Alex was too stunned to speak as the fat woman led him away from the building and onto a nearby path, talking the entire time.
Her voice was t and practiced as she exined the basic rules and customs of the Wudang Sect, as if she had repeated the same words a thousand times before.
The path beneath their feet was paved with smooth green limestone, winding throughyers of courtyards and elegant buildings.
Fragrant nts and blooming flowers filled the air, their scent light and intoxicating.
The entire ce felt unreal-serene, lofty, almost divine, like a paradise carved out of the mortal world.
Alex felt it immediately.
Once, he had been a cultivator. Even now, his instincts had not dulled.
The natural energy here was astonishingly dense, the kind Xia cultivators called Heaven and Earth Energy. It pressed gently against his skin, seeped into his lungs, and soaked into his bones.
Just breathing here refreshed his cells.
His thoughts sharpened.
On Earth, he had about five years to return to Xia-before the war between Estoria and Prussia began.
In this world, that would be nearly five hundred years. If he could relearn cultivation if he could master the Xia path-then why not stay?
Li Qingxue could already travel freely between this ce and Xia. That meant it was possible.
If he became strong enough, he would have a chance to return to Xia.
As long as he didn''t die first.
That was the problem.
Here, even a random nobody could kill him with a casual strike. Until he was strong enough, he couldn''t afford to draw attention.
He couldn''t afford to offend anyone. Survival came first.
Once that resolve settled in his chest, there was no point clinging to the past. This was no longer Earth. This was no longer Estoria or Prussia. This was something entirely different.
Alex lifted his head and looked around.
His heart began to pound-not with fear, but excitement. The lingering anxiety and tension slowly faded, reced by something hot and electric.
This ce is incredible, he thought. Far better than Estoria. Far better than Prussia. Here, he might reim the power he had lost.
His eyes gleamed as he followed the fat woman forward. With every step, the scenery grew more breathtaking, more refined, more unreal.
Before long, he spotted what looked like their destination.
At the end of the main path stood a massive five-story wooden building. Towering, ancient, and majestic, it radiated authority and weight. This was the kind of ce where real cultivators lived-people with power.
Excitement surged through him.
"Is this where I''ll be working?" Alex asked, unable to hold it back.
"Yes," she replied coldly, her face rigid and unreadable.
Then she lifted her hand and pointed-not toward the grand building, but toward a narrow side path.
The path was overgrown with brush, clearly neglected. It looked like hardly anyone ever walked there.
"That''s where we''re going."
Bai Xiaochun turned to look.
His excitement froze solid.
His entire body stiffened. He rubbed his eyes, convinced he was seeing things, then looked again-closer this time.
Instead of elegance and grandeur, there was a crude gravel path lined with crooked, hastily built huts. The thatched roofs sagged unevenly, as if they might copse with
a strong gust of wind. The structures looked old, brittle, and barely standing.
A strange, unpleasant smell drifted from the area.
His heart sank.
"Is that the kitchen?"
"No. That big building is the kitchen for cultivators," she replied coolly. "Yours is for producing food for the lesser ones. Still a kitchen, though." Without waiting, she stepped onto the gravel path.
The moment Alex heard her answer, the beauty of the ce copsed in his mind.
The area ahead was packed with massive iron woks-hundreds of them. Inside, herbs boiled endlessly. Steam rose thick and heavy, clinging to the air. Fat men stood around the woks, stirringzily, their faces slick with sweat.
Sensing someone''s presence, the men looked up. When they saw the Big Woman, they straightened. The fattest among them—a walking mountain of flesh-grabbed hisdle and hurried over.
Each step made the ground tremble. Hisyers of fat bounced violently, jiggling in every direction, so exaggerated that Alex couldn''t stop staring.
"Miss Chen!" the fat man called out eagerly. "After you didn''t reply to my messages for one year, three months, fourteen days, and five hours, you finally missed me and came to find me! Tell me have you finally realized I''m the only man who truly loves you?"
Miss Chen stared at him with pure disgust, her eyes burning with anger.
"What nonsense are you spewing?" she snapped. "Even if you ignored me for a hundred years, I''d thank the heavens for my good fortune! I''m only here to deliver this kid to the kitchen. Taskpleted. I''m leaving."
She turned and walked away without another nce.
"Miss Chen, wait!" the fat man chased after her, but after just three steps, she suddenly spun around and kicked him hard. The blow sent his massive body staggering backward.
She didn''t even look back as she continued on her way.
"Miss Chen, you are my love! The only light in my life!" the fat man shouted desperately. "I will never give up on you! Just wait-when I be stronger than
you, I''ll push you onto my bed!"
"Keep dreaming," Miss Chen shot back, her voice sharp as a de.
She disappeared down the path.
The fat man turned and lumbered toward Alex.
Alex looked up at the towering young man, at the quivering rolls of flesh that seemed to ripple with every breath, and swallowed hard. This was the first time in his life he had ever seen someone this fat.
"Well, well," the fat man said, smirking. "A neer. Too bad we don''t really need anyone right now. We''re already waiting for another guy."
"Good,” Alex said quickly. He bowed deeply. "Then please... can you send me back to Xia?"
"Sure," the fat man said.
From a distance, Miss Chen''s voice rang out, sharp andmanding. "Pure Snow Sword Maiden, Li Qingxue, ordered that man sent to the kitchen. If you dare refuse him, prepare your exnation for her."
The fat man froze.
So did everyone else.
The entire kitchen fell into dead silence. Then, almost in unison, the men forced smiles onto their faces.
"Brother," the fat man said quickly, his tone suddenly friendly, "let''s just ept him,
all right? We don''t want trouble with Miss Li Qingxue."
It was obvious now. Everyone here feared her.
“Listen,” the fat man continued, lowering his voice. "Our kitchen has ny-eight
workers serving all the immortals here. You''ll be number ny-nine."
He counted on his thick fingers as he spoke. "Out of those ny-nine, there are fifty outer servants,
fifteen
twenty-five juniorant core
senio servants, and
and Servants. Since you were sent by Pure Snow Sword Maiden Li Qingxue, we''ll make you the ninth core servant."
Alex blinked, stunned. “So... does that mean I''m a core disciple of the Wudang
Sect?"
The fat man''s expression changed instantly. He lunged forward and mped a hand
over Alex''s mouth, eyes darting around in panic to make sure no one else had
heard.
"Are you trying to get us killed?" he hissed. "Listen carefully. Everyone in the kitchen is an outer disciple of the Wudang Sect. Everyone. But inside the kitchen, we have our own hierarchy outer junior, senior, core. Still outer disciples. Don''t get that twisted."
Understanding dawned on Alex.
and
This was just another hierarchyyered on top of the lowest rank-a kingdom of peasants pretending to have nobles. Still, putting him at the top meant no one here would dare openly challenge him.
Because Li Qingxue''s name stood behind him.
Alex nodded calmly. "Thank you for your consideration."
The fat man grinned, relief flooding his face. "If you can say a few good words about us to Pure Snow Sword Maiden Li Qingxue
well, we''d be grateful. She''s a true core disciple of the Wudang Sect. Someone dike her
isn''t to be offended."
So they really thought he was backed by Li Qingxue.
That wasn''t bad at all.
The fat man reached out and grabbed Alex''s arm, probing carefully, trying to sense
his cultivation. His smile slowly faded.
"You don''t have any cultivation," he said bluntly. "So your first task is simple. Start
cultivating. Once you manage to gather even a little energy, then you can help us with the cooking."
The fat man handed Alex a thin bamboo scroll. "This is the Fire Control Art," he said.
"It lets you control fire in the air. We need it here, so cultivate properly. From now on, you''re called Ninth. I''m Number Eight."
Before Alex could respond, Number Eight waved a hand and called over a servant. "This is Number Ninth. Take him to his ce."
The kitchen servant bowed deeply and led Alex away, guiding him to a quiet corner of the grounds. There stood a small wooden house, in and weathered.
"Sir Ninth, this will be your residence," the servant said. Then, without waiting for a
reply, he hurried off as if afraid to linger.
Alex stepped inside.
The room was simple to the point of austerity. A narrow bed. A rough wooden table. Outside, a well stood beside a few fruit trees and sparse nts.
It looked like a typical house from a rundown vige—functional, forgotten, and
barely holding together.
He sat down and opened the Fire Control Art.
The scroll detailed only the first three levels of cultivation. There was nothing
beyond that—no guidance, no hints, no promises.
The entire method revolved around disciplined breathing, drawing fire-aligned energy from the air, and refining it within the body.
Pure cultivation. Nothing fancy. Nothing forgiving.
Alex cleared his mind.
This was his first time cultivating the Xia way.
He adjusted his posture, following the illustration in the first image of the bamboo
scroll. His breathing slowed.
Deep. Controlled. Measured. After three steady breaths, he began drawing in the
fire energy around him.
The world faded.
He sank into meditation.
Then―
A furious shout shattered the silence.
"I''m Wang Junhao! Whoever stole my position as the ninth core disciple of the
kitchen-get the hell out here right now!"
Alex startled and instinctively leaned toward the window.
The moment his head appeared, it caught the attention of a sallow-faced young man
standing outside. The man''s eyes locked onto him, burning with rage.
“So you''re the bastard who stole my spot!" Wang Junhao roared. "The position I
waited a hundred years for! I worked my way from junior to senior, dreaming that one day I''d be core-and you dare take it from me!" Behind him stood nearly twenty people, all dressed in kitchen servant robes. They
crowded the narrow path, faces twisted with curiosity, envy, and open hostility. "Brother Wang, let''s just kill him," one of them said coldly.
"Senior Wang, how dare hee here and steal your spot?" another snarled.
"Kill him," a third added viciously. "Grind him into the dirt and use him as fertilizer."
Alex took them in quietly.
It seemed bing Ninth had already made him enemies.
And not just one.