grass in the classics, and I have also asked experienced senior brothers for tips on weeding."

"Although I haven't actually fought them, I will be extra careful and try my best not to damage the spiritual plants."

The old man then raised his head, glanced at him, his gaze lingering on him for a moment, and said calmly, "Go, be careful, don't hurt Iwasufuji."

After saying that, she ignored him and started fiddling with the medicinal herbs in her hands.

Lu Qingchen accepted the order and entered the herb garden.

He looked at the dense, thick steel-bone grass with stems as thick as fingers, and his heart sank—this grass didn't look like something to be trifled with.

He walked to a steelgrass plant, squatted down, and held it near the ground with both hands.

It felt cold and hard to the touch, just like holding a rusty iron rod.

He lowered his waist and sat in a horse stance, using the method of circulating qi in the "Yi Jin Xi Sui Zhuang Gong". The power rose from the soles of his feet, passed through his waist and back to his arms, and he pulled hard!

"Crack!"

With a crisp snap, the steel-boned grass stem, as tough as cow tendon, was torn off by him.

The upper half of the grass stem was held in my hand, while the lower half, along with the roots deeply embedded in the soil, remained completely still.

Lu Qingchen looked at the half of the "iron rod" in his hand, then at the remaining piece on the ground, and his face turned pale.

The old man on the ridge looked up at the sound, glanced at it, shook his head, and continued to fiddle with the medicinal herbs in his hands, as if he had expected this scene.

"Do we really have to give up?" Lu Qingchen was unwilling.

The four spirit stones were right in front of him; this was the key to his purchase of the Marrow Essence Pill to accelerate his marrow cleansing.

Just as he was getting anxious, the silent Ling Shu Dao Stele in his sea of ​​consciousness suddenly trembled slightly and transmitted a clear thought: the stele master is facing a situation where his strength is insufficient. He can use his 'cultivation' to perform the 'spirit point' technique on his own body and bones to gain the ability of a 'strongman'.

Use? Estimated cost: All currently available cultivation points. Effect: Slightly and permanently increases the strength of the body's bones and muscles and the maximum strength.

"Unleash your power!"

Lu Qingchen did not hesitate.

This amount of cultivation was something he had stockpiled for future use. Although using it to enhance his strength was a bit wasteful, it was still better than failing the mission and losing four spirit stones and subsequent opportunities.

In an instant, the pure cultivation essence temporarily stored in his sea of ​​consciousness, which came from Chu Yunfeng, was activated by the Spirit Pivot Dao Stele.

This force did not flow into his meridians and dantian, but instead transformed into a warm yet powerful torrent that rapidly swept into the depths of his bones, fascia, and muscles.

A deep, resonant sound emanated from within.

Lu Qingchen felt a slight itch and heat in his bones, especially in the supporting bones of his arms, back, and legs, and the thick tendons connecting them. It was as if a kind of tenacious vitality had been injected into them, and their density and resilience were being improved imperceptibly.

The muscle fibers also appear to be combed together more tightly and powerfully.

This process lasted for a few breaths before ending; the warm current dissipated, and a solid and powerful feeling filled my whole body.

His strength has increased significantly, and his tendon flexibility and bone density have improved slightly.

Lu Qingchen moved his arms and felt a surge of strength.

He estimated that he was confident he could handle the steel-bone grass now.

He walked towards the broken grass again, grasped the remaining stem and roots with both hands, and this time he did not use brute force to pull it out. Instead, he tried to use a kind of skill recorded in the Yi Jin Xi Sui Zhuang Gong. The force was not straight upward, but first he pressed down slightly, and then rotated, shook and suddenly lifted it up along the possible direction of the grass roots!

"Pfft—Pfft!"

After a tooth-grinding scraping sound, the entire Steelbone Grass, along with its tangled root system, was forcibly pulled out of the hardened spiritual soil!

The soil it kicked up was scattered all over the ground, but the root system of the rock vine next to it was basically intact.

"It's a success!"

Lu Qingchen perked up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and pulled up another plant.

The old man on the ridge heard the noise and looked up again.

Upon seeing this, he raised an eyebrow slightly—that brat who had just broken even the grass had actually uprooted the Steelbone Grass, and the Rock Vine next to it was completely unharmed.

The old man put down the elixir in his hand, stood up, and slowly strolled over.

He walked over to Lu Qingchen, first carefully examining the roots of the pulled-out Steelbone Grass and the condition of the Rock-Beard Vine next to it, then glanced at Lu Qingchen and said indifferently, "His brute strength is acceptable, but his skills are poor."

Lu Qingchen immediately stopped what he was doing and said respectfully, "This disciple was reckless, please enlighten me, senior."

Being cautious is not enough.

The old man walked to another steel-bone grass, and without any apparent action, he reached out and touched the stem, then with an extremely subtle flick, twist, and pull of his wrist.

With a soft "whoosh," the entire steel-bone grass seemed to jump out on its own, its root system intact, but it brought up very little soil, causing minimal disturbance to the surrounding soil and the roots of the rock vine.

"Do you understand?"

The old man tossed the grass aside: "Steelbow grass is tough in its stem, but brittle at the root joints. If you pull it out by brute force, you will damage the soil and the vines. Use a clever trick to shake its roots, loosen the surrounding soil, and let it grow naturally."

"You have enough strength, which saves you the trouble of grinding, but you are still far from being skilled at using your strength."

Lu Qingchen was mesmerized, realizing that the old man was demonstrating not only weeding techniques but also an extremely sophisticated method of exerting force. He quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your instruction, senior! This disciple has learned a great deal!"

"Get to work. Five days. I only care about the results. If you damage my Rock Vine, I'll deduct your spirit stones."

The old man waved his hand, said no more, and turned back to the thatched hut.

With guidance and enhanced strength and physique, Lu Qingchen took action again, and the efficiency and results were immediate.

He no longer pursued speed, but instead focused on understanding the "skillful force" the old man spoke of, striving for precision, efficiency, and avoiding damage to the medicinal herbs with each exertion of force.

Inside the thatched hut, the old man peered through the cracks for a moment, a barely perceptible look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"His bones and muscles are exceptionally strong, far surpassing those of the early stage of Marrow Cleansing... His comprehension is decent; he grasps things quickly and is willing to put in the effort to study... Unfortunately, his spiritual energy fluctuations are weak and mixed, suggesting his spiritual root is probably not good."

The old man shook his head slightly, stopped paying attention, and closed his eyes to rest.

In the following days, Lu Qingchen arrived at the Dingmao No. 3 medicinal garden on time every day to focus on weeding.

He discovered that in this kind of work that required extreme focus on controlling strength and repeatedly using skillful techniques, not only did his understanding of the "Yi Jin Xi Sui Zhuang Gong" deepen, but his control over his newly acquired strength also became rapidly proficient. The internal energy that vibrated his bone marrow during the marrow cleansing period seemed to have been condensed into a trace.