Spirit Stone Commotion

The surrounding chatter and mockery grew louder, but Xu Chunniang stood firm in her spot, as if she heard nothing.

It was just trash talk, something she'd heard plenty of since childhood. All of that was empty; only strength was real.

The assessment continued, with new disciples constantly taking the stage, drawing the attention of those below. Their focus gradually shifted away from Xu Chunniang.

However, they all remembered there was an Ugly Girl named Xu Chunniang who chose the Spiritual Plant Cultivator profession, the dirtiest and most tiring one.

The assessment lasted a full day, continuing until the hour of the Rooster. Finally, all the new disciples' assessments concluded. According to the assessment requirements, disciples who failed to cast a sorcery twice consecutively were deemed unqualified and would be sent down the mountain with the first batch of rejected disciples.

Xu Chunniang stretched lazily. It was finally over. Standing for a whole day had made her a bit tired, but thankfully, she had passed the assessment without any major incidents.

Tomorrow would be the new year. All the new disciples who remained could go to Zhang Donglai to collect their benefits for the new year, which were twelve Spirit Stones, as cultivation resources for the new year.

"I merely missed the assembly today, and Zhang Donglai actually intended to expel me from the sect."

Xu Chunniang narrowed her eyes. She hadn't forgotten the trouble she'd encountered before the assessment.

Tomorrow, when she went to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to collect her Spirit Stones, she would have to go through Zhang Donglai. It was likely that collecting her Spirit Stones from him wouldn't be easy. However, this was a benefit distributed by the sect to every new disciple, and she wouldn't give it up.

The next morning, Xu Chunniang arrived at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. The hall, which was usually quiet, was now bustling with people coming and going. They were all new disciples here to collect their Spirit Stones.

Ever since they joined the sect, these new disciples had been diligently cultivating, their minds tense due to the year-end assessment. After passing the assessment, their spirits were much more relaxed. Some disciples who had performed particularly well in yesterday's assessment were even trying to curry favor with Zhang Donglai.

"Steward Zhang, for the new year, please take care of me." Some sensible disciples proactively offered two Spirit Stones to make their lives in the sect easier.

"Of course, of course," Zhang Donglai replied with a smile, accepting the disciple's tribute. "Your name is Chen Lin, right? I remember yesterday you demonstrated the Wood Shield Technique."

Chen Lin was overjoyed. He never expected the steward to remember his name. "It is indeed I, sir. If you need anything from me, please do not hesitate to command me."

Zhang Donglai was even more pleased. "Good, I've remembered you. After the two-year new disciple protection period ends, feel free to come to me to pick Contribution Missions."

Upon hearing this, the other disciples cast envious and jealous glances at Chen Lin. With Steward Zhang's words, he wouldn't have to worry about Contribution Missions for at least a while.

For a time, many quick-witted disciples also began to offer "tributes" to Zhang Donglai, hoping to leave a good impression on the steward and make their lives in the sect easier.

However, many disciples were reluctant to part with the two Spirit Stones and left directly after collecting their own share.

Xu Chunniang watched all of this unfold with cold eyes. Since she had already offended Steward Zhang, even if she gave up all her Spirit Stones this year, it would be useless. Not to mention, she had no intention of offering even half a Spirit Stone.

The line moved quickly, and soon she was at the very front.

When Zhang Donglai saw her, the smile on his face immediately vanished, and he stopped what he was doing.

The disciples behind them noticed the line had suddenly stopped and all looked towards the front.

"What's happening? Why isn't Steward Zhang giving out Spirit Stones? Did they run out, and we have to come back tomorrow?"

Another person nudged him and whispered, "They didn't run out of Spirit Stones. Didn't you see that female cultivator? She's the one who was almost late yesterday and was almost kicked out of the sect by Steward Zhang. I bet she offended Steward Zhang."

"It's her!" the people around them exclaimed with sudden realization. "That Ugly Girl who used the Spiritual Rain Technique!"

"Heh heh, now this will be fun to watch. Let's see her get into trouble for offending Steward Zhang!"

Xu Chunniang took out her Disciple Token and handed it over, saying neither subserviently nor arrogantly, "Please register me to collect this year's Spirit Stones."

"Want to collect Spirit Stones?" A hint of disdain flashed in Zhang Donglai's eyes as he slowly said, "They're all gone. Come back tomorrow."

Gone? How could it be such a coincidence? So many people before her had received them, but only she was told there were none.

Xu Chunniang knew without even thinking that Zhang Donglai was deliberately making things difficult for her. She clenched her token, not moving an inch.

Seeing Xu Chunniang occupying the spot without moving, the disciples behind her knew exactly what was going on, but they all started to lash out at her.

"Ugly Girl, if you're not collecting Spirit Stones, please move aside. We still need to collect ours."

"Ugly people just cause trouble. Can you move out of the way?"

"Exactly! You're wasting our time. Didn't you hear the steward say the Spirit Stones are all gone? Hurry up and leave!"

Xu Chunniang turned her head and said calmly.

"Didn't you all just hear? Steward Zhang said there are no Spirit Stones left. Then you don't need to queue anymore."

Everyone looked at her as if she were an idiot. They could all tell that Steward Zhang was targeting only her. Her not being able to get Spirit Stones didn't mean they couldn't.

"What, you think I'm wrong?"

Xu Chunniang's voice remained steady, her gaze chilling as she looked at the long line of disciples behind her.

"The Spirit Stones are distributed by the sect every year. Steward Zhang is merely the custodian and distributor. If he says they're gone, they're truly gone. Otherwise, wouldn't he be openly embezzling sect resources?"

Zhang Donglai's expression shifted slightly. Embezzling sect resources was a serious crime. Even as a steward, being accused of this would be disastrous.

He hadn't intended to withhold this Ugly Girl's Spirit Stones; he had only planned to delay giving them to her for three to five months. He hadn't expected her to say something like this, which put him in a difficult position.

If he were to bypass her and distribute Spirit Stones to other disciples, it would confirm the suspicion of "embezzling sect resources." If he stopped distributing Spirit Stones to the remaining disciples, it would be a minor issue for his reputation among the disciples, but it would be a major problem for the sect's tasks.

Weighing the consequences, Zhang Donglai's expression grew increasingly grim. This Ugly Girl was quite calculating!

He sneered, "Look at my memory, I put these Spirit Stones in another Storage Bag. Here are your Spirit Stones for this year, count them."

After Xu Chunniang confirmed the quantity and put away the Spirit Stones, just as she was about to leave, she heard a sinister threat from behind her, "I'll let you run wild for two years. After that, you'll cry!"

One day, he, Zhang Donglai, would make this ignorant little thing understand that some people were not to be offended so easily!

Thanks to fellow Daoists for your votes and continued reading!