Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

A new day begins, and the sun rises as usual.

Two pieces of news spread like wildfire in the Star-Picking Tower, and both concerned Zhu Wuyao.

Several disciples were gathered together, chatting idly.

"Have you heard? A new disciple in this generation took on a mission and went down the mountain, and advanced from the fourth level of Qi Refining to the seventh level!"

"I know, I know, and I even know how she leveled up!"

"Senior Brother Sun is so well-informed! Tell us quickly!"

"Hehe, I heard that the junior sister surnamed Zhu accidentally obtained a fairy flower, and after eating it, she was able to directly establish her foundation."

"Then how come you're only at the seventh level of Qi Refining?"

"Listen to me! That flower isn't a spiritual flower at all; it's a test," Senior Brother Song said smugly.

"test?"

Tang Xin was a disciple who entered the Star-Picking Tower in the same batch as Zhu Wuyao. However, she failed the assessment and only entered the outer sect. Fortunately, she had some strength and made many friends.

Tang Xin clearly had a brain; she was somewhat skeptical of the claim that "the spirit flower is a test."

"Exactly!" Senior Brother Song continued.

"They entered an illusion, and the spirit flower was just bait to lure them into fighting. However, Hua Yingting and Xu San'er, who were on the mission together, were not greedy people and did not turn against each other."

Ok!

Zhu Wuyao sat quietly to the side, and upon hearing this, she finally understood how the news had been leaked.

Furthermore, they concealed the fact that she was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, not the eighth level.

So Xu San'er is just trying to ride the wave of popularity?

"On the contrary, the mount beside her, Junior Sister Zhu's mule, was lured by this spiritual flower and swallowed it whole."

"This……"

The disciple who had been listening intently to the gossip was somewhat surprised, never expecting the story to take such a turn.

"And then what? Ugh! If a mule steals my chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, I'll be so disgusted I'll die."

Those around him shared the same sentiment and nodded in agreement.

Senior Brother Song continued, "Who says otherwise? Zhu Wuyao was also quite annoyed and chased after the mule."

"After all that talk, they still haven't explained how she reached the seventh level of Qi Refining."

"Oh? Here comes the unexpected. Although Zhu Wuyao is angry, she is a kind and compassionate person."

Zhu Wuyao, who was standing next to him, shuddered and felt so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear into the ground.

"The mule was right in front of her. She could have easily swung her sword and cut it down, but in the end she couldn't bring herself to do it. She deliberately cut it off by a third, sparing the mule's life."

"Unexpectedly, the secret realm, moved by her compassion, lowered her cultivation level, allowing her to advance directly from the fourth level of Qi Refining to the seventh level of Qi Refining."

"Alas, for us cultivators, every advancement to a higher realm is fraught with difficulty. Yet Junior Sister Zhu, because of that moment of compassion, leaped three levels. I am so envious!"

Senior Brother Song summarized with emotion.

The disciple beside him shared the same sentiment and sighed:

"He showed mercy while slaying the mule, and his sword deflected three-tenths of an inch, thus advancing three ranks. What good luck..."

Zhu Wuyao couldn't bear to listen anymore. She was buried in her book in the classroom, her mind filled with the sound of a groundhog howling inside her.

Why aren't Hua Yingting and Xu San'er here yet...?

Tang Xin was shocked and skeptical when she heard this. She felt the story was a bit far-fetched, but there's no smoke without fire, so there must really be such a mule that was released.

She said tactfully, "This is unprecedented and truly shocking. Is there any precedent for it?"

Another senior female student came over, overheard their discussion, and chuckled as she slapped down a book.

"After my spiritual roots were destroyed, I became the Immortal Venerable's chief disciple."

"In this storybook, Zhou Zhi was tasked with collecting the remains of a powerful being and was taught martial arts techniques. And there's this one too—"

Senior Sister Wu then purchased another storybook, namely "The Immortal in the Mortal World".

"Zhang Xuan inside was also recognized as the master by the spiritual treasure because of his kind heart!"

Senior Brother Song seemed to have seen a kindred spirit and said:

"I love both of these stories, especially 'The Immortal in the Mortal World.' Did you know that Nanli City really did experience a flood, and a woman sacrificed herself to stop it?"

After saying that, he recited in a serious manner: "In the south, I see no immortals in the mortal world, only the osmanthus blossoms lamenting the cold of the branches."

"What a poem!"

Senior Sister Wu scoffed, "This is the inscription in front of the Osmanthus Temple, yet it's attributed to you. Countless literati and poets in front of the temple used it to satirize the immortals of the mortal world, indirectly criticizing those cultivators who took the opportunity to kill people during the flood."

"However, I do prefer the 'Taoist' storybooks. Mr. Wuyu's writing is also good, but it lacks the lofty righteousness of a Taoist practitioner and the suffering of humankind."

Osmanthus...

Zhu Wuyao paused for a moment.

The discussion around me continued. Some people liked "It is said" while others preferred "Mr. Speechless." They argued for a while and almost got into a heated argument.

until--

"Ah Yao, you're here!" Hua Yingting finally arrived, and Xu San'er beside her also called out:

"Sister Zhu, you're here so early today!"

The group that had just been discussing Zhu Wuyao fell silent instantly. Senior Brother Song asked hesitantly in a low voice, "Is that Zhu Wuyao who advanced after slaying the mule?"

They haven't gotten to know everyone yet, especially since Zhu Wuyao goes out every few days and hasn't attended many classes properly.

Tang Xin entered the Star-Picking Tower in the same batch as Zhu Wuyao. She had met Zhu Wuyao before, and seeing the person she had just been discussing right next to her, she nodded somewhat shyly.

The discussion about Zhu Wuyao, Youdaoshi, and Mr. Wuyu has finally come to an end.

Xu San'er put down his books, paper, and pen, and spun around among his fellow disciples like a little top.

To be honest, riding the wave of trending topics really does work.

His business of exchanging contribution points for items and reselling them to outsiders has finally started today!

What kind of bad intentions could someone have if they saw their fellow disciples receiving spiritual flowers and weren't even envious?

No, that's not enough. Xu San'er values ​​long-term integrity in business, especially in the cultivation world. He's only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. If he's not honest, he might go bankrupt any day.

When it comes to making money, you need to take a steady and methodical approach.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted by Linghua, but since Sister Hua had sided with Sister Zhu, it would be rude of him to argue with her.

He knew that Zhu Wuyao had overheard those rumors.

Before the elder arrived, he reluctantly handed two spirit stones each to Zhu Wuyao and Hua Yingting with an embarrassed smile, saying:

"I earned some spirit stones thanks to my two older sisters, so please don't refuse."

Zhu Wuyao accepted the two spirit stones without any hesitation.

Exactly, why does he look like someone collecting protection money?

Hua Yingting covered her mouth and chuckled softly, accepting the spirit stones and reminding him:

"You've brought us fame, we're more than grateful to you. As for these two spirit stones, now that they've been delivered to me, there's no reason to take them back."

She smoothed her hair, tucking a stray strand behind her ear, and said:

"I've also reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, Xu San'er. You'd better improve a bit, because we're going to Zhongling City together soon."