“A Ji, good morning!”

“……”

On the last day of the three-day period, Lin Ji finally saw Lu Xiaobai wake up early for once. 

After greeting Lin Ji, Lu Xiaobai picked up a long broom and continued sweeping the ground. There were only three people on Luoxia Peak, and no servant disciples. Before Lin Ji joined, Lu Xiaobai had been managing the entire peak by himself. 

However, even servant disciples wouldn’t need to personally wipe tables or sweep the ground; as long as they learned the basic spells, controlling the wind and water to keep things clean would be a piece of cake. But for Lu Xiaobai, he had to do everything himself. Even the most spiritual trees would shed leaves, and just sweeping up the fallen leaves on Luoxia Peak would take him a whole morning. 

He looked calm and focused, his movements methodical. Lin Ji thought for a moment and simply closed his eyes to meditate beside him. 

After finishing his daily breathing practice, Lin Ji opened his eyes to find that Lu Xiaobai had already gathered all the fallen leaves together. But since leaves would continue to fall from the trees and the wind would blow, he swept the newly fallen leaves to the base of the tree. 

Lin Ji couldn’t help but ask, “You keep wasting time on these trivial matters. How can you make progress in your spiritual cultivation?” 

Lu Xiaobai paused after finishing that area and looked at him, “Who said I’m just sweeping? This is my training.” 

“I lack talent, and the old man said I should first temper my will. Don’t you understand that when a person keeps doing repetitive actions without needing to think, their mind can wander off in all sorts of directions?” 

“When I first started sweeping, I would always think about food, fun, and the beautiful female cultivators among my peers. I wondered if Su Qinghe would come looking for trouble again, or if some elder’s spiritual pet would come to steal my vegetables.” 

Lu Xiaobai rested his chin on the broom handle, “Now I only think about where I haven’t swept clean. If it were you, what would you think about?” 

Lin Ji pondered, “How to break through my realm, how to cultivate this set of sword cultivator techniques.” Also, how to win first place in a certain competition to gain the most resources to break through himself. 

Lu Xiaobai shook his head with a smile, “But you’re sweeping the ground; anything unrelated to sweeping is just a distraction.” 

Lin Ji: “……” 

He couldn’t deny it, but the phrase “sweeping monk” inexplicably flashed through Lin Ji’s mind. 

Thinking back to just now, Lu Xiaobai sweeping beside him wasn’t annoying at all; the rhythmic swishing sound actually helped him adjust his inner breath and enter a meditative state more quickly. 

Lin Ji raised his guard again; it seemed Long Aotian wasn’t completely useless after all. “So, you’re saying that sleeping all day is also a form of cultivation?” 

Lu Xiaobai replied, “Not at all. A few days ago, I took a Qi-nourishing pill I made myself, and it was too much. I need a few days to digest it.” 

In simpler terms, he was too stuffed to move. No wonder he hadn’t been able to eat much when he cooked recently. 

Lin Ji found it somewhat comforting that Long Aotian wasn’t slacking off, but then he heard him say, “Haven’t you gone to the spiritual artifact library to pick out the gift the old man wants to give you? Once I’m done here, I’ll take you. The old man has been reminiscing at Qiushui Pavilion lately and hasn’t had time for us.” 

“……” 

Lin Ji realized that at one point, he had thought Lu Xiaobai was just a lazy bum, which was his biggest misunderstanding of him. He watched as Lu Xiaobai finished sweeping, dampened a cloth to wipe down the buildings, went to the pond to feed the fish, and even went to the spiritual field to weed and water the plants… 

But why was he working in front of him? Even though Lu Xiaobai never once asked him for help, Lin Ji felt embarrassed just watching him, after all, they still needed to assist each other as brothers. In the end, he inexplicably joined in, and didn’t even use any spells. 

“A Ji, is my cooking really that good?” 

On the way to the spiritual artifact library, Lu Xiaobai suddenly leaned over, resting his arm on Lin Ji’s shoulder and asking him. Lin Ji felt a warm breath brush against his ear, and he jumped in surprise, quickly pushing him away. “You’re too handsy!” After a pause, Lin Ji coldly added, “We’re not that close, so there’s no need to be so familiar.” 

Lu Xiaobai looked at his hand that had been pushed away, a look of confusion on his face: “Is this being handsy? Don’t you have a few good friends? It’s normal for brothers to be close like this; we’re all men.” 

Lin Ji looked at him in disbelief: Why is he making such a wronged expression as a man? 

After a while, he explained fiercely, “I take time to warm up to people, and I don’t have friends.” Is that good enough? 

Lu Xiaobai wouldn’t let it go, flashing his signature bright smile: “Then I’ll help you make friends in the future. You still haven’t answered me; how was the food I made?” 

Lin Ji turned his head abruptly: “Average.” 

Suddenly, Lu Xiaobai leaned in again, resting his shoulder against Lin Ji’s, his left hand seemingly about to make a hand sign. 

Lin Ji was first startled, then confused, his heart alert to whether the other was about to attack, squinting his eyes and staring at Lu Xiaobai’s hand. 

Lu Xiaobai held up three fingers: “Then why did you eat three bowls last time? Hahahaha!” 

After saying that, he turned around, hands behind his back, walking away with a carefree demeanor, leaving Lin Ji stunned in place. After a while, he reacted and roared, “What nonsense! Are you sick?” 

It took Lin Ji a long time to realize that Lu Xiaobai was just being cheeky, not sick. 

The earlier dispute ended with Lin Ji raising two fingers, gathering spiritual energy, and creating a gust of wind that sent a pile of dry leaves flying onto Lu Xiaobai’s head. 

The two of them walked in a brotherly manner to the spiritual artifact library. Lu Xiaobai tidied his hair and returned to a calm demeanor, taking out a key to unlock the door, then tossing a key to Lin Ji. 

“Our Luoxia Peak, and even the entire Peifeng Sect, isn’t the kind of place that sticks to rigid rules. The old man asked you to come pick something out, so just come yourself. In the future, if you need anything, feel free to borrow from the spiritual artifact library, but it’s only for the two of us.” 

Lu Xiaobai mentioned that Meng Wanqiu had experienced a lot in his years, with the biggest event being the calamity that befell cultivators a hundred years ago. 

The great calamity of heaven and earth came intermittently, but it was impossible to capture the exact time and intervals. When cultivators encountered it, it was called “meeting the calamity.” Surviving meant living, while failing meant death. 

“Though it’s called a calamity, it’s not limited to natural disasters or man-made ones; the forms of calamity vary. Ancient texts only record a few instances because the history of mortals cultivating is just that long.” 

For example, a thousand years ago, the entire cultivation world experienced a sudden drop in temperature, plunging into extreme cold, freezing spiritual beings to death. Even cultivators couldn’t withstand it, and corpses were everywhere. Only a very few who practiced ice-type spells and had high cultivation could endure. 

People killed each other for food and the last bit of resources, and in the end, a powerful being risked their life to go to the legendary Yandi Valley to retrieve fire seeds, saving the cultivation world. However, that legend is so ancient that it’s untraceable, and the name and whereabouts of that powerful being were never recorded. 

A hundred years ago, it was a man-made disaster, caused by a certain overly clever and gifted guy who called himself Mo Shangxian, who believed in sacrificial cultivation. He thought that as long as he gathered everyone’s essence and spiritual energy into himself, he could enjoy the great path and ascend to immortality. 

For this, he hid and survived in the early stages, practiced evil techniques to absorb the cultivation of powerful beings, and schemed to establish the first major sect. In the end, he openly enslaved the masses, capturing cultivators from all over the world to refine them. 

Mo Shangxian was so powerful that no one could stop him, and in the end, he ascended and was struck by lightning during his tribulation, but the entire cultivation world was left in ruins. 

“From a certain perspective, it’s probably the way of heaven balancing all beings. The disasters, wars, and conflicts that humans must endure are also unavoidable in the cultivation world.” 

“The injuries on our master were sustained a hundred years ago when he fought against Mo Shangxian to protect Peifeng Sect, and they still haven’t healed completely.” 

Lu Xiaobai pricked his finger to draw a drop of blood and placed it on the barrier, forming a hand seal and chanting a few words. Soon, the barrier no longer obstructed them. 

Every magical artifact in the spiritual artifact library had its own protective spell, and they could only be viewed with the eyes. 

Lin Ji stepped forward and observed a crimson battle robe in the center for a long time before moving his feet, imagining how it would look on Meng Wanqiu. 

If he didn’t know the past, he might admire those who stood up at critical moments, but he knew this world was constructed from stories, and it left a bitter taste in his heart. 

He secretly glared at the oblivious Lu Xiaobai. 

The advantages of meeting calamities weren’t nonexistent; after each great calamity, the world would always produce many rare magical artifacts that cultivators had never heard of before, but the opportunities were always seized by the protagonists. 

They didn’t even need to fight for them; as long as the plot developed naturally, the protagonist would arrive at the relevant places, find them, or even have others hand them opportunities on a silver platter. 

All the settings were merely stepping stones for the Long Aotian protagonist. 

“Have you decided which one you want to pick? If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.” Lu Xiaobai suddenly turned back and smiled at him. 

Lin Ji lowered his gaze to hide his self-mocking and unwilling expression. He thought he should find a way to kill Lu Xiaobai; perhaps if he died, the world would be a bit fairer. 

During this time, Lin Ji seemed to show interest in every magical artifact, feigning curiosity to ask questions, and Lu Xiaobai happened to know a lot about each item, patiently answering him. 

He wanted to make things difficult for Lu Xiaobai but ended up not being able to. 

Lin Ji then calmed down and seriously began to sift through the items, suddenly being attracted by a small glowing object surrounded by a halo: “What is this? It’s so small I can barely see it.” 

Surrounded by the halo was a box smaller than a palm, seemingly containing a few glowing granules. 

Lu Xiaobai said, “This is a silkworm egg that the old man brought back from Tianshan. After raising the silkworms to spin silk, it can be refined into a magical artifact called Silk Fang Jin. Junior Brother, your eye for detail is impressive; you only pick the most exquisite items.” 

Lin Ji was speechless: “…… Why do all of the master’s magical artifacts have such soft-sounding names?” 

He thought that armor would have a powerful name, but it turned out to be called “Sun and Moon Light.” When introducing weapons in a competition, it had no sense of lethality at all. 

Lu Xiaobai seemed to be waiting for him to ask, and upon hearing this, he leaned in again and lowered his voice: “I heard that the old man was also a hot-blooded youth with iron bones a hundred years ago, but unfortunately, he was struck down by Mo Shangxian. When his life was hanging by a thread, a female immortal saved him, but then she left gracefully.” 

“Since then, he has been unable to forget her, and his temperament has changed from being as tough as steel to being soft and gentle.” 

This was a private matter of Meng Wanqiu, and Lu Xiaobai’s excited expression showed that he had been holding this in for a long time, finally finding someone to confide in. 

Unfortunately, Lin Ji’s reaction was flat; telling him this brought no sense of satisfaction, and he simply responded with an “oh” to indicate he understood: “Then I’ll take this one.” 

“Alright, but you’ll have to raise the Silk Fang Jin yourself; just don’t let it die.” Lu Xiaobai’s enthusiasm waned as he used the method he had just used to unlock the barrier to retrieve the box and placed it in Lin Ji’s hands. 

Lin Ji tried to make his gaze and expression appear innocent and harmless for his age, curious and ignorant: “Aren’t you going to ask me what I plan to use this for?” 

As long as he collected the silk produced by the heavenly silkworms and put it into a furnace for refining, it would become impervious to water and fire, sharp as a blade. 

It could be used as a hidden weapon, for self-defense, or to prevent others from attacking, and it could even kill silently. 

Lu Xiaobai waved his hand dismissively: “No need; as long as you like it.” 

He turned around first, holding back laughter in his heart: Lin Ji… your acting skills are really lacking. 

Speaking of which, Lin Ji glanced at the spiritual sword in Lu Xiaobai’s hand, which was probably the one Meng Wanqiu had him pick from the spiritual artifact library, named Mo Huai. 

The magical artifacts collected by Meng Wanqiu were not inferior, but they were just the initial items obtained by Long Aotian; either they would later be refined into better items, or they contained great energy unknown to others from the start. 

But the Mo Huai sword surprisingly never transformed into a stunning magical artifact nor was it replaced; Lu Xiaobai carried this sword throughout the entire story, perhaps because he didn’t primarily cultivate swordsmanship. Anyway, that was the only setting Lin Ji could think of. 

After the two finished picking out magical artifacts, they returned to their cave dwelling. Lu Xiaobai insisted on helping him settle the silkworm eggs, claiming he was good at raising various spiritual creatures. 

“A Ji, do you have a container for the silkworm eggs?” 

Lin Ji secretly rolled his eyes at him, opened the bag he carried, and Lu Xiaobai turned his head to look, his eyes instantly lighting up. 

A Ji’s bag contained a lot of gold, silver, golden leaves, pearls, and silver notes! 

“How do you have so much money?” Lu Xiaobai barely managed to retract his drooling gaze, pretending to be curious as he asked. 

Lin Ji replied, “It’s what I brought from home.” 

Originally, he had taken the money to distance himself from the cultivation world and make a fresh start in the bustling human realm, but upon seeing Lu Xiaobai, he changed his mind. 

Thinking this way, Lin Ji couldn’t help but scold himself for being indecisive, feeling guilty for a moment. 

He didn’t see the increasingly sincere greed appearing on Lu Xiaobai’s face, who was practically itching to try his luck. 

With so much money, A Ji probably couldn’t hold it all; he had to find a way to get some over.