*The Spirit-Tailed Chicken* was much larger than an ordinary chicken. With its hard feathers and aggressive temperament, a mature one could rival a second-layer Qi Condensation cultivator.
Its meat was edible, its eggs nourishing, and its blood and bones medicinal. Most notably, its *tricolored tail feathers* were rare and valuable as *three-colored flame fuel*. As such, Spirit-Tailed Chickens were raised in large numbers across the three peaks of the southern bank of the Spirit Stream Sect.
However, they did *not* belong to the sect. They were the *private property* of Li Qinghou and the other two peak lords. Disciples were assigned to raise them. On Fragrant Cloud Peak alone, three large enclosures had been designated for their breeding.
Bai Xiaochun crouched in the grass, staring at the Spirit-Tailed Chickens. He had never seen a live one back when he worked in the kitchen house—but he had eaten the meat before and knew it was delicious. He also remembered Fatty Zhang mentioning that these chickens loved to eat spirit insects.
After a long wait, Bai Xiaochun didn't act rashly. Instead, he went down the mountain and used the last of his spirit stones to purchase a *bag of spirit insects*. Only then did he return to his courtyard.
As soon as he returned, his hunger struck again. Fighting off dizziness, Bai Xiaochun searched his courtyard for materials.
Soon, he spotted the *Winter Spirit Bamboo*. His eyes lit up. These bamboos had grown over three meters tall and were as thick as a man's wrist, glowing faintly with spiritual light—they were extraordinary.
Excited, Bai Xiaochun examined the bamboo and, using his herb knowledge, carefully cut two sections from the *hardest* part of the bamboo.
He had a *special method* for stealing chickens. The key was the word "*steal"—doing it **without getting caught* was an art in itself.
With the two bamboo segments, he quickly crafted a *bamboo cicada trap*—a clever mechanism he had learned from his father as a child. It was supposedly a deadly tool for catching chickens and even phoenixes. Then, using bamboo strips, he wove a strong rope, tested its strength, attached it to the bamboo cicada, and dashed out under the cover of night.
> "I want to eat chicken!!"
His stomach growled the whole way, but his eyes glowed green with hunger. It made him even faster. He headed straight for the *nearest chicken pen*.
As he neared, he slowed down, creeping up to the fence. He tossed the *baited bamboo trap* over the fence, crouched down, and held the connected rope, enduring the hunger as he waited.
Inside the fence were several wooden sheds, and in the distance, a few outer sect disciples lived and trained. In this large enclosure, there were over a *hundred Spirit-Tailed Chickens*. Most were resting; a few strutted around proudly, with a regal air.
Before long, one of the chickens seemed to sense something. It turned its head toward the bait and strutted over. Upon spotting the spirit insects, it lunged forward, *pecking down*.
But just as it did, the bamboo trap *snapped shut* like a spring-loaded snare. The clever device wedged the chicken's beak *wide open*, keeping it silent and restrained.
The chicken tried to squawk, but with its mouth pried apart, no sound escaped. It struggled violently, but the bamboo was extremely tough. Then a *forceful tug* came through the rope.
Despite its resistance, the chicken was silently dragged *backward* toward the fence. With a flick of the rope, the chicken was flung into the air, and Bai Xiaochun *grabbed it mid-flight. With his fourth-layer Qi Condensation cultivation and tough skin, his grip was strong. He quickly **twisted its neck* and stuffed it into his storage pouch—all in a *single, fluid motion*.
The entire operation took less than *thirty breaths*, and most of that was waiting. Without the wait, it would've been even faster.
Heart pounding with excitement, Bai Xiaochun rushed back to his courtyard. Before long, *the delicious aroma of roasted chicken* filled the air. By morning, that entire Spirit-Tailed Chicken had made its way into his belly.
All that was left… was a *ground full of feathers and bones*.
After eating the chicken, Bai Xiaochun's hunger was mostly gone, and his body felt clearly *rejuvenated*. Warmth coursed through him—he felt incredibly comfortable.
Even his internal *spiritual energy* had increased a bit. But the biggest improvement came from the *Undying Longevity Art. He could now complete **seven to eight body-breath cycles* in one go.
Each breath sent warmth surging through his body and into his skin, making it visibly tougher. Occasionally, black light flashed across his body, but on closer inspection, his skin remained *smooth and fair*.
> "The Undying Longevity Art—first comes the pain, then the hunger. It's certainly difficult, but the results are amazing."
> He carefully pulled out his *spirit-infused wooden sword, which had been refined twice, and lightly pressed it against the back of his hand. He could clearly feel **resistance* from his skin.
Though he didn't press harder, the experience made him even more confident in continuing this cultivation path.
> "According to the manual, the Undying Skin has four levels: Iron, Copper, Silver, and Gold. Right now, I'm only at the beginner stage. If I can keep up these body-breath cycles for eighty-one days… I'll reach *Iron Skin minor completion*."
> Glancing at the chicken bones beside him, he was already forming a plan.
> "Luckily, there are *plenty* of Spirit-Tailed Chickens on this mountain!"
> He laughed gleefully. His interest in these chickens grew even stronger.
What he didn't know was that over the past ten thousand years in the Spirit Stream Sect, many had attempted to cultivate the *Undying Longevity Art. Most gave up during the first 81 days of pain and hunger. A few persisted, but even then, the next stages of the art required **tremendous resources*.
To reach *Undying Gold Skin*, the cost was astronomical—even for the sect itself, such investment would be unwise. More cost-effective body refinement methods existed, albeit less mystical.
Thus, the Undying Longevity Art was left in the Scripture Pavilion, gathering dust.
After cultivating, Bai Xiaochun carefully *buried the chicken bones* in the spiritual soil of his courtyard. As for the feathers, he tossed those in too.
Only then did he leave his courtyard and head to the *most crowded areas* where outer sect disciples gathered. With ears perked, he began *eavesdropping*.
Thanks to his childhood experiences in the village, he knew that *spacing out his thefts* was key. Every few days yielded better results.
After some time snooping, he didn't hear any reports of missing chickens. However, he *did* overhear something: the *tricolored tails* of Spirit-Tailed Chickens were used as fuel for *three-colored flames*.
Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaochun rushed home, *dug up* the feather he had buried, and examined it closely.
> "No wonder they raise these chickens in such numbers…"
> He carefully placed the tricolored feather into his storage pouch. To others, it was just flame fuel—but to *him, it meant the possibility of **a third spirit infusion*.
He didn't use it immediately. He planned to wait until he had the right spiritual herb, to strengthen its effects during refinement.
Several days passed peacefully. But soon, Bai Xiaochun was *hungry again. That night, he put down the jade slip of the second herbal volume and snuck out into the dark. He returned with **two Spirit-Tailed Chickens* in his storage pouch.
And so time passed. A *month* went by in a flash. During that month, *rumors* of missing chickens started spreading across *Fragrant Cloud Peak*.
Even *Li Qinghou* heard about it. After all, dozens of Spirit-Tailed Chickens had gone missing across the three pens. But since he was preparing to leave on important business, he didn't give it much attention.
The ones most frustrated were the outer sect disciples tasked with raising the chickens. There were seven or eight of them. They didn't care about the chickens—after all, they weren't theirs, and the peak lord hadn't said anything.
What *really hurt* was their *pride. Someone dared to steal chickens **right under their noses, and they were **furious*. But they had no leads. No matter how tightly they guarded the pens, the chickens kept disappearing.
Worse, *not a single sound* was ever heard when it happened. It was like the chickens just *vanished into thin air*.
As for Bai Xiaochun, after a month of secret feasting, his body had *fully recovered—in fact, he was slightly **plumper. No matter how much the Undying Longevity Art drained him, he had **plenty of chicken* to replenish it.
His cheeks were rosy again, and he resumed his joyful daily life.
With his stomach full and his mood improved, his study of the *second herbal volume* accelerated. Finally, he *mastered it*.
Thanks to his prior experience, he was now far more thorough. Not only did he memorize the leaves, roots, and stems—he even had the *tiny hairs* and fragments engraved in his mind. He was confident that even if the herbs were split into dozens of parts, he could *identify them at a glance*.
With his head held high, Bai Xiaochun *strode proudly out of his courtyard*.
> "This time, I'll let everyone know—I'm the *Turtle Lord*, and I'm riding right over Zhou Xinqi!"
> Full of anticipation, he marched straight to the *Thousand Herb Pavilion*.