The dining hall fell silent as all eyes turned to the tiny green shape perched on Liu Wei's shoulder.

The tortoise's high-pitched voice rang out again:

"I said, don't bully my disciple!"

For a moment, nobody moved. Then laughter erupted across the hall.

"Did that little turtle just call the new guy his disciple?" one disciple snickered.

"Maybe it's a new pet trick," another chimed in. "Next it'll do a backflip!"

The leader sneered at Zhi-Zhi. "Beat it, pipsqueak. This is between us and the street rat."

Kai watched closely, noticing something odd about Zhi-Zhi's demeanor. The little tortoise wasn't puffing out his chest or hiding in his shell like usual. Instead, his eyes were narrowed, and he seemed... serious.

Well, this is new, Kai thought. Looks like our little friend grew a backbone.

Liu Wei shifted uncomfortably, trying to whisper to the tortoise. "Zhi-Zhi, please, it's not worth getting involved. I can handle this. We don’t need to fight"

Zhi-Zhi raised a tiny claw, gently shushing Liu Wei. Then he turned to face the bullies, his small form radiating an unexpected intensity.

Suddenly, the air around them grew heavy. An invisible pressure descended on the group, making it hard to breathe. The bullies' eyes widened in shock as they felt the weight of Zhi-Zhi's aura.

One of them stumbled backward, his face pale. "N-ninth Stage," he muttered, his voice trembling. "How is this possible?"

The leader’s sneer faltered, replaced by a look of disbelief. "You're lying," he said, but his voice lacked conviction. His eyes darted between Liu Wei and the tiny tortoise on his shoulder.

"You're bullying Liu Wei because of his low cultivation realm, aren't you? Why don't you try bullying me instead?"

The leader’s face contorted with anger and embarrassment. "Don't mock me, you stupid turtle!" he shouted, lashing out with a qi-infused palm strike aimed at Zhi-Zhi.

In a flash, Zhi-Zhi retreated into his shell. The Inner Disciple’s attack struck the green surface and rebounded with shocking force. There was a sickening crack as the bully's own qi-enhanced strike smashed into his chest, sending him flying backward into his companions.

The dining hall fell silent as the lead bully crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. His friends stared in horror, looking between their fallen leader and the small tortoise that had emerged unscathed from its shell.

The bullies exchanged nervous glances, their earlier bravado evaporating as they realized that Zhi-Zhi was in fact a 9th Stage Qi Refining spirit beast.

"We... we didn't know he was your disciple," the leader stammered, as he tried to get back on his feet. "It was just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?” Zhi-Zhi’s eyes narrowed, and he gave a slow, deliberate blink. “Why did you attack me then?”

The leader took a step back, sweat beading on his forehead. "I... I just wanted to be sure you're at the ninth stage…"

"I see," he said, his tiny beak clicking softly. "Then I'm sure you won't mind handing over your spirit stones to make amends."

The bullies' jaws dropped. "Our spirit stones?" one of them squeaked.

"You heard me," Zhi-Zhi said. "Hand them over. Now."

Is this really happening? Kai's eyes widened as he watched the scene unfold. The little guy is robbing them!

With shaking hands, the bullies reached into their storage rings and pulled out small pouches. They hesitantly offered them to Liu Wei, who seemed just as shocked as everyone else.

Zhi-Zhi nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now, leave. And if I hear about you bothering my friend again..." He let the threat hang in the air, somehow managing to look menacing despite his small size.

The bullies scrambled away, nearly tripping over each other in their haste to exit the dining hall. As they disappeared, excited chatter broke out among the remaining disciples.

"Did you see that?"

"I can't believe they got robbed by a turtle!"

"It's not a turtle, it looks more like a tortoise!"

"And it's at the Ninth Stage of Qi Refining!"

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Zhi-Zhi turned to Liu Wei, his expression softening slightly. "You can keep the spirit stones," he said, his voice gentler now. "Use them for cultivation. Your, um... your current level could use a boost. Not that there's anything wrong with where you are now! It's just... well, there's always room for improvement, right?"

Zhi-Zhi's claws fidgeted slightly on Liu Wei's shoulder, betraying his discomfort at trying to phrase things delicately. "What I mean is, these spirit stones could really help you catch up to... I mean, advance your cultivation more quickly. Yes, that's it."

Liu Wei stared at Zhi-Zhi, his mouth hanging open. He looked the tortoise up and down as if trying to spot what had changed. "I... thank you," he managed to stammer out. "But... what happened to you? You're so... different."

Kai watched the exchange with interest, noting the shift in Zhi-Zhi's demeanor. Looks like his new master did more than just train him, he thought. He's actually starting to act like a proper cultivator. Even though he's uncomfortable being...nicer, that's still a lot of progress in a few days…what did his master have him do?

Deciding it was time to leave, Kai caught Chen Wei's eye and gestured towards the exit. As they stood to leave, Chen Wei looked surprised.

"Senior Brother, aren't we going to talk to your friends?" he asked as they walked out of the dining hall.

Kai shook his head. "Not now. They're having a moment, and it looks like they're growing well by themselves. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your friends is to let them stand on their own."

As they stepped out into the cool evening air, Kai's mind wandered back to his first encounter with Zhi-Zhi in the Whispering Forest. It hadn't been that long ago when he'd found the little tortoise hiding in his shell, terrified as rogue cultivators tried to kidnap him.

It wasn't long ago that Zhi-Zhi was cowering from low-level cultivators, Kai mused. Sure, he was facing weak opponents just now, but that confidence... it’s genuine. His master must be quite something.

He couldn't help but feel a small surge of pride. While he hadn't been directly responsible for Zhi-Zhi's growth, he had played a part in connecting the spirit beast with his new master.

Maybe I should check in on them soon, Kai thought. It'd be interesting to see how their training is going.

As they walked back towards Kai's quarters, Chen Wei's curiosity got the better of him. "Senior Brother, if you don't mind me asking... how did you become friends with a spirit beast? And such a powerful one at that?"

Kai chuckled at Zhi-Zhi being called powerful. "It's a long story, Chen Wei. Let's just say we ran into each other at the right time and place."

Chen Wei nodded, clearly bursting with more questions but too polite to press further. As they reached Kai's pagoda, Kai paused at the entrance.

"Chen Wei, I have a task for you," he said. "Could you go to the sect's treasury and collect my stipend? I believe as a Legacy Disciple, I'm entitled to a monthly allowance of spirit stones."

Chen Wei's eyes widened. "Of course, Senior Brother! I'll go right away." He hesitated for a moment before adding, "Um, would you like me to explain the different allowances for disciples when I’m back?"

"That would be helpful,” Kai nodded.

As Chen Wei hurried off, Kai entered his room and settled onto his cultivation pillow. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing as he waited for Chen Wei to return.

About fifteen minutes later, a knock at the door interrupted Kai's meditation. "Enter," he called out.

Chen Wei stepped in, carrying a small but clearly heavy pouch. He set it down carefully on a nearby table before turning to Kai with an excited expression. "I have your stipend, Senior Brother."

Kai nodded, gesturing for Chen Wei to continue.

"Well," Chen Wei began, "as an Outer Disciple, I receive 10 low-quality spirit stones each month. It's not much, but it helps with basic cultivation resources."

Kai raised an eyebrow. Ten stones a month? That's practically nothing.

Chen Wei continued, "Inner Disciples get 50 low-quality spirit stones monthly. It's a significant increase, which is why many Outer Disciples work so hard to advance."

"And Core Disciples?" Kai prompted.

"They receive 100 low-quality spirit stones each month," Chen Wei said, his voice filled with awe. "It's enough to purchase some truly valuable resources."

Kai nodded, processing the information. "And Legacy Disciples like myself?"

Chen Wei's eyes widened. "Legacy Disciples receive 1000 low-quality spirit stones every month, Senior Brother. It's... it's an incredible amount."

A hundred times what an Outer Disciple gets, Kai thought. The sect really values its Legacy Disciples.

"Tell me about the different qualities of spirit stones," Kai said. "How do they compare?"

Chen Wei's face lit up at the chance to share his knowledge. "Well, Senior Brother, it's quite interesting. One mid-quality spirit stone is equivalent to 100 low-quality stones. And one high-quality stone is worth 100 medium-quality stones!"

Kai's eyebrows shot up. "So, one high-quality stone is worth 10,000 low-quality stones?"

Chen Wei nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly, Senior Brother! As for anything higher than that..." He trailed off, looking a bit embarrassed. "Well, I'm afraid I don't know. Such high-grade spirit stones are beyond my knowledge."

Interesting, Kai thought. So there are even more powerful spirit stones out there. I wonder what they're capable of.

"Thank you, Chen Wei," Kai said. "You've been very helpful. You can leave the spirit stones here and take the rest of the evening off."

Chen Wei bowed deeply. "Thank you, Senior Brother. Is there anything else you need before I go?"

Kai shook his head. "No, that will be all. Good night, Chen Wei."

As the door closed behind his servant, Kai reached for the pouch of spirit stones. He opened it carefully, pouring the contents onto the table. A pile of glowing, crystalline stones tumbled out, each about the size of a large marble.

A thousand low-quality spirit stones, Kai mused. In game terms, this would be like starting cash. But it would be good to pay a visit to the treasury myself and make sure Chen Wei isn't swindling me. I don't think he is but it doesn't hurt to be sure.

He picked up one of the stones, feeling the gentle pulse of energy within it. It was tempting to start using them right away, to boost his cultivation and see how it compares to the spirit stones he retrieved from the bandit leader’s corpse, or purchase resources. But Kai knew better than to rush into things blindly.

First, I need to understand exactly what I'm working with. It's time to dive deeper into this cultivation system.

He set the spirit stone down and retrieved the jade-green scroll case he'd gotten from the library earlier from his inventory. As he unrolled the scroll on detailed information about the Qi Refining realm, Kai settled in for a long night of study.

This reminds me of cramming for finals back in college, Kai thought with a wry smile. Except now, instead of worrying about grades, I'm studying to avoid getting killed by cultivation mishaps.