The three-month term ended

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month passed.

High summer had arrived in Anping County. During this time, Chu Bai's days had been exceedingly regular, even somewhat monotonous.

Every day before dawn, he went to the Three-Bath River to snag a little water spiritual energy. By day, he attended the Academy to hear Tutor Liu lecture on assorted subjects. At dusk, he went to the Zhao Residence to earn money getting beaten, then returned home at night to cultivate tirelessly, drawing nourishment from the mutated fish's flesh.

Over this period, he had consumed most of the hundred-jin mutated fish. Every mouthful became a torrent of vital essence, driving his cultivation ever higher.

Late one night, moonlight flowed like water outside the window. Chu Bai sat cross-legged on his bed, wearing the Tranquil Heart Jade Ring and circulating his cultivation technique as usual.

With each measured breath, the surrounding spiritual energy trickled into his body like little streams.

Suddenly, a strange humming rang out in the depths of his mind.

Chu Bai felt as though an invisible force had forcibly widened every meridian in his body. The spiritual energy's circulation, once somewhat sluggish, became incomparably smooth.

Where before it had been a babbling brook that required careful guidance, now it surged like a mighty river, flowing without obstruction.

His rate of absorbing spiritual energy abruptly leaped!

With a thought, a pale blue panel appeared before his eyes.

[Skills:]

[Minor Qi Gathering Technique: Proficient (1/500)]

"Finally... proficient!"

A gleam of joy flashed through Chu Bai's eyes.

The qualitative change brought by the skill breakthrough was unmistakable. He tried taking a deep breath. Even without having eaten any spirit meat, the proficient-level technique and the blessing of his [Food Injury Leaks Elegance] fate destiny allowed him to draw in spiritual energy far faster than before, almost matching his previous rate when consuming spirit meat.

He glanced at the realm section again.

[Realm: Qi induction (52/100)]

"My spiritual energy is more than halfway there, and the rate has stabilized at one strand a day. At this pace, even without external aids, I'll reach completion within two months."

Chu Bai clenched his fists. Feeling the abundant energy within him, his heart settled.

Early the next morning, Chu Bai skipped the river. Instead, he deliberately changed into a clean long robe and headed straight for the Zhang Residence.

Inside the Quiet Chamber, Sandalwood Incense curled through the air.

Daoist Zhang rested a hand on Chu Bai's wrist and examined him carefully. A moment later, even his usual composure gave way to surprise.

"Over fifty strands... good! Good! Even without pills to aid you, your pace is enough to tower over your peers."

Daoist Zhang withdrew his hand, his gaze growing ever more satisfied as he regarded his disciple. "It seems you chose correctly in cultivating the water method alongside your main practice. That pure bathing spirit flow has been a great help to your constitution."

Chu Bai bowed, then spoke solemnly. "Master, your disciple has another request. When I encountered that strange fish some days ago, I was fortunate enough to kill it, but I also keenly felt my lack of means. Now that my spiritual energy is past the halfway mark, may I be so bold as to ask... could I learn an offensive spell art? It would help me prepare for actual combat in the future."

Daoist Zhang did not immediately agree. Instead, he considered it for a moment.

Ordinarily, practicing spell arts before reaching the qi refining first layer could easily exhaust one's spiritual energy and damage one's foundation. This was a grave taboo in cultivation.

Yet looking at this disciple, with his strong physique, abundant spiritual energy, and maturity far beyond his years, he finally nodded.

"Very well. You also cultivate the water method, and with that pure bathing spirit flow as your base, you recover spiritual energy far faster than ordinary people. You can indeed begin learning a little early."

As he spoke, Daoist Zhang took a green jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Chu Bai.

"This is not the run-of-the-mill Water Bullet Technique sold in the markets. It is a subtle technique I happened upon during my travels in my younger days, called the Spirit Water Needle."

"The Water Bullet Technique is powerful, but it creates a large disturbance, consumes a great deal of energy, and is easily dodged. The Spirit Water Needle, on the other hand, focuses on compressing water spiritual energy to an extreme degree, forming a fine needle and firing it."

Daoist Zhang raised a hand to demonstrate as he explained.

He merely flicked his index finger, with scarcely any visible hand seal, and the moisture in the air instantly condensed at his fingertip into a deep blue needle so fine it was barely perceptible.

"Go."

There was no whistle through the air, only a faint sound.

The water needle pierced a sturdy ironwood pillar in the corner of the study, leaving a tiny hole whose bottom could not be seen. Not even a hairline crack surrounded it—a testament to its terrifying penetrative power.

"Concealable, highly penetrating, and extremely economical. It is best suited to someone like you, whose spiritual energy is not yet plentiful but whose perception is keen."

Chu Bai's eyes shone. This was practically a divine technique tailor-made for him!

In the days that followed, another task joined Chu Bai's cultivation schedule.

Among the reeds along the Three-Bath River, a youth could often be seen pointing his fingers at the stalks.

At first, practicing the spell art did not go smoothly.

The spiritual energy was difficult to condense, dispersing into mist the moment it left his fingertip. Or he failed to compress it tightly enough, and it shot out so feebly that he might as well have been sprinkling water.

But with the blessing of his [Quick-Witted] fate destiny, Chu Bai did not lose heart. He constantly adjusted the route of his spiritual energy's circulation and the frequency of its compression. After hundreds of failures and attempts, he finally found the critical point in a slight tremor of his fingertip.

Whoosh!

A crooked water needle shot out and struck a reed stalk. Although it failed to pierce through, it left a deep white mark.

Its power was still meager, but Chu Bai beamed at the newly added [Spirit Water Needle: Beginner] on his panel.

The first step was always the hardest. Once he had crossed the threshold, all that remained was grinding out progress!

Spring passed into summer, and in the blink of an eye, the Academy's three-month term of Inner-Door Instruction came to an end.

That day in Stillheart Hall, the cicadas outside the windows were as noisy as ever, yet the atmosphere within was exceptionally heavy.

Daoist Zhang sat cross-legged beneath the tree, his gaze sweeping over the four disciples before him.

In three months, some had been transformed down to their bones, while others were still treading in place.

"The three-month term has ended." Daoist Zhang spoke slowly, his voice calm and even. "According to Academy rules, Inner-Door Instruction is not a privilege secured once and for all. If you wish to remain here for further study and guidance, you must pay tuition for the next term."

Ten taels of silver.

Those words weighed like a mountain upon their hearts.

Li Jinyuan looked relaxed. He even had the leisure to straighten his sleeves.

With a casual wave of his hand, the attendant behind him presented the silver ingots prepared in advance. Their bright gleam was conspicuous.

For the young master of the Li family, this sum amounted to no more than a few visits to a restaurant. It was hardly worth mentioning.

Gu Qinghe's expression was much graver. He drew a repeatedly patched coin pouch from his robes. His fingers were somewhat rough, bearing the marks of long hours gripping a sword and working at the Zhao Residence.

This was his blood-and-sweat money, earned over three months as a human target at the Zhao Residence, through repeated falls and beatings, through bleeding again and again, and even through hard labor at the docks.

He counted it over and over, then finally drew a deep breath and handed it over with trembling hands and a resolute gaze.

"I... will continue my studies."

Finally, it was Wang Xiaoliu's turn.

The usually quick-witted young fisherman now hung his head, his face flushed crimson. Both hands gripped the hem of his clothes so tightly that his knuckles had turned pale.

After a long while, as though all his strength had drained away, he slowly rose and bowed deeply to Daoist Zhang. His voice choked slightly. "Teacher Zhang... my family truly cannot scrape together the money."

"My father hurt his leg fishing a little while ago, and all our savings went toward medicine... I can no longer afford to pursue immortality."

Daoist Zhang sighed softly. He said little, merely nodding. "Go, then. Even outside the Inner Gate, diligence may yet open a path for you. You have already gained qi during these three months. Returning home to live as a prosperous man should be well within your means."

After class, Chu Bai accompanied Wang Xiaoliu to the Academy gates.

Carrying a small bundle on his back, Wang Xiaoliu looked over his shoulder at the lofty plaque bearing the words "Stillheart Hall." His eyes were filled with reluctance and helplessness.

"Brother Chu, I truly envy you. You're not only gifted, but Teacher Zhang even took you as his disciple." Wang Xiaoliu smiled bitterly. "Still, I'm satisfied. At least these three months got me through the door and gave me a faint sense of qi. I'll go home and help my family fish. With strength and eyesight a little better than an ordinary person's, I should be able to make a decent living."

Watching Wang Xiaoliu's forlorn figure recede until it disappeared at the end of the street, Chu Bai felt a jumble of emotions.

The road to immortality was cruel. This was its first sieve—wealth.

Without the cheat that was his panel, without meeting a kind master who waived his tuition, he too might have been among those leaving in dejection today.

This was reality. Without resources, no matter how hard one worked, sometimes it still could not outweigh those heavy ten taels of silver.

Gu Qinghe walked up beside Chu Bai and watched Wang Xiaoliu depart. A fierce resolve burned in his eyes, a wildness forced out of him by life.

"I don't want to go back to fishing," Gu Qinghe said through gritted teeth. "Even if I die on the Zhao Residence's Martial Training Ground, even if I have to be someone's target for the rest of my life, I'm going to climb my way up. I don't want to live knowing where my next meal comes from but not the one after."

Then he looked at Chu Bai, his gaze complicated. "Brother Chu, your share... have you paid it?"

Not wanting to wound his classmate's fragile pride, Chu Bai answered vaguely, "Master has given me a few more days. I still need to scrape it together."

Gu Qinghe nodded without suspicion and merely patted Chu Bai's shoulder. "None of us has it easy. If we can become cultivators someday, things will be better."

The two stood shoulder to shoulder, looking out over Anping County in the setting sun.

There were fewer and fewer companions on this road to immortality, but Chu Bai clenched his fists. He would not merely stay; he would walk at the very front and reach the highest peak.