Tracked, Home Burglarized?

After his Spirit Spring Water was snatched away, Chen Huai'an dared to rage but not speak.

His identity was already somewhat sensitive. If the matter blew up, he feared he would not gain any advantage at all.

Seeing that Chen Huai'an knew what was good for him, Zhang Hu got what he wanted and did not continue making things difficult for him.

Now, he wanted to see just how effective this Spirit Spring Water was.

If its effects were good, he would continue targeting Chen Huai'an and force him to reveal where he had gotten the Spirit Spring Water.

If its effects were poor, he did not want to waste any more time on this matter.

Chen Huai'an watched Zhang Hu lift the jar and gulp down a mouthful of Spirit Spring Water. Inwardly, he swore that Zhang Hu would repay today's grudge of stealing his Spirit Spring Water twofold.

Chen Huai'an did not linger in the dining hall. With a face black as thunder the entire time, he went straight back to his quarters.

Body Tempering Level One alone had left him unable to muster even the slightest resistance. If he did not want to be bullied, he had to grow stronger.

The world of cultivation was something countless mortals fought tooth and nail to reach. Yet after observing it for the past two days, Chen Huai'an found that it was no different from the mortal world. Wherever there were people, there was a jianghu, filled with schemes and strife.

With strength and backing, one could swagger sideways.

"Wang Tong, keep an eye on that brat. Wherever he goes from now on, report to me immediately." Zhang Hu took a sip of the Spirit Spring Water, and his expression changed at once.

This Spirit Spring Water was of an extremely high grade. It actually helped his cultivation. Although it could not raise his cultivation in one go, drinking it made his whole body feel wonderfully refreshed. Drinking it over the long term would surely benefit his body.

Before, he had merely taken a fancy to a newly arrived servant disciple's belongings and wanted to claim them for himself. But now, he had been thoroughly consumed by greed for the Spirit Spring Water Chen Huai'an had produced. If Chen Huai'an could get one jar, perhaps he could get even more.

By the time Chen Huai'an returned to his quarters, his back was drenched in sweat.

Keeping one's wealth hidden applied not only in the mortal world, but in the world of cultivation as well.

Chen Huai'an had made the most fatal mistake: he should not have taken out the Spirit Spring Water before understanding the situation.

Now that Zhang Hu had drunk the Spirit Spring Water and learned of its wondrous effects, he certainly would not let the matter rest.

The other man was a powerhouse at Body Tempering Level One, while Chen Huai'an had not even entered the Body Tempering Realm. He was certainly no match for him. If Zhang Hu retaliated, what could he use to resist?

Chen Huai'an truly felt vexed at that moment, along with no small amount of regret.

Fortunately, he had not brought his Purple-Skinned Gourd to the dining hall today. If he had, the gourd would likely have been snatched away as well.

"What should I do? I can't sell the Spirit Spring Water anymore. Without spirit stones, I can't get Body Tempering Pills. My cultivation will definitely stagnate. How am I supposed to stand out in the entrance test?" Chen Huai'an was growing irritated.

Chen Huai'an did not want to carry out those servant tasks on Servant Peak. Otherwise, he would have no time at all to cultivate.

"Huh, isn't there an open patch of land in the Gourd Space? Could I plant some medicinal herbs in there? Since I can't buy them, I'll be self-sufficient." Although Chen Huai'an had been a scholar in Huai Tree Village, he had worked the fields and done farm labor to make a living. Though working on Servant Peak provided food and lodging, he still wanted to cultivate some land and earn something for himself.

What the world of cultivation needed were cultivation resources, and those resources included medicinal herbs. Medicinal herbs that had grown for many years were called spirit herbs.

If he planted some medicinal herbs in the space, once the time was right, they could all be used to improve his cultivation.

But where was he supposed to find medicinal herb seeds?

Besides, Chen Huai'an's idea was only theoretical for now. Whether it would work remained to be seen.

One copper coin could stump a hero; in the world of cultivation, one spirit stone could do the same.

"Make money, make money. How am I supposed to make money?" Chen Huai'an paced back and forth inside his room.

By a stroke of fate, Chen Huai'an had entered the world of cultivation. But in this world, if one did not advance, one fell behind. It was even crueler than the mortal world.

The strong devoured the weak; here, that truth was displayed to the fullest.

What Chen Huai'an did not know was that he found the Spirit Spring Water's cultivation speed too slow, but to ordinary servant disciples without backgrounds, anything that could increase cultivation was a treasure they dreamed of obtaining.

Chen Huai'an could not find a solution. All he could do was take one step at a time.

He could think gradually about cultivation resources. With the Spirit Spring Water aiding his cultivation, though his progress was not a thousand miles a day, he improved every day.

The next day, Chen Huai'an went to the dining hall for a meal as usual. From time to time, he heard people mention how Zhang Hu ran rampant across Servant Peak and bullied newcomers. Many old disciples, however, were already used to it.

Servant Peak had more than just bullies like Zhang Hu. There were others, all old disciples who had stayed on Servant Peak for several years. Recently, their targets had been the newly initiated disciples.

Even the cultivation resources they had not yet consumed had been stolen away.

Even Chen Huai'an had not expected that.

And recently, incidents of cultivation resources being snatched had become frequent.

"Dammit, they're forcibly stealing us newcomers' cultivation resources. Is no one going to do anything about it?" Chen Huai'an asked a fellow disciple beside him.

"Do something? How? We disciples of Servant Peak may be called disciples, but we're really slaves raised by the sect, like insects kept in a jar to fight. Prove that you have value, and you can become an official outer sect disciple. If you're useless, you can only be exploited and bullied. Do you understand survival of the fittest? If you're strong enough, you can snatch it back yourself." Zhou Qiang glanced at Chen Huai'an as though he were an idiot, then spoke coolly.

"Don't think that entering a cultivation sect means you can become someone above others. Strength is revered above all else. Whoever has the bigger fist is in the right."

The sects they came into contact with were merely the tip of the iceberg.

Mortals were like ants in their eyes, while low-level cultivators like them were likewise like ants in the eyes of high-level cultivators.

One Servant Peak housed several thousand people, and Qingyun Sect had not just one such Servant Peak, but more than ten.

Their belongings might have been stolen, but as long as they were alive, they had a chance to defy fate and change their lives. If they died, they would have nothing.

If they wanted the sect's protection, they had to raise their standing within the sect and prove their value. Only then would they receive the sect's protection.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. This junior has learned from it." Chen Huai'an was not discouraged. He smiled and thanked him.

After understanding the rules, Chen Huai'an knew he had to tread even more carefully within the sect.

"Something's wrong. Someone's there." Chen Huai'an was heading down the mountain to fetch water. There were others going down as well, but he noticed a figure trailing far behind him the whole time.

"Dammit. Even after being so careful, I've still been marked. Who is this person? Why are they following me? Could it be because of the Spirit Spring Water?" Chen Huai'an frowned.

If someone could produce one jar of Spirit Spring Water, they could produce a second. He would think so, and so would everyone else.

Splash! Without further thought, Chen Huai'an stripped off his clothes, leaving only a pair of shorts, and jumped into the small stream at the foot of the mountain.

He had to keep filling the gourd with water, so that he would have an endless supply of Spirit Spring Water for cultivation every day. If anyone discovered the secret of his Purple-Skinned Gourd, he would likely lose his life.

If he filled the gourd with water while bathing, no one would notice.

After soaking in the water for half a shichen, Chen Huai'an returned to his quarters.

On the way back, he became increasingly certain that someone was watching him. That person lingered behind him like a ghost that would not disperse, and he did not dare make the slightest unusual move.

When he returned to his quarters, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he found the place turned upside down. His washing supplies, change of clothes, and other belongings were scattered all over the floor.

"Dammit, has this place been robbed?"