One Month Later.
The Teleportation Plaza of the Ancient Xie Clan buzzed with activity. A massive formation array, carved into the obsidian floor, hummed as it tore open a rift in space.
From the rift, a group of ragged, awe-struck youths stumbled out. They gasped for air. The spiritual density of the Imperial Heavens was so high that for a mortal from the Lower Realms, every breath felt like drinking heavy syrup.
Among them stood a boy of fifteen. He wore coarse linen clothes, his knuckles were calloused, and his eyes burned with an unyielding fire.
Lin Tian. The "Son of Destiny."
"So this is the Upper Realm," Lin Tian whispered, clenching his fists. "The Qi here... it's a hundred times denser than the Flowing Cloud Sect! If I cultivate here, I can break through to the Spirit Ocean Realm in a year!"
'Don't get arrogant, brat,' a weary, ancient voice echoed in his mind. It came from the rusted black iron ring on his finger. 'The Qi is dense, but the people are vipers. You are here as a servant, not a guest. Keep your head down.'
"I know, Master," Lin Tian muttered internally. "I will endure the humiliation. One day, I will make the Ancient Xie Clan regret treating me like a slave."
"Silence!"
A Xie Clan steward, dressed in blue silk, floated down from a platform. He looked at the new arrivals with undisguised disgust.
"You are the 'Labor Disciples' purchased from the Lower Domains. You are not human here. You are tools. If you work hard, you get Spirit Stones. If you slack off, you become fertilizer."
The steward began assigning roles.
"You three, the mines. You five, the beast pens. You..." He pointed at Lin Tian.
Lin Tian straightened his back, radiating a faint aura of defiance.
The steward frowned. He didn't like the look in this kid's eyes. Too sharp. Too much "pride."
"You look like a troublemaker," the steward sneered. "We don't need hot-blooded heroes here. You are assigned to the West Peak Herb Garden."
The other servants gasped.
The West Peak was the residence of the "Sickly Young Master," Xie Feng. Everyone knew it was a dead-end job. The Young Master was a cripple who rarely left his tower. There was no chance for promotion, no chance to gain favor with powerful Elders.
But Lin Tian's eyes lit up.
'Master! A secluded garden! It's perfect! I can cultivate in secret without powerful eyes watching me!'
'Hmph,' the voice in the ring grumbled. 'Perhaps. But remember, luck and calamity walk together.'
The West Peak, The Silent Courtyard.
The Herb Garden was vast, filled with purple bamboo and glowing medicinal flowers. The air was misty and quiet.
Xie Feng sat in a pavilion overlooking the garden, sipping tea. A thick book lay open on his lap.
"He is here?" Xie Feng asked, not looking up.
"He is hoeing the soil in Section 3," Ghost One's voice whispered from the shadows. "He is very diligent. He has already found three 'Spirit Worms' and secretly fed them to his ring. He thinks no one saw."
Xie Feng smiled faintly.
"The Ring of the Old Sovereign. It eats spirit essence to repair the remnant soul inside. A classic parasite."
Xie Feng closed his book.
"Let's go greet our new gardener."
Lin Tian wiped sweat from his forehead. He was exhilarated.
While digging, he had sensed a strange fluctuation in the soil.
'Master, did you feel that?'
'Yes,' the voice in the ring replied excitedly. 'There is a high-grade energy source buried deep under this soil. It seems the Xie Clan missed it! If you can absorb it...'
"You have good form."
A soft, wheezing voice broke Lin Tian's concentration.
He spun around.
A boy in a wheelchair sat on the stone path a few meters away. He looked younger than Lin Tian—maybe ten or eleven—but his face was pale and sickly. He wore expensive white robes, but he looked like a gust of wind could kill him.
This must be the Trash Young Master, Lin Tian thought. Xie Feng.
Lin Tian quickly bowed, hiding the disdain in his eyes. He hated these young masters—born with silver spoons, wasting resources while geniuses like him had to scrape for scraps.
"Servant Lin Tian greets Young Master Feng."
Xie Feng coughed into a handkerchief, then looked at Lin Tian with tired, glassy eyes.
"You are the new one? The steward said you were... spirited."
"I just work hard, Young Master."
"Good," Xie Feng nodded. He pointed a pale finger at a patch of withered black grass in the corner. "That is Ghost-Face Grass. It is very delicate. It hasn't bloomed in three years. If you can make it bloom... I will reward you."
Lin Tian looked at the grass.
'Master?'
'It's suffering from Yang deficiency,' the Ring Spirit analyzed instantly. 'Pour a little of your Pure Yang Qi into the roots. It will bloom overnight.'
'Too easy!' Lin Tian smirked internally.
"I will try my best," Lin Tian said humbly.
Xie Feng watched him for a moment longer.
"Do not disappoint me, Lin Tian. I like things that grow."
Xie Feng rolled his wheelchair away.
As he turned the corner, the "sickly" expression vanished instantly, replaced by a cold smirk.
The Ghost-Face Grass wasn't suffering from Yang deficiency.
It was a Karmic Beacon.
Xie Feng had modified it. If Lin Tian poured his specific "Son of Destiny" Qi into it, the grass wouldn't just bloom; it would link Lin Tian's "Luck" to the garden's array.
Pour your energy, little hero, Xie Feng thought. The more you invest in my garden, the more your luck becomes my harvest.
Three Days Later.
It happened at midnight.
Lin Tian was meditating in his servant shack.
Suddenly, a golden light erupted from the garden.
He rushed out. The patch of Ghost-Face Grass had bloomed. But it wasn't black anymore. It was golden.
And in the center of the bloom, a small, crystalline fruit had appeared.
'Heavens!' The Ring Spirit gasped. 'That isn't Ghost-Face Grass! That is the legendary Dragon-Soul Grass! It was disguised! Lin Tian, eat it! Quickly! Before anyone sees!'
Lin Tian's heart pounded.
A Dragon-Soul Grass? That was a Tier-6 medicine! It could cleanse his marrow and boost his cultivation by three stages instantly!
'But... it belongs to the Young Master...'
'Fool!' The Ring Spirit scolded. 'The cultivation world is survival of the fittest! The Young Master doesn't know what it is! If you leave it, a steward will just steal it. Take it! It is your Opportunity!'
Lin Tian grit his teeth. Right. The Heavens gave this to me.
He snatched the fruit and swallowed it.
BOOM!
Heat exploded in his stomach. He sat down and began to refine the energy.
His cultivation roared.
Spirit Ocean Stage 1... Stage 2... Stage 3!
He broke through three levels in one night!
Lin Tian opened his eyes, feeling invincible.
"I did it! With this strength, I can enter the Outer Sect competition!"
High above, in the tower window, Xie Feng watched the scene with Ghost One.
"He ate it," Ghost One said. "That was a Void-Parasite Fruit disguised as Dragon-Soul Grass. Young Master, why did you feed him that? It really did increase his cultivation."
"It did," Xie Feng sipped his tea. "But the Void-Parasite is now in his bloodstream."
Xie Feng tapped his finger on the windowsill.
"From now on, 10% of every ounce of cultivation Lin Tian gains... will be silently transferred to me."
"He thinks he got a lucky encounter. In reality, he just signed a contract to be my battery."
Xie Feng felt a warm stream of pure, refined Qi flow into his body from thin air. It was pure, high-quality "Protagonist Qi."
His own Void Treading cultivation nudged forward slightly.
"Work hard, Lin Tian," Xie Feng whispered, raising his teacup to the moon. "The path to the Emperor is long, and I need you to carry the luggage."