Chapter 4

"Going to bed pretty early, huh? Get up, or Grandpa Hu will rise!" With the flapping of the two doors, a burly man in a servant's uniform walked in from outside, giving Meng Hao and the still sleeping chubby boy a fierce look.

"You two brats, starting today, each of you will cut ten more logs for me every day, or Grandpa Hu will tear you apart." The burly man said fiercely.

"Meeting Grandpa Hu, this humble one..." Meng Hao quickly got out of bed and stood nervously to the side, but before he could finish speaking, the burly man glared at him.

"Who are you calling a little brat? Do you think Grandpa Hu's voice is too loud?"

Meng Hao felt a fierce aura coming at him. Looking at the burly man's massive body, he hesitated and said, "But... the senior brother in the servant's quarters only asked us to cut ten logs each day."

"The extra ten logs are for me." The burly man snorted coldly.

Meng Hao fell silent, his mind racing. Just as he arrived at this immortal sect, he was bullied, and he felt somewhat unwilling. However, the burly man was strong, and he was thin and weak, clearly unable to resist. Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly saw the tooth marks on the corner of the table, remembering the chubby boy's heroic sleepwalking. An idea struck him, and he decided to give it a try. He immediately shouted at the sleeping chubby boy.

"Fatso, someone is stealing your steamed bun, someone is taking your wife!"

As soon as Meng Hao spoke, the chubby boy sat up abruptly, his eyes still closed, and he roared fiercely, his face twisted in anger.

"Who's stealing my steamed bun? Who's taking my wife? I'll beat you to death, I'll bite you to death." The chubby boy leaped off the bed and started swinging his fists around the room. The burly man was taken aback at first, then he stepped forward and slapped the chubby boy.

"Shouting in front of Grandpa Hu?" The slap landed on the chubby boy's face with a loud thud, but the burly man immediately let out a scream. The chubby boy, still with his eyes closed, had bitten down on the burly man's arm. No matter how the burly man tried to shake him off, the chubby boy wouldn't let go.

"Let go, damn it, let go." The burly man was also a servant, not a cultivator. He had only become strong from years of hard work, but now he was sweating in pain. Punches and kicks couldn't make the chubby boy let go, and the more he hit, the deeper the chubby boy bit, the flesh and blood turning into a mess, as if he was about to bite off a large chunk of meat.

The screams outside the room immediately caught the attention of the servants in the surrounding rooms. Then, a cold voice came from outside, like the arrival of winter.

"Shut up."

This was the voice of the young man with the horse face. The burly man's body trembled when he heard it. Despite the pain on his face, he dared not scream loudly.

"Angering the senior brother in the servant's quarters will get us both in trouble. Quickly make him let go, and I won't ask for the extra ten logs." The burly man said quickly, trying to hold it together.

Meng Hao hadn't expected the chubby boy to be so fierce in his sleep. Knowing he couldn't continue, he quickly went over and gently patted the chubby boy, whispering in his ear.

"The steamed bun is back, and your wife is back."

The chubby boy's body relaxed immediately, and he let go, punching his way back to bed, his nose and face bruised, and he continued to snore deeply.

The burly man looked at the chubby boy with lingering fear, then quickly left the room without a word. Meng Hao stood there for a while, looking at the chubby boy with admiration, and then returned to bed, lying down cautiously.

The next morning.

As the sky began to brighten, the sound of bells rang out from outside the room. This sound seemed to carry a strange power, making anyone who heard it immediately wake up. With the noise outside, the chubby boy also opened his eyes, looking at the messy footprints on his body and touching his face.

"What happened to me last night? Why does my whole body hurt, as if I was beaten..."

Meng Hao, who was putting on his servant's uniform, remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Nothing much, everything is normal."

"Why do I feel my face is swollen?"

"Maybe the mosquitoes are bigger."

"But why is there blood in my mouth?"

"You fell on the ground last night, several times." Meng Hao quickly pushed open the door, hesitated for a moment, then looked back at the chubby boy and said seriously.

"Fatso, you should sharpen your teeth, preferably to a point."

"Really? My father also said that to me." The chubby boy, in pain, put on his servant's uniform and said in surprise.

Facing the sunrise, Meng Hao and the chubby boy walked out of the room, starting their life of cutting wood in the servant's quarters of the Mountain Support Sect.

Each person had to cut ten logs a day. Outside the servant's quarters in the northern area, there were endless desolate mountains, covered with trees. Though not thick, they were densely packed, stretching as far as the eye could see, like a sea of forests.

Carrying the axes provided by the servant's quarters, Meng Hao rubbed his shoulders, his arms already sore and aching. The axe was heavy, and the chubby boy was also panting. The two climbed the desolate mountain, found their assigned area, and began chopping trees, the sound of their axes echoing through the forest.

"My father is a wealthy man, and I will be too. I won't do this servant work..." The chubby boy said with a sad face, swinging his axe.

"Why are these immortals so strange? They have magic, do they really need to make a fire? Why do they make us cut trees..."

Compared to the chubby boy's constant complaining, Meng Hao was too exhausted to speak, sweating profusely. He had grown up in poverty in Yunjie County, eating little meat, and his body was thin and weak. After just half an incense stick's time, he was leaning against an uncut tree, breathing heavily.

The chubby boy, though also exhausted and trembling, continued to chop trees, his face still sad. Clearly, despite his young age, he was much stronger than Meng Hao.

Meng Hao smiled bitterly and shook his head. During his break, he took out the Qi Condensation Scroll and read it again, silently following the instructions to sense the spiritual energy in the air.

Time passed, and soon it was dusk. Meng Hao had only managed to cut two logs that day, while the chubby boy had cut eight. Together, they had enough for one person to eat. After discussing, the chubby boy went to fetch the food, and the two ate in the room, then fell asleep from exhaustion.

When the chubby boy's snoring filled the room again, Meng Hao struggled to get up. His eyes showed determination, and he endured his hunger and fatigue, taking out the Qi Condensation Scroll and reading it silently.

"Back in my school days, I often studied until dawn, and I'm used to being hungry. This life, though tiring, is a way out. I, Meng Hao, don't believe that if I can't pass the imperial exams, I can't cultivate in this sect." Meng Hao's eyes showed even more determination, and he bowed his head to meditate.

Deep into the night, Meng Hao didn't know when he fell asleep. Even in his dreams, his mind was full of the sensation of the spiritual energy. The next morning, he was woken by the bell, his eyes bloodshot. He gritted his teeth and got up, and with the chubby boy, who was still relatively energetic, they continued cutting wood.

Day after day, two months passed. During this time, Meng Hao gradually managed to cut four logs a day, but he spent most of his time sensing the spiritual energy. The bloodshot in his eyes increased, and one evening, as he rested and meditated, he suddenly felt a tingling in his limbs, as if a faint, invisible energy was gathering in his flesh.

Soon, a thread of spiritual energy appeared in his body, though it disappeared quickly. Meng Hao opened his eyes excitedly, his fatigue gone, the bloodshot in his eyes fading. His body trembled as he clutched the Qi Condensation Scroll. For the past month, he had eaten and slept little, spending all his time outside of cutting wood on sensing the spiritual energy. At this moment, he finally saw results, which greatly boosted his spirits.

Time flew by, and two more months passed. It was now August, and the scorching sun was intense.

"Condensing Qi into the body, spreading it throughout, unblocking the meridians, resonating with heaven and earth." At noon, in the deep mountains of the Mountain Support Sect, Meng Hao was fiddling with a fire while holding the small book of the Qi Condensation Scroll, reading it carefully.

After an incense stick's time, he closed his eyes and silently sensed the gentle energy in his body. This energy had appeared two months ago and was now much thicker than before. Following the instructions in the Qi Condensation Scroll, he circulated the energy throughout his body as he meditated.

Not long after, Meng Hao opened his eyes. In the distance, a chubby figure ran over with a large axe.

"How is it? How is it?" The chubby boy, still panting, had clearly become stronger, and he asked eagerly.

"I still can't spread it throughout my body, but I'm confident that in a week, I will reach the first level of Qi Condensation." Meng Hao's eyes showed confidence, and he smiled.

"I meant, how is the chicken?" The chubby boy licked his lips and looked at the fire.

"Almost done." Meng Hao also licked his lips, picked up a stick, and poked the fire. The chubby boy immediately grabbed the axe and dug out the roasted wild chicken from the ground.

The aroma filled the air, and the two each took half, eating ravenously.

"Thankfully, since you gained spiritual energy, you can often catch wild chickens. Otherwise, we would have starved. Thinking back to the first two months, it feels like a nightmare..." The chubby boy, with his mouth full of oil, habitually flattered Meng Hao.

"Many people do this, you just don't know it." Meng Hao, biting into a chicken leg, spoke with a mouth full of food.

"Alas, in a week, if you reach the first level of Qi Condensation and become an outer sect disciple, what will I do? I can't even understand those incantations." The chubby boy looked worried, gazing at Meng Hao.

"Fatso, only by becoming an outer sect disciple can you return home." Meng Hao put down his chicken leg and looked at the chubby boy.

The chubby boy was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly.

Six more days passed. That night, the chubby boy was already asleep, and Meng Hao sat in the room, meditating. He thought about the past four months, during which he had spent almost all his time outside of cutting wood on sensing the spiritual energy. He remembered the excitement when the first thread of energy appeared two months ago. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and circulated the spiritual energy in his body. A moment later, his mind buzzed, and the spiritual energy, which had not spread throughout his body, suddenly expanded to every corner of his body, giving him a feeling of floating and ascending.

Almost at the same moment that Meng Hao reached the first level of Qi Condensation, outside the room, the young man with the horse face, who seemed to meditate on a large stone day and night, slowly opened his eyes, looked at Meng Hao's room, and then closed them again.

In the morning, under the envious gazes of many in the northern servant's quarters, Meng Hao silently left the room where he had lived for four months and walked to the side of the young man with the horse face.

The chubby boy didn't follow, but stood at the door, looking at Meng Hao with determination.

"Reaching the first level of Qi Condensation in four months is not outstanding, but not foolish either." The young man with the horse face looked at Meng Hao, his expression no longer cold, and spoke calmly.

"Going to the outer sect, I must inform you of the rules. The outer sect provides spirit stones and elixirs monthly, but does not prohibit robbing or attacking each other. There is also a designated public area for killing. You... take care of yourself." The young man with the horse face said indifferently, raised his right hand, and a jade slip flew out, landing in Meng Hao's hand.

"Sending spiritual energy into the jade slip will guide you to the outer sect's treasure pavilion, where you can register as an outer sect disciple." The young man with the horse face closed his eyes.

Meng Hao was silent, bowed again, and turned to look at the chubby boy. They looked at each other for a moment, and Meng Hao felt a sense of emotion. He then stopped thinking and squeezed the jade slip in his hand. The jade slip immediately emitted a soft green light and floated forward.

Meng Hao walked quickly, following the jade slip, gradually leaving the servant's quarters and walking down the mountain path, entering an area he had never been to in the past four months.

The Mountain Support Sect has four main peaks, each in the east, south, west, and north. The outer area is surrounded by endless mountains, and each peak has a servant's quarters halfway up. For example, the northern peak, where Meng Hao was, is the northern servant's quarters, but it only goes up to halfway. Above that, there are arrays blocking the way, and only inner sect disciples and elders can live on the peak.

All four peaks are the same. The area between the four peaks is a vast plain, surrounded by houses, which is the outer sect of the Mountain Support Sect.

The Mountain Support Sect is somewhat different from other sects. The outer sect is below, while the servants can live halfway up the mountain. This rule was set by the founder of the sect for unknown reasons.

From the outside, the area is shrouded in mist, but once inside, the mist disappears, revealing a place with carved railings and jade pavilions, with green stone paths and many outer sect disciples in green robes. As Meng Hao walked, he attracted some attention.

Those gazes were filled with disdain, without any kindness, making Meng Hao feel like he was being watched by fierce beasts, reminding him of what the young man with the horse face had said about the outer sect.

Not long after, Meng Hao arrived at a black pavilion in the southern part of the outer sect. The pavilion was three stories high, black but made of jade, giving it a translucent appearance.

As soon as Meng Hao approached, the pavilion's door opened silently, and a lean middle-aged man in a dark green robe walked out. He raised his right hand, and the jade slip in Meng Hao's hand flew into his hand. After a glance, he spoke lazily.

"Meng Hao, promoted to outer sect disciple. You are granted a separate room, a green robe, a spirit badge, and a storage bag. With the spirit badge, you can enter the treasure pavilion and obtain one magical treasure." The man in the green robe threw a gray bag to Meng Hao.

Meng Hao looked at the gray bag in his hand, remembering that all the outer sect disciples he had seen on the way had such bags on their waists.

"Sending spiritual energy into it can store several items." The man in the green robe looked at Meng Hao, immediately judging that he must not have any acquaintances in the outer sect, as he wouldn't know how to use a storage bag. Feeling somewhat relieved, he said indifferently.

Hearing this, Meng Hao immediately circulated the little spiritual energy in his body into the bag. His vision blurred, and he saw a space about the size of a person, containing a green robe, a jade slip, and other items.

Seeing this, he felt excited, thinking that the storage bag must be worth a fortune, a true treasure of the immortals.

As he thought, a jade slip appeared in his hand. Focusing, he saw a map inside, showing a secluded corner of the outer sect where a house would belong to him.

"Look at it later. The treasure pavilion is open, so enter now." The man in the green robe said coldly.

Meng Hao looked up, put the storage bag in his chest, and looked at the open door of the pavilion. He took a deep breath, feeling a sense of anticipation, and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered the treasure pavilion, Meng Hao's expression changed, and he gasped.