Tian Shu Wu Wang Lu

During the day, he works hard to earn the meager sect contribution points needed to survive. When the night is quiet, it is Lin Ye's exclusive time for cultivation.

He remained huddled in the corner of the servants' quarters, using the pure energy from the delivery box to continuously circulate the "Tian Shu Wu Wang Lu" day and night.

Since the box merged into his body, he could not only summon it at will, but also absorb the power of heaven and earth to nourish him. His cultivation speed was several times faster than before, and the golden star power in his body became more and more abundant.

The golden light of his spiritual root, which was initially as thin as a hair and invisible to anyone, gradually grew thicker under the constant nourishment of the star power. Although it was still far inferior to that of an outer disciple, it truly supported him in becoming stronger step by step.

In his spare time, he would hide in a secluded spot in the back mountain, repeatedly familiarizing himself with the mental connection with the box. From the initial stagnation, he eventually learned to instantly put the box into his body with a thought, without leaving any flaws.

He fumbled around and put the only dry rations he had into the box. The box could actually hold the items in place on its own, without damage or being noticed, making it his own personal storage space, even more discreet than the storage bags of sect disciples.

As the days went by, Lin Ye remained an inconspicuous outer gate servant, doing the dirtiest and most tiring work, being looked down upon and scolded by others, as low-key as dust.

But only he knew that the star power within his body had already accumulated to a considerable level, and his physical body had become resilient under the nurturing of the star power. He was no longer the weak man who would fall over at the slightest push or get injured at the slightest blow.

That day, as he carried water toward the kitchen, he passed through a path on the back mountain and encountered several outer disciples again.

This time, however, the leader was not the skinny guy from that day, but an arrogant inner disciple, surrounded by several outer disciples who looked respectful.

The inner disciple's gaze suddenly fell on Lin Ye, with a hint of scrutiny, and he spoke calmly:

"So you're the handyman who protected the strange box and disobeyed the orders of the outer sect senior brothers?"

Lin Ye's heart sank, but his face grew even more humble. He immediately put down the water bucket, bowed deeply, and spoke in a low voice:

"This disciple was unaware and offended my senior brother in a moment of confusion. I hope you will forgive me."

He lowered his head, his fingertips slightly tucked in, and his stellar energy quietly receded within him.

He still doesn't want to cause trouble and still wants to keep a low profile.

A warm, golden light flowed quietly within his body, and the connection between his left arm and the box became increasingly clear.

Lin Ye lowered his eyes, concealing all his sharpness, and quietly waited for the outcome to change.

The inner disciple, dressed in a blue robe with cloud patterns, stood with his hands behind his back. A faint aura of star power emanated from him, and his arrogance was evident in his eyes. He swept his gaze across the forest, his tone disdainful:

"A mere servant dares to hoard strange objects and violate sect rules. It seems that the discipline of the outer sect is becoming increasingly lax."

The outer disciples beside him quickly bowed and echoed his sentiments.

The skinny man stepped forward, his face full of respect:

"Senior brother is wise! This lad's spiritual root is so weak it's almost invisible, and he's always acting suspiciously. That box is strangely unusual; he's protecting it with his life, so it must contain something he's hiding!"

Lin Ye hung his head, inwardly cursing:

What weird object? That's my delivery box! It's insulated, durable, and can even be used as a storage bag. It's a hundred times more practical than the junk from the sect. You bunch of cultivators who've gone mad don't know anything!

They even violated the sect rules! I didn't steal or rob anything. What rule did I break by protecting my belongings? So cultivators can bully working-class people at will?

His face trembled slightly, his voice became even more humble, even tinged with a sob, and his body hunched over slightly.

"Senior brother, you are wise. That's just a broken wooden box I found, filled with some scraps of dry food. I wouldn't dare hide anything else... I'm just so afraid of being poor that I'm being so protective of it..."

As he spoke, he subtly shrank back, feigning timidity, but inwardly he was calculating with crystal clarity:

Absolutely not! Not even a tiny bit!

Inner disciples are selected by the sect based on merit, and their cultivation and techniques far surpass those of outer disciples.

Even though these ordinary outer disciples in front of him all had clear spiritual roots and their cultivation was far superior to his, he was still impressed.

He barely managed to condense a meager amount of star power by relying on the warmth of a takeout box, and had never even come into contact with basic combat techniques.

Let alone an inner disciple, even a random outer disciple would be no match for him in a head-on confrontation; it would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

If a real conflict breaks out, at best he'll be beaten so badly he'll be bedridden, delaying his ability to fetch water and chop wood to earn contribution points—that's his life-saving wage.

In severe cases, the secret of the box will be exposed, leading to expulsion from the sect and a gruesome death in the cultivation world overrun by spirit beasts!

The inner disciple frowned, clearly disbelieving, and with a slight ripple of starlight around him, calmly gave the order:

"search."

Upon receiving the order, the two outer disciples immediately rubbed their hands together and walked towards Lin Ye, their eyes filled with ill intent, completely disregarding this useless servant.

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat, but outwardly he appeared terrified, his legs going weak. He immediately squatted down, covering his head with his hands and cowering into a ball, looking like a quail that had been bullied. He repeatedly begged for mercy, his voice trembling:

"No, no, no! Senior brothers, please have mercy! That box is really worthless, it's so broken it's unusable. Don't get your hands dirty!"

His utterly pathetic appearance instantly amused the disciples, and the tense atmosphere dissipated considerably.

The inner disciple frowned even more, thinking that this servant was cowardly as a mouse, with star power so weak as to be almost non-existent, not even comparable to the hem of an outer disciple's robe. He couldn't possibly be hiding any treasure, and thought the outer disciple was making a mountain out of a molehill and wasting his time.

The skinny disciple, however, was unwilling to give up and stepped forward to pry at Lin Ye, his tone fierce:

"Stop talking nonsense! Just search us, what are you hiding!"

Lin Ye seized the opportunity and, as the other party reached out, pretended to be terrified. He let out a soft "Ouch!" and lunged to the side, precisely avoiding the other party's palm while also lightly bumping the other party's knee.

The disciple was not paying attention and stumbled, almost falling over. He glared at Lin Ye angrily, but assumed that Lin Ye was just too cowardly to control himself and didn't think anything of it.

"Look, senior brother, he still dares to hide!"

Lin Ye immediately lay down on the ground, trembling all over, burying his head even deeper, his voice shaking uncontrollably:

"This disciple didn't mean it! I was just too scared, my hands and feet wouldn't obey me! This disciple knows his mistake, senior brother, please forgive me!"

He didn't reveal a single bit of his star power throughout the entire process, only instinctively dodging, and conserving his meager star power to the extreme.

In everyone's perception, he was a useless servant with no cultivation and who could be easily manipulated.

The inner disciples, finding this scene utterly boring, waved their hands and reprimanded:

"Enough! What kind of treasure could a lowly servant with weak star power and almost completely ruined spiritual roots possibly possess? He's nothing but a poor, greedy wretch. Don't waste your time here; we still need to patrol other areas."

Having said that, he didn't even bother to glance at Lin Ye again, and coldly warned:

"From now on, behave yourself and work properly. If you dare to act suspiciously again, you will be expelled from the sect!"

Lin Ye lay prostrate on the ground, responding repeatedly, his voice filled with fear:

"Yes, yes, yes! This disciple has remembered! I will definitely work hard in the future and will never dare to be disrespectful! Thank you for your kindness in not punishing me, senior brother! Thank you, senior brother!"

They looked so obedient and humble, as if they wanted to kowtow on the spot, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Seeing that their senior brother from the inner sect had spoken, the disciples said no more.

The skinny disciple glared at Lin Ye, then could only turn and leave with the others.

Only after the footsteps faded into the distance did Lin Ye slowly get up from the ground and dust himself off.

His hands, hanging by his sides, slowly clenched, and the last trace of timidity in his eyes faded, leaving only a calm and sharp edge.

He remembered the humiliation he suffered today.

Today's survival is not out of fear.

It's so that in the future, we can get back all the principal and interest at once.