Upon arriving home, Zhang Chen discarded any distractions and went straight to the kitchen. On the floor, there was still some water left in the wooden basinâjust enough for a simple wash and to cook a bit more rice for the night.
Using a rag soaked in the water, he wiped down the key parts of his body.
There wasnât much to be done about it, since whoever had built this place had dug a well at the center of the housing area, but the water was not unlimited.
Each family could only fill one basin of water. A household with few members wouldnât face much trouble, but things were different for those with many.
The fact was, many of the families living here hadnât come from the ordinary world but were descendants of cultivators who had once shown talent for cultivation.
Some had brought their families closerânot only to give them a chance at following the path but also in hopes of forming their own clan. Others were the children of those cultivators.
Once he had finished his âbath,â Zhang Chen used the remaining water to cook a little crystal rice. This one was different from what was distributed at lunch.
It was of higher quality, bought with the money earned from his work.
Speaking of money, the wage was one spirit stone every ten days, three per month. That might seem little, but considering that spirit stones were the currency of cultivators, it made sense.
What kind of job would allow ordinary humans to earn spirit stones? It wasnât just difficult to come byâit already belonged to a different level of life, as normal humans no longer stood on equal ground with cultivators.
A {kilo of crystal rice} cost two spirit stones, but because he worked in the fields, it only cost him one.
As previously mentioned, this was one of the reasons many were enviousânot just because of the rice itself, but also because of the small amount of spiritual energy it contained. Everyone there had a reason to be; any help in reaching that goal was precious.
Aside from the rice he had to buy each month, it had been a long time since Zhang Chen had eaten meat. But thanks to this rice, he was able to keep up his energy for the next day.
He remembered how he had asked Shen Jie to keep his share for the week, as she had helped him while he was bedridden. Yet she firmly refused, saying that he needed the money and mustnât forget to cultivate as soon as possible.
Her refusal had moved him. He knew just how rare spirit stones were for ordinary people.
He had already made a silent vow to repay that favorâbecause everything in this world would be far more difficult without this job.
After waiting the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, his rice was ready.
After a bowl of rice, Zhang Chen headed to bed, full of energy. Moving the leg of the bed and the false plank, he took out a small booklet and began flipping through it.
In the introduction, the booklet explained that this was a harmonious and commonly used cultivation technique. On the following pages, there were detailed tips on how to guide spiritual energy through the body and the ways this would occur.
One method was to be in a place with an abundance of spiritual energy, which made the process much easier. This highlighted one of the disadvantages of poverty.
Zhang Chen had already crossed that option off the listâsuch energy did not exist in abundance around here.
And speaking of spiritual energy, being so close to a cultivator city meant that many things werenât exactly secret, even among common folk.
Such knowledge had spread through families lucky enough to have a cultivator among them. At first, it had only been shared among close friends, but how could something so important remain confined to a small circle?
Some people had the talent to walk this path; others didnât. The powers ruling the city had their ways of discovering who had talent and how much of it.
Of course, more detailed matters were still far beyond the reach of the common folk. One of the most basic ways to tell if someone had talent was whether they could sense spiritual energy.
Zhang Chen wasnât worried; he hadnât even considered the possibility that he might not have talent. His memories confirmed it, and ever since arriving in this world, he had already felt something similar to what the booklet described.
The sensation was like a soft breeze brushing against his body. In that moment, he had felt an immense craving for that breeze, as though he were a desert thirsting for waterâpity his body wasnât yet able to absorb that âbreeze.â
One reason he was able to sense the energy so easily was due to its scarcity.
Spiritual energy existed throughout the world, but it gathered in specific locations. If that werenât the case, why would a city of cultivators ever form?
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He continued reading. The second-best method of cultivation was through spiritual foods. Next came pills, which could also be used, though they werenât recommended for beginnersâbetter used in places rich in energy.
Unfortunately, pills also carried impurities.
Even spirit stones could be used, but like pills, the lower the quality, the more impurities they contained.
These explanations left Zhang Chen impressed. If even the most basic technique was this carefully crafted, he could only imagine what precious techniques would be like.
Next, he began reading how to guide the energy. Zhang Chen calmed himself and closed his eyes. His breathing grew steady, and the small amount of energy from the crystal riceâalready beginning to fadeâseemed to have found its purpose.
It began to move through his veins and meridians, but the process was not quick. Zhang Chen couldnât guide it properly, relying solely on imagination and willpower. It was incredibly difficult, and large amounts of energy began to leak from his pores. Not daring to forget the instructions in the booklet, he tried to move the energy towards his dantian.
The moment he tried to do so, he saw an image flash in his mind.
It looked like a seed spinning around something that resembled air, radiating several different colors. The image vanished so quickly that Zhang Chen couldn't grasp its shape.
âWhat⦠What just happened? Where did the energy go?â he muttered, still confused. After a while spent trying to understand the strange image, he realized the small amount of spiritual energy he had gathered had vanished.
âNo way! It was so hard to guide it, and just one moment of distraction? How does everyone manage to cultivate? Damn weird image⦠Wait, wait a second⦠Why would that appear to me? Could it be that Iâm special? A geniusânot only in my past life but in this one too? Iâm amazing!!â
Zhang Chen reflected for a while, until his heart finally calmed down. He considered eating another bowl of rice to test his theory, but as he tried to get up, a sharp throb hit his head. He immediately understoodâit was a consequence of cultivating.
Without much hesitation, he lay down and got ready to sleep.
Lying there, many thoughts filled his mind. One of them was about the state of his body when he had arrived. That had definitely not been normal, not to mention the suspicious old man.
If the inexperienced young man had still been in control, perhaps he wouldnât have seen anything wrongâbut Zhang Chen had experience dealing with human nature.
There was no need to even mention the worldview of his predecessor: here, the strong devour the weak, and justice exists only for the powerful.
And the most important thing: his memory of the day before falling into that pitiful condition was still hazy.
The light in the house had long gone out, and darkness now bathed the room. Soon, a steady breath could be heard.
Farther east of Zhang Chenâs house, on the roof of a cabin, there was a holeâwhether manmade or the result of age was unclear.
Moonlight shone down on the young girl lying on her bed, legs crossed. Her dark eyes sparkled as she stared at the moon.
Her black hair began to take on a silvery hue, and her eyes seemed to shift colors as well. Shen Jieâs skin glowed like the finest of gemstones. Her dress, though dirty, only highlighted her pure beauty.
The moon she stared at didnât seem to reflect in her eyes. In that moment, it seemed to be engraved within one of them.
The air around her began to changeâit was as if the energy had become more active. Too bad so few could perceive it. It all happened swiftly, and as she closed her eyes, everything returned to normal.
â¦
Two thousand meters above, the city did not seem cowed by the night descending upon the world. Many buildings still glowed, and houses, as well as street stalls, remained lit.
The difference was that many of these stalls had begun packing up.
In each of the cityâs four directions, large gates stood tall, with the southern gate being one of the smallest.
In a corner of the cityâimpossible to pinpointâa single eye opened in the darkness. It looked toward the south, a trace of doubt in its iris. The eye stared for a long time before a voice echoed.
âHow strange⦠Iâm certain I felt a spike of energy being drawn from the city. Was I mistakenâ¦?â The voice was ethereal, coming from all directions, making it impossible to tell where it originatedâor even whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
Receiving no reply, the eye shifted away from the south and closed once again.
...
Back two thousand meters below, among the cluster of houses, most were now dark and quiet. But not all of them.
Some people still moved about, and many glances were filled with malicious intent.
In a corner darker than usual, two people were whispering.
âI saw him today. Letâs not even mention that he didnât leave work early. Just his energy when he got home didnât seem like someone who had been bedridden,â Ma Jing said harshly. Any kindness that might have once been in his words had long since disappeared. His expression was grim as he stared at the muscular man in front of him.
Hearing the old man speak that way, Xu Zhi felt his blood boil. But before he could explode, he took a deep breath and said, âDonât blame me for this, old Ma. You saw the same thing I did. We gave him the poison, and the very next day he was sick. You asked for a poison that would leave minimal suspicion, and thatâs exactly what I gave you. And itâs not like weâre out of options. We could take care of him right now.â
âAnd whose fault is that if not yours?!â Ma Jing snapped, nearly shouting. The mask of the kindly old man had long since fallen. After calming himself, he continued, âWe canât get rid of him carelessly. Even if heâs not close to a supervisor, the fact that heâs in their line of sight already messes things up for us.â
Ma Jing shook his head, looking at Xu Zhi as if he were a fool.
âSupervisor?!â Upon hearing that, Xu Zhiâs expression changed drastically. It wasnât his faultâsupervisors were feared by everyone.
Supervisors could only be appointed from the city, which meant each one represented one of the cityâs great powers.
Xu Zhi, thinking for a moment, said, âIf we canât deal with him, we could still do something about that girl whoâs always with him.â As he spoke, a glint of lust flickered in his eyes.
âYouâre a complete idiot! Zhang Chen only caught a supervisorâs attention because of Shen Jie. I asked someone who works with them, and apparently, the mistress of that place took a liking to her. If youâre looking to get yourself killed, go alone.â
Ma Jing spoke all at once, showing no respect for Xu Zhi. It seemed that, in training his martial arts, Xu Zhi had lost the ability to think in proportion to the muscles heâd gained.
Being called an idiot multiple times only made Xu Zhi even more irritated, but as he thought about the powerful people in the city, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. With a deep sigh, he said, âSo what are we going to do? Are you really just going to let this slip through our fingers?â
âOf course not. But we need to plan carefully. I think I already have an idea of what to do.â
As he spoke, Ma Jingâs killing intent seemed to spiral out of control. Lowering his voice, he began to explain the plan to Xu Zhi.
He might have been an idiot, but at least Xu Zhi was strong.
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{ } = 1 kilo is approximately 2.2 pounds