“I need to eat. Right, the Spirit Kitchen.”
Xu Changshou opened his door and met Jiang Xiaochuan in the corridor.
Jiang Xiaochuan said in surprise, “You were in your room this whole time? I thought you had left the peak!”
“Junior Brother Jiang, out of the way! I am starving, I need to get to the Spirit Kitchen.”
Jiang Xiaochuan hastily stepped aside. Xu Changshou dashed down the stairs, making a beeline for the dining halls.
Realization suddenly dawned on Jiang Xiaochuan, and he gasped. “Heavens, this is madness! Did Senior Brother Xu actually cultivate for half a month straight?”
“What? Xu Changshou cultivated for half a month without food or water?”
“No wonder I hadn’t seen a shadow of him. He is a genuine cultivation madman.”
“Xu Changshou is truly ruthless with himself!”
The news that Xu Changshou had cultivated for a full half month sent the entire Gengzi Courtyard into an uproar.
These family disciples had been pampered. Not a single one of them could endure a half-month stretch of unbroken meditation, let alone do it without food or drink.
“Junior Brother Changshou is actually willing to push himself this hard?”
Hearing the commotion, even Ye Shanhu felt a twinge of secret admiration.
At the Spirit Kitchen.
Xu Changshou ravenously swept four plates clean and wolfed down five massive bowls of Dog-Tooth Rice before the hollow agony in his gut finally subsided.
Sated at last, he let out a long, heavy exhale. I can never risk my life cultivating like that again.
Upon returning to the Gengzi Courtyard…
Jiang Xiaochuan, Su Mo, Han Zong, Li Linhao, Zhang Feixian, Shi Wantong, Qian Yuanbao, Lin Xian’er, and Ye Shanhu—nine people in total completely surrounded Xu Changshou, observing him as if he were something rare.
Jiang Xiaochuan pressed close. “Senior Brother Xu, did you truly spend this entire half month sealed in your room cultivating?”
“I did.”
Xu Changshou answered honestly, “The last time we visited the Affairs Hall, I purchased a Qi Gathering Pill. I consumed it and spent the entire half month refining its medicinal power.”
Li Linhao’s eyes widened. “Not a drop of water or a grain of rice for half a month?”
“Indeed.”
“Senior Brother Xu, you are truly formidable.” Lin Xian’er gave him a look of deep respect.
Su Mo’s face was filled with utter admiration. “Senior Brother Xu, I must learn from your resolve.”
Qian Yuanbao chuckled, shaking his plump head. “That kind of perseverance… I could never replicate it.”
Ye Shanhu smiled gracefully. “Junior Brother Xu possesses tremendous willpower. Had you been born into an established clan, you would undoubtedly reach great heights. It is truly a pity…”
Su Mo looked from Xu Changshou to Ye Shanhu, clenching his jaw. “Senior Sister Ye, I respectfully disagree. I believe that through sheer, unyielding effort, anyone can seize the chance to reach Foundation Establishment.”
Ye Shanhu’s smile did not waver. “Effort is a prerequisite, naturally. But what truly determines one’s path are resources.”
“No matter the cost, I will successfully establish my foundation!” Su Mo declared with ironclad conviction, turning back to Xu Changshou. “What are your thoughts, Senior Brother Xu?”
“Ah… perhaps with enough effort, a chance might present itself.”
Xu Changshou offered a diplomatic reply. This story is hosted at g.com.
Inwardly, however, he sensed that Su Mo might achieve great things one day.
Ye Shanhu took no offense, maintaining her elegant poise. “Junior Brother Su, I will not argue with you today. In the future, you will come to understand the importance of resources.”
Su Mo’s gaze darkened with resolve. “I believe that human will can conquer the heavens.”
Ye Shanhu shook her head, evidently unwilling to argue further. She shifted her smile back to Xu Changshou. “Congratulations, Junior Brother Xu, on your breakthrough to the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation.”
Xu Changshou subtly channeled the Qi Observation Technique, sweeping his gaze across the gathering. To his surprise, he realized the entire group had advanced.
Ye Shanhu had actually reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation.
Jiang Xiaochuan had leaped from the first to the Third Layer.
Lin Xian’er: Third Layer of Qi Condensation.
Su Mo: Third Layer of Qi Condensation.
Li Linhao: Third Layer of Qi Condensation.
Han Zong: Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation.
…
“Senior Sister Ye jests at my expense. Have you not broken through as well?”
Jiang Xiaochuan chimed in, “Senior Sister Ye reached the Fifth Layer some time ago. At this rate, she will breach the Sixth Layer within two months.”
“Such speed… as expected of Senior Sister Ye.”
Xu Changshou was deeply shaken. How is her cultivation speed so terrifying? Is it truly because of… resources?
“You flatter me too much,” she replied modestly.
Changing the subject, Ye Shanhu announced, “By the way, everyone should avoid leaving the courtyard tomorrow. Someone will come to register our Spirit Roots again.”
Xu Changshou asked, “Senior Sister Ye, what is the purpose of recording our Spirit Roots again?”
Jiang Xiaochuan laughed out loud. “Senior Brother Xu, you truly are deaf to the world outside your window!”
Ye Shanhu explained patiently, “We had our roots recorded upon entering the Sect. This second registration is strictly to determine our future labor assignments.”
“Labor assignments?”
Xu Changshou blinked in confusion. He had never heard a word of this.
Ye Shanhu continued, “Within the Green Immortal Sect, there are seven great primary peaks: Taiyi Peak, Danxia Peak, Chihuo Peak, Green Ink Peak, Heavenly Machine Peak, Bagua Peak, and Fengdu Peak.
Each of the seven great peaks governs a specific domain.
Taiyi Peak is the Sect Leader’s domain, where the sect leaders live and cultivate.
Danxia Peak handles alchemy.
Chihuo Peak oversees the forging of magical artifacts.
Heavenly Machine Peak specializes in constructing intricate puppets.
Bagua Peak dictates the layout of grand formations.
And Fengdu Peak is dedicated to corpse refinement.
Yet, standing apart from these seven is another profoundly important summit: Lingxiu Peak.
Lingxiu Peak is the home of the Inner Sect Disciples.”
Lingxiu Peak…
Xu Changshou committed the name to memory.
The residents of that peak were the sect’s formal disciples.
As for the rest of them, they were only Miscellaneous Disciples.
“Precisely,” Ye Shanhu murmured.
A fleeting trace of profound yearning flickered in her eyes. “They are the true disciples. We are merely laborers…”
“Miscellaneous Disciples…”
The surrounding youths exchanged dismayed glances. If someone as talented and wealthy as Senior Sister Ye couldn’t qualify for the Inner Sect, just how strong were the Inner Sect Disciples?
Lin Xian’er voiced the group’s anxiety. “Senior Sister Ye, exactly what are the requirements to ascend to the Inner Sect?”
Ye Shanhu offered a wry smile. “I do not know the exact criteria. I only know that few disciples enter Lingxiu Peak. They accept a mere thirty disciples every three years.”
Jiang Xiaochuan frowned in disbelief. “Only thirty? There is a strict quota?”
Ye Shanhu nodded solemnly. “Of course there is. The Sect’s annual yield of Foundation Establishment Pills barely exceeds forty. Each Inner Sect Disciple receives one pill. The leftovers are reserved for the descendants of some senior sect members, while some are used as gifts or exchanged for cultivation supplies by the higher-ups.”
“Foundation Establishment Pills are that scarce?” Xu Changshou furrowed his brow. “Is the Green Immortal Sect not renowned for its alchemy?”
Ye Shanhu laughed softly. “It is not a matter of skill, Junior Brother. The pills are scarce because the spiritual herbs required to concoct them are exceedingly rare.”
Xu Changshou immediately grasped the brutal truth. The supply of resources was choked. Therefore, the important pills could only be funneled to supreme geniuses or descendants of influential cultivators.
Jiang Xiaochuan’s face twisted in anguish. “Does that mean the rest of us have absolutely no hope of ever acquiring a Foundation Establishment Pill?”
Ye Shanhu shook her head. “There is almost no chance.”
Su Mo ground his teeth together. “Then I will break through to Foundation Establishment without a pill!”
“Heh.”
Ye Shanhu let out a hollow chuckle. “Do not speak so lightly of such things. Even among Inner Sect Disciples, armed with a Foundation Establishment Pill, only three in ten succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment.”
Xu Changshou drew a sharp breath.
Xu Changshou felt a chill run down his spine. He had drastically underestimated how difficult Foundation Establishment was.
He recalled the conversation between Liu Chuansheng and Zhang Zhengyuan, how they had lamented how difficult it was to reach Foundation Establishment. Back then, as a fresh recruit, the words had held no weight.
Now, under the crushing weight of Ye Shanhu’s revelation, he finally understood the terrifying reality. To reach Foundation Establishment was harder than climbing to the heavens.
“Alright, we have strayed too far from the point,” Ye Shanhu interjected, steering the conversation back. “Let us focus on the upcoming labor assignments. For us Miscellaneous Disciples, that is what concerns us most right now.”