Leaving his residence, Shen Fan uneasily locked it from the outside before beginning another day of labor.
Zhao Erhu sat beneath a large tree, enjoying the shade as he narrowed his eyes at Shen Fan.
"Thick-skinned bastard! You really think you can handle twice the workload?"
The Miscellaneous Disciple beside him, fanning him attentively, said, "Overseer Zhao, you don't know this, do you? Back then, to take care of Lu Qingzhu, he took all of her work upon himself. He's already used to it! If you ask me, give him another five mu. Don't leave him a moment to cultivate. Then when he fails next year's outer sect competition again, he'll naturally pack up and roll out!"
"Brilliant!"
Overseer Zhao's eyes lit up, but he soon frowned. "But there aren't any spare spirit fields now!"
The fawning Miscellaneous Disciple beside him immediately handed over a palm-sized cloth pouch. When it was opened, it revealed gleaming White Jade Spirit Rice.
"Overseer Zhao, don't I still have five mu on hand?"
"Heh heh, you brat!"
Overseer Zhao gave a sly grin and casually slipped the spirit rice into his pocket.
"Fine! Then let him tend your spirit fields!"
With that, he immediately stood and walked over.
"You. Starting today, those five mu of spirit fields over there are yours to manage too. Did you hear me?"
Overseer Zhao said domineeringly.
Shen Fan's expression darkened. "Overseer Zhao, those are Li Wei's spirit fields, aren't they?"
Li Wei was the flattering young man standing beside Zhao Erhu.
"Don't worry about whose they are. If I tell you to do it, you do it. If you won't, then get lost!" Zhao Erhu barked.
"I'll do it!"
Shen Fan said in a low voice, his words carrying a double meaning.
"But let me ask something. Those spirit fields are nearly ripe. When the time comes, who gets the Contribution Points?"
"That's none of your business!"
Li Wei snorted coldly.
"If the contribution goes to me, I can do it. If it doesn't, then sorry, I cannot comply. I'm not afraid even if this gets taken to the outer sect!"
Shen Fan said forcefully.
"Fine, fine, fine. The contribution will be yours, all right?"
Zhao Erhu's eyes shifted as he spoke teasingly.
"But, Overseer Zhao, this..." Li Wei immediately panicked.
Zhao Erhu turned and gave him a reassuring look before walking away.
Returning beneath the tree, Li Wei anxiously said, "Overseer Zhao, if you give him those contributions, how am I supposed to show you my filial respect?"
"What are you panicking for?"
Zhao Erhu said blandly, "Just because I said I'd give them to him means I actually will? Isn't reporting under my control? When the time comes, I'll mark him unqualified. Not only will he get no Contribution Points, he'll be punished too!"
"Then wouldn't I have no contributions either?" Li Wei asked in confusion.
"Are you stupid? I'm only telling him he's unqualified. Of course, I'll report him as qualified to those above. When the time comes, the contributions will go to you. What the hell will he know?"
"Brilliant!"
Li Wei's eyes instantly lit up. "Overseer Zhao, my admiration for you is like the surging Yangtze, rolling on without end, and like the Yellow River bursting its banks, once unleashed beyond all control!"
At this moment, Shen Fan still did not understand the trickery behind it all.
Just then, Old Man Duan silently appeared before him.
"Kid, do you know you've been played? Do you think Zhao Erhu is that kind-hearted?"
"What do you mean?" Shen Fan froze.
"Those five spirit fields are obviously about to ripen, by the end of this month at most. When the time comes, he'll say you're unqualified. You won't get so much as a hair, and you'll even be punished. Then he'll report them as qualified to those above, and won't the Contribution Points end up in their hands? I've been here for over ten years. This sort of thing is nothing new to me!"
"Damn it!"
Shen Fan threw down the water bucket in his hand and angrily moved to argue with them, but Old Man Duan stopped him.
"Do you have any proof?"
"I..."
Shen Fan stiffened, the rage burning in his chest with nowhere to vent.
Lu Qingzhu's matter was a huge stone weighing on his heart. Now these people were bullying him as well. He truly could not swallow this humiliation.
"Ah!"
Old Man Duan sighed. "I've been here for over ten years, and all they gave me was a Qi Guiding Art. I've cultivated it for more than a decade without the slightest progress. This Heavenly Xuan Sect isn't worth staying in!"
"The road of immortal cultivation is long and unpredictable. You have to endure this kind of loneliness. You're already at the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage, and your lifespan is one hundred and forty years. You still have fifty or sixty years ahead of you, so your future can still be called boundless!"
Seeing Old Man Duan so dispirited, Shen Fan instead comforted him.
Old Man Duan gave a cold laugh, waved his hand, and returned to his own spirit fields to resume working.
Li Wei's five spirit fields still had to be tended, but fortunately, they were nearly ripe. He only needed to water them and drive away insects, so it did not require much effort.
By afternoon, Shen Fan went up the mountain to fetch water. By then, he was already completely exhausted, sprawled weakly on a rarely traveled trail halfway up the mountain.
Parched and dry-mouthed, he gulped down water from the bucket, easing his fatigue slightly.
"Fifteen mu of spirit fields. Out in the morning, home at midnight, without even a chance to cultivate. Next year is the final outer sect competition. If I fail, I'll be driven down the mountain for good. What am I supposed to do?"
Shen Fan muttered to himself, his heart filled with anxiety.
Just then, Shen Fan's eyes lit up as he looked around.
After confirming there was no one nearby, he immediately took several glittering golden grains of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice from his robe.
His strength had been completely drained by labor, and the spiritual energy stored through the circulation of the Qi Guiding Art had already been exhausted.
It was precisely the time to replenish it.
Looking at the golden spirit rice, Shen Fan swallowed with his smoke-dry throat and nervously placed one grain into his mouth, washing it down with a mouthful of mountain spring water.
Dense spiritual energy began spreading through his chest.
Like an inflated balloon, it expanded without cease.
Shen Fan was instantly alarmed and hurriedly sat cross-legged to circulate the Qi Guiding Art.
He had heard other Miscellaneous Disciples say that at their level, they could not eat too much spirit rice. If they ate too much, they would suffer indigestion and explode to death!
That single grain of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice instantly made Shen Fan's entire body swell.
His talent was poor, and his spiritual veins were narrow, making each circulation cycle exceptionally slow.
At this moment, the spiritual energy could not pass through those narrow pathways and nearly burst his body apart.
"One grain of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice is this fierce!"
Shen Fan trembled with fear as a sense of mortal danger rose within him.
His skin had turned crimson, and the capillaries in his face were stretched open, actually seeping blood.
"Gasp! Gasp!"
He breathed heavily as the Qi Guiding Art roared through him like an engine.
A full half hour passed before the spiritual energy from that single grain of spirit rice was finally exhausted. By then, Shen Fan was drenched from head to toe, and blood had dyed his outer robe red.
"Too terrifying!"
Shen Fan felt as though he had escaped death itself, lingering fear still gripping his heart.
"Next time, I absolutely cannot be this reckless!"
It had been caused by his lack of understanding—of himself, and of spirit rice.
As the old saying went: Don't you know your own damn limits?
Yet the effect was obvious. The spiritual energy in Shen Fan's dantian had actually reached the level of the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage.
If he had possessed this strength three days ago, he certainly would have entered the outer sect.
Everything seemed to have been destined.
He looked around. The sky was gradually darkening.
Shen Fan washed his face with the mountain spring water in the bucket and hurried down the mountain.
Although his spiritual veins had nearly burst and widened somewhat, he likely would not be able to cultivate for the next few days.
Before you continue