Murphy closed his eyes and focused, sinking his entire consciousness into his body.
As he circulated his Breathing and Guiding technique, his Perception Power, honed by continuous Cultivation, had finally been elevated to a certain level.
It was only then that he could truly "see" the barrier that had troubled him for so long.
According to the knowledge contained within Breathing and Guiding, the ridians in the human body are divided into three levels.
The most fundantal are the Twelve Main ridians, like major highways running in all directions. Next are the Eight Extraordinary ridians, like bridges connecting those highways. At the deepest level are the countless Floating ridians, as fine as silk threads. They are like the capillaries that cover the earth—minuscule, yet omnipresent.
The origin of these Floating ridians could be traced back to the very beginning of life.
When an embryo forms in the womb, the first things to appear are these primitive networks of Floating ridians. They are the initial channels for Life Energy.
As the life form develops, twelve of the most prominent Floating ridians gradually strengthen to beco the Twelve Main ridians. Eight special Floating ridians evolve into the Eight Extraordinary ridians. The vast majority of the remaining Floating ridians, however, stay in their primitive state, forming a vast, intricate network deeply interwoven with the entire body.
The reason Murphy’s Qi had previously been unable to grow stronger was that his Twelve Main ridians and Eight Extraordinary ridians were already filled to their absolute limit. The Qi coursed through these fully developed ridians, unable to expand by even a fraction.
It was like a well-tended field that had reached its maximum yield, no matter how much fertilizer or water was applied.
More importantly, only by continuing to strengthen his Qi could he continue to nourish and fortify his physical body.
Now, after three months of accumulation, the Qi inside Murphy’s body was filled to the brim. Just as water overflows when a container is full, his Qi, having reached its limit, began to spontaneously search for a new outlet.
But relying on the Qi to slowly seep out on its own would take an unknown amount of ti and waste a great deal of precious Qi.
So, what Murphy had to do now was actively guide the overflowing Qi and slowly infuse it into the first, most distinct Floating ridian.
At first, the process was incredibly slow and arduous, like a tiny stream seeping into parched earth.
But as the Qi continued to pour in, that Floating ridian expanded from the width of a fine hair to that of a thick one.
Murphy felt as if all the Qi in his body had found a new ho, flowing joyfully through this newly opened "field."
At the sa ti, with his current perception, he could clearly feel his physical attributes, which had stagnated, begin to grow once more.
His muscle fibers grew tougher, his Bone Density continued to increase, and the function of his internal organs beca even stronger.
However, Murphy didn’t grow complacent. He quickly suppressed his joy at the breakthrough and began to cultivate the next Floating ridian.
’No, perhaps I shouldn’t call it the "next" one. The Floating ridians spread throughout the entire body, interwoven into a network with no sequential order.’
Each Floating ridian was a channel within this intricate web, all interconnected and interdependent.
The next stage of his Cultivation, then, would naturally be to expand this entire network of Floating ridians to its limit.
He had to make every single Floating ridian reach the sa limit as the Main and Extraordinary ridians, unable to expand any further.
It was destined to be a long process.
Cultivating the Main and Extraordinary ridians had already taken him several years. Weren’t the Floating ridians hundreds, even thousands of tis more nurous?
Yet Murphy was not concerned. The path of Cultivation was destined to be long, and he had plenty of patience.
Furthermore, Red Leaf weighed eighteen tis as much as he did, and with an appetite to match, he could obtain enough nutrients from its feed to support his Cultivation through Deduction.
...
「Two years passed in the blink of an eye.」
In those two years, Baron’s Castle had undergone significant changes.
The year before last, the castle had once again laid off twenty percent of its servants. The workload for those who remained doubled, leaving them exhausted and constantly scrambling.
Even when Kelvin got married, there was no grand celebration.
It wasn’t until the following year—this year—that the high-pressure situation began to ease.
The reason was simple: the situation around New Wood Town had changed.
Due to years of famine and cold, the territory’s population had plumted. As a result, the amount of arable land per survivor had increased.
Although taxes remained heavy, farming outside the castle had beco a more viable way to survive than nervously serving the nobility within its walls.
After all, if you worked the fields, you could still make a living after paying your taxes.
But in the castle, not only was the work exhausting, but the slightest mistake could get you whipped, injured, and even thrown out.
The upper echelons of Baron’s Castle also realized that tax revenues had peaked.
If they increased their exploitation any further, the peasants would either flee or starve in the fields, which would only lead to abandoned land and a dried-up tax base.
With this relative improvent in the external environnt, the castle was forced to relax its managent slightly and rehire the twenty percent of staff it had previously laid off.
Of course, this was still a far cry from its heyday.
As evening fell, the three friends gathered in Murphy’s dormitory as usual.
"If you ask , things have finally stabilized," Bart said, gnawing on a piece of black bread. "Murphy, you’re twenty now, still an Upper-class Groom making four copper plates a day. Isn’t it ti you thought about settling down?"
Hank chid in with a laugh, "Annie from the laundry has been waiting for you for two years. She’s eighteen now, practically an old maid. I heard she turned down several marriage proposals just for you."
Bart winked. "And it’s not just Annie. That new girl in the kitchen, Mary, has taken a shine to you too. She’s only sixteen, much younger than Annie."
Murphy just shook his head slightly. "I’ve said it before. I’m not considering marriage."
Hank couldn’t help but say, "But Annie has waited two whole years for you! How many two-year periods does a girl have to spare?"
Bart tried to persuade him too. "For people like us, it’s a blessing just to have soone who cares for you. Annie has a good temperant and knows how to run a household. Where else would you find a girl like that?"
Murphy’s tone was firm. "I’ve said it. I’m not considering it, and that’s final."
He said it so decisively that there was no room for argunt.
In his eyes, these girls, who toiled all day long, simply didn’t interest him.
Their hair was greasy, their skin dark and rough, and their teeth were yellow. Due to habits ford in the cold of the Northern Lands, their personal hygiene wasn’t even as diligent as his.
Compared to the bright-eyed, pearly-toothed Miss Douglas he rembered, the difference was like that between heaven and earth.
Hank sighed. "Annie would be heartbroken if she heard you say that."
"Then she’ll be heartbroken," Murphy said, standing up and dusting off the corner of his clothes. "It’s ti to feed Red Leaf."
Watching Murphy’s retreating back, Bart and Hank looked at each other and shook their heads.
By now, how could they not see that Murphy’s ambitions soared far higher than those of a typical servant? But in a castle with such a rigid hierarchy, how high could a Groom possibly climb?
...
「One month later.」
During his noon break, Murphy was taking a nap in his dormitory next to the main stables.
Suddenly, a low voice ca from outside the window. "Murphy, pack your things. You’re coming with ."
Murphy imdiately recognized the voice. It belonged to Arthur, one of the followers, who was Red Leaf’s new owner—and now, Murphy’s new master in na.
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