Chapter 6: The Cruel Reality

  Baofeng Han and Qi Zhixiao ran wildly to the foot of the mountain, just in time to catch a glimpse of the mist swirling by, with only a slight chill.

  The fog, under the attraction of the spiritual energy, rushes crazily to the mountain, layer by layer, shrouding the entire peak, making it seem illusory. When night falls, the temperature drops and the fog condenses, even forming a layer of frost, with temperatures dropping below -30°C, causing great harm to humans.

  "What a close call!" Qi Zhi Xiao said with a lingering fear in his heart.

  Baofeng Han shook his head, these fog, will only have a significant effect after an hour, now the temperature is not low, and getting a little wet at most is just slightly uncomfortable, no big deal. However, two years ago, Qi Zhixiao had a big loss on the mountain because he was so focused on working that he got trapped by the cold air on the mountain. If it wasn't for Uncle Lu's patrol, he would have almost hung himself up there. Since then, whenever he talks about the cold air on the mountain, his face changes color. That experience left an indelible mark in his heart.

  Baofeng Han shook his sore shoulders, a legacy of today's hard work. He patted the still-dazed Qi Zhixiao and said: "It's time to eat, let's hurry up, otherwise there won't be any left!"

  As soon as he heard about eating, Qi Zhi Xiao's eyes lit up, and in an instant, he reacted and opened his mouth wide, saying loudly: "Let's go quickly, if we're late, it'll be too late!" After finishing speaking, he disappeared in a flash.

  Watching Qi Zhi Xiao's gradually disappearing back, Ba Feng Han shook his head. Memories of past and present merged in an instant. Although it was a bit of a hassle, there was also a benefit. Turning around to look at the medicine field, white spiritual energy had already enveloped it. Nighttime belonged to cold energy.

  Halfway up the mountain, a bronze bell swayed gently in the breeze, with a hint of purple, particularly eye-catching. It should be Uncle Lu, and only someone as skilled as him could move about freely on this endless cold night.

  Along the small path down, in the place between the two mountains, is where the outer door disciples live. It has a good name called Leizhu Xuan, named after the surrounding area filled with Leizhu bamboo. Qinglong Ridge has a total of 36 medicinal fields, almost all miscellaneous chores disciples live here, with about 700-800 people. Just in Qinglong Ridge alone there are so many cultivators, and Qinglong Ridge is only one of the twelve ridges on the Upper Peak. The entire Luo Fu Mountain has nine main peaks, which means that miscellaneous chores disciples are nearly 100,000, making it a major force to be reckoned with.

  When Bafeng Han walked into the dining hall, Qi Zhixiao had already started fighting. The treatment of outer door disciples was not high, but the food was good. In the secular world, even kings and nobles might not be able to enjoy it. The entire Luofu Mountain's food was provided by a precious instrument, Cui Ping Ding. Only a large sect could do this. Even if it was an ordinary food, after being refined and processed by Cui Ping Ding, it was fragrant and appetizing. The key was that it contained a lot of spiritual energy, which was a great tonic.

  "Hurry up, Feng Han! Today is Wuguzhou, your favorite!" Qi Zhi Xiao shouted loudly.

  Wu Cao Zhou is a type of Qian Ceng Tang, which adds dozens of medicinal herbs and has the effect of nourishing yuan and supplementing qi for miscellaneous disciples in the refining body period. If placed in the mortal world, it can be said to be a rare treasure, one bowl can increase several years of cultivation, even in the sect, not every day can drink.

  He sat down, picked up a large bowl, and swallowed it in one gulp. A hot current rushed out from his stomach to the Dan Tian, circulating through the meridians, and a fierce spiritual energy propelled the true energy forward, causing waves of turmoil, as if trying to break through all obstacles. It was even more intense than sitting still and practicing qigong, but unfortunately, it followed the meridians and dissipated along the way, eventually disappearing without a trace.

  Baofeng Han let out a sigh, opened his eyes, and the spiritual root's disturbance was gone. He had a lower third-grade spiritual root, most of the medicinal effects had dissipated and converged into his body, unable to greatly enhance his true energy, at best it could only strengthen his physique. Fortunately, the fatigue from the day's labor seemed to have reduced by half, only the shoulder area where he used too much force still felt slightly sore.

  In the dining hall, there were only a few grey-clad disciples eating. Grey-clad, among the outer sects, was considered the lowest rank, bearing heavy work every day. When they saw Bafeng Han and Qizhi Xiao, they seemed to be whispering to each other, occasionally passing on words: "Is that Bafeng Han? He's so weak, it seems like in a few more months, he'll disappear!"

  "Yes, it's been dragging on for a long time, and it seems like he's been punished continuously for four or five months now. I really don't know how he still has the face to stay here!"

  "Staying in the sect still has its benefits. Staying for another month means gaining an extra crystal, which is no small fortune in the secular world!"

  "Ah, isn't that Qi Zhixiao? What's the use of being born with divine power if you can't cultivate it properly? Now he's come down from his pedestal!"

  ……

  ……

  The grey-clothed disciple didn't lower his voice, and amidst the cold ridicule, there was no room for rebuttal. Qi Zhi Xiao clenched his fists with force, his veins bulging, but he didn't erupt. Their words were correct - currently, Bao Feng Han and Qi Zhi Xiao could be considered the weakest among the Qing Long leaders. Bao Feng Han faced a two-year-old junior, while Qi Zhi Xiao could at most hold on for this one time; everything seemed somewhat desolate.

  "Zhi Xiao, let's go!" Bafeng Han slowly stood up, and the two of them packed up their things and left the cafeteria.

  Along the small path between the two mountains, Ba Feng and Qi Zhi Xiao walked slowly forward, neither of them saying a word. The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Tear Bamboo Pavilion, surrounded by numerous tear bamboos, which were famous plants on the Upper Realm Peak, grew rapidly and lived extremely long. Generally, every 10 years, their hardness and flexibility would increase twofold. Hundred-year-old tear bamboos could even rival steel.

  Turning to the side, in a bamboo forest, rows of small bamboo houses stood up, which were their residences. Generally speaking, these bamboo houses were built by themselves and were somewhat incomplete and uneven.

  They walked forward for a long time, in the back of the entire Liu Zhu Xuan, in the bamboo forest, an exceptionally tall bamboo building swayed in the wind. In those years, two people built it together, to be precise, it was Qi Zhi Xiao's solo effort. He, who was born with divine power, directly found the hundred-year-old Cang Liu Bamboo when others were cutting down small green bamboos. It took him three days to build such a large bamboo building, which caused a sensation at that time. But who would have thought that after three years, they changed from being the focus of attention to becoming a laughing stock? This is perhaps the greatest irony.

  "Fiercely cold......!" Standing in front of the bamboo house, Qi Zhi Xiao wanted to speak but hesitated!

  "What's wrong, Zhixiao! This isn't like you at all!"

  "Qí Zhì hesitated for a moment, then said to Bá Fēng Hán: 'Feng Han, the monthly assessment and outer gate competition are just around the corner. Why don't we think of another way?'"

  Bafeng Han understood the meaning of Qizhi Xiao, which was nothing more than two assessments. Especially the latter one, Qizhi Xiao was still okay to say, but he had some difficulties. However, for them, there were not many options available. Those methods, Bafeng Han would not have chosen before, and now that he possessed the Qiankun Map, he would even less likely choose them.

  "Alright, Zhi Xiao, I'll consider it. See you tomorrow!" With a wave of his hand, he bid farewell to the stunned Qi Zhi Xiao and walked slowly towards his own room. The room was empty except for a grass mat, which was also where he practiced his cultivation.

  The night grew darker and the surroundings were quiet, with only occasional sounds of animals calling out in the mountain streams. At night, it was the time for all disciples to cultivate. Having entered the Luo Fu Sect for three years, except for the first year when he would occasionally go to bed to sleep, the remaining two years had almost been spent meditating instead. A cultivator like him, who was going against the current, would not progress if he did not put in effort. With his lower-grade spiritual root, he didn't have a strong innate talent and could only rely on hard work to increase his strength.

  Unfortunately, not all efforts can achieve the desired effect. Baofeng Han quietly looked out of the window, then turned back and sat down on the couch. Today had been too eventful, he needed to thoroughly sort things out!

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