“Lin Hao has broken through!”

In the wooden house, Li Feilong sensed the aura of the breakthrough and stopped his cultivation, opening his eyes with a look of surprise on his face.

It’s worth noting that Lin Hao had been cultivating extremely slowly, with a so-called "useless" Five Elements spiritual root! To reach the second level of Qi Refining within just half a year of joining the sect—this speed was on par with someone with a four-type dual attribute spiritual root.

It was simply illogical!

However, recalling the rumors, Li Feilong realized that Lin Hao had consumed a spiritual fruit so precious that even the Sect Leader had been startled. This explanation made sense, and a look of envy appeared on his face.

That spiritual fruit could allow someone with a useless spiritual root to break through to Qi Refining Second Level in just half a year. If he had such a fruit, how much faster would his cultivation speed be?

"I still owe it to the low-grade spirit stone you gave me, Junior Brother Li," Lin Hao said with a smile after exhaling a breath of turbid air, his face showing excitement. Reaching the second level of Qi Refining meant he was one step closer to the requirement for becoming an outer disciple at the third level of Qi Refining.

A few days later, the morning was clear and bright.

In the Tenth Team's new disciple area, a young man with a long face, wearing outer disciple robes, walked toward Lin Hao with a cold expression. "Lin Hao, you've been here for half a year, you're no longer a new disciple. Come with me to the Elder Disciple area."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Lin Hao nodded and replied calmly.

The long-faced youth couldn't help but feel slightly puzzled. Normally, new disciples who were about to be transferred to the Elder Disciple area would be like dead men walking, but Lin Hao seemed completely at ease.

"Ah, no wonder you're so calm. You've already reached Qi Refining Second Level. Among the disciples here, your cultivation speed is considered quite fast," the long-faced youth remarked, suddenly surprised as he sized Lin Hao up. A Five Elements spiritual root reaching the second level of Qi Refining in such a short time was truly a miracle.

"Senior Brother, I just broke through recently, by pure luck," Lin Hao said, offering a humble smile.

"Junior Brother Lin, you're someone with great fortune! If I could get my hands on a spiritual fruit like the one you ate, I could probably break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining and become an inner disciple," the long-faced youth said, no longer cold, his tone now full of admiration.

In the world of cultivation, spiritual roots were important, but opportunities were sometimes even more crucial. They could change the course of one's fate.

Lin Hao, with his Five Elements spiritual root, would normally take decades to reach Qi Refining Second Level, but he had done so in just half a year.

The long-faced youth began to imagine just how incredible the effects of that "spiritual fruit" could be. If it weren’t for the sect leader, and if the fruit had not already been absorbed by Lin Hao, becoming part of his potential, and given that the sect was a righteous sect that prohibited direct harm among disciples, he imagined that some people might not be able to resist the temptation to kill Lin Hao and consume his flesh in hopes of getting even a fraction of the fruit's power.

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"Senior Brother, you're joking. Even though I ate the spiritual fruit, I still have a useless Five Elements spiritual root. The further I go in cultivation, the slower I will progress. Becoming an outer disciple would be a big achievement for me," Lin Hao said, being mindful to remain modest.

The long-faced youth, now intrigued, dropped his aloof demeanor and began to chat more casually with Lin Hao.

"After leaving the new disciple area, you'll have to mine ten jin of spiritual iron to earn a meal," he explained. "Although there’s twice as much work, the good part is that you’ll receive two low-grade spirit stones each year."

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for clearing that up for me," Lin Hao said, cupping his hands.

The two continued walking, and soon arrived at the area where elder disciples who had been in the sect for over six months lived. Wooden houses were scattered everywhere, making it look like a small village.

As expected of the Xuan Yue Sect, one of the four major cultivation sects of the Zhao Kingdom—there were thousands of elder disciples working in the mining area alone.

In addition to the mining area, there were also areas for pill refinement, spiritual herb cultivation, and weapon forging, meaning there were likely tens of thousands of servant disciples in total.

"The elder disciple area is divided into thirty-six teams, each with around one hundred members," the long-faced youth explained, leading Lin Hao further. He pointed to a wooden house and said, "You will be in Team Thirty-Two. That’s your house."

"Yes, Senior Brother." Lin Hao nodded.

After arranging everything for him, the long-faced youth quickly left.

Lin Hao entered the wooden house. Inside, he saw ten wooden beds.

In the new disciple area, rooms were shared by two disciples, but in the elder disciple area, each house had to accommodate ten disciples, and the conditions were much worse.

Since most disciples were out in the mines, the house was empty.

Lin Hao looked around and found an empty bed to put his meager belongings on. He also had two meal vouchers for the mining area, which could be exchanged for two bowls of spiritual porridge. So, he didn’t hurry to start work but instead took some time to familiarize himself with the environment.

The Elder Disciple area spanned across several large mountains, and the scenery was quite nice with lush forests.

Lin Hao walked around the area surrounding his new quarters before returning to the wooden house to meditate and cultivate.

In the afternoon, as the sun set and dusk fell, the door to the wooden house opened, and several servant disciples walked in.

"Hello, Senior Brothers. My name is Lin Hao. I’ve just been assigned here," Lin Hao said, ending his meditation and greeting the newcomers.

"Newcomer? What’s your cultivation level?" asked one of the larger disciples, frowning as he eyed Lin Hao.

"Replying to Senior Brother, I’m at the second level of Qi Refining," Lin Hao answered after a brief pause.

"Didn’t expect the new guy to be so strong!"

Upon hearing that Lin Hao had reached Qi Refining Second Level, all the disciples entering the room relaxed, and the larger youth smiled. "Junior Brother Lin, I’m Jiang Sheng, the strongest disciple in this house. If we want to live well in the Elder Disciple area, we need to stick together. Let me explain the rules here."

"Senior Brother Jiang," Lin Hao nodded.

"I’m sure you already know that in this area, we have to mine twice the amount of spiritual iron compared to the New Disciple area," Jiang Sheng continued. "We need to secure the best mining spots if we want to extract more spiritual iron."

"There are four of us in this house at Qi Refining Second Level, while the other six are at Qi Refining First Level."

"Right now, the mining spot we occupy produces a decent amount of spiritual iron, but other houses have their eyes on it."

"If anyone tries to take our spot, the four of us at Qi Refining Second Level will need to fight back and defend it."

"Understood, Senior Brother," Lin Hao said, relieved that Jiang Sheng was being polite.

"Also, the six at Qi Refining First Level will share some of their spiritual porridge with us as a reward for guarding the mining spot," Jiang Sheng added.

With Jiang Sheng’s detailed explanation, Lin Hao began to understand the situation in the mining area better. According to the rules of the Xuan Yue Sect, in the Elder Disciple area, every house of disciples acted as a team. To secure the best mining resources, teamwork was essential.