The servant assessment finally ended, and everything seemed back to normal.

  Although over a dozen servants from the mining area had perished during the assessment, the overall number of casualties was actually lower than three years ago. Naturally, no one paid much attention to this.

  The only surprising oute was Zhao Heng, the so-called "lucky sger," who uedly rahird in the assessment, leaving many astonished and sighing with disbelief.

  Following the annou of the rankings, it was time to distribute rewards.

  As the ued dark horse iop three, Zhao Heng received a reward of 100 spirit crystals, a Body Tempering Pill, and permission to selee ordinary-grade manual from the library at no cost.

  However, instead of feeling joy, Zhao He as though he was sitting on pins and needles. He was deeply uneasy, sensing that the gazes directed at him were filled with malice, greedily eyeing his rewards.

  Thankfully, he had passed the assessment, and soon, he could pick better servant tasks, leave the Servants' Peak, and avoid any further plots against him.

  Shortly after, the head steward, Zhou g, issued an order.

  "The sect's newly announced servant tasks have been allocated to each area. All deas, distribute new assigs to those who passed the assessment."

  As per the usual , disciples who passed the assessment were assigasks at the sect's Nine Peaks, meaning they no longer had to stay on the Servants' Peak permaly.

  The tasks at the Nine Peaks not only offered better rewards but also provided better cultivation opportunities due to the abundant spiritual energy. On top of that, there was a ce to build es with iial figures within the sect. It was an enviable opportunity cherished by all.

  When the deas from various areas handed out tasks, the newly assigned disciples couldn’t help but cheer with excitement.

  Zhao Heng, too, eagerly anticipated his uping assig.

  However, as he waited, uneasiness grew in his heart. Liu Hong, the dea for the mining area, had already assigasks to others who had passed the assessment, but Zhao Heng still hadn’t received his appoi. A sinking feeling overcame him.

  And sure enough...

  After a long wait, Liu Hong finished assigning tasks to everyo left Zhao Heng hanging. Uo e any longer, Zhao Heng stepped forward to ask.

  "Dea Liu, what about my assig?"

  Zhao Heng deliberately raised his voice so that those in the surrounding areas, as well as the head steward Zhou g, could hear, ensuring Liu Hong couldn’t cover up any misduct.

  As expected, many nearby turo look, and even Zhou g started walking toward them.

  Being the surprise third-pce finisher, Zhao Heng had garnered signifit attention.

  "Liu Hong, has this young brother not received a task yet?" Zhou g asked, his tone puzzled. Acc to protocol, those ranked higher should be given priority for assigs.

  Noting how Zhao Heng had deliberately drawn attention and even caught Zhou g’s i, Liu Hong gred at Zhao Heng subtly but put on a surface smile.

  "Head Steward Zhou, I was just about t something up with you," Liu Hong said courteously.

  "What is it?" Zhou g asked.

  "It's about establishing a deputy manager for the mining area," Liu Hong expined with a smile. "The mining area is tinually expanding, and managing all of it alone has bee increasingly difficult for me. Retly, there were even a few minor is. So I would like to request your approval to appoint a deputy mao assist me in managing the mines. I believe Zhao Heng would be an excellent choice for this position. He’s young, capable, and well-suited for the role!"

  "Hmm...?"

  Hearing this, Zhao Heng nearly stumbled. So this was what Liu Hong had been plotting!

  While the title "deputy manager of the mining area" sounded impressive, it was merely a way to tie Zhao Heng to the mines, leaving him at Liu Hong’s mercy. True to form, Liu Hong was as sinister as ever.

  What shocked Zhao Heng more was that Zhou g actually nodded slightly, seemingly in agreement with Liu Hong’s suggestion.

  Realizing the gravity of the situation, Zhao Heng quickly spoke up: "Dea Liu, Head Steward, my cultivation is shallow, and I ck the experienecessary for such a heavy responsibility. I must respectfully dee—"

  Before he could finish, Liu Hong interrupted him with a smug tone: "Oh, Zhao Heng, are you worried I’ll mistreat you? Even if you stay at the mines, as deputy manager, your monthly sary will be much higher than it is now! Of course, I won’t force you. You try the position for a few days, and if it doesn’t suit you, I’ll assign you a different task. Besides, all the other tasks have already been allocated. Any new assigs might take some time to bee avaible."

  Hearing this, Zhao Heng immediately uood Liu Hong’s malicious i.

  He and Liu Hong were already at odds; staying in the mining area—Liu Hong’s territory—would undoubtedly lead to disaster.

  But as a mere servant disciple, even with his third-pce ranking, Zhao Heng’s influence was limited.

  "Very well, this seems like a goement," Zhou g said, nodding. "Zhao Heng, since Dea Liu values you so highly, you should try the role of deputy manager for a few days and see how it goes."

  Zhao Heng’s heart sank. He thought to himself, "A few days? I probably won’t even survive that long!"

  What should he do?

  Zhao Heng was not the type to sit and wait for death. Two pns quickly formed in his mind.

  Pn One: Expose Liu Hong’s misduct—his extortions, abuses, and killings of servant disciples—right in front of Zhou g. However, there was no guarahat Zhou g wasn’t plicit, and revealing his involvement in killing Liu Hong’s subordinate could put him in eveer danger.

  Pn Two: Pretend to agree for now, lower Liu Hong’s guard, and strike tonight to settle the matter ond for all in a life-or-death frontation.

  Both options carried signifit risks and a low probability of success. But it seemed Zhao Heng had no choice.

  As Zhao Heng’s face darkened with deliberation, Liu Hong smirked slyly, casting him a mog gnce.

  Just as everything seemed set in stone—

  "Hey, you, the servant! I happen to need someoo watch over the medie garden. Why don’t you give it a try?"

  A melodious ahereal voice suddenly echoed from afar, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

  In the distahe crowd automatically parted to clear a path.

  A tall, graceful figure dressed in pure white robes walked toward them.

  It was a young woman, her snowy white attire as pristine as fresh snow. Her delicate, jade-like face, with features so perfect they seemed divinely painted, exuded an otherworldly beauty that was impossible to describe.

  For a moment, it felt as though a celestial maiden had desded into the mortal realm, rendering all else pale and insignifit.

  The air fell silent. tless people stared in a daze, entranced by her ethereal presence.

  Yet the aid no mind to any of this. She gazed past the crowd and locked eyes with a surprised young man in gray robes. A subtle, almost imperceptible smile graced her lips.

  "Yun Qingsnow?" Zhao Heng muttered, his disbelief audible. When he heard her voice, he doubted his ears. But seeing her clearly, he was stunned.

  She was her than Yun Qingsnow—the prodigy of Qingxia Peak’s Outer Sect—whom he had entered that fateful night at the foot of Ox Horn Mountain!

  Why was she here?

  The crowd quickly snapped out of their trance.

  "Wait, isn’t that Yun Qingsnow from Qingxia Peak?"

  "Yun Qingsnow! The number oy of Qingxia Peak? The genius ranked iop ten of the Outer Sect's Radiance Rankings?"

  "Indeed! I heard Yun Qingsnow has reached the pinnacle of the Visceral Refining Realm, making her one of the sect’s most promising didates for breaking through to the Innate Realm. She’s a true Outer Sect prodigy. Why would someone like her e here?"

  The entire assessment area erupted iement due to Yun Qingsnow’s ued arrival.

  Outer disciples and servant disciples might seem to differ by a single rank, but their statuses were worlds apart.

  What’s more, the person standing before them was not just any outer disciple, but one of the most beautiful and talented figures among them, someone who evoked admiration a made others feel inferior by parison.

  At this moment, Yun Qingsnow stood in front of Zhao Heng and said in a cold tone, “I’m talking to you. Would you be willing to help me look after the medie garden?”

  Startled for a moment, Zhao Heng saw Yun Qingsnow subtly wink at him, and he quickly nodded.

  “I’m willing! Of course I’m willing! It would be an honor for me to assist Senior Sister Yun in tending the medie garden!”

  Hearing this, Liu Hong finally reacted.

  “This… This won’t do!” he blurted out.

  Yun Qingsnow turned her gaze toward Liu Hong.

  Though it appeared to be just a casual g carried an overwhelming sense of pressure, causing Liu Hong to momentarily stop breathing. He involuntarily retreated several steps, his heart trembling with fear.

  “Are you talking to me?” Yun Qingsnow’s voice was calm ale, yet it carried an inexplicable sense of dominance.

  “Uh…” Liu Hong broke into a sweat, suddenly uo speak.

  It was Zhou g who stepped forward with a smile, breaking the tension. “Oh, it’s Nephew Yun Qingsnow. What wind has brought you here? Five me for not weling you earlier.”

  Yun Qingsnow g Zhou g and csped her hands in respect before speaking. “You’re too kind, Steward Zhou. I retly started cultivating a new medie field and need a servant disciple to look after it. I heard today is the sect’s triennial servant assessment, so I came to find a suitable didate.”

  “So that’s the case! Nephew Yun, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself by ing personally. If you’d just sent word, I would have selected a capable and experienced servant from the Spirit Medie Garden ahem to you myself.”

  Though Zhou g spoke as if he were her elder, it was clear from his tohat he held Yun Qingsnow in high regard—there was even a hint of fttery in his words.

  However, Yun Qingsnow merely shook her head slightly and looked toward Zhao Heng.

  “Thank you for your kind offer, Steward Zhou. I’ve heard this person rahird in the servant assessment, so he should have some abilities. Let’s have him tend to the medie garden for me.”

  Her tone was casual, as if she didn’t know Zhao Heng at all.

  Hearing this, Liu Hong, standing off to the side, turned pale. Zhao Heng already posed a signifit threat to him. If Zhao Heo bee Yun Qingsnow’s servant, his future prospects would undoubtedly rise. Should Zhao Heng find success, it would only spell disaster for Liu Hong.

  “No, I absolutely ot let this boy rise to power,” Liu Hong thought to himself. Steeling his nerves, he said, “Senior Sister Yun, although Zhao Heng rahird in the assessment, much of that was due to sheer luck. Furthermore, he’s been w in the mines siering the sed knows nothing about tending medial herbs. I fear he might ruin your important work.”

  Zhou g nodded in agreement. “Dea Liu has a point, Nephew Yun. Why don’t I take you to the Spirit Medie Garden to choose a few experienced servants instead?”

  Yun Qingsnow furrowed her brow slightly and g Zhao Heng, about to say something.

  Before she could speak, Zhao Heng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stepped forward and said, “Steward Zhou, Dea Liu, rest assured. I have the skills to tend to Senior Sister Yun’s medie garden.”

  Hearing this, Liu Hong sneered.

  “Zhao Heng, you’re just a miner. What could you possibly know about tending to medial herbs? Don’t brag just because you want to cozy up to Senior Sister Yun.”

  Zhou g frowned slightly, displeased with Zhao Heng’s bold cim.

  But Zhao Heng couldn’t afford to care about anyone’s opinion at this moment. He knew Yun Qingsnow had e today to repay the favor she owed him.

  While no one would dare stop her from forcefully recruiting him as her servant, it would undoubtedly lead to suspi and specution about their retionship—something that could cause signifit trouble.

  As the saying goes, "One must have their own strength te iron." This was a moment where Zhao Heng had no choice but to put himself forward.

  Fag Liu Hong’s s, Zhao Heng csped his hands behind his back, recalling something in his mind. Suddenly, he spoke aloud with fidence:

  “The highest-grade medial herbs, 120 kinds, are the rulers. They nourish life and align with the heavens. They are non-toxid harmless even with prolonged use. Those who wish to attain lightness of body, vitality, and loy should refer to the Upper .

  The middle-grade medial herbs, another 120 kinds, are the ministers. They nurture the spirit and be humanity…”

  As Zhao Heng’s voice rang out, one of the servants from the Spirit Medie Garden excimed in surprise.

  “This is… the pendium of Spirit Herbs!”

  [--------------------------------------------]

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