Facing the setting sun, Cheng Ming walked into the gathering area, his figure pausing involuntarily.

    The market street, which had been relatively tidy in the morning, was now in complete chaos.

    Broken pottery jars, baskets with their bottoms showing, sections of grass mats torn into several pieces.

    "Is this the aftermath of last night''s events?"

    Cheng Ming walked noiselessly to the rear of a large tree.

    His lips moved slightly, and the Five Ghosts Bag opened.

    He stood in the shade of the tree, stealthily observing the hurried stream of people.

    The laborers hadn''t come down from the mountain yet.

    The common small-time street vendors were nowhere to be seen.

    Instead, a few Government Officials lurked not far away, shouting and driving away anyone they saw.

    An old man was dragged out from inside a tent by a Government Official.

    They barged into the tent, smashing and looting everything in sight.

    In the end, they gave the old man a few kicks and left, cursing and swearing.

    ...

    Old Liu felt like his luck had hit rock bottom.

    His business was just starting to look up, and he''d finally managed to sell three Power Pills.

    Then at night, the Government Officials came and took all his money, and he beat him up too.

    Holding a piece of grey cloth to his bruised forehead, Old Liu sighed heavily.

    "What''s going on?" a detached voice suddenly arose from behind him.

    Old Liu shuddered with fright, turning his head abruptly, but when he recognized the person, he breathed a sigh of relief.

    "It''s you, Brother Yang. I thought those black dogs had come back," Old Liu said, still shaken.

    Cheng Ming nodded without expression, feigning a reticent and dull appearance.

    "County Magistrate Li Qing is unhappy with the progress of the construction; he sent those black dogs to supervise the work."

    "Here in the gathering area, all the able-bodied laborers must go and build the altar."

    "You''re lucky you weren''t here, or else you''d surely have been conscripted," said Old Liu.

    Cheng Ming''s heart relaxed, but his brow inadvertently furrowed.

    "It''s not because of the death of the strong men and Lu Jin''s serious injury, but because of the altar."

    "Conscripting laborers? That''s a bit troublesome."

    "The gathering area is becoming a place of trouble."

    Old Liu sighed as he picked up medicinal herbs scattered on the ground.

    "What are your plans now?" Cheng Ming suddenly asked.

    "What else can I do, pack up and leave."

    "I''ve been cleaned out three times in one day, this old frame of mine can''t take much more," Old Liu said despondently, shaking his head.

    Being of an advanced age, he had hoped to make some money and then find a quiet village to settle down and spend his final days.

    But suddenly, the Government Officials barged in, and he was looted three times in one day, leaving him with nothing for his funeral. Thinking about his life ahead, he felt lost.

    Should he continue the life of a traveling quack doctor, possibly meeting his end in a strange place one day? The future was uncertain...

    Cheng Ming looked thoughtfully at the medicinal herbs on the ground: "I need a batch of medicinal herbs."

    "You''re not planning to leave?" Old Liu was startled.

    The gathering area was clearly unfit for living.

    Unless one wanted to go up the mountain to labor.

    "I need a large quantity; can you get them for me?" Cheng Ming asked calmly.

    With his current strength, if he chose to hide, it would be difficult for the Government Officials to find him.

    "Are you serious?!" Old Liu was overjoyed.

    "The medicinal herbs you collect, deliver them to my cabin, cash on delivery," Cheng Ming said.

    "Brother Yang, rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I will make sure the goods are delivered," Old Liu promised excitedly, rubbing his hands.

    The items Cheng Ming wanted included both herbs and unassuming plants from the mountain.

    Bought cheaply from the laborers, he could sell them at a high price to Cheng Ming.

    Old Liu had made quite a profit from their last transaction!

    Cheng Ming didn''t mind this small markup.

    The anti-corrosion materials for Power Pills, many were local vegetation from the mountain.

    He needed to collect a large amount quickly, to prepare and stock up on food for the journey.

    ...

    Outside the wooden cabin at the foot of Lesser East Mountain, Cheng Ming''s expression was grim.

    Pots, pans, and ladles were thrown all over the ground, and books on the table were torn up. It looked as though someone, disgruntled, had searched through them page by page.

    The two air-dried hares that had been hanging under the eaves had also vanished.

    "Don''t tell anyone at the observatory about me being here," Chen Mu sternly warned.

    "So can I have some fish slices tomorrow?" Cheng Ming asked, not scared at all, but with sparkling eyes as he looked at Chen Mu.

    "Yes," Chen Mu said, rolling his eyes. To think such a young kid had learned to drive a hard bargain, that''s quite something.

    "Deal!" Cheng Ming happily continued to devour his meal.

    After eating a large bowl of fish, his stomach was still as flat as ever.

    "Uncle He says I''m a ''bottomless pit,''" the little Daoist acolyte said with pride.

    Look at you, showing off!

    "Here, have a couple of good things," Chen Mu said, grinning as he handed over two Fasting Pills.

    "What are these?" Cheng Ming asked as he took them and popped them into his mouth.

    So naive, taking anything you''re given and eating it right away.

    "Fasting Pills," Chen Mu said seriously.

    Cheng Ming stared at Chen Mu with a tense face, silent.

    "Rice ball, rice ball, pork floss rice ball!"

    "If you''re not going to eat them, give them back to me!"

    "I''ll eat them!" The little Daoist acolyte immediately stuffed another pill into his mouth.

    After eating three in a row and still wanting more, Chen Mu dared not give anymore, fearing it would be too much for him.

    Yet Cheng Ming still looked at the Fasting Pills in Chen Mu''s hands with desire, his stomach remaining flat.

    "You really are a ''bottomless pit.'' With an appetite like that, you''re almost on par with me."

    ...

    "It''s normal," Jie Jia said, deftly picking up a piece of fragrant pan-fried fish, "If someone has an Innate Taoist Bone, it''s not unusual for them to eat a lot."

    Daoist Bone? Chen Mu heard a new term.

    "Don''t even think about it. Those people are not from the same world as us," Jie Jia said indifferently.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Ten years of Shape Cultivation, a hundred years of Soul Cultivation. Even those with exceptional talent must train tirelessly. To achieve Wandering Soul by thirty and be deemed a genius."

    "Then, accumulating Vital Energy to strengthen the Wandering Soul, awaiting its transformation into a Shell Soul, often takes a lifetime."

    "But those born with an Innate Taoist Bone can complete Shape Cultivation in a hundred days and form a Shell Soul in three years."

    "Can such people be compared with us?"

    It was the first time Chen Mu saw Jie Jia talk so much.

    "Is Soul Strength really that hard to cultivate?" He had Proficiency and didn''t find the Shape Cultivation Technique difficult, nor did he regard Soul Strength as a big deal.

    Seeing Jie Jia so lamenting made Chen Mu somewhat uneasy.

    He immediately thought of Cheng Ming.

    Could this kid be one of those born with an Innate Taoist Bone?

    "Stop thinking about it. Such people would be whisked away the moment they are discovered, you wouldn''t have the chance to meet them," Jie Jia said.

    "There are plenty with big appetites. Innate Divine Power, possessing Exotic Beast blood, using shapeshifting drugs – these can all cause one to eat a lot," Jie Jia finished speaking in one breath, then slowly took out a white silk handkerchief and wiped his mouth. His emotions quickly packed away, he returned to his usual undisturbed state.

    ...

    After the meal, watching Jie Jia disappear into the dense mountain fog, Chen Mu wore a grim expression as he contemplated the concept of a Daoist Bone.

    The world really was unfair.

    He''d been getting up early and toiling away diligently at his cultivation for a year and a half, yet he still couldn''t complete his Shape Cultivation. Some people, however, achieved it with ease.

    A sense of helplessness rose in Chen Mu, and his face grew even darker.

    And then there was Soul Strength. Jie Jia, with his white hair, only managed to cultivate Soul Strength after much difficulty. People with a Daoist Bone, however, needed only three years.

    Chen Mu clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug into his flesh, gritting his teeth, "If it''s so difficult for Jie Jia, what about me?"

    His previous life was just that of an ordinary scholar with an inherently weak constitution. And the cultivation technique he practiced was the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique, a dime a dozen.

    "Muscle Transformation, Bone Transformation, Marrow Transformation"

    "Ten years of Shape Cultivation, a hundred years of Soul Cultivation."

    "I''ve been tirelessly cultivating for a year and a half, and I haven''t even completed Marrow Transformation!"

    "For someone like me, with no resources, no mentorship, no backing, a completely ordinary martial artist from the bottom rung, when will my day of success come!" Chen Mu stared fiercely at the grey proficiency wall in front of him, full of grief and anger.

    Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique: 5209/10000/Third Rank;

    "Hm? I can complete Shape Cultivation in at most three months?!"

    Chen Mu blinked.

    "Hmph!"

    He fiercely put away the grey wall.

    "These worldly possessions!"

    "Disturb my Daoist heart!"

    "Better not to look at them!"

    ```