The Treasure Gourd

Early the next morning, Lin Mo's eyes snapped open, and he sprang to his feet with a carp-like flip.

Only when he took in the room, unchanged over the past three years, did he realize he was no longer at the sect. Naturally, he no longer needed to empty the chamber pots for the full disciples. He gave a wry chuckle.

"Ah..."

He sighed helplessly.

After three years of cultivation, becoming a true cultivator remained a distant prospect, but his body and mind were both considerably stronger than those of ordinary mortals.

Gazing at the faint light of dawn, Lin Mo grew a little distracted.

Cultivation resources were limited, and everything had to be fought for. The Azure Cloud Sect was no exception.

After entering the sect, disciples had three years to cultivate. If they had not become cultivators by the deadline, they would be expelled.

Before becoming true cultivators, they did not count as full disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect. They could only perform dirty chores such as cleaning, sweeping, and emptying chamber pots. They were collectively known as... Servant Disciples.

And even among these Servant Disciples, there were ranks and distinctions.

The overseers of the Servant Disciples' Courtyard naturally spared those with good aptitude from work, while some even more exceptional individuals could skip this stage altogether and become full disciples directly.

Cultivation had four essentials: methods, wealth, companions, and land.

Those with money, power, or backing naturally had ways to bribe the overseers, or spend a fortune buying off the examiners to pass the sect's annual Sect Examination and become full disciples.

These were the two most common paths.

But Lin Mo, a farmer's son born with worthless Five-Spirit Roots, whose cultivation prospects could be seen from beginning to end at a glance, could take neither path.

All he could do was devote every spare moment to cultivation.

Yet his aptitude was pitifully poor. Even after three years of earnest cultivation, forming a spiritual qi vortex and entering the first level of Qi Refinement remained far beyond his reach.

He could not pass the assessment.

It was time to think about what he could do now that he had returned.

Immortals and mortals were separated by a gulf like a chasm cleaving the heavens.

Even a chamber-pot boy from the Azure Cloud Sect was considered an extraordinary figure among mortals.

For those "predecessors" who had failed the assessment and been expelled, working as caravan guards or joining the army to earn military merits were both decent prospects.

They might not necessarily be able to give their families a comfortable life.

But either was better than toiling miserably in the fields.

Still... he could not quite resign himself to it.

Lin Mo sighed.

He was merely a boy of fifteen or sixteen. What did he know about having a heart devoted to the Dao?

On the way home, he had already decided to tell his parents the truth this time.

But the villagers' praise and affection, along with the proud smiles on their faces, had made him swallow every word yesterday.

Ah, I'll take it one step at a time.

Shaking his head to dispel the stray thoughts, he casually picked up the gourd beside him and took a mouthful of its spring water.

Hmm?

The spring water was cool, yet once it reached his stomach, it suddenly turned warm. Streams of exceedingly pure energy seemed to spread from it, traveling through Lin Mo's meridians and every part of his body. After completing greater celestial circuits one after another, they returned to his dantian, enlarging his still-unformed spiritual qi vortex.

"This is... spiritual qi!"

Lin Mo froze.

Instinctively, he looked at the gourd in his hand.

Of course he knew what that warm energy was.

Spiritual qi existed throughout heaven and earth, in greater or lesser amounts, thin or dense.

Some barren grounds for cultivation held not a trace of spiritual qi for a hundred miles around. Other places, favored by heaven and earth, brimmed with it. Certain spiritual treasures even contained such rich spiritual qi that consuming them could greatly increase a cultivator's cultivation; there were even legends of people becoming immortals on the spot.

Though that mouthful of spring water could not compare to such divine treasures, it was still unimaginable to Lin Mo. Even full Outer Sect Disciples could only save up three or four drops a month.

One mouthful was worth two or three years of an Outer Sect Disciple's savings?

But...

Why was there Spirit Spring Water in the gourd?

Lin Mo felt as though he might still be dreaming.

Instinctively, he tipped his head back and drank the remaining half of the spring water in the little gourd. In an instant, he felt as though his entire body were soaking in a hot spring, and spiritual qi filled the dantian in his lower abdomen.

This wasn't a dream?

Lin Mo stared at the little gourd in his hand, straining to recall.

He had filled it with this spring water from a stream on his way home yesterday. He had tasted the stream water then, and there had been no sign of spiritual qi.

Could the only explanation be this little gourd?

He did not know where the little gourd came from. He had even forgotten how he had acquired it.

He only vaguely remembered growing thirsty on the road and happening to spot this little gourd by the wayside. He had picked it up, gone to the stream to scoop up some water to drink, then leisurely filled it with spring water before continuing home, without giving it another thought.

While emptying chamber pots, Lin Mo had heard the full disciples mention the concept of spiritual treasures. Realization struck him in a burst of excitement, and he began examining the little gourd closely.

It was emerald green all over and looked no different from an ordinary green gourd. Yet upon closer inspection, he could see points of light like stars flickering within its flesh, faintly revealing its extraordinary nature.

His heart pounded, and Lin Mo felt his whole body begin to tremble uncontrollably with excitement.

He went outside and filled the gourd. After waiting a little while in eager anticipation, he took a deep breath and poured the newly added clear water into his mouth.

Sure enough, a faint wisp of spiritual qi spread from it. Perhaps because the water had been inside for too short a time, this spiritual qi was weaker than that first mouthful, but it was undeniably real. It made Lin Mo's already brimming dantian swell, and he exhaled a breath tinged with white light.

Lin Mo's face flushed red.

Normally, Lin Mo never even saw a single drop of Spirit Spring Water. How could he have known that a weak body might be unable to bear such nourishment? He had nearly burst his own dantian.

Yet even this... could not eclipse the joy in his heart.

I've struck it rich! Rich!

At that moment, this was the only thought in his mind.

He gripped the gourd fiercely, as though loosening his hold even a little would send this heaven-sent opportunity slipping away.

Lin Mo kept taking deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

Only after a long while did he manage to suppress the thoughts of the precious treasure he had suddenly acquired.

Estimating that he would need the better part of a day to absorb the spiritual qi in his body, he began investigating the green gourd's precise effects.

It could turn ordinary spring water poured into it into Spirit Spring Water. Wasn't this the legendary power to turn stone into gold?

Then could it have other functions, or any restrictions on its use?

Lin Mo smacked his lips. Looking at the Spirit Spring left in the gourd, he poured it into three small bowls, carried them outside, and set them before his parents and younger sister.

"Dad, Mom, Xiao He, this is something I brought down from the mountain. It can strengthen your bodies. Go on, drink it."

A mouthful of Spirit Spring was immensely valuable. Never mind strengthening the body—even extending one's lifespan was well within its power.

Possessing a precious jade could itself become a crime. Naturally, Lin Mo would not let them know the Spirit Spring Water's true origin.

Yet even so, the three of them were unwilling to drink it. Knowing that life on the mountain was difficult, Xiao He believed this was something her older brother had saved by denying himself, and she even pouted.

Only after Lin Mo's repeated persuasion did they finally swallow the Spirit Spring.

Soon, all three were smiling.

"As expected of something from the immortals. I feel warm all over, and much more at ease."

Lin’s Father had spent his whole life doing hard labor, so naturally he suffered from plenty of ailments. After drinking a mouthful of Spirit Spring Water, he immediately felt clearheaded and refreshed, and his pride in his son grew even stronger.

Life was complete.