The next day, the servants gathered in one place.The number of servants, which usually hovered around fifty, had dwindled to a small group of fewer than ten.
"I hadn't noticed until now… when did our group shrink this much?" one asked, surprised.
"No idea," Wu Huang replied calmly. "Probably many servants were assigned to other groups. Over time, our group was reduced to a small elite. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but now the total number must have dropped enough that the sect had to bring in new servants directly instead of waiting for the next disciple selection."
Wang Xiong, not fully understanding the situation, could only nod.
"Looks like everyone is here," announced the head servant upon arriving, giving a slight nod to everyone. He wasn't alone; behind him was a group of thirty people.
"These are the new servants who will serve the sect alongside you. For now, they won't work in complicated areas; they'll just provide support from the back. Basically, you can ignore them and let them do as they please," the head servant briefly explained to the rest of the group.
"Now, here are your tasks," he said as he distributed everyone's assignments.
"Today I'm in charge of the spiritual plant garden," Wang Xiong said, frowning. Although it wasn't a physically demanding job, it was complex and required time and patience.
"And what about you?" he asked.
Wu Huang shrugged.
"They haven't given me anything yet, so it's probably the usual," he replied indifferently.
"That's all, you may leave," the head servant said, dismissing everyone. "Wu Huang, stay," he added, pointing at him.
Wang Xiong frowned and whispered to Wu Huang,"Did you do something for the head to call you personally?"
Wu Huang shook his head calmly.
"It's just a minor matter. You can go," he said, bidding farewell to Wang Xiong.
The other nodded, a little worried, and left.
Gradually, all the new and old servants departed, leaving only the head servant, a small maid, and Wu Huang.
"I'll assume she is Hong Jiu'er," Wu Huang asked, observing the young girl.
The head servant nodded.
"Yes, for now you'll be in charge of her. You'll receive the same spiritual stones as usual and won't need to go to the Vault of Knowledge while training her," he explained.
Wu Huang was surprised; he had expected to have to train her while also performing his other duties.
"How much do I need to teach her?" he asked.
"As long as you bring her to the fifth level of Qi Refinement, it will be enough. The exact amount of instruction is up to your discretion," the head said, handing him a small ring.
"That's all?" Wu Huang inquired.
"It's a storage ring. You'll find everything you need inside."
Wu Huang took the ring, slightly surprised, and inspected its contents. His spiritual power flowed into the ring, and he couldn't help but be astonished at what he saw before frowning.
"This won't do," he said immediately.
"Pardon?" the head asked, frowning, confused.
"This won't do," Wu Huang repeated. "The spatial ring contains countless elixirs, stones, and top-tier treasures—things only someone at the Foundation Establishment stage could obtain. If I try to use these on her, instead of helping, it would just break her cultivation. It would be better to finish her off directly than give her this."
"Explain yourself," the head servant said, his face dark, as if demanding clarity; his gaze could have torn Wu Huang apart if he didn't.
Wu Huang sighed and leaned back slightly, crossing his arms.
"Look, head…," he began calmly. "If I use any of these elixirs or stones on her, instead of progress, I'll destroy her cultivation. It's not laziness—it's common sense. She's not ready for something this advanced. It's like trying to fill a cup with a lake: it simply won't work and might even shatter from within."
The head servant frowned.
"So how are you supposed to train her then?" he asked in a deep voice. "This is a special case, and the sect expects results."
Wu Huang tilted his head and smiled with an expression of absolute disdain.
"If it's for training her, all she needs are low-level spiritual stones and efficient elixirs to help establish a solid foundation. That will allow her to advance smoothly. There's no need to use these elixirs—they're far too powerful for her."
The head servant gritted his teeth, clearly irritated, but he couldn't ignore the logic in Wu Huang's words.
"…So, you mean you'll only guide her with the basics?" he asked finally, lowering his voice a little.
"Exactly," said Wu Huang, with a carefree air.
The head servant closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, clenching his jaw.
"Hmp… What do you think, Elder?" he asked.
"Much better than I expected," replied the small maid.
Wu Huang narrowed his eyes, confused, as the small golden-haired maid began transforming in front of him, growing in real-time into someone he knew very well.
"Y-You…" Wu Huang said, his face pale. "Lady Shen Tianzhu… the disciple is honored to meet you," he added, immediately kneeling.
"No need to act like that. You've shown that you have good knowledge," Shen Tianzhu replied calmly.
"The humble disciple is grateful for your praise," Wu Huang replied immediately, still kneeling.
Shen Tianzhu turned to the head servant, who remained bowed in respect.
"Seems like you really selected someone capable," she said. "Although his words are a bit blunt, I can leave little Hong Jiu'er with him."
"This… the ring," Wu Huang said immediately, extending the spatial ring. The materials inside were far too valuable for someone like him to have unsupervised.
"Oh, that… keep it," Shen Tianzhu replied as she disappeared.
Seeing her leave, the head servant stood and lightly patted Wu Huang on the shoulder.
"Good job. If you had disappointed her, both you and I would have disappeared from this world," he said as he walked away.
Wu Huang remained motionless, almost fainting at that moment, unable to believe what had just happened.