Arthur did the fighting excellence test and stopped when he reached level 41. He could go further, but only by one level or so. Since he didn't need to and had already taken the first-place record, he decided to give up there.
After the two of them achieved their goals, they returned to their houses to do what needed to be done in order to grow stronger.
Thor neglected forging entirely and focused completely on cultivation. But Arthur had to learn forging, formation, research the silver pine tree, and also cultivate. This slowed down his cultivation speed.
Fortunately, his life seed is really like a seed, so it can absorb mana from the environment and cultivate on its own. This way, even when he isn't actively cultivating, he is still cultivating.
In order to maximize this passive cultivation ability, he made sure to spend as much time as possible within the cultivation room. This was to take advantage of the higher concentration of mana in it.
