3: Chapter 3 Stealing Energy and Picking Up Bargains Under the Moonlight

In the days that followed, Ye Qing began a disciplined and fulfilling life of "slacking off."

He would wake up before dawn and follow the other Utility Disciples to receive their daily chores.

When he was lucky, he would be assigned to weed the Spirit Medicine garden again.

If his luck was average, it would just be pure manual labor like carrying water, chopping wood, or cleaning.

But regardless of the task, Ye Qing could always find an opportunity to silently "glean" a bit of energy.

Weeding the Spirit Medicine garden went without saying; in his eyes, those weeds were no longer just pure trash, but tiny "experience packs."

His movements became increasingly skillful as he weeded, and the moment his fingertips brushed against the roots, the efficiency of absorbing life energy steadily improved.

The space within his body was expanding slowly and steadily, at a rate that was almost imperceptible each day.

From three feet square, to four feet, five feet...

The black soil in the center became increasingly "fertile," and the energy it fed back became purer.

His cultivation level broke through without a ripple on the evening when everything fell into place.

Qi Refining Stage 2.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, and it didn't even attract anyone's attention.

It was as natural as breathing.

At the moment of the Breakthrough, Ye Qing was sitting by the well behind the Servant Quarters, washing away the fatigue of the day.

That familiar warm current rose from his lower abdomen, flowed through his limbs and bones, and finally returned to his Dantian.

His Qi Sea expanded by a circle, and his magic power became much thicker and more solid.

The most obvious change was in his five senses.

In the night, the chirping of insects in the distance became clear, the sound of the well water rippling was distinct, and he could even smell the scent of vegetation from the distant mountains brought by the wind.

"Finally, I have some ability to protect myself."

Ye Qing scooped up a handful of cold well water and splashed it on his face, feeling the growing strength within his body.

At Qi Refining Stage 2, he was still at the bottom of the Qingyun Sect.

But compared to Qi Refining Stage 1, at least casting minor Spells wouldn't be as strenuous, and his physical strength and endurance were much better.

More importantly, the physical strengthening brought by the Breakthrough increased the efficiency with which he absorbed and converted the energy fed back by the space by a notch.

A virtuous cycle had begun.

The day after the Breakthrough, Ye Qing was assigned to the Spirit Medicine garden again.

This time, he was to take care of a newly cleared patch of "Clearing Heart Grass" seedlings.

Clearing Heart Grass was a Grade 1 Spirit Medicine with a weak calming effect, often used to refine "Calming Powder" to assist in Cultivation.

The seedlings were delicate and particularly sensitive to competition from weeds, requiring careful tending.

The team leader was an Outer Sect Senior Sister surnamed Chen, with Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation. She looked cold and aloof, didn't speak much, and left after giving instructions.

Along with Ye Qing, three other Utility Disciples were responsible for this area, one of whom was Zhang Feng.

"Be careful, everyone!"

Zhang Feng walked between the ridges with his hands behind his back, acting as if he were the manager: "Senior Sister Chen has given orders. This patch of Clearing Heart Grass is prepared for the Inner Sect Senior Brothers. If there is the slightest mistake, none of you will be able to bear the consequences."

The other two Utility Disciples nodded submissively.

Ye Qing also lowered his head, gave a grunt of acknowledgment, picked up his small hoe, and started working.

The weeds near the Clearing Heart Grass seedlings were a type of "Red Thread Grass" with narrow leaves and pale red roots, which had quite tenacious vitality.

When Ye Qing's fingertips brushed over the grass roots, he could feel a life energy more vigorous than that of ordinary weeds.

The space transmitted a joyful throb, and the absorption efficiency seemed to be a little higher.

"It seems that different types of plants contain different energies. Perhaps the weeds near the Spirit Medicine are of slightly better quality because they have been contaminated with Spiritual Qi for a long time?"

Ye Qing thought to himself while working silently.

His movements remained neither fast nor slow, fitting the normal level of a Qi Refining Stage 2 Utility Disciple.

The process of absorbing energy was extremely subtle; there was no light, no fluctuation, as if he were just pushing aside the roots.

"Hey, Ye Qing."

Zhang Feng had wandered over to his side at some point, frowning as he looked at Ye Qing's feet: "You've cleared the grass in your section quite cleanly, but this soil... why does it look a bit dark?"

Ye Qing's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't stop his movements, looking up with a confused expression: "Dark? Maybe... it's because it rained two days ago and the soil hasn't dried out yet?"

When he absorbed the life energy of the weeds, he did indeed take away a tiny amount of vitality from the soil near the plant roots, which might lead to subtle changes in the color and state of the soil.

But for the average person, it was extremely difficult to notice without looking carefully.

Zhang Feng squatted down, pinched a small amount of soil, rubbed it, and then brought it to his nose to smell it.

"Strange, there's no weird smell..." He muttered, unable to make anything of it, assuming he was just overthinking it, and waved his hand: "Forget it, be careful with your work. This patch of land is precious."

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhang."

Ye Qing acknowledged, but secretly remained vigilant in his heart.

He needed to be more careful when absorbing in the future; he couldn't just drain one patch of land intensely. He had to spread it out to avoid leaving obvious traces.

He slowed down his absorption speed and expanded the range, only drawing the thinnest wisp each time, letting it trickle like a long stream.

By the end of the day, although the growth speed of the space was slightly affected, it was safer.

At sunset, Senior Sister Chen came to inspect the work.

She carefully inspected every Clearing Heart Grass seedling and looked at the pile of cleared weeds, nodding slightly.

"Acceptable."

She took out four fingernail-sized, dull-colored stones from her Storage Pouch and gave one to each person.

"Today's payment: one Low-Grade Spirit Stone. If there is a need next time, I will look for you again."

Low-Grade Spirit Stone!

Ye Qing took the stone, which felt slightly cool to the touch and contained thin Spiritual Qi, his heartbeat accelerating slightly.

This was the first time since his Transmigration that he had received "standard" Cultivation resources.

Although it was only the lowest-grade Low-Grade Spirit Stone, for a Utility Disciple, it was already a rare hard currency.

The other two Utility Disciples were overjoyed and thanked her repeatedly.

Zhang Feng also carefully put his away, his face unable to hide his smugness.

Ye Qing followed their example, expressed his thanks, and held the Spirit Stone tightly in his palm.

He could feel that the space inside his body was transmitting a "longing" for this Spirit Stone that was more intense than for any previous item.

"No rush, I'll try it when I get back."

Ye Qing tucked the Spirit Stone into the innermost pocket of his chest, his expression calm.

Returning to the Servant Quarters, he hurriedly finished the bowl of spirit grain porridge that was so thin he could see his reflection in it. Ye Qing did not go to the trash heap to hunt for treasures as usual, but went straight back to the dormitory.

His roommates, tired from the day, were mostly lying down, and the occasional low conversation quickly fell silent in exhaustion.

Ye Qing lay on his bunk, holding his breath and focusing, confirming that everyone else was breathing steadily and had fallen into a deep sleep.

Only then did he carefully take out the Low-Grade Spirit Stone from his chest.

Moonlight shone in through the broken window, falling on the surface of the grayish-white Spirit Stone, reflecting a faint luster.

Inside the Spirit Stone, extremely weak, mist-like Spiritual Qi was slowly circulating.

Ye Qing took a deep breath, held the Spirit Stone in his palm, and sank his consciousness into the space within his body.

This time, he didn't need to guide it deliberately.

The space transmitted a clear, proactive suction, like someone who had been hungry for a long time smelling delicious food.

The Low-Grade Spirit Stone in his palm lost its luster at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning from grayish-white to pale white, and finally, with a "crack," turned into a pinch of white powder with no spirituality.

The pure Spiritual Qi, far exceeding that of weeds and pill dregs, surged into the space like a warm little stream.

The three-foot-square space shook violently!

The gray mist at the edges surged violently and quickly retreated backward.

Four feet... five feet... six feet...

It only slowed down its expansion after it had expanded to nearly a square zhang.

The black soil in the center of the space also expanded in area, its color becoming deeper and darker, and a layer of extremely thin, milky-white Spiritual Qi mist even appeared on the surface.

Immediately afterward, a surge of energy, more majestic and purer than any previous time, was fed back from the black soil, pouring into Ye Qing's limbs, bones, Meridians, and Dantian.

His Qi Refining Stage 2 cultivation, like a pond injected with clear spring water, "rose" visibly.

His magic power became more solid, and his Qi Sea expanded by another circle.

It seemed that the distance to Qi Refining Stage 3 was no longer too far away.

Ye Qing slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes in the darkness.

In his palm, the pinch of Spirit Stone powder drifted away with the wind.

"One Low-Grade Spirit Stone is worth many days of me secretly absorbing energy from weeds... and it's purer and easier to absorb."

He was shocked in his heart and also realized with absolute clarity the preciousness of Cultivation resources.

"No wonder Loose Cultivators have it hard, and Sect Disciples fight tooth and nail for a little bit of resources..."

Having resources versus not having them made a world of difference in Cultivation speed.

And the space within his body could almost maximize the utilization rate of a standard Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

"I must find a way to obtain more Spirit Stones, or things containing Spiritual Qi."

Ye Qing planned silently.

The pay for Spirit Medicine garden utility work was not fixed; sometimes it was there, sometimes not.

Although the trash heap was "free," good things were hard to come by.

"Perhaps... I can try to take on some paid chores, or..."

He remembered what Senior Sister Chen said today when she distributed the Spirit Stones.

"If there is a need next time, I will look for you again."

It seemed that handling private jobs for some generous Outer Sect or even Inner Sect Disciples was a good way to earn resources.

It just required an opportunity, and also needed him to demonstrate enough "value" and "reliability."

"I need to make the Utility Disciple 'Ye Qing' useful in a small circle, but without being too conspicuous."

In the darkness, the corners of Ye Qing's mouth curled up slightly.

This balance had to be handled well.

He closed his eyes again, his consciousness sinking into the space that had expanded to nearly one zhang.

The space was no longer so cramped; the black soil in the center was about the size of a tabletop, lying there quietly, with the Spiritual Qi mist on its surface slowly circulating.

A wonderful connection flowed between him and this space.

He tried to attach a wisp of consciousness to the gray mist at the edge of the space.

The gray mist fluctuated slightly, transmitting back a blurry feeling about the outside world.

It was very weak, like looking at the world through thick frosted glass.

He could only vaguely sense the most basic energy flow within a range of about a zhang around him—such as the thin Spiritual Qi in the air, or the weak blood energy emitted by his roommates in their sleep.

"Is this... the passive perception extension of the space?"

Ye Qing's heart stirred.

Although the range was small and the perception was blurry, this was undoubtedly an extremely useful ability.

It was equivalent to a micro-radar, allowing him to have a sharper grasp of the surrounding environment.

"I wonder if the perception range will increase and become clearer as the space continues to expand?"

He was full of anticipation.

The night deepened.

Ye Qing did not continue to Cultivate, but let himself sink into sleep.

Steady development required a good mental state.

The moment before falling into a deep sleep, he thought vaguely:

"Tomorrow, I must go to the Sect's General Affairs Hall to see if there are any long-term chores with slightly higher pay that aren't too conspicuous that I can take on..."

The moonlight shifted, illuminating his calm sleeping face.

The small world within his body, in the darkness, silently breathed in the imperceptible free energy from all directions, growing slowly and steadily.

Just like a seed buried in fertile soil, quietly waiting for the day it would break through the surface.