Martin was happy to be free. Although he had been expelled from the main courtyard and heard the mocking whispers of the other servant monks, he did not let it bother him. Over the past month, he had learned a great deal about cultivation.
He now knew that cultivation was divided into five major stages: Gathering Light, Building Foundation, Forming the Holy Core, Manifesting the Divine Soul, and Holy Incarnation.
At St. Helman's Abbey, there were only two who had reached the Forming the Holy Core stage. They lived deep in the back mountain, where the holy energy was densest, and spent all their time in secluded meditation. They never involved themselves in the abbey's daily affairs unless something truly major occurred. Even those at the Building Foundation stage numbered fewer than ten. They were the abbey's backbone, enjoying special privileges—holy crystals, magical tools, anything they needed. Apart from these, the vast majority of monks were stuck at the Gathering Light stage. Even Augustine was only at the fifth level of Gathering Light.
Cultivation was incredibly difficult. It required an enormous investment of time. For those with weak aptitude, a single lifetime of a few decades was not nearly enough. If the Gathering Light stage was this hard, the stages beyond—Building Foundation and above—were even more demanding. Besides needing abundant holy energy, one also needed great fortune and deep understanding. Lacking any one of these, success was impossible.
Martin understood the importance of holy energy very well. He was eager to retrieve his stone bead.
Although he had still not managed to draw holy energy into his body, he believed that by regularly drinking water infused with the stone bead, he could greatly accelerate the process. After all, the Gathering Light stage was simply about accumulating holy energy.
Judging by how much Augustine had valued it, the water infused with the bead was extremely rich in holy energy. And he had not only the spring water—he had also hidden three gourds of dew at his secret spot. Those must be even more potent.
If he drank them, he would certainly do no worse than the herbal concoctions Augustine had been feeding him. In fact, the effect might be even better. So Martin was genuinely pleased to be free of the main courtyard and Augustine's constant surveillance.
As a full disciple, even though he no longer lived in the main courtyard, he could choose a room in any of the five auxiliary courtyards. Martin chose the Fire Courtyard, which was near the east gate, and found a secluded room there to settle in.
Full disciples enjoyed certain benefits depending on the color of their robes. Martin had learned about these from Augustine over the past month. For example, on the tenth day of each month, he could go to the alchemy hall in the main courtyard to receive a low-grade holy crystal fragment and a Light-Gathering Pill. Ten fragments could be exchanged with one's master for a complete low-grade holy crystal.
After settling into his new room, Martin did not immediately retrieve the stone bead. He was afraid that Augustine might still be watching him. So, as before, he went to the spring during the day and cultivated in his room at night.
In fact, Augustine did continue to watch for another ten days or so. But eventually, he gave up completely.
A month later, on a quiet night, Martin slipped out. He wound his way through the mountains, left and right, until he reached his hiding place. He retrieved the stone bead and the three gourds, then put them in his storage pouch. With the pouch tucked inside his robe, no one could tell he had them.
He spent a few days acting cautiously. When he noticed no unusual activity, he finally relaxed. He stopped going to the spring during the day and stayed in his room, studying the bead.