The man’s voice outside was exceedingly bright.

  It was only natural.

  It had already been three days since we began sharing the duty chamber.

  Staying with someone one barely knew could hardly be comfortable.

  I, too, had been itching with restlessness, unable to enter the Subspace Ring for three days straight.

  And now, this tiresome cohabitation was finally over!

  After packing the few belongings I had, I stepped outside.

  Seeing me leave, Fellow Daoist immediately went in to gather his things.

  In any case, this was fortunate.

  Three days had passed since the Demonic cultivators’ assault, and there had been no news.

  How anxious I had been.

  If they were summoning us like this, the situation must have been settled to some extent.

  I was nearly driven mad with curiosity about the outside world.

  I missed the Plum Blossom Elder.

  As I hurried along, I fell into thought.

  Most of the officials of the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion staying here had lost their homes.

  I was no exception.

  Not only my house, but the entire street where I had lived had been consumed by flames.

  The question of future residence loomed large.

  Surely they would not make us live on the outer streets beyond the city center?

  The difference in survival rate between the central streets and the outskirts was like heaven and earth.

  I must not be sent there.

  When I stepped outside, all the officials of the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion had gathered in the wide courtyard.

  Aside from those who had been eating and sleeping in the duty chambers, others had come as well.

  It seemed an important announcement was about to be made.

  A trace of worry surfaced.

  In times like these, connections and information were everything.

  I began searching for Senior Brother Yang Dongwu and Senior Brother Ling Xuan.

  In the distance, I spotted them waving enthusiastically at me.

  I ran over with a smile and greeted them.

  “It has been a long time, Seniors!”

  “Oh ho, Junior Brother Xuanyuan. Have you been well?”

  Senior Brother Yang Dongwu welcomed me warmly.

  “Yes. Thanks to you, I remained safe. Were you both unharmed?”

  He shook his head repeatedly.

  “Say no more. The main residence is fine, but every shop we opened on the street was looted clean.”

  “Well, as long as we are alive, that is enough. I am choosing to see it positively.”

  It seemed Senior Brother Ling Xuan had suffered similarly.

  Still, he appeared calmer than Senior Brother Yang Dongwu.

  “Above all, it was not only us.”

  Was it that severe? I asked with concern.

  “Is the situation outside truly that dire?”

  “Ah, Junior Brother Xuanyuan does not know. Most of the shops within the city have been utterly destroyed, their goods plundered. Even the stores directly under Qingliu City suffered grievous losses.”

  “That is why the City Lord flew into a rage. All Core Formation Zhenren in the city came forth and slaughtered the invaders. It is said even a Nascent Soul Zhenren took action.”

  That was understandable.

  The daily revenue of Ryusim Pavilion alone was staggering.

  For so many spirit stones to fall into Demonic hands was no small matter.

  Senior Brother Yang Dongwu sighed.

  “And that is not all. The casualties within the city are grave… but outside the city is worse.”

  As expected… so it had come to this.

  The faces of the spiritual farmers who tilled the spiritual fields under Qingliu City’s authority surfaced in my mind.

  If the city itself had been ravaged to this degree, how could they have remained safe?

  Senior Brother Ling Xuan added darkly,

  “Yes. I heard there are villages entirely annihilated. Whole family lines wiped out. Among those here… not a few have lost their kin.”

  I raised my head subtly and surveyed the gathered officials.

  Some faces were unusually pale and grief-stricken.

  An entire village exterminated?

  I thought of the cultivation village where my original body had lived.

  That meant at least six to seven hundred per village had perished.

  The viciousness of the Demonic Path made my teeth grind.

  Most of them would have been mere mortals or low-level cultivators.

  So this was the cultivation world—where human lives were treated like flies.

  I could not even imagine the suffering of the dead.

  “So that was why the recovery seemed delayed… Given such events, resolving it in three days is swift indeed.”

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  With hundreds of thousands of lives lost within and beyond the city, three days was fast.

  A slight tension crept into me.

  “Seniors… what do you think? If war begins outright, will we all be deployed?”

  With their powerful family backgrounds, they would surely have better information.

  Senior Brother Ling Xuan glanced around before answering quietly.

  “I have not heard such talk. But after such humiliation, how could Qingliu City let it pass? The leadership must be deliberating.”

  Damn those Demonic scoundrels.

  Could we not simply live in peace?

  Senior Brother Yang Dongwu’s face turned pale.

  “Let us pray war can be avoided… What use are low-level cultivators like us on a battlefield but cannon fodder?”

  Even if they came from cultivation clans, once assigned to the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion, they were bound to obey its commands.

  Still, their situation was better than mine.

  They had family backing.

  The most precarious position belonged to me, a rootless cultivator from the mountains.

  At Senior Brother Yang Dongwu’s words, Senior Brother Ling Xuan spoke firmly.

  “Do not worry overly. We belong to the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion. Given the Pavilion Master’s disposition, he would not throw us into the heart of war.”

  It echoed what the Plum Blossom Elder had once said.

  Hearing both of them say the same eased my heart somewhat.

  If two well-informed sources agreed, the likelihood was high.

  As we conversed, the Pavilion Master entered the courtyard.

  “Ahem. Have you finished your chatter?”

  “Greetings, Pavilion Master!”

  We straightened at once and bowed.

  Now my fate—whether I would flee for the third time or remain—would be decided.

  Stroking his beard, the Pavilion Master began.

  “As you know, a great calamity has struck Qingliu City. The vile Demonic Path dared to trample our land and slaughter our people. Over two hundred thousand casualties have resulted. As for the vanished wealth, it need not even be mentioned.”

  What prelude was this?

  Unease stirred within me.

  Was war about to be declared?

  That would not do. I had yet to gather enough spiritual herb seeds and saplings.

  The Pavilion Master’s eyes shone fiercely.

  My chest tightened by the moment.

  “For this reason, Qingliu City enters immediate high alert as of today. You belong to the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion. If you are to die, you shall die here. From this day forward, you will eat and sleep here, sharing life and death together.”

  …Hm?

  This was unexpected.

  Did this not simply mean we would work, eat, and sleep here?

  Was that not excellent?

  For those like Senior Brothers with houses outside, perhaps it was inconvenient.

  For me, it was ideal.

  I recalled the past three days.

  Sharing a room with another had been slightly uncomfortable, but tolerable.

  After all, each meal had included spiritual rice dishes worth at least two spirit stones at an inn.

  Was I dissatisfied with two per room?

  At first, yes.

  But after seeing entire families crammed into one chamber, my complaints vanished.

  Flawless security without costing a single spirit stone—and guarded by Core Formation Zhenren besides.

  I lifted my gaze to the barriers and protective formations surrounding the Pavilion.

  Though they claimed we would guard it, was it not the Pavilion that guarded us?

  Relieved, I exchanged glances with my seniors.

  Senior Brother Yang Dongwu made a playful face.

  Senior Brother Ling Xuan spoke confidently.

  “See? Our Pavilion Master dislikes reckless sacrifice. Even if war breaks out, he will insist we remain to guard the Pavilion rather than send us away.”

  ***

  At that same time, within the highest hall of Qingliu City.

  City Lord Yuan Shu convened a council with the leadership, including the sole Nascent Soul Zhenren, Yuan Hao.

  Yuan Hao entered with an exceedingly bright expression.

  Half the city lay in ruins and countless had died—yet he smiled radiantly.

  Under questioning gazes, Yuan Hao spoke.

  “Ah, you have not heard yet. The Demonic Path’s Old Zhong is dead. Yes, the one who spied upon us and read heavenly secrets through his Heavenly Eye.”

  All eyes widened.

  “Is that true? Old Zhong was closely guarded by Mo Yan Hua, the Spirit Severing cultivator of the Demonic Path.”

  Yuan Haishui, leader of the Hunting Division, asked in shock.

  Yuan Hao burst into laughter.

  “Hahaha! That is the amusing part. Do you know who killed that wretched old man? Mo Yan Hua himself! He personally turned his cherished subordinate into a bloody pulp.”

  “Nephew, cease the suspense and speak plainly.”

  At the City Lord’s urging, Yuan Hao coughed.

  “Ahem. Old Zhong, greedy for profit, used his Heavenly Eye recklessly for payment and suffered backlash. His Heavenly Eye exploded. Enraged, Mo Yan Hua slew both him and the other party involved.”

  Silence fell.

  What unexpected fortune.

  Yuan Suo, Head of the Discipline Hall, snorted.

  “Hmph! Glad tidings indeed. That old man caused us countless losses. It would have been better had he died sooner.”

  “At least it is over. Otherwise, he would have plagued us for years. Heaven’s favor indeed.”

  Amidst endless bad news, this was the sole joy.

  City Lord Yuan Shu smiled.

  “With that old man gone, both our offense and defense will be easier.”

  As others smiled, one man remained dark-faced—Yuan Xiao, overseer of Qingliu City’s finances.

  “That is well, but the city’s situation is dire. Not only were all shops looted, most of those cultivating the spiritual fields perished. How are we to handle the remaining crops?”

  Yuan Jue, in charge of administrative affairs, agreed.

  “Indeed. So many spiritual fields will lie fallow.”

  The youngest Core Formation Zhenren, the radical Yuan Tie, interjected eagerly.

  “I have an idea. Many refugees have been scattered from destroyed villages. Why not bring them to cultivate the fields?”

  “Hm. That would solve manpower, but what of identity verification?”

  After successive infiltrations, vigilance against spies had intensified.

  This invasion itself had been aided by infiltrators.

  Yuan Suo grinded his teeth.

  “As Head of the Discipline Hall, I propose triple screening for all newcomers. And group them in units so they monitor one another.”

  Nods followed.

  The battle had been a crushing defeat for the righteous cultivators.

  A stricter system was needed.

  “That proposal seems sound. I agree.”

  “I as well. Extending mutual monitoring even to officials may not be unwise…”

  Thus one measure was decided.

  Yet Yuan Xiao’s face remained troubled.

  “But what if the newcomers lack talent in farming? Spiritual agriculture is not simple—especially in our city.”

  True.

  Qingliu City’s farmers had survived water scarcity and become highly skilled.

  Now many were dead.

  Training new ones would take time.

  Qingliu City supplied spiritual rice to the Heavenly Palace and beyond.

  “If the harvest decreases, there will be turmoil.”

  “Indeed. Spiritual rice from elsewhere lacks such dense spiritual energy.”

  Yuan Hao nodded.

  Because of Haoranzi’s Water Severing Formation, Qingliu City’s rice possessed exceptional flavor and spiritual energy.

  Hardship had made it superior.

  For high-level cultivators, it was a cultivation resource.

  Most revenues stemmed from it.

  Hence the annual Spiritual Rice Festival and competitions.

  At that moment, Yuan Shu proudly produced something—a Formation Plate.

  “Recently, I acquired an item perfectly suited for this situation.”

  All gazes focused.

  “What is it?”

  “It is called the Flowing Residue Formation Plate.”

  “Flowing Residue Formation Plate?”

  Even Yuan Hao, the Nascent Soul Zhenren, showed curiosity.

  Yuan Shu smiled confidently.

  “Indeed. A genius creation.”

  ***

  —Achoo!

  Why did I suddenly sneeze?

  Embarrassed, I looked at the Pavilion Master mid-speech.

  He glanced at me briefly and continued.

  “…Thus, you will reside together in one section of the Pavilion. Those who brought family may return them to newly arranged houses outside and then come back. Rooms will be one per person, and meals provided as before.”

  One per room.

  My eyes widened.

  At last, I could enter the Subspace Ring again.

  And properly examine the corpses—no… the harvest I had obtained.