Bully Disciple Zhang Hu!

"I have to make use of this gourd. I need to find a way to get a batch of Body Tempering Pills." Chen Huai'an ended his cultivation, but he didn't drink the Spirit Spring Water from the gourd to cultivate.

Even if he cultivated, he had to find the right method rather than blindly brute-force it.

Why was the Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root considered a trash spiritual root in the cultivation world? Because this aptitude was a bottomless money pit.

Poor scholars, rich warriors. The cultivation world was even crueler than the mortal world; without cultivation resources, one's cultivation would stagnate.

Body Tempering Pills were among the lowest-grade pills in the cultivation world, yet even so, Chen Huai'an couldn't afford them now.

There were two ways to obtain Body Tempering Pills. One was to buy them himself, and the other was to complete sect missions. Every month, the sect issued one Body Tempering Pill to servant disciples.

Buying them required Spirit Stones or Sect Contribution Points, while completing missions earned Sect Contribution Points and Spirit Stones as rewards.

Chen Huai'an had just entered the sect and was completely penniless. He had neither Contribution Points nor Spirit Stones, so he simply couldn't buy Body Tempering Pills.

"There must be a solution. I have to find a way to get some pills," Chen Huai'an muttered.

"Huh, the Spirit Spring Water in my gourd is equivalent to a Body Tempering Pill. I can sell this Spirit Spring Water for Spirit Stones, then buy Body Tempering Pills and use the Purple-Skinned Gourd to raise their grade." Chen Huai'an thought of a solution.

The Spirit Spring Water's enhancement speed was limited. If he exchanged it for Body Tempering Pills, even the lowest-grade Low-grade Body Tempering Pills could be upgraded and speed up his cultivation.

Since he had decided to sell the Spirit Spring Water in his possession, he couldn't go out now. He had to wait until mealtime, when there were more people around, so he could ask around before deciding what to do next.

Chen Huai'an cultivated in the stone chamber for a while longer before leaving at mealtime.

Before setting out, however, he found an earthenware jar and filled it with some Spirit Spring Water.

Chen Huai'an was truly poor now. He didn't even have any bottles or containers for water.

When he arrived at the dining hall, Chen Huai'an didn't act rashly. He merely watched quietly.

Though they were all Outer Sect Servant Disciples, they had formed many small cliques.

Birds of a feather flocked together.

Those with excellent aptitude were admired, fawned over, and courted wherever they went.

In less than two days, word had already spread across Servant Peak about who had good aptitude, who had poor aptitude, and who had a background.

In particular, the top three winners of the new disciples' seven-day entrance test had become common knowledge.

Even Chen Huai'an hadn't expected that.

As for him, his Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root, a trash spiritual root, had also become known throughout the sect. He was at the very bottom.

Chen Huai'an was too embarrassed to mention before others that he was the trash Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root everyone talked about.

"What did you say? This is Spirit Spring Water?" A tall, skinny man asked as he looked at the battered earthenware jar in Chen Huai'an's hand.

"I happened to find it in a cave in the mountains. Drinking this water can improve one's physique," Chen Huai'an said after carefully choosing his words.

"Everyone, come look! This Spirit Spring Water can improve one's physique. Is that true?" Most of the servant disciples around them were still youths who couldn't keep things to themselves. The moment Chen Huai'an explained, they began shouting it through the crowd.

Before long, quite a few servant disciples had gathered around Chen Huai'an to watch the show.

Chen Huai'an looked at the servant disciple with the square face and booming voice, frowning.

He had only wanted to ask someone how to sell the Spirit Spring Water. He hadn't expected to draw such a crowd.

Suddenly, a burly youth emerged from the crowd, surrounded by several lackeys, and walked up to Chen Huai'an.

"Make way. Isn't this the Spirit Spring Water I lost? You've got some nerve, kid. You actually dared steal my Spirit Spring Water."

As soon as he spoke, not only did Chen Huai'an's expression change, but the nearby onlookers also looked at the burly youth with fear on their faces.

This man was Zhang Hu, an Outer Sect Servant Disciple of Servant Peak.

Zhang Hu possessed a Mid-grade Fire Spiritual Root and had a fiery temper. He came from the cultivation Lineage Zhang Family and was the sort who strutted sideways through Servant Peak.

Having entered the sect two years earlier, he had already reached the First Stage of the Body Tempering Realm. On Servant Peak, he threw his weight around and often bullied servant disciples who had just joined.

Sure enough, the instant Chen Huai'an revealed the Spirit Spring Water, Zhang Hu had set his sights on him.

"You're talking nonsense! I found this Spirit Spring Water in the mountains!" Chen Huai'an's face flushed red.

He really should've checked the almanac before leaving today. He had originally planned to sell the Spirit Spring Water in his hands in exchange for a few Low-grade Body Tempering Pills. Instead, not only had he failed to sell it, he had stirred up a hornet's nest.

Chen Huai'an had heard of Zhang Hu when he first arrived at Servant Peak. There was a tyrant on Servant Peak named Zhang Hu. Don't offend him; if you saw him, you had to take a detour.

Zhang Hu swept his gaze around and stared coldly at Chen Huai'an. "You found it? Tell me, whose Spirit Spring Water is this?"

"You trash, this Spirit Spring Water was clearly bought by Young Master Zhang at the Sect Market. You stole it amid the confusion. If you know what's good for you, return the Spirit Spring Water to Young Master Zhang. Otherwise, if this matter reaches the Law Enforcement Hall, your cultivation will be crippled and you'll be expelled from the Qingyun Sect." A sharp-mouthed, monkey-faced youth looked at Chen Huai'an with disdain.

Zhang Hu's lackeys chimed in one after another, condemning Chen Huai'an as though everything they said were true.

Chen Huai'an's face was red with anger, his fists clenched tightly.

Suddenly, Zhang Hu released a terrifying pressure that bore down on Chen Huai'an.

The youths watching from around them felt the pressure of the First Stage of the Body Tempering Realm emanating from Zhang Hu. Their faces turned deathly pale as they kept backing away.

Chen Huai'an, locked onto by Zhang Hu's aura, felt every hair on his body stand on end, as if a ferocious beast in the mountains had fixed its eyes on him.

Chen Huai'an cursed inwardly. Damn it, is this what an immortal master of the Body Tempering Realm is like? It's truly terrifying.

Back in Huai Tree Village, when Su Daqiang targeted him, Chen Huai'an could rely on his robust body to put up some resistance. Yet now, facing Zhang Hu at the First Stage of the Body Tempering Realm, he couldn't muster even the slightest urge to resist.

The gap between immortals and mortals was actually this vast.

"Are you handing it over or not?" Zhang Hu glared at Chen Huai'an.

Chen Huai'an was weighing whether he should hand over the Spirit Spring Water or not.

If he clashed with Zhang Hu here, it seemed he wouldn't gain the slightest advantage.

"Senior Brother Zhang, since you want this Spirit Spring Water, I'll give it to you." Chen Huai'an's fists clenched tightly, but soon relaxed.

It was only a jar of Spirit Spring Water. He would treat it as alms for a beggar. Once his cultivation succeeded, he would come back and settle the score.

"Haha... Kid, at least you know what's good for you." Zhang Hu hadn't expected Chen Huai'an to be so sensible. Before he even got the chance to seize the opportunity to beat him up, this guy was already willing to hand over the Spirit Spring Water.

But he hadn't picked a fight with Chen Huai'an because he wanted this jar of Spirit Spring Water. He wanted to know where the Spirit Spring Water had come from.

Spirit Spring Water was a renewable resource. If the Zhang Family could control a Spirit Spring, whether for refining pills and medicine or cultivating spirit plants, it would bring endless benefits to the Zhang Family.

Now that Chen Huai'an had handed over the Spirit Spring Water and was willing to let the matter rest, Zhang Hu didn't know how to continue targeting him for the moment.

"Hand it over. You dared steal Young Master Zhang's things? You really don't know whether you're dead or alive." One of Zhang Hu's lackeys snatched the jar from Chen Huai'an's hand and spat viciously at him.