Life on Fragrant Cloud Peak as an outer sect disciple was very comfortable for Bai Xiaochun. Aside from constantly missing the delicious food from the kitchen house, he was satisfied with everything else.
Whether it was the speed of his cultivation or his study of herbs, he felt fulfilled in life. However, he sometimes found himself feeling lonely. His courtyard was rather remote, with no acquaintances nearby. Oftentimes, there wasn't even anyone to talk to.
> "Could it be that all cultivators live this lonely?" Bai Xiaochun sighed as he stood in his courtyard, looking up at the sky with the maturity of an old soul in a young body.
By now, autumn had passed, and snow had begun to fall. As the temperature plummeted, snowflakes occasionally danced through the air. The *Winter Spirit Bamboo* in his courtyard thrived in the cold, now towering over his height, a patch of lush green in the winter frost—a splash of spring in the midst of ice.
It had been over a month since he had claimed *first place* on the Herbal Codex stone monument. However, the difficulty of the *second volume* exceeded his expectations, and his progress had slowed. More importantly, though Zhou Xinqi had never reclaimed her first place on the first monument, Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but feel pressure whenever he thought about those *incomplete herb fragments* left over from the trial.
> "My glorious reputation cannot be overtaken by that Zhou Xinqi!"
> He resolved inwardly. He had yet to fulfill his dream of standing before a crowd and proudly announcing that *he was the Turtle Alchemist*, so he felt he needed to work even harder.
Although his progress in the second volume was slow, his cultivation in the *Undying Longevity Art* was approaching a *minor cycle*.
The pain he felt during each session of cultivation had been intensifying. Yet Bai Xiaochun, obsessed with the idea of *undying longevity*, had gritted his teeth and persisted.
> "Three more days. In three days, I'll complete a minor cycle, according to the Undying Longevity Art."
> He took a deep breath and clenched his teeth, studying the second volume of herbs while continuing to sprint around his courtyard.
Three days passed quickly. On the evening of the third day, snow was falling once again, blanketing the Spirit Stream Sect in silver.
While running, *Bai Xiaochun's body suddenly trembled and came to a complete stop*. The sharp pain he had endured for eighty-one days abruptly disappeared.
A surge of *heat* exploded within his body, gathering across his skin, making it *burn like hot iron fresh from a forge*.
Snowflakes didn't even have a chance to touch his body—they melted immediately, turning into mist and steaming upward.
> "I did it!"
> Although parched and burning with heat, Bai Xiaochun was overwhelmed with joy. He looked down and saw faint *black light* glowing on his skin. After one full circuit, the light gradually dissipated.
He poked his arm, discovering that his skin felt as tough as *ox hide*. His eyes lit up with excitement. He moved his body and clearly felt that he had become faster.
With a leap forward—whoosh!—he appeared several meters away.
His new speed was more than *double* what it used to be. Overjoyed by the clear improvement, he practiced for a while and was quite satisfied.
Without delay, he resumed cultivating according to the next part of the *Undying Longevity Art. This stage required **closing his mouth and nose, breathing **only through his body, forming a minor circulation. Each cycle consisted of **81 body breaths, and he had to repeat this for **81 days* straight.
If he could persist, and combine this with the pain-endurance cycle he just completed, he would achieve the *minor completion of the Undying Skin*!
He practiced for a while before finally finding the rhythm. Standing in the courtyard, he began his bodily breathing. However, after just *one cycle, his body visibly **shrank*.
At the same time, an overwhelming *hunger* struck. His stomach growled loudly. Bai Xiaochun ignored it and continued.
But the more he breathed like this, the *thinner* he became. After *fifteen breaths, he was nearly **skin and bones*.
It was as if all his nutrients had been sucked dry. Yet strangely, his skin looked even tougher and more resilient.
But Bai Xiaochun couldn't take it anymore. He opened his eyes, dizzy and lightheaded, his pupils almost turning *green. The hunger was indescribable—he felt like he could swallow a **giant elephant* whole.
> "No more! I'm starving to death!!"
> Drooling, his glowing eyes darted around. There was nothing edible nearby—only the lush green *Winter Spirit Bamboo*, which suddenly looked… quite delicious.
He tried to resist, but hunger took control. With a flash, he appeared beside the bamboo and took a *huge bite*.
Crunch!
A chunk of bamboo was torn off, chewed furiously, and swallowed. But immediately afterward, Bai Xiaochun's face *twisted in agony—the bamboo was **incredibly bitter*. His whole body shuddered.
> "So bitter…"
> "I want real food…"
> At that moment, his longing for the *kitchen house* reached a peak. He was starving—he had never felt this hungry in his life. His eyes glazed over, his breathing became erratic, and then—he *bolted* out of the courtyard.
He dashed down the mountain path like a *whirlwind*, startling outer sect disciples he passed, who could only feel a gust of wind sweep by them and stare in astonishment at his retreating back.
He charged all the way to the *servant quarters, straight toward the **kitchen house, not even bothering to open the door—he just **leaped through*.
At that moment, the kitchen house was in the middle of preparing food. Since Zhang the Big Fatty and Hei the Third Fatty had left, *Huang the Second Fatty* was now in charge. He was pouring out some rice soup when a gust of wind blew by—and his bowl vanished, replaced by the wide-open mouth of *Bai Xiaochun*.
> "Ah?!"
> Huang the Second Fatty jumped in fright. The others were dumbfounded. When they realized it was Bai Xiaochun, they didn't even have time to speak—he snatched a *giant pot, chugged it down, then stuck his head **directly into another pot*, drinking greedily.
One gulp. Two gulps. Three…
Bai Xiaochun *drank over a hundred potfuls* of soup like a *bottomless pit*, showing no signs of being full.
> "So hungry… I still need meat!!"
> He panicked and looked around wildly. His eyes landed on the *meaty figures* of the kitchen house disciples—each of them as plump as a small mountain. He swallowed hard.
The fat disciples stared in shock. They had seen hunger before—but never anything like this. This wasn't Bai Xiaochun anymore—he looked like a *starved ghost*.
When they noticed Bai Xiaochun *drooling while staring at them*, they freaked out. Huang the Second Fatty yelled:
> "Ninth Fatty! There's spiritual food in the back—meant for Elder Zhou!"
The moment Bai Xiaochun heard that, his eyes *flashed* and he *bolted into the kitchen*.
Outside, the fat disciples looked at each other in stunned silence.
> "Did you see that? That's what happens when you become an outer sect disciple. Little Junior Brother's been *starved to madness*…"
> "We'd rather die than become outer sect disciples!"
> They all made up their minds, now feeling deep sympathy for Bai Xiaochun.
During that meal, Bai Xiaochun held back. Remembering the *six sacred rules of the kitchen house*, he only ate the scraps and avoided touching the prepared dishes—breaking the rules would only hurt his fellow kitchen brothers, and he couldn't do that.
After gulping down soup and leftovers, the hunger *finally eased, just enough for him to endure it. He stumbled outside, eyes teary, feeling that the Undying Longevity Art was **cruel beyond words*. Though the pain had stopped, this hunger was driving him insane.
> "Second Senior Brother…"
> He looked pitifully at Huang the Second Fatty.
Only when he saw that Bai Xiaochun's eyes had returned to normal did Huang finally breathe a sigh of relief and pat his shoulder, full of sympathy.
> "Don't worry, Little Junior Brother. We'll just make another batch for Elder Zhou. You've starved enough—come back anytime you need to eat."
Those words warmed Bai Xiaochun's heart. He bit his lip and decided—he *shouldn't* come back too often. In his current condition, one slip, and the kitchen house might not be able to *sustain* him…
With the kitchen disciples seeing him off, Bai Xiaochun trudged back up Fragrant Cloud Peak. The former comfort and joy were gone—replaced by despair. He was genuinely scared he might *starve to death*.
> "I wonder if any disciple in Spirit Stream Sect's history has ever starved to death. I *don't* want to be the first…"
> Miserable, he began to rack his brain for a more *sustainable* solution to his food problem.
Then suddenly, a *chicken's crow* echoed in the distance.
He froze. Slowly turning his head, he locked eyes on the source of the sound. His eyes lit up, and his stomach growled.
> "Chicken…"
> He looked around—no one was watching. With a flash, he vanished into the underbrush, moving like a *white weasel*, disappearing in an instant.
Moments later, at the *spirit fowl enclosure* on Fragrant Cloud Peak, Bai Xiaochun crouched in the grass outside the fence.
Inside, a group of high-and-mighty spirit chickens strolled around. Each was *as big as a calf, with **three-colored tail feathers*.
Bai Xiaochun's eyes gleamed like a thief in the night. He swallowed hard, over and over.
> "Meat…"
> A strange, unsettling laugh escaped his lips. The sound of that laugh was… unnervingly sinister.