In the early morning after the rain, the air still carried a hint of moisture. Gu An slowly woke up, unable to suppress a yawn.

He and Zhang Song had drank heartily yesterday, not parting ways until evening.

Having finally escaped the whirlpool of Yun Kingdom, Gu An felt completely relaxed. He deliberately hadn't used his spiritual power to dispel the alcohol, instead letting himself get thoroughly drunk and turning in early.

Phew, today I need to go find Steward Zhang and see if I can secure a piece of Spirit Land.

Gu An took the matter of the Spirit Land very seriously. After all, it concerned his cultivation, so naturally, he had to handle it as soon as possible.

Getting out of bed, he cast a Cleaning Technique. He had slept in his clothes last night, and they still carried the faint smell of alcohol.

Lowering his head to sniff his collar, Gu An nodded in satisfaction. He had to admit, these minor techniques might seem unremarkable, but they were incredibly practical.

With a casual wave of his hand, he summoned the Black Wind Kerchief, oriented himself toward Qianyuan Peak, and flew off.

Qianyuan Peak was precisely where Steward Zhang lived. He had learned from Zhang Song yesterday that the steward wasn't on duty for the next few days, so Gu An would have to seek him out there.

The Qingyuan Sect had six disciple peaks-five outer disciple peaks and one inner disciple peak. Little Thousand Peak was an outer disciple peak, while Qianyuan Peak belonged to the inner disciples and boasted far denser Spiritual Qi.

The line between inner and outer disciples in the Qingyuan Sect wasn't overly rigid. Anyone who reached the seventh level of Qi Condensation before the age of forty would automatically be promoted to an inner disciple and could move to Qianyuan Peak.

The sect would not reclaim their residence even upon death. However, many older disciples who had lost hope of Foundation Establishment preferred not to linger on Qianyuan Peak. Instead, they would voluntarily request outside assignments and move away. Steward Liu was one such example.

After all, watching younger disciples diligently cultivate and chase after Foundation Establishment was somewhat cruel to those whose paths had ended.

Still, some veteran disciples continued to live on Qianyuan Peak, either because they served in rotation within the nine peaks or because they still clung to a sliver of hope for Foundation Establishment.

A short while later, Gu An arrived at Qianyuan Peak. Halfway up the mountain lay a flagstone path. Counting inward, the sixth courtyard was Steward Zhang's home.

He knocked lightly on the gate, producing a thump, thump sound.

The courtyard doors swung open on their own, as if pushed by an unseen wind.

Stepping over the wooden threshold, Gu An walked toward the main house.

Before he could even knock on the door, a hearty laugh rang out, and Steward Zhang pushed the door open to step outside.

"I was wondering who would come looking for me so early. Turns out it's young Gu An!"

Gu An cupped his hands in a respectful salute and said clearly, "Steward Zhang, I've just returned. I hope you will forgive this presumptuous visit."

"Not at all, I'm delighted! Come in, come in!" Steward Zhang waved his sleeve, signaling Gu An to follow him inside.

Gu An took two jars of Green Bamboo Snake Wine from his Storage Bag and placed them on the wooden table in the hall. Smiling, he said, "If not for your help back then, Steward Zhang, I fear I never would have secured the Garrison Duty. I happened to buy two jars of wine. Please don't find them lacking."

Steward Zhang shook his head. "I shouldn't have recommended that Yun Kingdom assignment to you. You'd barely arrived before a great war broke out, dragging you right into the middle of it."

Gu An spoke slowly and earnestly. "Steward Zhang, please don't say that. That assignment was perfectly suited for me at the time. I'm grateful you recommended it. How could I be so ungrateful, refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit, and actually blame you?"

"Besides, a war between two sects is impossible to predict. Who could have imagined the Beastmaster Sect would discover a Spirit Stone mine?"

The Garrison Duty in Blackrock Commandery, Yun Kingdom, had been an excellent arrangement for Gu An. If not for Steward Zhang, he never would have gotten it-especially since the steward hadn't taken a single Spirit Stone in return. Gu An couldn't harbor resentment, much less shift the blame, just because of the war.

Would that even make him human? Gu An still had a bottom line!

Steward Zhang was highly satisfied with Gu An's attitude. After all, who would want to help an ungrateful wretch? His tone grew even more amiable. "Alright then, I'll accept these two jars of wine."

"You've just returned from the front lines. Do you know how the war fares now?"

Gu An pondered for a moment, organizing his words. "I won't speak of distant rumors, but a few days ago, Martial Uncle Wang Yang used the Golden Wind Form-Scattering Gourd to slay a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator from the Beastmaster Sect. The Beastmaster Sect was routed and fell back to defend the Spirit Stone mine using a formation. That place has now become a meat grinder."

"Word is that some Foundation Establishment Martial Uncles have proposed conscripting Rogue Cultivators, clan cultivators, and Yun Kingdom garrison disciples to join the fray. I don't know if it's true or false."

Upon hearing this, Steward Zhang clapped his hands in delight. "Good, good, good! As expected of Martial Uncle Wang Yang! Let those Beastmaster Sect thieves taste the sharpness of our Qingyuan Sect's swords!"

Gu An immediately chimed in, harshly cursing the utter shamelessness of the Beastmaster Sect's villains.

In the Qingyuan Sect, cursing the Beastmaster Sect wasn't just the right thing to do; it was also an excellent way to close the distance between fellow disciples.

As long as you cursed the Beastmaster Sect, you were a fine Junior Brother!

Seeing that Steward Zhang was getting worked up with his cursing, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon, Gu An hurriedly interrupted him. He had actual business here today!

"Ahem, Steward Zhang, I heard our sect is considering leasing Spirit Land to disciples?"

Only then did Steward Zhang reluctantly pause, nodding to confirm the rumor. "There is such a thing. With the sect at war with the Beastmaster Sect, and signs of Demon Beast Unrest over in the Cloudmist Mountains, no one is taking the sect's ordinary assignments. Ancestor Qingyang made the final call to lease out some parcels of Spirit Land on short-term contracts, freeing up manpower for other duties."

Having said this, Steward Zhang hesitated before lowering his voice. "This isn't a good deal. Previously, the sect paid out Spirit Stones to have us raise spirit beasts. Now, to raise spirit beasts, the sect is collecting Spirit Stones from us. So far, barely anyone has gone to rent a plot."

Gu An understood perfectly. The sect had pivoted its methods too abruptly, leaving many disciples sitting on the fence.

In the past, the sect farmed out the raising of spirit beasts as missions, paying out a massive sum in rewards. Now, not only were they saving on those payouts, but they were also collecting a massive haul of Spirit Stones.

As for the fact that disciples no longer had to hand over the spirit beasts for free-since the sect would now purchase them separately-that still didn't make up for the upfront costs! After all, the old missions had been highly sought after for a reason; the quotas demanded by the sect truly hadn't been that high.

Furthermore, the sect would no longer provide spirit grain and Spirit Bran for the beasts' feed. That was yet another expense...

But for Gu An, the reality was entirely different. As long as he had spirit beasts to raise, it was impossible for him to lose money!

Thinking this over, Gu An spoke slowly, "Thank you for the warning, Steward Zhang. But I have a bit of confidence, and I've truly grown accustomed to the days of raising spirit beasts. Therefore, I still hope you can point me in the right direction."

Steward Zhang nodded, making no further attempt to dissuade him. In truth, if he hadn't seen Gu An as a decent young man, he wouldn't have even bothered with the warning. Moreover, Gu An had broken through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation in just three years; clearly, he was someone who knew his own mind.

"Since you've made up your mind, I won't say anything more. You can go to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and look for Old Xiao. Tell him I sent you; he will understand."

Gu An stood up and offered a deep bow of thanks. "Thank you for your guidance, Steward Zhang. If this matter succeeds, I will naturally return to offer my gratitude."

He had no ties of blood or deep friendship with Steward Zhang. He had already asked for a favor once before, and the man had helped him out of consideration for Zhang Song. This time, he certainly couldn't just open his mouth and make demands empty-handed.

Steward Zhang hadn't brought it up, but Gu An couldn't pretend to be ignorant.