The next morning, just as the eastern sky began to whiten, Chu Bai had already shouldered his hoe and gone to the fields.
Although he now had income as a training partner and had even become the Disciple of a famous master, Chu Bai had not grown soft as a result.
The farm chores at home still had to be done. This wasn’t just to lighten his parents’ workload, but also a way to temper his character.
After working for a double-hour, once the sun was high in the sky, Chu Bai wiped the sweat from his forehead and called out to Chu Xianglin, who was busy on another plot of land, "Dad, I’m taking a break to cultivate for a bit."
"Go on, go on. Don’t wear yourself out." Chu Xianglin straightened up, waving his hand with a good-natured smile.
Chu Bai found a quiet spot by the fields and sat down cross-legged.
As he activated the Small Qi Gathering Technique, the ambient Spiritual Qi in the air was once again drawn to him, gathering around his body.
This time, the sensation was completely different.
After his Nourishing and Exquisite Fate Chart had fully taken shape, the acuity of his five senses had taken a quantum leap.
If before it was like trying to catch fish in muddy water with his bare hands, now, that water had become crystal clear.
’A sliver every two days...’
Chu Bai gauged the rate at which the Spiritual Qi in his Dantian was increasing and calculated silently.
At this rate, in just half a year, he would be able to accumulate a hundred slivers, condense them into a complete strand of Spiritual Qi, and enter the Qi Cultivation First Layer.
And if he was a bit more diligent and ate better, he could shorten that time even further.
"Hm?"
Just as Chu Bai was immersed in the pleasure of absorbing the Pure Qi, his brow suddenly furrowed.
Within the flow of peaceful, balanced Spiritual Qi, he keenly detected a different kind of fluctuation.
The wisp of Qi was incredibly faint; his former self would have definitely overlooked it.
But now, to Chu Bai’s heightened senses, it was glaringly obvious.
It was more active than Pure Qi, carrying a cool dampness, and was extremely pervasive, as if it could seep through anything.
’Is this... Spiritual Qi with a special attribute?’
Curious, Chu Bai didn’t stop his cultivation. Instead, he followed the source of this Qi, slowly rising to his feet and heading north.
After passing through a few dense thickets of reeds, the view opened up dramatically.
A wide river sprawled before him, its waters surging eastward with a dull roar.
The morning mist hung over the water’s surface like a thin veil of gauze.
The Sanmu River.
It was a notoriously treacherous river in Anping County.
According to the village elders, the river’s depths were home to sentient Fish Demon Water Monsters. Some even claimed to have seen the River God’s eerie wedding sedan on a foggy day.
Because of this, local fishermen only dared to cast their nets in the shallows, never venturing into the heart of the river.
Standing on the marshy riverbank, Chu Bai took a deep breath and activated his Cultivation Technique again.
This time, the sensation was more than ten times stronger.
Mixed in with the surrounding Pure Qi were countless faint blue specks of light.
As Chu Bai breathed, these specks of light danced joyfully, even burrowing into his pores on their own. The subtle, nourishing comfort was invigorating.
’Water Attribute Spiritual Qi...’
The lessons Daoist Zhang had taught him surfaced in Chu Bai’s mind.
Nature’s spiritual energy has various attributes. For a Cultivator in the Qi-Introducing Stage, the very first sliver of Spiritual Qi they absorb is the most critical, for it determines their future foundation and path.
Absorbing Pure Qi, while unexceptional, has the advantage of being all-embracing and compatible with any Skill.
In the future, no matter what attribute of Cultivation Technique they switch to, there will be no conflict. This is the path chosen by ninety-nine percent of Cultivators in the Great Zhou, as special attribute spiritual energy is hard to find and carries great risk.
However, if one absorbs a specific attribute spiritual energy, they embark on a path of specialization.
The benefit is obvious: the power of a Magic Technique from the same element increases dramatically.
For instance, when casting the Water Bullet Technique, its power is at least thirty percent greater when fueled by Water Spiritual Qi compared to Pure Qi, while also consuming less energy and allowing for faster recovery.
But the drawback is also fatal: it narrows one’s path significantly.
Once the body’s meridians are assimilated by the Water Attribute, trying to switch to a Fire Element Technique later will, at best, sever one’s meridians, and at worst, cause one’s body to explode.
Unless one disperses their cultivation and starts over, they are stuck on that path for life.
’The first sliver of Qi in my body is already Pure Qi.’
Chu Bai stared at the faint water vapor swirling around his fingertip, lost in thought.
’Theoretically, since Pure Qi is hailed as being compatible with any Skill, can I absorb this Water Spiritual Qi on top of my existing Pure Qi foundation?’
If he could, he would not only have the stability of Pure Qi, but also some of the power of the Water Element.
What’s more, the Spiritual Energy Density here was clearly much higher than in the fields.
If he could cultivate here, his progress would likely accelerate even more.
But Chu Bai quickly suppressed the impulse.
’No, it’s too risky.’
’I’m just a Beginner; I know nothing about conflicts between Spiritual Qi Attributes. If these two types of Qi clash inside my body and blow up the Dantian I just managed to open, it’ll be too late for regrets.’
The path of cultivation was like walking on thin ice.
Chu Bai slowly dispersed the wisp of water vapor gathered at his fingertip. He gazed at the ceaselessly flowing, bottomless river, a flicker of awe in his eyes.
Whether it was the legendary Water Monster or this tempting yet dangerous Water Spiritual Qi, neither were things his current self could afford to meddle with.
’Still, this place is a treasure trove.’
Chu Bai secretly memorized the location.
’When my Cultivation has progressed, or after I’ve consulted with Master and understood the intricacies, I’ll come back and investigate properly.’
By the time Chu Bai hurried to the academy, the morning reading session in the Outer Sect lecture hall was already halfway through.
Master Liu was leading the students in reciting Scripture. When he saw Chu Bai at the entrance, he simply gave a slight nod, gesturing for him to take a seat.
Master Liu was naturally more lenient with this star pupil, who was now an Inner Sect Disciple.
During the break, Chu Bai went up to the teacher’s podium.
"Master, I have some personal matters to attend to today and would like to ask for half a day’s leave," Chu Bai said, bowing respectfully.
"Go ahead." Master Liu put down his scroll and smiled warmly. "Your cultivation is on the right track now, so you don’t need to be so stressed about your schoolwork. Just be sure not to neglect your character."
"I will remember."
After leaving the academy, Chu Bai didn’t go directly to the Zhang Mansion. Instead, he turned into the largest teahouse in the marketplace.
Becoming a disciple the day before had been too rushed. Although his master hadn’t said anything, he felt he had been lacking in proper etiquette.
"Shopkeeper, I’d like half a pound of your best Cloud Mist Green Tea."
"Right away! Please wait a moment, sir, I’ll wrap it up for you!"
Chu Bai paid, looking at the exquisite tea box in his hands. Although the cost stung a little, he felt mostly at peace with his decision.
That half-pound of tea had cost him a full tael of silver. To his current self, that was nearly half a month’s income from his training partner job—a huge sum.
Over the past month, working as a training partner at the Zhao Mansion and including yesterday’s payment, he had saved up a total of two taels and four maces of silver.
After subtracting his recent living expenses, he now had a little over one tael left on him.
’This bit of silver is a drop in the bucket compared to the ten taels of tuition fee Master waived for me. Besides, Master has shown me the great kindness of taking me in; I can’t skimp on a gesture like this.’
Carrying the tea box, Chu Bai stopped by a nearby shop to buy a few delicate pastries before finally heading toward the Zhang Mansion in the eastern part of the city.

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