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This transparent window in front of him lasted till he moved away from the stone. 

Though Lin Kai was reeling with emotions, he didn't dare to display them. It would be weird if he were to suddenly act differently. As for the matter of absorbing the Measuring Stone in front of him... He didn't dare to do it. 

If he dared to do it in front of everyone, he could already foresee his miserable fate. He suppressed the urge to choose [Yes] and focused on the window in front of him.

"Finally... I have waited for so long..." If not for other's presence, he would have cried out loud. Only he knew just how miserable his life had been in the past three months. 

"If only my cheat arrived three months ago." The moment this thought came to his mind, Lin Kai couldn't help but shake his head. Whatever happened, has already happened. He now needs to focus on his future.

"Should I leave?" The first thought that came to his mind was to leave this place and give up his position as a servant. But looking at the middle-aged stern face, he gave up this idea. Since he had decided to join as a servant, giving up right now would only attract the anger of the Ji family. It just wasn't worth it.

Besides... the only thing that changed was the arrival of his golden finger. The problem of food and housing still remains. It would be better to work here first and know more about the world first.

With these thoughts in mind, Lin Kai finally calmed himself. And just at this time, the voice of the middle-aged man announced the last result.

"GOOD."

Turning around, Lin Kai finally saw why the man shouted with such intensity.

[Age: 19]

[Qualifications: Earth]

"Hiss..." The moment these words appeared on the stone, the middle-aged man was stunned for a moment before a smile broke out on his usually stoic face. 

"Come, follow me." Compared to before, his tone has now changed dramatically, becoming gentle.

"As for the rest of you." Stopping halfway, he turned around to look at the five people standing there in silence. "Someone will come to pick you up. Till then... DO NOT MOVE AROUND."

With his final words, he left the place, leaving behind the few who had no idea what just happened. 

"What do you think happened?" While Lin Kai was looking at the departing figure of two people, he suddenly heard someone talking to him.

Turning around, it was a young man in his early twenties wearing worn-out clothes and a rough face who asked this question.

"They were checking for martial arts qualifications." There was no need to hide anything from them. After all, what better way to make friends than to explain things that they don't understand? Even though the people around him were beggars, Lin Kai didn't look down on them. Either way, they were going to be comrades soon. It was better to get to know them more in case he ever needed their help.

"Martial Arts qualifications?" And sure enough... the moment Lin Kai explained, the remaining three moved closer to him. 

Within a few moments, Lin Kai was standing in the middle, surrounded by four others while patiently explaining to them everything he knew about.

"So, you are saying that our qualifications decide our future?" The more they listened to Lin Kai, the more they were amazed by everything he said. Years of roaming the streets made them aware of many things. They already knew there were Martial Artists capable of great feat... almost god-like. They had also heard fleeting rumors that one needed to have suitable qualifications to learn martial arts, but they never paid any attention to this matter. After all, their focus was to get through the day.

Even though the stone displayed the words, how could beggars like them read? If they could, they would have known the moment the words were displayed. 

"Man, I wish that was me." One of them couldn't help but speak as others nodded in agreement.

They didn't know what was going to happen to that guy, but whatever it was, it was going to be a million times better than their treatments. For a moment, they all were filled with jealousy. After all, it was human nature. 

"Okay, you all are here."

Just when they were thinking about it and wondering whether to introduce themselves to each other, they were interrupted by a hoarse voice.

Turning around, they saw a frail old man standing there in silence, silently looking at them. To Lin Kai's surprise, none of them noticed his arrival. It was as if he just popped out of nowhere.

"Follow me." Without giving them a chance to speak, the old man signaled them to follow him before making his way towards the left direction of the mansion. 

As Lin Kai made his way silently, his eyes kept on darting around, absorbing the scenery around him.

The Ji family was located at the bottom of a mountain range along with a river flowing at the outskirts of the family. The Ji family wasn't just a single mansion, but a collection of numerous mansions scattered around. He didn't know exactly how big the Ji family was, but just from the sheer size of their mansions, he could only imagine.

After some twists and turns, the old man finally brought them to the bottom of a mountain range at the back of the family's mansion. 

"This is where you all will be working from now on." Pointing his finger, he continued. "First of all, let me introduce myself."

With a brief pause, the old man continued. "You all can call me Steward Yun." This was all he said in his introduction. 

"Right now, each of you will be assigned different duties." Steward Yun pointed at the oldest person in the group. "You, go to the mountains to pick herbs."

The man was taken aback, not expecting to be given such a task. "Steward Yun..." he hesitated, his voice soft, "I don't know anything about herbs. How can I pick them?"

"Uhh..." Steward Yun paused, clearly caught off guard, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "My mistake." After a brief thought, he reassigned the man. "Your task is to help in the kitchen. Clean it daily and arrange for water and wood."

"Yes." This time, the man accepted his new task without complaint.

"Does anyone here know how to identify herbs?" Steward Yun asked, having learned from his earlier mistake.

The group silently shook their heads.

"Forget it." He sighed and moved on. "You, take care of the cattle."

"You, sweep the floors."

"You, work on the farms."

Finally, his gaze landed on Lin Kai. "You will chop wood."

After assigning the tasks, Steward Yun collected their wooden tokens and carved different symbols on them. Then, he led them to their residence: a large wooden house with many small rooms.

Luckily, they were each assigned a separate room. Lin Kai silently breathed a sigh of relief; the thought of sharing a room with four others had worried him.

"You'll start your duties tomorrow morning. For now, rest and familiarize yourselves with the place." With that, Steward Yun explained a few basic rules and then left, leaving the group behind in stunned disbelief. In a single day, their lives had taken a complete turn. No longer beggars scraping for food, they were now servants of the Ji family—respected in comparison to their former lives. Some even looked on the verge of tears, overcome with emotion.

The only odd one out was Lin Kai, who kept picking up stones and sticks, dropping them, and picking them up again. His actions puzzled the others, but no one questioned him. They were too absorbed in their newfound fortune.

"Hmm... Why can't I absorb these?" Lin Kai muttered, sitting on the ground as he repeatedly picked up stones and sticks. When he first discovered his cheat, he assumed he could absorb everything. Now, he realized it wasn't that simple. Nothing he touched after the Measuring Stone could be absorbed.

But after three months of hopelessness, Lin Kai wasn't ready to give up. He wandered around, hoping to find something that could be absorbed. But today, it seemed he was destined for disappointment.

--------

The sun had started to set by the time Lin Kai gave up. Letting out a sigh, he reflected on his day. From being kicked out of the martial arts hall, to becoming a servant, to awakening his cheat—it had been a rollercoaster of emotions. He almost wondered if he was dreaming.

Gurgle...

His stomach growled, and he smiled wryly. Standing up, he stretched his tired body and looked around. His room was as simple as it could be: a wooden bed, a table, a chair, a small shelf, and a lamp that would glow automatically at night.

Without further ado, he left his room and headed to the corner of the building where meals were served. The dining hall was equally simple—wooden tables and chairs sparsely arranged. Only a few people were there, quietly eating bowls of pottage.

Lin Kai didn't linger. He grabbed a wooden bowl, filled it with pottage, and found an empty seat. Compared to the lavish meals he once ate at the martial arts hall, the pottage was bland. But it was better than starving.

After finishing his meal, he returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, sleep came quickly. His body was exhausted, and within moments, he drifted off, the sound of his breathing the only thing left in the room.

----------------

Clang... Clang...

The tolling of a bell woke Lin Kai the next morning.

"Ugh..." He yawned, stretched, and stood up, still groggy. As he stepped outside, he noticed the others from the day before, all standing outside their rooms, rubbing the sleep from their eyes.

"Good, you're all awake." Steward Yun's voice cut through the morning air. He handed each of them a set of grey robes. "From today, you're servants of the Ji family. Wear these at all times, no matter where you are."

After receiving their robes, Lin Kai and the others changed quickly and headed to their respective tasks.

It took Lin Kai over fifteen minutes to finally arrive at his destination. As he stepped through the last bend of the path, his eyes widened in surprise. Before him stood a dense bamboo forest, but this was no ordinary grove. The bamboo stalks shimmered in the dim light, their surfaces reflecting an eerie metallic hue that gave the entire forest an otherworldly appearance.

"What...?" Lin Kai blinked, rubbed his eyes, and stared harder, convinced his tired mind was playing tricks on him. Yet, no matter how long he gazed, the strange sheen remained. The cold metallic reflection of the bamboo stalks reflected through his eyes, making him hallucinate that he was looking at a forest of spears instead of bamboo.

"You must be the new servant," A man, probably in his early thirties, stood a few paces away, smiling as though he'd seen this reaction countless times before. Unlike Lin Kai's plain grey robes, this man wore blue, a jade token hanging casually from his waist, signaling a higher status.

"For now, just look at the others." The man stepped forward and handed Lin Kai a large axe. Lin Kai instinctively reached out, but the moment his fingers wrapped around the handle, his arms nearly gave way under the weight.

"Hiss... So heavy..." Lin Kai's hands trembled as he grasped the axe. Lifting it felt like an impossible task. It was much heavier than he'd anticipated, the weight pressing down on his wrists and shoulders, making him wonder how anyone could possibly swing it with ease

For a moment, he simply stood there, first, he looked at the bamboo forest, then at the trees, then at the forest, and then at the tree... Could he even lift this thing high enough to chop through the bamboo? He couldnt help but clench his jaw in frustration.

Just as he stood there with uncertainty, the familiar small window popped up in front of him again.

[Absorb Sharp Axe?]

[YES/NO]

Lin Kai blinked again, his earlier frustration momentarily forgotten as his heart leaped with a mix of excitement and disbelief. It's happening again...