’It didn’t matter if Steward Chang had seen through him. Like the steward said, without any evidence, what did Luo Lesheng’s actions have to do with him?’

’Huang Suyu might be a genius of the Outer Sect, but he didn’t have the power to openly defy the sect’s rules. As long as I lay low and stay careful on the Outer Peak, my life wouldn’t be in any real danger.’

Yu Changsheng carried the Spirit Chicken he had selected to the Affairs Hall and spent five Lower Grade Spirit Stones to purchase it.

Back at his wooden cabin, Yu Changsheng didn’t immediately transform the Spirit Chicken into a Spirit Chicken King. Instead, he planned to place it in his Spirit Beast Pouch and raise it for a few more days, staggering the time before he sold it.

’Otherwise, he would buy a Spirit Chicken one moment, and the Ten Thousand Beasts Tower would receive a Spirit Chicken King the next. If that happened too often, it would surely arouse suspicion.’

Caution and vigilance were the cornerstones of his survival.

「A few more days passed.」

The Outer Peak was as peaceful as ever.

Yu Changsheng finally received a letter from his clan. It contained words of concern from his father, Yu Chenghe, and the news he desperately needed about the Spirit Stones.

’One hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones, and Uncle is delivering them personally?’

Yu Changsheng was surprised by the amount. He knew his family’s financial situation, so he was astonished they could scrape together one hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

’When I first joined the Wanxiang Sect, Uncle was always against it. Now he’s offering to help... Something is definitely wrong here.’

After much thought, he decided to go and meet them. He would just have to react to whatever they threw at him. ’After all, I can’t just refuse the Spirit Stones, can I?’

After putting on a disguise, Yu Changsheng left the Outer Peak without any trouble and followed the address in the letter to the Tong’an Inn.

The Tong’an Inn was quite famous in the Fish Market. It served as temporary lodging for cultivators from out of town. As long as you stayed there, the inn would guarantee your safety, whether you were fleeing from disaster or being hunted.

The inn was backed by a Foundation Establishment Elder from the Wanxiang Sect, so ordinary cultivators didn’t dare to cause any trouble there.

Yu Changsheng went to a room on the third floor of the inn, raised his hand, and knocked.

The door creaked open.

The man who opened the door was about twenty-five years old and dressed in black, his expression tinged with a cold arrogance.

Yu Changsheng frowned slightly. He hadn’t expected his cousin to come along with their uncle.

"Ah, Changsheng. Come in."

Inside, an older man with graying hair saw Yu Changsheng at the door. A faint smile touched his lips as he beckoned him over.

"Uncle," Yu Changsheng said respectfully as he stepped inside.

’Since when has Uncle ever been this pleasant to me?’ A sense of unease settled in his heart.

"Sit." Yu Zhiguo smiled, gesturing to a wooden chair.

But Yu Changsheng glanced at his cousin and didn’t sit down. Instead, he got straight to the point. "Uncle, it wasn’t easy for me to get away, and I have to hurry back to my duties this afternoon. About those one hundred Spirit Stones my father asked you to bring..."

Yu Zhiguo cleared his throat. "Well, Changsheng, it’s like this. Your cousin is planning to break through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer soon. You know how scarce Spirit Stones are for the clan. Since you’re in the Wanxiang Sect, you don’t need as many resources, so... why not lend these Spirit Stones to your cousin for now?"

"Don’t worry, Changsheng. It’s just a loan. In a few years, my family will be sure to pay back the Spirit Stones."

Yu Changsheng was stunned for a moment. Then the meaning of his uncle’s words sank in, and his expression soured.

’According to his father, Yu Chenghe’s, letter, these Spirit Stones came from the profits of a new Yu Clan business venture. They belonged to his own family, which was why his uncle and the others couldn’t stop them from being sent, even if they objected.’

’I never expected this was their next move!’

"Uncle, you must be joking," Yu Changsheng said, composing himself and speaking with a serious tone. "These Spirit Stones are extremely important to me. I can’t do without them."

"Hmph. What could be so important for you?"

"Why is our Yu Clan merely a second-rate family in Bright Moon City? It’s because we have no Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Now, I have Foundation Establishment Talent. What’s a mere hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones compared to that? I’m doing you a favor by even asking to borrow them."

The speaker was Yu Changsheng’s cousin, the cold and arrogant man in black.

Yu Changsheng shot him a glance. ’He’s just a Qi Refining Seventh Layer Cultivator. How does he have the nerve to say something like that? Foundation Establishment Talent? Seriously?’

’He’s already twenty-five and still hasn’t broken through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer. If that were me, I’d be too ashamed to even go outside.’

"Chang Ao!"

Beside them, Yu Zhiguo’s expression hardened. "Is that any way to speak to your cousin?" he snapped.

Yu Changsheng wasn’t bothered by his cousin’s attitude; he had experienced Yu Changao’s arrogance many times back in the clan. ’The most important thing right now is the Spirit Stones! The Spirit Stones!’

He took a deep breath, then released the Magical Power that was fueling the Disguise Hanging Pearl at his waist. His disguised Realm of Qi Refining Second Layer reverted to his true Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

"I’m about to reach the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. In six months, at the start of summer, I’ll be participating in the sect selection to become an Outer Disciple. You tell me—is that important?"

Yu Changsheng stared directly at Yu Changao, his voice cold.

Yu Changao hadn’t bothered to scan Yu Changsheng’s Realm with his Divine Sense before. Now that Yu Changsheng had revealed it himself, he instantly noticed the difference.

"Qi Refining Fourth Layer? You’ve only been in the sect for two months! How could you possibly have advanced so quickly?" Yu Changao’s expression changed in an instant.

"I’m thriving in the sect, and I have Steward Chang looking out for me. He even rewarded me with a few Spirit Enhancement Pills last month. Is breaking through two minor realms really that difficult?"

Yu Changsheng’s words carried an imposing air.

Yu Changao’s expression turned ugly. He snorted. "So what if you break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer? There are plenty of servants in the selection who are stronger than you. It’ll never be your turn to advance!"

"Plenty of servants remain servants their entire lives. They never get a chance to rise up!"

He had barely finished speaking when Yu Zhiguo smacked him on the back of the head. "Shut up!"

The slap seemed to knock the arrogance right out of Yu Changao. He was dumbfounded.

He had never been struck by anyone in his entire life, and now his own father had hit him. He was twenty-five years old! How could he bear such humiliation? His eyes immediately reddened as he glared furiously.

"Changsheng, don’t mind him. You know your cousin’s temper."

"If I had known you were about to reach the Qi Refining Fifth Layer and participate in the sect selection, I never would have brought this up."

An embarrassed look flickered across Yu Zhiguo’s face. He glanced at Yu Changsheng sheepishly, then took out a Hundred Treasures Pouch and spoke.

"It’s just... about these Spirit Stones... I bought some elixirs for Yu Changao today, so there are only eighty left..."

Yu Changsheng was floored by his uncle’s shamelessness. ’I hadn’t even agreed, and he already went and spent the Spirit Stones my father sent!’

He was so angry he nearly started cursing, but then he remembered the man was his elder. Swallowing his disgust, he accepted the Spirit Stones.

’The only silver lining was that there were still eighty Spirit Stones left. Added to what he’d get from selling the Spirit Chicken King, it would be enough.’

"Uncle, please remember to pay the remaining twenty back to my father when you return," Yu Changsheng said, seeing no other option.

"Of course, of course. My family can certainly manage twenty," Yu Zhiguo said with a smile.

Yu Changsheng didn’t want to say another word. He bid them farewell, turned, and left. ’I have to write to Father about this,’ he thought. ’I can’t ever let Uncle deliver Spirit Stones again!’

After he had gone, Yu Changao finally burst out, "Father, why did you give him the Spirit Stones? Without those eighty, I might not be able to break through this month!"

Yu Zhiguo’s expression turned grave. He looked at his son and spoke.

"Didn’t you hear your cousin? He’s about to participate in the selection."

"But even if he reaches the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, you don’t actually think he can pass on his first try, do you?" Yu Changao said, unconvinced.

Yu Zhiguo said grimly, "But he has someone looking out for him."

"What if he succeeds?"

At that, Yu Changao fell completely silent.

The status of an Outer Disciple of the Wanxiang Sect was nothing like that of a servant. Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from their own clan would have to treat one with due respect.