Wang Pan pushed the door open, helping the child in, and said, “Greetings, Senior Brother Lu. Senior Brother Lu, he’s injured. Do you have any medicine here?”
“Oh, what happened?” Lu Sancai asked in surprise, looking at the child’s bruised and swollen face.
Wang Pan didn’t answer but looked at the child.
The child cried, saying, “Senior Brother Lu, three people upstairs were snatching other people’s Storage Pouches. They tried to snatch mine, and when I refused, they hit me, boo-hoo-hoo…”
“Outrageous!” Lu Sancai’s face darkened as he said, “You wait here. I’ll go catch them.”
He took two steps, then walked back, reaching into his Storage Pouch at his waist. He pulled out a small medicine bottle and a roll of white gauze, then said to Wang Pan, “You apply the medicine and bandage him.”
“Yes, Senior Brother Lu.” Wang Pan took the medicine bottle and nodded.
Lu Sancai left, and Wang Pan quickly bandaged the child.
He asked the child’s name, which was Zhang Tiefeng.
His name was originally Zhang Tie, but he said the Immortal who registered his name added the character ‘Feng’ at the end.
After applying the medicine, Wang Pan said, “Tiefeng, you wait here. I’m going back first.”
The child didn’t think much of it, nodded, and said thank you.
Wang Pan left Lu Sancai’s room, but instead of going upstairs immediately, he went to the courtyard outside to look around.
The courtyard was spacious, with only a few Disciples curiously looking here and there.
He estimated that Lu Sancai must have already brought those three people back, so he returned to the dormitory.
At this moment, in Lu Sancai’s room, Zhao Quan and the other two stood with their heads bowed, while Lu Sancai sat opposite them.
“Well, well, at such a young age, you’ve learned to rob.” Lu Sancai sneered, “Who taught you to do this?”
Zhao Quan looked up briefly, then lowered his head again, saying, “It’s like that where we’re from; the strong rob the weak.”
“This is Purple Cloud Sect, not your bandit den!” Lu Sancai said, “This kind of behavior, harming fellow Disciples, is absolutely not allowed.”
“How much did you snatch?”
“Sixteen Storage Pouches.” Zhao Quan took out all the Storage Pouches, looked up, and smiled ingratiatingly, saying, “Senior Brother Lu, I’ve also heard that Cultivation is difficult, and Cultivation resources are even more precious.”
“Doesn’t everyone’s Storage Pouch contain five Spirit Stones? How about this: you take three from each Storage Pouch, leaving us two? What do you think, Senior Brother Lu?”
“Oh, really?” Lu Sancai couldn’t help but smile, saying, “So you’re trying to bribe me.”
“This is what you deserve.” Zhao Quan quickly said, “You will have to manage these children’s food, drink, and daily needs in the future. You are a benefactor to them, so what’s wrong with them repaying you a little?”
“Or, you can take four, and just leave us one.”
Senior Brother Lu looked at Zhao Quan, then suddenly smiled and said, “You are a talent, but still, don’t overdo it.”
“How about this: from the Spirit Stones in each Storage Pouch, I’ll take one, you take one, and we still need to leave one for those little children. Otherwise, it won’t look good if the higher-ups investigate.”
“Yes, yes, whatever you say.” Zhao Quan bowed repeatedly and quickly handed all the dozen or so Storage Pouches to Lu Sancai.
They had no magic power now and couldn’t open the Storage Pouches; only Lu Sancai could open them.
Lu Sancai handled these Storage Pouches for a long time, then returned them all to Zhao Quan, saying, “Only a steady flow can last. You can’t drain them all at once, Zhao Quan, you must remember this.”
“Yes, Senior Brother’s guidance is correct.” Zhao Quan nodded repeatedly.
“Alright, I severely condemn your actions. Don’t let it happen again. Go return these Storage Pouches to their owners.”
“Yes, goodbye, Senior Brother Lu.”
Zhao Quan looked at the dumbfounded Zhang Tiefeng, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, then left.
They really returned the Storage Pouches to those children, but those children didn’t know that two Spirit Stones were already missing from each Storage Pouch.
Wang Pan didn’t know, nor did he care. He was still diligently writing characters with a wooden stick.
At night, when everyone else was asleep, Wang Pan was still writing.
Because he went to bed late, he heard the clanging sounds coming from a nearby room again.
“You little brat, how dare you tell on us! You’re tired of living!”
It was Zhao Quan and the other two beating Zhang Tiefeng again.
“Sigh.” Wang Pan shook his head, glad that he hadn’t gone to report them alone. He returned to his room and continued writing.
The next day, he woke up early. After washing up, he went to Zhang Tiefeng’s room again to check on his injuries.
“Boo-hoo-hoo, they hit me again!” Zhang Tiefeng cried again.
“Don’t cry. I’ll go ask Senior Brother Lu for medicine and come back to apply it for you.” Wang Pan wiped his tears and comforted him.
“Thank you, Senior Brother Wang Pan.” Zhang Tiefeng was deeply moved.
“It’s nothing. We’re fellow Disciples now, so just wait.”
Wang Pan went to Lu Sancai again and said, “Senior Brother Lu, Zhang Tiefeng fell last night and got bruised and swollen. I’d like some medicine to apply for him.”
“Oh, really?” Lu Sancai looked at Wang Pan with a smile and asked, “Are you sure the injuries were caused by falling himself?”
“Yes, a fall.” Wang Pan nodded affirmingly.
“Mm.” Lu Sancai nodded and said, “You are a sensible one. Take this bottle of medicine and gauze; you don’t need to return them.”
“Yes, thank you, Senior Brother Lu.”
Wang Pan took the medicine and went back to apply it for Zhang Tiefeng, which moved Zhang Tiefeng to tears, and he kept saying thank you.
Wang Pan said, “In the future, when you see Zhao Quan and them, keep your distance and don’t provoke them.”
“I’ll listen to Senior Brother.” Zhang Tiefeng nodded, sniffling.
After applying medicine for Zhang Tiefeng, Wang Pan took him to eat. After the meal, the first lesson of Cultivation was about to begin.
All the new Disciples of Third Peak gathered in the square, where Zhou Yan began to explain the basic Cultivation formulas, with a few older Qi Refinement Stage Outer Sect Disciples assisting among the Disciples.
Zhou Yan lectured for three consecutive days, ensuring that all Disciples recognized the characters of the basic Cultivation formulas and understood their meanings. On the fourth day, he finally allowed them to begin their first formal Cultivation.
In the square, all the new Disciples sat with their eyes closed, meditating, breathing in rhythm, and sensing the surrounding Spiritual Qi.
“I feel the Spiritual Qi!” a female Disciple exclaimed.
“Good.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Wang Meisha.”
Zhou Yan looked at Wang Meisha’s information: 10 years old, Fourth-grade Spiritual Root.
“Good, continue to Cultivate.”
Soon after, another Disciple cried out, having sensed Spiritual Qi. Zhou Yan asked for their name and kept it in mind.
Gradually, six or seven Disciples sensed Spiritual Qi, and Zhou Yan recorded them all.
These Disciples all had Fourth-grade pseudo-Spiritual Roots. None had Fifth-grade miscellaneous Spiritual Roots.
Wang Pan frowned, unable to sense Spiritual Qi for a long time.
“Alright, that’s all for Cultivation today. You can continue to try when you go back.” Zhou Yan said, then turned and left.
Back in the dormitory, Wang Pan lay on his bed, his eyes vacant.
It seemed his Aptitude for Immortal Cultivation really wasn’t great.
Even with a Fifth-grade miscellaneous Spiritual Root, he couldn’t even be among the first to sense Spiritual Qi.
He refused to believe it and tried to sense it all night, barely sleeping, but still didn’t succeed.
The next day, it was still group Cultivation, and a few more Disciples sensed Spiritual Qi. They were all Fourth-grade pseudo-Spiritual Roots.
But Wang Pan still hadn’t sensed it.
“Am I too nervous?” Back in the dormitory, Wang Pan pondered, “Junior Martial Uncle said to relax, and I haven’t managed to do that.”
“Sigh, I’ll sleep in the cave tonight. Maybe I can feel more at ease in there.” He thought to himself.
In the dead of night, Wang Pan’s mind stirred, and he entered the cave.
The cave was still the same, but Wang Pan had put more things inside.
All of them were food.
There were the initial bran cakes and coarse flour cakes, as well as the more delicious chicken drumsticks, meatballs, and osmanthus cakes that he had put in not long ago.
All he could do now was store more food for emergencies.
What if he needed it later? It’s never wrong to be more prepared.
He now felt that the things placed in this cave should not disappear; the initial bran cakes had always been there and had not gone bad.
He slept in this cave for one night, woke up before dawn the next day, and returned to the dormitory.
He felt refreshed and invigorated, as if sleeping in the cave made him feel especially at ease.
Today was still group Cultivation, sensing Spiritual Qi.
Wang Pan sat cross-legged on the ground, took a few deep breaths, relaxed his body and mind, circulated the formula, and began to sense.
Slowly, slowly, he began to sense tiny specks of various colored light, flowing bit by bit towards his Dantian.
It was exactly like Junior Martial Uncle Zhou Yan described for absorbing Spiritual Qi and Cultivating.
“I feel the Spiritual Qi!” Wang Pan exclaimed, opening his eyes.