Refining the Mountains and Rivers

As the sun fell, the blazing hot temperature began to cool.
Warm rays of light shrouded over the medicine garden as the lush fragrance of spiritual plants in their thousands of shapes and postures began to bloom.

Qin Yu bent over, tightening the wire fence.
After making sure that it wouldn’t fall over he stood up straight.
Suddenly, he violently coughed and a light blush crept up his pale white cheeks.

The light of the setting sun pierced through the canopy of treetops and illuminated the youth, covering half his face in long shadows.
With his thin body and eyebrows, he couldn’t be considered handsome.
There were a few faint spots that marred his looks, but even so he seemed inexplicably kind.

The reason for his current state was that a wild boar had broken into the medicine garden earlier this year.
The manager of the garden had experienced a moment of kindheartedness and had allowed Qin Yu to escape the pitiful fate of death by hanging, but, he had still been punished and his wounds hadn’t received proper treatment.

Afterwards, there was still that little boy called Potato who had looked after him while he was lying ill and coughing on the bed all day, but his complexion remained paler than that of the average man and he was often mocked as a sickly ghost.

Even so, Qin Yu remained smiling.
He turned and looked around indifferently.
He was an orphan, and ever since he was young he had understood the truth of the fist – that strength was what mattered in this world, so he would never provoke unnecessary trouble.
He tidied up some items, and after some time he bowed down and began to clean the blue stone tiles covering the ground.

This sort of stone was the most famous of the Eastern Mountain Sect.
It was defined by its excellent toughness and high quality.
Many cultivating sects liked to use these stones to construct their sect entrances, and they could be regarded as one of the key products to come from the Eastern Mountain Sect, earning them a considerable number of spirit stones.
Of course, outer court disciples like Qin Yu would never be fated to obtain a high end cultivation item like a spirit stone.
Most spirit stones entered the pockets of the Sect Master and various Elders, with only a small number trickling down to the other disciples.

Even after seven years in the Eastern Mountain Sect, would he be able to afford a single one of the blue stone tiles beneath his feet with the entirety of his wealth? Thinking of this, Qin Yu’s complexion darkened and he felt burdened.
He was well aware of his talent and knew that he was doomed to a life of mediocrity; he wouldn’t have thoughts that he shouldn’t have.

It was time.

Qin Yu picked up his shovel and began to carefully clean it.
He was responsible for the blue stone roads near the medicine garden.
All year round there would be pollen, flower petals, leaves, and all sorts of things that were swept out by the wind.
When these fell on the stone road they became extremely difficult to clear off.
Thus, the tip of this shovel had been enhanced with a little bit of iron used to forge magic tools.
Although it only came to the size of a grain of rice, the shovel’s degree of sharpness increased by several levels.

Potato always joked that this shovel was Qin Yu’s most valuable treasure and could be considered a ninth-grade magic tool.
However, the reality was that it belonged to the Eastern Mountain Sect in actuality and he only had the right to use it.

“That brat, what a dirty mouth!” Qin Yu quietly scolded; even as the corners of his lips curved up.

Suddenly, a laugh echoed out from afar.
Despite the person’s attempts to make their laugh seem as natural and free as possible, they still couldn’t cover up the rampant flavor behind it.

Qin Yu was startled.
He quickly drew back to the side, bowed his head, and cupped his hands across his chest.

“Third senior-apprentice brother’s martial talent defies the heavens.
In just 27 days he broke through seven boundaries and reached Foundation Establishment, this is simply a record that has never existed in my Eastern Mountain Sect before!”

“Let alone my Eastern Mountain Sect, you cannot even find someone that can compare with Senior-apprentice Wei Wei within 100,000 miles of the Southern Empire!”

“Senior-apprentice Brother Wei Wei, I have had many questions about my cultivation recently.
I wonder if senior-apprentice brother has any time tonight to help me with them?”

“Junior-apprentice Sister Zhang, just who do you think Senior-apprentice Brother Wei Wei is? He has already scheduled his daily cultivating time.
If you want to ask your senior-apprentice brother for tips, then you must make an appointment at least three days in advance.”

Within the crowd of people, the one with the loudest and brightest laughter was the third senior-apprentice brother.
He was surrounded by young and beautiful girls on both sides.
Their laughter was like bells and as they snaked around him they wittingly or unwittingly brushed by his body.
In addition with the looks of deep admiration in their eyes, it left one even more enchanted by them.

Qin Yu was left dazed for a moment.

It was unclear just what third senior-apprentice brother Wei Wei’s origins were.
According to his bragging, he had an ancestor that was once a military officer belonging to the royal family, and that ancestor possessed a peak Golden Core cultivation.
When he was judged to have sufficient talent in cultivation, his name was changed by his clansmen so that he could one day reach the same heights that his ancestor reached in the past and revive the glory of his clan.

In the past, everyone had considered his bragging words a joke.
This third senior-apprentice brother’s name might have sounded grand, but his character and attitude weren’t beautiful at all.
His words were sharp and biting and he was someone who haggled and took advantage of whoever he could.
When one compared him to a seemingly cold and wise military officer of the royal family, it was simply too hard to see the similarities between them.

But beginning two months ago, this third senor-apprentice brother seemed to have decided to write his own epic story of rising from the grass and into the heavens.
In 27 days he broke through the seven boundaries of Energy Refining and entered Foundation Establishment with unstoppable force.
Then, he continued to rush forwards and it was said that just yesterday he reached the third boundary of Foundation Establishment.

Let alone a tiny faction like the Eastern Mountain Sect, even if this cultivation speed were placed amongst one of the grand immortal cultivation sects it would still be amongst the best of the best!

On the same day that third senior-apprentice brother broke into the Foundation Establishment realm, he prayed and begged overnight to the Sect Master.
On the next day, he was officially acknowledged and formally accepted.
From that point on, third senior-apprentice brother was like a salted fish that came back to life.
He became a direct disciple of the Sect Master and his fame and prestige rose to the peak!

On that day, the nearly thousand-strong outer court disciples of the Eastern Mountain Sect turned red-eyed with envy.

In these days, third senior-apprentice brother seemed to have become the sect’s future hope.
The other direct disciples were placed under increased pressure even as the third senior-apprentice brother continued blazing forwards with unstoppable arrogance.

“Fellow junior-apprentice brothers and sisters, you praise me too much.
I have just stepped onto the road of cultivation and am trying to guard against developing arrogance and insolence.
You all shouldn’t be trying to harm me like this.” Wei Wei’s expression was puckered up in anticipation of all the flattery he was about to receive.
And as expected, some people said, “‘Senior-apprentice brother is too modest,” “I am completely sincere,” as well as “Senior-apprentice brother’s heart is as stable as a rock, how can we possibly shake it?”

With his eyes flitting over the crowd one at a time, Wei Wei’s eyes paused on Qin Yu for a brief moment.
But soon, he retracted his gaze, his expression indifferent.
The two of them no longer stood at the same level and were destined to no longer intersect in the future, so what did it matter if they knew each other in the past?

As the laughter faded away, there were a few faintly angry and coy cr