Uncle Sun's face was so wrinkled that he looked like an old, bitter gourd.
"What… what is going on?" He pointed toward the depths of the herb garden, where the once lush and vibrant spiritual herbs were now visibly withering, as if their life force had been drained.
A strange fluctuation of energy spread through the air, sending chills down everyone's spines.
The surrounding servant disciples secretly sighed in relief that they hadn't been chosen to investigate.
This job was basically a death sentence!
"Xiao Bei," Uncle Sun hesitated for a moment before finally calling out his name. "Go take a look."
The other servant disciples cast sympathetic glances at him, thinking that Xiao Bei had enjoyed a few lucky days, but now his good fortune had probably run out.
"Uncle Sun, look—" Lin Hu's eyes darted around before he suddenly stepped forward. "This herb garden is full of danger. If Xiao Bei goes alone, he might get into serious trouble. Why don't I go with him so we can look out for each other?"
Everyone was stunned.
Since when did Lin Hu become so kind?
Was he plotting something?
Xiao Bei glanced at Lin Hu with a half-smile, sneering inwardly.
I was just looking for a chance to deal with you, and you delivered yourself right to my door.
"Alright," Xiao Bei agreed readily. "With Senior Brother Lin coming with me, I feel much more at ease."
Lin Hu was slightly surprised by how easily Xiao Bei agreed.
Originally, he planned to ambush Xiao Bei along the way. But now that Xiao Bei had accepted so readily, he felt a strange sense of unease.
"Be careful," Uncle Sun instructed. "If anything feels wrong, come back immediately!"
"Don't worry, Uncle Sun!" Xiao Bei patted his chest confidently.
The two walked side by side into the depths of the herb garden. The further they went, the stronger the strange energy fluctuations became.
"Xiao Bei," Lin Hu said in a sinister tone, "don't you think the atmosphere here feels a little strange?"
Xiao Bei's lips curved into a faint smile. "Oh? What's strange about it?"
Just as Lin Hu was about to speak, Xiao Bei suddenly grabbed his arm and pointed ahead.
"Senior Brother Lin, look!"
The moment they stepped deeper in, a freezing aura washed over them. The surrounding air seemed to solidify.
Withered spiritual herbs lay scattered everywhere, as if their vitality had been forcibly drained by some unknown power.
A complex formation was carved into the ground, emitting an eerie red glow like demonic eyes, sending waves of fear through the air.
"Damn, what is this?" Xiao Bei pretended to be shocked, eyes wide, though inwardly he was thinking:
This formation looks a bit like…
A cultivation version of a Tesla coil?
A sinister glint flashed through Lin Hu's eyes. Pretending to be concerned, he stepped closer to Xiao Bei.
"Be careful, Junior Brother Xiao. This formation looks extremely dangerous."
As he spoke, Lin Hu suddenly lifted his leg and viciously kicked Xiao Bei in the back!
That's it?
Xiao Bei sneered inwardly. He had long expected Lin Hu to try something.
He twisted his body slightly and cleanly dodged the attack.
Lin Hu's kick struck empty air. Losing his balance, he stumbled forward several steps and fell straight into the formation.
"Ah—!"
A scream tore through the silent herb garden.
The red light within the formation flared instantly, completely enveloping Lin Hu.
A terrifying suction force erupted from the center of the formation. Lin Hu struggled desperately, but it was as if an invisible hand had pinned him down, leaving him unable to move.
Xiao Bei crossed his arms and calmly watched Lin Hu struggle.
"Senior Brother Lin, have a safe trip. I won't see you off."
Lin Hu's face turned deathly pale as he stared at Xiao Bei in terror.
"Xiao Bei! You… you really—"
Xiao Bei shrugged innocently. "Senior Brother Lin, this isn't my fault. You fell in by yourself."
Then his eyes gleamed with mockery.
"But…"
He crouched down and looked at Lin Hu, who was howling miserably inside the formation, as if admiring an insect trapped in a spider's web.
"Tsk tsk. This formation looks pretty interesting."
Xiao Bei pulled out the multifunctional trenching tool he had brought from the modern world—a tool that had become indispensable to him since transmigrating.
He began carefully digging along the formation's patterns.
"Xiao Bei! Help! It's draining me dry!" Lin Hu screamed hoarsely as his spiritual energy was rapidly devoured by the formation.
Xiao Bei ignored him, humming softly while studying the formation.
Although it looked terrifying, its operating principles gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.
It really does resemble a cultivation version of a Tesla coil…
"Could this be used for wireless energy transfer?" Xiao Bei stroked his chin, making a bold guess.
Following the flow of the patterns, he adjusted several formation nodes with his tool.
As he did, the red glow gradually weakened, and the suction force also began to fade.
"Huh? Did I actually get it right?"
Xiao Bei's eyes lit up as he continued adjusting the formation.
Suddenly, a crimson light flared—and a pure wave of energy surged from the center of the formation, rushing straight into Xiao Bei's body.
"Damn!"
Xiao Bei was caught off guard by the sudden influx of energy. A warm current rushed through his body, clearing blocked meridians in an instant.
An unprecedented sense of power flooded his entire being.
Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have successfully reached Qi Refinement Level One!
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
At the same time, the red light vanished completely, and the suction force stopped.
Lin Hu collapsed onto the ground, face pale, body weak, as if all his strength had been drained.
Xiao Bei stood up, brushed off the dust, and felt completely refreshed.
He noticed an ancient-looking manual in his hand, with four large characters on the cover:
"Secret Manual of Spiritual Herb Cultivation."
"Heh, looks like I struck gold this time."
He tucked the manual away with a grin.
Then he looked at Lin Hu, who lay on the ground barely alive.
"Senior Brother Lin, how are you feeling? Want to try again?"
Lin Hu struggled to lift his head, his eyes filled with hatred.
After a long while, he staggered to his feet, pointing at Xiao Bei with a weak but venomous voice.
"Xiao Bei! You… you just stood there and watched me almost die!"
Xiao Bei wore an expression like an older brother on the subway staring at his phone.
"Senior Brother Lin, you're really good at faking accidents. You were the one who tried to ambush me first, and now you're blaming me? Want me to help you recall the force and angle of your kick?"
At that moment, Uncle Sun and Steward Zhao arrived in a hurry with a group of disciples.
Seeing the chaos in the depths of the herb garden, Uncle Sun's face darkened.
"What happened? What went wrong?"
Lin Hu saw Uncle Sun and immediately clung to him like a lifeline, crying out tearfully:
"Uncle Sun, Xiao Bei… he almost killed me! That formation… it's extremely dangerous!"
Xiao Bei simply shrugged, wearing a believe it or not expression.
He explained everything, omitting anything about the system or modern knowledge, only saying that he had accidentally disrupted the formation.
After hearing this, Uncle Sun's expression became even uglier.
He looked at Lin Hu with deep disappointment.
"Lin Hu, I am deeply disappointed in you. As a senior brother, you should set an example. Instead, you harbor malicious intentions and frame your fellow disciples. This truly breaks my heart!"
Lin Hu's face went pale, and he was left speechless.
Steward Zhao snorted coldly.
"I'll let you off this time since it's your first offense. But if there is a next time, I will not be so lenient!"
Lin Hu lowered his head, not daring to argue, but his hatred toward Xiao Bei only deepened.
In the following days, news of Xiao Bei reaching Qi Refinement Level One spread like wildfire.
Some envied him. Some were jealous. Some looked down on him.
But no matter what, Xiao Bei's position in the herb garden was now completely secure.
He was no longer a servant disciple who could be bullied at will—but a dangerous character who could protect himself and even strike back.
That night, Xiao Bei sat cross-legged on his bed, feeling spiritual energy flow through his body, a faint smile on his lips.
Qi Refinement Level One was only the beginning.
He knew that in the cultivation world, the strong prey on the weak, and only the fittest survive.
If he wanted to carve out a place for himself, he had to grow stronger—constantly.
He pulled out the Secret Manual of Spiritual Herb Cultivation and opened it under the moonlight.
"The Netherworld Flower? Tsk tsk, that name sounds powerful…"
Xiao Bei stroked his chin, eyes shining with excitement.
"Looks like I'll have to find a chance to test it out…"
Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he looked out the window at the dark night sky and murmured softly:
"I wonder… how she is doing now…"