The conflict between the Supervisory Division and the Kitchen House had lasted for many years. Though there had been countless clashes, both sides had always kept things under control, never allowing them to escalate too far—at most, just a few injuries.
This particular fight, ignited by the trial path incident, lasted only about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn. Under the fists and kicks of Zhang Dapang and the others, Chen Fei and his Supervisory Division men ended up black and blue. They had no choice but to take out several spirit stones to pay for the damaged gate before leaving, full of resentment, after throwing out a few threats.
Before leaving, Chen Fei glanced back at Bai Xiaochun, who was still posing all mysteriously atop the fence. His hatred deepened. Ever since Bai Xiaochun had joined the Kitchen House, things had just gone from bad to worse.
The brawl drew the attention of the entire servant quarters. When many of the southern bank's servants realized even the Supervisory Division couldn't do anything to the Kitchen House, they were furious. But others—like Hou Xiaomei—saw the Kitchen House's actions as a potential opportunity for themselves.
When the next month came and the trial path opened once again, the Kitchen House disciples were the first to arrive, standing tall and proud at the entrance. All around them, fellow servants glared with fury.
Zhang Dapang cleared his throat and shouted to the crowd,
"Fellow disciples, if you can climb faster than us, then you don't need to buy our quotas. We're doing this for the sect—to encourage healthy competition and select the best of the best!"
This speech had been taught to him by Bai Xiaochun. The moment he said it, the surrounding servants clenched their teeth in rage.
When the bell finally rang and the trial path opened, everyone charged forward as if their lives depended on it, determined to beat the Kitchen House.
But before long, they could only watch helplessly as the fat figures of the Kitchen House vanished into the distance—leaving them behind again.
Ironically, Zhang Dapang's words seemed to come true.
With another successful run under their belts, the Kitchen House disciples were riding high. Their fame now shook the entire servant quarters. Though they had always been well-known before, they had now reached the peak of their notoriety.
Two more months passed. Each time the trial path opened, the Kitchen House crew would dash off with high spirits. To them, those days had become "spirit stone payday."
Bai Xiaochun was just as excited. As his stash of spirit stones grew larger and larger, he was getting close to the amount needed to buy the herbs for his Longevity Pill.
When the trial path opened again one morning, Zhang Dapang, Hei Sanpang, and the others got up early and headed off together. The nine of them split into small groups, and Bai Xiaochun's trio headed straight for Xiangyun Mountain.
But halfway there, people from the Supervisory Division suddenly appeared and, without any proper reason, picked a fight. Outnumbered, Bai Xiaochun's group was held back for a while.
As soon as the bell rang, Zhang Dapang panicked, eyes turning red with fury.
At that moment, the Supervisory Division disciples scattered, clearly having achieved their goal of delaying them. Enraged, Zhang Dapang cursed and swore vengeance. The trio immediately took off, racing toward the trial path entrance.
"Those damned bastards from the Supervisory Division! Once I'm back, I'm calling every brother we have to flatten their division!" Zhang Dapang roared as he pushed himself to the limit. His fat was literally burning for fuel, and he visibly slimmed down as his speed increased.
Bai Xiaochun was furious too. He was only a few spirit stones short of his goal. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his speed to the max and, together with Zhang Dapang and Hei Sanpang, began passing one servant after another on the way up.
As they neared the mountaintop, their expressions turned dark. Near the exit stood three figures, blocking the path.
At the front was none other than Chen Fei from the Supervisory Division. The two men behind him were both at the third level of Qi Condensation. The three of them smirked when they saw Bai Xiaochun and his companions approaching.
"Zhang Dapang, Bai Xiaochun—you're late! But no worries. We just so happen to have some quotas. Want to buy one?"
"Despicable! Shameless scum!" Zhang Dapang's eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
"Since it doesn't break any sect rules, if the Kitchen House can do it—so can we!"
"Haha! This business now belongs to the Supervisory Division!"
Their voices stabbed into the ears of Bai Xiaochun's group. Clearly, this was premeditated—they had deliberately delayed them earlier to take over the business.
Zhang Dapang roared and looked ready to fight. He knew there was no avoiding it now—and he was prepared to brawl for his spirit stones. Hei Sanpang was equally furious.
But before they could make a move, Bai Xiaochun's eyes lit up. He whispered quickly,
"Senior Brother, charge straight ahead and push them onto the summit. Even if we lose the stones this time, we must destroy their business for good!"
Zhang Dapang's eyes lit up with glee. Bai Xiaochun was truly full of "evil water." Laughing wildly, he bolted forward. Hei Sanpang also grinned, and the two formed a wall of flesh as they charged shoulder to shoulder up the narrow path.
Their speed was astonishing.
Bai Xiaochun followed behind, yelling at the top of his lungs.
Chen Fei and his men didn't hesitate—they attacked immediately. But no matter what they did, they couldn't withstand Zhang Dapang and Hei Sanpang's charge.
These two had gone berserk. Their mad dash was enough to shake heaven and earth.
Boom! The first Supervisory disciple was slammed off the path and up onto the summit. He stood there, dumbfounded, ready to cry.
Next, the second one let out a miserable scream as he was pushed back step by step, until he too stumbled onto the mountaintop. He clutched his chest, filled with despair.
Chen Fei was last. Despite all resistance, he too was slammed forward.
He landed on the summit, eyes bloodshot with rage. He looked at Bai Xiaochun with murder in his heart.
"Bai Xiaochun!!" he bellowed.
The two Outer Sect disciples overseeing the summit had seen everything. They coughed awkwardly and quietly stepped back without saying a word.
At the top of the path, Zhang Dapang and Hei Sanpang laughed arrogantly.
"Chen Fei, goodbye! I'll miss seeing you in the servant quarters. So envious—you get to be an outer sect disciple now!" Zhang Dapang patted his belly, sending waves of fat rippling.
Chen Fei and his men nearly coughed up blood. They wanted to kill someone.
"No need to thank us. Congratulations to all three of you on leaping through the dragon gate and soaring to success! So envious," Bai Xiaochun said smugly, tilting his chin up.
But just as he finished speaking, a cold voice echoed from the summit of Xiangyun Mountain.
"No need to be envious. You come too."
The moment the voice reached his ears, Bai Xiaochun shuddered violently, terror flooding his eyes.
A powerful force suddenly swept down from the summit, wrapping around him.
"Senior Brother, save me!!" Bai Xiaochun screamed, throwing his arms around a nearby tree trunk and clinging for dear life.
But with a loud crack, the tree snapped, and Bai Xiaochun was swept upward like a kite with a broken string.
From the summit, a middle-aged man in pale blue robes walked out, his presence commanding.
It was—*Li Qinghou.*